15 October 2020 - Term 4, Week 2
News from Mr Johnson
Dear Parents:
CLOSING TOMORROW: 2021 Class Placement Considerations
This term we will develop our classes for 2021.
The mental models that underpin the class formation process at Ironside are:
- Students need to leave Ironside with 125 other friends in the cohort not just 25;
- A balance of gender, academic, social emotional and behaviour is best in every class;
- Current teachers (with appropriate parent input) are best placed to make future class formation decisions;
- The school is the final decision maker in the process.
Parents are asked to provide their input into this process only if they wish to do so. Parents can contribute to the process in the following way:
- Complete a 2021 Parent Submission Form - one form per child 2021 Class Placement Considerations Parent Submission
- Return the form, separate email for each child, to the email address: parentsubmission@ironsidess.eq.edu.au by FRIDAY 16 OCTOBER.
ONLY information provided on the proper form will be considered.
ONLY forms returned to the email address will be actioned. (Please do not hand in a hard copy to teachers or the office.) The email address is the point of truth for this data collection.
LATE FORMS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED
What you put in writing will be seen by teachers and used by the teachers in the class formation process.
Your child will be asked to nominate ‘friends for consideration' to be placed with in their 2021 classroom.
Student Departure
You will find a link below to a form for Student Departure notification or late 2021 return. If your child (in Prep to Year 5) will not return to Ironside State School for the 2021 school year, or will not return on the first day of the school year (27 January), please complete the form and return to the school office by Friday 13 November 2020. Please do not complete this form for Year 6 students: Student Departure (or late return) Notification Form.
Time Capsule Sharing – From 1988’s P&C to 2020
All the best for the week ahead. Stay safe and well.
P&C Run/Swim-a-thon
Thank you to all those who participated so enthusiastically in the P&C run/swim-a-thon! Just a reminder that all sponsorship money is due on Monday 19 October (either via the Qkr! app or in cash to the front office - don't forget to include your sponsorship form).
We will still accept sponsorship money after 19 October, but this will not be counted towards the wonderful prizes on offer!
Thank you!
Kelly, Fiona and Isobel
Run/Swim-a-thon Coordinators
Futsal Champ
Benjamin K of 4G competed in the 10YB Futsal team. Their team competed against all the 11YB teams.
News from Mr Murdoch
Dear parents and caregivers,
Reminder: Bridge Builders Online - Prep and Year 1
At Ironside State School appropriate standards of behaviour are encouraged through the implementation of proactive strategies and programs.
Bridge Builders is a proactive program where students learn to apply conflict resolution strategies, communicate using a common language and build their confidence to solve interpersonal problems. Bridge Builders promotes resilience and self-worth, which encourages students to challenge inappropriate behaviour and develop positive and safe relationships.
At the beginning of the year, Prep and Year 1 families should have received an invitation to Bridge Builders Online. This online program contains a series of short videos and lessons families can access and help develop a shared language between school and home.
Please contact your classroom teacher if you require the access email to be resent.
Around the School
Prep:
Last term, Prep F children, teachers and parents went on an excursion to Pullenvale Environment Education Centre (PEEC). We left school at 8:30am and got on a big, red bus. At PEEC, we engaged in a day of learning and fun outside. We got to play in mud, make an animal vet, dress up and many more educational games.
Year 1:
This term, Year One students have been learning about procedural text as a means of communicating detailed instructions. Students have been analysing different procedures and creating a bank of key components. Armed with ideas from instructions by the likes of Ikea, Lego and Hello Fresh, 1A students (Nika N, Aara R, Ella J, Areeba A and Emma Z) have had their first attempt at constructing their own “How to”.
This week, Year One students were visited by the local team from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services. The team spoke at length about ways we can be more fire safe at school and at home. Students watched intently as a fireman prepared his protective gear in a matter of seconds. Some were impressed by the idea of saving time when getting ready by leaving their pants connected to their shoes.
Year 2:
In 2G we are reading poems and learning how to write our own innovations of them using rhythm, rhyme and sound and word patterns. We are also writing explanations about how we changed the poems and why we think our audience will enjoy it.
News from Mrs Vecchio
TERM 4 CURRICULUM OVERVIEWS
All families should now have received a year-level Term 4 Curriculum Overview. Curriculum Overviews provide information about the concepts, skills, knowledge and understanding being covered in each Learning Area. If you haven’t received this document, please contact your Class Teacher. Teachers or Head of Curriculum Year 3 & 4, Mr Peter Davey, are available to answer any curriculum-related questions. Mr Davey can be contacted on pdave16@eq.edu.au
REMINDER: YEAR 3 – YEAR 4 2021 LANGUAGE CHOICE
Language choice forms from Year 3 students entering Year 4 in 20201 are due back to class teachers by Friday 30 October. Our language teachers have provided the following information to 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.
Language choice forms are due back to class teachers by Friday 30 October.
Throughout the year, the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) works in partnership with authors, illustrators, publishers, booksellers and other organisations in the children’s book world to bring images and stories into the hearts and minds of children and adults. Ironside State School will celebrate Book Week from 17 - 23 October 2020.
Year 4 students will be participating in some collaborative activities on Wednesday 21 October aligned to the Book Week theme of ‘Curious Creatures, Wild Minds’. Activities include dressing as their favourite book character and working together with the Prep classes on literacy activities.
Students will also enjoy a presentation from renowned author Nick Earles. Nick will be presenting practical ideas around areas of fiction writing to support students’ development as writers.
We are looking forward to seeing many Year 4 Curious Creatures with Curious Minds in their most creative character ideas on Wednesday 21 October.
On Thursday 22 October, Rebecca Johnson, author of the ‘Juliet – Nearly a Vet’ and ‘Vet Cadets’ will be visiting Ironside School. Rebecca will speak to prep and year 1 students about how she writes her narratives and work with the students to hone their own writing skills.
Rebecca will be bringing a selection of signed books with her to sell on the day. If you are interested in your child purchasing a book, please refer to the note sent home with students earlier this week. Order forms should be returned on Wednesday 21October, so that Ms Roche can organise the sale before your child’s session with the author.
News from Mrs Bairstow
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC – RECRUITMENT APPLICATIONS CLOSE ON MONDAY!
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 is now underway.
We began with a concert, during school time, for Year 1 & 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.
Students were encouraged to remind their parents to check their emails, which were sent to all Year 1 and Year 3 parents on Tuesday. This email included information about the program, a link to a parent information video: https://youtu.be/stDastFTu-s, and a link to register your child’s interest in the program. This is the only way to engage in the selection process. If you have not received an email, and would like to follow up, please contact me at jbair51@eq.edu.au A paper copy of all of this information was also sent home with all Year 1 and 3 students this week.
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. The deadline for registering an application is Monday 19 October.
YEAR 6 GRADUATION
We are pleased to see that the risk of community transmission of COVID appears to have reduced. That said, it is still vitally important that we remain vigilant and cautious as a school and continue to implement some measures to reduce risks of escalating transmission in the future. We have made our decisions regarding end of year celebrations, in line with current guidelines and recommendations set by Education Queensland and the Health Department.
Friday 4 December: Guard of Honour; Awards Ceremony & Pool party
While parents are not permitted onsite, the Awards Ceremony will be professionally filmed and edited, and uploaded online for families to view in their own time.
Students are encouraged to arrive at school in smart and comfortable attire in readiness for the Awards Ceremony. This does not require formal attire, nor casual clothes. Students should wear an outfit that they will feel special and comfortable in. Generally speaking – collared shirts, dress trousers or shorts, comfortable and appropriate dresses and footwear is recommended as a guideline. Parents should also note that, these clothes will also only be worn for the morning session, prior to the pool party.
Monday 7 December: Shirt signing and Year Book Day
Students will receive their Year Book and are able to bring in a school shirt (and a pen) for friends and teachers to sign. Students MUST have a clean, unsigned school uniform for the Graduation Ceremony on Tuesday. Special thanks to Bec Byrnes and her committee of volunteers who are still working hard on collating a Year Book that will be a wonderful souvenir for all students. Families will be invoiced for the Year Book in the coming weeks.
Monday 8 December: Graduation certificate presentations
We recognise and appreciate that graduation from primary school is a milestone to be celebrated and shared with families. Due to COVID restrictions on adult gatherings we will be running six graduation ceremonies – one for each class. This limits the number of adults onsite at any given time, and also gives families the opportunity to share the moment with their children.
Each child will be able to have two adults to attend the ceremony at the time listed below for their class. Please be respectful of this requirement in the knowledge that we are making decisions in the interest of achieving fairness to all families, while maintaining a safe environment for our staff and students.
We will also be filming and uploading the Year 6 Dance that the students are working on this term, with the assistance of Dance Fever. As with the Awards Ceremony, this will be available on the school’s You Tube channel. This channel has been established in accordance with the requirements outlined by Education Queensland’s Strategic Communication and Engagement Department who advise and approve social media access and content for schools. The content on Ironside’s You Tube channel is only available when provided with the direct link and cannot be accessed through the search function on You Tube or Google.
I would like to thank the many parents who were willing to volunteer for events that are no longer possible. Despite the changes that 2020 has required, your generous offers of assistance were valued and appreciated.
We trust that these arrangements will provide an opportunity for families to celebrate the students’ achievements - and most importantly, that the events are enjoyed and remembered by the children for many years to come. As always, please feel free to contact me at jbair51@eq.edu.au should you have any further questions.
Parents, please refer to the letter sent home via email earlier this week for detailed times and uniform requirements.
YEAR 5 NEWS – BRINGING TYALGUM TO IRONSIDE
I’m happy to announce that the Year 5 team will be “Bringing Tyalgum to Ironside” on Monday 9 November. This will follow the commencement of our 2021 leadership selection program which will officially commence in the week prior. A detailed letter, with timelines around the process will be sent home next week.
HOW TO ORDER YOUR INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PHOTOS
MSP took a number of Music Extra Curricular photos over our photo days Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th October.
These photos will be available for purchase post photo day.
After MSP have finalised proofing these groups they will issue new order forms to each student who had their photo taken as part of these groups.
The order forms will be sent home with the students and will include:
- A list of the groups available for your student to purchase
- Multi order discount information
- Order closing date
- A new shootkey so you can place your order online.
There are no proofs of these photos and you will only see a sample image online with the name of the group.
Any orders placed after the close off date will incur a $10 late fee.
RI RECOMMENCING TOMORROW
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 on enrolment information 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 jbair51@eq.edu.au or Administration Office at any time.
We have been advised that Buddhist classes will recommence in 2021.
Community Providers
