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 over 40 years of Catholic Education

Dear Families and Friends,

Confirmation

Last night was a very special occasion for our Year 6 students, who celebrated their Confirmation. The service was led by our own Very Reverand Father Andrew Madry who is now the Episicol Vicar of the Southern Region and he was support by Father Jean-Sebastien Gery. For the first time, we celebrated Confiramtion at Good Shepherd Church. This church holds more people so our Year 6 students could all celebrate Confirmation together in one mass instead of usual two Masses. The service was filled with joy, reverence, and a real sense of community.

Our students stepped forward with confidence and maturity to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, supported by their families, sponsors, and teachers. It was inspiring to see their commitment to living out their faith in the years ahead.

This milestone marks an important step in their lives as young Catholics. Through the Sacrament of Confirmation, they are called to live with God’s love in both words and actions. Last night was not just a ceremony, but a commitment to live out their faith every day.

I would like to thank the students in the choir for leading the singing, Patrick for playing reflective music on the piano and our Year 5 alter servers. It truly was a wonderful community event. I would also like to thank the Year 6 teachers, Mrs Braybrook, Mrs D'Angelo, Mrs Slonim and Mrs Lacey for the work they have done in preparing out students and Mrs Snell for preparing the mass and guiding the Year 6 students on their Confirmation journey.

Exciting Baby News!

Congratulations to Mrs Wickens and Michael on the very exciting news that they are becoming parents again. What wonderful news for their growing family!

Congratulations to Mrs Andrews and Tom who will also becoming parents for the first time early next year. What wonderful news for you both!

We are so excited to be a part of your journey into motherhood and to share this very special time with you.

Both Mrs Wickens and Mrs Andrews are due in early February and will work to the end of the year.

Important Dates

Whilst we have most dates in the calendar, some dates include:

Saturday 22nd August - School Working Bee
Monday 24th August - Book Week
Wednesday 26th August - School Advisory Committee Meeting: 7:30pm
Thursday 27th August - District Athletics
Friday 28th August - Book Week Dress Up: Parade (9:00 – 10:00am)

Please refer to Dates Ahead for more dates. Please note that dates do change from time to time.

Fair on the Hill

Our Fair on the Hill will be held on Saturday 7th November 2026 (the weekend after the Melbourne Cup - lock it in). Please refer to the Fair on the Hill page for more details.

Monash Festival Performance

Our students did a fantastic job at the recent choir event and represented St Justin’s so wonderfully. We were incredibly proud of them all!

The adjudicator was very impressed with their performance and shared some wonderful feedback:

“How good you look on stage.”

“Unison singing is strong and confident.”

“There are lots of words in this song and the diction is very clear.”

“Some good dynamic contrasts in this song and very sincerely felt.”

Overall, the students sang beautifully and performed to a very high standard, confidently matching the level of the other schools competing.

A very special thank you to Mrs Riddiford, Mrs McGrath and Staff for your support.

Year 6 Hooptime Basketball Tournament

Last Monday our Year 6 students participated in the Hoop Time Basketball Tournament at the State Basketball Centre, Wantirna. We are incredibly proud of their enthusiasm and teamwork as they represent our school in this exciting event.

Thank you Mrs Snell, Mrs Lacey, Mrs Braybrook and Mrs Sullivan for coaching and supervising the students.

We hope the Year 6 students enjoyed this great experience!

REMINDER - Book Week Parade – Friday 28th August

We are looking forward to celebrating Book Week 2026 with this year's theme, A Symphony of Stories.

Students are invited to come dressed as their favourite book character for our annual Book Week Parade, which will begin at 9:00 am on Friday 28th August.

This year's theme celebrates the wonderful variety of stories that inspire us, so we encourage students to get creative with their costume choices. Whether they choose a classic storybook character, a magical hero, a curious explorer or a much-loved favourite, we can't wait to see their imagination on display!

Costumes do not need to be expensive or elaborate, homemade costumes are often the most creative. We also encourage families to think beyond sporting uniforms such as soccer, football or netball outfits, unless they represent a character from a book. Book Week is a wonderful opportunity for students to celebrate their love of reading and showcase the incredible characters found in literature.

Parents and carers are warmly invited to join us for the parade and celebrate this special event with our students.

We look forward to another fantastic Book Week filled with creativity, imagination and a shared love of books!

P&F Student Disco & Parent Mingle

Thank you - P&F Sushi lunch

A big thank you to the Parents and Friends Association for all their hard work in organising these events. We could not hold these events without your support!

Father's Days

Please join us on Friday, September 4th from 8:00am for a special morning celebrating all the amazing Dads and Father figures in our St Justin’s community!

Enjoy a delicious bacon & egg roll, coffee and tea, followed by some fun activities. Dads and kids can get involved in a friendly soccer match or enjoy some Father’s Day craft activities together.

Please register below:

https://www.trybooking.com/DOWEZ

Booking close Friday 28th August at 1:00pm for catering purposes.

We can’t wait to celebrate Father’s Day with our wonderful St Justin’s dads!

Working Bee

Our termly Working Bee is scheduled for Saturday 22nd August from 1:30pm - 4:00pm, followed by drinks and a suasage sizzle. Whilst this is a great opportunity to get things done and have the school looking spick & span, it's also a great time to intereact with others. Children are welcome. Working With Chidlren Check and registration at St Justin's as a Volunteer is required (if you bring the paperwork on the day, Mr T is happy to conduct the interview).

Jobs include: Staining the timber chairs, organising the garden beds and watering system ready for spring planting, cleaning up the garden shed, filling holes around the outdoor kitchen, installing a tap to the green house (may require specialist help) and much more.

We would love to see you there.

2027 Prep Enrolments

If you have a child starting Prep in 2027, please be sure to continue to check your emails for updated information and for any outstanding items that may need to be sent to the office.

We are looking forward to seeing all the children and their parents as part of our Prep Transition program throughout Term 4.

Dates for these are as follows:

Thurs 22nd October 2026 - 7:30pm - 9:30pm - Information Evening (Parents only)
Thurs 5th November 2026 - 9:15am – 10:45am - Transition Session 1 (Students)
Thurs 12th November 2026 - 9:15am - 10:15am - Transition Session 2 (Students)
Friday 27th November 2026 - 9:15am-10:15am - Transition Session 3 (Students)
Friday 4th December 2026 - 9:15am-12:00 noon - Prep 2027 Students Orientation
Tuesday 2nd March 2027 - 7:30pm - 8:30pm - Managing Big Feelings Webinar

Privacy policy, students and parent updated

Our Medical Management Policy has changed.

The updated documents are available on the MACS policies webpage in the ‘Governance’ tab.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support.

All the best

Pat

Mr Patrick Torpey

Principal

Student Wellbeing News MHiPs- Mental Health in Primary Schools