17 September 2020 - Term 3 , Week 10

News from Mr Johnson

Dear Parents,
2020 LITERARY COMPETITION – AWARD WINNERS
Congratulations to both Madeleine M (5E) and Nemi D (6E) for being award recipients within the short story section for Years Five and Six. The IEU (Independent Education Union) and the ETAQ (English Teachers Association Queensland) Literary Competition is highly subscribed across the state each year. To be recognised as one of the seven award recipients within the section is a wonderful achievement. Congratulations Maddie and Nemi, we are very proud of you.

SAFE AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Wishing all our Ironside families a very happy September / October Holiday break. Thank you for your ongoing support throughout this third term. If you are going bush or beach – or staying local – keep safe and enjoy the time to rest and recharge.

School resumes for students on TUESDAY 6 OCTOBER.

All the very best for the holiday break ahead.

Stay safe and well.

Merit Certificates - Week 9

News from Mr Murdoch

Dear parents and caregivers,

This week sees the end of another term for 2020.  On behalf of the P-2 team and myself, we wish you a safe and happy holiday.

Term 4:  Prep Departures:
Parents, please be advised that in Term 4, Prep students will start to independently make their way to their departure gates at 3:00pm.  Classroom teachers will work with neighboring classes and dismiss students in a coordinated manner. 

Over the past ten weeks, Prep students have been supported in this process and are aware of school expectations.  Siblings will continue to meet at the family designated departure gate and members of the leadership team will continue to supervise these zones in the afternoon.

This is an important next step in the development of their independence and in preparing them for the routines of Year 1.

Around the School
It has been a busy couple of weeks in the junior school, particularly in the PE department.  Thanks to Mrs English and Mr Clark-Okah for putting together our Swim-a-thon, Run-a-thon, and modified Athletics Carnival. 

Prep:
This week our Preppies participated in a Run-a-thon (the Prep version of the Swim-a-thon).  Preppies ran numerous laps of our oval, collecting wrist band counters for each complete lap.  Thanks to the parent volunteers who supported our Prep classes for this event.

Year 1:
Year 1 students thoroughly enjoyed our modified athletics carnival last Thursday.  Students were able to compete in sack races, egg & spoon races, shot put, high jump and tug-o-war.  You can see some of these events below!

Year 2

News from Mrs Vecchio

YEAR 3 into YEAR 4 2021 – LANGUAGE STUDY CHOICES
“Languages” form part of the Australian Curriculum and a mandatory learning area in Queensland schools.  Quality languages education enhances students’ understanding of their own language and culture, and assists them to reflect on their identity and place in the world. It provides insights into the languages and cultures that shape their own and others’ beliefs, values and attitudes.

During 2020, Year 3 students have engaged with each language offered at our school – Japanese and Spanish.  Early next term, Year 3 students will be asked to choose their preferred language of study for Year 4 2021.  Although a full semester experience of Japanese and Spanish was not possible due to interruptions to face-to-face teaching, we trust students are able to make a somewhat informed choice.

Choosing their preferred language of study for Year 4 2021 is an important educational decision as it sets a solid foundation prior to commencing formal studies of their chosen language in Year 5 and Year 6.  The language studied in Year 4 is the language that students continue to study in Years 5 and 6.

The following information may assist parents and students with their discussions and decision-making:

Why study Japanese? 
Japanese is the official language of Japan, Australia’s northern neighbour in the Asia region. It is also widely used by communities of speakers in Hawaii, Peru and Brazil, and learnt as an additional language by large numbers of students in the Republic of Korea, China, Indonesia and Australia.

Japanese culture influences many areas of contemporary Australian society, including the arts, design, technology, fashion, popular culture and cuisine. Japan has been a close strategic and economic partner of Australia’s for more than 50 years, and there is ongoing exchange between the two countries in the areas of education, trade, diplomacy and tourism. Japan is an important nation within Asia and a significant contributor to economic, political and diplomatic relations in the region.

Why study Spanish?
Spanish is a global language spoken by approximately 500 million people around the world. Spanish evolved from Latin in the Iberian Peninsula during the first millennium, and travelled from Spain to the Caribbean and to North, Central and South America as a result of the expeditions of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Today, most Spanish-speaking countries are multilingual, and the indigenous languages of these countries are co-official with Spanish.

Since Spanish belongs to the family of Romance languages, derived from Latin, it has many lexical and structural connections with English as well as other European languages. As a result of this relationship, knowledge of Spanish can facilitate the learning of other languages from the Romance family, such as French, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Galician, and Romanian.

SHORT STORY WRITING COMPETITION – YEARS 4 - 6
Students in Years 4, 5 and 6 are invited to write a short story of between 1000 and 1500 words on any subject.
The winner will receive $100 and have their story published on the StoryLinks website.

Entries due:                        9 OCTOBER 2020
  Shortlist announced:      19 OCTOBER 2020
  Winner announced:       1 NOVEMBER 2020

Send your entries via email to storylinksau@gmail.com.  The winner will be announced on Sunday 1 November during Australia Reads at a free public session online via ZOOM. The best stories entered will be read aloud.

Send any enquiries to Mia Macrossan, Editor, Story Links: email storylinksau@gmail.com

YEAR 3 ARTISTIC REFLECTIONS
Year 3 students have let creativity shine through during their engagement with the Visual Arts program this term.  Please enjoy some of their work!

Wishing all our families a safe and well-deserved holiday.
We look forward to welcoming students back to school on Tuesday 6 October.

News from Mrs Bairstow

STUDENT COUNCIL – RUOK?!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR AMAZING SUPPORT!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your incredible support for the student council’s fundraising efforts to support the RUOK? Day Charity.  After a week of activities focusing on positive communication and expressing gratitude, in the Oasis at lunch times; and two free dress days, the student council raised an incredible amount of $1863 to donate to the cause that they are so passionate about.  This is well in excess of any free dress fundraising we have achieved in the past.
Sincere thanks to Mrs Henry and Mrs Wigan from the P&C for helping us to set up the new donation system on the QKR App.  We know our efforts wouldn’t have been as successful without your assistance.

A huge congratulations to the student councillors for thinking outside of the box to achieve this outcome in new and unusual times.  All of the councillors were well-organised, creative, worked brilliantly as a team to support one another, and were dedicated to their cause.  Well done!  This is what initiative and leadership looks like when it’s done right!  We are very proud of you.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC RECRUITMENT:
FOR CURRENT YEAR 1 STUDENTS (STRINGS) & CURRENT YEAR 3 STUDENTS (BAND)

If your child is currently in Year 1 or Year 3, and is interested in applying for a position in either the Strings or Band programs respectively, please be aware that the selection and recruitment process for 2021 commences in Week 1 of Term 4. 

We begin with a concert, during school time, for Year 1 and Year 3 students to give them an idea of the instruments in the program, and also a concept of what it looks and sounds like to be a part of our instrumental music program.

At this concert, students will be given a letter, which will give parents instructions on how to find out more about the program (in a virtual format this year, due to COVID restrictions), and how to register your interest online.

This is a highly successful and sought after program.  While it is a very large student intake, we always get more applications than any ensemble could cater for.  So it is very important that parents are aware of the processes and deadlines.  In fairness to everyone who would like the opportunity, we need to adhere very tightly to deadlines.  Please keep your eye on this section of the newsletter for further details; and also updates from Ms Weekes (Strings) and Ms James (Band) as Term 4 unfolds.

YEAR 6 GRADUATION
We are fielding a lot of enquiries and offers of support relating to the Year 6 Graduation, which is understandable given the uncertainty of how events may look different in the light of COVID restrictions.

I can assure you that graduation is certainly something that is at the forefront of all of our minds and we are doing our best to plan in uncertain times. 

We have set a timeline of week 1 term 4 for making clear decisions about what can and cannot be achieved in terms of ceremonies and celebrations.  This will allow us to assess what community transition may / may not look like after the Spring holiday period and make some plans within a somewhat reasonable nine week window.

Work is well underway for what we can manage at this juncture.  The parent volunteer group organising the year book are working hard to gather memories; Dance Fever is booked for Term 4 (with a COVID safe plan in place) so the ‘final dance’ can proceed; and other traditions like the farewell song and the pool party will go ahead as well.

There are many thoughts and suggestions being continually discussed and considered.  There are only two things that are certain at this stage though:  1.  Graduation will look different to previous years; and 2. We will go to significant effort to ensure that we give the Year 6 students the best graduation we possibly can.

Stay tuned for more details, early in Term 4.

YEAR 5 NEWS – BRINGING TYALGUM TO IRONSIDE
Following on from the success of the Year 6 “Bringing Canberra to Ironside” Day, the Year 5 team have started planning their at-school camp program for our students.  Activities will reflect the theme of the Tyalgum Camp – focusing on fun in the outdoors, teamwork and leadership.  The day will be held mid Term 4 (around the same time as the Tyalgum camp had been booked).  We are looking forward to some fun with our Year 5 students!!

RI RECOMMENCING IN TERM 4
Religious instruction will recommence in Term 4.  Times for RI are scheduled on a Friday at the following times:

9:50am Years 4-6
10:20am Years 1-3

Students participate in RI based on parent consent given at enrolment or written communication to the school at any other time. Parents can update their preferences for their children in relation to RI in writing to admin@ironsidess.eq.edu.au.

We have been advised that Buddhist classes will recommence in 2021.

Photo Day

Photo envelopes will be distributed to students in week 1 in term 4.

Community Providers

To enquire about advertising please send an email to news@ironsidess.eq.edu.au

Art Club - Mask Creations

Students in Years 5 and 6 who are part of Art Club have been busy creating masks this term.  Here are some of their creations.

P&C Fundraiser - Entertainment Book

**Order online at http://www.entbook.com.au/2y22817.

If you need further information, please email Treena:  ISSEntertainmentBook@gmail.com .