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 Birthday Father Andrew

Wishing you all the best on your special day. May God bless you with health, happiness, and all the good things in life. Happy birthday, we hope you enjoyed your birthday celebrations.

Important dates ahead

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

• Friday 10th May  -Mother's Day Celebration (2.00 -3.30pm)
• Friday 10th May - Mother's Day Stall
• Monday 13th May - SLC/Interviews 3.30 to 5.30pm
• Tuesday 14th May - SLC/Interviews 3.45 to 5.30pm
• Tuesday 14th May - 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

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

Peace

Last Thursday I attended an ANZAC Dawn Service at the Mentone RSL. With over 2000 participants and in the dark, I couldn't see much, only the flags flying full in the wind. Originally the flags flew at half mast but were then raised fully to the top of the flag pole.

As the flag flew half mast, I couldn't help but think of those men and women who had made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our country and those in the armed forces on peace keeping missions around the globe. As the flag was raised, my thoughts then turned to what me - what is my role, my responsibility in bringing about world peace. Whilst we continue to pray for world peace, peace keeping missions must start at home in our own community. A simple smile, greeting or a helping hand can go a long way to making someone feel at peace.

ANZAC Service

Last  Wednesday our staff led our ANZAC Service in acknowledgment of ANZAC day. It is amazing how everyone comes together on this day to remember our soldiers.  I hope you all took the time out as a family to discuss this important day with your children.

Our service, not only acknowledging the men and women who have represented their countries during times of war, but also a time to pray for world peace.

We were very fortunate to have a guest speaker Warant Office Julian Evans Julian from the Defence Forces.

Thanks to all who were involved – I’m sure our soldiers would be very proud. 

Our Year 6 Leaders sold items to support the ANZAC Appeal

All donations go to the RSL ANZAC APPEAL to assist in providing for War Veterans and Dependents, Care of the Aged, Family Welfare, Vocational Guidance and Hospital Home Visiting. 

Maths Day

Today at St Justin’s we celebrated Maths Day. The students were invited to dress-up ‘Mathematically’ – in costumes featuring the likes of numbers, shapes and patterns. 

The P-4 students showed off their costumes at the Costume Parade, and the 3-6 students participated in a Maths Escape Room Challenge. Congratulations to our winners! Your team worked and problem solving skills were fantastic! The Year 5/6 Buddies also supported the P-2 students in a school Scavenger Hunt, followed by some Maths Learning Pods and classroom games and activities.

3x3 Basketball Competition

This week we had the following girls take part in a 3x3 basketball competition. 

Arnika, Ophelia, Mia and Ava had a really successful day winning 4 of their 6 games which resulted in them making it through to the state finals which are held later this month. 

Well done girls, we cannot wait to see how you go at the State Titles.

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. 

Fair on the Hill

Next Wednesday we have a Fair on the Hill Meeting in the staffroom commencing at 7:00pm. Whilst we have a hard working executive, we warmly welcome anyone who might be interested in geeting involved. The Fair on the Hill is a great community event and is appreciated by many within the wider commnity. 

St Justin's 40th Anniversary Celebrations

This year we celebrate our 40th Anniversary. Celebrations are being planned for October, andwe 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 forword to celebrating such a significant milestone with our community. 

Parking

With the onset of winter weather, traffic congestion around the school will certainly increase. Can I please ask all drivers to be considerate when parking, ensuring that we park close to the curb and close to driveways, leaving enough room for others to park behind, if possible? We should never park over driveways – not only is it the law, but it is also disrespectful to our neighbours. Safety in and around the school is a responsibility we all share equally. 

Please also be mindful of the two-minute parking zone - it was never designed for parents to park and run down to the school to drop off or pick up. Please stay with your car so you can move off quickly when necessary. 

A reminder also that parking on the school/parish grounds is for staff and those attending Mass in the mornings. It should certainly not be used for drop off and pick up. All students are asked to walk to their prior arranged pick up zone - with winter, please consider a waterproof jacket or an umbrella. Parents are more than welcome to accompany their child/children in the mornings and after school.

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:

06-05-2024 08:20-09:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

06-05-2024 15:20-16:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

07-05-2024 08:20-09:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

07-05-2024 15:20-16:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

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

09-05-2024 15:20-16:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

10-05-2024 08:20-09:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

10-05-2024 15:20-16:00 - Corner Jells Road & Grandview Road Wheelers Hill 

Have a great weekend.

Take care,

Mr Patrick Torpey

Principal