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,

Pentecost Sunday

This Sunday, we celebrate the feast of Pentecost, which is 50 days after Easter.

Pentecost is known as the birthday of the Church! After Jesus rose from the dead, his friends were scared and hiding behind locked doors.

But Jesus came to them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he gave them the Holy Spirit –

God’s special gift of courage, love and joy.

On Pentecost Sunday we remember that the Holy Spirit is with us too.

The Spirit helps us to be brave, kind, loving and full of hope.

Jesus did not want the disciples to stay scared. He breathed on them and gave them the Holy Spirit. Right away they were changed. They became brave. They became joyful. They went out to share God’s love with the world.

The same Holy Spirit is with us today.

The Holy Spirit helps us: to speak kindly, to forgive others, to include people who feel left out,

to stand up for what is right, and to share the love of Jesus everywhere we go.

Sometimes we may feel nervous, shy or worried. But Pentecost reminds us that God is always with us. We are never alone. The Holy Spirit fills us with courage, peace and love.

Pentecost Prayer

Loving God, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Help us to be people of peace, kindness and courage.

May our words bring hope, out actions show love,

and our hearts stay close to you each day.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord.

Amen

First Eucharist Medal Mass

This weekend our First Eucharist students will attend one of the weekend Parish Masses as part of their preparation for their Eucharist. At the mass they will receive their special Eucharist pin which they will place on their stole.

First Eucharist will be celebrated on Saturday 20th June 6.30pm Mass, Sunday 21st June 10.00am Mass and Sunday 21st June 5.00pm Mass. This Saturday 23rd May and Sunday 24th June.ce during one of our Parish Masses.

Please keep our Year 4 students in your prayers as they continue on their faith journey.

Student Led Conferences

We wish to thank everyone for their participation in the Student-Led Conferences that occurred this week.

A huge thank you also to our teaching staff who have worked so positively with the students to make these conferences happen.

Important Dates

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

Saturday 23rd May - First Eucharist Medal Mass
Sunday 24th May - First Eucharist Medal Mass
Monday 25th May - Whole School Assembly - Guitar Ensemble 2:30pm
Wed 27th May - Wed 3rd June - Reconcilaiation Week
Thursday 28th May - Kinder Visits - YEAR 4
Friday 29th May - Year 5/6 Winter Sport - Day 2
Saturday 30th May - St Justin's Trivia Night

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

School Closure Day

Ongoing professional learning is essential for St Justin's to keep abreast of the latest in education. Please note there will be no school for students.

Tuesday 9th June - School Closure Day -
RE Professional Learning Day.

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

Year 5/6 Winter Sport

Today our Year 5/6 students have been very fortunate to be involved in the Winter Sport Competition against other schools in our district. This competition enables students to experience being involved in a team sport with their school peers. It also gives some students the opportunity to play a sport they may not have had the opportunity to play before.

The sports played were Netball, Softball, Football and Soccer. It was great to see our students enjoy this experience and also success along the way.

Thank you to the many parents who came along to cheer on our students and for the parents and volunteers who assisted with, coaching, umpiring or reffing.

Well done to our Year 5/6 students on how they represented our school!

St Justin’s Guitar Ensemble

Our talented St Justin’s Guitar Ensemble will be performing for assembly on Monday 25th May at 2:35pm.

Everyone is welcome to come along and enjoy the performance!

National Volunteer Week

This week we acknowledge National Volunteer Week. This special week highlights the important role of volunteers in our community and invites people not currently volunteering to give it a go.

National Volunteer Week 2026 celebrates the power of volunteering to bring people together with the theme "Your Year to Volunteer", which highlights the diverse ways people can get involved depending on their capacity, stage of life, and interests.

Whilst we are aware of the many volunteer organisations in our wider community, lets not forget the many volunteer organisations within the St Justin's community, including our own Parents and Friends. Most times, a request for the Parents and Friends to do something eg: a hot lunch, would be better met with an offer to help. I'm amazed at how many students requests in the playground "Would you like some help Mr T" or "Can I help you Mr T?" An offer of help can often greatly appreciated.

A blessing for volunteers

Lord,

We thank you for the work of these volunteers.

Please bless their efforts and grant them strength to
continue making a difference in the lives of those in need.

May their service be a source of healing, hope and compassion.

We ask that your peace and joy fill their hearts as they serve your will.

Amen

Privacy policy, students and parent updated

Our Privacy Policy, Privacy Collection Notice, and the associated Photography and Recording Permission Form have changed. The changes will take effect on Friday 15th May 2026.

The updated documents are available on the MACS policies webpage in the ‘Governance’ tab.

The Bloody Long Walk

The Bloody Long Walk: Congratulations to Mrs Loadman and her team for raising over $1344 to help find a cure for Mitochondrial disease. Ange single handedly raised over $1000, reaching Bloody Legend status. Well done to Ange and her team - a great effort. You can still donate - follow the link.

Parents & Friends - Save the Dates

Please refer to Parents & Friends page for booking links:

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).

Last week we held our monthly meeting. Things are certainly on track and looking good. We are now calling on anyone who might be interested in partnering with us through a sponsorship package. Generous opportunities are provided including Diamond ($2000), Platinum ($1000) and Gold ($500). We also welcome any other donations of goods or cash.

In coming weeks, we will be conducting a Bake Sale with all funds helping offset the cost of the rides - keep an eye on the dates ahead.

We also, as always, warmly welcome any volunteers - whilst many are willing to help on the day, which is always appreciated, we need volunteers to help prepare things for the day.

Please reach out to Mr T if you can help in any way.

Notification of student absences

We take the opportunity to remind all families that student absences should be reported to school via nForma or by phoning the office prior to school commencing to assist our teachers and staff in meeting their duty of care to our students for accurately recording the whereabouts of all students on school days.

Student Absences are to be reported in the following way:

Leave a message via Student Absence on 9561 7644

Log into nForma - Select student - Mark Attendance and follow the drop down box options to submit absences.

We appreciate your support with this advice.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support.

All the best,

Pat

Mr Patrick Torpey

Principal