28 March 2024 - Term 1, Week 10

Acknowledgement of Country

News from Mrs Kelly

Hi Everyone,     

Harmony Day today has just been wonderful, what a great way to end the term, with a reminder that we all belong.  Everyone is capable of kindness, it is not a special talent, you just make a decision to do it!  Thank you so much to Ms Sharyn Pinkerton, Mr Nick Trethan and the Student Councillors for organising everything and encouraging us to get into the spirit of this wonderful event.   Thank you also to everyone who dressed up and expressed who they are!  Of course, the shared lunch was phenomenal, so thank you to the parents and families who supported their children around preparing these foods. 

Our fun continued after school as we went around the world with Year 2 in their HASS Learning Journey celebrations.  It was so much fun and their wonderful learning was on display.  Thank you year 2 and thank you to all of the families who came and joined in!

Speaking of food, thank you to our P&C and Tuckshop, for putting on that sausage sizzle yesterday, it really added to our sense of community and fun in our last week of term.

Thank you to everyone who came along to our P&C Meeting on Tuesday night.  I can’t stress enough, what a great way to be involved in your child’s school this is.  We have fun and get the job done.  Come and be apart of our P&C!

We have new School Council members  -  congratulations to our wonderful, new parent representatives, Mr Sebastian Oei and Ms Cate Whiting and our new staff representative Ms Sharyn Pinkerton. I look forward to working together as a team.  

It has been a busy time for Chappy Thu, the movie night went ahead despite the constant drizzle and I am sure Trolls World Tour was enjoyed right across St Lucia!  Thank you to Chappy Thu and our wonderful staff and volunteers who made this happen and of course to everyone who came along. 

Chappy Thu also kicked off, or I guess reinvigorated, the Ironside Parent Group on Tuesday.  What a wonderful idea and thank you to everyone who came along.  Community and belonging is so important and you being part of our school, makes it a wonderful place!

Thank you again to all of our volunteers who ran our Religion Instruction for Term 1, it all went very smoothly thanks to you.  Thank you to Mr Brett Perrier who oversaw the coordination of all of this.

I believe our cross country runners did very well in the trials, see the HPE News for the finer details.  I also was very sad because I had meetings outside of school on the day of the swimming carnivals, so I had to miss them but I heard they were hugely successful.  Thank you so much to Mr Jorma Bushnell and well done fish, I mean kids!

Our whole school assembly last week was just delightful.  There were lots of wonderful awards given out for various things; tennis prowess, library monitors and merit awards  -  congratulations to all of those students!

The thing that left me breathless and with tears running down my cheeks, was the senior strings performance  -  wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!!  I just could not believe my ears.  Congratulations to every child and Ms Trudy Weekes; never, ever in my life have I heard a primary school at this level  -  you must be so proud!!

There is so much staffing news to wrap up this term.  I want to welcome to our Ironside State School team, from Term 2, two new acting Deputy Principals.  Welcome to Mr Thomas Corbett, who is a very experienced leader, coming from being a Principal of Coppabella State School.  Welcome also, to Ms Katie Bailey, who is another experienced leader, as the Head of Department Teaching & Learning & EAL/D at Indooroopilly State High School.  Congratulations and welcome to them both and we look forward to meeting them in Term 2.

Thank you to Ms Elizabeth Graff-Valizadeh who has done a wonderful job as our acting Business Manager this term, she is instrumental in our school successfully transitioning to a new team.  We welcome Mrs Carla Trueman, as our new Business Manager.  Mrs Trueman is a very experienced BM, who I know will be a very wonderful addition to our team. 

We are also farewelling Ms Paris Pratt from our office team.  I know you would all have been welcomed by Ms Pratt at the front office over time and like me, you will miss her sunshine  -  all the best Ms Pratt! 

Ms Michelle Pokoj, has been our wonderful Visual Arts and Drama teacher this term and is heading off to work closer to home  -  we will miss you Ms Pokoj, all the very best and thank you!  Mr Nick Trethan has done a wonderful job as the teacher of 6A.  Mr Trethan has a large amount of experience in the arts and is moving over to take on our Drama/Visual Arts teaching role.  Thank you for all you have done for 6A Mr Trethan and Student Council and we can’t wait to see you in the arts chair! 

Mr Brett Perrier will be returning to be the 6A teacher after being the acting Deputy Principal for Year 5 and 6 in Term 1.  Mr Perrier has done as outstanding job in this role and we are incredibly grateful for his leadership  -  thank you Mr Perrier!

We are also farewelling Ms Olivia Bryant from 5F.  Ms Bryant will be on leave for the remainder of this year.  We thank her for everything she has done for 5F and wish her all the best during her time away.  We have got Ms Julie Short moving over to take on the teaching of 5F.  Ms Short has been our Student Support Officer and has done wonderful things supporting children and staff right across her school. Thank you for all you have done Ms Short and also, for taking on 5F, I know the children will be excited to have a familiar face. 

Mrs Alice Cowan-Dillon has been our acting Deputy Principal for Year 3 and 4 and has done an excellent job, I can’t thank her enough!  Mrs Cowan-Dillon is going to be moving into the Student Support Officer role from Term 2 onwards, thank you Mrs Cowan-Dillon.

 Very sadly, Mrs Robyn Behr, our wonderful teacher of 2D, will be taking sick leave in Term 2.  We wish her every success for her recovery and cannot thank her enough for all she has done for 2D and her team.  Ms Leonie Evertsen will be teaching 2D in Term 2 and we are very thankful.  Ms Evertsen has been the acting Head of Curriculum this term and has done a fantastic job, thank you Ms Evertsen!

It is remiss of me to do this so late but I want to welcome Ms Danielle Rothwell to our team.  Ms Rothwell has been doing a wonderful job teaching 3B this term and has recently been teaching in England.  Also, welcome to Mr Dan Churstain, who has taken over teaching 3C and joined us from New Zealand.  Sadly Mrs Heather White has had to take medical leave and I know she is working hard to recover. Our thoughts are with you Mrs White.

Mrs Kylie Sommerfeld is finishing up today to take well deserved leave for the rest of the year.  Ms Sommerfeld is the face of EAL/D teaching in our school and well known for her drive around the incredible International Breakfast here at Ironside State School.   Last year I believe 33 countries were represented and $27 000 was donated, what a legacy!  I was privileged to witness the Turkish Community thanking her in one of my first weeks here.  Have the very best break Mrs Sommerfeld; thank you and all the best! Taking over from Ms Sommerfeld is Ms Susan King,  Ms King has been working closely with Ms Sommerfeld to ensure a smooth transition and I welcome her into this role.

Here we are, at the end of the term!!  Thank you to everyone, for your endless support, that is to all staff, children and families, it has been my honour and privilege to be here at Ironside State School.

I hope you all have a truly magical break, surrounding by family and friends, having fun and getting things done.  See you back here on Monday 15 April. 

Yours in education,

Angie Kelly

Principal

PS  Thanks to our wonderful P&C and volunteers for the Democracy Sausage Sizzle and Cake Stall at the Council Elections! 

News from Mr Weston-Murdoch

Dear parents and caregivers,

It is hard to believe that we are at the end of our first term already.  Thank you to our junior school students for such a fantastic start to 2024.

On behalf of the P-2 team, we wish all families a safe and happy break and we look forward to seeing everybody back at school in Term 2.

In Prep this week we celebrated Harmony Day with a Whole School Assembly and other co-ordinated activities to embrace and reflect on how we all belong here at Ironside State School.

Across Prep, this term, we have been discovering the joy of being kind and inclusive in our new classrooms and playground. Discovering how harmonious learning and play experiences can be has been very rewarding for EVERYONE!

Interesting Fun Fact- Did you know that Harmony Day was originally just an Australian celebration but it is now recognised worldwide. Whether you want to be better friends with your classmates or stand in the shoes of someone else, across the world we now celebrate harmonious habits and unifying ideas to make Harmony Day a picture of kindness, belonging and peace!

We sound better, we look better and we learn better when we are in HARMONY!

Below is a lovely video you can look at that will tell you more about HARMONY DAY and its special connection to us here in Australia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq7fp2FxyoA

This term, in Prep we have also been very busy exploring Nursery Rhymes. We have looked at Nursery Rhymes and lots of beautiful picture books where the authors have been inspired to create a story telling us more about what some of the characters get up to next!

All of our Prep students have been singing Nursery Rhymes, reading Nursery Rhymes, writing about Nursery Rhymes and crafting Nursery Rhymes. It has been so much fun and a wonderful way to allow us to explore how words can rhyme!

Another Fun Fact- Did you know Mary had a Little Lamb (The Nursery Rhyme) was inspired by a real Mary. Mary Sawyer lived in Massachusetts in the 1800s and took a young lamb into her care.

She nursed her unusual pet to good health and every where that Mary went her little lamb was sure to go. As the story goes the lamb followed her to school one day and Mary hid the lamb under her desk. Mary’s teacher quickly discovered the lamb and made Mary keep the little lamb at school but outside the classroom, not in! The original Nursery Rhyme was then written by one of Mary’s classmates and is still a Nursery Rhyme children know and sing today!

Last week, our Year 1 students had the pleasure of welcoming Street Science for a fascinating incursion aligned with our current science unit on materials.

During the visit, the scientist showcased captivating demonstrations on material changes, leaving our young minds mesmerised. From transforming dry ice into billowing clouds of smoke to creating music with a simple pipe, the students were engaged and captivated throughout.

Additionally, they had the opportunity to witness water undergo colour transformations and even got hands-on experience crafting their own colourful bouncy balls to take home.

Some call it magic but thanks to Street science we now know it was just SCIENCE!

We have had a very exciting first term in Year 2 full of learning and engagement! We are looking forward to ending our term with our Continents Day. The day promises to be an enriching experience, filled with engaging activities and opportunities for cross-cultural understanding. Students will have lots of new information and experiences to share with you.

Have a great holiday!

Kind regards,

Scott Weston-Murdoch
Deputy Principal P-2

and the P-2 Team

News from Mrs Cowan-Dillon

Dear Parents and Carers,

What an action packed Term 1 we have had! It has certainly been busy, but also wonderful to see how well our students have settled in.

I hope you and your family have a restful break, and that any camping plans aren’t jeopardised by this rain!

See you all back at the start of Term 2.

Kind regards,

Alice Cowan-Dillon

Deputy Principal 3-4

News from Mr Perrier

Dear families,

Well, I can not believe 10 weeks have gone so quickly. The work the Year 5 and 6 students have completed is amazing and something we all should be very proud of. Harmony Day was a wonderful way to end the term. Hopefully you all have a great break and we see everyone here and ready to go for a great Term 2.

Be safe.

Kind regards,

Brett Perrier

Deputy Principal 5-6

bperr18@eq.edu.au

Harmony Week

News from Chappy Thu

Dear Families,

Thank you so much for your tremendous support last Saturday of Movie Night! Despite the rain, we had nearly 700 people attend! A huge thank you to everyone single person that attended, thank you to the staff for helping to get the word out and handing out tickets, the P&C for helping to set up QKR! and dealing with invoices, thank you to our suppliers, Brisbane Movie Nights for the popcorn machines and magnificent 8x10m screen (in the rain!) as well as Get Slush’d for our slushy machines. But most of all, a special thank you to all the dedicated volunteers that helped on the night, set up during the day or helped over the week during the preparation stage. The night would not have been possible without kind and generous people like you!

When I started at Ironside in 2021, one of the first people who welcomed me whole heartedly was Kylie Sommerfield, the current head of our EALD group. She kindly answered all of my questions, helped me set up my first ever Origami Club in the EALD room and she invited me to her International Parent Group. I had never seen anything like it and I so loved the friendship, laughs and community found in this beautiful group. The group was the heart of our much loved International Breakfast (easily my favourite event of the year) as well as the international food section at our Spring Fair. It was with much sadness that the group was paused amongst all the changes at our school, including Kylie’s upcoming travelling adventure for the remainder of 2024. We will all certainly miss her!!

However, now, I am proud to announce that I will continue Kylie’s legacy by starting an Ironside Parent group next term. Every parent and carer (not just international parents) is welcomed in this group. We will meet every Tuesday afternoon at 2:15 at Chappy Central and I will do my best to provide a warm, safe, fun space for parents to come to learn about the school and connect with other parents. If you have time, we would love to see you there!

This term, the Chappy Squad helped me run 48 break time activities, make 13 origami videos, pack 150 lolly bags, put together 250 glow sticks and make 40 volunteer lanyards! We had over 1,000 students come to our activities across the term and it certainly would not have been possible without this outstanding group of students – Thank you!!!

Below is a list of our top members and teams as of the end of Term 1. Congratulations to team Flamingo for their last minute push to take the top spot in just the last two weeks of term! Congratulations also to our top members who received certificates and prizes at our Chappy Awards Party.

The Chappy Squad program started 1.5 years ago and focuses on building resilience, discipline and leadership skills as well as having fun and making friends. It was designed as a long term, voluntary program where, if the student chooses, can span across 4 years from year 3 to year 6. Students are encouraged to do their best, which doesn’t necessarily mean perfect because it is also designed as a safe space to learn. As long as students are open to feedback and willing to learn, they will never be criticised for the mistakes they make and encouraged to try again, building resilience. Students need to be organised and know their timetable each week to be able to sign on to activities to earn stars, which teaches them discipline and students also have to opportunity to become squad captains where they will learn to communicate effectively, run their own team meetings and learn to be patient and encouraging of their team mates.

Squad members earn stars through the program and at 50 stars, they earn their first badge. 10 students have already earned this badge last year and I am proud to announce that the following students have now reached 50 stars and were presented their badge on assembly this morning – congratulations!

I wish each and everyone of you a wonderful school break! Whether you are working through or taking a family holiday, I hope you will have moments of joy, peace, fun and adventure until we meet again!

If you are keen to see me before school starts again, I will be going to the Easter Eggstravaganza hosted by St Lucia Bible Church to be held at Ironside State School on Saturday March 30 as well as the Riverlife Baptist Church’s Reach Out Program during the second week of the holidays.  Feel free to just show up on Saturday, but for the Reach Out Program, please scan the QR Code on the flyer to register. You can register for several days of activities or just the Ironside Chaplaincy Support day on Thursday, April 11^. Thank you so much!

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

CONGRATULATIONS goes out to our 2024 age champions. What an outstanding effort!

The top three 10-12yr old students listed below as well as the 4^th - 6^th  place finishers will now go on to represent Ironside at the Northern Eagles District Cross Country trial on Tuesday, April 23 at Limestone Park in Ipswich.

Well done & good luck!

Congratulations to all of our futsal players who participate in the School Futsal Titles Finals Day this past Wednesday.  All teams performed well and the students have represented the school well.  A big congratulations to the 9 years boys' team who won the grand final in their age group and will be continuing on to the next tournament next term.  Good job boys!

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

Ironside OSHC Vacation Care Program

Religious Instruction

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.

Advertising

QParents - Online Parent Portal