- 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.gov.au Nurturing personal growth through inspired learning…

Newsletter 2018

Term 4 Week 9 14th December, 2018 Be Safe, Be Responsible, Be Respectful

DATES FOR THE DIARY

DECEMBER 17th – Party Day for Kindy, Stage 1 and Stage 2 18th – Party Day for Stage 3 19th – Year 6 Leaving Assembly, Last day for Students 20th – Staff Development Day 21st – Staff Development Day

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

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

This week’s rain has been refreshing and has highlighted the mild start we’ve had so far to Summer. No doubt January and beyond will contain some of the usual Sydney heat. Hopefully across the holiday break our playground will have a chance to grow some more grass in preparation for 2019

Although I’ll publish a closing brief newsletter late next week, this is our final major opportunity to wrap up what has been a fantastic year at Ironbark Ridge. With our new local neighbour school, North Kellyville PS, opening after the holidays our educational landscape will alter in some exciting ways. Staff here at Ironbark Ridge are excited to be working with a new collaborative partner and our already dynamic Kellyville Community of Schools will be strengthened further by this. We also anticipate a gradual reduction in student numbers at Ironbark Ridge over these coming years with our ‘local catchment area’ now being reduced significantly.

Collective Efficacy Collaboration will be a key focus at Ironbark Ridge PS in 2019. One of our Strategic Practices across our school is Collective Efficacy, and our teaching teams will be engaged in weekly CPSs (Collaborative Planning Sessions), where they will critique, debate and discuss teaching techniques, planned learning activities, ways to best engage and develop our students and strategies to meet individual students’ needs. When teams of great teacher minds collectively grapple with educational puzzles and create solutions, with strategic additions of targeted professional learning from our executive, we expect to develop even more effective and ‘impactful’ classroom teaching and learning practice. Watch out in the new year for our ongoing story about our CPSs and their impact on student growth. The language of Learning I spoke briefly on Tuesday to our Celebration Day assemblies about creating a Learning Culture at our school with language and actions both at school and home to suit. The Ironbark Ridge Successful Learner Habits framework will include behaviours and skills under the following five R headings:

- Reflective (eg. Using feedback, Growth mindset…) - Resilient (eg. Persistence, Challenge-seeker…)

- Resourceful (eg. Questioner, Knowledge-linker…) - Relational (eg. Empathy, Collaboration…) - Responsible (eg. Managing impulsivity, Integrity…)

Our project team has been developing ‘progressions’ to describe these habits from elementary to highly skilled. We are also embarking with staff and students on the task of writing fun and descriptive narratives to tell the tale of Ridgy the Frog using each of the habits during his difficulties whilst in the Learning Pit. Visuals will also be created so our more confident cartoonists and artists will have contributions to make! 2019 will be an exciting year for the development of this framework and as we all learn to be learners! Celebrating growth Congratulations to all of our major award winners at this week’s Celebration Day assemblies. It was great to be able to spend more time at each assembly celebrating with two smaller groups of students. This gave us the opportunity for student performances and for each individual Year 6 graduate to be presented to the assembled crowd and recognised. You would by now have noticed our ongoing focus on the personal growth of each one of our students. We truly regard personal growth as far more important than achievement against set benchmarks or competition against a cohort. This is complex for us to balance against the traditional approach in education to reporting and also such events as awards ceremonies. Often the unfortunate message many students get from such events is that they are ‘not good enough’.

StarAwards… the future The previous passage brings me to another important conclusion we have come to in 2018.

With educational discussion centring around extrinsic rewards and creating ‘self-determined learners’ at Ironbark Ridge we have been collecting evidence about the

awarding of Star Awards. Teaching staff at Ironbark Ridge have been conflicted for some years now by the knowledge that extrinsic motivators are harmful in the long term to the development of the students in our care, yet we continue to operate school systems that promote such external rewards and controls. This is a sad example of our Espoused Theory

of developmental psychology being in opposition with our Theory in Practice. As a result, we have made the hard decision to cease the awarding off Star Awards. Our entire focus will switch to developing students’ intrinsic motivational capacity. This will fit nicely with the introduction of teaching Successful Learner Habits to our students and will include development of personal goal-setting and planning ahead. We see this as an exciting development at the school although we acknowledge much of the angst this may cause. I have no doubt, however, that it will pale in significance next to the evidence we currently have about the negative emotion already caused to many students who are not awarded a Star Award each semester… NAPLAN Online in 2019 Ironbark Ridge students in Year 3 and Year 5 for 2019 will be completing their NAPLAN online using laptops in the classrooms. The ‘platform’ that hosts the test is a ‘locked’ browser with limited functionality to ensure the testing is in a controlled online environment. We are greatly looking forward to this exciting development for our students, having successfully trialled it in both 2017 and 2018, proving our infrastructure and devices at school are capable of managing the necessary traffic.

• Online testing is more engaging for students and gives them a greater opportunity to demonstrate what they know.

• For students who did the tests online in 2018, the information provided about what they can do and what they need to learn is more accurate and detailed than for before.

• Although there remains a complex task to relate online to paper results, there is no inaccuracy or problem with either data on its own.

We will obviously provide families with far more information in the weeks and months leading up to the testing in Term 2, 2019. Parenting ideas – A resilience mindset! Developing more resilience in our students is crucial in negotiating the trials of the Learning Pit! Your support in growing this will benefit each of your children, and parents might also learn along the way, too… Remember that we are all learners on this lifelong journey of growth! See the article about developing more resilience later in this newsletter.

Student Leadership Team for 2019 On Tuesday we introduced the 28 students who will make up our Student Leadership Team in 2019. These Year 6 students (next year) will work in task groups during the year to deliver ‘voice and agency’ to our whole student group. They will manage and develop our SRC program, our Ridgy Didge Buddies program, our Environmental Rangers program, our Media and Communications program, a new School Spirit program and a new Culture Creators program to leave a legacy for future students at the school. Medal Winner!! Wow! One of our amazing students, Nethya 5P, was recently presented with a University of NSW Medal of Honour for achieving a perfect score in this year’s Year 5 ICAS Science Test. Each year at Ironbark Ridge we make changes to add new important programs and features we know will benefit our students in a positive way, and we also eliminate barriers and areas of inconsistency to enable greater impact for our teachers and growth from our students. I think most of us would agree that the only constant thing in our modern world is change… if that makes any sense. When relentlessly raising the bar we must continually improve our jumping technique! Enjoy the weekend and the last few days of school. We will cherish each day with the many students who are leaving Ironbark Ridge next Wednesday afternoon to graduate to High School, or to other schools in continuing their educational journey. Yours in lifelong growth and learning, Nick Thomson Principal

DEPUTY PRINCIPALS’ REPORT Celebration Day Tuesday’s Celebration Day assemblies were a wonderful way to reflect upon and acknowledge some remarkable achievements from 2018. In the 3-6 assembly, we recognised the outstanding academic, citizenship, sporting and cultural achievcements of our students. We were fortunate to have some special guests assist us in presenting and sponsoring some of our major awards. Our K-2 assembly had a different flair as every child from Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 performed on stage. It was wonderful to see so many students receiving awards and our sincerest congratulations go out to all students regardless of if they took home a medal or certificate, for their wonderful progress in learning throughout the year. Congratulations also to our incoming Student Leadership team. We look forward to working with you in 2019. To our family and community members who joined us at one of the assemblies on the day, we say thank you. Not only for your attendance, but also for your support of our wonderful school throughout the year. Week 10 The next three days will be very busy as we wrap up the school year. On Monday, Kindergarten, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4 will go to the movies. K-2 will travel by bus to Castle Towers, and Stage 2 will walk to Rouse Hill Town Centre. On Tuesday, Stage 3 will also go to Castle Towers to see ‘Storm Boy’. On Wednesday, the last day of term for our students, we will farewell our Year 6 students in a special assembly starting at 2pm in our hall. We hope to see many parents and friends join us for this special celebration. Thursday and Friday of next week are Staff Development Days. Students are not required to attend on these days. Farewell Year 6 Congratulations to the students of Year 6, 2018 for your efforts and success throughout the year. We have enjoyed taking the learning journey with you over the past seven years and as you now move into high school, we ask that you remain committed to making the most of every opportunity that comes your way. Your success in life is a direct result of the choices you make and the path you choose to follow, and remember that you can achieve anything your heart desires. We wish Year 6 every success and may their future education produce long-lasting happiness and fulfilment. Safe People, Safe Places As we wind down towards family and holiday time, we send a reminder about keeping our students safe over the holiday period. Please see the ‘Safe People, Safe Places’ leaflet included in this newsletter. This important information is presented to us from NSW Police and we encourage you to discuss this with your children. Be Sun Smart This Summer Holiday

As the holiday season approaches, shade is one of the easiest ways to protect yourself from the sun. Shade can reduce UV exposure by up to 75%. Children learn from adults around them so make sure that you are seeking out shade when you go outside. Encourage children to think about where the shade is and move throughout the day to stay safe. For total sun protection,

make sure that you Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide whenever the UV is above 3. For more information about sun protection, download the information brochure: http://www.sunsmart.com.au/downloads/communities/early-childhood-primary-school/resources/family-notice-we-are-sunsmart-primary.pdf 2019 School Start Dates:

Have a wonderful weekend, Kerrie Pho and Kerry De Jager Deputy Principals

Monday 28th January Australia Day Public Holiday Tuesday

29th January Staff Development Day. No students at school on this day. IRPS Uniform Shop open 9-3pm

Wednesday 30th January

Current Years 1-6 students return to school. Best Start Assessment (Kindy 2019)

Thursday 31st January Newly enrolled Years 1-6 return to school. Best Start Assessment (Kindy 2019)

Friday 1st February Best Start Assessment (Kindy 2019) Tuesday 5th February Kindergarten students begin school (staggered start times, early finish)

ADMINISTRATION For administration purposes, if your child/children is/are going to be returning late back to school in 2019, could you please advise the office as soon as possible. If your child/children will not be returning to Ironbark Ridge Public School in 2019, could you please complete the form at the back of the newsletter and return to the office as soon as you can. This is to assist us in our class planning for 2019. Thank you, Allison Batten School Administration Manager

CANTEEN

If you are going to be ordering lunch for your children before the end of the school term, please ensure you check the Flexischool site closely, as we have a limited range of food available, and will not be ordering in any extra stock. All items that are available, will be listed on our Flexischool canteen site.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, and a happy and safe holiday break. Doris Cull Canteen Manager

LIBRARY Dear Parents / Carers, Could you please start looking in your bookshelves at home for all Ironbark Ridge School Library Books that have not been returned and send them back to school as we need to start preparing for end of year stocktake. Thank you, Judy Paton, Rachel Bryce, Alison Brewster, Amelia Weekley

KINDY CAPERS What an amazing year of learning and achievement we have had this year with our Kindy students. It is wonderful to look back at the progress they have made since that very first day of tears and excitement at starting big school. Just a few reminders before the end of the year. If you have any library books or home readers please return them as soon as possible as we are currently undertaking stocktake of our resources.

Next Monday we are off to the movies! Students will need to be at school at the usual time, ready to board the bus of fun! A drink and snack will be provided for recess. Students should bring their own lunch, as we will back at school in time to eat together. Reports were sent home today. Inside the envelope there is a list of requirements that your child will need for Year 1. The first day back for current students is Wednesday 30th January, all students will come

to school and line up with their current class i.e. Kindy Smurfs will line up together; Kindy Paddington will line up together etc. Students will stay with their current classmates at the beginning of 2019 until the new classes are formed. The Kindergarten teachers would like to take this opportunity to thank all parents for the wonderful support that has been given to the teachers and to your children to ensure a

successful first year of school! We have all thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the students and sharing our love of learning with them. Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and a safe holiday break. Looking forward to seeing

everyone in the new year when the adventures of Year 1 will begin!

The Early Stage 1 Team

STAGE 1 SNIPPETS

As the learning year draws to an end, Stage 1 Teachers would like to thank all parents and carers for their consistent support in facilitating student learning at school. Students have shown such amazing growth in all their learning areas and are truly ready and rearing for an exciting year ahead! Students will be bringing their personal belongings home over the next few days. They have been looking forward to sharing their learning with everyone at home.

Wishing all parents and carers a very happy and safe holiday season! Stage One Teachers

STAGE 2 SNIPPETS What a fantastic year of learning 2018 has been! Your support throughout the year has been greatly appreciated and does not go unnoticed. There have so many wonderful events this year and we still have more to come. Stage 2 Party Day

On Monday 17th December, Stage 2 teachers and students will celebrate the end of 2018 by seeing the movie The Grinch at Reading Cinemas Rouse Hill. Please ensure your child arrives at school on time as we will be leaving school to walk to the cinema at 9:15 sharp. All children are to wear their full sports uniform on the day and MUST wear their school hat when walking to and from the cinema. Students will be given a drink and small snack to have during the movie and a sausage sizzle lunch and ice block when back at school.

Who can believe we are already talking about 2019?! Students will return to school on Wednesday 30th January.

At the end of the term we will be saying farewell to three of our beloved Stage 2 teachers as they pursue opportunities far and wide. We will all miss seeing Mrs Knights, Miss Taylor and Miss Forster at Ironbark Ridge next year and wish them good luck in 2019. We will also say goodbye to many of our Stage 2 students and their families. We hope they leave Ironbark Ridge with fond memories of their time here. One more thing… Please send a durable bag (a reusable Coles or Woolies bag is ideal) to

school with your child before the end of term so they can take home all of their books and belongings. The Stage 2 teachers would like to wish all students and their families a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year. Enjoy the break (we will!) and we look forward to seeing you next year.

Stage 2 Teachers

STAGE 3 SNIPPETS As the year draws to a close, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our wonderful Stage 3 students and supportive parents for making this year a fantastic one. Our students have excelled in many areas, making us incredibly proud, and being a credit to the Ironbark badge. The Year 6 ‘Enchanted’ Farewell took place last week. All the students looked lovely and had a lot of fun, as did the teachers. How lovely it is when outsiders comment on the good manners and friendliness of our students. The ballroom looked amazing and plenty of photos were taken, which are available to our Year 6 students for downloading onto their USB that they will receive on the last day of school. Thank you to all for helping to make the night a success, especially to our ‘mum crew’ who kindly helped with the set-up. High School orientation was a novel experience for many of our Year 6s last Tuesday. They were introduced to their new schools and shown around. Simultaneously, our new 2019 Year 5 OC students were introduced to Ironbark Ridge, hearing about all the wonderful activities and learning that takes place. Congratulations to all our students who were recognised at our Celebration Day this week. Their outstanding achievements are mind-boggling – Creative Arts, Literary, Sporting Endeavours, avid readers and Community Wellbeing. We are so proud of you and how well you represent yourselves and our school. It is a day of mixed emotions as primary school ends for our Year 6 group who have been wonderful, kind, caring students. We will certainly miss them but know that they will make us, and themselves, proud as they continue their educational journey. We wish them every success. A reminder that our Stage 3 ‘Party Day’, aka the movies watching Storm Boy, is happening on Tuesday. Students may bring a small packet of lollies and a water. We are looking forward to a fun day. Thank you to our awesome parents and students of Stage 3, 2018! You have been a truly fabulous group, full of enthusiasm and fun. Have a wonderful holiday. We look forward to seeing all our Year 5s back safely next year, and hearing from our Year 6s about how next year turns out. For those who celebrate, have a Merry Christmas, and a happy holiday season to all. Stage 3 Teachers

CHINESE Nǐmen hǎo! 你们 好!

After a 3 hour bus trip across the longest bridge in the world, we arrived in Zhujiajiao, a water town built on canals and criss-crossed by bridges and walkways. We had lunch in a little restaurant and then wandered the streets looking for bargains. You could buy everything

from fans to paintings or even live turtles! It was lots of fun. We jumped back onto the bus and arrived in Shanghai an hour and a half later. We headed straight up the Oriental Pearl Tower. This is a beautiful, old telecommunications tower that has a glass floor. A little daunting for some, but most took lots of photos pretending to fall. After we looked around at the city lights we headed off for dinner. It was the 1st of October, Chinese National Day, so the city was very crowded. We tried to walk along the beautiful harbour but unfortunately the crowds made this very difficult. So we went back to the hotel instead and had a rest. The next day we visited the Science and Technology Museum. After lunch we went shopping at what is commonly known as the fake markets. We all had a great time wandering up down the many aisles collecting all our bargains and souvenirs for family and friends. That night we attended an interesting acrobatic performance. The story was a little confusing but the performers were incredible! On the last day we visited the Yuyuan Garden in Old Shanghai Town. This was a beautiful, historical garden built by a son for his ageing father to enjoy his last days, a picturesque oasis in the middle of a bustling city. We took some time out in the beautiful surroundings to reflect on our trip and what we had learnt about China and ourselves. At the end of the garden we found ourselves in an amazing market place where we wanted to shop for more souvenirs. But it was so crowded we gave up and headed back to the fake market for the last bits and pieces before heading for the airport. All in all we had an amazing time, we visited some of the interesting places that we had learnt about in class and we got to practise and improve our Mandarin. The plane trip home was much quieter than when we started our adventure. Exhausted but happy was the general consensus. We were all sad to see the end of our amazing tour of China but there’s no place like home Next trip 2020….. Mrs Linda Przyrembel – Chinese Teacher/Excursion Organiser

WEEK 8 KBB Luca, Lanah, Sofia, Riya KCB Kylie, Daphne, Ethan, Danilo KM Yashika, Joshua, Shrey, Verynn KT 1D Max, Autumn, Madena, Piper 1F Mehar, Lachlan, eric, Akshara 1J Jordan, Katrina, Emanuel, Mathias 1D Chloe, Madena, Paige, Yusuf 2/1C Sopie, Elyssa, Ved 2D 2W Alyssa, Taylor, Branden, Lorren 3F Charlotte, Olivia, Bhavna 3H Noah, Xavier, Chloe 4/3B Zak, Aahil, Teegan 4F Jack, Jessie, Avani, Alisha 5/4W Prateek, David, Aadyha, Paige, Sky, Ken, Uday 5F Trinitee, Ayushiv, Harry, Timothy 5P Suzie, Arunabh, Ben 6A Brodie, Sarah, Chantal, Amreen, Tanay 6C Aslon, Holly, Leanne, Dylan, Theresa 6H ictor, John, Sophy, Amudha, Meagan Chinese 3H Library KT

.

P & C NEWS

Ironbark Ridge P&C Association would like to thank our

Platinum & MAJOR Fete Sponsor

WEBSITE : www.skylinesolar.com.au Showroom : 317 Windsor Rd, Vineyard NSW 2765

Phone : 1300 759 765 Email : skylinesolar@bigpond.com

KINDERGARTEN TO YEAR 5

We are starting to plan classes for 2019. If you know that your child/ren will definitely not be

returning to Ironbark Ridge next year or will be returning late at the commencement of the 2019

school year, please complete the slip below and return it to the school office as soon as possible.

Please disregard this letter if your child/ren are continuing at Ironbark in 2019.

Nick Thomson Principal ________________________________________________________________________

END OF YEAR STUDENT LEAVERS – KINDERGARTEN TO YEAR 5 OR LATE RETURNERS

My child _____________________________________________ Class ______________ My child _____________________________________________ Class ______________ My child _____________________________________________ Class ______________ Will not be returning to Ironbark Ridge PS next year. Destination School __________________________________________________ Will be returning late. Date returning ____________________________________ Parent or Caregiver Signature: ______________________________________________

COMMUNITY NOTICES're a

Join the Band! Is your child interested in joining the school band? The school band is now taking enrolments for 2019 and is open to all students currently in years 2-5. No prior experience is required. In Term 4 students will see a demonstration concert at school that highlights the different instruments available for tuition. They will receive a green School Band Program note providing introductory information. What do you need to do? Return the expression of interest from the bottom of the green note to try a variety of instruments with trained music tutors, to help your child find the instrument to which they are best suited. The results of this instrument trial will be sent home with comprehensive enrolment information. Learning an instrument in an ensemble is a great way to experience the social, educational and personal benefits that music and the arts have to offer! TSA provides a quality instrumental program, with full ensemble rehearsals, great value tuition and rent-to-buy instrument hire. For more information on your school instrumental program, please contact TSA below.

The Ironbark Ridge school band is now accepting enrolments for 2019. If your child will be in year 3-6 in 2019 and would like to play in the school band, enrolments are now open! Complete beginners and experienced players are all welcome. Band rehearsals and group/private tuition are provided at school on Tuesdays and are streamed according to the students' experience. Lessons are offered for flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, euphonium, bass guitar and percussion. To register your interest, return a band 'expression of interest' form to the school office (form available at school office). Information on fees etc are available on the expression of interest form. If you have further questions, you can contact your school's band director, Mr. Ben Hurley, on benhurley@teachingservies.com.au

PROJECTS OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF THE HILLS-KELLYVILLE INC.

2018-19 Summer events and activities to support great works While many are getting ready for a well-earned end of year break, over the December – January holiday period the Rotary Club of The Hills Kellyville are working harder than ever to raise funds for great causes. Key events: Christmas Tree Sales:

- When: Saturdays & Sundays 8th, 9th, 15th & 16th December 2018 from 7.30 til late in the afternoon - Where: 2 locations – The car parks of the Bull & Bush Hotel at Baulkham Hills and the Ettamogah Hotel,

Kellyville. Both locations are on Windsor Rd - Other information: all of our trees are from NSW, sourced locally in and around Sydney. They are fresh

cut each week and optimally stored so you get the freshest tree. All sizes available & the team will help load

Christmas Wrapping

- When: Tuesday 18th until Sunday 23rd December 2018 from 10am til 2pm - Where: In Winston Hills Mall - Other Information: Gold coin donations gratefully received for fine wrapping!

The “Wishing Tree”

- When: Monday 10th until Christmas Eve 2018 - Where: Stockland Mall, Baulkham Hills - Other Information: Gifts are distributed through 3 major charities for those in need

Celebrate Australia Day

- When: On Australia Day, Saturday 26th January 2019 starting for breakfast at 7.30am - Where: Third Settlement Reserve, Edison Parade, Winston Hills - Other information: The Australia Day Celebration starts with a great Aussie breakfast and a flag raising

ceremony. Throughout the morning there will be activities for all the family including the popular thong throwing competition and antique steam engine rides. There will also be displays of antique machinery, woodturning, local flora and fauna, historical information on the area, artwork, cultural dancing, a bush band, a didgeridoo player. Special prizes for the best dressed in Australiana costumes.

The Rotary Club of the Hills-Kellyville holds events for the local community and raise funds for numerous programs far and wide, from the Hills area to outback Australia to overseas communities with specific needs. Local programs include Literacy Initiatives for students. Further afield the club continues its Bourke Public School Breakfast Club project, helping school attendance. The club has been at the forefront of the drive for drought relief support and fund raising. Most recently, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead purchased new state of the art equipment for their Eye Clinic with funds organised by our club. At an International level, the club completed its twelve year project of refurbishing Arep Provincial School, Vanua Lava, Vanuatu. For more details, contact the club though our website www.hillsrotary.org.au or our Facebook page.