St Justin’s Primary School Newsletter

From the Principal

ays, we thank you for your ongoing supportSt 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 at the beautiful St Patrick’s Cathedral. The service, led by the Archbishop, 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.

 

On behalf of our school, congratulations to our Year 6s on this important milestone. May the Holy Spirit continue to guide you and strengthen you on your journey.

100 Days of Prep

Congratulations to all our Prep children who celebrated 100 days of learning. On arrival, you could be excused for thinking that we were celebrating Grandparent's Day, for our Preps and teachers had dressed as if they were 100 years old. They enjoyed many acitivies to do with "all things 100."  Our Prep students certainly have come such a long way this year.

 

A huge thank you to Miss Lea and Mrs Loadman and all staff for their amazing efforts so far this year, although today Miss Lea and Mrs Loadman did look like they had aged quiet a bit.

Feast of the Assumption

Today was the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, the mother of God. The Assumption is when Mary, the Mother of Jesus, went to heaven. We remember that Mary had great faith in God. She trusted God even when things were difficult. She also trusted her Son, Jesus, and knew that he was a special gift from God. 

 

We pray that we are inspired by Mary’s life and that we will see her as a model of faith and trust in God.

God of love, 

Inspired by Mary’s example, 

May we live as your faithful and trusting disciples 

always believing that you are with us. 

 

We pray for the strength and courage we need

 to be generous in word and deed just like Mary. 

 

We ask this prayer through Jesus Christ, your Son.

 

Amen

Important Dates 

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

  • Sat 16th Aug - Sat 23rd Aug - Book Week 
  • Thursday 21st August - Book Week Dress-Up Day 
  • Thursday 21st August - P&F Sausage Sizzle Lunch

Please refer to Dates Ahead for a full list of important dates in Term 3.

Australian Catholic Education Conference

Next week I will be attending the Australian Catholic Education Conference with other Principals from around the nation.  The conference will be held in Cairns. All the Catholic Principals in our local network of schools will be travelling and spending the week together.  

With the theme ‘hope, anchored in faith’, the conference will focus on the strategic vision and mission of Catholic education across three key areas – Faith, Excellence and Access. The conference will feature a broad range of speakers, presentations and workshops focused on Catholic identity, mission and formation; learning and teaching; leadership and governance; parent engagement; parish and community engagement; resourcing and infrastructure; and so on.

Parents and Friends

On Wednesday night, we held another Parents and Friends meeting at 7:30pm in the staff room. Whilst again, we only had a few attend, we had plenty of ideas and plans for the remainder of the year. Things to look forward to include: Father’s Day - stall and breakfast, more student lunches, Colour Run, Footy Colours Day, just to name a few. Unfortunately, our annual Trivia night will not go ahead this year as we don't have a coordinator - hopefully next year.

 

Our next Parents and Friends Meeting (presentation) will be held on Thursday 4th September, at which time we will outline some of the roles and responsibilities of the Parents and Friends and identify ways in which parents and friends can be involved. With Emma finishing up as Chair, we will also be encouraging others to take on positions of leadership - important in any volunteer group. We wold love to see as many there as possible - come and join us for a cuppa. more details to follow. We will also hold an evening session for those who can't make it during the day.

 

As always, we thank you for your ongoing support -as you well know, it takes a village to raise a child.

BOOK WEEK

Each year since 1945 the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has brought children and books together across Australia through Children's Book Week. During this time schools and public libraries spend one glorious week celebrating books and Australian children's authors and illustrators. Classroom teachers, teacher librarians and public librarians create colourful displays, develop activities, run competitions and tell stories relating to a theme to highlight the importance of reading. You will often see parades with students dressed as their favourite book character.

 

This year’s theme is “Book an Adventure,” which invites students to journey into the exciting worlds of their favourite stories and characters.  Book week runs from Saturday 16th August to  Saturday 23rd August 2025.

 

On Thursday 21st August, students and staff will be invited to dress as a character from their favourite book. 

REMINDER: P&F Sausage Sizzle

The P&F are holding a sausage sizzle lunch day on Thursday 21st August.

 

Orders can only be accepted on Trybooking and the order cutoff is:  

Monday 18th August - 3:00pm

 

Place your orders via this link: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1434659

 

PLEASE NOTE:  No late orders or refunds will be accepted.

MACSSIS

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS): Monday 1 September – Friday 19 September 2025

Throughout each year, we pause to listen to our students, families and staff to gauge how our learning community is travelling. This feedback is invaluable to our progress as effective school communities and is backed by evidence-based research and best practices. 

 

A significant and formal way in which we engage and gather data is through MACSSIS, the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys. 

 

I encourage you to read the Letter of Informed Consent

Calling All Knitters

 Are you a keen knitter and wanting to help our Middle and Senior school students knit. We are starting a new knitting club at lunch time to knit squares that can be assembled by students and  volunteers to make blankets for the residents at Cumberland View Aged Care.

 

To volunteer you MUST have a valid Working with Children Check (WWC) and have completed the volunteer interview process. Should you have any questions about this, please email Mrs Angelique Loadman aloadman@sjwheelershill.catholic.edu.au or Mrs Laura Wegmann lwegmann@sjwheelershill.catholic.edu.au

St Justin's 2025 School Production 

The countdown is now on!!

Our whole School Production ‘The Down Under Road Trip’ is in full swing. Please take note of all the important information enclosed in this newsletter. 

Term 3 - School Closure Day

Friday 19th September is a School Clousre Day - the day after our school production. 

The students last day of Term 3 will be Thursday 18th September. 

Fair on the Hill

Whilst our Annual Fair on the Hill is still some time away (Saturday 8th November 11:00am - 4:00pm) there has been an amazing amount of planning going on.

 

Please refer to the Fair on the Hill page for more information.

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.

School Fees

A reminder that all School Fees are due to be finalised by Thursday 17th September. 

 

There is an expectation that families make progress payments throughout the year and if intending to make payment on the due date that you reachout to the school to advise us so that we can plan ahead.  With families keeping up with payments or keeping in contact with us in regards to fees or if you are requesting 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 regards to being on top of your fees.

 

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 to discuss your options.

 

 

All the best,

 

Pat

 

Mr Patrick Torpey

Principal