Ironside State School eNewsletter

Acknowledgement of Country

Ironside State School acknowledges the traditional custodians of this land and pay our respects to the Elders past, present, and emerging for they hold the traditions, culture, memories and hopes of Indigenous Australia. The Turrbal Aboriginal Nation, who spoke the Jagera Language, roamed these lands.

Principal's Message Term 4, Week 10

Hi Everyone,

Gala last week lived up to the very high expectation everybody had of it; it was astonishingly outstanding. It was wonderful to have all of the instrumental music groups, as well as the choirs performing; for music lovers it was a feast for the ears! Thank you to all of the children involved, for your dedication and teamwork to produce something that must make you proud, as well as your parents, teachers and all of us.

Thank you to our teachers; Mrs Trudy Weekes, Mr James Kukulies and Mrs Kellie Wilson; the world-class quality of our program reflects your passion for what you do. Thank you to those parent helpers who were acknowledged for going the extra mile to help out but thank you to all parents; I know that it takes a lot of commitment on your parts to have your children in the program too.

Thank you to Mr Thomas Corbett for overseeing IM for the last 3 terms, you have done an exceptional job and thank you to all of the staff who helped out. Thank you to our P&C who put on some lovely charcuterie boards and drinks, it gave some additional atmosphere to this beautiful night and we are grateful to BBC for hiring the venue to us. Shout-outs to Mr Tom Van Den Bos for filming this great evening as a keepsake. It really is a team effort to make something of this calibre come together - thanks everyone. I took a few snaps which you can find in the photo gallery.

Following on from this, I sadly had to miss the Year 1 and 2 Choirs performing on Friday and I have heard they were simply amazing. Congratulations to all of them and thank you to the very wonderful Mrs Marianne Huxley who teaches them and brings out their best!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the P&C meeting last week, it was another long one but a productive one. I want to thank the P&C Executive for accepting the challenge of holding an official position and for all they have done this year, I acknowledge it has not been an easy one. Thank you to our President Mr Tugrul Durali, our Vice President Fundraising Mrs Phoebe Anderson, our Vice President OSHC Mrs Jacq Romano, our Secretary Mr Michael Archbold, our Treasurer Mr Matthew Chung and our Assistant Treasurer Ms Sonja Bennetto (who finished up earlier in the year). Mrs Jacq Romano is moving to a higher level within her own workplace and so has resigned from the P&C Executive last week, we thank her for all she has done in the 3 years she has been part of the executive and wish her well in her new role.

I want to also thank those people who have turned up to every meeting, volunteered wherever they can and are just generally going above and beyond for Ironside State School, thank you! I also want to acknowledge and thank those who run our P&C Shops - Mrs Natalie Philp and her team at OSHC, Mrs Stacey Dang and Mrs Mayumi Gonzalez at the Uniform Shop and Mrs Sherry Lui at the Fresh Bites Tuckshop and all of the wonderful Tuckshop volunteers too.

The swimming carnivals were wonderfully successful days! Congratulations to all of our swimmers, whether you are competitive or just swam to get points for your house - well done! The atmosphere was great both days and I thank the House Captains and the children for your team spirit and sportsperson-ship, the war-cries were deafening and full of passion. Thank you to all of our parent and community member volunteers, our Sport’s Captains and children who helped and all of our staff. Extra big thank you to Mr Jeremie Clarke-Okah for organising and overseeing both days, it is a very smooth and fun operation! Again, I have a few photos from the days in the gallery down below.

The very next day was our Prep Sports Carnival, which was wet game play on the oval and my goodness, it looked like so much fun!! Thank you to Mr Jorma Bushnell and Mr Jeremie Okah-Clarke, our Prep teachers and Educational Support Officers, as well as our Sport’s Captains; they made it such a memorable morning for our Preppies! Please see the joy in my photo gallery down below.

Congratulations to all of those students who received P-2 STAR Award at last week’s assembly. I always love to listen to what is read out about the children who are the recipients, they are such great ambassadors for our school.

I also had the privilege of catching up with those truly remarkable children who have made it through the school captain process. I want to thank and congratulate all of them, as well as all of the children who have courageously nominated and worked for a badged leadership position. It is always a heartbreaking process when there is just a school full of outstanding leadership. I see it every day in the interactions I have with our current year 6s, whether they wear a badge or not, they are just such wonderful people. We will find out soon who has the enormous privilege of the School Captain roles at Ironside State School for 2025.

Year 6 had a Sustainability Showcase on Friday which I could not attend unfortunately. I have heard people raving about what they witnessed at this. Congratulations to all of our Year 6 students for working so diligently on this and of course to our wonderful teachers for leading them there.

Our 2025 Preps came to us today to meet their teacher, how very exciting!! We welcome them with open arms and thank our Prep team for the wonderful morning they facilitated. Thank you to Mr Scott Weston-Murdoch for overseeing the transition of all of our incoming Preps. We look forward to having them with us all in 2025.

This Wednesday afternoon all of our current Prep to Year 5s will get to meet their teacher for 2025. We have finalised our staffing and classes as best we can at this stage but know that there may be some changes next year, if we gain or lose students.

Currently we have set-up a 2/3 Composite class for 2025, but we may end up having more composite classes, depending on our numbers or we may end up with none. People are often concerned about composite classes and worry about teachers having to teach two years levels in the one room.

I have taught a large number of composite classes in my time, and I absolutely loved it, as did the children and their families. In any class, teachers have to differentiate for all of the individual children within it and where they are at with their learning, and I see composite classes as no different. No matter what the makeup of the children, all of the research evidence that it is the quality of the teacher in the class that makes the most difference.

I am sorry that I can’t finalise everything at this stage, but Ironside State School is a transient school, and we need to wait until 2025 to see how many children we have enrolled.

Tomorrow is our Prep celebration of learning, how beautiful. I want to thank our Prep teachers for nurturing our smallest people through their first year of learning at school. Thank you to Ms Amanda Hayes, Ms Essie Horn, Mrs Chris Lord, Ms Sheree Hoac and Mrs Robynne McLachlan, as well as the truly wonderful Educational Support Officers.

At the other end of the journey are our Year 6s, who are officially graduating tomorrow night. We are so proud of our graduating Year 6s but are also very sad that they are moving on, they have enriched our school so much. This week will also see them receiving their Year Books, signing shirts, having a pool party and a break up party; all wonderful and important milestones. I sincerely hope it is a wonderful week for all of them, they deserve it, as do their teachers.

There are a few things coming up this week. Our final whole school assembly is this Thursday 5th December at 9:15am and then break-up parties will be held for the rest of the day. In a regular year, with a 10-week term, we would be moving and cleaning this Friday but this year, because we have an 11th week, we are putting together our week 11 program and it actually begins this Friday, and we will be moving and cleaning on the Thursday and Friday of week 11. Once we have finalised the week 11 program, (we are checking the weather closely) we will distribute it.

Report cards also come out this week. Please do not hesitate to contact us on Friday if you have not received your child’s report. I thank all of our teachers for the work that has gone into these.

Farewells

Sadly, we have many staff leaving us this year, some after a short period of time and some who have been here over a decade.

Ms Jade Bowser started with us this year as a graduate teacher. She has done a wonderful job and has been an amazing member of the Year 6 team. Ms Bowser has overseen the Bridge Builder program this year on top of everything else and we are so grateful to her. Ms Bowser is going to a school closer to home and we thank her for everything and wish her all the best.

Mr Ben Davis has taught PE here at our school a couple of days a week this year. As we will have less children at our school next year, we will no longer need 3 PE teachers. We thank Mr Davis for all he has done at Ironside State School and wish him all the best.

Mrs Rachel Beattie has only returned to us this term from maternity leave and has been a wonderful addition to our staff. Mrs Beattie has got a transfer to a Brisbane school close to her home. Thank you for everything Mrs Beattie and all the best.

Mrs Leonie Evertsen moved to another school temporarily throughout this year but has now transferred there permanently. We thank Mrs Evertsen for all she did for Ironside during her time here and wish her all the very best for the future.

Mrs Mariela Morris has been transferred to another school within Brisbane. Anyone who has come in contact with Mrs Morris will know that she is a complete delight who is adored by children, families and our staff. She will be missed, and we thank her for everything she has done for Ironside State School.

Mrs Danielle Jeanes is off on an adventure with her family and is moving up to Rockhampton! Mrs Jeanes is a much-loved part of our Year 6 team and will be dearly missed. We wish her and her family all the best with this big, exciting move!

Mr Jamie Henderson has been transferred to another school within Brisbane. Mr Henderson has been an amazing member of the Year 6 team, as well as doing an enormous amount of work with extension programs in our school. Mr Henderson will be missed, and we are grateful to him for all he has done in his time at Ironside.

Mr Jeremie Clarke-Okah has been transferred to another school within Brisbane. When you are a specialist teacher and such an energetic, motivated, highly organised one like Mr Clarke-Okah, you form attachments with children and families right across the school. Mr Clarke-Okah is the face of physical education at Ironside, as well as at a regional level and we are really feeling his departure. I want to thank him for going above and beyond for Ironside State School and we wish him all the very best.

Ms Mikayla Graves and Ms Georgia O’Donnell are two parts of our Year 4 team and are off on an adventure together teaching in Singapore next year! I know they will have a great time, but we will miss them. They have promised to return in 2026 ……...I will hold them to that. Thank you for everything ladies and all the very best.

Mrs Carla Trueman has been with us for three terms as the Business Manager and has achieved nothing short of miracles in her role. Mrs Trueman is returning to her previous school, and we are devasted. We cannot thank her enough for the enormous amount of work she has done for Ironside in such a short amount of time, and we wish her all the best.

Mrs Katie Bailey has been the acting Deputy Principal for the Year 5 and 6 area of our school for 3 terms. Mrs Bailey is off on an unexpected adventure to the UK, as she and her family are relocating there for her husband’s work. Mrs Bailey has been a positive and effective leader in our school, and I know she will be missed by children, families and staff. Thank you for all you have done Mrs Bailey and all the very best over there!

Mr Scott Weston-Murdoch has just received the exciting news that he is the acting Principal at Kippa-Ring State School for all of 2025! This is a wonderful next step in his leadership journey. He has been part of the Ironside team for many years, as a teacher, Head of Curriculum and DP of our Prep to Year 2 areas and has connections to children, families, staff and the wider community. We are very grateful for all he has done for Ironside State School and wish him all the very best in his new school.

It is always sad when staff go, you become like family but there is nothing surer than change and though scary, it can be a wonderful adventure too. We wish all of them the best on their next adventure.

Gosh it is going to be a big week; I hope yours is wonderful!

Yours in Education

Angie Kelly

Important Term 4 Dates

News from Mr Weston-Murdoch

Dear parents and caregivers,

As Mrs Kelly has advised, I have been offered the opportunity to be the acting Principal at Kippa-Ring State School in 2025. I have mixed emotions (excited, nervous, sad) as I have worked at Ironside since 2016.

I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities that have been afforded to me during this time and consider myself very fortunate to have worked with a number of students, families and staff during this time.

Have a safe and happy holiday and I wish everyone all the very best for the academic year ahead.

For the last time, here's an update from our junior years.

Warm regards,

Scott Weston-Murdoch

Deputy Principal (P-Y2)

Around the classrooms - Year 1

It’s been an exciting week for our Year One Students!

In art, the children have been busy working on their self-portraits with Mr T, exploring their individuality through paint, pencil, and plenty of imagination. Each student has been honing their artistic skills, capturing the essence of who they are, and the results are nothing short of impressive!

On Friday, our Year One Choir took centre stage in a delightful performance for parents and friends in the school hall. Their voices filled the room with joy and energy, creating a truly memorable experience for all who attended. It was a wonderful celebration of teamwork and musicality, and the students did an amazing job.

What a fantastic week of learning, creativity, and community spirit in Year One!

Around the classrooms – Year 2

In Science this term we have been investigating forces and motion. For the final activity in this unit of work the Year 2 students went on an official “Motion Mission.” Students worked in small groups to complete 6 missions. These missions studied the forces and motion of bouncy balls, spinning tops, pinwheels, marbles, race cars and bubbles. On completing these tasks the Year 2 students were officially made “Motion Mania Experts!”

Congratulations Year 2s!

News from Mr Corbett

Dear Parents,

Please enjoy an update from our year 4 students.

Hope you have a great rest of the week!

Kind regards,
Thomas Corbett
Deputy Principal (Years 3 & 4)

4D and Prep A: Collaborative Storytelling

This week, 4D joined forces with their Prep A buddies for a heart-warming and creative storytelling session. The students worked together to write and illustrate their own imaginative tales, blending the budding creativity of our Prep students with the growing skills of our Year 4 authors. From colourful illustrations to inventive plots, their collaborative efforts truly embodied our STAR values of Respectfulness and Kindness.

Year 4 Camp: Adventure at the Sunshine Coast Recreation Precinct

This term, our Year 4 students took off on an unforgettable adventure to the Sunshine Coast Recreation Precinct. Over three days, they participated in a range of outdoor activities designed to build resilience, teamwork, and confidence, all while having plenty of fun!

From catching eaves on a body board to casting a line in calm waters and working together in team challenges, students embraced every opportunity with enthusiasm and determination. Evening activities brought even more excitement, as they shared stories, enjoyed games, and bonded with their classmates in a supportive and engaging environment.

The camp was not only a chance to develop new skills but also an opportunity to demonstrate our STAR values in action. Students encouraged one another, tackled challenges with integrity, and showed respect for their peers and the environment.

A huge thank you to the teachers and support staff who made this experience possible and to our Year 4 students for their positivity and fantastic teamwork throughout the camp.

News from Mrs Bailey

Dear Families,

Please enjoy updates from senior students and teachers below.

Have a wonderful week.

On the Friday of Week 9 our Year 6 cohort presented a sustainability showcase to parents, students, and teachers. This project displayed our learning journey across primary school whether it started in Ironside or elsewhere. It was a culmination of new articles, letters, brochures, informative games and many other text types. Students were given the opportunity to create work for something that they really cared for. The project challenged their teamwork and individual diligence. At the end of term 3, students first choosing their topics and then their persuasive texts. They researched about these topics and worked on their texts over Term 4. Towards the end branding was designed and other posters and merchandise were created to display at the showcase. Overall, the sustainability showcase created a fun, challenging and interesting presentation for the Year 6s as well as the spectators.

Written By Ian Wong and Geoffrey Huo

Upcoming Event

Year 6 Graduation - Tuesday 3rd December

We are looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!

If you would like your child to enjoy a small portion of food and a drink at the Year 6 Graduation Celebration, please make payment under the ‘Payments’ tab in Qkr.

Pizza, sushi + drink (students only, small portion): $10
Optional donation (decorations, platters for adults): Optional amount

A reminder that there’s no formal supervision provided by the school. If you’re opting to stay after the Ceremony, parents are required to provide supervision.

See you there!

Music News

PE News

It was a busy week at Ironside last week with our Junior swim carnival on Wednesday, Senior swim carnival on Thursday and our Prep Sports day on Friday. Lots of fun was had by all. Awards from the swim carnivals will be handed out on assembly on Thursday.

And finally...

After a decade of teaching your children swimming, athletics, ball skills, sportsmanship and personal growth, I'm told that my time at Ironside has come to an end. While I'm sure to leave the HPE program in capable hands, I will miss the students, and the family relationships forged over the past 10 years.

From successful carnivals, to engaging HPE lessons, from watching shy students gain confidence to celebrating breakthrough moments, these are the memories that will stick with me for a lifetime, no matter where I go. To the Ironside community, I thank you for allowing me to hopefully influence your children, past and present, in a positive and transformative way, helping them develop not just athletic skills, but a lifelong passion for physical fitness and personal achievement. As I move on to my next school, I will carry with me the countless smiles, achievements, and inspirational moments that have made my time at Ironside truly unforgettable.

Thank you all and farewell.

Jeremie Clarke-Okah

Library News

Thank you Library Monitors!

A huge thank you to our incredible Year 5 & 6 Library Monitors for their dedication, teamwork, and countless hours of volunteering this year. Your hard work keeps our library running smoothly, and we are so grateful for your contributions. To show our appreciation, we hosted a special party where everyone enjoyed celebrating their amazing efforts. Well done, Library Monitors—you make a real difference in our school community!

Summer reading Challenge

The Ironside Library might be closed for the summer break soon but never fear the Summer Reading Challenge is here. By encouraging students to keep reading over the holiday break, it can help maintain literacy levels while promoting a love of reading. We challenge our students to explore new books, engage with different genres, develop their independence as readers and have a GREAT time doing it!

Students can keep track of their summer reading with by tracking books read on their Summer Reading Bookshelf, or they can complete the P-2 or 3-6 Summer Reading Challenge. From Week 10, copies will also be available in the library for students who wish to participate to collect.

Summer Reading Challenge.pdf

Students can keep track of their summer reading with by tracking books read on their Summer Reading Bookshelf, or they can complete the P-2 or 3-6 Summer Reading Challenge. From Week 10, copies will also be available in the library for students who wish to participate to collect.

End of Year Book returns

Student borrowing has now finished for the year. We kindly request all library books by returned as soon as possible to allow us to complete the mammoth task of reshelving and completing stocktake ready for 2025.

If you know a book is missing or irretrievably damaged, please contact us. We will then arrange for Accounts send you an invoice for the replacement cost of the book. If you believe a book has been returned, please double check it is not in your student's classroom, then contact the library.

Thank you for your support in helping to find and return our wonderful Ironside resources ready for an exciting 2025.

Toowong Library Events

Our friends at Toowong Library have got in touch and asked us to share the wonderful events they have coming up during the Summer school holidays:

Hour of Code: Minecraft* – Wednesday 11 December 4-5pm. Learn basic coding and use your problem solving skills to complete fun Minecraft-themed challenges. No prior programming experience required. Ideal for children aged 7-12 years.

Make and Create: Christmas cards* – Monday 16 December 2-3pm. Enjoy the festive season by creating Christmas cards for family and friends. All materials supplied. Ideal for children aged five years and older and families.

Sensational Superheroes Workshop with Aleesah Darlinson* – Tuesday 17 December 2-3pm. Join award-winning children’s author, Aleesah Darlison, for an hour of superhero power! Aleesah will talk about her hilarious Super Sloth Series and discuss the concepts of heroes and villains. Students will take part in a sloth naming ceremony and a sloth quiz then create and draw their own superheroes ready for action and adventure. Ideal for children aged 6-12 years.

Bluey family trivia* – Tuesday 7 January 2-3pm. Dress up as your favourite Bluey character and test your knowledge with our fun family trivia. Ideal for all ages.

Sensory friendly Junior STEAM* – Friday 10 January 10.30-11.30am. Join us with family or friends for fun tactile and digital activities designed to relax and inspire. Ideal for children aged 5-9 years who are neurodivergent or experience sensory sensitivity or sensory overload.

Fact Finders: Book of Curious Birds* – Monday 13 January 2-3pm. Explore the amazing world of birds through staff-led craft and activities inspired by Jennifer Cossins’ Book of Curious Birds, a Children’s Book Council shortlisted book. Ideal for children aged 7-11 years.

Introduction to illustration and cartooning* – Friday 17 January 10.30-11.30am. An interactive, fun and creative step-by-step guide through a series of hands-on exercises to develop confidence in drawing. Ideal for children aged 7-12 years.

Family STEAM* – Monday 20 January 2-3pm. Bring friends and family along for a fun afternoon of games and activities exploring science, technology, reading and art. There will be different activities to challenge your thinking and bring out your creative side in a fun environment. Ideal for all ages.

Pokemon book chat* – Friday 24 January 10-11am. Calling all Pokemon trainers! Join us at Toowong library to chat about all things Pokémon and enjoy some fun activities. Ideal for ages 7-11 years.

*Please visit Toowong Library or contact the library on 3403 2590 to make a booking.

Coming up:

Starting Thursday 2 January 2025, libraries will be starting their Summer Reading program for all ages. The Summer Reading program will include completing reading challenges with a range of activities happening in libraries over the Summer school holidays for adults, young adults and children.

Further What’s On in Libraries information is available online at https://library-brisbane.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/eLibCat/?dt=list

Annika Sauvage & Cath Roche

Teacher Librarians

Global Passport – Online Primary Program – EOIs Open!

The Global Engagement team within the Department of Education International is delighted to share some exciting news with you!

In the 2025 January school holidays, we will be launching our inaugural 5-day online program, Global Passport: Explore the world in 5 Days in partnership with Griffith University.

Specifically designed for students in Years 4 to 6 in Queensland state schools, this immersive opportunity will provide them with the chance to develop their global competence as they virtually 'travel' to different countries. Each day, students will experience different cultures through interactive activities, basic language learning, and the exploration of diverse topics including food, art, daily life, cultural traditions and landmarks.

Program details

Dates: 13-17 January 2025

Years: 4 – 6

Delivery mode: Online via Microsoft Teams

Time: Sessions run for a duration of 1.5 hours daily over 5 consecutive days

Application closing date: 6 December 2024

Expression of Interest Forms must be submitted to Global Engagement via global.engagement@qed.qld.gov.au

Global Passport EOI Form