From the Principal

 We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which our school stands, 

the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.

Dear Families and Friends,

REMINDER - THURSDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER IS OUR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CLOSURE DAY - NO STUDENTS AT SCHOOL

Professional Learning Day Last Week

Last Wednesday all staff underwent professional learning together, continuing in the Learning Area of Mathematics, as is one of our major focus areas from our last review.  For many of our professional learning team meetings on Monday and Tuesday afternoons this year, we have delved deeply into best practice for planning and implementing the Maths curriculum. Wednesday's whole day focus gave us the opportunity to share strategies that we have worked on in our year levels, and to collaboratively plan lessons which will be undertaken in our teams. In this way we can model best practice, debrief together and provide feedback about lessons and share what works and what we can do to continually improve. We continued our focus on developing strong understandings about the Maths proficiencies in the Australian curriculum - Understanding, Fluency, Problem-Solving and Reasoning. These proficiencies are included in the curriculum to ensure that student learning and student independence are at the centre of learning. These help students to respond to familiar and unfamiliar situations by employing mathematical strategies to make informed decisions and solve problems efficiently.

You may have noticed in the dates ahead that we have two Professional Learning Days scheduled for this term. Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS), our governing body, has authorized an extra day to accommodate for lost professional learning over the last few years. Our next Professional Learning  day is Thursday 1st September 2022, at which time staff will focus on Religious Education Planning and Catholic Social Teaching.

Ongoing professional learning is essential for St Justin's to keep abreast of the latest in education. Please note there will be no school on this day.

Updating your details - OPEROO

Once again we ask that all families please consider if you have had any recent changes in your personal details - phone numbers, address, emergency contact, medications for students etc. Please take the time to update these details on Operoo so that we always have the most up to date information for your child. This is especially needed in cases of emergency. Thank you!

Whilst you are also welcome to email your child's teacher, letting the office know directly will ensure that your child's absenteeism is record in a timely and accurate manner. For more information please refer to the Attendance Policy on our website.

Parking

Please take great care when parking around the school, obeying all signs and restrictions. Many drivers have been observed parking illegally, especially when picking students up after school. Under no circumstances should any driver pull up in the middle of the road and allow their child to enter the car – it is better to drive around the block and wait for a safe park. Please do not park across driveways (neighbours have the right to access their driveways at all times) or on nature strips (it can create tracks, especailly when the nature strip is wet). A reminder also that a speed limit of 40 km/h applies outside the school grounds along Whalley Drive - please obey. Your co-operation would not only be appreciated, but expected.

A reminder that we should not be driving into the school grounds to drop off or pick up students (Before and After School Care excepted). Grandparents might need to be notified. We appreciate your support in this matter.   

Have a great weekend.

Take care and stay safe.

Pat

Mr Patrick Torpey

Principal