Beautiful work from Harry in Year 7

By Martin Said14th June 2023

Harry has trained both his Mam and a family friend to pass their grading. Showing true craftsmanship, he’s helped them both gain first class full red belts, which is something his Mam says neither could have achieved without his tuition.

He did all of this while training for his own grading, where he skipped a belt earning his second brown stripe. He’s aiming to get to black belt within the next six months!

Harry’s started karate 2 years ago! He trains 3 times a week, and at home. True dedication and craftsmanship & quality! Great work Harry.

Beautiful work from Scarlett and Winnie

By Martin Said13th June 2023

Scarlett and Winnie in Year 7 completed the Great North Swim this weekend on Windermere – the biggest open air swimming event in the whole of the UK. What a fantastic achievement and evidence to us all that ‘there is more in us than we know’.

Great work Winnie and Scarlett.

Weekly update for families – W/C Monday 12th June 2023

By Julie Mosley11th June 2023

Dear Families

It has been a busy first week back as usual and we have all quickly got back into working hard after the half term break. Our focus this term is ‘culture, culture, culture’ – making sure that we continue to build strong foundations which will support us as we grow and welcome new staff, students and families into our crew. The culture to ensure we build our character values, beautiful work and academic success.

Student-Led Conferences

Our students are working hard now preparing for their Student-Led Conferences which start next week.

You should now have booked an SLC slot. Please contact [email protected] if you have not had information on booking an SLC slot or are having any difficulties. 

To help your child prepare for their SLC, in their email to you they asked that you complete this short Google Form. This gives you the opportunity to ask any questions about your child’s progress which they will then address as part of their conference. This form should have been completed last week. If you have not already done so, please complete the form now so your child can be well prepared for their SLC.

G30 Transition

Last week we met our new G30 families for an In-Person Information Evening. It was great to meet parents and carers and welcome them to our school and go through key messages for a great start in August. Thank you already to our G28/29 crew who have been supporting our new parents with any questions they have on the facebook page ‘Parents of XP Gateshead’. You know exactly how it feels at this stage and the many things to consider around the transition from primary to secondary. We really appreciate your support and the reassurance you can give, especially around the importance and positive impact of the Outward Bound experience.

I’d like to give a shout out to  Jess B, Leon, Macie, Betsy, Will, Holly S and Lily for their stewardship on Wednesday. They stayed behind after extended study to help us set up for the evening, moving chairs and tables. Their compassion was much appreciated by myself, Ms Donlan, Miss Diamond and Mr Said.

G28 Expedition – “Is migration worth the risk?”

Students have this last week started to explore migration during the Tudor period and have learned from the work of Dr Miranda Kaufmann about people that came to England from Africa, including a musician – John Blanke –  in the court of Henry VIII. As well as reading more on their anchor text ‘Of Mice and Men’, they have also been learning more about climate change. This will connect to their studies on migration as students learn more about how climate and the need for more sustainable energy generation can be a push or pull factor which impacts on migration. We have some fieldwork connected to this planned – more information on this soon.

G29 Expedition – “How does water shape our world?”

Students have been learning about river processes in preparation for upcoming fieldwork where they will test a hypothesis about the differences that they would expect to see in a river at various points in its course. This fieldwork will be on July 4th – more information on this soon. They have also been continuing to learn about humans’ relationship with, and impact on ecosystems. This last week we were visited by experts from Durham Wildlife Trust who helped students prepare for their upcoming fieldwork this week. Students are learning about water voles as a river species that is an indicator of the health of the ecosystem. They will be out in the field this week alongside experts, collecting scientific data which will be used to determine next steps in protecting this important species. More details below.

Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA®) courses

Thank you to all parents/carers who have signed up to  attend a half day Youth Mental Health Aware training course (MHFA®). 28 parents have signed up for this course and we are able to offer 3 separate face to face sessions – Friday 23rd June am, Monday 26th June pm and Monday 3rd July twilight. Each course will run for 3.5 hours (including breaks) and has a maximum of 12 spaces. This week, we will email the parents who have signed up for the course with full details.

This week

G29 Fieldwork 13th and 14th June

On Tuesday 13th June (G29 class 1) and Wednesday 14th June (G29 class 2) students will undertake a day of Fieldwork at Killhope Lead Mine museum collecting scientific data to support Durham Wildlife Trust water vole project . This will help students to study the distribution of an important, yet declining species and see the impact of habitat quality has on their population. Please see Mr Mead’s post for full details on timings and required kit for the day.

Please discuss this fieldwork with your children and remind them of our expectations to show our character traits and habits of work and learning both inside and out of school. We are developing a good working relationship with the wildlife trust and want this to continue.

PE sessions

PE sessions will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday this week – however there are some changes due to the fieldwork. Please note the following and make sure that your child has full PE kit:

Tuesday PE sessions for Y7 Class 2 and Y8 Class 2

Wednesday PE sessions for Y7 Class 1 and Y8 Class 1

Extended Study and clubs

Extended Study and clubs are running after school this week. 

Looking Ahead:

There are no Extended Study or after school clubs running next week due to SLCs.

Staff Development Days – Friday 23rd June and Monday 26th June 2023.  Students are not expected to be in school on this day.

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

Sharing our Stories: 09/06/2023

9th June 2023Geoff Hewitt

Beautiful Work This Week

Hokusai’s ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’ – XP edition!

A picture speaks a thousand words – Beautiful work at Green Top

Top of the Blogs

Adapting song/music @ Carcroft School

G28 Spanish Product @ XP Gateshead

We’re stoked @ Norton Juniors

Playstation Cup Finals @ XP

We raised £34 for the Plover Pantry! @ Plover

EYFS Gallery Walk @ Norton Infants

Year 2 Fantastic Reading @ Green Top

G30 Ullswater Outward Bound – Information for new Year 7 Families

By Martin Said9th June 2023

Our new Year 7 students’ Outward Bound adventure begins on Tuesday 29th August. Students need to be arrive at school between 8.00am and 8.25am. The coach will depart later that morning.

Participant Form

We need all parents to complete a Participant Information Form by following the link below. The form must be submitted by Monday, July 3rd, 2023.

Outward Bound Participant Form

– It should take around 10-15 minutes to complete and you will need to register an account to begin. You can use existing Microsoft, Google or Facebook accounts to login if you choose.
– You can find instructions, a video walkthrough and troubleshooting help here: How to complete the Participant Information Form
– The form is only supported on Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox browsers.
– Remember to enter the information for the person who will be attending the course.

Returnable Deposit

Students must bring a £10 deposit with them on the morning which will be handed back to them at the end of their adventure if there is no loss or damage to equipment. This is an important part of the process for the week, and teaches the students about join responsibility as a Crew.

Medication

Any medication for students must be in the original box, clearly labelled with your child’s name and details of regularity of administration and dose. This includes:

  • Inhalers
  • Epipens
  • Travel sickness pills
  • Painkillers
  • Antihistamines

Please get in contact with [email protected] if your child will be bringing medication and we can provide you with a self-administration or permission to administer form.

Kit List

Specialist equipment such as walking boots, tents, sleeping bags, hiking rucksacks and waterproofs will be provided by the centre.

The kit list for students is listed below. Please ensure that your child has all of these items.

If you are having problems sourcing these please get in touch with our office via [email protected] . Older clothes are far better for the week as they will get wet and or muddy.

  • 1 large bag or suitcase to take kit on the coach
  • 2 bin bags –  to store wet and dirty clothes
  • 1 pair of trainers for getting wet – these trainers will definitely get wet so it is important that you have a second pair.
  • A second pair of trainers to stay dry for day to day wear – these are likely to get muddy so preferably not new.
  • 3 sweatshirts, jumpers, hoodies or fleeces – Fleeces are ideal as they dry quickly but any of the other items are a good substitute. You should include at least one warmer fleece for your expedition.
  • 3 pairs of trousers – Lightweight trousers (not denim) such as walking trousers, leggings or tracksuit bottoms.
  • 3 T-shirts – Aim for tops that cover shoulders from the sun.
  • 1 long-sleeved base layer/top 
  • 1 pair of shorts – Not denim
  • 1 pair of nightwear/pyjamas
  • 1 set of casual clothes for around the centre
  • 7 sets of underwear including socks – This is a minimum number. Trainer socks aren’t recommended as they may cause blisters.
  • At least 2 pairs of thick walking socks
  • Sunhat, sunglasses, suncream – don’t bring expensive sunglasses, suncream needs to be at least factor 30.
  • 1 set of warm hat and gloves
  • At least 1 towel – Quick drying microfibre towels are great. You will need a towel for showering and on activities, so bring at least one.
  • Watch with alarm if possible
  • 1 set of swimwear plus t-shirt and shorts for use in water
  • Toiletries – including soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, blister kit, plasters, insect repellent, lip salve, hand sanitiser, wet wipes, talcum powder (for your feet), etc.
  • 1 pair of flip slops or sandals – optional

G29 Fieldwork 13th and 14th June.

By Darren Mead7th June 2023

On Tuesday 13th June (G29 class 1) and Wednesday 14th June (G29 class 2 ) students will undertake a day of Fieldwork at Killhope Lead Mine museum collecting scientific data to support Durham Wildlife Trust water vole project . This will help students to study the distribution of a important, yet declining species and see the impact of habitat quality has on their population.

We are leaving school by coach at 9.30am. So a normal school start time applies.

We expect to return to school between 3.15pm and 3.30pm (please check the website for updates during the day)

Students will need a packed lunch for the day. If your child receives a free school meal, we will provide a packed lunch.

The visit will be outdoors, so students need layers to keep warm. The forecast is dry but a waterproof outdoor coat is needed too. U/V levels are high so a sun hat and sunscreen are need too.

Students will be walking across fields and some uneven ground so comfortable shoes with a decent grip are recommended. Students must wear long trousers for this field work.

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.

Year 6 Information Evening – This evening

By Martin Said7th June 2023

A reminder that we are holding an In-Person Information Evening at our school this evening at 6pm. We expect the event to be finished by 7pm.

It is important that all families attend. We ask that you bring a maximum of two adults per family due to our temporary accommodation. This event is for parents and carers so children do not need to attend – which will also assist with our limited space in the temporary build.

Many thanks

G28 Spanish – Final Product from Term 2

By Emily Quested5th June 2023

Last term in Spanish, Year 8 students worked hard to produce a final product which celebrated and culminated their learning of vocabulary around free-time and holidays.

They drafted and re-drafted their writing to develop quality, and eventually stood in front of a camera and delivered their work, concentrating on adding expression to their spoken Spanish.
Take a look at their beautiful work: