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Dear Families
Again, it has been wonderful to see families in school this week for Student-led Conferences. We have another important week ahead as we welcome the newest members of our community into school for the first time. We have important fieldwork this week too so a very exciting week in store. More details on all of this can be found below.
A particular highlight of this week has been the culmination of our anchor text for G28 students. Connected to their guiding question “Is migration worth the risk?” students have been reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck as their anchor text. This week students created a courtroom in order to determine “Was Curly’s wife responsible for her own death?”. Students each put their case forward and then voted as a jury. Impressively some students were given the role to argue for a position against which they themselves were personally opposed. It was wonderful to see how invested students were in this process and how important the ideas of social justice and also how women have been presented in literature are to our students. Great job G28!
This week
It is such a bumper week that we have organised this week’s update around each day in the week ahead:
Monday 3rd July
TRANSITION DAY 1:
We welcome our Year 6 – G30 students to school together for the first time. G28 and G29 should arrive at the usual time. G30 students will arrive from 8.40am. It is likely to be busy in terms of traffic in front of our school at the start and end of the day, so please be conscientious when parking and ask your children to be especially careful when crossing the road.
G28 Fieldwork:
On Monday G28 students have fieldwork in Gateshead and Newcastle. Connected to their expedition on migration they are looking at sustainable energy solutions in Gateshead, and also evidence of the migrations and conquests that have happened within our region since the times of the Romans. More details including the kit needed for this fieldwork can be found here.
Extended Study:
There is an extended study after school on Monday to support students in preparing for assessments, however due to the transition days we are unable to offer clubs on Monday.
MHFA®:
Monday is the last of our MHFA® course for parents in this round. Again this is being delivered by Jane Nyberg with Miss Pegg in G3 after school.
Tuesday 4th July
TRANSITION DAY 2:
We welcome our Year 6 – G30 students to school again. G30 students will arrive from 8.40am. Again it will be busy in terms of traffic so safety is the number one consideration.
G29 Fieldwork:
On Tuesday G28 students have fieldwork in north Yorkshire. G29 students must be in school by 8am. Connected to their expedition with the GQ: “How does water shape our world?” they are testing a hypothesis on the observable differences in a river as it runs its course. More details including the kit needed for this fieldwork can be found here.
PE for G28:
PE sessions will take place on Tuesday this week for G28 as normal. Please make sure that Year 8 have full PE kit for Tuesday.
Extended Study:
There is an extended study after school on Tuesday to support students in preparing for assessments, however due to the transition days we are unable to offer clubs on Monday.
Wednesday 5th July
School is closed to students on Wednesday 5th July due to the strike action. Students should work on the revision tasks that will be set by teachers through Google Classroom in preparation for end of year assessments. There is no PE for G29 this week due to the strike action.
Thursday 6th July
On Thursday we will run a regular school day, including clubs and extended study after school.
Friday 7th July
School is closed to students on Friday 7th July due to the strike action. Students should work on the revision tasks that will be set by teachers through Google Classroom in preparation for end of year assessments.
Year 7’s current expedition ‘Hold Back the River’ has the guiding question, ‘How does water shape our world?’
During this expedition, our geography content is focusing on river characteristics from source to mouth, river processes, formation of landforms as well as the cause, impacts and responses of flooding. As part of this, we are applying the theory of river processes and characteristics to the field.
On Tuesday 4th July, students will visit Sheep Wash in the North York Moors, they will work together to collect data regarding the width, depth, velocity and load of rivers. We will also be capturing the beauty of a river by completing artwork. This data collection will allow us to accept or reject our hypothesis once we have analysed our data in our maths lessons.
Students will need to arrive at school no later than 08:00 so that the register and kit check can be completed before leaving school.
It is also essential that all students bring all kit on the kit list so that they are fully prepared for the fieldwork; this includes a packed lunch and plenty of water to drink. Students who receive free school meals will be provided with a lunch.
Students will need to ensure they have suitable walking boots/trainers as well as wellies or a pair of trainers they can get wet – we’ll be going in the river to collect the data!
If there are any problems in getting the appropriate kit for this, please email your child’s Crew Leader.
Students will be returning to school for 3:15pm (traffic dependent).
Kit List:
Comfortable walking shoes (walking boots or trainers)
Wellies or trainers which can get wet in the river (water shoes if they have would be perfect)
Plenty of water (more than a normal school day, 1-1.5l)
Packed lunch
A waterproof jacket
Suncream and cap
We recommend shorts or trousers which are easy to roll up to the knees for getting in the river.
iPad for collecting data
Bug spray (if they need)
Any student who suffers from hay fever should take medication in the morning before school.
Any regular medications must also be brought.
Sharing our Stories: 30/06/2023
Beautiful Work This Week
Our students contribute to Deeper Learning 2023
Wonderful to see our students @XPtrust @XPEastSchool @XPschool taking part in the @ukEdge #DeeperLearning conference today @DoncasterRaces – what a great view from the Royal Box! With @clairabelle5 @SprakesA & @gwynap pic.twitter.com/2sbu9lrCtz
— Melanie Hewitt FRSA (@MelanieHewitt61) June 22, 2023
XP Trust visits Chicago for EL’s conference
Just back from attending an @ELeducation institute in Boston on cultivating high quality work. So many take aways from the institute and from around Boston. Very much looking forward to sharing all that we have learned with @XPtrust pic.twitter.com/4f6qusysSD
— Laura Parsons (@lauraparsons700) June 25, 2023
Student Showcase: Book your place!
Staff Crew at XP Doncaster: RDA
Top of the Blogs
Finding doubles – outdoor maths @ Carcroft School
Weekly update for families @ XP Gateshead
Catch up with Crew Caldwell @ XP
For year 6 students, each day will start at 9.00am with students able to arrive from 8.40am.
Each day will end at 3.15pm.
Lunches
Students can have a delicious school lunch or a packed lunch.If you have not already done so, please can you complete this form to let us know of your child’s dinner choices for each day.
Dress Code
Some students choose to come in their primary school uniform or PE kit, however this is not necessary. Students need to dress modestly and appropriately for a day of learning in school. More details of our dress code can be found here.
Students will be introduced to PE at XP on Monday, so we recommend trainers and clothing appropriate for sports on Monday so that a change of clothes is not needed.
Plans for the days
Our guiding question for the two days will be:
“What will it take for me to be the best version of myself at XP?”
Monday 3rd July
On Monday students will experience Crew, Humanities and English, PE and Art.
We will end the day with a Community Meeting where students will make appreciations to each other connected to our character traits of courage, respect, integrity, craftsmanship & quality, and above all compassion.
Tuesday 4th July
On Tuesday students will have another Crew session as well as Spanish and STEAM sessions in Maths and Science.
Again we will finish the day with a Community Meeting to celebrate the beautiful work and character of our newest students over the two days.
Thursday 6th July – Meet your child’s Crew Leader
Our ‘Meet the Crew Leader’ will be hosted in school. This is an important opportunity for families to meet their child’s Crew Leader and being forming the strong relationship that will be needed to support and challenge your child to become the best version of themselves. This event is for adults from families only, you do not need to bring your child to this event.
This event will start at 5pm on Thursday evening and is expected to last for around 45 minutes.
We are so excited to welcome G30 into their new school next week, and meeting you all again on Thursday.
As our school continues to grow, we review structures to ensure we have key teams of staff working closely with our students.
One of the structures for this is Phase Teams. Next academic year we will have three year groups. This means that we will have two phases: a Year 7 phase and a Year 8 & 9 phase.
Although students remain in the same Crew throughout their time at XP Gateshead, as they mature, and move up in years, this does mean that sometimes there will be changes in Crew Leader from phase to phase.
Crew Leaders for next academic year will be:
- Our Year 7 Crew Leaders will be Mrs Diamond, Ms Donlan, Ms Macphail and Mrs Ross.
- Our Year 8 Crew Leaders will be Miss Blain, Miss Marshall, Miss Power and Miss Quested.
- Our Year 9 Crew Leaders will be Mr Devitt, Miss Jones, Mr Mead and Miss Tatters.
Mr Said will be leading the Year 7 phase, and Mrs Mosley will lead the Year 8 & 9 phase.
Over the coming weeks, our new Crew Leaders will get to know students in their Crews whilst working alongside current Crew leaders – who will remain in place until the end of the academic year.
If you have any questions, please do get in touch.
A reminder that our transition days for new Year 6 students are now on Monday 3rd and Tuesday 4th July.
Each day will start at 9.00am with students able to arrive from 8.40am.
Each day will end at 3.15pm.
Lunches
Students can have a delicious school lunch or a packed lunch. Please can you complete this form to let us know of your child’s dinner choices for each day.
Dress Code
Some students choose to come in their primary school uniform, however this is not necessary. Students need to dress modestly and appropriately for a day of learning in school. More details of our dress code can be found here.
On Monday 3 July G28 students will undertake a day of Fieldwork at the Gateshead Energy Centre to look at their methods of energy and heat production and Gateshead Councils Carbon Zero approach. They will also be carrying out a historical enquiry on Newcastle Quayside to ascertain the foreign influences upon the architecture of our built environment.
- Students should be in school at their normal time
- Students need to bring their regular kit for the day in a bag as there are exhibits in the site where students can take photographs and make notes using iPads for example.
- Students will need a packed lunch for the day. If your child receives a free school meal, we will provide a packed lunch.
- We expect to return to school at 3.15pm (please check the website for updates)
- The visit will be outdoors, so students need layers to keep warm. The forecast is dry but a waterproof outdoor coat is needed too. Sun cream and sun hats will be needed too.
- Students will be walking so comfortable shoes will be needed.
As you are aware, the NEU teachers union have balloted and agreed further strike action on Wednesday 5th and Friday 7th July.
We have continued to do our best to minimise disruption to your child’s education during strike action. As a leadership team, we have covered sessions to allow the school to remain open. However, there is not the capacity to do this in these two instances. This means that we are not able to offer full provision to a single year group as we have in the past.
After discussions with relevant stakeholders and leaders at XP Trust, I am able to inform you that we will be closed to both Year 7 and Year 8 on Wednesday 5th and Friday 7th July.
When students are not in school they can work independently on extended study tasks and ongoing revision for end of year assessments.
Dear Families
It’s been great to see families in school this week for Student-led Conferences. Our students continue to step up to the challenge of being ‘Leaders of their Own Learning’, sharing their work with their family, discussing their progress in terms of academic learning targets and HOWLs. Students are in charge of the SLC, they take the driving seat, learning to advocate for themselves and share the information that they feel best reflects their learning journey and the question ‘Am I moving to where I need to be?’. This is an important aspect of students leading their own learning.
It has been wonderful to see and hear the pride from families following SLCs, and to read feedback from parents:
“I just wanted to say thank you. My son has had a great year and is so much happier. You’ve given him confidence and I have watched him grow. It is an absolute pleasure to watch.
Please pass on my thanks to everyone, especially Mr Mead. My son’s love of all things Science is just shining through.”
“I really like the SLC process, empowering the students to take ownership of their own learning and being accountable for the positives and negatives within this.”
SLCs are graded against two aspects – quality of work and quality of presentation. Here is the rubric to assess our students, give feedback and areas for development for future SLCs.
As part of XP Trust monitoring and evaluation, we had an external school review last Thursday. This gave us the opportunity to see how we are doing and inform us of areas for development against the current Ofsted framework . It was a really positive experience for us, and the outcome was totally consistent with our school self-assessment which is a great baseline for our work moving forward. When we get the full written report, I will share further feedback with you.
During these staff days on Friday and tomorrow our staff team are continuing to work together, looking forward and planning new Autumn term expeditions for Y7, 8 and 9. As you can imagine, there are lots of elements to consider when planning expeditions – learning targets, assessment opportunities, case studies, experts, fieldwork, guiding texts, etc. All of this ensures that your children continue to get a great deal from our curriculum.
It wasn’t just our staff learning together on Friday, we had our first Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA®) course for parents. It was great to see parents working with Jane Nyberg – who has worked as a Mental Health Social Worker for over 30 years – to gain their Youth Mental Aware certificate. The training raises awareness of young people’s mental health and covers:
- Some of the common mental health issues affecting young people, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders and psychosis
- Understand some of the issues young people living with mental health issues may experience
- Ways to support young people with a mental health issue and relate to their experiences
We are offering two further face-to-face sessions – Monday 26th June pm and a twilight session on Monday 3rd July. Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions about this course.
This week
Staff Development Day – Monday 26th June
This is our final staff day of the year. As always, students are not expected to attend school.
Extended Study and after school clubs
There are no Extended Study or after school clubs running this week and next week due to SLCs.
PE sessions
PE sessions will take place on Tuesday for Year 7 and Wednesday for Year 8 students this week. Please make sure that your child has a full PE kit.
Looking Ahead:
G30 Transition
Our Transition Days for Year 6 children will now be on Monday 3rd and Tuesday 4th July. Our current G28 and G29 students will be involved in transition and will help us work to settle our new students into our school and our culture. Like last year, they will be key to the success of our transition.
G28 Fieldwork – Monday 3rd July
As part of answering their guiding question “Is migration worth the risk?” students have been studying climate change as a push factor for migrants, something that will become a greater issue in the decades to come. Students are learning about energy production, including renewables and fossil fuels. Students will visit Gateshead Energy Centre, a world-leading energy project which is an example of how innovations in technology and science can be part of the solution to reducing our carbon footprint. During this fieldwork students will also look at evidence along the quayside of the influence of other cultures in the architecture of buildings.
G29 Fieldwork – Tuesday 4th July
Students in Year 7 have the guiding question “How does water shape our world?”. Next week they will be carrying out an enquiry to address some important standards from Geography. Students will make predictions about what they would expect to happen to physical features of a river as it moves through its course. They will then take measurements of these features to test their hypothesis.
More details on both pieces of fieldwork will come in separate posts this week. It is worth noting that for both, students will be out of school for the full day. So Year 8 will need a packed lunch on Monday 3rd July and Year 7 will need a packed lunch on Tuesday 4th July – students that normally have free school meals will be provided with a lunch.
Strike Action – Wednesday 5th and Friday 7th July
We will be posting important information regarding strike action on these days later today.
As usual, if you have any questions please contact your child’s crew leader in the first instance.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
Julie Mosley
Co-Principal