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, 

Today at our assembly we spoke about the Australian Athletes in France, ready to represent our country in their chosen sport. Whilst many "hope" for the best result, they know that "hope" is not enough. For years they have trained with passion, dedication and commitment. 

Likewise, at St Justin's, we "hope" for a caring, respectful and Christ centred community. Sometimes, "hope" is not enough - we need to be people of action. Like our athletes, we need the same dedication and commitment to make it happen. The starter can say "On your marks, get set, Go!", but it us who runs the race.

NAIDOC Week

Last week we celebrated NAIDOC Week. National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia usually in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. 

Throughout the week, representatives from each class were involved in creating beautiful symbolic poles that represent the spirit and significance of NAIDOC Week. On Friday, we welcomed Aunty Zeta, who spoke to us about the importance of NAIDOC Week, One Fire, who shared with us many of their dances and Simone, who Welcomed us to Country via a small Smoking Ceremony conducted outside the PAC as we walked in.

A huge thank you to Jamil, a proud Yorta Yorta man and father of Leo Yr 1, Mrs Mullholand, our amazing Visual Arts Teacher, our amazing student artists, Mrs Wegmann and Mrs Chiappalone for organising our NAIDOC celebrations. Thanks also to the Parents and Friends - funds raised by the P&F were used to support our celelbrations.

Minimising Distractions

Thanks to all those who have made a great effort to arrive at school in plenty of time to start the school day. As reported in our newsletter last week, according to the University of California it takes us, on average, 23 minutes and 15 seconds to refocus after a distraction. Students who arrive late can not only distract others, but take a long time to focus on the activity. One, two or three late arrivals can be very disruptive to everyone's learning.

Art Show

Our bi-annual Art Show is fast approaching and will be held from Monday Sept 2nd - Thursday Sept 5th. Our Opening Ceremony will be held on Monay 2nd September at 2:30pm - everyone welcome. The Art Show will coincide with our Student Led Conference, at which time, families are welcome to check out the work of our amazing artists.

Parking

A reminder to please ensure that parking in the school/parish grounds is not permitted, except for those who have already spoken to the principal, have an exemption or dropping off and picking up throughout the schol day. The school grounds can be a very busy place and our priority is to keep everyone safe.

East Central Zone Principal Network Meeting

On Friday 9th August, St Justin's will be hosting the East Central Zone Principal Network Meeting, involving principals from over 20 schools. The meeting will be followed by a Sponsors presentation, hosted by GM Sponsors. We look forward to welcoming guests to our community. 

Cough, Colds and COVID

As the wintery conditions continue, so do the reports of coughs, colds, flu and Covid. Can we please encourage parents to keep their children at home whenever they display the symptoms of being unwell. Thank you for your cooperation.

STUDENT ABSENCES

We take the opportunity to remind all families that student absences should still be reported to school via Audiri by 8:30am or phone call prior to school commencing. 

The “Mark Student Absent” module in nForma has been disabled. This is being worked on and we will inform you when it has been tested and is operational.  In the interim Student Absences are to be reported in the following ways:  

1. Audiri - Student Absence 
2. Leave a message via Student Absence on 9561 7644

We appreciate your support with this advice.

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:

29-07-2024 08:20-09:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

29-07-2024 15:20-16:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

30-07-2024 08:20-09:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

30-07-2024 15:20-16:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

31-08-2024 15:20-16:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill

31-08-2024 08:20-09:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

01-08-2024 08:20-09:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

01-08-2024 15:20-16:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

02-07-2024 08:20-09:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

02-07-2024 15:20-16:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

All the best,

Pat

Mr Patrick Torpey

Principal