Ironside State School eNewsletter

News from Mrs Hawkswell

Hello Ironside Parents and Carers,

Celebrations at Ironside:

Stars of the Month -

Today I was part of the assembly where we acknowledged the chosen upper school Stars of the Month. What an amazing way to recognise these exemplary students.

The upper School Stars of the Month recognised today stars recognised today were –

- Adya B 3E
- Oscar R 3C
- Kerrman D 4C
- Maddie P 4B
- Melissa D 5A
- Selene A 5F
- Mason D 5D
- Coco L 6E
- Xiao N 6C

Musical Excellence -

This week I was also able to immerse myself a little deeper into the ironside musical culture. I went to Redlands to see all of our string’s performers (both the Small Group Ensembles and our Chamber Strings) perform as part of the Redlands Eisteddfod. While we did not take out first prize on this occasion it was evident the level of practise and dedication to their craft these students exhibited. Thank you to Ms Weekes for all of the work ethic and performance confidence you have built within these groups. Thank you also to our parents for your support with practise and for driving them to attend these performance opportunities.

Something new is coming –

Parents and staff have indicated that we also pride ourselves on having many keen chorists at Ironside, but that our senior students have not had this opportunity to sing in a while. Our leadership team is working to source a music teacher one day per week for the rest of this year (at this stage) to reignite our year 3 /4 and 5/6 choirs and our senior audition choir. Stay tuned, I am hoping to have a firm plan by next newsletter.

School Opinion Survey:

Just a reminder the Annual School opinion Survey will close on 18 August 2023. It is very important feedback that our families, school staff and students provide when they participate. The invitation was sent from the Department of Education, not the school, and has 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.

I strongly 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

2023 parent/caregiver survey – Vietnamese (PDF, 193KB)

Lost Property -

Today some of our 4A students spoke on assembly about an issue around the ‘chaos’ of our lost property. These forward thinking and community minded students took the initiative to come to me with the problem and they also came with options that could be solutions.

We are working together to ensure all classes from years 3 to 6 get an opportunity to walk past the lost property today and collect any items that belong to them.

Thank You to Sienna G, Sophie A, Maddie L and Sophia Y from 4A for giving up your time to work with me on this issue.

Have a lovely weekend.

Kind regards,

Amanda Hawkswell
Principal

News from Mr Weston-Murdoch

Dear parents and caregivers,

REVISION: Bridge Builders - Skill of the week (Week 3): Feelings and Calming down

Children do choose their behaviour but they do not choose their feelings, and it is their feelings and thinking that influence them the most. This highlights the importance of teaching children to understand their feelings and to be given skills in calming down.

If your child sees you expressing your feelings in a positive way, over time they learn to do the same. Be sure to model appropriate ways to express feelings to your child. Children are like sponges – they soak everything up.

Our thinking can change our feelings, behaviours and the words we say. Listening to our self-talk and thoughts when we are upset and avoiding unhelpful, toxic thoughts and instead thinking helpful positive thoughts can be a very powerful calming tool.

Revision: Bridge Builders - Skill of the week: Calming down body and mind

Being able to calm down when we are upset or stressed is something all ages can be challenged by.

Our emotions are affected by our hormones. There are hormones released, such as cortisol and adrenalin, when our body perceives a threat. These hormones can create changes in our body often called a fight or flight response. Calming down helps reduce these stress hormones.

Learning to have flexible thinking and the ability to regulate emotional changes in our body are important life skills that children need to learn and see modelled.

Encourage persistence when your child is trying to calm down. Praise the effort not just the success. This then ensures the child has the space to make mistakes, it encourages them that as long as they keep trying they are being successful.

Teaching our children calming down skills is crucial to empower them for life!

“Empowered for Life”; Jocelyne Chirnside

2024 Prep Enrolment Process

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

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.

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:

In Prep this term we are exploring the properties of materials in Science, discovering what things are made of and why. Working in small groups as thinkers, communicators and collaborators, Prep D used their senses to explore and discuss a tray of objects.

We came up with words to describe the properties of the materials used to make them - how they feel, how they look and how they move. We also used telescopes to find objects in the classroom made out of different materials, such as plastic, metal and glass.

We recorded and labelled our findings on class posters. This week we explored the question “What is the best material to make a kite?” and used paper bags to make our own kites because it needed to be something light that the wind would catch. We took our kites up to the grassy patch to test and found that they flew well with just a little bit of wind but did need quite a lot of repairs!

Around the classrooms – Year 1:

In HASS Year 1 are learning to identify and describe features of different local places. We started with somewhere we know really well – our school! We love taking our learning outside and went on a walk to four different places to talk and write about how these places are used and what different features we could notice. Great observation skills Year 1!

Around the classrooms – Year 2:

In Year 2 we have been exploring narrative writing. We started our unit by bringing in special objects from home. We used these objects to tell stories to our peers. We used our visit from author Gregg Dreise as inspiration as we became storytellers.

Kind regards,

Scott Weston-Murdoch
Deputy Principal P-2

News from Mrs Cowan-Dillon

Dear parents and caregivers,

Our Year 3 and 4 students have really enjoyed going on excursions over the past fortnight.

Year 3 – Museum of Brisbane

As part of our HASS inquiry into “How do people and places shape a community over time?”, Year 3 students visited the Museum of Brisbane, to learn all about Brisbane’s past.

Part of the excursion involved a guided tour of City Hall where students learnt all about the heritage-listed building and its history.

Some lucky classes even got to meet the Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner on their tour!

Students had a guided tour of the social history exhibitions, exploring significant people and places in Brisbane’s history. They also handled objects from Brisbane’s past, exploring how toys, transport and technology have changed over time.

Year 4 - Towards Zero Waste Education Centre

The Year 4 HASS Inquiry unit “Why should we act sustainably?” lead students to the Towards Zero Waste Education Centre. At first, everyone was a bit confused as to why we were going on an excursion to “the dump!” However, as part of the visit, we toured the landfill site by bus. It was very powerful for us to see the mountain of rubbish!

We also participated in a presentation on waste minimisation, which has made us start thinking about what we could do at home to minimise the waste we produce.

With Mr Davey returning from his adventures next week, this will be my last newsletter item. It has been a great opportunity for me and I have really enjoyed getting to know so many more students and their families.

Kind regards,

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

News from Mrs Bairstow

YEAR 6 NEWS

Students are applying their experiences from their recent trip to Canberra in the HASS studies, which focuses on Australia’s place in our diverse changing world. This camp provides invaluable learning and assists our students in making real world connections to the curriculum. We acknowledge the contribution of the PACER program, which assists schools and families in reducing the financial cost of attending our National Capital. PACER stands for Parliament and Civics Education Rebate. “It is an Australian Government initiative that provides financial assistance to support students’ on-site learning about national democratic, historical and cultural institutions in Canberra.”

YEAR 5 NEWS

Our Year 5 classes have all returned from the Pullenvale Environmental Education Centre excursion full of exciting tales of travelling back in time. “The Hoodwinked Story thread is about a group of children (The Bush Kids) living in the Pullenvale area in the 1890’s who possess a great deal of knowledge about their place as a result understand and care for it deeply.” As per usual, we received glowing compliments about our students’ conduct, involvement and passion for learning. Well done to everyone for your excellent participation and thank you to the parents who have provided such positive feedback about the opportunity.

Girls' Futsal Team

Congratulations to the 10 years Girls' Futsal team and Coach Behrens on their outstanding playing on Friday 28 July at the Champion of Champions games. The girls have qualified for the National Championship held in November. Congratulations!

STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS

How does a “Silent Disco” work?

- Each student is issued with a set of headphones upon entry into the disco.

- Students tune into channels to listen to the music of their choice . . . and dance away!

- Activities are run and guided by communication from the DJ through the headphones.

Tickets

- Tickets can only be purchased through the QKR! App.

- Tickets are limited to the number of headsets available.

- All 500 headsets sold out last year . . . so be quick!

- Ticket sales will close on Sunday 13 August. No late tickets can be issued.

‘Choose your song Rapple’ (raffle)

- Student Councillors will be selling $1 raffle tickets in the Oasis at lunch breaks throughout next week.

- When students buy a “Rapple” ticket, they can nominate a song to be played on the night.

- Student Councillors will collate the top songs for the playlist.

- The “Rapple” will be drawn on the disco night with prizes presented during the disco.

On the day

- Students who have bought tickets will be given wristbands by their classroom teachers prior to departing school.

Plan your afternoon

- Be aware that tickets do not include food or drinks (water will be provided and accessible).

- Be mindful that parking can be difficult at Ironside events. Consider this in your travel plans.

Entry to the disco

- Students will enter through the staff car park in front of the administration building (A Block, next to the basketball courts).

- No entry through the doors near the oval, the library basement or the art studio.

- Students must be wearing their wristband for entry.

During the disco

- The hall space and surrounding areas (eg: Library Basement, J Block undercroft) on the evening are for students only.

- Please be respectful of the staff managing this event, who are volunteering their own time to supervise large numbers of children.

- By adopting a “drop and go” approach you can help the staff spend quality time with the children, rather than needing to redirect adult traffic.

- We encourage you to make the most of the food trucks and drinks from the P&C on the basketball courts.

Collecting students from the disco

- Parents will be invited into the hall at 7pm to collect students.

- Students will be seated and grouped in year level groups ready for collection.

- Students will not be permitted to leave the hall without adult supervision.

- Please be timely for collection.

Kind regards,

Jennifer Bairstow
Deputy Principal 5-6

Term 3 Events

Music News

Upcoming Dates

WESTCENT DISTRICT MUSIC WORKSHOP and CENTENARY INTERMEDIATE STRINGS WORKSHOP

Congratulations to the 24 students who participated in the WestCent district workshop and the 5 string players who participated in the Centenary Intermediate Strings workshop this week. They represented out school very well this week and it was amazing to see so many Ironside students at this district event.

AHEP

Another achievement for Coco L who received a place in the AHEP – Australian Honours Ensemble Program. Students have to be Grade 6 or higher and complete an audition with few primary school students receiving this honour. Coco was successful in her audition and will attend this program later this year. Well Done Coco.

The Redlands Eisteddfod

Congratulations to the students who participated in the Redlands Eisteddfod this week. We had 3 small class groups perform in the small ensembles section with great results: 2^nd, 3^rd and Highly Commended. Following this the Chamber Strings performed in the larger ensembles section and received a 2^nd place. It was a very big week for students with many of them at the WestCent Music Workshop and then coming out to Redlands to perform, many of them twice in two separate sections.

Good luck to the last Year 5 group who are performing in the Chamber Music Section this Sunday.

Results

Small Ensembles Section

2^nd Place – Year 6 group – Debi, Zach, Hanyu, Julian, Daniel, Emily, Ewan, Charlotte

3^rd Place – Year 5 group – Chase, Geoffrey, Prudence, Johan, Yinuan, Rebecca

Highly Commended – Year 6 group – Phillip, Tue Anh, Harriet, Eva, Jarred, Elliott, Raffy, Caleb

Large Ensembles Section

2^nd Place – Chamber Strings

Strings Outstanding Commitment Awards for Term 2

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.

Year 1 and 3 parents – Strings and Band Recruiting for 2024

This is going to be a regular spot in the newsletter for the next couple of months to keep you informed about joining the 2024 Instrumental Music program. Watch this space!!

Year 1 and Year 3 students are eligible to join the Instrumental Music Program in 2024. Students in Year 1 can apply for the Strings Program and Year 3 students can apply for the Band program.

Students will attend a ‘Recruiting Concert’ during school time on Monday 7^th August (NEXT WEEK) in the school hall and will bring home a ‘Expression of Interest” letter. If you are interested in the program, please follow the links on the ‘Expression of Interest’ and submit your response by Monday 15^th August. Spare letters are available from the office. These letters will also be sent home via schoolzine

We will be having an Instrumental Music Parent Information Evening on Thursday 10^th August 6pm in the school hall. At this meeting you will hear all about how the program works, commitments, instruments etc to help you decide about joining our program.

In Week 8, the Instrumental Music teachers will complete practical testing with students during class time. Using this information, along with information from the classroom music teacher and classroom teachers, offers will be made to suitable students.

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

Follow this link to find out how music will benefit your child’s brain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng Also go to: https://biggerbetterbrains.com/

News from Chappy Thu

Dear Families,

Can you believe it? We are nearly halfway through Term 3 already! It’s been an action packed 2 weeks filled with activities, excursions, competitions & more! It is such a pleasure being part of a school that offers so many wonderful opportunities for the students to learn, grow & flourish in their gifts, whether it be academic, musical, sporting or community…there certainly is something for everyone!

From a community perspective, there are a plethora of events coming up to allow us to come together to celebrate. If you haven’t done so yet, please mark the following in your diary!

Science Week will also take place in Week 6, but there is no preparation required on the part of parents (which is why I didn’t add it to the above summary). The students will be conducting fun experiments & activities during class time.

The Father’s Day Breakfast will once again be a fundraiser for chaplaincy & this year, along with delicious food, we are going to have a series of activities for you to enjoy to celebrate all the fathers, father figures, role models & carers in our community. It will be a fun morning for all, but for it to be a success, we will need your help! If you would like to volunteer to be a part of this event, please email me at tklet0@eq.edu.au. Thank you 😊

Chappy Squad

Teams Celery Stick & Crazy Gummy Bears did a fantastic job leading the activities over the last 2 weeks. We had a completely full roster both weeks, with extra members on stand by to substitute for members who were sick or unexpectedly away. One sweet member even said to me, “I’m very happy to help Chappy. No one should be alone doing everything.”

Special thanks to Ash who really stepped up in her leadership skills this week during Bubbles & Games on Friday. The way she supported myself, squad members & participants in activities is to be highly commended! Thank you also to:

Valentine & Ella for volunteering to be a substitute at nearly every activity this week & last week
Eva, Rosie, Ann, Cooper, Charlize, Vivianne, Thenu & Victoria for representing the squad so beautifully in the Prep are, bring so much joy to our youngest students through bubbles, fun, patience & kindness
Eva for being such a wonderful role model & leader to Gael, a highly enthusiastic year 1 student, desperate to be a squad member. Eva was so patient & kind with him, explaining the rules & allowing him to help her with her duty
Shyah, Tracey, Heidi & Rose for their leadership, creativity & diligence with every role they took
Kelly & Sana for keeping the shoes & outdoor area neater & more organised than I’d ever seen before
James, Xavier, Geoffrey & Alisa for their organisation, thoughtfulness & enthusiasm. Whether it was bubbles, supervising sign in or playing games with younger students – they were super stars!
Saksham, Ivy, Sara, Anna & Emma for being true emerging leaders, always reliable & thoughtful in everything they do for themselves & others

Here are the top members & teams as of Week 3:

The next two weeks will be led by the Dolphins & Fire Dragons!

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).

Chappy Activities

Chappy Activities are well & truly back in full swing. We made boats & iguanodons in Origami Club, went on our inaugural scavenger hunt (congratulations to Saksham & Leo for leading their team to victory!), enjoyed crafts & treats in Chappy Lounge, were amazed by bubbles & learnt new games. So much fun!

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

EcoMarines

Dear parents and carers,

We would love your help with collecting containers for upcoming Student Council and EcoMarine projects! Bags for these containers can be collected at the office.

Advertising

Uniform and Tuckshop News

Volunteers needed!

We need your help. We are looking for volunteers who can spare a few hours a week to assist with preparing and serving in the tuckshop. No experience is necessary, just a friendly smile and a willingness to learn. There’s not even any need to commit to a regular roster, just sign up when you can!

Volunteering in the tuckshop is a great way to meet other parents, support our school community, and have some fun. Why not get a group together? You can sign up here https://volunteersignup.org/MREWY

If you can’t spare any time and enjoy baking perhaps you could sign up to our Homebake roster here https://volunteersignup.org/PL489

Thank you for your support!