21st June - Term 2, Week 10

Acknowledgement of Country

News from Mrs Kelly

Hi Everyone,   

Here we are at the end of Term 2  -  unbelievable!!  We have had so many fabulous things going on in the last fortnight.

Congratulations to our Age Champions who were announced on assembly today; what an achievement!!!  And congratulations to the winning house……..Cook!  It was no mean feat taking home the top prize!  Thank you again to all of the kids for giving it their all and getting into the spirit of it and to all of our wonderful staff who helped make everything happen.  We are especially grateful to Mr Jeremie Clarke-Okah for overseeing the entire thing, it takes enormous amounts of hard work and organisation!  It was great having parents and families there supporting their kids; what a wonderful day!  The Sport’s Captains did such a wonderful job of helping and encouraging everyone - thank you!  I very much enjoyed getting out and about with my camera.  You can check out some of the snaps in the gallery below in the newsletter.

I’ll keep on my sport train and make the statement, the Junior Cross Country was wonderful, cute fun!  It was glorious weather and the children just got into it!  Thank you to all of them and their families who could pop along.  Thank you to Mr Jorma Bushnell who organised this fantastic event and once again, thank you to the Sport’s Captains for being outstanding!

CONGRATULATIONS Chamber Strings and Mrs Trudy Weekes who not only received an Outstanding award at the Fanfare Finals!  Look, they absolutely are outstanding, but this regional award means they are one of the top 3 groups in the Metropolitan North Region and are in the top 20 primary schools in the state - what an achievement!  Now we nervously wait to see if they will be in the state finals - oh be still my beating heart!! 

Last Friday night, Mrs Katie Bailey and I were invited to watch the Ironside State School combined Year 4-6 choir at Queensland in Song - what a very special night it was!  Congratulations to them and Mrs Kellie Wilson, they were simply angelic.  Thank you to the violin players who accompanied them, that was a special touch.  It was such a privilege to be in the audience. 

While I am on a roll, let’s keep talking about music.  Our Year 1 and 2 Choirs performed this morning, and they were just magic!  Congratulations to all of the choirs involved and to Mrs Marianne Huxley.

Something special quietly happened in our school this week. Mr Nick Trethan has been teaching the Year 4 Children about Yayoi Kusama’s Obliteration Room project.  Mr Mick Wray, our School’s Officer made a chair so that we could replicate that project and create a buddy bench - I love it!!  Thank you Mr Trethan and Mr Wray!!

Dress for NF (Neurofibromatosis) was a huge success in our school this week.  We dressed in blue and green and bought ribbons and brought in gold coin donations to support this foundation and bring awareness to this condition.  Over $1000 was raised, thank you everyone!  Thank you to our amazing Student Council and Mr Perrier, Ms Pinkerton and Mr Chow.

The Silent Disco was a novel bunch of fun!  Thank you to those who came along and supported it and thank you to our amazing, dedicated staff who organised and ran it - it was a great night!  Once again, top work to our Student Council for being great leaders!

Congratulations to all of the children who have received certificates over the last couple of weeks on assembly.   Today we had a wonderful group of children receive their Star Awards!!

Our truly wonderful Events Committee staff, along with the Student Council did a wonderful job of leading us to mark NAIDOC Day (National Aboriginal and Islander Day of Celebration).  Ironside State School proudly recognises Australia’s First Nations People and what better way to do that then with some gorgeous art pieces to beautify our school - thank you everyone!

We completed our term today with Silly Sock Day!  Yes, we slipped on silly socks and got onto a blow-up obstacle course! Yes, it is as fun as it sounds!!  Thank you so much to Chappy Thu and Mrs Katie Bailey and the team for all of the organising that went into this massive event to raise funds to support our amazing chaplaincy program.

Sadly, I need to farewell some staff from our Ironside State School community. We have a number of staff moving on to new adventures.  Mrs Helena Sillence has been teaching 1B throughout the last 6 months but sadly has to leave us.  Thank you for everything Mrs Sillence!  Thank you to Mrs Natalie Killorn who has been our Inclusion Teacher over the last 6 months.  Ms Killorn has provided support for so many of our children and we are so grateful and wish her all the best!  Mrs Alice Metcalfe is leaving us to go on maternity leave - how exciting!  We thank her for all she has done for Ironside, especially her Year 3 class this year and wish her all the best for when the new baby arrives. 

We also are farewelling Mrs Jessica Griggs who has taught with Mrs Metcalfe.  Mrs Griggs is undertaking more study but I have no doubt we will see a lot of her at Ironside still. Thank you for everything Mrs Griggs!

In some very unexpected news, Ms Leonie Evertsen has also accepted a position at a new school and is starting there from Term 3 onwards.  A big thank you to Ms Evertsen for all she has done for Ironside State School over the years and especially the children of 2D who she has been teaching this term. 

Mrs Sam Rosinski is moving to a new school to be closer to her family home.  We thank her so much for all she has done here at Ironside State School over the years and wish her well in the years to come! 

Lastly, Mrs Christina Maxwell has been here for 11 years and has done countless things for Ironside State School.  Mrs Maxwell is moving to a school closer to her home too and I have no doubt less time in the car will be better for her.  Thank you for everything Mrs Maxwell, you will be missed!

Well, we made it!  What a term!  Thank you to all of our fabulous staff and to our beautiful children for a great term.  Thank you to all of our families for all the support we have been given.  I hope you all have a magic holiday and that you return ready in Term 3 for whatever Ironside brings.  The first thing it will bring me is a trip to Canberra with Year 6 - freezing fun here we come!

Have a great break!

 
Yours in Education

Angie Kelly

Important Term 3 Dates

News from Mr Weston-Murdoch

Dear parents and caregivers,

Bridge Builders – Skill of the week

The skills we’ve been practising.

(Week 9): How to get help

Knowing how to ask for help can be life-saving for a child experiencing challenging relationships. The experience of conflict or bullying can separate children from others, severing ties. Children need to be encouraged to know that they are not alone and that support and help is available.

Five steps to getting help:

1. Calm down. Whether a child is red-faced, their body shaking with anger, or is pale and bent over, racked with tears, or somewhere in between, often adults are distracted by the emotion.
2. Show respect. Use the person’s name and ask if now is a good time.
3. Say what happened. Just being able to describe what happened, and put it into words, is helpful to a child’s thinking processes.
4. Say what you tried. When we got to others for help, it is far more powerful and effective if we can describe what we have tried ourselves first to resolve the problem.
5. Ask for ideas. Children commonly want to throw a problem at an adult with the expectation of, You fix it.” This expectation leaves children passive in the process of resolution, because they are relying on the adults to clean up the mess and giving adults the responsibility of resolving issues and making decisions.

(Week 10): Make an Apologise

One of life’s hardest and most painful lessons is learning to forgive someone who has hurt you.  Forgiving someone means letting go of negative feelings like anger, frustration or sadness that arise due to a conflict situation. It means accepting an apology and not staying upset at the person for what they did.

Forgiveness doesn’t mean that you suddenly are no longer hurt, it means that you don’t want to be chained to the problem and hold a grudge that makes you a bitter person.  To forgive is a ‘doing’ word and the act is one that takes a lot of effort and commitment. The process relies on the constant checking and reframing of a child’s thinking and the releasing of the physical hurt that these thoughts create. It can be quick or it can take a long time.

A child learning the value of forgiveness and what is involved not only reduces their stress and the negative impacts on their mental and physical health, but also increases the possibility of healthier relationships in the future and their ability to move on in life with success. 

“Empowered for Life”, Jocelyne Chirnside

This term in Science, the Prep students have been looking at the Weather. We have turned into quite the Weather Detectives! Our students have become very good at using clues all around (sky, tree, people and wet or dry) to work out what the weather is.

By making daily observations and solving weather mysteries the students have become familiar with the use of symbols to ‘read’ what the weather is, gained greater understanding in why pilots, builders, fisherman and everyone needs to know about the weather. We have even come to understand how weather affects animals, like our family pets!

We become very curious about the weather. We wanted to find out the answers to questions like these…..

What is the hottest place on Earth?

What is the coldest place on Earth?

Are the seasons the same everywhere? Does everyone have Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring? And, can Animals get sunburn? 

We even had time to share some Weather jokes!

Here’s one for everyone at home……

What does a cloud wear under his raincoat?

Thunderwear!

If you are interested in the question - Can animals get sunburn?

You can check out the answer if you click on the link below:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxqASLmx96g

This term in year 1 we were lucky enough to have our local firefighters come and attend our school. We learnt about good and bad fires and how important it is to have a school and home escape plan. Our favourite part was learning about the Firefighters protective wear.

The firefighters taught us 

-           Don’t hide. Scream and shout.

-           Get down low and go, go, go.

-           Get out and stay out.

-           Stop, drop and roll.

-           Call 000.

In HASS this term, 2F enjoyed travelling around Australia while reading ‘Are We There Yet?’ Students created art pieces of Australian landmarks and wrote postcards to glue on the back. The students proudly presented these to their buddy class, 3F.

After this journey around Australia and studying the life cycles of Australian animals in Science, students have been working on an Australian animal artwork inspired by Pete Cromer. They also researched and wrote facts about their animal including where it can be found in Australia.

Kind regards,

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

News from Mr Corbett

Dear Familes,

Last week, the Year Threes loved having the chance to share their knowledge about a wide range of animals with the Year Twos, who had been busy learning all about mealworm lifecycles this term. To wrap up their scientific research into animal lifecycles, 3F spent the afternoon sharing their published information reports on some of their favourite creatures with their 2F buddies. The 2F children also enjoyed having an audience for their portfolios of work.

In 4C the students showcased their creativity and research skills by creating homework posters focused on endangered animals of their choice. Each student selected an endangered species, delved into its habitat, threats, and conservation efforts, and presented their findings through detailed and colourful posters.

4C has also been busy designing maths board games! The kids chose any maths topic we've covered this semester and spent time planning, designing, and creating their games. Now, we get to play and enjoy these wonderful creations. 

Warm regards,

Thomas Corbett
Deputy Principal Y3-4
and the Y3-4 Team

News from Mrs Bailey

Hi Everyone,

This week, Year 6 students were thoroughly engaged by the Life Skills with Michael Jeh workshop. Topics of discussion included addiction to technology, treating others with empathy and making the right choices. The parent session was equally engaging, covering ways to provide children with boundaries while creating a secure space for them to learn and grow by facing their fears, failing and making mistakes.



Please enjoy the reflections below from our Year 5 and 6 teachers and students.

Warm regards,

Katie Bailey
Deputy Principal Y5-6
and the Y5-6 Team

Language News

Brisbane Languages Speech Contest

The Brisbane Languages Speech Contest will be held on Sunday 4th August at Griffith University, Nathan campus. Students in years 4-6 are invited to participate. Background speakers are also invited to compete in a separate division.

Learning another language nurtures international mindedness and helps to create a harmonious society. The Academy of Modern Languages in partnership with the Department of Education International (DEi) will be offering short language courses for state school students (years 5-12) learning Chinese, Japanese, French, Italian and Spanish. The online language course will run from Monday 1 July until Friday 5 July.  

There are up to 100 scholarships generously provided by DEi for Queensland State schools (college or academy). To register, please email your child’s language teacher for an application form.

Completed applications must be sent to global.engagement@qed.qld.gov.au

Language teachers: Maria Cesar mcesa0@eq.edu.au, Ngaire Aboud nabou1@eq.edu.au

News from Chappy Thu

Dear Families,

Silly Sock Day was a huge success and I'm so happy with the way it turned out! 

Of course, this day would not be possible without the support of all our sponsors, bakers, volunteers & administrators. Special thank you to our wonderful new deputy, Katie Bailey, for her mammoth effort completing all the paperwork required this year…from risk assessments to corresponding with senior regional safety consultants & inspectors…she has been absolutely instrumental in the planning this year! Thank you also to the Chaplaincy Team, the P&C (especially Tony L), Riverlife Baptist Church, St Lucia Uniting Church, Christ Church St Lucia, St Lucia Bible Church, all the staff, especially those who also helped to sell socks, to set up early on Friday morning, all the parents & of course, all the students for making the day so much fun with their silly socks!

Parent Group

This week we had our end of term celebration. Thank you so much to everyone who came & brought such delicious food. We had two different Iranian dips, eaten with FRESHLY made bread, chocolate croissants, matcha & white chocolate scones, red velvet cupcakes & Vietnamese banana cake – yum! We also had a dance class with Rose, our social worker who is also a qualified Zumba instructor – so talented!

Everyone is welcomed to attend & we look forward to welcoming you next term 😊

If you are interested in getting a copy of any of the presentations given at the Parent Group, please email me at tklet0@eq.edu.au.

This term, the Chappy Squad ran 48 break time activities, used 24L of bubble solution, almost 500 sheets of origami paper, DJ’d 600 minutes of uplifting music, made 101 hearts & gave 59 hearts to people who needed a bit of encouragement & celebration. Amazing work team!!!

In Week 9, we had a series of Reflection Meetings to review all the wonderful things we did as a team in Term 2 & we also discussed what we could do to make activities even better next term. Then, on Friday, we celebrated with our Chappy Squad Awards Party!

Congratulations to our winning team…Flamingos, led by Alice, Victoria, Isabella & Tanmeh. Congratulations also to our top students for the term, Kelly, Ella, Arnika, Saksham, Eva, Cooper, Anna, Camilla, Fred, Ilai, Ann, Lavit, Sam, Jonny, Tanmeh, Hafsa, Tingran, Het, Victoria, Alice, Olivia, James & Xavier! And lastly, special congratulations to the five students who earned their Senior Chappy badge this term, Ilai N, Camilla C, Andrea A, Sara L & Rosie N as well as Ella H for being the first student to earn an Experienced Chappy Member badge! Well done everyone!

It’s been a wonderful term & I can’t wait to see everyone again in term 3. I will be working at two holiday camps next week (more info below in case anyone is interested), followed by a few days at Sea World Resort for some much-needed down time. I then plan to relax at home, sleeping in, eating out & tidying the house 😊

I wish everyone a relaxing & rejuvenating school holiday break!

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

Until Term 3,
Chappy Thu

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

HPE News

Well done to all participating students and a big congratulations to those who received ribbons and the age champions listed below. Many students aged 10, 11 & 12 years who have met the district qualifying standards in both the track and field events will have the opportunity to attend the District Track and Field trials in July.

New Ironside Records

8 Yrs – Boris S (Tied)(80m), Hudson H(200m), Hudson H(Long Jump), Clara W (Long Jump), Ellie Rose L (200m), Ellie Rose L (80m)

10 Yrs – Federico R P (Long Jump), Hana C W (Shot Put),

11 Yrs – Samara D A (200m), Samara D A (100m), Samara D A (Long Jump)

12 Yrs – Selene A (Discus)

That's all for this term!

Jeremie Clarke-Okah
HPE Teacher

Library News

Cath Roche & Annika Sauvage
Library Teachers

Admin News

A huge thank you to all parents and students who came to collect belongings from the lost property section this week. We managed to return a lot of items. 

A friendly reminder to label hats, jackets, bags, lunch boxes and water bottles for term 3! 

Any items that couldn't be returned were donated to a local charity shop for further use. 

Invoices

BPoint is the preferred payment method for Department of Education, due to the efficiencies that automated receipting brings to schools. BPoint is an online payment system which provides schools with a secure and efficient method of collecting payments for parents/customers. BPoint allows a parent to pay their child's invoices directly from home and receive the receipt immediately.

Click directly onto the link on your invoice (example one) at the bottom left-hand corner of your invoice.  By clicking on the link on your invoice it will automatically fill in your CRN (Customer Reference Number) and invoice number.  All you need to do is fill in the amount you want to pay.  You cannot pay multiple invoices on the one link.

If you want to pay all your invoices online, you can do this by clicking the link in the box and entering the exact six-digit invoice number from your statement (example two). 

If you prefer, click the link below and follow the steps to make a payment. 

1. Log on to: www.bpoint.com.au/payments/dete External link
2. Enter your Customer Reference Number (CRN). It is always the same for your child. It can be found on the bottom left hand corner of your invoice.
3. Enter invoice number
4. Enter student name
5. Enter amount $

Tuck Shop

Photo Gallery

A selection of photos from the past few weeks. 

Enjoy!

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Advertising

For all advertising enquiries please email: communications@ironsidess.eq.edu.au 

Dear Ironside Families, 

We're excited to announce a new class in term 3. Please head to our website or click the link below for more information. 

Class Type: Coding
Day: Tuesdays
Dates: 16th July to 3rd September
Times: 3:15pm to 4:30pm

Please find the booking link HERE

I am writing to invite parents/carers from your community to share their experiences as parents/carers in an online survey.

The survey is part of a research project: Parenting in a Stereotyped World funded by the Parenting and Family Support Centre at the University of Queensland. The aim is to identify parental attitudes, sense of agency, and parenting practices relating to raising children in an environment free from stereotyped gender roles. We are inviting parents/carers of children aged 0 - 5 (e.g. Prep or Pre-prep, Kindy).

What is involved?

• Share the attached poster and/or image and social media post with families in your community. E.g. Centre newsletter or announcement, Facebook post etc.

What do parents/carers need to do?

• Follow the link provided and complete the survey online (15 – 20 minutes)
• Optional follow-up survey at two and six weeks after the first survey.
• Parents/carers will go into the draw for a $20 gift card for their time (one per 25 people).

Who can you contact if you have questions?

My name is Dr Stevie-Jae Hepburn, and I am managing the survey on behalf of Professor Alina Morawska (Director of the Parenting and Family Support Centre).

As a parent, teacher, and researcher, I am an advocate for evidence-based approaches to supporting families to thrive and create nurturing home environments. I believe parent/carer experience and feedback are integral to the development of parenting programs and resources.

I am more than happy to discuss any questions you have about the project.

Thank you for your time.

Kind regards,  

Stevie-Jae Hepburn      

PhD  MEdSt   BEd 

Senior Research Officer | School of Psychology  

Parenting and Family Support Centre  

The University of Queensland  

s.hepburn@uq.edu.au | uq.edu.au