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24 February 2022 - Term 1, Week 5

News from Mr Johnson

Dear Parents,

Earlier this week (Tuesday) it was announced that certain restrictions will be lifting across Queensland in relation to COVID-19.

Please see below the information as received this week.

Our back to school plan and COVID-safe measures will remain in place until 4 March. Our plan outlines the current COVID safe measures to continue to protect school communities.
While more information will be provided over the coming days on the Back to School plan and arrangements after 4 March, the following relaxations were announced on Tuesday.
Face masks
From 6 pm on Friday 4 March, face masks will no longer be required in most settings, including schools and workplaces.
Hospitality staff and patrons won’t be required to wear them at cafés, pubs or restaurants.
On public transport, and in hospitals, disability care, prisons, aged care, airports and planes, face masks will still need to be worn.
Excursions, assemblies, camps and visitors to schools
Schools will be allowed to conduct assemblies, excursions and school camps, while restrictions on parents and visitors to schools are also lifting.

This is welcome news. Once we have completed the details around assembly schedules etc. We’ll publish these to families ASAP.

Ironside’s latest library life members

I was delighted to congratulate and present Miyami N (6G) and Samantha B (6C) with their life membership to the library earlier in the week. Thank you both very much for your commitment and services to the library. Congratulations on your achievements.

P&C AGM 2022

On Tuesday evening the Annual General Meeting of the P&C was held. At this meeting a (largely) new executive committee was elected.

I’d like to acknowledge and thank the outgoing executive for their service to Ironside SS and the P&C.

To Dr Tuan Ha, Mrs Sarah Walker, Mrs Rachel Liu and Mrs Shadi Tehrani sincere thanks for your work as leadership as our immediate past President, Secretary, Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer respectively.

COURTESY TO OUR NEIGHBOURS

The office is receiving far too many calls this week from our local residents reporting Ironside parents parking across driveways at afternoon pick up time.

Please model courtesy and consideration to our neighbours when it comes to the busy and somewhat frustrating afternoon pick up time.

The Ironside Way is to be Acting with Integrity, Safe and Kind and Respectful. Let’s ensure we live the school values visibly with our local residents.

Have a wonderful fortnight ahead. Stay safe and well.

Warm regards.

Damian Johnson, Principal.

News from Mr Henderson, G & T Coordinator

Ironside State School Athlete Development Program

I am delighted to announce an exciting new partnership between Ironside and the Fitter Futures team to offer Ironside’s budding young athletes and sportspeople an opportunity to train with, and learn from, some of the best youth coaches in the industry.

The Ironside Athlete Development Program offers select students the chance to improve their overall athleticism by developing key components of fitness that are important to young athletes regardless of the sport they play. It will help students improve their movement, strength, fitness, agility, balance, stability and co-ordination, whilst also developing resilience, confidence and knowledge about how to train and look after your body and mind. The program, based on the world-leading “Brand X Method” and specifically designed for youth, is designed to help students thrive not only in the sports they love, but also in life.

For more information please see the Ironside State School Athlete Development Program Charter below, and visit https://fitterfutures.com.au/.

To apply for a place on the Ironside ADP, please complete the form at IADP Application Form. *This link cannot be accessed on the Ironside network and must be completed at home.*

Key dates:

8^th March 6:30PM	Information webinar and Q&A for parents & students with Samantha Mathers, Founder and Head Coach of Fitter Futures. Learn more about the Athlete Development Program and what to expect. Meeting room link.
11^th March 7:15AM – 8.15AM	Trial session for any interested students at Fitter Futures training facility at Indooroopilly - Cnr Clarence Road & Allwood St, Indooroopilly (formerly the site of the Indooroopilly Bowls Club). Parents are responsible for transport from Fitter Futures to Ironside after this session. Please register for the Trial Session by 10^th March using this link.
18^th March 4:00PM	Closing date for applications
28^th March 3:00PM	Successful applicants notified of inclusion in IADP Squad
19^th April 7:20AM	First IADP training session at Fitter Futures.

Please contact me at jhend263@eq.edu.au if you have any questions.

This is a wonderful opportunity to develop as an athlete and a person and we look forward to hearing from all of Ironside’s keenest sportspeople!

Ironside Harmony Week

News from Mr Murdoch

Bridge Builders - Skill of the week: Nature of conflict

Conflict can be defined as a problem, a disagreement or a fight. It can be physical, verbal or indirect, with a reference to winning or losing. Actions that present during conflict can be grouped into behaviours that hurt physically, and behaviours that hurt emotionally – hurting feelings and creating emotional pain.

The impetus for conflict may be deliberate, accidental or perceived but, predominately, conflict has its basis in unmet needs.

In classrooms, playgrounds, homes and sports fields, children are going to wrestle with the pain, discomfort and uncertainties related to conflict. How they respond plays a part in determining their ability to grow into confident, respectful and problem-solving citizens.

“Empowered for Life”; Jocelyne Chirnside

At Ironside, we take a positive, solutions-focused approach and stay low on the ladder of inference. In all interactions, please mindful of assumptions being made or getting caught up in emotions, particularly around the perspectives of younger children.

The best thing parents can do when conflict is reported at home is to apply an adult lens and filter the information: Step back, listen, investigate if necessary or see this as an opportunity for personal growth.

How we respond as adults and manage emotions in this space plays a critical role in developing and building a child’s resilience.

There are systems, structures and processes in place to support individuals and the general population, both academically and socially. Your classroom teacher should be your first point of call. Conversations of this nature also need to remain between you and the classroom teacher. They are the people who know your children best and what has occurred during the day.

Reminder: Arrivals and Departures 2022 – Prep, Years 1 & 2

Students may arrive at school from 8:30am onwards and will be supervised by school staff. Students are to wait in their dedicated waiting areas.

Prep - Prep Precinct (outside classrooms)
Year 1/2 - Under G Block

PREP Arrivals:

Using the entrances at either Swann Rd or Hawken Drive, parents and Prep students may make their way to the Prep Precinct from 8:30am. Parents, we ask that you observe our “Hug and Go” stations, and let our Preppies independently make their way to the classroom.

Students are to place their bag on the bag rack and organise their belongings as per the classroom routines. Teachers and Educational Support Officers will be there to assist children, particularly in the first weeks of school.

Each classroom teacher will have their own routine and expectations before the school day starts i.e. putting bag on rack, placing water bottles and ‘crunch’ containers in the appropriate spot. Your classroom teacher will practise these with the students.

Your part in this process is to allow your child to manage these little routines on their own and to ensure conversations are had with your child about what they need to do. These conversations and preparation are vital to ensure your child’s readiness for routine changes later in the year.

If your child is experiencing difficulty or uncertainty, remember we are here to help and support.

* The playground equipment is not to be accessed during this time. Prep students are expected to wait in front of their classroom.

* It is important for parent to leave this work to the students and teachers. Should your child seek your assistance, direct them to listen and follow the teacher's instructions.

School starts promptly at 9:00am. A bell will ring (this is a standard school bell), signalling to students that they should be ready to enter the classroom and start their day. Upon hearing this bell, it is expected that parents promptly vacate the Prep Precinct and school grounds.

PREP Departures:

At the end of the school day, Prep students will be waiting in the Grassy Patch for parents, known adults or siblings to collect them.

Students will be in class lines. Signs and markers will help to locate and collect your child.

Parents, known adults or siblings are to speak to the supervising adult and state who they are collecting.

* This is a matter of student safety and needs to be conducted in an orderly manner. Patience during this process will be greatly appreciated.

Things to note (Prep):

If your child attends before or after school care - the OSHC educators will ensure that students they arrive and depart class safely.
For students that access the care provided by Playhouse - the educators will ensure the safe arrival and departure as per their advice.
If your child attends a program provided by an external provider after school (dance, tennis, etc.), the duty of care remains with the parents accessing this service.
Students are to be collected promptly by 3:00pm at the end of the school day.

In the event of inclement weather, Prep students should have a raincoat in their school bag. Umbrellas are a hazard to other Prep students. Students with umbrellas will be asked to close them due to safety concerns.

Reminder: Arrivals and Departures: STOP, DROP and GO zones

Please be mindful of our STOP, DROP and GO zones which are located on Hawken Drive and Central Avenue. These zones are designed to keep traffic moving during peak times in the mornings and afternoons.

These zones are clearly signed and parents are to remain in their car during arrivals and departures.

Parking in the STOP, DROP and GO zones is a hazard and safety issue to students and other members of the community.

For more information: https://ironside.wistia.com/medias/v2wprtgjp4?wvideo=v2wprtgjp4

Reminder: Year 1 Parents:

One of the systems we use at school to keep students safe is the use of a yellow bucket hat in Prep. This helps to keep Prep students easily identified in the playground to make sure they are in the right place.

There are some Year 1 students who are still using this yellow bucket hat which is causing some confusion in the playground.

We kindly request that you purchase the appropriate blue hat used by our Years 1 – 6 students at your earliest convenience.

These hats are readily available for purchase at the uniform shop or via the Qkr app.

Thanks in advance for your co-operation with this matter.

https://ironsidess.eq.edu.au/facilities/uniform-shop

New uniforms can be ordered online via the online app Qkr! http://qkr.mastercard.com/.

Please note the Uniform Shop cannot accept cash. Payment can be made by EFTPOS in store and via use of the Qkr! app (online).

Kind regards,

Scott Murdoch

Deputy Principal P-2

News from Mr Davey

Library News

We are fortunate at Ironside that our wonderful Library offers many opportunities across the week to encourage students’ love of reading!

Day	Before School	First Break	Second Break	After School
Monday	8:30-8:55am	11:00-11:25am	1:10-1:25pm	3:00-3:30pm
Tuesday	8:30-8:55am	11:00-11:25am	1:10-1:25pm	3:00-3:10pm
Wednesday	8:30-8:55am	11:00-11:25am	1:10-1:25pm	3:00-3:30pm
Thursday	8:30-8:55am	11:00-11:25am	1:10-1:25pm	3:00-3:30pm
Friday	8:30-8:55am	11:00-11:25am	1:10-1:25pm

Prep - Year 3 students have a Library lesson each week, and Years 4 – 6 are invited fortnightly. Students are welcome to borrow books during these lessons as well as before and after school and at break times. Prep – 2 students are asked to have a Library bag to help keep their precious books safe!

News from Year 3 and 4

After the delayed start to the school year, students and teachers have hit the ground running and are already kicking goals. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting all of the Year 3 and 4 classrooms over the past couple of weeks and it’s been wonderful to see evidence of student learning all over the walls.

More News from Year 4

In Year 4, we have a strong focus on helping students develop the attributes of ‘life-long’ learners’:

Being more responsible, independent and organised – every Year 4 student has been ‘gifted’ a school diary as an organisational tool.

Setting goals by reflecting on their work and acting on feedback.

Taking ‘risks’ with new learning and applying effort.

Our focus is not just about achievement but on improvement and personal best. Therefore, students are expected to:

Own their behaviour choices.

Take responsibility for their learning and social behaviour.

Apply the conflict resolution strategies learned in Bridge Builder lessons to build resilience, resolve problems constructively and strengthen relationships. This week’s bridge builder focus is ‘Nature of Conflict’.

Religious Instruction

Unfortunately, Buddhism will not be part of the Ironside Religious Instruction program in 2022. This is due to our usual instructor no longer residing in the area. If your child/ren were apart of the Buddhism program, you will receive an email informing you of this news.

News from Mrs Bairstow

STUDENT LEADERSHIP

As per the table below, we are in the process of electing House Captains, Student Councillors and Class Reps.

More than twenty-five Year 6 students have self-nominated for the position of House Captain this year! These students will deliver a brief speech to their House after first break on Thursday morning. Voting and counting will occur directly after, so students will know the outcome by the end of the week, at the latest. Because of our current restrictions, parents will not be able to attend the speeches.

Election for Student Council and Class Rep positions are underway in Year 5, and will be run in Year 6 after the House Captain positions have been finalised.

Bridge Builder and Music Leaders will be selected after these roles are filled. As soon as our assemblies can recommence, we will inform parents of when our student leaders will be presented with their badges.

LIFE ED – SEXUAL HEALTH AND RELATIONSHIPS EDUCATION

Between February 22 - 9 March the school will be offering Sexual Health and Relationships Education for our Year 5 and 6 students through Life Education Queensland. The information here aims to help you understand the content of this session. The school recognises that you are the primary educator of your child on issues surrounding their sexuality, however we believe we can work together to help children stay safe by encouraging healthy attitudes. The “Talk About It” program by Life Education includes information on puberty incorporating physical growth and emotional changes, relationships and the concept of self. It is designed to help students understand and cope with this important phase of development.

The program is designed to assist young people develop a positive attitude towards their own sexuality and provides them with information on how to look after themselves during this stage of their development. The lessons being conducted will focus on the physical, social and emotional changes experienced during puberty and helping students understand and cope with this important phase of development. The program covers content from the Health strand of the Australian Curriculum and we have had consistently positive feedback from our community regarding this initiative, over many years and we strongly encourage families to engage with the opportunity. If you wish for your child to not participate in this program, please email your class teacher directly. Students not participating will be supervised in another classroom while modules are being completed.

We are fortunate to have a very experienced educator from Life Education conducting the sessions which have been tailored to the needs of our school and students. Classroom teachers will always be present in the room during sessions as well.

Year 5 students will partake in two modules entitled “Who am I?” and “Welcome to Puberty”. The cost for this will be $27.

Year 6 students will partake in three modules entitled “Discovering Identity”; “Surviving Puberty” and “The Journey of Human Reproduction”. The cost for this will be $35

Families will be invoiced accordingly.

The parent information evening through Microsoft Teams was well subscribed. We thank you for your ongoing partnership in our students’ education.

CONGRATULATIONS NATHAN!!

Nathan (6B) auditioned for the Young Conservatorium program at Griffith University over the Christmas holiday period. He was awarded the Young Conservatorium Scholarship to join the Symphonia Ensemble Program (a 1 year Music program (violin). He will also join the String Ensemble in the same program.

Congratulations Nathan – this is an outstanding achievement and we are very proud of your musical talent.

Kind regards,

Jenny Bairstow

Deputy Principal, Years 5 & 6

News from HPE

Representative Sport at Ironside

In addition to HPE classes and interschool sport, students at Ironside can put their names forward for consideration to attend Northern Eagles district trials. The opportunity to attend ‘The Big 3’ (Cross country, athletics, and swimming trials) are determined by their performance at our school carnivals in their respective sports. Students also have the opportunity to nominate themselves as a candidate to represent Ironside at a number of other sporting trials.

It must be made clear that these trials are not a chance to go out and try something new. These trials feature some of the best talents in their respective sports. As a school, I am usually instructed by the convenors of each sport to send no more than 2 or 3 of my absolute best students if I believe they are of district standards. I make that determination based on years of experience and the level of play in an outside of school organization. If there is a lot of interest in a particular sport, I will hold a trial at school to determine the 2 or 3 students that I can send to the district trial.

Below is the schedule of district trials so you are aware well in advance to when they are taking place. You will be able to find this document permanently on the school website as well. I will usually get sent the paperwork about a week in advance of the actual trial. At that point, an announcement will be made over several days and an email will be sent out to all students to let them know that they can come and register their interest in the trial with me. The schedule of trials as well as any currently available trials will be always posted on my office window for the students to check.

If you have any further questions about representative sport, please feel free to get in contact ( jclar577@eq.edu.au ) and I’ll gladly help out.

Thank you.

Music News

The musical year has begun really well with great attendance at all instrumental ensembles and an amazing number of students have signed up for choir (150+ and growing). We are all looking forward to an amazing year of making music together.

WestCent District Music Program

The WestCent District Music Program is an opportunity for students to play in large ensembles consisting of students from 20 different local area schools. It runs for a full week in term 3 – July 25-29^th. Auditions will be completed at school via video very early in term 2.

Audition material is now available and students should begin practicing. Audition nomination forms will be due to your instrumental teacher (either directly or via the office) by the 31^st of March. If you are in Year 4-6 and in the instrumental program and working at curriculum level 3 or higher and haven’t received the audition material please contact your teacher.

SHEP – State Honors Ensemble Program

Nominations for the SHEP Middle school program are now open. This program is run by the Queensland Conservatorium of Music Griffith Uni over the weekend of June 3-5. This year the nominations are not by age but by standard so this is open to students who studying AMEB Gr 2 or ED Qld Curriculum Level 5. Please contact your instrumental teacher if you wish to nominate.

Choral

Our choral program has started with great excitement with expressions of interest received from 126 students for the Canto Voci (Yr 3/4.) and Bella Voci (Yr 5/6) choirs, we are looking forward to a great year of choral music making.

The Canto Voci, Bella Voci and Voci Musicali (auditioned choir) all started their rehearsals this week. The Piccole Voci (Year 1) and Voci Dei Bambini (Year 2) choirs will begin in Term 2.

Year 4 parents only –Band Recruiting

Year 4 students have brought home a ‘Sign Up Letter’ last week for the band program. Please follow the links to sign-up and submit your response by THIS Friday 25^th February. You should also have receive this letter via a schoolzine newsflash. Spare ‘Sign Up Letters’ are also available from the office. Also don’t forget to watch the Instrumental Music Information Video online. For further information, please contact Mrs Jennifer Bairstow at jbair51@eq.edu.au Follow this link to find out how playing musical instrument can Make you smarter Also go to: http://www.anitacollinsmusic.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/BiggerBetterBrainsProject/