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,

Happy Birthday Father Andrew

Wishing Father Andrew all the very best for your special day on Sunday.

May God bless you with health, happiness, and all the good things in life. Happy birthday, we hope you enjoy your birthday celebrations.

First Eucharist Commitment Mass

This weekend our Year 4 students will attend one of the 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.

Mass Times:

Saturday 2nd May: 6.30pm
Sunday 3rd May : 10.00am or Sunday 3rd May 5.00pm

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

Important Dates

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

Friday 1st May - P&F Dad's Night - 6pm start
Saturday 2nd May - First Eucharist Commitment Mass 6:30 – 7:30pm
Sunday 3rd May - First Eucharist Commitment Mass 10:00am - 11:00am
Sunday 3rd May - First Eucharist Commitment Mass 5:00 – 6:00pm
Thursday 7th May - Mother's Day Stall
Friday 8th May - A Morning with Mum
Friday 8th May - District Cross Country 12pm - 2.30pm
Sunday 10th May - Mother's Day

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

House Cross Country

On Tuesday our Year 3-6 students competed in our School Cross Country. Competing in their respective age groups, students completed either a 2km or 3km course around the school grounds.

It was a terrific morning with strong participation and excellent performances - it was great opportunity for all. Using times from our Cross Country, 50 students have now qualified to represent our school at the District Cross Country Carnival which will be held next Friday 8th May - we wish them all the best.

Well done to Blue who took out the carnival by a very narrow margin.

Final scores:

Blue - 302
Red - 301
Green - 260
Gold - 148

Thank you to Mrs Slonim for coordinating this event, all staff and parent volunteers who assisted on the day - much apprecaited.

Student Led Conferences/Interviews

Bookings for Student Led Conferences/Interviews via nMeeting, the nForma interview platform have opened today.

Student-Led Conferences will be held on:

Monday 18th May from 3.30pm
Tuesday 19th May from 3.45pm
Thursday 21st May from 2.00pm

Due to Thursday's Meetings commencing at 2.00pm all students will finish at 1.00pm on Thursday 21st May.

Please refer to the Student Led Conferences & Interviews page for more details.

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) Family Survey

This survey is being conducted on behalf of the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) in partnership with education research specialists, Edified.

Your feedback will help MACS better understand what families value most and will inform future planning and decision-making for Catholic education.

The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. All responses are confidential and will only be used for the purposes of this research.

As a thank you for your time, you have the option to enter a prize draw. Entry to the prize draw is optional and managed separately from survey responses.Your voice matters.

By sharing your experience, you are helping shape the future of Catholic education for current and future families. Thank you for your time to complete this survey. Please click below to start the survey.

MACS Family Survey

Mother's Day Stall

Our Annual St Justin's Mother's Day Stall is on Thursday 7/5/2026.

Items priced between $2 & $10
Remember to send your child with a bag
And we have raffle tickets for $1 per ticket of 3 for $2.

We look forward to seeing your children there!

Regards,

Parents & Friends Committee

School Choir

Mother’s Day celebrations will also feature our talented school choir, who will be performing during the Morning with Mum event next Friday. As they share their performance, they will also be raising funds (busking) to support their goal of competing in the Eisteddfod later this year - any donatons are greatly appreciated.

We look forward to celebrating our wonderful mums while enjoying the beautiful performances from our school choir.

A Morning with Mum

A special morning to celebrate! Whether it’s Mum or another special person in your life, everyone is warmly welcome. If Mum can’t join us, that’s okay, bring along someone who means the world to you. A grandma, an aunt, a family friend, or anyone who plays an important role in your life.

This isn’t quite breakfast, but a delightful morning tea. Enjoy coffee, light pastries, and plenty of smiles as we gather together as a community.

There will also be a fun florist-inspired experience where you can explore, create, and choose something special perhaps a bracelet or even try a playful tattoo!

After the moring activities mums will be invited into the classroom to complete the morning with a special prayer for our mums. If you have more than one child at school you will select one of the grades to go into with your children. The morning should conclude around 9.15am

At St Justin’s, we celebrate every family, every story, and every connection. We look forward to sharing this warm and joyful morning with you.

Cut off: 1st May at 3:00pm

Reminder: Smart Watches at School

Just a quick reminder to please ensure that students are not wearing smart watches at school. This includes smart watches that are switched to “school mode” they are still not permitted to be worn during the school day.

As outlined in our Acceptable User Agreement, which was signed by both students and parents at the beginning of the year, smart watches are not allowed at school. This expectation is also in line with directives from MACS.

We appreciate your support in consistently reinforcing this with students. If you notice a student wearing a smart watch, please follow the usual process for addressing this.

Thanks everyone for your support.

Parents and Friends

On Monday night we had another great Parents and Friends Meeting, with a combination of face to face attendees and others online. Whilst we discussed many great events, one agended item was the front playground. Two things we would like to achieve this year (if possible) is the intallation of "shop fronts" and replacement of the Junior Adventure Playground.

The shop fronts, consisting possibly of a bakery, service station, cafe, post office, etc will provide an opportuity for students to engage further in imaginary play whilst developing thier oral language. Whilst the "shop fronts" are commercially avialable, it might be something we can also build ourselves - happy to chat further. The photos below were taken at Holy Family, Mount Waverley, except for the first photo identifying a possible area for "St Justin's Town".

The junior adventure playground (at the front of the school) is the origianl adventure playground and was installed not long after the school opened, almost 40 years ago. Whilst it is inspected on a regulsr basis, and repairs have been made, it needs to be replaced, along with the rubberised surface underneath. This is not a cheap exercise with initially quotes costing around $150 000 - Parents and Friends funds (raised over previous years and this year) will be used to fund this project.

We've also been busy in the garden, praring things for the winter. If you have any seeds or plants that we could 'stricke', could you please send them alond to school - we have some very enthusiastic green thumbs.

Parents and Friends update

The Parents & Friends Committee would like to thank all families who volunteered their time during Term 1 to assist in planning and/or executing one or many of the events that were within the calendar. Whilst it was a busy 10 weeks, we did achieve a lot, and this is something we should be proud of.

WHERE WILL THE MONEY GO?

The funds raised by the PnF Committee are spent by the school where required. They can assist with new resources for teachers/classrooms, books for the library, sports equipment for the children and so on. The committee also use these funds to give back to families with events such as, Shrove Tuesday Pancake Snack andAnzac Biscuit Celebration.

We are currently raising money and looking to purchase some shop front cubby houses forour junior school playground. Watch this space and we will continue to share updates where we can.

Should you have any suggestions or ideas on items to fundraise for, attending our PnF meetings are a great way to discuss and share your thoughts.

Regards

P&F Committee

Care Packs for Our ADF Heroes

There are members of the Australian Defence Force currently deployed overseas, away from their families and the everyday comforts of home. As a school community, we would like to take a small but meaningful step to remind them that they are not forgotten.

As part of our ANZAC focus, we are collecting items to create care packages that will be sent to Australian Defence Force ADF personnel serving abroad. These packages are a simple but powerful way to provide comfort, encouragement and a reminder that a community back home is thinking of them.

We invite all students and families to contribute items for these care packs. Even small donations can make a meaningful difference.

To help organise donations, each year level has been allocated a category:

Prep: Anzac biscuits

Year 1: Lollies/Cadbury Chocolate

Year 2: Deodorant roll on or shampoo/conditioner

Year 3: Salted peanuts, Vegemite, Tim Tams

Year 4: Muesli bars, packets of crackers or Shapes sealed packs

Year 5: Socks, pocket tissues, lip balm

Year 6: Magazines, puzzle books, deck of cards

Please ensure that all items are new, unopened and non perishable.

Please do not send:

Perishable items
Aerosol cans
Glass containers

We kindly ask that donations be brought in by Friday 8 May 2026, with collection boxes available in classrooms from Monday 4 May.

Thank you for supporting this initiative and for helping our students put gratitude into action. Together, we can send more than just a parcel, we can send appreciation, encouragement and care to those serving far from home.

Lest we forget.

School Fees

We understand that managing school fees can sometimes be challenging, and we are committed to supporting our families with compassion and understanding.

As part of this commitment, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) is centralising aspects of school fee administration to provide more consistent, family-centred support to StJustin’s School community and across our wider school network.

If your account has not been serviced in the past 30 days, and there is no direct debit plan inplace a member of the MACS School Fees Team, Natalie, will be in contact with you shortly todiscuss your account and assist with suitable payment options. Natalie can also be reached on 03 9267 0436 or via email at ntiu@macs.vic.edu.au should you wish to contact her directly.

If you are currently experiencing financial difficulties, we encourage you to speak with school principal so that we can work together to find a suitable arrangement.

P&F Trivia Night

Trivia Night Donations

Trivia Night Booking link:

https://www.trybooking.com/DKPAA

The Bloody Long Walk

As you would be aware, Miranda Kirk is one of our volunteers at St Justin’s. She comes every Thursday, which is a highlight of her week.

As mentioned previously, Miranda has Mitochondrial disease - a group of chronic, genetic disorders occurring when mitochondria fail to produce enough energy for cell function, often affecting high-energy organs like the brain, heart, and muscles.

Each year a fundraiser is conducted called “The Bloody Long Walk”, to help raise funds for a cure for Mitochondrial disease. This year

Mrs Loadman and her friends will be walking 35 km on Sunday May 17th. If you would to donate, please follow the link.

Fair on the Hill

Our Fair on the Hill will be held on Saturday 7th November 2026 (the weekend after the Melbourne Cup - lock it in).

Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday 13th May commenicing at 7:00pm in the Staff Room - everyone welcome.

School Crossing Reminder

A friendly reminder to please follow the safe road crossing procedure when at the School Crossing.

STOP, LOOK, LISTEN and THINK.

STOP one step back from the kerb or shoulder of the road if there is no footpath.
LOOK in all directions for approaching traffic.
LISTEN in all directions for approaching traffic.
THINK about whether it is safe to cross the road – when the road is clear or all traffic has stopped.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support.

All the best,

Pat

Mr Patrick Torpey

Principal