19 November 2020 - Term 4, Week 7

News from Mr Johnson

Dear Parents,

TEACHING TEAMS 2021
Included for your information below are the 2021 Year Level, EAL/D, Specialist and Leadership Teams.

Prep Team (6):
Sarah Cummings, Sea Kilby, Olivia Bryant, Chris Lord, Cathy Gordon, Malindi Trehearn.

Year One Team (5):
Nik Taufatofua, Robyn Cool, Kristen Curtis, Deb Warren, Josie Donaldson (0.6) / Gillian Bishop (0.4)

Year Two Team (6):
Alex Burt, Mariela Morris, Sara Beeston, Renee Graham, Anita Lim, Leesa Palmer (0.6) / Emma Zonca (0.4)

Year Three Team (7):
Leonie Evertsen, Sam Rosinski, Heather White, Susan King, Eddie Dobinson, Rachel Clarkson (0.4) / Lou Thao (0.6), TBC

Year Four Team (6):
Alice Cowan-Dillon, Michael Bierhuizen, Gary Lake, Andrea Ward-Isles, Alice Metcalfe, Michael Cortes (0.6) / Annika Sauvage (0.4)

Year Five Team (7):
Julie Short, Christina Maxwell, Neil Malcolm, Rachel Beattie, Rachel Stevens, Beth Preston, Jamieson Aprile

Year Six Team (6):
Brett Perrier, Sharyn Pinkerton, Liz Fairhall, Adele Todd, Maggie Pagliaro, Dannielle Faithful (0.6) / Robyn Chiffey (0.4)

EAL/D
Kylie Sommerfeld (0.8) / Dee Burns (0.6) – Term 1, Libby Strong (0.6) – Terms 2/3/4.

Specialists
Student Support Coordinator – Jill Mallett (0.8)
STLaNs – Terri Avis (0.6) and Jeanette Borg (0.8)
GEM – Jamie Henderson
Guidance Officer – Jessica Ballantyne (0.6)
Teacher Librarian – Cath Roche
HPE – Jeremie Clarke-Okah and Megan English
Music – Marianne Huxley and Victoria Keomahavong
Languages – Ngaire Aboud and Maria Cesar (0.6)
Visual Art – Tara Wightwick (0.6)

Leadership Team
Principal – Damian Johnson
Deputy Principal (P-2) – Scott Murdoch
Deputy Principal (3/4) – Larissa Vecchio
Deputy Principal (5/6) – Jennifer Bairstow
Head of Curriculum (P-2) – Shelley Drew
Head of Curriculum (3/4) – Peter Davey
Head of Curriculum (5/6) – Shelley Lee
Business Manager – Chris Delaney

P&C NOVEMBER MEETING – TUESDAY 24 NOVEMBER
Next Tuesday the 24 November is the final P&C Meeting for this year. The Ironside P&C meets in the staffroom commencing at 6:30pm. Meetings are concluded by 8:30pm at the latest. The P&C is a warm and friendly environment, new members are welcome.

CONNECTIONS
I wanted to thank and acknowledge our families and school community for being accepting and understanding of the concept of ‘less connection’ during this time.

As a system we have had no further directions around the changing of COVID safe strategies.

Please remember that our school is open to you. Our ‘non-negotiables’ are knowing who is/has been on site and when. You are welcome to be here, providing you enter and exit via the office, signing in and out.

We are currently thinking and planning around managing the start of next year with the current level of information and clarity we have.

At this time please keep the following at the forefront of mind:

• We are here and you are welcome;
• Sign in and out through the office;
• Use the sanitiser provided on arrival and departure;
• Maintain appropriate social distance.

In relation to outside school hours providers/activities – It is their responsibility to plan for, monitor and maintain appropriate COVID safe strategies.

All the best for the week ahead.

Merit Certificates and Library Awards

Merit Certificates - Years 3-6

LIBRARY AWARDS
Emily B - 6F - Medal of Service 
Sophia F - 6D- Life Member

News from Mr Murdoch

Dear parents and caregivers,

Prep 2021: Meet Your Teacher
Parents, please note that we will be conducting our ‘Meet Your Teacher’ event on Monday 7 December.

As the name suggests, this is an opportunity for our future Preppies and parents to meet their classroom teacher, classmates and see the classroom. It is also a great way for families to connect before the new school year begins.

Due to COVID restrictions on adult gatherings we will be running three Prep ‘Meet Your Teacher’ opportunities on the day.  This limits the number of adults onsite at any given time, and gives families the opportunity to share the moment with their children.  Each child will be able to have two adults attend this event.

I will make contact in Week 9 and provide Prep parents with more details closer to the date.

Around the School
Prep:
In Prep, we have been writing an innovation of ‘Mr McGee’ by Pamela Allen. Students explored and described the character of Mr McGee and then planned a new event and new ending for Mr McGee. The students then created a book that included their ideas.  The photos below shows some Prep A planning pages, beginning of the story pages and finished books.

Year 1:
1F have been learning all about Diwali this week.  We loved using our inquiry skills to pose questions about what Diwali is.  Some of the questions we came up with were: Could you show me how to celebrate this? What are the lights for? What country are you from? What are you doing? Why are you wearing those clothes? How did you make the pattern on the floor? Do people give presents in this celebration?

Luckily we had a few members of our class who knew all about Diwali and we didn’t have to go far to find the answers to all our questions!  We then used our new knowledge to work together to make these posters all about the Festival of Light.  We practiced being good collaborators by working together, listening to each other and taking turns.

Year 2:
In 2A we have been investigating materials and their properties. We began our very exciting inquire project by first constructing a box for a very special mystery item that Miss Beeston had, we had to try and guess what it would be! Using our boxes, we discussed all the different material that were used and the reasoning behind why we thought our box would be the best suited for the job of holding the mystery item. To help us better understand the differing properties of items, we conducted a series of tests such as a strength test and a water resistance test. We then used what we have learnt to design a very special bag to hold a precious item of our choice.

News from Mrs Vecchio

MATHEMATICS AWARDS
Australian Problem Solving Olympiad
Throughout 2020, students in the Year 6 Mathematics program have competed in the Australian Problem Solving Olympiad. The following students achieved the best scores in the school for the 2020 Competition and were awarded a medal: Aaron D, Isaac L, Minh Anh P, Rachel T and Kate X.

Winning the trophy for best Olympiad performance in the school, with a score of 96%, was Koyuki C.

Australian Mathematics Competition
In Term 3, a group of students in Years 3 – 6 competed in the Australian Mathematics Competition. All Ironside entrants performed exceptionally well with every student achieving a “proficiency” certificate or better.  In total, students achieved five proficiency awards, 31 credits, 44 distinctions, 12 high distinctions and two students achieving the AMC “Prize”.

Students achieving a High Distinction, signifying scores in the top 3% of entrants nationally, were:

Year 3 – Alex W.

Year 5 – Narra A., Lucas A., Aaron D., Isabel H., Viet Tue N., Adam Mc. and Alankrita M.

Year 6 - Tracy C., Khwahish G., Jeremy L. and Rachel T.

The following two students achieved the AMC “Prize”, signifying a score in the top 0.3% of entrants across Australia.  In Year 3, Ethan C. and in Year 6, Isaac L. who also was awarded “Best in State”. 

Congratulations to all of our worthy award recipients for their extraordinary achievements!

MUSIC IN THE GREEN
Such a treat to hear our incredible Chamber Strings performing at play-break this week in the Oasis.  They had a captive audience, totally absorbed in watching and listening to these talented musicians. It was a beautiful way to enjoy our lunch!

LANGUAGES AWARDS
Continuing the theme of academic excellence were students who achived great results in the recent Modern Language Teachers Awards Queensland. 

Japanese
Congratulations to students who achieved awards in the Japanese language section:

Elite Award - Keeran C.

Gold Award - Sophie L. and Chloe L.

Silver Award - Sophia C., Samyak J., Bella W., Eloise W. and Charlotte Y.

Special mention to Narra A. and Clemance L. in recognition of their excellent performances.

Spanish
In the Spanish langauge section, half of our 22 entrants achieved either Gold or Elite awards!  Congratulations to the following students:

Elite Awards -  Mahjabeen A., Oscar B-L. and Maya S.

Gold Awards -  Jessie F., Afeef H., Wai Kar L., Arianna M., Alankrita M., Arthur P. and Rachel T.

Silver Awards -  Aarav B., Elsa H., Rhys M., Jonathan M., lsabella O. and  Yasmine S.

Special mention to Thulasy S. and Aditi R. (Bronze), Genevieve D. and Freya L. (Credit) and Una M. and Madeleine C. for excellent presentations.

News from Mrs Bairstow

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC GALA – WEDNESDAY 25 NOVEMBER
Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, we will be presenting our Semester Two Gala to parents via a video recording.  The recordings will be uploaded on to the school’s YouTube channel, and you will be provided with a link to view the concerts as soon as possible after the event.

We will extend an invitation for classes to attend, so we can perform for a live audience.  This is our final Instrumental Music concert for 2020, and it is expected that all students will participate. 

Students should wear normal school uniform like for school photos.

Blue school shirt, (Year 6 students should wear Year 6 shirt), school shorts or the school dress.

The schedule for the day is as follows:

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.

2021 STUDENT LEADERSHIP PROCESS
Over 50 students submitted a self-nomination form for a leadership position in 2021.  All applications were of a high quality and throughout, there was a clear demonstration of the students’ understanding of leadership.

Today, 19 of these students were advised that they had been shortlisted to deliver a speech next Monday.  Those who didn’t progress to the next stage are strongly encouraged to continue with their leadership aspirations in the Term 1, 2021 section of the process.

STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS
Thank you to the community for your support of the Student Council’s latest and last fundraising endeavour for 2020.  All donations raised through the QKR app will be forwarded to Orange Sky – who support those experiencing homelessness.  The Councillors did a wonderful job of connecting with younger students through themed activities in the Oasis this week.

Next week will be the Council’s last meeting of the year.  We will celebrate a year of facing challenges in creative ways with a positive mindset.  Students will have some treats, and a mini-disco to replace the big one we couldn’t have in 2020.

Student Council's Orange Sky Fundraiser

YEAR 1 and 3: INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC – 2021
All offers have now been sent to families.  Please ensure you are watching the relevant information power point video presentations, and respond to the offer by following the prompts provided.  Information relating to the Student Resource Scheme (SRS) form will be emailed in the coming weeks.

Community Providers

Bookfair and Library News

BOOKFAIR
Friday 20 November is the last day for Bookfair at school.  You can continue to order online until Sunday 22 November.

BOOK RETURNS
Students, please make sure all library books are returned by this Friday 20 November.

Uniform Shop

The Uniform Shop will be closed for January 2021.

If you need any new uniforms please organise them now!  Orders made via Qkr! will be delivered to students' classrooms on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with the final delivery date for the year being Friday 4 December 2020.

If you need to visit the shop to check sizing you can make an appointment via https://issshop.simplybook.me . The last day for appointments this year is Wednesday 2 December 2020.

2021 Book Lists

2021 book lists are now available.  Please click here: Book Lists Link
The complete book packs can be purchased from Sequel Books or St Lucia News.

The P&C are confident you will notice a big saving by using our preferred suppliers.  The buying power enables the P&C to get a better price for the parents, saving you time, effort and money and in turn the supplier gives the P&C a commission.

The P&C hopes you will support this fundraiser by purchasing the book pack through one of our preferred suppliers. Both offer free home delivery.

Sequel Books https://www.sequelbooks.com/ironside-state-school/

St Lucia News http://www.discountstationery.com.au/

Ironside Swim Club

2020-2021 SEASON

Commenced Friday 16 October 2020
Ironside State School Pool

5:30pm doors open 25M swimmers (5:45pm start)
6:30pm for 50M swimmers (6:45 pm start)

Ironside Swim Club meets every Friday night throughout term 4 and term 1. However due to COVID we will be operating at a limited capacity with restrictions in place for swimmers and parents.

What’s new?
We will not be offering a free swim or tadpole swim this term so if your child cannot swim 25meters please continue with swim lessons and join us in the New Year.

Only one adult per family will be allowed in the pool area and swimmers must exit the pool via the basketball court when their events have been completed.

The canteen will remain closed for the term however you can bring food for your child to eat on the sidelines

Annual participation fee has been reduce to $25 per swimmer

What remains the same?
Ironside swimmers will continue to get the opportunity to participate in a confortable, friendly environment in timed 25m for 50m races in various strokes.

Swimmers receive points for participating and improving their times.

The club is affiliated with Swimming Queensland (SQ) for those who want to join SQ and compete in other meets as Ironside Club Members.

We are not a learn to swim school, contact – gpswimschool@gmail.com

Register now via the “Qkr!”App!

For inquiries email:  ironsideswimclub@gmail.com

Or refer to the Ironside State School website
https://ironsidess.eq.edu.au/extra-curricular/clubs/ironside-swim-club

News from the P&C