- Ironbark Ridge PS Cnr. Ironbark Ridge Road and Withers Road, Rouse Hill, 2155 Ph: 8814 5687 Fax: 8814 5698 Email: ironbarkrg-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au Webpage: www.ironbarkrg-p.schools.nsw.edu.au Nurturing personal growth through inspired learning…

Newsletter 2017

Term 1 Week 5 24th February, 2017 Be Safe, Be Responsible, Be Respectful

DATES FOR THE DIARY )28th Band Parents Information Evening 6.30pm

** Subscribe to our ‘Ironbark Ridge – Events’ Google calendar (see the app or the school website)

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Throughout the year, as our students learn and grow, it’s important that our teachers are learning and growing too! Next week our Assistant Principals Ms De Jager, Mr Brent, Ms Johnson, Ms Cauchi, Ms Robson and our Deputy Principal Ms Pho, will be attending a Hills Network education conference entitled Leading Learning. The focus of this professional learning opportunity is Visible Learning – using teaching strategies that are shown by evidence to work best and have the greatest impact on student growth, and viewing learning through the eyes of their students. We want our students to take control of their own learning, to seek out feedback about their performance from their teachers, and to plan their own ‘next move’ in their learning journey. Although this may mean a day without their usual teacher, when our staff are absent due to professional learning opportunities the ultimate winners are our students, with more effective and ‘impactful’ teaching the result. Personal growth is the expectation for everyone… even our parents Belonging @ Ironbark… Throughout each year we teach and encourage our students to care for each other, to practice random acts of kindness, to use our Buddy Benches, or to play with our Ridgy-Didge Buddies (Yr5 & Yr6 volunteer students) if they are feeling left out or a bit lonely in our playground. Our aim is to help every student, in every classroom to feel special and cared for. Teachers are always working hard to connect with each student personally in the classroom, but sometimes our playground can seem such a big place to new students, especially Kindies. When I saw this photo I thought it represented so much of what we value here at Ironbark Ridge so I just had to share it with you. Congratulations, and thank you to all of our older students for the way you care for and include our new and younger Ironbarkers!! Kindy BBQ Breakfast We want to welcome all of our new Kindy families into the Ironbark Ridge community, so as usual we are holding a BBQ Breakfast event this term. Breakfast for Kindy students, their parents and siblings will be served on our grassy playing field on Friday 10th March, from 7.30am until 8.45am. Please make time to perhaps go in a bit late to work that Friday morning and join us for a social occasion of getting to know each other.

Setting SMART Goals Developing a growth mindset in all of our students is a major focus at Ironbark Ridge. Teachers have been working with every individual student in their class to develop specific goals for their own learning and development. These goals need to be SMART… Specific (clearly, carefully described), Measureable (how will we know if we’ve achieved it?), Achievable (in their ‘zone’, so not too easy or too hard), Relevant (worth striving for), and Timely (by when?). Some goals chosen may be academic, while others may relate to improved learning or social behaviours. When our students can identify the growth they are making, we know they will want to set new goals and ‘raise the bar’ a bit more each time. Achieving goals provides motivation for future effort and the cycle of growth continues. School Photos Next Thursday, 2nd March, is our annual school photos day. Notes have been sent home and as usual the only way to order is online – follow the instructions on the note. If you have misplaced it, simply go online to www.theschoolphotographer.com.au , click on Order 2017 photos, enter your details, and when prompted our school online order code is: X099EL38R **Sibling photos – please make your children aware if you have ordered a ‘Sibling Photo’ online as they can assist in ‘rounding each other up’ when they are called by the photographers. School Leadership Last Wednesday we officially inducted all of our class SRC members, Sports House Leaders and School Leaders for 2017. The speaking of the Leadership Pledge is a great moment and I know these students will uphold their promise to be an outstanding role model and helper around our school this year. I reminded all of our students the the most important type of leadership is ‘Personal Leadership’, where we lead ourselves in making good decisions, especially in hard situations, to do the right thing and make our school (and world) a better place. Congratulations to all who wear a leadership badge at Ironbark Ridge this year. We have included a list of you all over the page. A special thank you to the students who are leaders at our school in many other ways – as Ridgy-Didge Buddies, as friends who invite others to play with your group, as students who simply smile and say ‘Hi!’ and as those who offer help if someone is a bit upset or hurt. Your impact on our caring school culture is by far the biggest! Year 4 Camp In only a week’s time our Year 4 students will be heading off to Broken Bay Sport & Recreation Camp for three days (and two nights) of fun, friendship and challenge. I’m looking forward to spending some time at camp with these students, getting to know them all a bit better and watching as they challenge themselves through a range of outdoor and non-academic activities. There is, however, a giant outdoor chess set so I’m sure we can squeeze in a few games NAPLAN dates 2017 – Year 3 and Year 5 students National testing for students in Year 3 and Year 5 will be held in early Term 2 on the dates 9th, 10th and 11th May. These assessments, as usual, are on Language Conventions, Reading, Writing and Numeracy, and they provide the school with important data to measure our growth as a school in a range of areas. Further information will be provided to parents closer to this time.

Ridges Zone Swimming Go Ironbark Ridge!! to all of our swimming team representatives who will swim against the other Ridges Zone schools at next Friday’s carnival at Blacktown Aquatic Centre. We know you will be amazing ambassadors for our school. Pedestrian Barrier – Withers Rd We will soon be opening our ‘top’ gates each afternoon from 2.45pm until 3.15pm to allow students and families to exit the school onto the Withers Rd pathway. This will make parking in the Bruce Purser Oval carpark an excellent option for families coming from the western side of our area, and may relieve some of the traffic congestion at the front of the school each afternoon (we can only hope ). The pedestrian safety fence is due to be constructed over the next week or two – thanks to our Hills Shire Council. Year 4 students – OC applications for 2018 Applications for Year 5 placement in an opportunity class in 2018 will open on 25 April 2017 and close on 12 May 2017. We will provide more information at the start of Term 2 about this process. Feedback Thank you for your ongoing support and wonderful positive feedback as our school community. I know just how amazing our teachers are, but it’s always lovely to hear parents telling me about the difference we are making in the lives of their children. Yours in lifelong learning, Nick Thomson Principal

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL’S REPORT Well done Isabel! Last Sunday, Isabel entered the 2017 NSW Roberta Nutt Shield School fencing competition. She competed in Under 9 & Under 11 Sabre, and came 1st in under 9's and 4th in under 11's. We enjoy seeing our students’ talents acknowledged outside of school. Congratulations Isabel! 3S and 5/4K Parent Information Evenings Mrs Van Buizen and Ms Greentree will lead their respective Parent Information Sessions this coming Wednesday, 1st March at 5.30pm in their classrooms. Parents of these classes are encouraged to come along and meet their child’s teacher and learn about the routines and curriculum they will be engaging in this year. Leadership Camp reflections When I was at Leadership Camp I learnt and experienced lots of things like jumping off a giant pole! I met other leaders from 40 different primary schools and learnt about other peoples’ stories. Although my favourite thing was learning how a true leader should act. I learnt that a true leader doesn’t need to be bossy or take charge in every situation. I learnt that leaders are helpful, kind and caring people who don’t judge anyone. – William When I attended the Vision Valley Leadership Camp I experienced fun, laughter and a whole lot of interesting challenges. One activity I did was by far the most challenging – we were asked to build a bridge only out of newspaper for someone to stand on. Unfortunately, our bridge was not successful but that was OK because we worked as a team and showed that there was a leader in everyone. At the camp we were divided into fruit groups and 2 high school students called JCs (Junior Counsellors) were our leaders. - Olivia

Road Safety Senor Constable Rob Paterson, The Hills LAC Youth Liaison Officer, will be conducting talks with all of our students at school about road and pedestrian safety. It’s up to everyone to take responsibility to act safely on our roads and footpaths in a growing area such as ours. We are fortunate to have a proactive and supportive Youth Liaison Officer who will support the concerns of our community through these free programs.

Band Information Evening Our Band teachers, from Teaching Services Australia, will be holding a Parent Information Session on Tuesday evening in the hall from 6.30pm. All parents are welcome to hear about the services they provide.

Live Life Well @ School Ironbark Ridge PS has been fortunate to receive a grant from NSW Health to continue to promote and grow our healthy lifestyle practices through a program called Live Life Well @ School. Our self evaluation found that our school is already meeting several desirable practices to promote healthy lifestyles, but as with everything, there is always room for improvement! We will be including snippets of information from time to time in our newsletters like the one below.

Turn off the TV and get active! Screens are great for recreation, education and communicating with friends! However, too much time in front of screens can lead to: over-exposure of ‘junk’ food advertising, the overconsumption of ‘junk’ foods and reduced physical activity. It is recommended that children aged 6-12 years have no more than 2 hours screen time every day, excluding homework. Check out this great website and fact sheet with a range of tips on how to limit screen time in your house! http://www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au/home/fact-sheets/turn-off-the-tv-or-computer-and-get-active.aspx An updated Parent Planner is included in this newsletter. Kind Regards, Kerrie Pho Deputy Principal

STUDENT LEADERS 2017

Olivia and William Captains Charlotte and Jordan Vice Captains Arden, Noah, Chelsea, Yash and Ethan Prefects

HOUSE CAPTAINS

Emily and Harry Wattle Captains Cassandra and Jayden Wattle Vice Captains

Sunya and Thomas Casuarina Captains Charlotte and Troy Casuarina Vice Captains

Bronte and Joshua Waratah Captains Simone and Jacob Waratah Vice Captains

Lucy and Ethan Blue Gum Captains Charlotte and Finn Blue Gum Vice Captains

SRC LEADERS Semester 1

Class Class

1B Saatvik and Amber 4/3B Liam and Indya

1E Levi and Chloe 4L Oliver and Ava 1G Joshua and Eva 4T Henry and Eden 1R Caelan and Jisha 4K Daniel and Khematip 2/1J Rylan and Erica 5/4K Aditya and Hannah

2C Aidan and Ariel 5D Oliver and Giaan

2P Jack and Cleo 6/5A Shalin and Myah

2W Blake and Addison 6/5F Montana and Kelly

2TL Lucas and Isabella 6/5M Connor and Madeline

3B Spencer and Ashleigh 6/5P Cavan and Lily

3S Aidan and Paige 6/5S Matthew and Lateisha

3W Cruz and Anna 6H Martin and Sussana

Ironbark Ridge Public School Parent Planner Term 1 2017

** Note: All dates on this planner are subject to change at the discretion of the school. As at 24.2.17

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

1 Australia Day 27th January SDD

2 30th January Best Start Current Yrs 1-6 students start

31st January Best Start New students Yr 1 -6 start

1st February Best Start Assembly – School Leaders 7pm P&C Meeting

2nd February Kindergarten start

3rd February Summer PSSA trials

3

6th February

7th February

8th February Leadership Camp Vision Valley

9th February Leadership Camp Vision Valley

10th February Leadership Camp Vision Valley Summer PSSA trials

4 13th February IRPS Swimming Carnival

14th February 5.30pm Stage 1 Information Evening 6.30 Stage 3 Information Evening

15th February Enviro Mentors Incursion 5.30pm Kindergarten Information Evening 6.30 Stage 2 Information Evening

16th February Enviro Mentors Incursion – 5 x Stage 1 classes

17th February Summer PSSA Round 1

5 20th February

21st February

22nd February 2pm Leadership Induction Assembly

23rd February 24th February Summer PSSA Round 2

6 27th February 2pm Snr Constable Rob Paterson Road Safety Talk – K and Stage 1

28th February 6.30pm Band Parent Information Evening

1st March 5.30pm 3S and 5/4K Parent Information Evening 6/5A Assembly

2nd March School Photos

3rd March National Young Leaders Day Ridges Swimming Carnival

7

6th March Yr 4 Camp Broken Bay

7th March Yr 4 Camp Broken Bay

8th March Yr 4 Camp Broken Bay

5D Assembly

9th March Selective High Schools Test

10th March 7am Kindy Parents Breakfast Summer PSSA Round 3

8

13th March 2pm Snr Constable Rob Paterson Road Safety Talk – Stage 2 and Stage 3

14th March

15th March Sydney West Swimming Carnival

3W Assembly

16th March 17th March Summer PSSA Round 4

9

20th March

21st March Harmony Day

22nd March 4K Assembly SRC Disco

23rd March

24th March Summer PSSA Round 5 11.30 Winter PSSA trials

10 27th March Dad’s Hot Dog Day

28th March

29th March Special Awards Assembly

30st March The Happiness Mission Incursion – Stage 2 and Stage 3

31st March Winter PSSA trials

11 3rd April IRPS Cross Country

4th April 5th April S3 Camp - Canberra NO Assembly

6th April S3 Camp - Canberra

7th April S3 Camp - Canberra Hat Parade

WEEK 3 1 G Josha, Vipra, Nathan, Isabella 1 R Kiang, Caelan, Maisie, Liam, Shaakshini 2 C Arial, Hoyean, Lexi, Morne 2 W T’miah, Kushika, Torquay, Shirley 3 S Paige, Bronte, Victor 4/3 B Freya, Kyra, Mehrbod 4 K Lauren, Davi, Ryan, Khamatip, Olivia 5 K Nikhil, Wenny, Giaan, Richard,Riya, Kai, Oliver 6/5 F Aleisha, Imran, Moazam, Marley 6/5 S Ethan, Felicity, Chalise, Cassie 6H Darshpreet, Darshanik, Yash, Yejin, Simone CHINESE 5D – Bryan D

WEEK 4 PRINCIPAL Student Leaders Class 6/5/A 2/1 J Toby, Madelyn, Cage, Zoya, Samantha 2 P Eric, Hannah, Natalie, Shlya 3W Stephen, Halle, Anna, Aiden 6/5 A Jayden, Keyan, Noah,Ashley

KINDY CAPERS

Kindergarten continues to move forward in Term 1, they are showing a good understanding of the Ironbark Ridge School expectations of “Being Safe, Respectful and Responsible” both in the classroom and playground. Well done everyone. Much appreciation to the parents who are dropping their children off at school and leaving so that they can establish their friendships and be ready to enter the class room in a more settled manner. This activity of “kiss and drop” is encouraged for all the children as it helps students to

develop their independence. Thank you to the parents who have already labelled all school supplies, clothing and lunchboxes. This always helps towards a less stressful time when a hat or other property is misplaced. Remember lost property is kept outside the school hall. The Kindergarten children are now attending the Wednesday afternoon assemblies. Due to our school

numbers we are divided into 2 groups - even weeks, Kindy Brown Bears, Kindy Turtles and Kindy Chimpanzees and odd weeks Kindy Meerkats and Kindy Sea Horses. We will be letting parents know when it is our turn to host – this will be later in the year.

Our school has always encouraged the children to have lunches that do not have a

peanut content or whole egg as we have children with severe allergy problems and we want to keep all children safe at school. Foods such as spaghetti are difficult for the children to manage and often leave a child without something to eat if it is dropped. Please ensure fruit break is in easily accessible containers or zip lock bags.

Library borrowing is to begin Tuesday Week 6. This will be the only time children can return and borrow books. We recommend the local Rouse Hill Library if your child is a keen reader. Once read, a book has many purposes, it can be used for comprehension, discussion on characters, recall and picture talk. Encourage your child to recognise sight words or even predict what may be about to happen in the story.

We look forward to continuing with the positive start to school that the students have displayed so far this year. Have a great weekend. Kindy Teachers STAGE 1 SNIPPETS Welcome back to what promises to be a busy but exciting term. Thank you to all the parents who attended the Parent Information evening in week 4. It was fantastic to meet parents and make the connection between our lovely little faces and their parents.

Students are settling into the routines of being in Stage One and it has been a jam packed start to the year. Homework began this week and will be handed out each Monday (odd weeks) and will be due back on Wednesday (even weeks). Home reading is an important part of our homework program, so we encourage students to read every night and take advantage of the reading opportunities around them. Reading eggs continues this year and students have received their logins, so get reading! During a recent incursion from our local Council Environmental Officer children were taught how to protect and care for their natural environment by doing simple yet effective things such

as putting rubbish in the correct bin, picking up dog waste and using compost bins or worm farms. They had a great time while learning about this very important environmental message. It’s time to get dancing! Year One and Year Two dance group auditions will be held next week on Thursday and Friday at lunch (week 6). Please remind your little dancers to listen out for announcements closer to the date. We are looking for energetic dancers who are committed to attending every dance practise and performance. Good luck to all our students who try out! Stage 1 Teachers

STAGE 2 SNIPPETS Term 1 is flying by. Students have settled in well to their class routines and are immersed in rich learning experiences. Congratulations to SRC leaders who were inducted during the Leaders Whole School Assembly on Wednesday. We know that you will be excellent role models, upholding school expectations to be safe, respectful and responsible learners.

We have an exciting few weeks coming up, the most of important of all, Year 4 Camp! Students will depart from school on Monday 6th March (be at school 730am) and return to school on Wednesday 8th March. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to develop resilience and independence. If you haven’t already done so please complete the online medical and consent forms to ensure student details are up to date.

Homework will start in Week 6, issued on Monday 27th February and returned on Friday 10th March (two week turn – over). Teams from Stage 2 and 3 are continuing their participation in PSSA for Oz – Tag, AFL, Softball / T-ball and cricket. Well done on your exemplary sportsmanship and for giving it your all each week. Good luck to those students participating in the Ridges Swimming Carnival on Friday 3rd March! We know that you will do your best and make Ironbark Ridge School PS proud. On Wednesday 1st March, parents from 3 Sloths and 5/4 Kingfishers will have a chance to meet their class teacher from 5:30pm. This will enable parents to become acquainted with class teachers, programs and routines. If you require additional time with your child’s class teacher please contact the school office to arrange a meeting. School photos will be taken on Thursday 2nd March. Students need to wear full Summer Uniform. We cannot wait to see all those big, bright smiles! Term 1 invoices have now been emailed. Please contact the school office if you did not receive these. ICAS entry forms have been issued and need to be returned with full payment by Friday 10th March 2017. Thank you for your continued support, The Stage 2 Team

STAGE 3 SNIPPETS

Stimulus writing – students had 20 minutes

LIFE There are so many words to describe the way I feel right now. Trapped, lost, confused, too many words. Actually in some ways that is not always a good thing. My head is too big for me, so big that my body seems small. Holding secrets, memories and, worst of all, comments. My massive head is housing all this information. Everything gets taken in and is kept there forever. It is really hard to shut the door and lock it so nothing else makes its way in but somehow someone always finds the key. Sometimes it feels like I’m trapped in a glass bottle just big enough to fit me. I can see out and everyone can see in. I would sit on pebbles that are wobbly and uneven, just like my life. I would look around and be immersed in darkness, criticism and hate. In the far distance I would see light and hope but it is too far away for me to reach. Luckily everyone has these moments, these kinds of days where the world seems to be against you and everything you do seems to be a mistake. It’s best to let these kind of things know that they are not getting to you. Even if your head is too big and your body’s too small, you will be able to grab that light and make it yours. No longer am I sitting on uneven pebbles. I am sitting on solid concrete. There is light all around and my head is normal size. This is all part of the way I am thinking and my growth mindset that changed it. Stage 3 Teachers

SCHOOL SWIMMING CARNIVAL Another successful School Swimming Carnival was held on Monday 13th February. We were very fortunate to have wonderful weather and congratulations to all swimmers on their amazing efforts. It was pleasing to see our less able swimmers participating and ‘having a go’. Several new swimmers who attended our Swimming Scheme Program during Term 4 last year were able to swim a full 50 metres. Eight records were broken so congratulations to Suzie, Chelsea V, Lucy and Tom S. Some of these records had been held for ten years. A huge thanks to all helpers on the day; our carnival would not be a success without your assistance. The Ridges Zone Swimming Carnival will be held on Friday 3rd March, at Blacktown Pool. Best wishes to all IRPS competitors. House Places: 1st Wattle 2nd Casuarina 3rd Bluegum 4th Waratah Age Champions: Junior Girls: Suzie A Junior Boys: Oliver P 11 Years Girls: Lucy F 11 Years Boys: Carter J

12 Years Girls: Chelsea W and Hayley N 12 Years Boys: Tom S

Thank You Judy Paton

PSSA SPORT: TERM 1

STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN PSSA TEAMS (EXCEPT NETBALL) ARE REQUIRED TO BE A SCHOOL ON FRIDAY MORNINGS IN TERM 4 AT 8.45AM FOR AN 8.50AM SHARP DEPARTURE. IF STUDENTS DO NOT ARRIVE ON TIME THE BUS WILLNOT WAIT AND YOUR CHILD

WILL NOT BE PARTICIPATING IN PSSA ON THAT FRIDAY. WEEK 5 24TH FEBRUARY AFL Wrights Reserve, Pye Road, Quakers Hill SOFTBALL/T-BALL Jonas Bradley Reserve, 165 the Ponds Blvd. The Ponds CRICKET Jonas Bradley Oval, 165 The Ponds Blvd. The Ponds NRL TAG Russell Reserve, Withers Road, Rouse Hill (Field 1) WEEK 6 3RD MARCH

NO PSSA WEEK 7 10TH MARCH AFL Wrights Reseve, Pye Road, Quakers Hill SOFTBALL/T-BALL Newbury Oval, Perfection Drive, Kellyville CRICKET Newbury Oval, Perfection Drive, Kellyville NRL TAG Russell Reserve, Withers Road, Rouse Hill (Field 2)

A note from KTOOSH Services We wanted to take a brief moment and advise any new families to the Ironbark Ridge PS Community that the Before and After School Care Service located on site at Ironbark Ridge PS is operated by KT OOSH Services. KT OOSH Services operates similar to a childcare/daycare service in terms of needing to enrol, book in and provide the service with extensive information through our enrolment process. Children simply cannot “show up” to the school hall and be cared for. All the information you require to enrol your child at before and/or after school care is on the website www.ktoosh.com.au (Refer to the HOW TO ENROL tab). Please note that the enrolment process takes two weeks and children MUST be enrolled before they can attend the service. If you have any queries about the service provided you can refer to the Parent Information booklet on the website, you can email irps@ktoosh.com.au or you phone our Head office on (02) 8814 7610. *Please note that Educators on site are very busy at this time of year settling new students into the service Therefore, during operating hours, isn’t the best time to go to the service to ask questions, as the children in our care will always be Educators first priority. However, if you email the service we can arrange for an extra Educator to be on site to meet you and answer any questions you may have. Thank you for respecting KT OOSH Service policies and procedures & we wish everyone a successful start to the 2017 Schooling year. Kind regards, Katie Welch KT OOSH Director

COMMUNITY NOTICE

ROUSE HILL RAMS SOCCER CLUB Soccer is the biggest sport in Australia right now and we want you to be part of it. Girls soccer is the fastest growing sport too. Rouse Hill Rams is your local community soccer club and 2017 is your year to play! We offer MiniRoos games for U5, U6 and U7, with all games taking place at Hills Centenary Park, Commercial Rd, Rouse Hill on Saturday morning. We also have teams in all ages from U8 to Over 45s, plus Ladies O35, and our new group of 2016, Football 4 All - for children with special needs. We are very family focused and would love to have you join us. Registration is now open at www.myfootballclub.com.au and you can check out our Facebook page or our website (ramssoccer.com.au) Call Emma on 0458204703 or email on contact.soccer@rousehillrams.com.au with any questions you can’t find answers to DISCLAIMER: Ironbark Ridge Public School newsletter contains paid advertisements which assist with the cost of publication. The publication of such advertisements does not imply endorsement of any product or service by the NSW Department of Education or Ironbark Ridge Public School.