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, 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,
Advent
The rose candle will be lit this Sunday, (Gaudete Sunday,) when Father Andrew will also wear rose vestments at Mass. It symbolises a day of rejoicing because the faithful have arrived at the midpoint of Advent and anticipate Christmas.
This Sunday’s Scripture reminds us that God has not held back one thing in His love for us. By becoming one with us in our flesh, God has done everything He can to assure us of His saving love. He has shown us how to live lives of sacrifice, justice and love to transform our world.
In the Gospel, the disciples want to know what they can do to earn God's love. Through prayer, we know we can communicate our needs, confident that God has heard our words and so sent love itself in Jesus Christ.
Thank you
It’s hard to believe that another year is almost over and it certainly feels great to be part of the St Justin’s community, made easier by a number of people. Again, a big "thank you” to all our students, parents and carers for your continued support throughout this year.
A huge thank you to Fr Andrew and all the staff at St Justin’s – they are committed professionals who aim to provide the very best in education. It is these people who help our students grow, leading by example, pushing with encouragement or walking beside with support. I thank them for the care, guidance and support that they give to each and every student. I also thank the School Advisory Council, the Parents and Friends Committee, the Fair on the Hill Committee and the various sub committees for the amazing work they do in helping to support such a wonderful community.
Your dedication, encouragement and hard work is appreciated by all.
Thank you also to the families leaving our school, some after a very long and happy association with St Justin’s Primary School. We wish them well and thank them for their contributions. Remember, you are still a valued member of the St Justin’s Parish and the door is always open.
Thanks everyone for your prayers and encouragement throughout the year. St Justin’s is certainly more than buildings, curriculum, meetings, fundraising and working bees. It is a community rich in love, support and a genuine concern for others.
We wish you all a happy and holy Christmas and a safe Summer holiday.
End of Year break up
School will conclude for 2024 on Tuesday 17th December 2024 at 1:00pm. Please join us to celebrate another great year at our End of Year Mass at 9.15am.
Our Year 6 students will finish on Monday 16th December after their Graduation evening.
We wish you and your families a happy and safe Christmas and New Year.
Year 6 Graduation
Year 6 Graduation will take place on Monday 16th December, commencing at 5:00pm in the church. This will be followed by dinner and a disco for the students and supper for the parents of the graduating students in the staffroom. We look forward to seeing you all there.
Principal for a Day
Thanks to our Principal for the Day: Mason A (5WM) and our Vice Principal for a Day: Oscar B (1M) for their outstanding leadership yesterday. As leaders, Mason and Oscar did yard duty, greeted families and friends, made announcements over the PA system (fortunately they missed the opportunity to clean the tolets). These are all important jobs of a school leaders and they managed the tasks beautifully. More importantly they had huge smiles on their faces. Noah A (4P) also had the privilege of ringing the school bell for the day. Nico S in Year 3SL was also the Sports Teacher for the Day. I'm sure he had a great experience hanging out with Mr J for the day.
These students (families) were the winners of the Fair on the Hill Silent Auction.
Thanks for their support.
Sad News
It is with a heavy heart that we share the very sad news that on Wednesday, Miss Lea's brother Mitch, had passed away suddenly and unexpectly.
Mitch was an active and fit 26 year old who in recent days, had been experiencing some dizziness and headaches. He was rushed to Monash hospital on Tuesday morning and despite undergoing emergency surgery, he did not recover.
We ask that you keep Miss Lea (Rachael), her parents Greg and Rhonda, in your prayers during this difficult time.
God bless you all.
The Rotary Club of Waverley - Sporting Attitudes Award
Congratulations to our year 6 student Lilly G who on Monday was one of the recipients of the Rotary Club of Waverley - Sporting Attitudes Award.
Along with other students from the Monash/Waverley area, Lilly was nominated for the award for her attitude towards sport. The recipients are students who demonstrate not only a love for sport, but show an attitude that others can look up too. Lilly with her humbleness, determination, team spirit, leadership and respect for all when playing sport made her a wonderful and deserving choice to receive the honour this year.
Well done Lilly and best of luck with all of your future sporting endeavours, we are proud of you!
Mr Johnson
Year 3/4 Tote Bags
Thank you very much to all of the families and grandparents who purchased a Tote Bag from our Middle School students. The students had as much fun making them as they did promoting and selling them. We were able to raise an outstanding $326.50, with all proceeds going to Caritas Australia. What a wonderful way to end the year with our
St Justin's community spirit!
Year 5 Cumberland View Visit
On Thursday, December 12th, Year 5F and 5WM visited Cumberland View. In preparation, we crafted festive Santa door hangers in class and decorated them to brighten the residents' rooms.
As we arrived, we were welcomed into a beautifully decorated, festive room filled with Christmas cheer. We performed two songs from our Christmas Concert Jingle Bell Rock and Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and were delighted to see how much the residents appreciated our dances and gifts.
After the performances, we had the opportunity to chat to the residents, where we enjoyed meaningful conversations and heard many wonderful stories. The kindness and warmth of the people at Cumberland View made our visit truly special.
It has been a highlight of our year visiting Cumberland view, and we loved spreading joy to such a lovely community.
Students who helped write this…..
Sienna Z and Sebastian - 5F
Premier's Reading Challenge
Congratulations to the students who met the 2024 Victorian Premier's Reading Challenge: Massimo T, Jacob C, Dehaynne L, William K, Max K, Bella M, Oscar B, Georgiana K, Joseph B, Ariyan A, Oliver K, Ritesh P, Keira H and Luca T. Your efforts have not gone unoticed.
Beginning 2025 school year
In 2025, staff will officially commence the year on Tuesday 28h January. As we have organised in the past, the first two "student days" will be set aside for Teacher Assessment and Teacher Meets. These two days will be:
- Wednesday 29th January 2025
- Thursday 30th January 2025
On one of these days, each student will have an allocated time for a one-on-one session with their classroom teacher. This allows classroom teachers to undertake some individual assessments with each student and additionally provides an opportunity for each student to "check in" with his or her teacher before the school year begins. This enables connection to start between the student and their teacher.
Details for booking your student in for a session on one of these two days will be made available through an email to you in the coming weeks.
Friday 31st January 2025 - First day of school for all Prep to year 6 students!
Altar Service
Thank you to Mrs De Lillo and Mrs Cedro for organising the Altar Server pizza lunch with Father Andrew on Thursday. This is Father's way of saying thank you for assisting him with Altar Serving for the year. The students all had a wonderful time!
Getting Ready for 2025 - Student Information
Once again we ask that all families please consider if you have any new or updated changes in your personal details - phone numbers, address, emergency contact, medications for students etc. Please take the time to update these details on nForma so that we always have the most up to date information for your child. All students also received a Students Information Checklist, can we please as these be completed and returned to the office by the end of the school year. We also ask that you have all Medical forms and Medical Authority forms filled out and up to date . This is especially needed in cases of emergency. Thank you!
As always, thank you for your ongoing support.
Christmas Cheer
Christmas has always been a time of sharing and our children certainly enter into the spirit. It’s not unusual for students at St Justin’s to hand out Christmas cards, not just to their friends, but to all class members. Often attached to the envelopes and/or cards, are candy canes, a simple but effective way of wishing friends a “Merry Christmas”. Unfortunately, many candy canes contain traces of food colouring and/or nuts that many of our children are highly allergic too. Whilst we don’t want to be considered the “Christmas Grouch”, with the safety of all students at our school on our mind, we ask you to consider an alternative “gift”. We ask that Christmas canes be eaten at home.
Have a great weekend and we look forward to seeing you all next week.
All the best,
Pat
Mr Patrick Torpey
Principal