Ironside State School eNewsletter

News from Mr Johnson

Dear Parents,

IRONSIDE 150^th ANNIVERSARY GALA DINNER
The Ironside State School 150th Anniversary Gala Dinner will now take place on Saturday, 20 February 2021 at Hillstone, St. Lucia.

Guests of the anniversary Gala Dinner will be treated to an elegant celebration of the school's 150-year history.

On arrival enjoy a pre-dinner drink and canapes on the Mango Terrace, with a view of the sunset and sounds of Ironside strings. Once seated in the glorious Grandview room, official proceedings will get underway with a two-course meal and entertainment. The keynote address will be delivered by former Ironside student Robert Macklin (alumni and Dux, 1955) who is an accomplished author, journalist and screenwriter. Amongst the 29 books he has written - biography, fiction, non-fiction - is an intriguing tale of life in St. Lucia/Taringa/Indooroopilly area in the 1950s called “War Babies - A Memoir”.

Other highlights include a showcase of Ironside's history through photographs and memories from Ironside alumni and special guest musicians. Akash Rooney (alumni and school captain, 2011) and Hal Chandler (alumni, 2011) and fellow musicians from his band, The Undercurrents, will entertain us following the official proceedings.

Please note that tickets may sell out quickly and we suggest you purchase as soon as possible. Tickets are available now through the QKR! app.

We have a second release of special edition keyrings (below) which are also available to purchase for a short time.

LOST PROPERTY
As I was visiting classrooms earlier in the week, I walked passed lost property on the ‘flyover’ to J Block. The amount of eating containers, school uniform items and other miscellaneous property was staggering.

If you are ‘chasing your child’ to track down any missing items – get them to visit lost property.

As we approach the end of the year any uncollected material will be donated or disposed.

TENNIS QUEENSLAND – PRIMARY SCHOOL CUP
This year Ironside entered a team of boys into the Primary School Cup, held at the Brisbane Tennis Centre at Tennyson. They competed with enthusiasm and pride. They finished the day in 5^th position within their pool. I had the pleasure of watching these boys for an hour.

The unexpected ‘bonus’ was being on the court right next to where the world no.1, Ash Barty, was having a training session. I know our boys were delighted to get their gear signed!

Congratulations to Tom W, Sam W, James T, James W and Jonah E for representing our school with pride. Sincere thanks to Mr Ben Ward for initiating and leading the opportunity for our students. Your time and effort is appreciated.

SCHOOL CARPARK
During the day the school carpark is NOT TO BE USED by cars for student collection. Hawken Drive has ample parking to cater for student collection during school hours.

Keeping our students safe on the basketball court at lunch time(s) is our priority. Please park and walk into our school for any collection or drop off during the day.

STATE CRICKET COMMITMENTS – WEEK 7
In my role with Queensland School Sport as the Chair of 10-12’s Cricket, I’ll be absent from school Monday to Thursday, 16 -19 November. During this time I’ll be in Toowoomba at the Boys State Carnival.

I will be contactable by phone and email. Please understand I’ll have slower response times while working in my QSS capacity during the carnival.

All the very best for the week ahead. Stay safe and well.

Stars of the Month Years 3-6

Rafee	3C
Josie	4C
Victoria	5E
Scarlett	6D

News from Mr Murdoch

Dear parents and caregivers,

Around the School
Prep:
This term in Health and Physical Education (HPE) the Prep students are participating in swimming lessons. With the help of the Georgie Parkes swim school and Mrs Engli sh, the students have been identifying and demonstrating protective actions that help keep themselves and others safe and healthy in the water…plus it's lots of fun getting in the water on a hot day!

Prep

Year 1:
Students in Year 1 have been learning about animals and their habitats. They have been investigating how each animal is uniquely suited to the environment in which they live. Students in 1D have been researching animals that live in the forest. We began by listing all the animals that we could think of and then broke into research groups to find out more about each animal.

Year 1

Year 2:
In Year Two we are looking at Poetry and the different types of poetic devices used to entertain the reader. In 2D we have been exploring the poetic device onomatopoeia through artwork. Onomatopoeia is a word that names a sound, but it also sounds like the sound when spoken. Thank you to Maya, Simon and Sophie for sharing their artwork.

News from Mrs Vecchio

THANK YOU TO OUR P&C
On behalf of Ironside educators, we’d like to say a sincere thank you to our P&C Association’s generous supporting of World Teachers’ Day breakfast. After all the profressional challenges our staff faced this year, it was really lovely to be treated to a special start to this very special day.

LIBRARY NEWS
Library borrowing
Borrowing from the Library finishes at the end of Week 6 – Friday 13 November. All books need to be returned to the Library by the end of Week 7 – Friday 20 November.

Book Fair – “Kids who Read … Succeed!”
Book Fair is back! From Monday 16 November through to Friday 20 November, students have the fantastic opportunity to find great books at bargain prices, starting at $2.00! Students will be able to visit the Book Fair from 8:00am – 3:00pm throughout Week 7. On-line ordering will be available until 22 November. Instructions are printed on the “wish-list’ forms that students bring home.

Parents can access the Book Fair on-line. They need to enter our Book Fair code 5136 which is printed on the wish-lists.

With hundreds of titles to choose from, Book Fair not only gives students access to bargain books but also raises funds for our school Library.

Thank you in anticipation of your support!

News from Mrs Bairstow

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC GALA
The Semester 2 Instrumental Music Gala will be held in the hall, during school hours. Unfortunately, due to COVID restrictions, parents are not able to attend - but we will be filming the event and uploading it for families to view at home. The event will be run during class time on Wednesday 25 November, with the younger ensembles beginning the program and the older ensembles finishing off in the afternoon. The audience will consist of classes whose teachers opt to attend the event. Due to the nature of 2020, and the lack of offsite competitions and events, it is not a requirement for students to wear their instrumental music uniform on this day. Full school uniform is required only.

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 and 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.

Tuesday 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.

YEAR 5 NEWS – BRINGING TYALGUM TO IRONSIDE
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 tomorrow morning, with an introduction to the students regarding the selection and election process.

2021 STUDENT LEADERSHIP PROCESS
As we plan towards launching our “Bringing Tyalgum to Ironside” at-school leadership camp, it is time to focus on the leadership journey for our 2021 year 6 cohort. The aim of many of the “camp” activities is for children to build confidence, to strengthen connections with peers and to demonstrate an understanding of what qualities make a good leader.

A year 5 student nominating for election into school leadership positions must have consistently demonstrated leadership qualities throughout 2020.

At Ironside State School, student leadership positions are held in high regard. The process for student leader selection is therefore rigorous and the criteria is specific in nature. The student leadership election process has been structured to provide a clear and supportive procedure which is outlined in the following information.

To be considered for a leadership position at Ironside students must have demonstrated consistent modelling of the Ironside Way through self-discipline, emotional resilience and maintaining responsible behaviour to a very high standard. They must also have demonstrated competent public speaking skills in both formal and informal contexts. Duties of the captains and vice captains include; holding executive positions in the student council; welcoming and hosting school guests; organising and running school assemblies; and representing Ironside at community events.

The following timelines will guide the nomination, application, interview and election processes.

TERM 4, 2020	PROCEDURE
WEEK 6	Year 5 Leadership Camp – Tyalgum @ Ironside (Monday 9 November)
	Student voice captured regarding the demonstrated leadership qualities of peers in cohort.
	Students self-nominate for leadership positions by a written application on a form provided by Mrs Bairstow on the Leadership Camp Day.
WEEK 7	Students are notified if they have been shortlisted as a candidate.
WEEK 8	Shortlisted candidates deliver a speech to the year 5 cohort, and all year 5 students vote.
WEEK 9	Candidates with the most student votes, combined with initial student voice results, are invited to an interview with administration and teaching staff.
WEEK 9	Captain and Vice-Captain positions are announced.
WEEK 10	2020 Captains officially hand over to 2021 leaders.

EARLY TERM 1, 2021	Nominations and selection process for other leadership positions including: - House Captains - Student Councillors - Class Representatives - Bridge Builders

As representatives of Ironside State School, all of these leadership roles involve and require mentoring, guidance and the maintenance of very high standards of conduct to which other students can aspire to.

We trust that parents will support their children’s involvement in the nomination and election process in accordance with the guidelines set by the school’s expectations. We look forward to engaging in the process with the students and working with the successful applicants throughout 2021.

STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS

YEAR 1 & 3: INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC – 2021 OFFERS
For the Strings program only:

Tomorrow, parents will be informed via a letter sent home, if their child is:

Being offered a position in the program for 2021
Being offered a position in orchestra only. This will only be relevant to students who engage in private tuition outside of school.
Being offered a position on a waiting list.
Not being offered a position in the program.

If your child is offered a positon, you will also receive an email early next week, which will prompt you to accept / decline the offer and complete associated online forms. It will also include a link to a new power point presentation, which welcomes your family to the program and guides you through detailed information regarding instruments and routines.

For the Band program:
The schedule for the recruitment process for the 2021 Band Program is a little behind schedule due to Ms James being unwell this week. Families who applied for a position will be notified regarding updated timelines testing, offers and the acceptance process as soon as possible.

HOW TO ORDER YOUR INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PHOTOS
MSP has taken a number of Music Extra Curricular photos over our photo days Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 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: