From the Principal

Mr Torpey

St 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 40 years of Catholic Education

Dear Families and Friends,

St Mary of the Cross McKillop's Feast Day

St Mary of the Cross – Mary MacKillop

Yesterday we celebrated the Feast Day of Saint Mary of the Cross with a whole school Mass. Mary MacKillop is the first Australian to be recognised by the Church as a Saint. She was a hard worker who put the needs of others before herself. She exhibited something of the larrikin spirit: constantly in dispute with authority but pressing on, regardless. She used the strengths of others but also didn’t tolerate those who were not genuine. Her commitment to the schooling of children from poor and rural communities established a model of Catholic education that continues to today.

St Mary of the Cross’ motto was “Never see a need without doing something about it”.

The Music Soiree

On Thursday evening at 7:00pm, we held our Music Soiree in the PAC. This was a wonderful opportunity for our students to showcase their amazing talent.

Thank you to the students who performed and for the families who came along to support them. A special thank you to Mrs Riddiford, Mrs McGrath and Albert for all they work they did to prepare the students for this event.

East Central Zone Principal Network Meeting

Today, St Justin's hosted the East Central Zone Principal Network Meeting, involving principals from over 20 schools. The meeting was followed by a Sponsors presentation, hosted by GM Sponsors. The Sponsors and Principals commented on how wonderful our Year 6 students were when showing them around and helping them. They also spoke very highly about our school environment.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our three great helper from our P&F; Sandra F, Talar B and Michelina D who helped set up and organise morning tea for our guests today. Your help was greatly appreciated.

Also to our wonderful Year 6 students who assisted with welcoming our guests and showing them around. They did an amazing job and we were very proud of them.

Confirmation Commitment Mass

Our Year 6 students will be attending one of our Parish Masses this weekend as part of the preparation for their Confirmation. Students will be invited during the Mass to read their pledge, demonstrating their commitment to this sacrament.

Please keep the Year 6 students in your thoughts and prayers at this time.

St Justin's Sport News

Division Football Finals

On Monday our 5/6 Football side competed in the Monash/Waverley Division Football Tournament at Lum Reserve. After winning the District tournament in Term 2, our team relished the chance to take on more challenging schools in this next stage.

Again, like the district tournament, our footballers showed quite amazing teamwork linking up across the field playing some beautiful football. We cruised through our pool matches undefeated and came up against our rival Good Shepherd in the semi final for a place in the Grand Final. We showed great determination to win that game as well and progressed into the Grand Final. A feat we have not achieved in quite a lot of years.

Unfortunately we came up against a very skilful Jells Park Primary side who built a strong lead in the first half. To our team's credit, we rallied in the second half scoring goals and putting pressure on the opposition but unfortunately couldn’t pull back the margin built in the first half.

It was so pleasing to see every player in the team have their moment to shine on the day with all contributing so much to the team. We were also very thankful to the army of parent support we had right throughout the day.

Well done to the members of the team:

Leo B, Harrison I, Ted W, Mason C, Finn C, Cristian D, Jack G, Oliver K, Lucca S, Andrew S, Elexis D, Taj P, Stefan R, Aria S, Lachlan D, Keith M, Dom P, Mia B, James D, Andy H, Isaiah I, Tyson D, John T, Dante G, Cristian L and Khiara S.

Division Girls Soccer Finals

On Tuesday, our Year 5/6 Girls Soccer Team took part in the Division Championships at the Eastern Lions Soccer Club in Burwood.

It was perfect conditions for sport as it was a sunny winter’s day. The girls were all very excited about participating in this tournament and eager to play their best.

There were two pools for the day and four schools in each pool. St Justins was in Pool 2. Our first match was against Mount Waverley North and the girls had a convincing win 3-0. Our next opposition was PLC and our girls were in great form winning their second game 2-0. The final game in our pool was against Jells Park. The girls were very aware this would be a tough match as they knew many of the girls from weekend soccer. The team was looking forward to playing this match. It was a very skillful game and our girls managed to win 3-0, which was an amazing result.

As we finished first in our pool, St Justin's had to play the team that finished second in Pool 2 in the Semi-final. This match was played against Mount Waverley. We played extrememly well and St Justin's had another victory, winning 1-0.

This meant we had now made the Division Grandfinal and had to play against Jells Park again! The girls were excited about making the Grand final and played a great team game, winning 2-0. This meant that St. Justin's were the Monash/Waverely Division Champions!

It also meant that the team did not have one goal scored against them all tournment.

Such an amazing achievement for our girls soccer team: Valencia V, Selena D, Arnika G, Arabella D, Heidi C, Jesse-Lee D, Elieza Z, Sienna Z, Lux M, Sienna M and Carla D. Unfortunately Ophelia D was away sick!

Congratulations team, you definitely deserved to win!

Finally, I would like to thank two of our dads who helped coach the girls, Matthew V and Daniel Z. Your assistance, enthusiasm and expertise were greatly appreciated!

Also thank you to the many other parents who came along to support the girls!

Division Boys Soccer Finals

On Wednesday, our Senior Boys Soccer Team took part in the Division Championships at the Eastern Lions Soccer Club in Burwood.

It was soon apparent that the pool in which we found ourselves in was a very even one. Our first two matches were 0-0 draws with neither team finding the back of the net. That left the last pool match needing a win to progress to the semis. A sensational first touch finish from Maxi was enough to win the match and help the team progress into the semi final.

Next up we faced last year's state champions, Holy Family, in the semi-final. The first few minutes saw end to end action until an opening for Alex saw him put the ball into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead going into half time. The second half was tightly contested as well until a moment of individual brilliance from Alex again with a 360 spin leaving 2 defenders in a cloud of dust before putting the ball into the top corner for 2-0 lead. A simply brilliant finish which would make any highlight reel around the world! The final whistle sounded and the boys were into the final.

We faced Mt View Primary in the final, a team we had a 0-0 draw with at the beginning of the day. Again it was a struggle for both teams to find the back of the net. We tried everything, even forcing their goalkeeper into a triple save with the fourth shot smashing back into play off the post. We wondered whether we would get the decisive goal. Unfortunately we didn’t and the final was to be settled by a penalty shootout.

Archer showed no signs of feeling any pressure making 2 huge saves during the shootout, the second left the tournament result on the boot of Ashton who took a deep breath and coolly slid the ball into the net off the post and the place erupted. A great celebration followed by wonderful sportsmanship by congratulating a disappointed Mt View Primary.

Congratulations to our team Archer W, Christian D, Keanu Q, Isaac W, Ashton S, Alex P, Maxi G, Giacomo C, Dev M, Sonny M, Thomas G and Sebastian T, who will now compete in the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Championships for a spot in the state final.

Fair on the Hill

Our Annual St Justin's Fair on the Hill is fast approaching with an amazing amount of work already done. Remember it is being held on Saturday 9th November 2024 from 11:00am-4:00pm. The rides are booked (we even have ponies), the advertising art work is almost complete, sponsorship is coming in (but we always welcome any new sponsors - business and/or family: email stjustinsfair@gmail.com or refer to letter sent out in May 2024), the entertainment is looking very good, the call is going out for student stalls and we are starting to finalise food stalls but still need help in the following areas:

stall captain for the Pasta Stall (a long time favourite)
assistant stall captain for the Fruit and Veg Stall

If you can assist in any way, we would love to hear from you. This event can only be successful if we all put in. For more information, please refer to our Fair on the Hill page in our newsletter. Our next meeting is on Wednesday 14th August, 2024 at 7:00pm in the staffroom - we would love to see you there.

Fair on the Hill Bake Sale Fundraiser

The Fair on the Hill Committee are organising a bake sale fundraiser featuring cookies and cupcakes to help fund more rides and reduce the cost of rides at the fair. Please refer to our Fair on the Hill page in our newsletter.

100 Days of Learning in Prep

Congratulations to all our Prep children who will be celebrating 100 days of learning next Friday 16 August. The Prep students have come such a long way this year. Miss Lea and Mrs Loadman are planning an exciting range of activties to do with "all things 100".

Be careful of the small senior citizens in the Prep classroom on that day!

Art Show

Our bi-annual Art Show is fast approaching and will be held from Monday Sept 2nd - Thursday Sept 5th. Our Opening Ceremony will be held on Monday 2nd September at 2:30pm - everyone welcome. The Art Show will coincide with our Student Led Conferences, at which time, families are welcome to check out the work of our amazing artists.

Dropping Off and Picking Up

Thanks to all those who always drop off and pick up in the correct zones. It is much appreciated and really helps keep everyone safe in our community. On Tuesday we almost had a serious accident, mainly because of the traffic coming in and out of the school, speeding vehicles and drivers on phones. The heavy fog certainly didn't help but sometimes, it's better to prepare our children for challenges in life (if walking up the path in foggy weather is a challenge) rather than take a shortcut that puts others at risk. If the weather isn't the best (either too hot or too cold), plan for the conditions - a little bit like the pathway of life really.

Please be reminded that NOcars enter through the Whalley Drive school gates to drop off or pick up children, unless a prior arrangement has been made with the Principal.

A reminder that no car should enter the school grounds unless:

accessing Before and After School Care.
permission has been granted by the principal.
picking up or dropping of students during class time.
attending an event after school hours.

Please note:

Parishioners will be arriving in the morning to attend Mass - they may park in the school grounds
if it is and raining and cold weather, students should use a jacket or umbrella - using the school grounds to drop off and pick up can make things even more dangerous.
the speed limit inside the school grounds is 5km/h - which is very slow.

Arrival Times

As you would be aware, we are experiencing high levels of absenteeism at the moment for various reasons. To help with the attendance recording procedure, we ask that:

any student arriving after the bell to please make their way to the office to receive a late pass. A parent/guardian is required to sign the student/students in via the Passtab (Ipad) at the office. The late pass will then be handed to the teacher, who will mark the roll accordingly.
If, for any reason, your child will be absent from school, can you please notify the office before 8:55am via:

The Audiri App,
Phoning the office (9561 7644) or
Emailing the office office@sjwheelershill.catholic.edu.au

Bell Times

School Hours
Monday	8.55 am - 3.15 pm
Tuesday - Friday	8.55 am - 3.30 pm

Bell Times
Morning	8:55 am (Bell) Line Up Undercover Area
	9:00am (Bell) Classes commence

1st Break	10:55 am (Bell) Eating
	11:05 am (Bell) 1st Break
	11:43 am (Bell) Line Up
	11:45 am (Bell) Classes resume

2nd Break	1:10 pm (Bell) Eating
	1:20 pm (Bell) 2nd Break
	1:55 pm (Bell) Line Up
	2:00 pm (Bell) Classes resume
	3:10 pm(Bell) Pack up (Monday)
	3:25 pm (Bell) Pack up (Tuesday - Friday)

End of School Day:
Monday	3:15 pm (Bell) Dismissal
Tuesday - Friday	3:30 pm (Bell) Dismissal

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.

Higher levels of education are associated with increased likelihood of being employed, being in good health and reporting life satisfaction (OECD 2016a, 2018).

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.

Please note: school work is not provided for students who holiday during term time. If going away for an extended period of time, students are encouraged to read each day, and keep a journal of their travels.

How many days has your child missed this semester?

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.