26 April 2024 - Term 2, Week 2

Acknowledgement of Country

News from Mrs Kelly

Hi Everyone,   

ANZAC Day is always a time for deep reflection.  The service we had at school on Wednesday was very moving.  Thank you to every person involved, the respect in the room for the gravity of the loss from war was evident.  Thank you Mrs Katie Bailey, who oversaw the organisation of the service.  Thank you also to our School Captains, who joined myself and Mrs Bailey at the Dawn Service yesterday at the Toowong Memorial Park.  Let it be clear, that we do not glorify war at Ironside State School but we do acknowledge the sacrifice of the men and women who fought and died protecting Australia.  Our true hope is for peace on Earth.  Lest We Forget.

Congratulations to all of those children who ran in the Cross Country last term.  At our week 1 assembly we got to see who our winners were and also, who the overall winning house was  -  congratulations Cook!  Thank you to Mr Jeremie Clarke-Okah and the PE team for all of their organising for this event!

Another sporting event that is kicking off this week is interschool sport. I know there are lots of children excited about this and I want to thank our PE Team for overseeing the massive organisation of this but also thank all of our staff who are involved to make the sporting magic happen.  I have no doubt the kids will have a great time!

It is Guidance Officer Week this week, where we acknowledge and celebrate the wonderful work that Guidance Officers do in state schools.  Thank you to Mrs Jessica Ballantyne who supports children, families and staff right across our school.   We are very grateful for your support!

I want to give a big shout-out of encouragement to parents and caregivers to come along to Chappy Central on Tuesdays at 2:15pm to be involved in the Parent Group Chappy Thu is running.  What a great way to get to know others, share ideas and be part of the Ironside State School community, thanks Chappy Thu!

Last week we had our School Council meeting and I want to congratulate Mr Matt Clohessy who has been elected our Chairman and who I am sure will be outstanding in this role.  Thank you again to all of our outgoing council members. 

Speaking of being part of the Ironside State School community, why not come to our next P&C Meeting next Tuesday at 6:30pm in our staff room. This is not only a great way to know what is going on in your child’s school but it is also a wonderful way to contribute to our school community.  Please consider joining us.

Religious Instruction started again on Friday and we want to thank all of the volunteers who are coming here to Ironside State School to provide this service to our students.  We are very grateful to all of our volunteers across our school  -  thank you!

Coming up this fortnight:

• School Photos -  Monday 29 April
• Parent Group -  Tuesday 30 April, 2:15pm  -  Chappy Central
• P&C Meeting -  Tuesday 30 April, 6:30pm
• School Photos -  Thursday 2 May
• P-2 Merit Assembly -  Friday 3 May, Year 1 Choir Performing and Inter Strings Performing  -  9:15am
• Religious Instruction -  Friday 3 May
• Interschool Sport -  Friday 3 May
• Labour Day Public Holiday -  Monday 6 May
• Parent Group -  Tuesday 30 April, 2:15pm  -  Chappy Central
• Australian Schools Primary Maths Olympiad -  Wednesday 8 May
• Queensland Youth Music Awards -  Chamber Orchestra— Wednesday 8 May 5pm
• Year 2 Lone Pine Excursion -  Thursday 9 May
• 3-6 Merit Assembly - Friday 10 May  -  4-6 Choir performing  -  9:15pm
• Religious Instruction -  Friday 10 May
• Interschool Sport -  Friday 10 May

There are lots of exciting things coming up over the next fortnight.  All musical performances, both choirs and instrumental music groups blew me away last term!  Make sure you are carefully checking the calendar for what performances are when.  It is great to see that our incredible Strings Chamber Orchestra will be competing in the Queensland Youth Music Awards.  They are simply phenomenal and I have no doubt they will do exceptionally well!

Our Year 2 classes are also heading off to Lone Pine on a very exciting excursion in the next couple of weeks.  Thank you to their teachers for organising what will be a very fun and educational day out!

I am keen to see what happens in the Maths Olympiad when it occurs.  I know we have a lot of very keen mathematicians in our school and this is a great way to extend them!

Last thing from me, School Photos are coming up next week.  This does go without saying (but I am saying it anyway) it is so important that children come to school in full school uniform, looking the best they can.  I still look back at my school photos, they are a magic capture from your childhood.

Have a safe and wonderful week!

Yours in Education,
Angie Kelly

PS  Your children might have talked to you about some improvements to our toilets across the school.  Mrs Carla Trueman, our new Business Manager, has now had Hygiene Services upgrade our bathroom facilities.  As well as this change, we have changed one of our cleaners to a daytime cleaner, ensuring all toilets and the school is hygienic throughout the day.

Important Term 2 Dates

News from Mr Weston-Murdoch

Bridge Builders - Skill of the Week (Week 2)
Asking Them to Stop

Finding and maintaining friendships is not always an innate skill, and getting along with everybody all of the time is impossible.  In life, conflict is inevitable.  Children may try to resolve problems, but without an understanding of what to do and how do it, a successful outcome for both parties is unlikely.

There are seven skills that children need to overcome personal and social obstacles and to build a bride to move on from conflict confidently.  The first step in that process is “Asking them to stop”.

Asking someone to stop is something children can use in almost every conflict they have; however, it often doesn’t work as it is not done correctly or the other person is choosing to escalate the situation. It can be extremely helpful to give your child the tools to know how to ask someone to stop assertively. There are three keys factors that help this to be more successful:

• understanding the importance of body language,
• recognising tone of voice,
• using words that are powerful.

“Empowered for Life”; Jocelyne Chirnside

In Jolly Phonics, Prep D has been learning about digraphs. We love singing our Jolly Phonics songs and doing work to help us remember and understand the sound that each digraph makes.  We learnt about the digraph ‘ie’ as in pie and we baked silly pies, using our knowledge of letters and sounds to write the word for what our pie ingredient was.

We learnt the digraph ‘ee’ and we learnt about how bees make honey.  Did you know they have a special enzyme in their stomachs that mixes with nectar to make sticky honey?

We used bubble wrap to print honeycomb and then we did a guided drawing of a bee and chose two colours to pattern it with.  A little bit of science and maths learning mixed in with our Jolly Phonics! 

In Year 1 we are learning to create a text that describes how a character looks, does things and feels. Using adjectives will help us to add detail to these descriptions so we have started the term by labelling characters from some of our favourite books. We particularly enjoyed reading and labelling our “Very Blue Thingamajig’s” and creating some of our own thingamajigs too!

To introduce our new HASS unit in Year 2 for Term 2, the students of 2B immersed themselves in the realm of Australian states and territories, uncovering their distinct characteristics and capital cities. Through collaborative efforts and teamwork, the students united to create enlightening posters for the classroom to showcase their understanding. These posters displayed a map of Australia, with each state accurately labelled, alongside the location of every capital city within our nation.

Kind regards,

Scott Weston-Murdoch
Deputy Principal P-2
and the P-2 Team

News from Mr Corbett

School Photos
Class, portrait and sibling photos will take place over Monday, 29/4 and Thursday, 2/5. Please see the schedule below for which day your child’s class photo will take place.

Sibling Photos
If you have ordered sibling photos, please ensure your children are at the hall between 8:30am – 8:50am on Monday (29/4) OR  8:00am – 8:50am on Thursday (2/5). The photographers will have a list with all sibling photo orders.

Uniform Expectations
Students are expected to be in school uniform for their school photo. Year 6 students are welcome to wear their senior shirt.

Photo Envelopes
Your child/children should have received a photo envelope. Please note that orders close at 5pm on Photo Day.

Deputy Principal Introduction
As we kick off the beginning of Term 2, I am thrilled to extend a warm welcome to each and every one of you. It is with great pleasure that I introduce myself as the new acting Deputy Principal for Year 3 and Year 4. My name is Thomas Corbett and I am deeply honoured to be stepping into this role.

Transitioning into a new position always brings a sense of excitement and anticipation, and I am particularly enthusiastic about the opportunities that lie ahead. Over the past weeks, I have had the privilege of familiarising myself with the unique ethos and values of our school community. I am truly inspired by the dedication of our staff, the enthusiasm of our students, and the unwavering support of our parents.

I am excited to have the opportunity to meet each and every one of you, the parents and guardians of our students. You will often find me out the front each afternoon, assisting with student pick-up. Please do not hesitate to approach me if you have any questions, concerns, or simply wish to introduce yourself. Building strong connections with our parent community is a foundational pillar of my role, and I look forward to getting to know each of you better.

Let us embrace the opportunities it that this term brings and approach each day with optimism, determination, and a spirit of collaboration. Together, we will continue to uphold the rich traditions and values that define our school community and inspire excellence in all that we do.

My door is always open, and I look forward to connecting with you in the days and weeks ahead.

Warm regards,

Thomas Corbett
Deputy Principal 3-4

News from Mrs Bailey

We’ve had a fantastic start to the term in senior school and it’s been wonderful to see our Year 5 and 6 students eager to learn, smiling and well-prepared for the term ahead. 

A little bit about me; my experience spans across Primary, Secondary and Special Needs settings within British, Australian, Vocational and International Baccalaureate curriculums. Hopefully you will notice quickly my passion for fostering student growth, resilience and bringing joy to students whenever and wherever possible. I am looking forward to spending time in classrooms, getting to know the students and seeing their engagement in learning.

Thank you for your warm welcome, I am looking forward to getting to know you all.

Kind regards,

Katie Bailey
Deputy Principal 5-6

News from Chappy Thu

Dear Families,

Welcome to Term 2! I hope your April break was filled with fun & connection as well as time to rest & reflect. My family & I attended beautiful Easter services & activities over the Easter weekend followed by a week on Hamilton Island along with my parents & brother’s family as well. It was our first time & we were so lucky to have beautiful weather for the first few days. We swam, ate, walked, ate some more & even had afternoon naps! Even when it showered the last day or two, it was still beautiful. Highly recommended!

The second week, my son & I participated in the Riverlife Outreach program & had a marvellous time cooking for the homeless, comforting the elderly, cooking & making encouraging artwork for children in juvenile centres & on the last day, there was even a group who came to Ironside to help me prepare resources for the fun Chappy Activities this term! Thank you so much to everyone who came to help! And in between all that…I picked up a new hobby – crotchet! I love it so much! I’ve made a kung fu fox & dinosaur so far & I’m currently working on a slender loris.

It’s been lovely meeting parents over the last two weeks on Tuesday afternoons. We’ve also been introduced to Rosa, Ironside’s new Social Worker & discussed interesting topics such as duty of care (when are kids allowed to walk to school or be left at home unsupervised?) as well as puberty (what’s the best way to answer tricky questions?). We also chose topics for the term, so if you are interested in any of the topics below, we’d love to see you! Tuesdays, 2:15 @ Chappy Central.

Due to a variety of reasons such as changing schools or other commitments, I had 20 spots open for new Chappy Squad members this term. The spots were quickly filled by the end of week 1 & I am proud to announce the new squad below.

24 Captains have been chosen, as highlighted above. Congratulations to each of them! They will be running their own team meetings for the first time this term, which will allow them to practice leadership skills, to get to know their team better & to better support their team mates. They will be following the meeting guidelines below & I look forward to working with them all.

Chappy Activities will resume in full swing next week! The Squad & I are looking forward to providing, fun & inclusive activities for everyone.

We have two new activities this term – Disco & Dress Up Club as well as the 1,000 Hearts Club. The 1,000 Hearts Club will be part of a global Kindness Project started by a lady called Sarah from Tasmania nearly a decade ago, who saw a need for simple acts of love & compassion. I visited a Brisbane ‘Hearts’ group last Tuesday in Coopers Plains & had a wonderful making hearts & learning about the movement. Rachel, the organiser of the group even gifted us a plethora of supplies to get our club started! How generous & kind!

More information can be found here: www.1000hearts.com.au.

We will have 3 types of hearts being made each week, based on age & level of ability. Years 5 &6 will be taught how to sew the traditional hearts, Years 4 & 6 will be making slightly larger hearts with yarn & plastic, educational needles & Years 1 & 2 will make paper hearts, either origami 3D hearts or colouring & cutting 2D hearts. I look forward to sharing our progress through the year…will we be able to make 1,000?

And that’s all from me for now. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Until Next Time,
Chappy Thu

tklet0@eq.edu.au
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday
8am to 4pm

HPE News

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

Hello Ironside families and friends,

Volunteer opportunities for "2024 Term 2 Tuckshop Volunteer" are now open.

It is a great place to meet other parents and have a chance to know more about the school and the community. No special skill is required.

Please click on the following web link (or copy it into your web browser if clicking doesn't work) to go to the signup sheet:

volunteersignup.org/LXFRL

To sign up, just follow the instructions on the page. It only takes a few seconds to do. Alternatively, email to pandctuckshop@ironsidess.eq.edu.au to express your interest.

Thank you for volunteering!

Ironside P&C

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.

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