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.

Welcome to Term 1, Week 10 2025

From the Principal

Hi Everyone,

Congratulations to all of our children who received official leadership positions at our Student Leaders Investiture on Friday. We have had to wait a long time, but it was a truly lovely ceremony and the pride of their families and our whole school was very evident. It was a privilege to have the Federal Member for Ryan, Elizabeth Watson-Brown MP, and the State Member for Maiwar, Michael Berkmen MP in attendance (Councillor Penny Wolff, Councillor for Walter Taylor Ward had to put in her last-minute apologies due to illness too) and we thank them for making such a big effort to support our children. Thank you also to our 4-6 Deputy Principal, Mr Thomas Corbett who oversaw this special morning. At the end there was cake and for that, we thank our very wonderful P&C - everyone loved it! We are looking forward to a great year with these leaders.

I had my camera and took a few snaps; you can check them out in the photo gallery.

The Saturday afternoon P&C Picnic sounded like a wonderful event, how amazing that the rain eased off just in time!! I hope all of you who went along has a wonderful time and a huge THANK YOU to the P&C for hosting this great community event to allow our families to connect.

Speaking of the P&C, thank you to everyone who came along to our P&C AGM last Tuesday night, it was wonderful to see so many people there. We thank our outgoing president, Mr Tugrul Durali, for all he has done over the last 3 years. We do have a newly formed committee. Congratulations to:

Executive Committee:

President: Phoebe Anderson

Treasurer: Matthew Chung

Secretary: Michael Archbold

Officers of the Association:

Assistant Secretary: Elena Walter

Parent Representative Coordinator: Natalie Davis

International Breakfast Coordinator: Damon Mitchell

The positivity was palpable at the meeting and I cannot thank the P&C enough for the many proposals of support they put forward for our school that night, seriously, thank you! It was a very long meeting, as it was two meetings but I implore people to come and be part of your children’s school through the P&C!

Congratulations also to April Sui Who has been elected as the new School Council member. Thank you to everyone who voted. We look forward to working with April in our school council committee

Thanks to our truly delightful Student Council, who had everyone in free dress today, the school raised just under $900 (WOW!), to help donate to the SES. This money will help the SES keep up their great work helping the community in times of need.

The Student Council were inspired by the work of the SES to support people with Cyclone Alfred and so they have today raised money to give to them - well done Student Council and everyone!

Thank you to John Whitehead from Rotary and his team of Rotary Volunteers, including 3 wonderful students from King’s College at the University of Queensland, who took all of our old furniture and transported it away to be shipped to a school in need in a foreign country. It was hard but great work - thank you team!

That fell on the same morning as the Cross Country, so unfortunately, I missed it but so many children told me how happy they were with how they went - good on you everyone! Thank you to Mr Nathan Reardon and Mr Jorma Bushnell for overseeing it all.

Also in the sporting world last week we need to give shout-outs to all of the girls who went to Met West Netball , good on you girls! Today was Met West Basketball and we congratulate all of those involved again! So much sporting talent here at Ironside.

Coming up:

Prep celebration of learning - tomorrow (Tuesday 1st April)
P-2 Easter Bonnet Parade - Wednesday 2nd April - 9:15am in the hall
Year 1 Celebration of Learning - Wednesday 2nd April
Year 2 HASS Celebration of Learning - Wednesday 2nd April
Junior Swimming Carnival - Thursday 3rd April
Harmony Day - Friday 4th April

We have 4 big days to come this week, full of fun! I have no doubt the parents and caregivers of Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 will enjoy the celebrations of learning in their classrooms this week. The P-2 Easter Bonnet Parade on Wednesday will be a hopping good time, I look forward to seeing the sustainable bonnets! I know our junior school is excited to get in the pool Thursday for their swimming carnival, so please ensure all of their swimming belongings are packed and ready to go. And on Friday, as well as it being the last day of Term 1, it is our Harmony Day celebrations, and we are looking forward to a great day. Please remember the key points:

Children can wear the traditional clothing from their country of origin, the uniform of a club/group they love or simply the colour orange which represents harmony.
We are having our Harmony Day assembly which starts at 9:15am and our Year 1&2 Choir is performing.
Please feel free to join your child’s class for a shared lunch which starts at 10am. Families can bring traditional dishes to share. Please highlight the ingredients so we can be conscious of those with allergies.
You or your children can email or see me to volunteer to demonstrate a dance, act, song, play an instrument, game etc at a special International Talent Showcase which begins just after 11:30am in the hall. akell58@eq.edu.au is my email address.

Coming up:

Harmony Day Activities in the library all week - Monday 24th March - Friday 28th March
Parent/Teacher Progress Meetings - Monday 24th March - Friday 28th March
Met West Netball Trials - Tuesday 25th March - all the best girls!
P&C AGM - Tuesday 25th March, 6:30pm in the staff room
Japan Study Tour Parent Information Night - 6pm, Thursday 27th March
Student Leader Investiture - 9:15am Friday 28th March
P&C Family Picnic - Saturday 29th March - 4-5:30pm

Sadly, we have a couple of staff members leaving us. We are farewelling Ms Lanie Heron who is off on an adventure with her family and is moving out to a small place in the country to teach. We wish Ms Heron all the very best for this exciting life change and thank her for all she has done here at Ironside State School. Ms Deb Warren is taking a year’s leave (lucky thing!) and so we say thank you Ms Warren and hope you have a wonderful time.

It is holidays at the end of this week - wow!! What a term we have had. Thank you to all of the kids, our staff and our families, what a great team! I hope you all have a truly special break with the special people in your life and that you get to have a rest, get things done and that you have plenty of fun too.

Have a truly fabulous week!

Yours in Education

Angie Kelly

Important Term 1 Dates

Around Ironside

Here’s What’s Happening in 1B!

We’ve had an exciting start to the year in 1B!

To kick things off, we were lucky to dive headfirst (literally!) into our swimming lessons. This has been a major highlight for all of us as we’ve learned new swimming styles, how to blow bubbles underwater, and important water safety practices

In science, we’ve been exploring how different forces can change an object. We built straw rockets that take off with just a strong push and launched rubber band-powered cars using different pulling strengths. One of our favourite activities has been experimenting with how these forces affect playdough. It may look like we’re just having fun, but we promise—we’re learning a lot!

With Harmony Day fast approaching, we’ve been celebrating the wonderful diversity of our class. We’ve explored what makes each of us unique and created personalised flags featuring our favourite colours, symbols, and the different countries we come from.

Photo Gallery

None this week.

HPE News

Ironside Swimmers Make a Splash at Queensland Swimming Trials!

Two of Ironside’s finest swimmers recently competed at the Queensland Swimming Trials at the Brisbane Aquatics Centre, racing against the best in the state and making our school incredibly proud!

Harvey Twinn delivered a sensational performance, finishing 2nd in the 50m breaststroke and dropping another 2 seconds off his personal best! His outstanding swim has earned him selection in the Queensland Swimming Team, and he will now compete at the upcoming National Trials—a remarkable achievement!

Edie Cudmore showcased her versatility and determination, competing in three individual and two relay events. She finished 17th in the 50m butterfly, 21st in the 50m backstroke, and 26th in the 50m breaststroke, proving she is among Queensland’s top young swimmers.

A huge congratulations to Harvey and Edie for their incredible efforts. Your dedication and hard work are truly inspiring! Best of luck to Harvey as he prepares for the National Trials—Ironside is cheering you on! 🏊‍♂️💪👏

Dear Parents,

The Ironside State School Junior Swimming Carnival (Year 1 & 2) is happening in week 10. Please see the poster below and add it to your calendar!

Jorma Bushnell (PE Teacher)

Northern Eagles District Trials

If you have a student wishing to attend the Northern Eagles District Trials for:

11 – 12 years Boys and Girls Rugby Union
10 – 12 years Boys and Girls Soccer
10 – 12 years Boys and Girls Touch Football
10 – 12 years Boys and Girls Tennis
12 years Boys Baseball
10 – 12 years Boys and Girls Softball
10 – 12 years Boys and Girls Cricket
11 – 12 years Girls Rugby League

Email Mr Reardon your experience in the sport to receive the Nomination Booklet.

You will then need to fill out and complete the Nomination Booklet and email a digital copy to Mr Reardon (nrear8@eq.edu.au)

IMPORTANT REMINDER

We need to stress that representative sport is for serious athletes and not a “give it a try” opportunity.

Students selected to go to a district trial will be among the top athletes in that sport for that school and will be required to provide proof of the club/team they play for outside of school along with years of experience and position they play.

We encourage our more Elite 10 -12-year-old athletes to seek additional opportunities through the Queensland School Sports Representative Program.

Throughout the year, Northern Eagles district trials are held across a range of team and individual sports.

Students and parents are notified of these trial dates through daily notices, student emails and the school newsletter.

Importantly, these district trials are highly competitive and only for students who have extensive experience in their sport outside of school.

If selected, students have the chance to display their talent at the regional, state and national level.

Library News

Helping students self-select: The five-finger strategy

Encouraging students to become independent readers starts with helping them choose books that are just right for them. In library lessons, middle years students have been developing their ability to self-select texts using the Five-Finger Strategy.

Here’s how it works:

Pick a book that looks interesting.
Open to any page and start reading.
Raise a finger for each tricky word they don’t know.
Check their fingers:

0–1 fingers: Too easy
2–3 fingers: Just right
4–5 fingers: Could be too challenging (but a great choice for reading with an adult)

Read Widely

Year 4 and 5 students have been expanding their reading horizons with a fun musical books activity. This engaging activity encouraged students to explore a variety of books in a short time. Helping students sample different genres, authors, and styles, introducing them to books they might not have self selected. Many students have discovered new favourites or ventured into genres they didn't commonly reach for.

Year 4 Pen Pals

This year, Ironside was lucky enough to be accepted into the Author Pen Pal program. We were matched with award winning Australian author, Pip Harry. This initiative fosters a deeper love of reading, writing, and storytelling by creating meaningful connections with a real-world author. Each class has representatives who will write to Pip Harry throughout the year, sharing class input and responses, and engaging in literary discussions.

We’ve already posted our first letters, and students are eagerly awaiting a response. We can’t wait to see what we learn from Pip Harry throughout the year!

Upcoming Events

T2 21/5 National Simultaneous Storytime

T3 21/7 Year 5 Dr Sam Lloyd author visit incursion

T3 Week 6 Book Week costume parade - date to be confirmed

Upcoming Events

UQ Book Fair 2025

Dear Ironside Parents/Caregivers,

The University of Queensland (UQ) is excited to announce the return of our UQ Book Fair for 2025 from 2 - 5 May and after some outstanding entries into our bookmark competition last year, we warmly invite our local primary schools to get involved again.

The UQ Book Fair is an annual fundraiser organised by volunteers, with all proceeds contributing to UQ student scholarships and important research.

We’re reaching out to invite the creative kids within your school to submit their imaginative designs for the back of our bookmark. The winning designs will then be professionally printed and distributed throughout the community by the local Council. We encourage your students to unleash their creativity and submit their unique designs. The more inventive, the better!

I have attached the competition design entry form, which includes instructions on how to submit their entries, before Thursday, 2 April 2025.

Two designs will be selected for the official UQ Book Fair bookmarks, with the talented young artists receiving a $30 book voucher each to be redeemed at the Book Fair. All designs will also be displayed in the foyer during the Book Fair, and we encourage students and families to attend to see their artwork on display!

We would also love if you could share with your school community that the Book Fair's family fun day is on Saturday, 3 May. This year, for the first time, we're expanding our usual Saturday activities into a bumper day out with dozens of free talks, tours and kid-friendly pop-ups - families in our local community won't want to miss it!

We appreciate your support in encouraging your students to participate.

Regards,

The University of Queensland

Bookmark Competition 2025.pdf

Admin News

Dear Families,

Please remember to check the Lost Property for any missing items. Lost Property is located near the front office. Items that have not been claimed by the end of term 1 will be donated to charity.

P&C News

P&C AGM Wrap-Up

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us last week for the P&C’s Annual General Meeting! We had a fantastic turnout, great conversations, and plenty of enthusiasm for the year ahead.

We’re excited to introduce our P&C Officers for 2025:

President: Phoebe Anderson
Treasurer: Matthew Chung
Secretary: Michael Archbold
Assistant Secretary: Elena Walter
Parent Representative Coordinator: Natalie Davis
International Breakfast Coordinator: Damon Mitchell

A massive shoutout to Tugrul Durali for his incredible leadership as President over the past three years. Your dedication has made a lasting impact, and we truly appreciate all your hard work!

We Need You!

We still have two key positions open:
• VP of Fundraising
• VP of OSHC

If you’re looking for a way to get involved and make a difference, we’d love to have you on board!

Family Picnic Fun – Rain Didn’t Stop Us!

Despite the rain, our Family Picnic was a fantastic afternoon filled with music, great conversations, and plenty of fun. The kids embraced the weather, running and playing in the rain, while parents enjoyed a well-earned catch-up over afternoon tea.

Hopefully, everyone made it home to warm showers and an early night! We’re looking forward to making this an annual event, scheduled a little earlier in the year to help families connect right from the start.

Uniform Shop Update

For those waiting on the second round of Year 6 Senior Polos, we’re expecting delivery in Week 2 of Term 2. Thanks for your patience!

We Need Volunteers – Can You Help?

We have some great fundraising events coming up, and we need volunteers to make them happen. If you can spare a little time, we’d love your help!

Election Day Sausage Sizzle & Cake Stall – Saturday 3rd May
Sign up here: https://volunteersignup.org/WXW7E

Mother’s Day Stall – Friday 9th May
Sign up here: https://volunteersignup.org/BHTKM

It only takes a few seconds to sign up, and every bit of help makes a difference. Thank you for supporting our school!

Department of Education Notices/Information

School Zone Safety

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

School zone signs are displayed as you approach the school and shows both the speed limit and the times you need to reduce your speed around the school. Children's crossing are identified by children crossing flags, which are displayed near crossings before and after school hours.

When the crossing is supervised, you as a motorist must:

wait until all pedestrians, bicycle or personal mobility device riders have crossed the road and the crossing supervisor has returned to the footpath
abide by the direction given by the School Crossing Supervisor.

If the crossing is unsupervised, you as a motorist must:

give way to pedestrians, bicycle or personal mobility device riders on or entering a children’s, pedestrian or marked foot crossings
give way to pedestrians, bicycle or personal mobility device riders on or entering a road you’re turning into
give way to pedestrians, bicycle or personal mobility device riders on a slip lane
give way to pedestrians in a share zone
travel at a speed allowing you to stop safely at a crossing if needed

As a driver, it's important to make sure you give way to all pedestrians, bicycle or personal mobility device riders such as skateboards, e-scooters. You must also give way to pedestrians using a motorised mobility device such as a motorised wheelchair or a mobility scooter.

Some of our most vulnerable road users are children getting to and from school, so it’s important to slow down and abide by the crossing rules, as it won’t make much difference to the trip time, but it could very well save lives.

Visit the Street Smarts website to find more information about what to do at pedestrian and children crossings.

Community News

Dear Parents,

The Sacramental Team who supports the parishes of Toowong, Indooroopilly and St Lucia wish to invite you, parents of our parish and school communities, to enrol your child /children in our Sacramental Program for Term 2, 2025 - Sacraments of First Penance and First Holy Communion.

The Term 2 Sacramental Program is a parish-based program for children who have already been Baptised and Confirmed in the Catholic Church and wish to complete their initiation into the Church through the Sacrament First Holy Communion.

They will also experience God’s abundant mercy through the Sacrament of First Penance (Reconciliation). We acknowledge that parents are the primary educators of their children in the Catholic faith and that you share with them the experience of belonging to the Church. The family is where the child’s faith is learned and lived.

Our community of parishes in connection with our Catholic schools seek to support a family-centred approach to nurturing the child in the practice and love of the Catholic Faith. Our community of parishes is responsible for establishing and running sacramental preparation and for the celebration of the Sacraments.

Enrolment in the Sacramental Program requires parents to commit fully to the faith development of their child/children. Please see the information sheet below for more information on how to enrol. Enrolments close 25th April 2025.

Kindly direct all enquires to Anne Rego, Parish Pastoral Associate via email: pastoral.jesuit@bne.catholic.net.au

God Bless You.

Anne (on behalf of the Sacramental Team)

Sacramental Program 2025