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 over 40 years of Catholic Education

Dear Families and Friends,

The Season Of 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 you to 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 2025 on Tuesday 16th December 2025 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 15th 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 15th December, commencing at 5:30pm 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.

Year 5/6 Market Day

It is, without a doubt, that everyone will remember the market we held this Wednesday. However, most kids won’t have known what happened leading up to the day. They don’t know about the preparation that happened before:

For more information, head to the Year 5 and 6 Market Day tab in this newsletter

Year 6 Fun Day

Our 2025 Year 6s were given the amazing opportunity this year to attend their Fun Day at Gumbuya World. They all worked to their hardest in both behaviour, improvement and spirit. As soon as they arrived at Gumbuya, the big, glorious wave of excitement immediately kicked in and brought smiles to everyone's faces. People stept out of their comfort zones and tried so many new things. From humongous waterslides, to roller coasters, and of course the glorious animals, our year 6s deserved this experience after all the hard work gone into making it there! We would like to thank all staff and all teachers for helping make this happen and helping the Year 6's end their Primary School journey at St Justin’s on a fun, memorable note.

Altar Service

Thank you to Mrs De Lillo and Mrs Cedro for organising the Altar Server pizza lunch with Father Jean-Sebastien on Thursday. Unfortunately Father Andrew was unable to attend. 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!

Important Dates

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

Sunday 14th Decemebr - Week 3 Advent
Monday 15th December - Year 6 Last Day (2:15pm)
Monday 15th December - Year 6 Graduation 5:30 – 9:00pm
Tuesday 16th December - End Of Year School Mass 9:15 – 10:15am
Tuesday 16th December - Last Day Prep to Year 5 - 1:00pm finish

2026

Thursday 5th February - Parents Information Night followed by a "meet the teacher" session in the classrooms. More inforatmion to follow but we would love to have at least one member from each family attend.

Please refer to Dates Ahead for a full list of important dates in Term 4

Beginning 2026 school year

In 2026, staff will officially commence the year on Tuesday 27th 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 28th January 2025
Thursday 29th 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 30th January 2026 - First day of school for all Prep to Year 6 students!

Getting Ready for 2026 - 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.

2026 Fees and Levies

Please refer to the Fees and Levies page for school fees 2026.

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.

Enjoy a restful weekend with your families and stay safe!

All the best,

Mr Patrick Torpey

Principal