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, as we continue to proudly live and learn on their land.

Dear Families and Friends,  

Advent

“Prepare the way of the Lord” is the main theme of Advent. This Sunday we will light the second candle to represent the hope of Christ coming to the world. Sunday’s gospel tells us to prepare for that coming; that remembering; that celebrating. It does so by speaking about John the Baptist preparing the people to welcome the coming of Jesus as He begins his public life, his mission.

Since Advent is a season of Hope, then perhaps this would be a good time to ask God to put aside any obstacles in our lives that prevent us from fully welcoming Christ in each person. 

Prayer for lighting the Advent wreath in the second week:

Lord of expectation and celebration, 

in our excitement of getting ready for Christmas; 

help us not to forget whose birthday we celebrate. 

Help us this Advent to wait with one another. 

Bless us with care and concern as we search for Jesus in each other. 

We know you love us. 

Help us share that love. 

AMEN.

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Donations

Our Mini Vinnies Team was involved in assisting the St Vincent de Paul Society in organising donations for their Christmas Appeal. Noel from the SVDP Conference was overwhelmed by the generosity once again by the St Justin's Community.  He said our donations has made it possible to help more people in need this Christmas. The items we donated will be used to make up hampers and delivered to many families.

It is really rewarding to know we can help make a difference in the lives of others! 

Well Done St Justin's Community!

Santa's Little Helpers

In inquiry, the Preps have been learning about different types of materials and how they can be used. 

On Monday we got to use some wood and tools to create Christmas decorations. First, we got to choose which decoration they were going to make. Some students made a Christmas tree, Santa or a dog with a Christmas hat. We then had to trace and cut out the body of their decoration using a workbench and a real saw! After this, we used a hammer and some nails to stick the body and the head together. 

The next day, we coloured in our wonderful creations so that we could take them home and put them under our Christmas trees

Plans for 2024

As announced ealier, plans for 2024 are well and truly underway. For more details, refer to Plans for 2024 page in our newsletter.

Please keep an eye on the dates ahead - as we refine our planning for 2024, some dates may change.

Prep 2024 - Final Transition Session

It's hard to believe but on Thursday next week, 7th December, we welcome our 2024 Preps for their final transition session for the school year. On this day they will meet their 2024 classroom teacher as well as the students who will be in their class for next year. This final session runs from 9:15am - 12noon and we look forward also to our Year 4 students joining the Preps for some of this session as well. We wish them all the very best.

2024 Prep Orientation

Yesterday we had our final Prep 2024 Orientation Day. The three hour session provided a wonderful opportunity for our “almost Preppies” to experience the kind, caring nature of Mrs Angelique Loadman and Miss Rachael Lea who will be our Prep teachers for 2024. A special thank you to many other members of staff who also helped out with the program – very much appreciated. I’m sure our 2024 Preps will hit the ground running.

Another special thank you to our Year 4 students who helped create such a caring and supportive environment for our new families and students at St Justin’s. I’m sure our Year 4 students (Year 5 in 2024) will be outstanding buddies next year. 

Beginning 2023 school year

In 2024, staff will officially commence the year on Monday 29th January. As we have organised in the past, the first two "student days" will be set aside for Teacher-Student Meets. These two days will be:

1. Tuesday 30th January 2024 
2. Wednesday 32st January 2024

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 next week.

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.

Getting ready for 2024 - 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 Operoo 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.

School Uniform

Can we please ask everyone to check the names on school uniform. It is easy for a child to pick up a jumper, jacket or hat thinking it is their own without realising it belongs to someone else. 

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:

12-12-2023 08:20-09:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

12-12-2023 15:20-16:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

13-12-2023 08:20-09:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

13-12-2023 15:20-16:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

14-12-2023 15:20-16:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

15-12-2023 08:20-09:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

1-12-2023 15:20-16:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

Where's  Mr T

Can you find Mr T? He's hiding somewhere in the newsletter.

Have a great weekend.

Take care,

Mr Patrick Torpey

Principal