G28/G29 – First week back for Year 8 and Year 9

Later start on the first morning of term for G28 and G29

G28/G29 students will start at 10.45am on Tuesday 29th August.

They can arrive in school from 10.30am on Tuesday.

We are now using the entrance at the east side of the school. The car park is for staff only, so you should use the street to park but please be considerate of our neighbours when parking.

Staff will be at the student gate to greet students.

Regular Kit and dress code

Students will need regular kit on and regular dress code for Tuesday.

A reminder that for day to day kit we expect students a school bag with the following:

    • A water bottle
    • A fully charged iPad
    • Headphones โ€“ ideally not expensive ones,ย for example here
    • Pencil case including: pens, pencils, ruler, eraser and pencil sharpener

New ParentPay system

Due to our continued expansion, we have now set up our own XP Gateshead ParentPay account after sharing the account with our Doncaster schools for the last few years.

All students will be sent home with a letter on Tuesday detailing how to set up/link your ParentPay account so that you can continue paying for school lunches.

All credit/debts will be carried across from the old account at the start of the new academic year.

If you do have any issues or do not receive the letter from your child please email the [email protected] for support.

New building and first week back

Students will be given an orientation for the new parts of the building on their first day back in school on Tuesday morning.

The first week back in school for G28 and G29 focusses on the importance of Crew and each cohort has a different guiding question for the week with purposeful activities which help them to answer their guiding question for the week. As such there is no PE this coming week, but there is physical activity for both groups as you will see below.

Regular timetabled lessons will start for G28 and G29 in the week commencing Monday 4th September. As you know, we are reviewing our classes and changes will be made to the make up of both class 1 and class 2 in both cohorts.

There will be no clubs or extended study for the first two weeks of term whilst we get used to using the new building during regular hours.

Fieldwork next week

G28 – Fieldwork on Thursday 31st August

As part of their first week back in school, Year 9 students will be carrying out a hike in Northumberland around ‘The Sill’ area taking them past Sycamore Gap.

Students will be learning how to navigate together as a Crew and will be planning a Crew picnic. This serves as an introduction to the types of challenges that they will face as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award this academic year, and also connects the guiding question for the week which is:

“How do we form great habits to tackle initiatives as a Crew with increasing agency, independence and resilience?”

Each Crew will put together a ‘Crew picnic’. You child will be able to give you more details on how they plan to contribute towards this picnic.

Students will leave by coach during the regular school day and will return back to school for around 4.00pm. We will keep you updated on the school website of our expected arrival time.

G28 students will need the following kit for the day. The current forecast is showers and sunny intervals.

  • Waterproof jacket
  • Appropriate clothing for the weather
  • Hiking boots or footwear that is suitable for a rural hike.
  • Water bottle
  • Suncream
  • A cap or hat

G29 – Fieldwork on Friday 1st September

As part of their first week back in school, Year 8 students will be planning and carrying out fieldwork in the NewcastleGateshead area on Friday 1st September. Students will be using this fieldwork to answer the question linked to theme of student leadership for the week:

โ€œHow can we find out what is on our doorstep to enrich future learning expeditions for all future students?โ€

Students will complete the fieldwork during the school day and will be back in school for around 3.30pm.

Each Crew will put together a ‘Crew picnic’. You child will be able to give you more details on how they plan to contribute towards this picnic.

G29 students should also be prepared for the weather conditions, so they must have their regular kit and in addition:

  • Waterproof jacket
  • Appropriate clothing for the weather
  • Suitable footwear for a day’s walking in urban area
  • Water bottle
  • Suncream
  • A cap or hat

Crew Leaders

A reminder that our Crew Leaders for this academic year are:

G29 Crew Attenborough: Miss Blain

G29 Crew King: Seรฑorita Quested

G29 Crew Nightingale: Miss Marshall

G29 Crew Watson: Miss Power

G28 Crew Angelou: Mr Mead

G28 Crew Frank: Miss Jones

G28 Crew Parks: Mr Devitt

G28 Crew Stanton: Miss Tatters