From the Principal
our new familiesSt Justin’s Primary School acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Australia's First People and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which our school stands.
We pay our respects to the Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation, and their elders past and present, and emerging as we continue to proudly live and learn on their land.
St Justin's Primary School - Celebrating over 40 years of Catholic Education
Dear Families and Friends,
Welcome everyone to the 2026 school year. I hope that you were able to spend quality time with loved ones over the Christmas break. A special welcome to you all.
It great this morning to see everyone arriving at school. Having spent a number of days at school over the holidays with no one around, today was a reminder that schools were never designed to be empty - they are special places designed for us all - students, teachers and families. There was a wonderful buzz this morning, not only from teachers as they arrived (this is why they became teachers - to work with students), the students as they arrived, but the parents and grandparents who spent time chatting after the students had settled. This is community, not made by one, but made by many brought together for a common goal. We wish you all the very best for the year ahead.
A special welcome to our new families. We hope that your time here will be filled with many friendships and fond memories. Never be afraid to reachout for support, clarity or friendship.
Prayer:
God of Hope and Courage,
We come to you at the beginning of this year with many
feelings, expectations, anxieties and dreams.
Help us to recognise that we are given NEW opportunities
to rise up, to listen, to go and to serve each day.
Help us to accept these opportunities as ways for us
to fulfil our mission and be beacons of hope for others.
This we ask through Christ our Lord,
AMEN.
Beginning Of The Year Mass
Next Friday 6th February we will celebrate our Beginning of School Year Mass in the church at 9.15am. At this Mass, staff will be inducted, our Year 6 School Captains and Leaders, and Year 3 to 5 SRC and Mini Vinnies leaders will be presented with their school badges. Parents are very welcome to attend.
Parent Information Night - Thursday 5th February
Parents are invited to attend an important Parent Information Session. This informative session will begin at 6.30pm sharp in the Church, presented by a number of St Justin's staff (hopefully helping you put a name to a face, regardless of your child's year level). Following our Information Session in the Church, at approximately 7:15pm, parents will have the opportunity to visit their child’s classroom to Meet and Greet with the teacher. Year 6 parents are asked to remain in the Church for a Camp Information Session. This Parent Information Night will replace the Year Level Parent Information Nights we've held in the past - we thought we'd try somethng different.
We would love at least one member from each family to attend as the Information Session will contain information relelvant to all St Justin's families. Please note that students are not required at this session.
We are looking forward to a wonderful 2026 and hope to see you at the Parent Information/Meet & Greet evening next Thursday.
School Fees and Year 6 Camp Levy
School Fees will be issued to all families within the next fortnight. Please refer to Fees and Levies and Year 6 families please note that the minimum of $460 (Camp Levy) must be paid off your child's school fees prior to your child attending Camp at Portsea.
Student Absences
We take the opportunity to remind all families that student absences should be reported to school via nforma or phoning the office prior to school commencing by 8:30am.
Student Absences are to be reported in the following way:
- Leave a message via Student Absence on 9561 7644
We appreciate your support with this advice.
Kiosk Friday
Kiosk Friday is back for 2026! Students can look forward to enjoying their favourite kiosk treats on Fridays this year.
Attendance
Daily school attendance is important for all students to succeed in education and to ensure they don't fall behind both socially and developmentally. There is a direct link between school attendance and achievement later in life and students who regularly attend school and complete Year 12 or an equivalent qualification have better health outcomes, better employment outcomes, and higher incomes across their lives. It is important that students develop habits of regular attendance at an early age. Poor patterns in attendance in the early years lead to poor patterns in attendance throughout the school year. It also makes it difficult for students to form positive relationships with their peers.
Students are expected to attend the school in which they are enrolled, during normal school hours every day of each term. On a daily basis, absences tend to be short (less than 1 hour) or for the whole day. It is worth noting that regularly missing out on part of the school day can add up quickly.
How many mornings or afternoons/days/weeks has your child missed this year?
0-6 days: This is within the normal range. A child with this attendance rate is able to take full advantage of the teaching and learning opportunities available to them.
7-10 days: This attendance rate is below average. A child with this attendance rate could miss over 1 year of schooling between Prep and Year 10.
11-20 days: This is a poor attendance rate. A child with this attendance rate could miss out on up to 2 years of schooling between Prep and Year 10.
20+ days: This is a very poor attendance rate. A child with this attendance rate could miss out on up to 2.5 years of schooling between Prep and Year 10.
Families choosing to holiday during term time should plan wisely, as schoolwork will not be provided by class teachers for these periods of absence.
Morning Arrival
Developing independence and responsibility in a child at a young age helps them develop lifelong problem solving strategies for the future. Being independent and responsible for their own things helps them approach challenging situations with greater confidence. Often as a parent, we want to do as much for our children as possible, because it’s too hard for them, we don’t have enough time, we are afraid of what others might think or we are afraid that they might get hurt. However, doing too much for our children can deny them the opportunity to learn valuable problem solving skills and resilience for the future.
Can we please ask that all students carry their own bag to and from school each day? This will assist our students in developing a greater sense of responsibility, ownership and confidence in tackling challenging situations, not only in the classroom, but on the playground as well.
We also ask that students take full responsibility for their own things. In the morning we ask students to enter the classroom, greet their teacher and unpack their bag ready for the commencement of the school day. They are then free to make their way outside to play with their friends.
Drop Off and Pick Up
In the morning, there are at least two teachers on yard duty in the school grounds from 8:40am. If you wish to drop your child off before 8:40 am, please use the Before School Care service provided by MACSEYE- we would hate for your child to arrive at school and no one be here to care for them. Whilst there is usually someone here from 8:00am, it’s important to remember that staff are busy preparing for the day ahead or involved in meetings.
After school, a teacher is on playground duty until 3:45 pm (3:30pm on Monday). After this time students who are yet to be picked up will be taken to the office. We will attempt to ring their parents to make sure everything is ok. If for any reason, you are running late, just give the office a ring and let us know.
Please note that students should not be dropped off or picked up in the staff car park. In the morning and at the end of the day, the car park becomes a busy place with people walking in all directions.
Please ensure you follow all parking restrictions, including the 2 minute parking zones. We also ask that those families entering the school from Whalley Drive, use the pedestrian paths provided, we really want all pedestrians off the roads.
Camps Sports and Excursions Fund
Uniform
A uniform is a powerful symbol that helps connect us together, a symbol that we belong. Wearing the uniform correctly and proudly in any organisation is important. Likewise, our school uniform at St Justin’s is compulsory and all requirements are available from Academy Uniforms. Whilst students have a Summer uniform (Term 1 and 4) and a Winter uniform (Term 2 and 3), Melbourne’s weather doesn’t always fit nicely into the seasons and/or terms - it may be necessary to wear a summer or winter uniform outside of the assigned times. Students also wear a sports uniform on the day that is designated as their classroom sports day.
Summer:
Option 1: blue short sleeve shirt, grey shorts, grey socks, black shoes, school bomber, jacket, school hat
Option 2: school dress, white socks, black shoes, school bomber jacket, school hat
Winter:
Option 1: grey pants, school jumper, bomber jacket, grey socks, blue shirt (long
sleeve or short sleeve), black shoes
Option 2: winter tunic / grey pants, blue shirt (L/S or S/S), school jumper, bomber
jacket, grey socks/grey tights, black shoes
P.E. Uniform
St Justin’s polo, St Justin’s sport shorts / track pants, white sports socks, runners
Optional: Bomber Jacket / School Jumper / Rugby Top
Hair ties are to be in school colours of maroon, light blue or white. All long hair must be tied back. Nail polish is not permitted.
Uniform Shop
Uniforms are supplied by Academy Uniforms located at 2/810-818 Princes Highway, Springvale. Their hours of operation are Tuesday to Thursday 9.00am-5.00pm and Saturday 9.00am-12.00pm.
Parents can visit the store and buy directly from Academy Uniforms or parents can order uniform items online:
- Go to www.academyuniforms.com.au
- Select ‘order online’
- Choose St Justin’s from the drop down list
- Enter the password ‘Wheelers Hill’
Uniforms ordered online can be delivered directly to your home which will incur a delivery fee, collected directly from the store, or delivered directly to the school (free of charge) on a Thursday and these uniform items will be sent home using the classroom bucket system.
If at any stage your child can not be in full school uniform, please don’t hesitate to send a note to the classroom teacher.
As always, thank you for your ongoing support.
Sun Smart
A reminder that St Justin’s Primary School is a Sun Smart School and as a result, all students are to wear their school hat that protects the face, neck and ears during breaks or lessons, throughout September to the end of April. Sun screen should also be applied at home before coming to school.
Over exposure to the sun presents a serious health risk. Students must, therefore, be educated regarding healthy UV exposure balance to help with Vitamin D and suitable sun protection, in order to be protected from overexposure to the sun whilst at school.
Students and teachers are encouraged to protect themselves from the harmful effects of the sun through strategies which use a combination of sun protection measures whenever UV Index levels reach 3 and above.
Sun protection should be used whenever UV levels are 3 or higher, especially between the months of mid-August to the end of April. During this time, parents should send appropriate sun screen to school and ensure that their child has a suitable hat.
Please refer to our website for more information.
2026- Student Information
Once again we ask that all families please consider if you have any new or updated changes in your personal details - phone numbers, address, emergency contact, medications for students etc. Please take the time to update these details on nForma so that we always have the most up to date information for your child. All students also received a Students Information Checklist, can we please ask for these be completed and returned to the office by the end of the school year. We also ask that you have all Medical forms and Medical Authority forms filled out and up to date . This is especially needed in cases of emergency. Thank you!
Battery Recycling
We now have an EcoBatt Battery Recycling bin at school - it is located in the staffroom. If you have any flat or unwanted batteries, please cover the positive and negative ends -(this helps reduce any risk of overheating), send them to school where they can be placed in the communication tub in the mornings and sent ot the office. We will then check that the positive and negative ends are covered before placing them into the bin. The Battery Recycling Bin will be emptied on a regular basis. We know that our efforts will help keep bateries out of landfill, creating a safer environmnet for us all.
As always, thank you for your ongoing support.
All the best,
Pat
Mr Patrick Torpey
Principal