Dear Families
Often, when you look back on the week past it is hard to believe that so much can be achieved in a week and this is definitely the case for last week. So much achieved – our final GCSE exams, G28 art and photography invigilation, G30 working with IntoUniversity, our G31 PoL, G28 art and photography exhibition and our first XPG Live!
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A simply stunning week which showcased the arts at XPG. And as always, the power of crew!
If you haven’t read the blog ‘Just another day… at XP Gateshead‘ written by Andy Sprakes last week, please take the time to do this. It’s a beautiful read about the great work of our students and the power they have. We get the chance to see your children and their greatness every day and see how hard they are working to produce beautiful work, grow their character and be successful academically. We also get the chance to see and hear them challenging and supporting each other to be better and, like staff here, our students ‘sweat the small stuff’ and have high expectations of themselves and their peers.
There are always many to thank for the support they give to us at XP Gateshead and just last week the following individuals and organisations worked with our students and school. This week we thank:
- Adam Mitchell and the team at Castle Scaffold (Northern) Ltd who donated and delivered scaffolding boards so that our DT students can work with our new facilities Lead Mike Thornton to repair outside seating
- Pamela Tatters who works with DT students every week on a voluntary basis to produce stunning high quality work and commissions. This week our students sold garden planters and seating at XPG Live and next week they will be sharing the decorations they have made ready for the G28 Celebration Evening on Thursday.
- Local North East band Leazes who headlined our first XPG Live event and had our students, staff and families dancing with wild abandon.
- Rob Kitchen from Gateshead Music Hub who worked alongside our Y8 students with Martin Said and Joe Allen. Rob was instrumental in introducing us to Kema Kay, a local writer, actor and musician who worked with our Y8 students to devise rap lyrics and Haaji Ka Halva from GemArts who ran music technology expert workshops with students to further develop and remix the music that they had written ready to perform in their PoL on Thursday.
- Gateshead Headteachers Dr Andrew Fowler, Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy and Brendan Roson, Cardinal Hume Catholic School and their facilities team who kindly loaned display boards for our art and photography exhibition when our incomplete order arrived on Wednesday.
- Local Artist Mike Domingue, who has loaned us his ‘Nine Earths’ art installation to display in school to further provoke discussion and promote deep inquiry into how we can better protect our planet and how students can educate the wider community to affect positive change in what is a key curriculum seam across all XP schools.
This week
G28 Final Word, Celebration Evening and last Community Meeting
This week we celebrate the work of our G28 Pioneers as their five years with us comes to the end. We have repeated the words of Kurt Hahn many times over the past 5 years to our G28 students
“There is more in us than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps, for the rest of our lives, we will be unwilling to settle for less.”
Well G28 have definitely made us see it! They have worked alongside us to build our school and make our 3D curriculum aims (students produce beautiful work, develop their character and achieve academic success) a reality. As Pioneers, they have led the way, setting the bar time and time again as everything has been a first.
I often say that we have been building the boat, whilst sailing the boat and at times the boat has had holes in along the way but having a crew like G28 has allowed us to build our boat strong! And year on year they have led new crews joining us, modelling what it means to be a student at XPG, showing everyone what it means to be crew.
See the recent post for more information on this week for G28.
End of Year Reflections from students
This week all Year 7 to Year 10 students will start work on a written reflection of the year which will be shared with you alongside their Crew Leader reflections and a final snapshot at the end of term.
G29/30 Girls into Engineering – Tuesday 23rd June
On Tuesday of this week, a small group of students from Year 9 and Year 10 will be travelling via minibus during the school day to Durham University to take part in a ‘Girls into Engineering’ event. Students will need their regular kit and a packed lunch.
The students taking part are: G29: Winnie R. Scarlett S, Lyra A, Hallie W Eliza A-H, & G30: Evie N, Lily-Ann B.
G32 Rivers Fieldwork – Wednesday 24th June
On Wednesday of this week our Y7 students will be taking part in a fieldwork visit to study the River Tyne in support of their guiding question “How does water shape our world?”.
Students will carry out Geography fieldwork skills, including basic data collection techniques and observational skills, through practical activities and investigations in our local river environment. For more details please see Mrs Ross’ post here.
XP Trust Festival of Arts, Doncaster – Thursday 25th June
Students that are involved in our Festival of Arts were given a letter to take home. This letter has more details around the timings of the day. If you have any questions please contact Mr Said. Since this fieldwork ends outside of the normal school day, please ensure that the reply slips are returned promptly.
The forecast for the day is warm and sunny, so as well as a packed lunch (an optional packed tea / snacks) students will need suncream and as always a filled water bottle is needed too.
G30 Pathways
Thanks to all of the families that have indicated their thoughts around pathways for G30 students as they start GCSE and Level 2 courses. If you have not already done so, please let us know your thoughts by completing this form.
Staff will be meeting this week to finalise pathways for next academic year. Crew Leaders will then be in contact with families to confirm finalised pathways, or to pick up where additional conversations with families are needed.
Staff will be meeting this week to finalise pathways for next academic year. Crew Leaders will then be in contact with families to confirm finalised pathways, or to pick up where additional conversations with families are needed.
PE sessions this week
Our PE sessions this week are as follows. Please ensure that your child has their full PE kit.
- All of G32 (Year 7) have PE on Thursday
- All of G31 (Year 8) have PE on Thursday
- All of G30 (Year 9) have PE on Monday
- All of G29 (Year 10) have PE on Wednesday.
Staff Day – Friday 26th June
Friday is the first of our staff days this half term, the second is on Monday 29th June. Our staff team will be planning for next year’s expeditions. Students will not be expected to be in school on Friday or Monday.
Extended Study and after school clubs
After school clubs and extended study will run on Tuesday and Wednesday this week only due to staff meetings on Monday and G28 Celebration event on Thursday.
Looking Ahead
Staff day – Monday 29th June
Monday is the second of our staff days this half term (and the last this academic year).
Transition Days – Tuesday 30th June and Wednesday 1st July
We are really looking forward to welcoming our new G33 students into school on Tuesday 30th June and Wednesday 1st July for transition. Our new students will get a feel for XPG across these days where students will join us for two ‘regular days’ at XPG arriving from 8:00am for an 8:25am start and staying with us until 3:15pm. Our new Year 7 students will follow a typical day at XPG on both days which will include some crew sessions, expedition sessions and a community meeting.
End of year assessments for G32, G31 and G30 (Years 7-9)
As we come towards the end of the year, students will complete end of year assessments in all KS3 cohorts.
As usual if you have any questions please contact your child’s crew leader in the first instance.
Thank you as always for your ongoing support.
Julie Mosley
