6 August 2020 - Term 3, Week 4
News from Mr Johnson
Dear Parents,
150th COMMEMORATIVE PHOTO
This week on Tuesday our staff and students gathered on the oval to capture the commemorative 150th photo. MSP Photography have been so accommodating in working flexibly with us to achieve this outcome in the current times. I know this photo will be a popular inclusion into our 150th publication as well as a great keepsake for the staff and students of 2020. I’m looking forward to this being shared ASAP.
150th UPDATES
Last week Dr Tuan Ha President of the P&C Association and I, sent joint communication regarding the cancellation of the Open Day (Sat 10/10/2020) and the reframing of the Gala Ball into a COVID Safe, sit down dinner event.
As detailed plans are confirmed regarding a celebration day for students on Friday 9 October as well as a live streamed virtual event that evening, the sub-committee and school will communicate promptly with our community.
I would like to again acknowledge the work of Mrs Phoebe Anderson and Mrs Tina Macht who as co-chairs have made significant and dedicated ongoing contribution to Ironside’s 150th year.
CAR SIGNS – A HUGE HELP!
If you collect your child using a vehicle please have the A4 paper sign with their first name, surname and class printed and displayed in the windscreen. The signs are predominantly for the benefit of staff. While we’re ‘pretty good’ we are yet to retain individual child and aligned family transport vehicle information!! Your help with this is very much appreciated.
PARENTS TO REMAIN OFF SITE
Parents must continue to remain off our school grounds and not gather at arrival and departure time. We are maintaining our practice of ‘By Appointment’. You are welcome on site providing that you have:
- An agreed appointment (including volunteers to our shops etc.) and
- Presented to and signed in at the Administration Office – our records of who was on site and when are vital at all times, but particularly in the context of our current operating procedures. I appreciate your support with this.
Some parents are now starting to take advantage of the unlocked gates in Central Avenue and Ironside Street. Parents are coming onto our school grounds having not presented to the office. RECORDS OF WHO HAS BEEN ON SITE ARE VITAL AT THIS TIME. If you are coming onto the school grounds present to the office as your first priority.
UNIFORM EXPECTATIONS
Being in the cool winter months, it’s timely to remind our families of the expectations around our uniform. If a school jacket or jumper is not possible (and this should be in the rarest of cases) then the required colour of jackets and jumpers is navy blue.
Along with adhering to our school dress code, remember to CLEARLY NAME AND LABEL your child’s uniform pieces.
This is the time of year when we start to see a constant and steady increase in lost property. Should uniforms items be handed in, we want to return them to their rightful owners as quickly as possible.
IF YOU ARE SICK – STAY HOME!
I need to stress to families that the ‘previous normal’ of students heading to school if mildly unwell and “seeing how you go” does not apply in the current COVID-19 context.
I understand there is a clear difference between some anxious tummies, allergies etc. However, if your child displays cold or flu like symptoms – cough, fever, runny nose, aches, lethargy etc. They need to be at home. In these present times we need to ensure both the health and wellbeing of the individual as well as the group.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Have a great week ahead. Stay safe and well.
*The Pocket - Early Education and Care*
****Advertisement****
Hi Ironside State School families!
Are you looking for a fabulous childcare centre?
The Pocket Early Education and Care, St Lucia’s newest child care centre is opening in early July.
Just a three minute drive from Ironside, our purpose-built centre offers a fun and supportive learning environment for your child, with state of the art facilities, engaged staff, nutritious meals prepared daily and our very own FUNdamentals program.
As an early learning centre, we at The Pocket believe that each child is unique. Because of this we cater to your child’s individual needs and developmental pathways, through our ‘learning by playing’ philosophy. This allows your child to better understand the world in which they live, through our planned early education programs which engages their capacity to participate, communicate, investigate, create, and reflect.
To support your child’s growing body as they develop and learn, we provide fresh, homestyle meals prepared on site, each day, by our Chef, Eliza. We also provide clear and regular communication daily about your child’s progress, routine and activities using Storypark.
Our degree qualified Early Childhood Teachers in our Kindergarten programme, ensures your child receives the best start to life before starting Prep. Our Centre Manager, Shandelle Banditt, and our friendly staff are committed to providing your child with incredible learning experiences in a safe and supportive environment that will foster a lifetime of benefits.
Educating and caring for your child 5 days per week, 52 weeks per year, 6.30am-6.30pm to support you and your family.
To join our Pocket community, call Elise, our Enrolments Manager, on 3568 5800 or 0476 997 332 or email enrolments@thepocketchildcare.com.au to discuss your children’s requirements.
****Advertisement****
Ironside Stars of the Month
| Isla | Prep F |
| Zahrena | 1B |
| Anasera | 2A |
News from Mr Murdoch
2021 Prep Information Video
Our Prep Information Video is now accessible on the school’s website. This video will replace the information evening that took place early Term 3.
For families with children who are eligible to commence Prep in 2021, this video is now the first step in our enrolment process. It will provide an overview and general information in regards to what families and children can expect in the first year of school.
For further information, please see:
https://ironsidess.eq.edu.au/enrolments/prep/2021-prep-enrolment-information
Prep
This term the prep students have been doing gymnastics as part of P.E. Gymnastics helps us grow the muscles in all different parts of our body, especially our core strength which helps us in class! We practice balancing on beams, swinging on bars and jumping into the motor cycle position from trampolines and boxes.
We love gymnastics because…
“I love doing the motorbike.” Jio Prep B
“I love to do exercise.” Kai Prep A
“I have fun.” Michael Prep C
“I love to play on the trampoline.” Olivia Prep F
“I can hang on the bar with my arms.” Henri Prep F
Year 1
In 1C, students have been putting their cartography skills to the test and designing their very own parks. Students had to develop a key to identify landmarks and features in their park. Thank you to Samara, Elizabeth, Richard, Misumi and Miku for sharing your work.
News from Mrs Vecchio
AFTER-SCHOOL DEPARTURE
Thank you to parents who are co-operating with the after-school collection protocols and routine (below). It makes a huge difference when parents of students in Years 1 – 6 delay their car pick-up until 3:10pm.
This gives our youngest students the opportunity to be safely collected first at 3:00pm. Apart from showing strong community spirit, the staggered pick-up also eases traffic congestion.
It’s also very helpful for parents to display a sign with their child’s/children’s NAME and CLASS on their car dashboard.
We appreciate the efforts and cooperation of all community members in our quest for a safe and efficient after-school departure!
ENVIRONMENTAL CHAMPIONS
Year 4 students continue their independent inquiries into environmental issues.
“It is extremely important to recycle whatever plastic rubbish you see. When you see plastics on the ground and if you don’t recycle them, they will go to the creek, then to the river and to the sea. That causes plastic pollution in the sea. Then sea animals may eat plastic. You must recycle your plastic rubbish as well because if you don’t recycle them, this will happen:
People eat an average of 5 grams of plastics per week, 21 grams per month and 250 grams of plastics per year. This is an average of 100,000 particles of micro-plastic per year. This means that an average person potentially consumes as much as 1769 particles of plastic every week just from drinking water, 182 particles of plastic from shellfish, 10 particles of plastic from beers and 11 particles of plastic from salt.” By Takuma (4B)
News from Mrs Bairstow
CANBERRA IS COMING TO IRONSIDE!
2020 has challenged us to think outside of the box! So when our trip to Sydney and Canberra was cancelled due to Covid restrictions, we were determined to do the best we could for our senior cohort.
Next week, Year 6 students will participate in several activities inspired by the fun and learning that we would normally experience on our tour. While we can’t quite recreate the Canberra weather – Year 6 students will be encouraged to come in “camp clothes” (beanies, scarves & comfy free dress) on Thursday 13 August. They will be participating in ‘visits’ to the Australian Institute of Sport, Parliament House and other cultural highlights of the nation’s capital. I’m looking forward to sharing some of the stories and photos in next week’s edition of the newsletter.
STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS
LOST PROPERTY
It is normal at this time of year to see an increase in lost property – as jumpers and jackets are removed as the days warm up from the chilly mornings. Normally, our Student Councillors manage the quantum of items – but in the interest of managing the risks that may be associated with touching lots of items that have passed through many spaces and places, we have made the decision to remove this responsibility from the Councillors until further notice. With parents not permitted onsite without a specific appointment –the opportunity for adults to collect lost items on behalf students is also limited. In their current state, the lost property shelves & boxes are now literally overflowing – which is not in the best interest of our collective health and safety.
These circumstances now lead to the need for students to take personal accountability for retrieving their lost items.
There are two lost property locations:
- On the J Block verandah (between the rear entrance of the hall and the 4F & 4G classroom spaces.
- Outside After School Care (under L Block)
If you are missing any items – inclusive of clothing and lunch boxes, drink bottles etc please encourage your child to check one of these locations in the next week. All unlabelled and / or uncollected items will either be added into our Mondo Bin for recycling on Friday 7 August (tomorrow).
Information about how our Mondo Bin works for the environment and our school is detailed below:
Recycle With Mondo for a Better World is a fun, simple and educational fundraising program presented by SCRgroup. The program has been so well-received in Victoria, that we have now made it available for schools nationally. This program supports primary schools to raise thousands of dollars each year while diverting reusable items from landfill and providing global communities with affordable clothing and employment. |
YEAR 6 PARENT VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE
Under normal, non-Covid impacted circumstances, by this time of the year we have a well-established volunteer working party of Year 6 parents who work alongside us to plan and create a memorable end of year round of celebrations for the graduating student cohort. Given the interruptions to last term, and the uncertainty around what restrictions may look like in December, there hasn’t been any formal communication around this as yet. However, while uncertainty remains, I would now like to invite parents who would be interested in contributing towards graduation celebrations and commemorations to start to think about contributing. Normally we work with sub-groups that manage the following events / items / areas:
- Student Year Book
- Decorations for graduation night
- Catering for student celebrations
- Catering for parent celebrations
This year, I can offer no certainty about what these events and/or groups might look like – but I am keen to gather support and parent interest if you are able to donate some time / skills / interest / passion– or just to be a helper. The Year Book is something that thankfully will not be impacted by Covid – so if you are able to volunteer to collate this, we have a lot of information and advice to share from previous years. In a year that has been impacted so greatly for our Year 6’s, we are excited to work with you to ensure that the end of their time at primary school will be memorable for all the right and happy reasons that it should be. If you are willing to volunteer, or wish to ask more questions, please email me at jbair51@eq.edu.au . Thank you to those who have already responded. I will be in touch again shortly. It’s not too late to offer to help in any way – big or small!
Shop Locally and Support Ironside
Just a reminder for those of you in our community who shop at IGA. The myIGA Card Program allows you to select, on their online portal, a local community group to donate shopping points to. Ironside State School is one of the options to choose from at IGA St Lucia. These points accrue and are then converted into funds which can be given to Ironside. As a result of this program, last year IGA St Lucia presented Ironside with a check for $1310.94!
Community Providers
To enquire about advertising please send an email to news@ironsidess.eq.edu.au
P&C Fundraiser - Entertainment Book
The NEW 2020 | 2021 Entertainment app is now available for purchase, so you can save money AND help raise funds at the same time (20% / $14 per membership will go to the P&C).
Let’s support our local community and our school’s P&C Projects!
**Order online at http://www.entbook.com.au/2y22817.
If you need further information, please email Treena: ISSEntertainmentBook@gmail.com .
Tuckshop News
Tuckshop is still open only for online orders (no over the counter sales). Please do not give your child money to buy things at Tuckshop.
A reminder of Tuckshop Refund Policy:
If your child is not going to school, please cancel their order from QKR before 8am. It will credit your account for the next order.
It is the P&C's policy that we do not refund same day orders after 8am because we have already begun the preparation of the food. If you have ordered something other than hot food, like a drink or chips etc, we are happy to save the items and provide on the following day or a day of the parents’ choosing. Thank you for your understanding.
Tuckshop Roster | WEEK 5 | ||||
10 August – 14 August | |||||
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
Sherry | Crystal | Ning | Sandy | Public Holiday | |
Lola | Jennifer | Melanie | Stephy | ||
Rei | |||||
Community Information
