From the Principal

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, as we continue to proudly live and learn on their land.

Dear Families and Friends,  

We hope you've had a great week.

There certainly is a hive of activity at St Justin's at the moment (as always) and whilst we are busy, our hearts go out to the 4 Catholic Primary Schools that were informed recently that their schools would be closing at the end of the year - devastating news for their communities. It is however, a strong reminder that we should never take our communities for granted. Many work tirelessly to help maintain a united, caring and compassionate Christ-centered community here at St Justin's and we should always look for opportunities to support them.  And in the next few weeks, there are many.

Trivia Night

On Saturday night we have our annual Trivia Night and whilst it's designed to raise some funds, more importantly, it's designed to bring the community together and have some fun. A huge amount of work has gone into preparing for the night (thanks Carolyn and team) and we still have some tables available. To book a table or a spot on a table, please access trybooking  Looking forward to catching up with you there. There's many "special" items up for grabs, including class artwork.

Fathers' Day

Next Friday, 1st September, we will celebrate Fathers' Day. The day will commence at 8:00am with breakfast (muffin, juice and fruit - Jack will also be here with his Coffee Cart), followed by an opportunity to join classes for morning prayer at 9:00am. Between 8:00am and 9:00am, there will be a variety of activities for everyone.  We look forward to seeing you all there.

A Fathers' Day stall will also be held on Friday 1st September - for more information, follow the link to Fathers' Day Stall.

School Production

With only a few weeks left, our whole School Production is in full swing. Please take note of all the important information enclosed in this newsletter. I would like to thank our Performing Arts Teacher Mrs Christy Riddiford, and the Production team for all the hard work they have done to put this Production together for our students. 

Fair on the Hill

A great deal of work has already gone into our Fair on the Hill and for a small working party, a great deal has been achieved. As always, we continue to look for more support as this will help create a special event. Follow the link for more information. 

Maintenance

Last week maintenance was carried out on our synthetic surfaces. This is done twice per year and helps maintain the life span of the synthetic grasses (as they are not cheap to replace). We are fortunate to have such amazing spaces to run and play, many of which were installed using those funds raised by former Parents and Friends activities. We are the beneficiaries from former generations and for that, we are grateful.

Confirmation

Last weekend we celebrated our Confirmation Commitment Masses for those preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. Preparation for any special celebration is important - it takes time, consideration, planning and in this case, prayer. 

In helping to prepare for Confirmation, on Tuesday we had our Confirmation Family Workshop. As well as clarifying what the sacrament is, Pia (our presenter) reminded us that Confirmation is not a "thing" that we tick off. It's part of our faith journey which will continue well after we receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Please keep our Confirmation Candidates in your prayers as they continue on their faith journey.

District Athletics 2023

Yesterday we had approximately 65 students from Years 3-6 selected to represent our school in the District Athletics Competition. The sun was shining which brought a great atmosphere to the track and as well as that, as the day went on, we saw the very best of our participants.

We had an abundance of success on the day with many of our students progressing to the Division Carnival which will be held at the beginning of Term 4.

The successes of the day was highlighted with St Justin's taking out the overall shield and being crowned the 2023 Wellington District Athletics champions.

Thank you to Mr Johnson, Mr Snelling, Mr Giosis, Mrs De Le Haye and Mrs Stewart for all of your hard work on the day and of course to all of the family members there cheering on the day.

Year 3 WM Assembly

Thanks to Year 3 WM for a great assembly this morning. Along with many of thier learnings, they shared with us Pope Francis’ 5 Finger Prayer

• THE THUMB - For the ones we love. Start praying for those who are closest to you.  They are the easiest to remember.  … your family … your friends.
• Next is the INDEX FINGER - For the ones that teach us, for those who instruct you and heal you. They need the support and wisdom to show direction to others … teachers … parents … elders 
• MIDDLE FINGER - For our Leaders. As it is the tallest finger, it reminds us of our leaders and those who have authority …. Father Andrew, Mr. Torpey, Mrs Snell and Miss Leung … our SRC … our Premiers and Ministers.
• RING FINGER - For the sick and the weakest. It is our weakest finger.  It reminds us to pray for the weakest, the sick or those with problems.… the homeless … the elderly … the poor.
• THE PINKY - Pray for Yourself. The smallest finger should remind you to pray for your own needs when you are done praying for the other four groups. Take some time to pray for yourself.

Healesville Sanctuary Excursion

Last Friday our Years 1 and 2 travelled to Healesville Sanctuary for an excusrion. Despite the wintery weather, a good time was had by all.

Crossing not covered for next week

Due to an ongoing shortage of School Crossing Supervisors, there will be no supervisor available to cover the following dates & times:

2023-08-28 15:20-16:00 - M7 Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 2023-08-29 15:20-16:00 - M7 Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 2023-08-30 15:20-16:00 - M7 Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 2023-08-31 15:20-16:00 - M7 Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill

2023-09-01 08:20-09:00 - M7 Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 2023-09-01 15:20-16:00 - M7 Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill

Student Code of Conduct Form

It is now a requirement from MACS (Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools) that all students who attend a Catholic school complete the Students Code of Conduct. Our prep families have already completed this form.

Staff will go through this form with the Year 1 to Year 6 students and clearly explain the expectations of  acceptable and unacceptable behaviours at school. Students will need to sign this document and bring it home for parents/guardians to read over and also sign and date.

This document ensure that students, parents/guardians and teaching staff all have the same understanding of the expectations around being enrolled in a Catholic School.

All Code of Conduct forms need to be returned to the classroom teacher one week after the form has been sent home.

We appreciate your cooperation in regards to the initiative that has been implemented by MACS.

School Fees

A reminder that all School Fees are due to be finalised by Tuesday 31st October. 

By families keeping up with payments or organising for assistance this allows us to maintain activities and programs we already have in place at St. Justin's. We would greatly appreciate your support in regard to this matter.

As is our ongoing practice, should any family’s financial situation have changed, please contact Patrick Torpey or office staff on 9561 7644 or email office@sjwheelershill.catholic.edu.au

Where's  Mr T

Can you find Mr T? He's hiding somewhere in the newsletter.

Have a great weekend and we look forward to seeing you all next week.

Kind regards,

Mr Patrick Torpey

Principal