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 Edcaution

Dear Families and Friends,  

Happy Mother’s Day to all of our wonderful

Mothers, Grandmothers and special women.

Mother’s Day Poem - A Mother’s Love

Mothers, Grandmas and Aunties, and special women, we think of this day.

As we gather here together, A MOTHER’S LOVE  is what we honour today.

A MOTHER’S LOVE is gentle, a soft and tender touch.

Always there when needed, she loves us oh so much.

A MOTHER’S LOVE is kind, full of thought and care.

No matter what has happened, her love is ready to share.

A MOTHER’S LOVE is warm, it wraps us like a hug.

It brightens up our days, and keeps us safe and snug.

A MOTHER’S LOVE is endless, it’s shared with all she knows.

With every single person, and everywhere she goes.

So on this day we pause our minds, and focus our hearts to say.

Thank you to all the special women, for their MOTHER’S LOVE each day.

Thank you 

Today the Parents and Friends held the Mother’s Day stall so that children could find a little token of appreciation to share with their mothers on Sunday. Thank you to Sandra G for organising and leading this event today and to Annick, Belinda B, Jackie, Michelina, Narelle, Rita, Sandra F, Shuching, Talar and Grace who came in to support the efforts… 

We have had many hands help and support our Mother's Day celebrations. 

A BIG shout out to four amazing dads, Marc J, Tom B, Adam W and Terrry N who helped with the Mother's Day Afternoon tea!

As a school we couldn’t hold this kind of event without your support!!

First Eucharist Commitment Mass

This weekend out Year 4 students will attend one of  the weekend Parish Masses as part of their preparation for their First Eucharist, which will be celebrated in June. 

The Commitment Mass asks students and families to acknowledge the commitment they will be making as they commence their preparation for this very special Sacrament. 

Can we please keep these Year 4 students in our thoughts and prayers at this time.

Important dates ahead

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

• Monday 13th May - SLC/Interviews 3.30 to 5.30pm
• Tuesday 14th May - SLC/Interviews 3.45 to 5.30pm
• Tuesday 14th May  and  Thursday 16th May - Book Fair
• Thursday 16th May -SLC/Interviews 3.00 to 6.00pm
• Friday 17th May - School Fun Run
• Friday 31st May - St Justin's Celebrations
• Saturday 1st June - St Justin's Working Bee on the Hill                                                       (Register via Audiri - resources and forms)

Please refer to Dates Ahead for a full list of important dates in Term 2.

Professional Learning Day

On Thursday 13th June, 2024 we have planned a Professional Learning Day, with a focus on our School Improvement Plan (SIP) and our Annual Action Plan (AAP). The SIP was developed last year as a result of our School Review and is implemented over the next 4 years. The AAP is based on the goals of the SIP and are reviewed yearly. The day will be supported by a team from the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) Eastern Region Office.

Please note that these days are not taken lightly - they are essential for us to continue supporting our students at St Justin's. 

New Families

Over the last few weeks, I've had the privilege of interviewing our Prep families for 2025. During the interview we ask why they have chosen St Justin's as their preferred school. Whilst there is a variety of reasons, many will comment on the fact that it has a great sense of community. I then ask as to how they see themselves contributing to this community, given that community is not something "over there" it is something we become part of and that community can only exist if we all contribute. Being part of the St Justin's community not only helps us all, but it is great role modelling for our children - to be part of a community we need to be proactive. Thanks to all those who are proactive in our community and do so much to create community.

Maths Day

Thanks again to all those who participated in our Maths Day last Friday. It was a great day. 

The answer to the Prep - 2 Scavenger Hunt was "Forty Years"

The winners of our 3-6 Escape Room Challenge were:

• Year 3/4: Sophia P, Phoebe, Joseph, Billy
• Year 5/6: Kiera, Oskar, Georgia, Sebastian 

nForma Calander

We have been advised that the nForma St. Justin's School Calendar is now live, so that's now two things we can do in the one place!  We're slowly chipping away at combining everything so please stay tuned for new additions as we roll more out over the coming weeks & months.

Fair on the Hill

On Wednesday we had our monthly Fair on the Hill Meeting. Whilst again we were small in number, we already have big plans in place with many things locked in - we look forward to another great community building experience. In coming weeks, we will be reaching out to all families outlining ways in which you can all be involved - we look forward to having you all on board.

St Justin's 40th Anniversary Celebrations

This year we celebrate our 40th Anniversary. Celebrations are being planned for October, and we would like to ask 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. 

Parking

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 raining, 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.
• parking is prohibited at the bus stop, outside the parish house

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated by all members of our community.

Winter Uniform

Most of us now would be well aware that the AFL Football season is well and truly underway. It’s hard to turn on the television or read the paper without seeing one of the 18 clubs represented. Without listening to the television or reading the newspaper article, we can easily identify which team is which simply because of their uniform. The uniform is a powerful symbol indicating which team a player belongs to.

Likewise, our school uniform is a powerful sign that we belong – we belong to the 

St Justin’s community and we too, should be proud. Please ensure your child is wearing the correct school uniform. 

P.E. Uniform

St Justin’s Polo 

St Justin’s Sport shorts 

St Justin’s Tracksuit Pants/Top 

White sports socks 

Sports shoes 

St Justin’s Hat 

Optional Uniform

St Justin’s Bomber Jacket

St Justin’s School Jumper

St Justin’s Rugby Top

St Justin’s Scarf

St Justin’s Beanie

Hair ties are to be in school colours of maroon, light blue or white.  All long hair must be tied back. No nail polish is to be worn.

Winter Uniform Orders

To order you can purchase directly from Academy Uniforms shopfront.  They are located at 2/810-818 Princes Highway, Springvale and their operating hours are 

Tuesdays - Thursdays 09:00am – 5:00pm and Saturday mornings 09:00am – 12:00 noon. 

Alternatively you can order over the phone on 9574 1314 or you can order online via https://www.academyuniforms.com.au/

Select “ORDER ONLINE” 

Choose “St. Justin’s” from the drop down list

Enter the Password “Wheelers Hill”

Use of Photographs

Thanks to all the families who have completed the permission forms to use (or not to use) photos.  As many of our families have requested that photos not be used, especially on Social Media (which includes our newsletter which is published online) it will be very challenging to use group photos in the future.  Our newsletter may look a little different, but I'm sure it will still be a great read.

Please remember that if at any stage you take a group photo of students, it should not be published online unless permission has been granted.

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:

13-05-2024 08:20-09:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

13-05-2024 15:20-16:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

14-05-2024 08:20-09:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

14-05-2024 15:20-16:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

16-05-2024 08:20-09:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

16-05-2024 15:20-16:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

17-05-2024 08:20-09:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

17-05-2024 15:20-16:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

Have a great weekend.

Take care,

Mr Patrick Torpey

Principal