G29 Families – Staying Alive – Food boxes for families in need

By Stephanie Jamison26th April 2024

As you know, students have been using the Jack Munroe book β€˜Cooking on a Bootstrap’ to plan and try out recipes.

 

Students have now collated all of their plans and we have put together the ingredients for a week’s worth of food using recipes from the book. Students have done such a great job on sharing their plans and making adjustments to ensure that there is a balance of healthy, tasty food across the box of food for the week.

Once put together, the two food boxes will be donated to Edberts House, who will pass them on to two families in need; this is such important work that the students have done to have a positive impact on their community.

We are now asking forΒ small donations for the non-perishable items to go into these food boxes. It would be fantastic to have all of the items needed by the end of next week Friday – 3rd May.

InΒ Google Classroom students have access to a spreadsheet where they have each indicated which ingredient/s they think that they can donate. Please have a conversation with your child about this. If there are any problems in sourcing the ingredients, please do ask your child to talk to their Crew Leader.

We will provide the additional perishable items soΒ there isΒ no need to provide anything beyond what your child has said they think they can contribute.

Please ask your child to give their donation to school and we will store these until we are ready to donate the boxes. All donations will be gratefully received and put into the food boxes alongside the week’s worth of recipes from the book. Of course, most importantly, the food will go to families that need it the most. This is what we do at XP, our curriculum and your children’s work impacts positively on our community.

We are so proud of your children for their compassion and the work that they have done on these boxes, and of course, thanks to you for your continued support.

Sharing our Stories: 26/04/2024

26th April 2024Geoff Hewitt

Beautiful Work This Week

Beautiful Activism @ Green Top

A few months ago, Jake in Year 6 approached the school and his Crew with wanting to raise awareness around Motor Neurone Disease. Being a big fan of Leeds Rhinos, he has been inspired by Rob Burrows’ bravery and the superb effort of his ex-team mate, Kevin Sinfield.

Last week, Jake and his Mum organised a coffee morning fundraiser – including a bake sale, raffle and more! With the help of the Green Top Community, they have raised over Β£2600.

You can donate here: xptrust.info/MND – please leave a note to say ‘care of Jake at Green Top School’!

We would also like to give a massive shout out to Elsie from Class 6 and her family, who raised an outstanding Β£275 to buy raffle tickets. This is a cause very close to their hearts as they sadly lost Elsie’s Grandad to the disease in 2011. You can read more about it here.

Once again the generosity of the Green Top community has blown us away. We are Crew!

Full Steam ahead at Gresley Exhibition launch

A remarkable new exhibition about Sir NIgel Gresley has opened at the Danum Gallery in Doncaster – and our XP Schools Trust is playing its part! Our Rail City book, which is on sale in the gift shop at the gallery, was one of the catalysts for the invitation to contribute to this important collection of work – and the inspiration for the brochure which has been delivered by our Comms Crew. Our students’ study of our city’s rail story has given them a real overview of how important the work of Sir Nigel Gresley, who created Flying Scotsman and Mallard at the Plant, is in the history of steam and speed.

Letters and personal objects such as his hat and portrait are part of the exhibition, which has been curated with the collaboration of the Gresley Society, the Doncaster Grammar School Railways Archive and Doncaster City Council. Students from XPD are creating an audio experience for exhibition visitors and our Primary School Pupils are being invited to create rail related illustrations for colouring books that will be part of the gallery’s summer holiday resources for children across Doncaster.

Seb, who joined us at the launch said: “Going to the private viewing of the exhibition was great. It is important that young people carry on the legacy of our ancestors!”

Mel Cocliff added: “It was a privilege to be invited to the launch of the Sir Nigel Gresley exhibition at the Danum Gallery. To watch students from XP interact with people involved, including our Civic Mayor, was truly heartwarming. It’s vital that young people in our communities continue to appreciate the rail heritage of Doncaster, and pass on that baton as they grow up, too!”

The exhibition runs until September.

EYFS @ Green Top build their sandpit!

Following the playhouse being removed from the Reception outdoor area, it was in need of a revamp so the children decided to create a sandpit in this space! What a perfect opportunity to work collaboratively to create a purposeful learning space for their Summer term expedition ‘What happens where the sea meets the shore?’ The children designed the space and made a list of resources and jobs – beautiful work!

Beautiful Curation @ Carcroft

Beautiful displays were installed this week at Carcroft School – a culmination of last term’s Expedition ‘There is no Planet B’.

Top of the Blogs

Crew RPU Highlights @ XP

Beautiful Work from Grace @ XP Gateshead

Sunshine and Fairies @ Norton Infants

Long Jump @ Green Top

Messy Maps @ Plover

Exploring in the tree @ Carcroft School

E29 Working Hard @ XP East

Investigating Foods @ Norton Juniors

Join our Crew!

We’re looking for Cleaners and a Cleaner in Charge to #JoinOurCrew at XP Doncaster – find out more and apply here!

Share your stories with us!

We now have a new dedicated news email so that you can send your stories, updates or ideas about potential news articles directly to us in Comms.

It might be something you or your students have achieved, a charity you’re supporting or anything at all that deserves a wider audience.

Write to us at [email protected] –  we want to hear about it, write about it and celebrate it!

All G28 families – DoFE confirmation of final dates for practice and assessed expeditions.

By Tom Devitt25th April 2024

Dear Families

I am delighted to be able to confirm to all G28 families, final dates for our Duke of Edinburgh practice, and assessed expeditions which are now slightly later in the term than was given at our information evening.

As you know, The Duke of Edinburgh is an important aspect of our curriculum in challenging students to develop their character and push them beyond their comfort zone. As a school we invest a great deal of time, money and staff resources into helping all students to achieve the award. DofE is a part of our curriculum for all students.

The practice expedition will take place on Friday 17th May. Students will be transported by Metro and then carry out a practice hike and map reading. On returning to school they will practise setting up camp on our grounds and cook an evening meal using their camping equipment. They will then be able to finish their practice on the evening of Friday 17th May at around 7pm.

The final assessed expedition will take place on Friday 5th July – Saturday the 6th July. Students will report to school for crew time as normal on Friday and will be transported to their Duke of Edinburgh drop off point in Wark, Northumberland. Students will then be staying at Greencarts Campsite, next to Hadrian’s Wall, before completing day two of the expedition and being collected in Acomb, Northumberland. Students can expect to arrive back to school in the late afternoon on Saturday the 6th May.

There is a kit list for the DofE expeditions, which includes some items which are part of our regular outdoor kit at XP Gateshead. There is not a need for any families to purchase any of the more specialist kit such as compasses, backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, roll mats or cooking equipment as we have this equipment in school. You will soon receive a letter with the information above and the kit list included.

Further information will be communicated in due course, and if there you have any further questions in the meantime please do not hesitate to get in touch with me.Β 

Many thanks for your continued support.Β 

Tom Devitt

Weekly update for families – W/C Monday 22nd April 2024

By Julie Mosley21st April 2024

Dear Families

It has been a good start back to school and most students have settled back with us quickly and, as always, have impressed us with their HoWLs, character values and their engagement in learning.Β 

G30 Staying Alive

As part of rounding off last term’s expedition for Year 7, students had an expert session with Alice Roberts who is carrying out a PhD which aims to explore opportunities to improve the food and drink environment in UK secondary schools. Students will soon be gathering the ingredients needed for the food boxes which will be donated to families in need through our partners Edberts House.

G29 and G30 Immersion

This week has been immersion week for our Y7 and Y8 students marking the start of our new Summer expeditions. Both G29 and G30 students have been puzzling over what their new guiding questions will be after 5 days of immersion this week.Β 

G29 have been looking at a wide range of stimulus materials on the theme of people on the move including the poem Home by Warsan Shire, a briefing from a minister from the Pacific island of Tuvalu which addresses rising sea levels and the context that has led to the ongoing civil war in Syria. Their guiding question will be revealed this week.

G30 have spent the week looking at literature, in particular poetry associated with rivers and developing their knowledge of the water cycle. Mrs Ross has been particularly impressed with the connections that Year 7 have been making back to previous our expedition in term 1 which looked at the nature of the ground beneath our feet.

G30 had the reveal on Friday afternoon and now know that their guiding question for STEAM, HUMAN and ARTS this term is β€œHow does water shape our world?”. Students will carry out three case studies focusing on how water is essential for life, how water shapes the world around rivers and also around coasts. There will be some great fieldwork this term too, more information on that to come.

G28 Expedition β€˜You Give Me Fever’ 

Students are coming towards the end of this expedition, and are looking at the story of public health in the modern period and making connections between this and the pathology of non-communicable diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

As we have posted previously, we have asked all Year 9 families to sign up for the student-led Public Health Conference which is taking place in school on the afternoon of Friday 10th May.

You can sign up by clicking here. Please check your emails for more details on timings of the event etc.

Work on the grounds of the school site

Connor and Kenzie in G29 have been supporting Mr Walters to develop an area of the site which will be used for outdoor learning sessions. G28 will have some campcraft sessions soon as part of their DofE and G29 will soon be introduced to some elements of campcraft as part of an upcoming Crew Day. Thanks to Kenzie, Connor (and Mr Walters) for their hard work on preparing the ground here.

We need your support

Monitoring online activityΒ 

There are some students who have taken longer to settle the week and we have invested a significant amount of staff time this week picking up issues around friendships which have played out online outside of school. This is definitely not what we expect or want to spend time on and we ask for your support, as parents and carers, to monitor your child’s online communications outside of school hours.Β 

As you know, character growth is a key component of our 3-Dimensional curriculum at XP Gateshead and we all (students, staff and families)Β  have a responsibility to support the development of our character values of courage, craftsmanship and quality, respect, integrity and compassion.

I understand the challenges that being a parent or carer of a teenager brings and how difficult this can be, especially around social media and finding the right balance between privacy, monitoring and trust. This term we will look to run some online safety sessions for families involving experts from the wider community. More information to follow.

Stewardship

Last week we drew attention to some of the areas around dress code where we most frequently challenge students. This week we would like to also ask for your support around chewing gum. Whilst it is not endemic in school, we have recently spoken in community meetings about chewing gum under tables and how this should not be something that our cleaners have to attend to.

We have made it very clear to all students that chewing gum is not to be brought into school as this is the most effective way to ensure it does not end up under tables. Where children are found to have brought chewing gum into school this we will arrange for them to do some stewardship work in school over a number of days. This reflects an important principle of our school and our restorative practices. Where mistakes are made in any regard, it is vital that these mistakes are put right. Doing acts of service in terms of stewardship helps students to understand the work that our staff and cleaners do in ensuring that we have a clean and hygienic environment for learning.

This week

G28 Geography fieldwork – Wednesday 24th April

G28 students will be completing important fieldwork to help them answer the geography enquiry question: β€œWhy are there differences in life expectancy in Gateshead?” This will support the students creating a final report investigating health inequalities in Gateshead which will be shown at their presentation of learning.

Students will be in crews walking from Felling to Gateshead collecting primary data to answer their fieldwork question. Please see the website post for full details and the kit list required.

PE sessions this week

Our PE sessions this week are as follows. Please ensure that your child has theirΒ  full PE kit.

  • G30 students (Y7) have PE on Monday this week
  • G29 students (Y8) have PE on Wednesday this week.
  • For G28 students (Y9)Β 
    • G28 Class 1 have PE on Thursday this week
    • G28 Class 2 have PE on Friday this week.

Extended Study and Clubs

Extended study and after school clubs will be running from Tuesday 23rd April onwards as we have some important whole-staff training taking place on Monday after school.Β 

If you have any questions please contact your child’s crew leader in the first instance.Β 

Thank you as always for your ongoing support.

Julie Mosley

G28 Fieldwork – Wednesday 24th April

By Rebecca Jones19th April 2024

G28 Fieldwork

On Wednesday 24th April G28 students will be completing important fieldwork to help them answer the geography enquiry question: β€œWhy are there differences in life expectancy in Gateshead?” This will support the students creating a final report investigating health inequalities in Gateshead which will be shown at their presentation of learning.

Students will be in crews walking from Felling to Gateshead collecting primary data to answer their fieldwork question. This will be a 10km walk, so students will need to bring an appropriate kit list.

Students should bring:

Their daily kit as usual

Shoes that are comfortable for walking long distances

Backpack

Waterproof coat

Extra water

Packed lunch

Any medication your child should need (Inhalers epipen etc)

Suncream (hopefully the sun will be shining)

Currently the weather forecast is looking dry. If this changes alternative arrangements will be made.

Keep an eye on your inbox and an email will be sent out soon with a health questionnaire which will also support the students with their final product.

Have a great weekend

Miss Jones

Sharing our Stories: 19/04/2024

19th April 2024Geoff Hewitt

Beautiful Work This Week

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwrxgw6lJI0

Being Human – Beautiful Speeches from XP Gateshead

The G29 students speeches answering our guiding question β€œWhat does it mean to be human?” is now live on our website.

You can listen again and relive the POL speeches here!

https://youtu.be/SAPiZ4yAK-8
https://youtu.be/SEaDyoapZ00

This beautiful work is also available to visitors to the QE Hospital at the Windy Nook Entrance via a QR code on the art installation. This is important work matters, raising awareness of the importance of organ donation. A work that chimes with Olivias’ concluding remarks to our POL.

β€œβ€¦being human is about our social structures and relationships. How we connect, understand each other and have a sense of understanding and acceptance for ourselves and others.Β  We build our world through our memories and experience to decide where we want to go in the future. Humans grow through our community and others around us.”

XP Y9 Fieldwork to Thackray Museum

https://youtu.be/6YLmdi8Ckzw

The Power of Change @ Carcroft

In Spring 2024, students from Years 5 and 6 at Carcroft School embarked on an Expedition to explore the 19th century’s impact on our lives today, examining whether its influence has been positive or negative. Students immersed themselves in the era by creating African pattern-inspired book bindings and sculptures. They delved into the work of British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonabare to understand cultural identity and globalisation. The history case study focused on the British Empire, particularly its effects on South Africa and the Zulu people, comparing Victorian society with Zulu society and discussing the legacy of these interactions. The science component of the Expedition related these historical impacts to the concepts of reversible and irreversible changes, using chemistry to draw parallels between the societal changes and scientific processes.

https://youtu.be/WqWfXorz724

The Expedition’s culmination was an art exhibition-style event where students showcased sculptures inspired by Yinka Shonabare, reflecting on cultural identity and personal, cultural, or ethnic adaptation in an ever-changing world. This final product, along with literacy-based assessments and case study reflections, demonstrated the students’ learning and understanding of the 19th century’s influence. Throughout the Expedition, a diverse range of texts, including graphic novels and classic literature, enriched the students’ experience. Despite limitations on fieldwork due to economic conditions, video calls with South African residents offered insights into the lasting impacts of the British Empire on the Zulu people, enhancing the students’ global perspective and understanding of historical legacies.

Highlights from UKS2’s COL @ Plover

In the last week of term, students in UKS2 at Plover celebrated their work from their Expedition ‘The Power of Change’. Their guiding question was ‘How did the 19th century influence our lives today?’ and their final product explored significant locations in Doncaster, creating a history trail for members of the community to follow to learn more about the City’s history.

Β 

‘How will what I do today impact the world tomorrow?’ @ Norton Infants

Last term, students in KS1 at Norton infants explored ocean pollution – contrasting clean and polluted waters and their effects on wildlife, leading to local litter collection activities and artistic recycling projects, culminating in a family event promoting the reduction of single-use plastics. They delved into the science of this by examining the characteristics of living and non-living entities, focusing on animal needs and dietary types, and assessing human impacts on ecosystems, resulting in a detailed report on local fauna. Their geographical studies spanned identifying global continents, oceans, and specific habitats, enhanced by a narrative exercise based on “Somebody Swallowed Stanley.” Art skills were honed through various mediums in creating a sculpture and alternate story settings from “The Tin Forest.”

The students’ final product drew together learning from all three of these case studies. They created these activity booklets, which contain examples of beautiful artwork and written information, and include activities for children to complete – here’s a sample of their work below!

Β 

We would like to donate these booklets to local places so that children can complete them whilst they are out in our community! If this is something that you feel you would like copies of, we can send them to you! Please send an email to [email protected] and we will organise sending them to you!

Top of the Blogs

Wise Wednesday @ XP

Beautiful Work from Scarlett @ XP Gateshead

We are Sea Explorers @ Norton Infants

Class 7 found a time capsule @ Green Top

Ready Steady Cook @ Plover

New Reading Challenge @ Carcroft School

What is Power? @ XP East

‘Hats on for Hope’ @ Norton Juniors

Join our Crew!

We’re looking for Cleaners and a Cleaner in Charge to #JoinOurCrew at XP Doncaster – find out more and apply here!

Share your stories with us!

We now have a new dedicatedΒ news email so that you can send your stories, updates or ideas about potential news articles directly to us in Comms.

It might be something you or your students have achieved, a charity you’re supporting or anything at all that deserves a wider audience.

Write to us atΒ [email protected]Β – Β we want to hear about it, write about it and celebrate it!

G28 Public Health Conference – Friday 10th May

By Martin Said17th April 2024

Good afternoon, families of Year 9 will soon receive an email with more details of the Public Health Conference which forms the Presentation of Learning for Year 9 for their current expedition.

Please let us know if you do not receive this email this evening.

Year 6 Transition Timeline

By XP Gateshead Office17th April 2024

Dear Year 6 Families

We are delighted to be able to announce the calendar of transition events that we have planned to welcome your children and your family into our community at XP Gateshead.

More details on each of these events will follow in due course, but here is an overview of the activities so that you can plan ahead and discuss this with your child.

Online Family Meetings

This week we will send details of how to sign up for an online family meeting. Meetings will be in the fortnight commencing 29th April. These take place via Google Meet during the evening and are with a senior leader in the school. The meetings are a first chance for us to meet you and your child, to find out about them and discuss our expectations as a school. Your meeting will last up to 30 minutes. We will send details of how to book an appointment to you on 16th April.

Primary School Visits

We aim to visit every child in their Primary School this term. This is done by members of our transition team and means that as well as seeing your child in an educational setting, they get to know another friendly face before they come to us.

In-Person Information Evening for parents/carers

We will be holding an In-Person Information Evening at our school on 23rd May at 6pm.

It is vital that all families attend as we will give important information about the Outward Bound course that takes place for all students at the start of Year 7 as well as our iPad scheme. In addition, we will address some of the misconceptions about our school so that families are completely clear on what we are: β€˜A mainstream school with a relentless focus on beautiful work, character growth and academic success’, and also what we are not. There will be an opportunity for you to ask us questions too of course.

Transition Days at XP Gateshead

Your children will join us in school on Tuesday 2nd July and Wednesday 3rd July. Again more details of these days will follow in due course. Like a regular school day, students can arrive in school from 8:00am but need to be present by 8:25am. Our school day finishes at 3:15pm.

Your child will follow a typical day at XPG on both days which include some crew sessions, expedition sessions and a community meeting.

Meet your child’s Crew Leader

Following the transition days, on Tuesday 9th July we will invite parents and carers into school in the evening to meet your child’s new Crew Leader. We expect all families to attend this event. We are proud of the strong relationships that we form with families at XP Gateshead and this is an important opportunity for you to begin to build that relationship with the person that will be the key adult for your child when they start with us. As well as our cross-curricular learning expeditions, our pastoral structure Crew is what sets us apart from other schools.

We start school earlier than other schools in the local authority to allow for the Outward Bound experience. Our first day of term is Tuesday 27th August. More info on our term dates can be found by clicking here.

Information Gathering

A huge thanks to all of those families that have completed the Google Form to let us know about you and your child. Please can all families complete these forms as soon as possible.

New starter: Google Form

Parent/Carer voice Google Form

We will also gather information from Primary Schools over the coming term so that we build a clear picture of your child and how we can support and challenge them to be the best version of themselves and see success.