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, 

Feast Of The Assumption 

Yesterday 15th August was the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, the mother of God. The Assumption is when Mary, the Mother of Jesus, went to heaven. We remember that Mary had great faith in God. She trusted God even when things were difficult. She also trusted her Son, Jesus, and knew that he was a special gift from God. 

We pray that we are inspired by Mary’s life and that we will see her as a model of faith and trust in God.

God of love, 

Inspired by Mary’s example, 

May we live as your faithful and trusting disciples 

always believing that you are with us. 

We pray for the strength and courage we need

 to be generous in word and deed just like Mary. 

We ask this prayer through Jesus Christ, your Son.

Amen

100 Days of Learning in Prep

Congratulations to all our Prep children who celebrated 100 days of learning, enjoying many acitivies  to do with "all things 100." Our Prep students certainly have come such a long way this year.

A huge thank you to Miss Lea and Mrs Loadman and all staff for their amazing efforts so far this year, although today Miss Lea and Mrs Loadman did look like they had aged quiet a bit.

Confirmation Workshop Evening 

On Tuesday night our Year 6 students attended with a parent/guardian our Confirmation Workshop Evening. This night was a chance for our students and their parents/guardians to further develop their understanding of the Sacrament of Confirmation. Thank you to all who attended and for you input on the evening. We hope this was a valuable night for the Confirmation Candidates and their families. A special thank you to Mrs Snell and Fr Andrew for their ongoing support.

Please keep the Year 6 students in your thoughts and prayers as they prepare to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation on Wednesday 28th August.

The Olympics - It's a Wrap! 

The world is still basking in the warm afterglow of a successful 2024 Paris Olympics. In addition to extraordinary feats on the track and in the pool, or beautiful photos of the Eiffel Tower adorned with the Olympic rings, this Olympiad should be remembered for the diversity of those who medalled. Five teams won gold, silver or bronze for the first time, extending a longer-term trend toward, hopefully, a more competitively balanced Olympics. None of these milestones was, arguably, more inspiring than sprinter Julien Alfred’s gold medal — the first of any kind for St. Lucia — in the women’s 100 metre final. Her country (with a population of 180,000) plans to honour the win with a national holiday.

Not every athlete can go home with a medal, and some lost out by mere milliseconds. A host of photo finishes this year is a reminder of the tiny gap that determines which athletes receive the lion’s share of attention. But even those who didn’t make the podium took advantage of their moment. Kimia Yousofi, an Afghan sprinter, finished last but held up a sign to highlight the plight of women in her country under Taliban rule.

To be sure, Paris, like previous Games, was not without controversy. Taiwanese athletes had to compete under the banner of “Chinese Taipei,” and spectators who held up signs with the name “Taiwan” had them taken away and torn up. Women’s boxing ignited a fierce debate about gender in sports. And there were many debates about the quality of food as well as the health of athletes whose events took place in the Seine.

Despite its problems, the Paris Games showed that more young people are getting a chance to thrive. Here’s hoping Los Angeles 2028 is even more diverse — and exciting.

In the meantime, we look forward to the Paris Paralympics that will hold global centre stage in just under two weeks.

Student Led Conferences

Student Led Conferences will take place the week commencing Monday 2nd September at school in your child's classroom. (Except 5WM who have different dates during Mrs Wood' leave) These meetings are face to face with the student, parents and teacher. For more information, please check out the "Student Led Conferences" page in our newsletter.

Bullying No Way: National Week of Action 

This week we acknowledge Bullying No Way: National Week of Action: 12th-16th August. 

The theme for this year's campaign is Everyone Belongs. This theme highlights the importance of creating a sense of belonging and inclusion for students. We recognise bullying often thrives in environments where individuals feel marginalised or excluded, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that every student feels valued and respected. 

For more information, head to our Bullying, No Way page in our newsletter.

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. 

The Fair on the Hill Committee are organising a bake sale fundraiser featuring cookies and cupcakes to help fund more of the amazing rides for our Fair. The cakes and cookies will be available for pick up on Friday 23rd August - orders due by Monday 19th August. Cake cakes and cookies will also be aviable for sale after school on Friday 23rd August - please note: there will be no Kiosk Friday on this day.

 

We have also set up 2 Return-it Bins to help raise money to support our community - one bin can be found outside the church and the other outside the Wheeler Wing, near the Undercover Area.

We have also set up bins for our pre-loved books and toy stall - the bins are located in the corridor outside the staffroom - all donations in good condition will be much appreciated.

Book Week

This year we will recognise the Children's Book Council of Australia annual celebration of Book Week between 17 - 23 August.  On Thursday 22nd August we invite students and staff to dress up. The theme for 2024 is "Reading is Magic," celebrating the enchanting power of books and imagination. 

For more information, check out the Book Week Celebration tab in our newsletter. 

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 Monday 2nd September at 2:30pm - everyone welcome. The Art Show will coincide with our Student Led Conferences, at which time, families are welcome to check out the work of our amazing artists.

National Science Week 2024

This week is National Science Week: 12th-18th August. To help celebrate, Mrs Wegmann has organised a Home Photo competition - for more information, head to our "Science is . . . . ." page in our newsletter.

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. 

MACS 2023 Annual Report

Arrival Times

As you would be aware, we are experiencing high levels of absenteeism at the moment for various reasons. To help with the attendance recording procedure, we ask that:

• any student arriving after the bell to please make their way to the office to receive a late pass. A parent/guardian is required to sign the student/students in via the Passtab (Ipad) at the office. The late pass will then be handed to the teacher, who will mark the roll accordingly. 
• If, for any reason, your child will be absent from school, can you please notify the office before 8:30am via:

1. The Audiri App, 
2. Phoning the office (9561 7644) or 
3. Emailing the office office@sjwheelershill.catholic.edu.au

All the best,

Pat

Mr Patrick Torpey

Principal