15 March 2024 - Term 1, Week 8

Acknowledgement of Country

News from Mrs Kelly

Hi Everyone,     

I cannot believe it is the end of week 8!  This must be up there with one of the quickest terms of my life!!  I want to congratulate all of the children in Year 3 and 5 who are sitting NAPLAN and are handling this change in routine beautifully.  Thank you so much to all of their teaching staff too, for working to make this time run so smoothly. 

Last newsletter I referred to the School Review Team that came to review our school and I included a link to the School Improvement Tool.  This week I am able to share with you the Executive Summary for Ironside State School, it is well worth you reading.  As I have mentioned, this review and report will help to shape our school strategic plan for the next 4 years.

Lunchtime is such an important time for all of us and even more so for a child in school.  We have been working to bring together what happens at lunchtimes at Ironside State School, so that you can encourage your children to get involved, just like we will.  Please see the timetable below. 

I was just so blown away by the Year 1 and 2 Choir at our last assembly and Mrs Marianne Huxley, our wonderful music teacher; it was like angels had landed  -  congratulations everyone!

At our whole school assembly on Friday 22 March, the Senior Strings Orchestra are playing and I am quite beside myself with anticipation  -  I love music!

Coming up this fortnight:

• Junior Swimming Carnival -  Wednesday 20 March  -  9:15am start for Year 1, 1pm start for Year 2
• Year 1 Incursion -  Street Science  -  Thursday 21 March
• Senior Cross Country Trials -  Thursday 21 March  -  9:30am start
• Whole School Assembly -  Friday 22 March, 9:15am  -  Senior Strings Orchestra Playing
• Chappy Movie Night -  Saturday 23 March, 5:30pm start
• P&C Meeting -  Tuesday 26 March, 6:30pm
• Year 2 HASS Celebrations -  Thursday 28 March 3pm
• Harmony Day -  whole school assembly  -  9:15am, Thursday 28 March
• Last day of Term 1 -  Thursday 28 March

There are many things coming up over the next fortnight, be sure to keep an eye on the calendar and be onto your children to be organised. 

We have the Year 1 and 2 Swimming Carnivals this week which will be a lot of fun.  Year 1 also have a Street Science Incursion coming up which sounds so interesting, I can’t wait to hear what it is about! 

For our Athletics, the Cross Country trials are this week  -  good luck to all competitors. 

Chappy Thu has her movie night on Saturday 23 March starting at 5:30pm and she tells me it is a seriously popular night out, please come along and support it!

In the last week of school our next P&C Meeting is 6:30pm on Tuesday 26 March in our staffroom, please come along and support our school, everyone is welcome!

Year 2 are finishing the term with a bang and on the last day, Thursday 28 March at 3pm, parents and caregivers are invited to their Learning Celebrations.  I am invited too and I am very much looking forward to it.

We have also decided to have Harmony Day on the last day of Term 1 and what a wonderful way to finish it will be.  The Student Council are organising and overseeing this day, along with Ms Sharyn Pinkerton and I look forward to watching it unfold.  Children can come in cultural dress and we have a whole school assembly planned.  The world needs harmony desperately and it is great that we are marking this occasion at Ironside State School.

I am finishing with a reminder, that tomorrow is the council elections.  Our wonderful P&C is supporting our stomachs by putting on a Democracy Sausage Sizzle and Bake Sale!  Please come and support by not only purchasing one but by also volunteering your time or baking some goodies!!

Have a safe and wonderful fortnight.

Yours in education,

Angie Kelly

Principal

News from Mr Weston-Murdoch

Dear parents and caregivers,

Bridge Builders - Skill of the week: Calming down body and mind

Being able to calm down when we are upset or stressed is something all ages can be challenged by.

Our emotions are affected by our hormones. There are hormones released, such as cortisol and adrenalin, when our body perceives a threat. These hormones can create changes in our body often called a fight or flight response. Calming down helps reduce these stress hormones.

Learning to have flexible thinking and the ability to regulate emotional changes in our body are important life skills that children need to learn and see modelled.

Encourage persistence when your child is trying to calm down. Praise the effort not just the success. This then ensures the child has the space to make mistakes, it encourages them that as long as they keep trying they are being successful.

Teaching our children calming down skills is crucial to empower them for life!

“Empowered for Life”; Jocelyne Chirnside

At Ironside we understand ourselves as learners through the learning assets.

This week some of our students were working as collaborators, through a problem-solving mathematical game.

Through being collaborators our students:

• Understand the importance of shared learning and working with others.
• Learn how to effectively cooperate.
• Learn how to take turns.
• Learn how to work and play with different groups of students and respect others’ opinions, even if they differ from their own.

In Prep C this week we have been learning about living things. We made shelters for different animals and were lucky enough to have one of our class members bring in their guinea pigs for show and tell. We learnt that they are herbivores and that they burrow under things when they are scared. We got to see what type of shelter they live in and even got to pat them.  

We have also been learning about lots of new sounds. On Wednesday we explore the letter L and went outside to collect some leaves to upcycle for a collage. This was super cool because we have been learning about how recycling can help living things in science!

This week in Year 1, we have been reading the story ‘The Monster Next Door’. Students have been focusing on what is the problem and resolution of a narrative. We have been also focusing of vocabulary and descriptive language to describe a character in a literary text. To further students understanding of descriptive language, we created our own monsters. First the students wrote a list of descriptive words that would describe their monster. From this they had to create a picture, using their descriptive words. The students really enjoyed this activity and it was amazing to see the range of descriptive vocabulary the students chose.

Last Friday the Year 2 students enjoyed a virtual lesson with Seqwater. This is aligned with their Science unit on natural resources. Students were engaged in the interactive session learning about the uses of water, the urban water cycle (from cloud to tap) and water conservation. They were amazed to see the cleaning process before water comes out of our taps and to learn that we drink the same water the dinosaurs did. At the conclusion of the lesson students took the opportunity to ask insightful questions and complete a water pledge in which they promised ways to conserve water.

Kind regards,

Scott Weston-Murdoch
Deputy Principal P-2

and the P-2 Team

News from Mrs Cowan-Dillon

Dear families, 

As the end of term draws closer, we tend to feel a little tired. However, it brings me great joy when I walk into a classroom and I am greeted with smiling faces. I feel energised by the students and their positivity.

Our Year 3 students have successfully completed three days of NAPLAN! Thank you to all of the parents and carers who have assisted in helping your students arrive rested and ready to go each morning.

On Monday, I will be running catch up tests for a small number of students who have been away. Our final test (Numeracy) will be on Tuesday, as our Year 3 teachers will be off class on Monday, planning for a wonderful Term 2 for their students.

On Wednesday the 6^ of March , the Year 3 students had an excursion to both the Brisbane Botanical Gardens and Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium. This excursion was to support our Science learning about Our Spinning Earths place in space. Whilst on the excursion we explored the amazing gardens that support myriads of living organisms contained within the flora and fauna. Inside the planetarium, we sat back and were taken on a tour of our solar system by a qualified astronomer. Amongst many interesting facts that were shared, an important one was that life only exists on our planet as we orbit within the 'goldilocks zone' of our star.

Excursion Photos

Kind regards,

Alice Cowan-Dillon

Deputy Principal 3-4

News from Mr Perrier

Dear families,

Over the past fortnight, the Year 5 and 6 cohort has experienced significant growth as we assume the mantle of leadership within the school. This has marked a pivotal point in our academic and personal development, characterised by our concerted efforts to embrace responsibility and exemplify leadership qualities As we continue on this journey, our commitment to excellence, integrity, and service to our school community will remain strong.

Today marks the third day of NAPLAN Testing for our Year 3 and Year 5 students. It has been amazing to be in the Year 5 classrooms to watch how well the students have been working through these tests. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the outstanding job our teachers have done in preparing the students for this. Managing test anxiety, technology anxiety and wellbeing has been paramount and from my observations, this is something we all should be very proud of.

A special mention to the Year 6 classes who have given up access to their school devices for the first session of each day. The way both the Year 5 and 6 teams and students have supported each other proves that we are all Ironside STARS. We model how things work best in all areas of the school. Well done everyone!

We are half way through our Parent/Teacher interview sessions and it has been a real inspiration to see the quality interactions between our teachers, parents and students. This partnership is the single most important factor when creating the best learning environment for our students, which after all, is why we all do this. I would like to thank both parents and teachers for the time and effort they are all putting in to ensure that these sessions are a success and the strongest of platforms for all of us to build on for the rest of the year.

It has quite simply been a brilliant start to the year, and it is important we maintain this as we move towards the end of the school term. Students (and staff I can assure you) get tired as we work through as school term and taking the time to look after ourselves, our peers and our community is vitally important. If we support each other, help each other and make sure we maintain the extremely high standards that have been set so far this year, we can ensure a great end to the term.  To steal a line from High School Musical, “we’re all in this together”, and we can and will continue our amazing work in 2024.

Have a lovely weekend!

Kind regards,

Brett Perrier

Deputy Principal 5-6

bperr18@eq.edu.au

Harmony Week

Important Term 1 Dates

Dear Parents,

Please find the updated date claimer and note the changes to previous communication in the bold and larger text.

Unexplained Absences

Dear Families,

As we journey through another exciting school year together, it's essential for us to maintain open lines of communication to ensure the well-being and success of all our students. One crucial aspect of this is keeping track of attendance.

We understand that life can be unpredictable, and sometimes absences are unavoidable. However, it's essential for the school to be aware of any unexplained absences your child may have. Your proactive communication helps us ensure their safety and provide any necessary support.

If your child is unable to attend school for any reason, please remember to notify us as soon as possible. Whether it's due to illness, family emergencies, or other circumstances, a quick message or call to the school office or via the QParents portal, helps us keep accurate records and ensures your child's safety.

Unfortunately the number of unexplained absences - defined by the Department of Education as absences of 3 or more days without a valid reason – is on the rise and we’d like to address this.

If you know your child(ren) has/have had 3 or more days of unexplained absences this term please do get in touch with us to explain why.

One of the benefits of having access to the Qparents portal is that you can provide a reason for the absences (or any future absence) without the need of contacting the school.

By working together, we can address any concerns promptly and support your child's continued academic progress. Your co-operation in this matter is greatly appreciated and plays a significant role in maintaining a positive and nurturing learning environment for all students.

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership. If you have any questions or concerns regarding attendance or any other aspect of your child's education, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We're here to help!

Kind regards,

Enrolments Team and Principal 

News from Chappy Thu

Dear Families,

Can you believe it? It’s Week 8 and our Ironside Movie Night is nearly here! Have you bought your tickets yet? If not, please do so because Movie Night sales through QKR! will CLOSE on SUNDAY, 17 March - only 3 days away! 

It may seem strange to some to close sales a week before the event, but this will give us enough time to finalise our orders with vendors for food and drinks as well as enough time for the Chappy Squad and volunteers to help me pack and deliver tickets to classrooms before the big night. Speaking of which, Chappy Central will be open from 8:30am until 5pm Tuesday to Friday next week for Movie Night prep. Please feel free to drop in any time you wish for some cutting, ticket packing, lanyard making or lolly bag filling fun.

Also, if you do miss the cut off, please don’t fret! Tickets will still be available for purchase on the night if you spontaneously decide to come or if you decide to bring a few extra friends. However, only limited food and drink will be available for purchase on the night so please place your orders before Sunday! Thank you so much for your understanding and support.

The Chaplaincy Team as well as our friendly, generous volunteers look forward to welcoming you on Saturday, 23 March on the oval for a night of fun, colour and connection!

And just like that, we are in our final week of activities for Term 1. The Chappy Squad have continued to enthusiastically serve the school through running popular break time activities and I am so proud of how dedicated they are. Rain or shine, they show up with a smiles and do their best in any given situation – well done Squad for a fantastic first term!

Special thanks to the following members for their outstanding contribution to the activities and school over the past two weeks:

• This week, Zara participated in our weekly drawing competition, but chose not to get a prize because she was on duty. I felt that showed real integrity and deserved a shout out - Well Done, Zara! Thank you also to Zara and Willa for organising a fun Bop It game for students last week. The two of you make a great team.
• Tanmeh, Lucrezia, Victoria, Ethan, Ann, Tingran and Isabella for giving up their time outside of school hours to help me make Origami instructional videos for Origami Club. It was just delightful to see how creative these students were & how thoughtful they were in their designs. So much fun! Thank you!
• Anna, Camilla, Arnika, Kelly, Ella, Eva, Jay Jun, Het, Victoria, Tanmeh, Isabella, Alice, James, Xavier, Luna, Ann, Cooper, Tingran, Esther, Lucrezia, Qayla, Amy, Athena, Fred, Sara, Emmy, Lola, Saksham, and Ilai for consistently helping across multiple activities and being proactive problem solvers.
• Thanks to the students who volunteered to be part of the Pack Up Crew this past fortnight! Alice, Victoria, Kelly, Qayla, Tanmeh, Isabella, Ann, Cooper, Hafsa, Rose, James, Xavier, Tingran and Arnika – thank you for working hard to make Chappy Central feel like a fresh, clean home after each activity.
• Esther, Andrea, Victoria, Amy, Lola, Emmy, Ella and Eva for bringing so much joy to our precious Prep students with your games and bubbles! It warmed my heart to see how kind and patient you were with each of them – Thank you!
• Anna and Tingran for the kindness and patience you showed in Junior Lounge as you helped our young students with their crafts. The Monkey collages were just adorable!

Here are the top members and teams as of Week 7:

Team 100% Winners have steadily held first place for the past 6 weeks only to be overtaken by the Flamingos this week. With only one week of Activities left, who will take the top team this term? Only time will tell!

Chappy Activities were filled with excitement and fun over the past fortnight! In Origami Club, we made Water Lillies with Ella and Pajarito (Spanish Little Birds) with James. Fish with Eva and Gift Boxes with Kelly. Thank you for your wonderfully fun videos! At the Scavenger Hunt, we learnt fun facts about Origami and various celebrations around the world in the lead up to Harmony Week. Congratulations to our winning team members from the Origami Scavenger Hunt, Anna, Camilla and Olivia! It was wet weather play this week, so everyone won a prize for our Celebrations Scavenger Hunt (How apt!).

Week 8 was the last week of regular activities. Week 9 will be dedicated to Movie Night preparations and Week 10 will be Chappy Squad Team Reflection Meetings as well the Chappy Squad Awards Party!

With only 2 weeks until holidays, just a little reminder that I will be volunteering at Riverlife Baptist Church’s Reach Out Program where students and their families will have opportunities to serve the community across 4 days. Thursday, 11 April (second week of holidays) will be dedicated to Ironside SS, so feel free to sign up to help for an hour or two between 9:00am and 12:00pm. We will be preparing resources for Term 2 as well as some working bee tasks around the school like painting benches or weeding for the benefit of our whole school. However, as full disclosure, since the program is run by a church, there may be praying or mentions of God at some point in the day. If this doesn’t conflict with your values or beliefs and you would still like to help out, I would love to see you there on any of the days, but especially the day dedicated to our beautiful school.

And that’s all from me for now.

Until Next Time,

Chappy Thu

tklet0@eq.edu.au

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday

8am to 4pm

HPE News

This week, students who signed up to participate in the cross country trial were told to go to the HPE office to pick up their permissions form.  If that permission form has not made it's way home already, a copy of the form as well as information about the trial can be found on our school website, which can be accessed by clicking the link below.  Please note that these permission forms are for students that have previously signed up by the sign up deadline.  We are not accepting new sign ups at this time.

https://ironsidess.eq.edu.au/co-curricular/sports

The Year 1 and 2 Junior Swimming Carnival event will be held at the Ironside Pool next week Wednesday 20 March (Week 9). The Year 1 events will run from 9:15am-11:15am and the Year 2 events will run from 1:00pm-2:45pm. Parents who would like to watch these events are welcome to sit at the top seats of the pool stands. Students will be seated with their allocated ability group and events will be announced over the speakers. Please ensure all students come prepared their swimming wear, goggles , swim cap and two towels (to stay warm in-between events). If you have any questions or queries regarding the event, please email jkbus0@eq.edu.au. Thank you.

A reminder that most HPE and sport information is readily available on the school website at all times.  You can navigate to this page with the following link.

https://ironsidess.eq.edu.au/co-curricular/sports

Music News

Year 1 & Year 2 Choirs resume rehearsals in Week 1 of Term 2. Rehearsals will take place in the Music Room during first break time. Year 2 choir will be on Tuesdays and Year 1 choir will be on Wednesdays 

Junior Choirs 2024 Calendar Dates

Upcoming performances to diarise:

Term 2:

Week 3 Friday - Year 1 Choir Assembly Performance (9:15am)

Week 5 Friday - Year 2 Choir Assembly Performance (9:15am)

Week 10 Friday - Junior Choirs Semester 1 Mini-Concert (10:00am)

Term 3:

Week 7 Friday - Year 1 Assembly Performance (9:15am)

Week 9 Friday - Year 2 Assembly Performance (9:15am)

Term 4:

Week 3 Friday - Year 1 Choir Assembly Performance (9:15am)

Week 5 Friday - Year 2 Choir Assembly Performance (9:15am)

Week 10 Friday - Junior Choirs Semester 2 Mini-Concert (10:00am)

Ironside OSHC Vacation Care Program

Religious Instruction

Key Dates for RI

15/03 – No RI Due to NAPLAN

22/03 – Last RI session of Term 1

26/04 – First RI Session of Term 2

Parents – Please be aware that any changes to student RI choices received after Thursday will be actioned the following week. Thank you for your understanding.

Ironside State School offers five religion classes should you wish your child to attend. Students select the Religious Instruction preference during enrolment. If you would like to change this at any time, written notification is required. Please email - enrolments@ironsidess.eq.edu.au or your child’s teacher with any written request.

The available classes are:

Catholicism

Christianity

Islam

Buddhism

Hinduism

Please find information from the groups below that is available on the Multi-Faiths RI website. Hindu does not have information on this site yet, so we will be providing further information in future newsletters.

Title of authorised program: Hinduism RI

Aims and goals: The aim of Hindu RI is to inform the students about the fundamental beliefs and value systems of Hindu Dharma, its rich culture and heritage.

The focus of the Hindu RI classes is to teach the children the values of Hindu Dharma, the Hindu gods and goddesses, and Hindu festivals through storytelling and celebrating festivals during the RI class. Through telling them stories from the Hindu Scriptures, the Hindu RI class aims to provide guidance to children about how to achieve their goals and grow up into proud and contributing Hindu Australians.

Lesson structure: Story telling, audio-visual presentations, activities including, puzzles, quiz, memory games and celebrations of festivals when relevant, aiming 30 minutes per class in a week. The following will be covered:

• Introduction to Hindu Dharma and Hindu Gods/Goddesses
• Moral values from the Hindu Dharma Scriptures
• Basic Hindu mantras (prayers) - worship
• Values from Great Epics - Ramayana and Mahabharata
• Celebrate various Hindu festivals to emphasize the importance of Hindu cultural values and traditions such as respect for nature and environment, animals, fellow human beings, society thus focusing on one of the fundamental tenets of Hindu Dharma - Vasudhiava Kutumbakam’, i.e world is one big family that includes all living beings.
  

Title of authorised program: Catholicism RI

A variety of curricula can be used approved by the local parish priest or a bishop which usually go into some detail about Catholic religious tradition and practices rather than a general instruction on the Bible and basic Christian beliefs provided in a co-operative arrangement. Catholic belief is based on both Scripture and tradition.

Outline of Catholic RI’s Aims and Goals:

• To help students
• To know that we are all of mankind, that we all have a divine spirit within us and to know that God is within us all
• To love God with all our heart and mind and soul
• To love our neighbour, to show love, honour and respect to ourselves and to all around us
• To forgive others and to treat others as we would like to be treated
• To be familiar with the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes
• To be informed about Catholic liturgical practices and religious services
• To be familiar with basic Catholic beliefs and the fundamentals of Catholic religious doctrine
• To become familiar with Scripture and the Person of Jesus Christ.
• To know about special feast days associated with liturgical seasons of the year including Easter and Christmas
• To become aware of and appreciate the Sacraments and Prayers of the Catholic Church

Students are invited to participate in the sacraments of Reconciliation and Confirmation.

Outline of lesson Structure:

Catholic IR lessons are based on the person of Jesus Christ and biblical teaching and may include bible stories and parables, drama, music, craft and prayer.

Title of authorised program: Christianity RI

The aim of Christian RI is to inform students about the basic beliefs of the Christian faith from a non-denominational perspective.

The providers of Christian RI use authorised program materials and resources and are committed to best-practice programs that have been reviewed by independent curriculum experts. The program GodSpace is used across Years 1-6 at Ironside SS and further information about GodSpace, including lesson structure can he found here . The independent review of GodSpace can be found here . 

 Participating faith groups: Local Christian Churches come together to offer Christian RI on a cooperative and non-denominational basis. These local churches may, amongst others, include Anglican, Australian Christian Churches, Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Brisbane Chinese Alliance, Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches

Outline of lesson structure

Christian RI may involve a variety of up-to-date teaching methods including storytelling, prayer, music, drama, craft, activity books, games, quizzes, video clips and puppet shows. Program resources are written by professional educators and are age-appropriate.

Title of authorised program: Islam RI 

Outline of your Faith Group’s Aims and Goals 

Our vision is for children to gain foundational knowledge and a practical understanding of Islamic values. Islam is a complete way of life that is centred around the concept of God-consciousness, as shown by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the final prophet and messenger sent by Allah (God). 

We aim to develop students into happy, healthy and functional individuals who contribute to society based on the timeless wisdom from Islamic scripture and insights from the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), his family and companions. As the modern age takes its toll on everyone through various stresses (economic, political, social, cultural), our program is tailored to help them manage and rise above the modern day struggles whilst ensuring they remain true to the core ethics of One God, his final Prophet, and the development of a tolerant, value-based society as encouraged by Islamic scripture. 

Outline of lesson structure 

Our modern pedagogical approach enables us to deliver a curriculum structured around the foundational areas (6 Pillars of Faith) of Islamic education, including: 

Term 1: Back to Basics: 5 Pillars of Islam 

Term 2: Who is Allah (SWT)? 

Term 3: Guidance through the Prophet Stories 

Term 4: Guidance from Allah 

Understanding that actions are linked to beliefs. Faith must be accompanied by beneficial action. There is no rote-learning; instead, concepts are taught in a dynamic and engaging way that is relevant to the Australian context. Students are encouraged to ask questions as this shows they are processing the lessons and seeking a deeper understanding.  

Alongside faith-based lessons are practical steps to develop life skills like time management, maintaining healthy relationships, and respectful communication. There is also a focus on morals and values that are the basis for a harmonious and socially cohesive society. Principles of fairness, equity, sharing, respect and understanding are core to each lesson, which resonates with all students regardless of how strongly they identify with the faith. 

Please note: The order of topics is rotated every year; however, the concept remains the same. To stay up to date with our Term Assigned topic. Please feel free to explore our website: https://www.isre.org.au/resources/ 

Title of authorised program: Buddhism RI

Aims and Goals

Our vision is for children to gain a foundation in Buddhist ethical values, being aware of the consequences of what they think, say and do. This will help them to develop skills that will benefit their personal lives and therefore also the wider community and society.

Our aim is for the children to lead happy and healthy lives by sharing values and life skills with them based on the wisdom of the Buddha and using contemporary pedagogy.  The children will not remember the contents of Buddhist text books, nor remember lists, but will understand the heart of Buddha’s wisdom to live well for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Outline of lesson structure

We employ a modern pedagogical lesson planning structure, using a logical, step-by-step approach, taking into account the current level of understanding of the children. In other words, age-appropriate.

Tuckshop News

Looking for volunteering opportunities?

Please come and join us!

Volunteers are always needed and welcome to assist at the Tuckshop and Uniform Shop. It is a great way to get involved in our school community and the children love seeing their parents in the tuckshop.
The more volunteers our shop has, the more fresh menu items we can offer. Tasks usually include food preparation, counter service in the first break, etc. No special skill is required. Just a friendly smile will do.

If you’re interested, please feel free to sign up here:
https://volunteersignup.org/A9W3E

Or email to:
pandctuckshop@ironsidess.eq.edu.au (TUCKSHOP) / pandcuniformshop@ironsidess.eq.edu.au  (UNIFORM SHOP)

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Tuckshop orders are closed for all prep classes in TERM 1.
Please place your orders from TERM 2.
Thank you.

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