What a fantastic first week back for G31! Our guiding question this week was:
‘How do we form great habits to tackle initiatives as a Crew with increasing agency, independence and resilience?’
To tackle the question the week was broken down into two case studies:
Case study one: How we Crew: Showing initiative
Case study two: Reconnecting with the outdoors
For our final products, students developed a finalised set of Crew norms to guide them throughout the year, a strategic annual charity plan, and an initiative designed by their Crew to help other Crews build strong relationships.
Their norms, agency, resilience, and independence were put to the test on Thursday during a student navigated hike around Wylam. The spirit of crew carried into our first Year 9 community circle today, where over half the students shared thoughtful appreciations for their peers.
Students also reflected on the purpose of outdoor learning and wrote personal statements on why connecting with nature is so essential.
Below is a first draft from Donnell (Crew Pankhurst) who plans to build on this with his crew:
‘After reading and experiencing XP outdoors with my crew I now realise it’s important to go hiking especially with our community since class rooms can be overstimulating. But, after going outdoors to bond with my crew it helped us not only develop skills but also understanding others strengths. Lastly, it helps us rewind and take a break from everyday life and help our character grow not just as a person but as a community too.’
What a great start to year 9! I can’t wait to see how the skills they’ve been working on this week will help with the rest of the year ahead!
