28 April 2023 - Term 2, Week 2

News from Mr Johnson

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to the second term of 2023. I trust that all families enjoyed the break over the Easter school holidays.

State Swimming Carnival

During week 10 of last term the 10-19 State Swimming Championships were held at Chandler Aquatic Centre. Ironside’s competing athletes participated in a tough meet against Queensland’s best swimmers. Many personal bests were achieved. Congratulations to Louis C, Rosie Z, Sam H, Mason D and Harriet W on your success. Representing your region (Metropolitan West) at a State Carnival is a wonderful achievement and experience.

Parking and Vehicle Movements

As a proactive measure I contacted the Brisbane City Council (BCC) late last term, seeking their support for greater patrolling and enforcement around Ironside State School. This has been in response to parent and community feedback regarding driver behaviour at school drop off and pick-up.

I have received confirmation from the BCC that Ironside is on their Programmed School Patrols for this quarter. The following is an excerpt from the BCC letter to me that I believe is useful and helpful for Ironside families.

As you are aware, child safety and illegal parking around school zones remains a concern for parents, children, local residents and schools alike. Parking spaces during pick up and set down times are at a premium and subsequently, competition for these spaces can lead to poor driver behaviour and potentially dangerous parking practices.

While it is certainly not Council’s intention to make parking near schools an overly onerous task, regulating parking activities is necessary to promote safe driving during pick up and drop off times. Over the next school term, Council officers will be conducting patrols around your school to ensure safe parking. Parking fines may be issued in cases where illegal parking is observed.

I would like to take this opportunity to ask that you encourage parents, guardians and visitors of your school to visit Council’s website at www.brisbane.qld.gov.au and search parking rules to learn more about parking in Brisbane.

I hope this information proves useful to our community.

Uniform Expectations

As we enter the cooler months, it’s timely to remind our families of the expectations around our uniform. If a school jacket or jumper is not possible (and this should be in the rarest of cases) then the required colour of jackets and jumpers is navy blue.

Along with adhering to our school dress code, remember to CLEARLY NAME AND LABEL your child’s uniform pieces.

This is the time of year when we start to see a constant and steady increase in lost property. Should uniforms items be handed in, we want to return them to their rightful owners as quickly as possible.

Our school P&C is the endorsing body of our school’s dress code. Wearing our uniform to its highest standard is one visible way we can demonstrate our collective pride in Ironside.

International Breakfast 2023

The countdown is on for our 2023 International Breakfast on Friday, 16^th June….

• What is International Breakfast?

This is special event which has been held at Ironside SS for many years. It is an opportunity for everyone to share and taste foods representing our many cultural groups across our school community.  Stalls are set up by our families representing our many cultural groups and is coordinated by the International Parent Group.   Each stall provides a selection of breakfast or snack type foods.  1 voucher is exchanged for 1 serving of food.  Everyone is encouraged to wear cultural dress on the day. 

• Date – Friday, 16^th June, 2023

• Time – 7:15am until 9:15am

• Location – Stalls will be set up in and around the Hall, under the Library basement and the near L block playground.  Families usually love to sit on the oval sharing food and time together.

Fire Ant – Information to Community

Fire ants are one of the world’s most invasive pests and they have the potential to devastate our environment, economy and the outdoor way of life we know and love. To stop the spread of fire ants, the Department of Education is collaborating with the National Fire Ant Eradication Program to manage fire ants across schools within South East Queensland. This important work will help protect our schools and community from the dangers posed by fire ants. 

An initial pilot program has treated 46 schools across the Logan, Ipswich, Somerset and Gold Coast City local government areas (Metropolitan and South East education regions). This will expand over the coming years to include additional schools. The treatment consists of applying two rounds of an insect growth regulator which sterilises the fire ant queen and prevents new ants from maturing into adults. These types of products are widely used in mosquito control programs, cockroach treatment and pet flea collars and when used according to instructions, are not harmful to humans, pets or wildlife.   

The first round of treatment occurred in early 2023 and round two is being completed during April and May. The fire ant bait is being applied by experienced pest management technicians.

The school treatment program supports efforts to eradicate fire ants within South East Queensland by suppressing the fire ant population in areas until eradication treatment takes place. Under the Biosecurity Act 2014 all Queenslanders have an obligation to manage biosecurity risks. The Department of Education is meeting its obligations by managing fire ants on land it owns or manages.  

The National Fire Ant Eradication Program is also running a range of community projects to provide residents in selected suburbs with free fire ant bait to treat their yards to support eradication goals. For the latest information on community projects or for more information about fire ants visit: https://www.fireants.org.au 

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

Warm regards,

Damian Johnson, Principal.

News from Mr Weston-Murdoch

Dear parents and caregivers,

Bridge Builders – Skill of the week (Week 2): Asking them to stop

Finding and maintaining friendships is not always an innate skill, and getting along with everybody all of the time is impossible.  In life, conflict is inevitable.  Children may try to resolve problems, but without an understanding of what to do and how do it, a successful outcome for both parties is unlikely.

There are seven skills that children need to overcome personal and social obstacles and to build a bride to move on from conflict confidently.  The first step in that process is “Asking them to stop”.

Asking someone to stop is something children can use in almost every conflict they have; however, it often doesn’t work as it is not done correctly or the other person is choosing to escalate the situation. It can be extremely helpful to give your child the tools to know how to ask someone to stop assertively. There are three keys factors that help this to be more successful:

• understanding the importance of body language,
• recognising tone of voice,
• using words that are powerful.

“Empowered for Life”; Jocelyne Chirnside

Around the classrooms – Prep: 

This week the Prep classes took time to commemorate ANZAC day with a number of special activities. We read stories like my Grandad Marches on ANZAC day and ANZAC Ted. We learned about the significance of ANZAC symbols like the poppy and rosemary. Each class made a special wreath for our school assembly. It was a great way for us to learn about the special part of Australian history.

Around the classrooms – Year 1: 

In Year 1 this term we are exploring how physical features and character traits can be described.  In 1E we explored the story “The Very Blue Thingamajig” and worked collaboratively with a partner to create interesting physical features using collage materials.  We have enjoyed using these descriptive words to add detail to our writing.

Around the classrooms – Year 2: 

In Year 2, we have been enhancing our understanding of place value by exploring three-digit numbers. To help with our learning, 2B made MAB monsters and calculated the value to see what their monsters were worth.

Kind regards,

Scott Weston-Murdoch

Deputy Principal P-2

News from Mr Davey

Welcome Back!

It was wonderful to see students back and ready to start the new term. With 2 short weeks to start Term 2, the teachers and students in Year 3 and 4 have hit the ground running and are already kicking goals.

News from Year 3

Last week on the 22^nd was Earth Day and 3B thought about 'What's my carbon footprint?' We discussed how many of our daily activities required energy. We discovered the energy needed for simple routines like having lights and the computer turned on produces the gas, carbon dioxide. Too much carbon dioxide harms the environment. We wondered about how we could reduce the amount of carbon dioxide going into our atmosphere. 

As a result of our discussions, we made some personal plans to try to reduce our carbon footprint. To help us think about Earth Day we designed a t-shirt with the message that we can all be active in looking after our earth!

Inquiry Learning in Year 3 and 4

This semester, our Year 3 and 4 students are continuing to develop their skills as inquiry learners by answering ‘big questions’ in English and HASS.

Year 3 English Big Question:

How do writers share information with readers?

Year 3 HASS Big Question:

Are we one or are we many?

Year 4 English Big Question:

How do writers share information with readers?

Year 4 HASS Big Question:

How does the past shape the future?

School Photos

Class, portrait and sibling photos will take place over the next two days – Thursday, 4/5 and Friday, 5/5.

Please see the schedule below for which day your child’s class photo will take place.

Sibling Photos

If you have ordered sibling photos, please ensure your children are at the hall between 8:00am – 8:50am on Thursday (4/5) OR Friday (5/5). The photographers will have a list with all sibling photo orders.

Photo Envelopes

Your child/children should have received a photo envelope. Please not that orders close at 5pm on Photo Day.

Religious Instruction

Religious Instruction will commence on Friday, 28^th April. This is an option available to all students in Years 1-6.

Faith groups who are offering RI at Ironside are:

• Catholic
• Combined Christian
• Islam
• Hindu
• Buddhism (Yr 3-6)

Students will be enrolled into the RI group aligned with the information provided on the enrolment form at the time of enrolment.  Should you wish to change the RI group that your child attends, please submit this advice in writing to: pdave16@eq.edu.au AND adhil27@eq.edu.au It is possible to change groups/cease attendance at any time.

Kind regards,

Peter Davey

Deputy Principal 3-4

pdave16@eq.edu.au. 

News from Mrs Bairstow

DATE CLAIMER – PARENT INFORMATION EVENING REGARDING SYDNEY CANBERRA CAMP

All 120 positions for the Year 6 camp to Sydney and Canberra are currently full.  There is a waiting list in operation.  Should you wish your name to be added to this list, please email me at jbair51@eq.edu.au

Parents of those students attending are invited to attend an information session about the trip on Thursday 18 May at 5.30pm. Information shared will include itinerary details and what to pack for the week.

Families are reminded that the full balance of payment for the camp is due on Friday 2 June.

Kind regards,

Jennifer Bairstow

Deputy Principal 5-6

jbair51@eq.edu.au. 

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Music News

Upcoming Dates

SHEP Brisbane – Congratulations

Congratulations to the following students who have been successful in receiving a place in the State Honours Ensemble Program – Brisbane (SHEP Brisbane).  This program is for students in year 6-9 who are performing at AMEB Gr 2 or higher (depending on the instrument) and they will participate in a weekend of music at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music in early June. 

Harriet W, Zacharias W, Hanyu X and Philip R.

AHEP – Congratulations

We want to congratulate Coco L who was ask to provide auditions of the prestigious Australian Honours Ensemble Program.  This program is usually only for high school students, performing at an extremely high standard.  We wish her well with her audition.

Junior Strings

The Junior Strings will begin with an afternoon workshop on Monday the 8^th of May.  We will meet at the hall at 12 and finish at 3pm.  All students involved in Junior Strings should have received a detailed email.  If you haven’t please contact Ms Weekes.

The Junior Strings will then have their ongoing rehearsals start on Monday the 15^th of May.  They will rehearse in the spare prep classroom from 8am on Mondays.

WestCent

Well done to all the students who attended the WestCent District Workshop auditions on Thursday.  They students presented and played well on the day.  Results will be out shortly.

Strings Outstanding Commitment - Awards for Term 1

Every week students work together in their small lessons groups on their practice, attendance and preparation for lessons.  From each year level one group receives the award for outstanding commitment to these goals.  The small groups below have earned the reward for term 1.  Keep up the great work

News from Chappy Thu

Dear Families,

Welcome back to Term 2! I trust you’ve all had a wonderfully relaxing break & I hope you are slowly enjoying the return of school routines & all the busyness that accompanies it 😊

Thank you so much to everyone who came to our Welcome Movie Night in Term 1! I’ve received nothing but positive feedback so far & I am so pleased that the Chaplaincy Team & the amazing volunteers (nearly 50 in total!) had the opportunity to bring such a fun community event back for the first time since COVID. Despite all we’ve been through the last few years, it feels as though we are still in it together & stronger than ever – thank you! If you have yet to see our video of the evening, please do so by visiting the Ironside Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/IronsideSSQLD).

• As some of you may know, Chaplaincy services are partially community funded & this year, we are hoping to raise $25,000 to maintain our 3 day service. Although numbers are yet to be finalised, the Movie Night is on track to raising over $7,000 towards our goal! What an outstanding effort by all involved! Thank you!

End of Term 1 Activites

We celebrated the end of Term 1 with a Chappy Awards Party, which was an opportunity to acknowledge the Chappy Squad for all their hard work during the term. Certificates were given to the top members as well as the top team. Congratulations to Rose (6F), Ella H (3F), Noah (5F), Owen (5F), Eva (3F), Sherwin (5F), Nethuli (3F), Valentine (4B), Geoffrey (5C), James (5C), Heidi (6F), Ilai (3B), Saksham (3B), Tingran (3C), Ben (4B), Alisa (5C), Kelly (3C), Sara (3C) & Shyah (6B) for being our top members from a squad of 90! Congratulations also to Team People for being our top team, earning a total of 86 stars for the term.

• We also celebrated with an Easter Club, which included a mini Easter egg hunt as well as Easter crafts. So much fun!

Term 2

The first two weeks of this term were dedicated to forming the new Chappy Squad. We currently have 127 members, distributed across 6 teams. The students all met for the first time yesterday to choose teams & vote for captains. With the growing interest in joining the Squad, I decided that we needed to have captains to help lead the team, answer questions & create team spirit. Captain & Deputy roles are based on team nominations, stamps earned from Term 1, year level & experience. I am proud to announce the following teams & their Captains:

If you have a student in Chappy Squad & would like more information about the program or if you would like to be added to a mailing list to receive reminders to pass on to your child, please email me at tklet0@eq.edu.au. Thank you!

Chappy Activities

With the new Squad established, we are ready to bring back Activities next week. The schedule for this term is as follows:

I will be away on the Wednesday of Week 4 for a Professional Development (PD) day, so Roster sign on will be on Thursday that week. Also, I am assisting Mr Malcom with the Ironside Chess Tournament, so there will be no Chappy Chat in Weeks 7 & 8.

And that’s all from me for now. Wishing you all a wonderful long weekend!

Until Next Time,

Chappy Thu

tklet0@eq.edu.au

Wednesday, Thursday & Friday

8am to 4pm

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