Ironside State School eNewsletter

News from Mrs Hawkswell

Hello Ironside Parents and Carers,

Somehow it feels like we arrived at the end of week 2 very quickly.

Welcome back and THANKS:
I wanted to officially welcome back our year 6 students and staff who spent their first week of term 3 enriching their understanding of many things as they visited Parliament, the Mint and the AIS just to name a few. I am sure your students came home excited to tell you of their adventures and also totally exhausted from the huge days that were involved. I want to thank all staff who gave up their days and nights with their loved ones to attend the Canberra camp – without their generosity, such experiences would not be afforded to our students!

I was part of my first assembly today which was very exciting. Our school captains led this so diligently. With the Chamber Strings as guest performers, it felt like we were at a concert. How proud everyone must be to be a part of the Ironside school community.

I am very fortunate to have been given the privilege of joining such an amazing team.

There was a little excitement this morning with several police from Indooroopilly Station arriving and visiting with me to follow up an issue, it was nice to make contact with our local officers. Please assure the students ‘I was not in any trouble’ 😊

Gifted Education Program - Semester 2, 2023
As shared at the May P&C Meeting last term, our Gifted Education Program is recommencing in Semester 2, 2023. This program will be different to the previous gifted education models conducted under the guidance of Mrs McDonald and Mr Henderson.

This new program will be based on our inquiry processes, where students will engage in a passion project, drawing on their understanding of the:

Phases of Inquiry; and
Learner Assets.

The purpose for this restructured model is to provide a point of comparison to the previously implemented program in order to inform and support future decisions in the space.

Identification and selection for this program is currently underway. Deputy Principals, Heads of Curriculum and Classroom Teachers will be using multiple sources of academic data and diagnostic assessments to determine student eligibility and suitability to participate in this program.
Returning to Ironside on Mondays and Tuesdays is Mrs Alice Metcalfe who will be the Gifted Education Program co-ordinator for this semester. As such, this program will be offered to our Year 3 – 6 students who meet the aforementioned criteria.
Mrs Metcalfe will be meeting with eligible and suitable students from Week 3 and providing communication to parents regarding the more salient details of this program in the coming weeks.

Please remember that differentiation (extension and/or scaffolded support) occurs in every classroom across our school. Teachers develop and implement appropriate learning opportunities for the students in their class.

As always, should you wish to discuss your child’s academic progress, your classroom teacher is the most appropriate staff member to have this conversation with.

School Opinion Survey:
The annual suite of School Opinion Surveys is conducted in Term 3 and will close on 18 August 2023. All families, school staff and students in years 5 and 6 should now have been invited to participate. The invitation will be sent from the Department of Education, not the school, and it will have the subject line School Opinion Survey for parents and caregivers, 2023. Check your junk email folders if you can’t find it. If your family has more than one parent/caregiver, check that they haven’t received the invitation. The survey can be completed as soon as the invitation is received and will take approximately 5 minutes using a computer, tablet or smart phone.

We encourage you to take this opportunity to have your say about what our school does well, and how we can improve.

Parents/caregivers who do not have access to the internet at home are welcome to complete their survey online at the school. School computers/tablets will be available.

Parents can also be provided with survey translations if it is required. Please contact our office and these can be emailed to you or you can come and collect a hard copy. The translation options are listed below.

2023 parent/caregiver survey translations

CONGRATULATIONS!
Recently, Sam W represented Met West in AFL.

Sam should be very proud of his effort across the games, with his team finishing fourth at the Championships held in Maroochydore. Sam was one of only two 11-year-olds in the team, but he also had to work hard to overcome a foot fracture he suffered recently in order to even make the carnival. Well done Sam!

TRAFFIC Update:
Finding parking and/ or picking up children in and around schools is always tricky at those peak morning and afternoon times.

Below is correspondence I have recently received indicating Mr Johnson and our P & C President were working with local councillor, James Mackay, to have traffic compliance officers be more visible at Ironside – with the safety of our students and all road users as the priority.

Dear Principal and P & C President,

You'll be pleased to know that because of the advocacy that we've done together as a team, I have been advised that Council compliance officers will once again be focusing their proactive compliance efforts on Ironside State School through term 3.

Officers will make regular visits to ensure parking rules are complied with, with the goal of improving student safety.

This is a great outcome for the students and community and I thank you for continuing to work with me to improve safety around the school.

I'd be delighted if you could pass this on to the school community.

Kind regards

Cr James Mackay
Councillor for Walter Taylor Ward

First of all, my gratitude and reminders:

Thank you to our parent drivers who do make good decision and put the safety of our students first
Please be very aware of the ‘no standing’ zones in the major streets that form boundaries for our school – parking there makes it very dangerous for our crossing supervisor and other cars or buses using our roads
REMEMBER the pick-up zone is a 2-minute zone – we ask that you do not enter these zones to park, try not to even enter the zone until just after 3 pm as students cannot get there before then

Now for my concerns:
I have been out and about some afternoons just observing the parent behaviour and how our pick-up zones are used. While the majority of parent driver behaviour is considered and safe, I have observed many drivers:

Ignoring the road rules and parking over yellow lined sections;
Parking in the bus zone; and
Parking in the pick-up zone during the time it is designated as a “2 -Minute Zone” and then leaving their vehicle– this then blocks the zone, stopping the flow, and frustrating other drivers

I ask that we all reflect on your responsibility as a road user. My key message is always let’s work together, to ensure we keep our students and community members SAFE.

Have a lovely weekend - Amanda

Amanda Hawkswell
Principal

Merit Certificates

Term 3 - Week 2 recipients.

News from Mr Weston-Murdoch

Dear parents and caregivers,
Welcome back! It has been a chilly start to the term. Our junior school students have settled back into routines marvellously.

REVISION: Bridge Builders - Skill of the week (Week 1): Behaviour is a choice
Taking responsibility for the choices we make is a sign of maturity. The primary school years are an ideal time to introduce both an understanding of possible choices and the skills needed to show that children have control over behaviours. Simply put, children can either choose to be friendly or they can choose to cause a conflict.

We need to provide clarity for children in what choices are friendly and those that cause conflict. We must not assume that children understand the differences. It is vital to teach the language of friendly and conflict choices, so that these can be discussed as they arise.

With younger children, it is extremely important to help them understand by modelling appropriate language, tone and body language.

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

2024 Prep Enrolment Process

1. Pre-Enrolment Information

Prep Information Video: Our pre-enrolment Prep information video is now accessible on the school website. The purpose of this video is to provide an overview and general information in regards to the enrolment process and what you and your child can expect in the first year of school.
ISS Website https://ironsidess.eq.edu.au/Enrolments/Prep/Pages/Prep.aspx

2. Enrolment Applications (from Term 3)

Prep 2024 Enrolment Pack is available on our website.
Applicants must be currently living in the Ironside Catchment and be able to supply supporting evidence as per the criteria in the Ironside State School Enrolment Management Plan.

There is no waitlist and no cap on enrolments.

Enrolment Management Plan (from 30 June 2017)

No out of catchment enrolments.
No sibling policy.
Must be intending to stay for 12+ months.
All applications require the execution of the Ironside State School Statutory Declaration which confirms the student’s residence in the catchment and the parents’ acknowledgment that they must reside in the catchment for the duration of their child’s enrolment.
Ongoing checks that students reside in catchment.

3. 2024 Enrolment Interview

After your application has been reviewed and approved by our Enrolments Officer, you will be provided details regarding an enrolment interview. Four days have been allocated to this process.

Friday

13 October

Friday

20 October

Friday

27 October

Friday

03 November

Further details about our Prep enrolment interviews are available on the school website.

https://ironsidess.eq.edu.au/enrolments/prep/2024-prep-enrolment-information

If you have any questions regarding the enrolment application and required documentation, please contact enrolments@ironsidess.eq.edu.au.

Around the classrooms – Prep:
WOW how lucky for our prep students that they get to celebrate 100 days of learning (and adventure) in the first week of Term 3. What a wonderful way to start off our new term!

All of our prep classes have been keeping a tally of how many days we have been at school since day one of term one. Finally, we made it to 100!

All of our prep classes spent the day doing lots of fun activities based around the number 100. We had a lovely time creating crowns to wear, using 100 pieces of craft material to collage a 100, using 100 paper cups, paddle pop sticks or blocks to build something AMAZING, keeping active by moving in different ways for 100 seconds and best of all enjoying a special celebration cake or ice-cream! Mrs. Hawksell (our new Principal) and Mr. Weston Murdoch even dropped into our classrooms to join in the fun.

It was fun 100 x over….

FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN

FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN !

*Fun Fact for 100 to finish... Did you know there are 100 letter tiles in a game of Scrabble?

Around the classrooms – Year 1:
Last term, Year 1 was visited by Greg Dreise, an indigenous author and illustrator. This term we are continuing to explore stories and are working on sharing our retell with others. In 1E we started the term by looking at “Ninni Yabini”, a story about a family of native black swans on Noongar land. We have researched the features of swans and enjoyed retelling the story with our friends.

Around the classrooms – Year 2:
In Year 2, we are investigating ‘What makes a story a good story?’ We started by brainstorming our ideas of what makes stories engaging and entertaining. We are now reading, viewing and sharing stories with our classmates. We are looking forward to writing our own narratives!

Kind regards,

Scott Weston-Murdoch
Deputy Principal P-2

News from Mrs Cowan-Dillon

Term 3 is off to a busy start!

Year 3 Street ScienceOur Year 3 students were lucky enough to start the term with a visit from Street Science!

Each class got to do some experiments about heat. In one of the experiments, we had 2 liquids – a yellow and a green liquid. We added a powder to the yellow liquid and it fizzed and the thermometer told us it got really cold. When we added a different material to the green liquid, the thermometer told us it got really hot.

At the end of the day, Dr Sharon put on a very exciting presentation! She filled a balloon with hydrogen gas. When she put a flame near the balloon it exploded!

When Dr Sharon added a liquid that contained copper to the balloon, the explosion was green!
From Jasmine, Sara and Oscar in 3C

Year 4 Sustainability
Year 4 have been sustainability superheroes this week!

4D have been thinking about the big picture and considering WHY we need to recycle. They have thought about the waste we produce and our responsibilities in looking after our beautiful planet. Thanks to Ahnat, Lagaia and Guatam for your colourful reminders about the importance of staying green!

4F have also been inquiring into the importance of sustainable actions and have been mind-mapping ideas about improving our approach to waste at Ironside. Groups worked together to communicate their ideas about creating a cleaner campus on eye-catching poster. Just take a look at all their suggestions to keep our spaces clean at Ironside!

MLTAQ Brisbane Languages Speech Contest
Sunday 6 August 2023 from 9am

This is a great opportunity for our students to show their progress in Languages!

Students interested in representing the school at the 2023 MLTAQ Brisbane Languages Speech Contest, organised by the Modern Language Teachers' Association of Queensland and Griffith University, are invited to express their interest.

There are 2 categories:

Background speaker:
Contestant’s mother and/or father’s first language is the language of the division or has completed between three months to 2 years of language compulsory education in country.

Non-background speakers: Other students
Places are limited to 4 students per year level for Non-background speakers and 3 students per year level for Background speakers.

PARENTS MUST ENSURE STANDARD EQ/SCHOOL MEDIA CONSENT HAS BEEN GIVEN FOR EACH CONTESTANT.

More information at https://www.mltaq.asn.au/brisbane-languages-speech-contest-2023.html

Japanese News
Summer in Japan is festival time. Even though it’s winter here in Australia, we don’t have to miss out on celebrations. Please see the following.

Japan Culture Day, Sunday, 6 August at Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens will feature live performances such as tea ceremony, bonsai, ikebana, rice pounding and more!

Matsuri Brisbane, Saturday, 2 September at Whites Hill State College. Further details at https://www.matsuribrisbane.com/

The Consulate-General Japan, Brisbane offers lots of information about Japan related events in and around Brisbane. You can find their events calendar here https://www.brisbane.au.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/jicc_event_calendar.html.

Kind regards,

Alice Cowan-Dillon
Acting Deputy Principal
acowa13@eq.edu.au

News from Mrs Lee

Last week, our Year 6 students kicked off the new term with a trip to Canberra. They visited key landmarks in the nation’s capital, gaining a first-hand experience of our country's history and culture.

During the week, they toured several national exhibits, learning more about Australia's past and its development over the years. They spent time at the National Museum of Australia, learning about Aboriginal heritage, colonial history, and our multicultural society. They also paid a visit to the Australian War Memorial, which provided a meaningful understanding of our nation's history in warfare.

A highlight of the trip was a visit to the Australian Institute of Sport. The students enjoyed exploring the training facilities and participating in Sportex, an interactive sports exhibit. This gave them a glimpse into the world of professional sports and the importance of fitness and teamwork.

Our students also had the opportunity to visit Parliament House, gaining insights into the processes and intricacies of the legislative system. They witnessed the democratic process in action, an experience that was both intriguing and informative.

Throughout the week, students were enthusiastic and respectful, making us proud of their behaviour and engagement. Our bus drivers and staff at the places we visited complimented them on their attentiveness and thoughtful questions.

Trips like this enrich the everyday learning in our classrooms, broadening our students' perspective. We're grateful to the staff members who accompanied the students on this trip, ensuring their safety and contributing to their learning.

Looking ahead, we're excited about the learning opportunities for both our Year 6 and Year 5 students this term.

Shelley Lee
Acting Deputy Principal

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Term 3 Events

News from Chappy Thu

Dear Families,
Welcome back to Term 3! I hope you all had a fun and relaxing break filled with wonder and perhaps even new discoveries. Personally, my kids and I became aware of Tiny Doors hidden all around Brisbane! We, of course, had to embark on an adventure to find as many as we could! Unfortunately there is no complete list or map of the doors, but we used this website as a guide to start us off before finding more 😊 https://www.mustdobrisbane.com/features/brisbanes-secret-tiny-doors

At the end of Term 2, we celebrated with Silly Sock Day and an inflatable! Thank you so much to the Chaplaincy Team, the school, the P&C and the community for making it possible! I especially want to thank all the staff who came to help supervise as well as the ones who helped to send out and collect permission forms, Tony for helping me with all the big transactions, Alice for helping with all the paperwork, Annika and Ngaire for sharing their break time supervision space with me, Mick for helping to set up, Dilani, Jeremie, Jules and Neil for helping to pack up, Mandy and her team at St Lucia Uniting Church for helping me with all the cards and cupcakes for teachers and helping to supervise during first break and of course, all the students for their outstanding socks, incredible behaviour, overflowing joy and endless enthusiasm! It was so much fun!

Chappy Squad
A new term means a new squad! We had 170 students interested in being part of the squad this term, but unfortunately, I could only select 126 to have 6 teams of 21 each. I am in awe by the immense interest in the program and although I wish I could take all students, I know it is important to keep Chappy Activities safe and fun for everyone. We will have a new squad in Term 4, so please encourage an students to apply again if they were not selected this term.

I have spent Week 1 finalising the squad and this week, they all came together to choose their new teams, team name and team captains. Congratulations to the new teams and their leaders!

The Squad roster is outlined below. Please remind students that they can roster on once EVERY WEEK. On their ‘special’ week, they can choose 3 activities to help at instead of just one (if they want to).

If you have a student in Chappy Squad and 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. I understand that not all parents have been receiving correspondence and I am looking into alternative ways to communicate besides the newsletter and emails. Thank you for your patience!

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

Since we will not be at school for EKKA Wednesday (Week 6), Sign on will be on Thursday instead. For any Fire Dragon members who are particularly keen, they can also sign on in Week 5 for Week 6 activities. Also for the members who are worried they will miss out on stars because they miss Origami Club, I will give each member one extra star. (Yes, squad members are VERY keen and I’ve already had many, many conversations about how to keep the rostering and star system fair. Aren’t Ironside students just the best? 😊)

Week 8 will be preparing for our big chaplaincy fundraiser for the term, the annual Father’s Day Breakfast to be held on Thursday, 31 August! I anticipate being extremely busy, so I will not be running break time activities this week. More information about the event will be available in coming weeks.

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

Until Next Time,

Chappy Thu
tklet0@eq.edu.au
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
8am to 4pm