Ironside State School eNewsletter

News from Mr Johnson

Dear Parents,

Welcome to the new term. I hope all our families had a relaxing and restful break over the September holidays.

Ms Kylie Sommerfeld - ACTA Conference

During the holidays our EALD program, International Parent Group and International Breakfast were spotlighted through Kylie Sommerfeld’s excellent work.

Kylie was a workshop presenter at the Australian Council of TESOL Associations International Conference.

A copy of her Abstract in below. A sincere thanks and congratulations to Kylie who, through her professionalism and experience, showcased Ironside SS in the most positive way.

Abstract: Ironside State School is a large multicultural school located in close proximity to University of Queensland. Currently our school community is 60% EAL with approximately 50 languages represented. Engaging our whole school community has been a priority area. Our current Strategic Plan 2021-2024, community engagement continues to be an important priority. Our belief is that "maximising engagement within our culturally diverse community is the most effective way to build a strong and forward thinking Ironside." (Ironside State School Strategic Plan 2021-2024 - www.ironsidess.eq.edu.au). This will be measured through both "broadening community access and engagement through 'Open Ironside' opportunities" and "increasing the proportion of parents actively engaged within the school". (Ironside State School Strategic Plan 2021-2024 - www.ironsidess.eq.edu.au).

Our signature community engagement events over the past 2 decades which have 'opened Ironside', have been our International Breakfast and Spring Fair. Our International Breakfast in 2019 featured stalls from 35 different countries and was organised jointly by our International Parent Group and EALD Team.

In response to both school leadership and community feedback, the purpose of the International Parent Group was reviewed in 2018. To better support our school strategic priorities, the group's role evolved into a weekly Chat and Cuppa group with structured sessions based on school priorities and parent requests. This formalisation of the International Parent Group has empowered our international parents and encouraged volunteering in classrooms, tuckshop and school events. Parents now provide assistance with our EALD Home Reading Club each week before school. Currently there is a visible increase in the proportion of parents engaged within the school which is further supporting our current school community priorities of ‘Open Ironside opportunities’.

This presentation will provide a historical narrative, including practical tips and advice which other school communities may find valuable when considering ways to further engage their community.

Congratulations to Gavynjay G (6F)

Gavynjay has successfully trialled with Euro Football Star and has been selected as one of the 8 winners to go to England next year in September 2023 to attend trials with soccer academies with expenses fully paid. The link included captures the announcement. https://fb.watch/fJgZCMc-NS/ . Gavynjay is number 7 in the video.

Gavynjay has also represented Metropolitan West at the football (soccer) State Carnival this year, where Met West finished third.

These are huge achievements within the highly competitive space of football. Well done Gavynjay and all the best for your trip to the UK next year.

QLD Representative School Sport - State Cricket Carnival

On Saturday I’ll be heading to Rockhampton for the Boys (10-12 Years) State Cricket Carnival to select the next QLD team for the National Carnival in Victoria next month.

Thank you in advance for your understanding with slower than usual response times from me with emails / calls etc. I’ll be back at Ironside on Friday 21^st October.

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

Damian Johnson, Principal.

News from Mr Murdoch

Dear parents and caregivers,

Bridge Builders – Skill of the week (Week 1): Make An Agreement

We all know that there are differences and disagreements in all relationships. Therefore, it is logical that how you resolve these disagreements will be critical to the on-going success of those relationships.

Sometimes in a conflict there is common ground. This is something that both children want that is the same. An argument can become complicated by continued hurtful behaviours. Asking children “What do you both want that is the same?” can stop the bickering and help them to focus on what the original problem was and lead them to make an agreement.

Try to remain neutral if you can and let your kids sort it out with your help. Remember that conflict is not bad, it’s an everyday part of life and a great opportunity to learn.

Bridge Builders - Skill of the week (Week 2): Apologise

An apology can be one of the most powerful ways to build a bridge in conflict situations. Giving an apology with meaning and at the right time can bridge the problem quickly and allow children to move on from it.

Children need to be encouraged to look at the person they are apologising to. Eye contact is important in communication. Sincerity is key in an apology, so starting by using the other child’s name is good. It not only gains the person’s attention, it also shows respect. Children should be encouraged to say what they are sorry for, because this shows recognition of what they have done that has caused the pain.

Where possible, it is helpful to encourage children to ‘do’ something that restores justice and can repair the obstacles in the relationship caused by conflict. In some situations, children can’t ‘do’ anything to solve the problem, like when someone has called them a name, hit them or blames them for something they didn’t do. In these cases, they could say, “I’ll try not to do it again.”

“Empowered for Life”; Jocelyne Chirnside.

Around the classrooms – Prep:

WOW, how fast does the Prep year seem to be FLYING by! The calendar reads “Term Four”.

Luckily for our Preps they have some exciting new learning experiences to experience and explore right from the start of this term!

Week 1:

In the first week all of the Preps enjoyed participating in their first Art lesson in the Art Hub with Tara Wightwick (Ironside’s resident Visual Arts Teacher).

With our amazing Great Barrier Reef as their inspiration all of the Prep students will participate in visualising and creating their own masterpiece using the sea theme. The focus of student work will be on their choice and use of LINE, SHAPE and COLOUR.

You could look at home at some of Ken Done’s Art work, he is one of Australia’s most famous artists. His art is described as the most original style to come out of Australia. His iconic paintings inspired by our beautiful oceans, beaches and sea life and are in collections throughout the world.

Who knows perhaps one day in the future on of our Prep students will be the next Ken Done!

Week 2:

In this second week our students were SUPER excited to participate in their first Swimming lesson, at school.

PREP made quite a SPLASH!

On their swimming day, they got to get organised and dressed with their classmates, walk to the pool together (buzzing with excitement) and listen to Mrs. introduction to their new HPE focus. Once settled into a swimming group everyone engaged in a fun and quite invigorating swimming lesson. OODLES and NOODLES of swimtastic fun was had by all in lesson number one!

Katja Dedekind, is a past Ironside student who competed at the last Commonwealth Games, so who knows maybe one of our Prep students will swim their way into the Australian Team just in time to make the Brisbane Olympics in 2032.

Around the classrooms – Year 1:

In 1C we have been exploring how to code our Bee-bots to move from one place to another. We have used arrow cards to plan our code before putting it into the Bee-bots. We have had lots of fun working together to problem solve and make decisions.

Around the classrooms – Year 2:

This term we will be exploring the exciting world of poetry in English. We will be listening to poetry, learning poems and even writing our own list poems by the end of the term. Poetry is a fun unit of work and provides endless hours of enjoyment in the classroom. Students will initially write their poems starting with a noun, then a noun group, then an extended noun group and finally an exciting extended noun group. We will be using food, toys, animals and the garden as the topics for our poetry this term.

Kind regards,

Scott Murdoch

Deputy Principal P-2

News from Mr Davey

News from Year 3 and 4

Welcome to Term 4

I hope you all had an enjoyable break with your families and we’re able to make the most of the sunny days. Students in Year 3 and 4 have hit the ground running and are straight back into their learning. This term sees both year levels beginning their new unit of inquiry in English. Students in Year 3 will be inquiring into what makes a great poem, and students in Year 4 will be inquiring about what makes a great story. If you would like any further information about these units of inquiry, the Term Overview is the place to go. These were sent home by classroom teachers this week.

Individual successes

Congratulations to Caitlin from 3F. Caitlin participated in the Australasian Frame Running Camp & Cup a couple of weekends ago and won two gold medals.

Congratulations to Thoma from 4F who was selected in the National Futsal Team after winning the National School Futsal Championship. The Team (QLD City Maroon), played 9 games and won all of them.

Bridge Builder skill of the week – How to get help

Tips to teach this skill at home:

Listen, really listen to them. Give them eye contact, repeat back what they say.
Ask them what they tried that worked and what didn’t work.
Have them practise asking for help from an adult with you. Encourage them to use this skill at home when they need your help.
Encourage them, especially any effort they have tried to solve the problem.
Ask them if they have any ideas of what they would like you to do to help
Consider calling their teacher and organising to have a chat about what is happening and how you can work together to empower your child.
If the conflict is with a sibling, consider whether you need to step in and mediate or talk to your other child about consequences.

Kind regards,

Peter Davey

Deputy Principal 3-4

pdave16@eq.edu.au.

News from Mrs Bairstow

Dear parents and caregivers,

STUDENT LEADERSHIP – CURRENT YEAR FIVE STUDENTS

As our Year 5 students approach their final term, it is time to begin focussing on the supported leadership journey for our 2023 Year 6 cohort.

Below is a summary of the roles and responsibilities for leaders at Ironside.

A Year 5 student nominating for election into school leadership positions must have consistently demonstrated leadership qualities throughout 2022. 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 exhibiting the STAR values of being Safe and Kind, Treasuring Diversity, Acting with Integrity & being Respectful. 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:

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.

DATE CLAIMER FOR GRADUATION CELEBRATIONS

Families are advised that Year 6 graduation celebrations will take place at school on the evening of Tuesday 6 December. Students receive their Year Books on the following day for signing. There is a Year 6 pool party and games day scheduled for Thursday 8 December, during school hours. A letter detailing all graduation celebration events will be sent home to families early in Term 4.

Kind regards,

Jennifer Bairstow

Deputy Principal 5-6

jbair51@eq.edu.au.

News from P&C

Our 2022 Spring Fair was held on Saturday, 3^rd September. With the incredible support from Ironside parents, community members, sponsors and donors, and Ironside State School leadership, teachers and staff, we raised over $60,000 in net proceeds that will go directly to the P&C coffers to benefit Ironside State School and its students. Thank you to all who supported this mammoth event.

Our 2022 Swim-a-thon was held the week of 12^th September. A huge THANK YOU to parent volunteers, Isobel K and Fiona H, for convening the event which, to date, has raised $11,829. Thank you G1 to G6 students for their amazing job swimming laps and preppies for their amazing job running laps. Thank you to parents who volunteered their time and parents who helped students raise and collect the funds. Finally, thank you to Mr Clarke-Okah and Mrs English for supporting this event during their HPE time. It’s not too late to contribute to this fundraiser; however, any donations received after Monday, 17th October, while gratefully accepted, will unfortunately not be used in the tally for prizes for this event as organized.

Next year P&C will run another Swim-a-thon to continue the ‘odd years’ schedule followed in the past (2023, 2025 etc) as this year’s event was rescheduled from 2019. We will commence Spring Fair events on the ‘even years’ beginning in 2024 (2026, 2028 etc).

Thank you for your support of Ironside P&C! We welcome you to join our next P&C General Meeting on Thursday, 27^th October, at 6:30pm in the Ironside Staffroom.

Your P&C is at work!

Here are our current projects.

Playground Installation – Adjacent to Oval – WORKS COMMENCING 10^TH OCTOBER 2022

Situated along Central Avenue side of oval (without sandstone blocks as pictured). Approximate cost $150,000 funded by residual Qld OSHC grant.

Oval Resurface Project – 2022/2023 Summer Holidays

Complete synthetic turf replacement and installation of a multiuse field (soccer, futsal, baseball), including six 60m running lanes. Approximate cost $400,000 funded by ISS P&C.

Swimming Pool Change Rooms Upgrade – 2023 Project

Upgrade change rooms at Ironside swimming pool. Approximate cost (TBD) will be funded by ISS P&C with funds raised from September’s Swim-a-thon.

Music News

Upcoming Music Dates

End of Semester Gala Concert Date

There is much more information to come but put aside the following dates

Thursday 17^th November – Upper School Choral Gala (Yr 3-6 students)

Thursday 24^th November – Instrument Music Gala (all students)

Music Fest

We have 2 Music Fest Dates. Saturday 15^th October for Strings and Choirs and Wednesday 26^th October for Bands.

Saturday 15^th October.

There will be some moving between groups on this day so an outline of the day is below. The Strings will be in VPAC. There is some free parking via Gate 5/6 via Graham Street. There is an elevator there for especially for larger instruments and we will be on Level 5.

The Choirs will be at the top of the school in a different venue. There is some free car parks here, I believe the entrance will be on Stephens Road.

I have been assured there will be plenty of signage to follow. Tickets are available for pre-purchase or on the day at the door.

The Bands will travel by bus to Iona College. There is parking available under the venue for parents coming out to listen to our bands.

Voci Musicali

We will be holding auditions for Voci Musicali for 2023 throughout Term 4. Voci Musicali is our auditioned choir, comprised of approximately 24 students in Years 3 – 6. All students currently in Years 2 – 5 are welcome to audition. If you are interested in nominating your child to participate in the audition process, please click the link below and complete the form. Responses are due no later than Friday, October 21^st. Click Here

Year 1 and 3 parents – Strings and Band Recruiting for 2023

Instrumental Music Program will be sent home this week. These offers will contain information about instrument offered, enrolment contract, student resources form and loan agreement for larger hired instruments.

The parent night will be Thursday 27^th October – 6pm – school hall. This will be a very important night with all the information needed to join the program so please prioritise being there.

Please ensure you respond to this offer by Monday 31^st October. Any offers not submitted by this date will expire.

For further information, please contact Mrs Jennifer Bairstow at jbair51@eq.edu.au

News from Chappy Thu

Dear Families,

Welcome to Term 4! Things are really in full swing here at Ironside & honestly, it’s hard to believe it’s only Week 2! I have started using B Block this term & the students are loving the new space so far, with some asking if they could ‘stay forever’. It is a beautiful space & I’m so grateful to have it this term for a few Chappy Activities. I will be away on Year 5 camp next week, so Chappy Activities will resume officially in Week 5.

Additional Day!

Some keen observers may have noticed that there are activities on Wednesday now too! Well…I am happy to announce that thanks to the generous donations from the community, profits from the Father’s Day Breakfast (nearly $4,000), support from the P&C & support from the school, Chappy services are now officially available THREE days a week, on Wednesday, Thursday & Friday! I still remember how we were trying to raise money to sustain two days a week earlier in the year & now we have enough for 3 days! Not only will there be more break time activities now, we will also have more time for small group programs, individual support, classroom support, camp support, events & more. Our Ironside community is AMAZING!

Chappy Squad

The Chappy Squad is back & has grown to 78 members this term. We had our very first Squad meeting at first break today & everyone was excited to welcome the new members & to discuss our new activities. The Squad was informed of their teams & given their rosters. We also discussed our upcoming Gingerbread House Making night to be held on Thursday, Deceember 1^st from 6pm to 8pm. It will be a fun night for families to come together to catch up & build their houses. The Chappy Squad will also be holding a Make & Bake Stall where the proceeds will be donated to the RSPCA, which won the vote against strong contenders like the Smith Family, Make a Wish Foundation & the Cancer Council.

Upcoming School Events

TERM 4

Gingerbread House Making Night with Chappy Squad Make & Bake Stall – Thursday, December 1^st, 6pm to 8pm

Lastly…

If you have any questions or would like to volunteer at any of the activities, please email me at tklet0@eq.edu.au.
If you would like to join the Local Chaplaincy Committee (LCC) or find out more about what the committee does, please email our president, David, at mooresathome@internode.on.net
If would like to donate items such as origami paper, lollies, chocolates, crafts or games for Chappy Lounge or Care Packages, please drop off at the office.
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation, please do so here: https://www.suqld.org.au/donate/ironside-ss-chaplaincy-tax-deductible/

Until Next Time,

Chappy Thu