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12 May 2023 - Term 2, Week 4

News from Mr Johnson

Dear Parents,

Congratulations to our P-2 Merit Certificate recipients

Last week we had a different P-2 assembly as the hall was being used for our 2023 school photos.

Last Friday, just prior to first break, our P-2 students gathered in the oasis for a couple of short messages and to recognise the Merit Certificate recipients.

Despite being a little bit cramped, the oasis was a beautiful space to gather outdoors on a lovely day to recognise our wonderful P-2 students.

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

This is a 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 cultures 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.

Recognising P&C members in state schools on 19 May

On P&C Day, 19 May, we celebrate our P&C volunteer superstars for their support and the hard work they do in school communities 🌟🏫📚.

We recognise our P&C members who offer invaluable help improving educational facilities, resources and student outcomes. Visit the Education website for more information. #PandCDay

URL/Link for more information: https://education.qld.gov.au/parents-and-carers/parent-participation/p-and-c

May is Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month

May is Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month. Our school joins with all Queenslanders in working to prevent domestic and family violence in all its forms. The Department of Education provides students with quality respectful relationships education to help them establish relationships based on gender equity and respect. Visit the Respectful Relationships Education Hub to learn more. The Queensland Government’s Domestic and family violence website has downloadable resources available in 32 languages.

Links:

https://www.qld.gov.au/community/getting-support-health-social-issue/support-victims-abuse/domestic-family-violence/my-situation-is/how-do-i-help-my-community-understand-domestic-violence/domestic-and-family-violence-prevention-month

Neurofibromatosis Month

Neurofibromatosis is a complex set of genetic conditions that cause tumors to form on nerve tissue.

Neurofibromatosis awareness month is held each year in May to improve understanding of the signs and symptoms of NF and to share stories of people affected by the condition.

Talking openly about NF can be the first step in building understanding and acceptance umongst peers.

One of the many ways you can get involved is by buying and wearing a $5 ribbon. Blue and green are the two colours that represent NF globally.

We will have a small number of ribbons on sale at our front office. Any support for this worthy cause is appreciated.

All the very 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 3): Ignore and Don’t React

Ignoring or not reacting to conflict is much easier said than done. Without clear guidance about how to do this, and when to do it, many children will quickly say, “That doesn’t work.” This means that they lose a powerful toll that does have its place in dealing with difficult behaviour.

Ignore and Don’t React should be used either when the child doesn’t know the other person and there is no need to resolve, or when the other person is trying to get a rise or reaction out of them.

Some tips for effectively ignoring and not reacting are:

Take a deep breath and relax your body
Don’t look at the person
Thinks of something else
Move to a safe place

When children choose not to react they are showing they have the power to stay emotionally calm.

Bridge Builders – Skill of the week (Week 4): Share and Take Turns

Not sharing or not taking turns is often one of the biggest causes of conflict in a home. Helping children to recognise that when they choose this skill there are three benefits for them including:

They might share with you.
You become better friends.
You feel good.

Help your child to practise sharing. You could stay nearby and encourage them so they don’t forget to share. When your child does try to share, be specific with praising what they shared and add ‘You must feel so proud of yourself to be so generous. Well done.’

You can build your child’s sharing skills by watching for and praising good turn-taking, encouraging fairness and explaining about sharing. Simple activities that involve sharing and taking turns like kicking soccer goals or shooting basketball hoops can be helpful. Model sharing in your behaviour with others. At home, look for opportunities to share things with your partner. When you and your friends are together, make a point of sharing and describe it as you do so. Young children are great observers and imitators.

“Empowered for Life”; Jocelyne Chirnside

Around the classrooms – Prep:

In Prep Maths this term, we have been looking at the different ways we can sort objects and make groups with similar properties. In Prep D, we used a large collection of old buttons and the children worked in pairs, deciding how to sort them. Some of the ways the buttons were sorted were by colour, by size, by “interesting texture” and by the number of holes they had. This activity promoted not only an understanding of sorting but built the children’s skills as collaborators and communicators.

Around the classrooms – Year 1:

HASS Inquiry Unit – We are learning how to make an effective invitation for an event. We have discovered that an invitation is used to inform others of an event happening – details are important. We have also learned that it is important to think about colour choices, font size and type, pictures and layout to make our invitation pop!

Digital Technology – We have been visiting the computer lab to learn new skills with computers. We are able to log-on and off, save our work and problem-solving skills when an issue arises. We can’t wait to further build our skills this year.

Maths – We love Maths in Year One! We have been learning about two-digit numbers this semester. We are collaborators, working in pairs to show our numbers in many different ways.

Around the classrooms – Year 2:

In Science we are learning about living things and the changes they go through in their lives. The children have their own mealworms to care for. We are investigating the changes that occur over time and comparing these with the lifecycles of other animals. They have been intrigued by some of the observations they are making.

Some of their wondering are:

“What will the mealworm look like when it grows?”

“How long will it take for the mealworm to grow?”

“Why do different animals have different life cycles?”

We are very intrigued!

Kind regards,

Scott Weston-Murdoch

Deputy Principal P-2

News from Mr Davey

Inquiry in English

English in Year 3

This term sees our Year 3 students working through the phases of inquiry to answer the big question – How do writers share information with readers?

Students are using their skills as an inquiry learner to:
understand how authors create texts to inform readers about living things and their lifecycles.
explore how language and visual features can be used to inform.
explore the structure of informative texts.
understand how details can be used to support ideas.

English in Year 4

This term sees our Year 4 students working through the phases of inquiry to answer the big question – How do writers share information (their ideas, research and findings) with readers?

Students are using their skills as an inquiry learner to:

read, view and comprehend texts created to inform audiences
describe how language features including literary devices, and visual features shape meaning
read fluently and accurately, integrating phonic, morphemic, grammatical and punctuation knowledge
use paragraphs to organise and link ideas
use language features including complex sentences, topic-specific vocabulary and visual features

All students in Years 3 and 4 will be using the Learning Assets below to help complete their inquiry.

Bridge Builders’ Skill of the Week – Talk and Listen

Often children’s conflicts are not complicated, and providing the skills to communicate empowers them to solve their problems quickly. However, constructive communication can be like playing a sport. There are rules, expectations and goals that both sides have, and if students don’t understand these or have the necessary skills they can quickly find that trying to talk or listen to the other person just makes the conflict worse. The art of communication involves awareness of body language, tone of voice and the words to use.

Tips to teach this skill at home:

Calm down first. This avoids attacking or defending. It helps you to be understood and understand.

Explain how you feel and what specifically the other person has done that has upset you.
Describe what you want to happen instead.
When listening, reflect back what they said.

Show understanding of their feelings and provide a response to what they have said that might lead to preventing the conflict from being continued.

Encourage children to practise using Talk and Listen when they have a conflict with siblings or they are trying to talk something out with you.

The more parents use this language and demonstrate it the more confident children will be to Talk and Listen to others.

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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HPE News

Ironside Cross Country

Congratulations to our Ironside cross country age champions and to Cook house for winning with the most house points. Further congratulations go out to all our runners who participated in the district cross country trial. You have done your school proud.

IRONSIDE STATE SCHOOL

Year 3-6 Athletics Carnival: Tuesday 13 June, 2023

Dear Parents, Guardians and Students,

This year’s athletics carnival for Years 3-6 will be held at the University of Queensland’s Athletics Centre (Sir William Macgregor Dr, St Lucia) on Tuesday 13 June.

Permission

All students in years 3 to 6 will be attending this event as it is part of the HPE program at Ironside. If for any reason you do not want your child to participate in this event and will be keeping them at home, please send an email to jclar577@eq.edu.au and let me know so we have an accurate record of all the students present on the day.

The Day’s Events

All field events, as well as the 100m and 200m sprint, will take place on the day across all ages. Students will be participating in all field events, either in the competitive section or the house points section. Students will nominate for the running events in which they wish to compete. Students are encouraged to select at least one running event. The 800m races will occur on the afternoon of Friday June 9^th at Jack Cook Park.

8 & 9 year old students (regardless of year level) will NOT be participating in either the 800m or discus events and will have only 5 events on the day. In accordance with Qld School Sport guidelines, only 10, 11 & 12 year old students are eligible for district nomination, therefore our younger students will not be disadvantaged by the decision to exclude these events from their program. Thank you for your understanding.

Any student wishing to qualify for district 1500m must attend the trials on the morning of Tuesday, June 6^th at 7:45am at Jack Cook Park. This event is solely for district nomination and is not associated with the carnival and does not count towards age champion.

Carnival Timing and Event Program

Students will be expected to arrive at school early on carnival day to travel by seat belted bus to and from UQ with their class teacher. There is a fee of $8.00 per child for venue and bus hire. Invoices will be sent by email for this event.

All Year 3 & Year 6 students MUST be at school by 8.00am on carnival day to meet on the basketball court and depart on the first buses by 8:10am.
All Year 4 & Year 5 students MUST be at school by 8.20am to meet on the basketball court and depart on the second buses by 8:30am.

*Please note that the carnival will run long and students will travel back to school on buses at the end of the day. The first buses will bring the students back by approximately 3:20pm and the second buses will be back at approximately 3:40pm.

Food and Eating Times

Where in the past there has been a dedicated lunch time, this year we will be removing this in the interests of keeping the flow of the day going and saving time. Students will have multiple opportunities to snack or eat lunch during both the field event and running portions of the day. There will be a canteen this year, although certain items like lollies, ice creams and soft drinks will not be made available to the students to purchase. There will be cold water available throughout the day from various points in the stands and around the field event facilities. Parents will have access to the Saint Lucy Caffe e Cucina which is just a short walk away.

Sprint Finals

Approx. 2:20-3:00pm

Boys and girls 200m Finals

Boys and girls 80m/100m Finals

Parking

Parents are more than welcome to come and watch the athletics carnival.

Parking

The car parks identified to the north and south of Oval 8 (P 7 & P9) are Park and Pay, or casual parking, at $5.00 for the day. Pay by Plate or pay by App devices are located in these parking areas. Both these car parks tend to be filled probably by 8:30 am
The parking area to the east of Oval 8 (P8) - just across the road from the Athletic Centre grandstand - is a two level Parking Station. Pay by Plate or pay by App devices at $5.00 per day are available. Both levels are usually filled by 8:00 am.
The area along Sir William MacGregor Drive and the river is also Park and Pay at $5.00 per day. A number Pay by App devices are located between the track and the Ferry jetty. There are usually some spots along the river prior to 8:00 am while the university is in session.
P10 Car Park (under the synthetic turf and UQ Centre by the UQ Aquatic Centre) is casual parking on an hourly basis at a charge of $2.50 per hour and usually has spaces available.

Please Note the Following Change has occurred re Casual Parking:

Pay by Plate Machines are available for use on the upper level of the Parking Station opposite the track. Simply enter your vehicle’s registration plate details and pay by coins or credit card. There’s no need to return to your vehicle to display a paper ticket, just continue to your destination. If you require a receipt note the 4 digit receipt number or take a photo of the receipt. Then go on line to request your receipt
Pay by Cello Park App is available as well. The following is the link to download the App - https://www.cellopark.com.au/Site/register

Running Events

Running race selection can be done by clicking on the link below and selecting from the races that your child is eligible for. It would be preferable that each student participates in at least one race so as not to spend an extended period of time in the stands spectating.

2023 Athletics Carnival Running Race Selection Form

Competitive Field Event Trials

As mentioned above, in regard to the field events, there will be a house points competition that will focus on participation and a competitive competition in which age championship points and ribbons will be awarded. To be eligible for the competitive competition, students must attend trials for each event that they are interested in participating in. All trials are on the school oval with the exception of long jump, which will be at Jack Cook Park. The following is the field event trial schedule:

If you have any questions regarding the athletics carnival, please email me at jclar577@eq.edu.au and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you very much for your continued support of your child and the health and physical education department at Ironside.

Regards,

Jeremie Clarke-Okah & Megan English

HPE Specialists

International Parent Group News

International Breakfast 2023 Update

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

This is shaping up to be a wonderful community event for our school. Thank you so much to those families who have already offered to coordinate and/or assist with stalls. We have lots of room for more stalls and the students really love to see their nationality represented. Our last International Breakfast in 2022 hosted over 30 stalls!

So far we have the following stalls confirmed –

Japan, China, Turkiye, Iran, Chile, Mexico, Iraq, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Croatia, Lebanon, Burma, Israel, Madagascar, Colombia, Bolivia, Oman, Russia, Korea, Germany and Malaysia.

If you are interested in either coordinating or helping on a stall, please contact Kylie Sommerfeld (ksomm2@eq.edu.au).

Music News

Upcoming Dates

WESTCENT DISTRICT WORKSHOP – Congratulations

Well done to all the students who worked hard and presented at auditions for the WestCent District Workshop. Our students were well prepared and represented our school with pride.

Congratulations to the following students who received a place at WestCent District Workshop. This year over 400 students auditioned on the day.

Ironside Strings will be very well represented at the workshop with 25% of the strings places going to Ironside students – Well Done.

Centenary Intermediate Strings

This year there was a large number of string students who auditioned for the WestCent Workshop. With so many students missing out the string teachers in the district are offering a one day workshop for those not offered a place at the WestCent Workshop. There is still only limited spaces for 80 students. So congratulations to the following students who received a place for the Centenary Intermediate Strings Workshop.

Junior Strings

The Junior Strings will be having their first rehearsal on Monday the 15^th of May. They will rehearse in the spare prep classroom from 8am on Mondays.

AMUSA

A special mention this fortnight – Coco Li has completed her AMusA on the violin last week. This result is equivalent to a degree and she can now officially write her name Coco Li AMusA. This is an outstanding achievement for any student, especially a primary school student and is the culmination of many, many years of very hard work. Congratulations Coco!

QYMA

The Chamber Strings orchestra performed at the Queensland Youth Music Awards on Wednesday night at St Peeters. The students played exceptionally well and were rewarded with First Place and retain the trophy for another year. Well Done to the students, they should be very proud of their performance, it was really beautiful on the night.

Junior Choirs Mini-Concert

The Year 1 & Year 2 Choirs will be performing their repertoire at a mini-Concert on the last day of school this term. Families are welcome to attend.

Date: Friday 23^rd June

Time: 10:15 am - 10:45 am

Location: School Hall

Singfest

Students involved in Singfest later this year will be commencing rehearsals from Week 5 this term.

When: Tuesday mornings

Time: 8 am - 8:50 am

Location: School Hall

News from Chappy Thu

Dear Families,

As some of you may have heard, the phenomenal International Breakfast is back this year & I cannot wait to see our diverse culture represented at all the stalls. Last year, we had 30 stalls & I was astounded to see & experience what our community had to offer from food & drink to amazing outfits! For me, the best part was hearing all the stories of childhood memories, unforgettable meals, incredible family & friendships that have spanned across oceans & time.

I am proud to be part of the International Breakfast committee this year, led by the amazing Kylie Somerfield & I cannot wait to see you all there! If you are interested in organising a stall or cooking for a stall, please do not hesitate to contact Kylie for an information pack (ksomm2@eq.edu.au). The event wouldn’t be what it is without each & every one of you!

On a more sombre note, Jo Cuneen, a much loved staff member lost her battle with cancer a few weeks ago. She was a beautiful soul, a lover of life, a wonderful mother & friend to all. Her infectious positive, can do attitude & her warm smile will certainly be missed at Ironside, but her legacy will live on through the all the lives she touched during her time here. In Jo’s honour, Maryam, a wonderful ESO at Ironside is organising a Cancer Council Morning Tea on Friday, May 26^th in the EALD room for parents from 9am & in the Staff Room from 10:50am. Everyone is welcomed to come. You may also bring a dish to share or donate to the Cancer Council (https://www.biggestmorningtea.com.au/fundraisers/maryamheravi) if you wish.

Chappy Squad

After the last newsletter, some people were asking what the difference was between the Chappy Squad & Chappy Activities. Great question! The two tend to go hand in hand, but the main difference is that Chappy Activities are open to all students whilst the Chappy Squad is a group of students who have applied & were selected to help at Activities. They sign on to a roster each week & are given badges & roles at each activity. Roles include Sign In Monitor, Music Monitor, Craft Monitor & more! Once a member, they commit to Squad Promises as shown below.

Squad Members earn stars each time they help & once they reach 50, they will be presented with a badge on assembly. Here is our current leader board:

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

Chappy Activities have returned & have been very popular over the last fortnight! They are not quite in full swing yet since I have been away on training & other commitments, but we have had over 100 students participate (not including Chappy Squad members) each week across all the activities. Our focus in Week 3 was Friendship & the students made a beautiful Friendship Tree & had a Friendship themed drawing contest. Week 4 was dedicated to all our wonderful Mother’s in celebration of Mother’s Day. We had mum themed crafts & enjoyed bubbles around the amazing P&C Mother’s Day Stall! Disco Club was filled with music, colourful streamers, parachutes & costumes!

Special thanks to Shyah & Tracey for creating such fun & memorable parachute games for the students; James for his enthusiasm for costumes & ability to engage all the younger students; Andrea for always being on time, for her kindness to all & her amazing creativity, Ella, Artharva & Coper for their resilience, patience & persistence with our new big bubble device that didn’t quite work as expected in Week 3; Heidi, Rose & Jiwoo for their leadership, creativity & patience in our Friendship Tree craft; Owen, Noah & Sherwin for their consistent thoughtfulness & willingness to always help where needed & Charlize for her enthusiasm, punctuality & thoughtfulness when helping with Bubble Friday.

Chaplaincy Committee

The Chaplaincy Committee is a group of dedicated staff & parents who help organise & run events such as Movie Night, Father’s Day Breakfast & Gingerbread Night. The Committee also contributes to Chaplaincy at Ironside by supporting & brainstorming ideas for all the activities & programs that the Chaplain runs through the year. We meet once or twice a term to discuss all things chaplaincy & would love to have new members, especially anyone willing to take on executive roles. Our current president, David Moore, is sadly leaving Ironside next year as his youngest will be off to high school, so in particular, we are looking for a new president. If you are interested in joining the committee or would like more information, please email me at tklet0@eq.edu.au. Thank you!

Supporting Chaplaincy

I’ve had several people asking me over the last few weeks about how they can support chaplaincy. The main way you can help is through volunteering at our events such as Movie Night, Father’s Day Breakfast or Gingerbread Night. We will have a Silly Sock Day in Week 10, so if you are interested in helping with that, please let me know.

If you are looking to donate goods this term, I am especially looking for bubble solution. I usually buy the 2L bottles from Kmart which are around $7 each. I would also appreciate craft paper or origami paper as well as treats for Chappy Lounge like Malteasers, Freckles, M&Ms, Natural Confectionary gummies, Oreos or small packets of chips.

You are also welcomed to donate money directly to chaplaincy, which will go to funding resources for Chaplaincy Services. All donations are tax deductible & if you wish to do so, please use this link: https://www.suqld.org.au/donate/ironside-ss-chaplaincy-tax-deductible/

Mother's Day

Happy Mother’s Day to all our amazing mothers in our community! It’s not always easy, but it will be worth it! No matter how much you do or how you feel on any particular day, please know that it is enough & deeply appreciated ❤