From the Principal
Mr Torpey
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,
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.
Year 3 and 4 Camp
Our Year 3 and 4 students returned from their camp to Camp Toolangi. Located an hour’s drive from Melbourne, Camp Toolangi is a Yarra Valley school camp set on 12 acres of natural bushland adjoining the Toolangi State Forest.
By all reports, everyone had a great time. Whilst we will have a more detailed report next week, we thank all the staff who attended the camp. A special thank you to Mr Mosele who coordinated the camp - a great deal of thought and paper work is required for camps, which starts months beforehand. Thanks to everyone involved.
NBA Maths Hoops Championships
On Wednesday the 4th of September a group of 10 Year 6s went to North Melbourne Footy Club to compete in a Maths competition called NBA Maths Hoops. One of the groups came third in the whole competition - great job guys! The other teams also did really well but unfortunately they did not qualify past the Round Robin. We got to see the womens North Melbourne footy club train and we even saw Alastair Clarkson the coach of North Melbourne.
It was a fun experience for all and it would be great if we did it again!
Footy Day
Get ready to cheer on your favourite team and support a great cause! On Friday 20th September, students at St. Justin’s will be donning their footy jerseys for Footy Colours Day—a lively event dedicated to raising awareness and funds for childhood cancer research.
Purpose: This annual celebration blends the thrill of sport with a meaningful mission to support children fighting cancer.
Participation: By wearing your team’s jersey, you’ll not only show your team spirit but also contribute to vital research aimed at improving treatments and creating a brighter future for affected children.
Community Spirit: This event highlights St. Justin’s dedication to empathy and community, teaching our students about charity and standing together with those who face challenges.
How to Help: To make an even greater impact, we encourage you to click on the link below and make a donation. Every contribution counts and helps support this important cause.
We encourage everyone to join in with enthusiasm and make a positive impact. Let’s turn this day into a celebration of joy and compassion while supporting a crucial cause!
Help care for our chickens!!
We are seeking help from our community to volunteer time during the holiday break to come up to school and help care for our chickens. This requires a minimum of 30 mins and it is also a great way to entertain the kids for free during the holidays. For those of you who have helped before and are available and willing to help out again, please email me with time periods you are free.
For anyone new willing to give it a go but would like more information, please email Lisa Stewart by Thursday 12th Sept.
lstewart@sjwheelershill.catholic.edu.au
The dates requiring volunteers include from:
Saturday 21st September through to Sunday 6th October.
Please consider offering to help - it is very easy and fun for the kids.
Thank you all in advance
Pat Torpey, Lisa Stewart and the Sustainability Team.
Family School Improvement Survey
In 2024, our school is participating in Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS). MACSSIS is an annual process whereby schools listen to the thoughts and feelings students, families and staff have about how their school can improve. These surveys help inform the ongoing improvement of schools across the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
One of the main goals of the family survey is to identify the strengths and areas for improvement in our school. MACSSIS data benefits everyone within our school and provides valuable community insights on areas that each school can focus on. Our school believes it is important to encourage families to have a voice and contribute to shaping the ongoing improvement of the school.
The survey is available onlineand needs to be completed by Friday 20th September 2024. Instructions and access pin were sent home to each family via email on Wednesday 4th September.
If you would like to complete the survey at school, you are welcome to join us in the St Justin’s Staffroom from 3:00pm in Week 9 or 10 (11th September-19th September, 2024) – we’ll have computers set up ready to go and you’re welcome to a coffee (all you’ll need is your email address). If you didn't receive an email but wold like to participate in the survey, please contact our office.
Thank you for your participation in the MACSSIS family survey.
Fair on the Hill
Our Annual St Justin's Fair on the Hill is fast approaching with an amazing amount of work already done. Remember it is being held on Saturday 9th November 2024 from 11:00am-4:00pm.
We are still looking for a coordinator for the Milk Shake Stall. We have milk shakers, a number of enthusiastic Year 6 students - we just need someone to coordinate milk, ice-cream, flavourings and a creative way of setting up a stall. If you are interested, please contact the committee at stjustinsfair@gmail.com.
This is also a good time to check your Working with Children Checks - our data base indicates that some have already expired and others are close to expiring - we would hate you to be rushing to volunteer only to discover your WWCC in no longer valid. For more information, please visit WWCC. Please remember that all volunteers will require a WWCC.
Early next term, we will be calling for donations. These will include:
- Blocks of chocolates for the Choc Toss
- Lucky Jars (more information to follow)
Follow the link for more information.
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, especially 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 (Exemption permit and Before and After School Care excepted). We appreciate your support in this matter.
St Justin's 40th Anniversary Celebrations
This year we celebrate our 40th Anniversary. Celebrations are being planned for October 27th 2024, commencing with a Mass at 10:30am. If anybody has any memorabilia, photos or stories they would like to share with us. You can contact the office or email office@sjwheelershill.catholic.edu.au.
We want to thank you for your support and look forward to celebrating such a significant milestone with our community.
Where’s Mr T? - he's back!!!!
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.
All the best,
Pat
Mr Patrick Torpey
Principal