27 October 2023 - Term 4, Week 4

News from Mrs Hawkswell

Hello Ironside Families,

Lucky me!

Last week I was privileged enough to attend year 4 camp with 142 excited year 4 students and many keen staff.  A great time was had by all, and what an amazing job the Ironside Staff did ensuring students were organised and well-prepared for activities each day and kept safe during all of the fun.  Students were very busy with many activities, including sand tobogganing, snorkelling, and feeding the dolphins.  It seemed like every time we stopped, we were fed more food.  I am sure we returned some very tired campers to their family Friday afternoon.

Today is World Teachers’ Day on the QLD state schools calendar – but we have decided to celebrate our fabulous staff next Friday 3 November with a breakfast from 7:30am in our staffroom. 

At Ironside we have decided to make it World Educators’ Day to ensure we include all staff in the Ironside Team. The P & C are supporting this celebration by ensuring there will be plenty of food when staff arrive for breakfast treats next Friday.

Remember it takes a village, so I want to send my gratitude to the whole Ironside Team – the cleaners, our school’s officer, our office team, the ESOs, our teachers, our tech staff and our leadership team.  They play their role in making Ironside so great!

2F  Science Report

This term in Science, Year 2 students are exploring forces. Last week in 2F,  we were investigating the force of air resistance and gravity on how an object can fly. We did this through experimenting with and observing how changes can affect the way a paper helicopter moves. Our main mission was to see who could make a helicopter stay in air the longest. We made our first helicopter prototype then thought about something we could make bigger, what we could add to it, or remove from it, made the changes accordingly then tested, observed and recorded. After the scientific analysis of our four helicopters, we used all that we had learnt to design the ultimate fifth helicopter to see if we had achieved our goal of finding a design that would allow our helicopter to remain in the air for the longest time.

Ready…………………………….set………………………….GO !

SPOTTED:

Some reminders as we complete our last few weeks of Term 4

• From OSHC around morning procedures -
• If your child or children are arriving to school prior to 8:30am each day, could you please remind them that when they arrive at school ALL STUDENTS are to sit under the library undercroft until 8:30am
• At this time, the OSHC groups move to another location, so our students (not at OSHC) can then safely use the outdoor spaces from 8:30am without impacting on OSHC ratios
• Notify the school if you are not returning -
  • We need the details of any students not returning for 2024, to ensure accurate numbers as we are making staffing decisions
  • Please email your class teacher to remind them if your children are not returning
  • Please email your teacher or our enrolments officer if your circumstances have changed so we can alter our lists
• Arriving to school on time each day
  • This is a busy time of the year, with students and staff trying to complete class work and finalise assessment pieces
  • It is critical ALL students arrive to school on time each day

Now for a disappointing story of poor parent behaviour in our pick-up zone

The roads and driver behaviours around our school, especially in the afternoon continues to be a concern to myself and many staff.  Last week one of the Ironside staff reported some very poor parent behaviour in the pick-up zone area on Central Avenue.

Below are some of the details they reported to me by staff:

• The incident occurred on Thursday 12 October
• I was on duty on Central Ave after 3:00pm and a car was parked right in the middle of the Stop Drop Go Zone. There was no one in the vehicle.  
• There was a Brisbane City Council worker also on Central Avenue. He saw the parked car in the Stop Drop Go Zone, but stated he had to check on a yellow line first, and walked away. 
• When the car owner retuned, I informed him of the 2-minute parking zone.
• At this time the BCC employee returned and confirmed that the driver was unable to park in that location at that time. 
• As soon as the BCC employee was out of sight the parent began to shout at me in front of other parents and children who were waiting to be picked up.
• I felt very humiliated. 
• Obviously, it is upsetting to be spoken to in this way, especially when we are performing our duties and are there for the safety of all children.
• I was in two minds about writing the email, as it seems there is not anything we can do to stop us being on the receiving end of such abuse. 

• How appalling that our staff feel they just have to accept such abusive behaviour.
• How appalling that an Ironside parent, doing the wrong thing and not following rules set by the council, feels it is okay to make one of our staff feel humiliated.
• What type of example is this setting for the students who have witnessed this behaviour?

I have asked staff doing these duties to take photos of number plates of these offenders, most especially those parents who think they can be verbally abusive, and these details WILL be sent to the police. I ask parents who witness such appalling behaviours to also report these offenders.

Kind regards,

Amanda Hawkswell
Principal

News from Mr Weston-Murdoch

Dear parents and caregivers,

REVISION: Bridge Builders – Skill of the week Skill of the week (Week 3): How to get help

Knowing how to ask for help can be life-saving for a child experiencing challenging relationships. The experience of conflict or bullying can separate children from others, severing ties. Children need to be encouraged to know that they are not alone and that support and help is available.

Five steps to getting help:

1. Calm down. Whether a child is red-faced, their body shaking with anger, or is pale and bent over, racked with tears, or somewhere in between, often adults are distracted by the emotion.
2. Show respect. Use the person’s name and ask if now is a good time.
3. Say what happened. Just being able to describe what happened, and put it into words, is helpful to a child’s thinking processes.
4. Say what you tried. When we got to others for help, it is far more powerful and effective if we can describe what we have tried ourselves first to resolve the problem.
5. Ask for ideas. Children commonly want to throw a problem at an adult with the expectation of, You fix it.” This expectation leaves children passive in the process of resolution, because they are relying on the adults to clean up the mess and giving adults the responsibility of resolving issues and making decisions.

REVISION: Bridge Builders – Skill of the week (Week 4): Let it go

One of life’s hardest and most painful lessons is learning to forgive someone who has hurt you.  Forgiving someone means letting go of negative feelings like anger, frustration or sadness that arise due to a conflict situation. It means accepting an apology and not staying upset at the person for what they did.

Forgiveness doesn’t mean that you suddenly are no longer hurt, it means that you don’t want to be chained to the problem and hold a grudge that makes you a bitter person.  To forgive is a ‘doing’ word and the act is one that takes a lot of effort and commitment. The process relies on the constant checking and reframing of a child’s thinking and the releasing of the physical hurt that these thoughts create. It can be quick or it can take a long time.

A child learning the value of forgiveness and what is involved not only reduces their stress and the negative impacts on their mental and physical health, but also increases the possibility of healthier relationships in the future and their ability to move on in life with success.

“Empowered for Life”; Jocelyne Chirnside

Around the classrooms – Prep: 

This term in science, the children are exploring the way things move. So far, we have looked into objects that can roll and bounce. This week, Prep C was challenged to design and make something that can roll when they push it. There was lots of designing and experimentation to make the perfect rolling objects. Our little scientists had a blast using their best inventing skills.

Around the classrooms – Year 1: 

Year 1 are learning to write procedures in English this term.  Last week we made Apple Fizz after reading Possum Magic.  We made it before we wrote out the steps to make it.  We had lots of fun tasting our recipe.  During our writing we remembered to use adverbs and bossy verbs. 

We love nothing more than taking our learning outside in Year 1.  We are practising our skip counting skills, working collaboratively and getting active all in one! 

Around the classrooms – Year 2: 

Last week the Year 2s participated in the Step into History incursion. This incursion provided engaging and hands-on activities that allowed students to experience what life was like in the past. The students were able to write with a nib pen and ink, participate in household jobs, use a range of technologies and play games.

Throughout the term we will refer to this experience as we explore the changes in people’s lives that have occurred over time.

Merit Certificates 

Well done to our merit certificate receiptants from assembly last week! 

Kind regards,

Scott Weston-Murdoch
Deputy Principal P-2

News from Mrs Cowan-Dillon

Hello Ironside families,

Year 4 Camp
Last week, was the Year 4 Camp at Tangalooma. We had the most amazing weather and despite coming home exhausted from our adventures, everyone had a great time.
Sand tobogganing was fun! We climbed up a really big sand dune – we were really tired before we even got to the top! We slid down on these boards. We had to pull the board up with our hands and lift up our legs to slide down the dunes. We became super sandy and we had to wear swimming goggles! (or googles, as the instructor said.)
By Helen

Dolphin feeding was really amazing! I wanted to feed Echo or Comet and I got to feed Echo. Echo
was really nice and he was also quite fun – he kept on swimming around our legs. We fed him a little
fish. While I was waiting in line, I was holding the fish and the scales scraped off! When we finished
feeding Echo, he tried to follow us because he wanted more fish. The instructor told us to wave
goodbye to Echo and he would stop following us – and he did!
By Anna

I would like to thank all of the staff for giving up their time to help make this a great experience for
our children.

3F Maths

Kind regards,

Alice Cowan-Dillon
Deputy Principal 3-4

News from Mrs Lee

Hello Ironside families,

Congratulations to all students who received awards at assembly this morning.

Congratulations to our Bridge Builders for obtaining their Gold and Platinum certificates.

This week we also had our Stings and Band students attend Music Fest.

Congratulations to Chamber Strings (Platinum), Senior and Intermidiate Strings (Gold) and Junior Strings (Silver).

Our Senior, Intermediate and Junior Bands all came home with Gold! Well done! 

Some of our Year 5 and 6 students have been participating in the Australian  Problem Solving Mathematics Olympiads. Congratulations to Alex, Xaio Nan, Abdullah, Nandini and Minh for Highest Score for the School award.

Congratulations to Coco L for her participation in the Australian Honours Ensemble Program.

IRONSIDE STARS OF THE MONTH – YEAR 3-6

Our Ironside Stars this month are:

STUDENT LEADERSHIP PROCESSES FOR 2024

As our Year 5 students approach their final term, it is time to begin focussing on the supported leadership journey for our 2024 Year 6 cohort.

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

A Year 5 student nominating for election into school leadership positions must have consistently demonstrated leadership qualities throughout 2023. 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 and 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.

YEAR 6 GRADUATION AND END OF YEAR EVENTS

As the end of 2023 rapidly approaches, there are many exciting events that are being organised to celebrate your graduation from Ironside State School. 

Tuesday 5 December:

The Graduation Evening is being held on Tuesday 5 December.  The evening consists of two main sections:

6:00 – 7:30pm:    Graduation Ceremony in the Ironside State School Hall

Parents are invited to join us as we acknowledge the outstanding achievements of our students with awards, certificates and speeches.  Guest speakers will also be in attendance.

Students need to arrive at school at 5.30pm to prepare with their class for the ceremony.

7:30 - 9:00pm:  Dance and light refreshments

This is a less formal part of the proceedings – with the opportunity for families to connect socially.  

There will be drinks and light refreshments available to purchase.  There is no full meal, so we advise that children have a late afternoon meal prior to arrival at school.

The school is not providing formal supervision for this section of the evening.  If your family would like to stay, you are very welcome to.  However, if children are staying – parents need to be there, and take responsibility for their supervision.

Dress Code

Dress for the evening is smart (eg: dress pants / collared shirts).  There is a lot of movement involved in the night, so comfortable shoes are essential.  It is not a “formal”, but also an important occasion so students are encouraged to choose a special and appropriate outfit, fitting for the occasion.  When choosing your child’s outfit, bear in mind, that it is always a very warm evening in December.

Wednesday 6 December

This is the only day that students can bring their school uniform shirts to be signed by friends and teachers, as a memento of their time at Ironside.

Students will also receive their Year Books on this day.

Thursday 7 December

The traditional Year 6 Pool Party & Games Day will take up the entire school day, after the final assembly of the year.  The assembly is an opportunity to share the news of prize winners with the student body.

Students can wear free dress on this day.  It is not a catered event, so normal packed lunches need to be sent.

This is a very exciting and momentous time for you all, so we look forward to sharing these special events with you as we wish you every success for the future. 

Kind regards,

Shelley Lee

Acting Deputy Principal 5-6

News from Chappy Thu

Dear Families,

It’s only been two weeks since the last newsletter, but it feels so much longer with all the exciting happenings such as camps, incursions and Music Fest. I had the pleasure of going on Year 5 camp at beautiful Tyalgum. The students impressed me with their maturity, courage to try new things, kindness to each other, curiosity and leadership. We had a jam packed 3 days learning how to kayak, make fire and cook damper, problem solve in teams, overcome fears and so much more! Well done year 5s! Our school is so lucky to have you as our leaders next year 😊

Gingerbread Evening

Apologies for the mistake in the last newsletter! The Gingerbread evening will be on THURSDAY, 30 November NOT Friday, 1 December (Week 9) as previously written. Please save the date and let me know if you’d like to volunteer! Even if it’s just for 1 hour, it will be much appreciated 😊

The Squad will be voting for a charity to raise money for on Friday and posters will be finalised after that. More info to come very soon!

Chappy Squad

I am proud to announce that the Chappy Squad for Term 4 has been finalised this week. From nearly 200 applications, 128 students were chosen, including 20 new Junior Squad members from year 2 who will be training in our Junior Lounge.

On Thursday, they all met for the first time to form teams, choose captains and new team names. The final teams will be announced next week, but I can confirm that the team names will be Sour Patch Kids, Prickly Porcupine, Chappy Dolphins and Marshmallow!  How fun! Today they will meet to learn about the Gingerbread Evening and vote for a charity.

Chappy Activities

Chappy Activities resume next week! I look forward to seeing the new Squad in action 😊

That’s all from me for now. Hope you all have an amazing weekend!

See you all in Week 6.

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

Music News

Music Fest

What an amazing week we had at Music Fest.

Congratulations to the Ironside String ensembles for their amazing performance at Music Fest.  Every group performed exceptionally well and I was very impressed and proud to be their teacher.  This competition awards each group a result according to their performance on the day ranging from participation, bronze, silver, gold and exceptional groups receive platinum.

The Strings results on the day were:

Junior Strings – Silver

Intermediate Strings – Gold

Senior Strings – Gold

Chamber Strings – Platinum.

Congratulations to the Ironside Bands on their wonderful performances at Music Fest! The students had the opportunity to perform in a state-of-the-art auditorium, hear bands from other schools, and receive feedback from an experienced adjudicator. 

The bands were awarded the following:

Junior—Gold

Intermediate—Gold

Senior—Gold

WELL DONE to all—you should be very proud of your hard work!

Gala Night for 2024

Don’t forget to add the Gala Night to your calendar. This will be our final concert for the year and a great celebration of our year of music.  We will be at BBC again using their lovely hall.  Thursday 23 November – starting at 6:00pm.  More information will be available soon so keep an eye out for it.

HPE News

Senior Swimming Carnival

The Year 3-6 senior swimming carnival is fast approaching.  As has been already emailed to you, please find below the link to all the information about the carnival as well as the form to sign your child up for the strokes they want to swim at the carnival.  Year 4,5, and 6 students have also been emailed this link to sign up independently, so please check that they have not already submitted their form before starting to fill one out.  Thank you for your cooperation and efforts in assisting in the organization of our carnival!

Uniform and Tuckshop News

Thank you for your support!

Mums, dads, carers, and grandparents are always welcomed to volunteer in the Tuckshop. It is a great way to meet other parents, and interact with your child and their friends at school. No
experience is necessary, just a friendly smile and a willingness to learn. Feel free to sign up any
school day from 9am-11:30am, weekly, fortnightly, or whenever you are available.

Please sign up here https://volunteersignup.org/JEC8Q

Plain cupcakes, oats slices, apple crumbles, banana breads, honey joys…… If you enjoy baking, you may be interested to join our home bake team.

Please sign up here https://volunteersignup.org/PL489 

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