Good evening
We’re really looking forward to G28’s Presentation of Learning tomorrow.
It is important to note that both spaces – The Farrell Centre and The Herchel Building – are set up for a 6pm prompt start, but that these spaces are in use before this time.
If possible please try to avoid arriving much earlier than 6pm as we may not be able to get families inside until this point.
Crew Frank are hosting a Christmas raffle and gift sale for the Sir Bobby Robson foundation. Raffle tickets will go on sale from Tuesday 12th December at lunch times and breaks. Raffle tickets will also be available to buy during the PoL on Thursday 14th December
Raffle tickets will be 50p or 5 for £2.00 and all money made will go to the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.
The Raffle will be drawn on the last day of school, Friday 22nd December.
The top prizes to be won are:
A voucher for family bowling at lane 7 —- A voucher for a 20 inch pizza at Twenty Twenty, Newcastle —- A Rington’s Hamper —-A sweet treats selection from Emily’s Treats —-2X Footballs donated by the FA —-3X family swim vouchers —-A custom print by BlankWallArt —–2x tickets to a Gateshead FC match —-Gateshead FC merchandise
And many more sweet treats and prizes!
A huge thank you to all the companies who have donated!
Crew Frank will also be holding a Bring and Buy sale on Thursday 21st for students to buy their Christmas presents for friends and family. No present will be more than £3 and the students will also be running a wrapping station if students would like their presents wrapped!
Many thanks
Crew Frank (G28) 
Lily in G28 is part of the Band and Bugles of Durham ACF. Her band is performing a festive concert on Wednesday 13th December at 7pm at Chester-le-Street TA centre.
Pop along to get yourself into the festive spirit and enjoy some fabulous music.
Oliver in G28 successfully passed his assessment and grading in Jujitsu over the weekend and has now achieved his black belt. He did a fantastic job and smashed his time and he performed even better than on his practice runs!
He is now going to be working towards weapon work and gold tags.
Well done, Oliver!
Year 8 will be showcasing their learning from their current expedition in school on Tuesday 19th December at 6.00pm.
As this is a formal occasion – as per our dress code – students are expected to dress smartly for the event. Our polo shirts are great for these events. More guidance on this can be found in our dress code here.
Due to the capacity of our theatre space, there is a maximum of 4 family members per child at this event.
Please complete this Google Form to confirm your attendance.
We look forward to seeing you next week.
We are delighted that Year 7’s first Presentation of Learning is taking place at the Parish Church of St Mary on Monday 18th December from 6.00pm until 7.30pm.
The church is deeply connected to the story of mining in our region; Thomas Hepburn was laid to rest in this church as were many of those who lost their lives in the Felling Pit Disaster of 1812.
Public speaking and sharing of learning through PoLs are an important element of our school model, and so it is vital that every student has someone from their family that is able to attend and support them in developing their character and demonstrating their academic learning.
The event will include students telling the story of their expedition, answering their guiding question and performances of music and drama.
We will walk students down to the church on the afternoon of Monday where they will remain to rehearse in the space before the event starts.
Students will therefore need to be prepared for the weather and so must bring:
As this is a formal occasion – as per our dress code – students are expected to dress smartly for the event. Our polo shirts are great for these events. More guidance on this can be found in our dress code here.
We will have lunch in school as normal so students do not need to bring a packed lunch unless they usually do so. We will give the students some time between 3.15pm and the start of the event at 6.00pm to have a break. If you want to provide some healthy snacks, students will be able to eat during this time.
Due to the capacity of the church, there is a maximum of 3 family members per child at this event.
Please complete this Google Form to confirm your attendance.
We look forward to seeing you next week.
It’s been another busy and productive week at XPGateshead.
In these final weeks of term, rather than wind down, our students step up in their work and dedication to craftsmanship and quality. They are working hard on their expedition’s final products, responses to their guiding questions and preparing for upcoming Presentations of Learning. This brings lots of challenges as you can imagine but I am so proud of the courage, determination and resilience shown by our students and staff on a daily basis.
This week’s Crew Day gave staff and students the opportunity to ‘tend to’ crew. Returning to agreed crew norms, developing team work, crew identity and wellbeing is key to our continued success. ‘If we get crew right, we get everything’ right at XPG, so it is vital we take the time to ‘cultivate crew’.
G30 students worked to research suitable people after whom to name their crews – people who have achieved great things and who display our character traits. Over the next couple of weeks, they will present their proposals to each other and vote for the person they want as their crew namesake.
G29 started their work on looking at which charity their crew would like to support. Students put together their proposals and have started pitching their choice of charity. This work will be completed over the next couple of weeks and each Y8 crew will have elected a charity to support as part of their activism work.
Both G29 and G30 crews are also putting together hampers for our local community to introduce their crew, share some of their beautiful work and give a greater insight into the work we do at XPG. Hampers will also include some Christmas treats.
Our G28 students continued their activism work, looking at their strategic plans for charity work for this year which includes raising awareness of their charity.
Our G28 pioneers also got a chance to try out our new Food Technology room as part of their crew day too which was really exciting. A huge thank you to Pamela Tatters who spent the day working with each crew training staff and students on the health and safety requirements in a kitchen alongside how to make flapjacks, shortbread and chocolate brownies. Our students had a fantastic session and their baked goods were delicious.
As part of our Christmas season, Crew Stanton ran a Christmas movie night on Thursday raising money for Tiny Lives charity. It was a great success thanks to the hard work and dedication of the whole crew.
Our next Christmas social event will be brought to us from Crew Angelou in support of their elected charity Young Minds. They are planning a Christmas Party to take place on Wednesday 20th December. Please see their website posts for more details.
Our school offer of extended study and clubs will run Monday to Wednesday. On Thursday there will be no after school extended study or clubs due to the G28 Presentation of Learning.
Our PE sessions this week are as follows. Please ensure that your child has their full PE kit.
The evening will be in two parts:
G28 will be presenting their final product from last term’s expedition ‘Should I stay or should I go?’. This is a film made by our students which tells the stories of people who have migrated to or from the UK. This will take place at the Herschel Lecture Theatre in Newcastle University (where the PoL for ‘Do your bit’ took place in Y7).
G28 will also be presenting their learning from their current expedition at the Farrell Centre on Claremont Road.
Year 9 is an important year for students as they further consider pathways through education and training.
As you know, being on a pathway to university-readiness is an aim for all of our students. All young people must now remain in education or training until they are 18 years old. At XP Gateshead, we believe that university-level education is something that all children should consider regardless of their background.
As such, we have planned for part of the afternoon on Thursday to include a university experience including a campus tour and an insight into life as a university student.
See our separate post here for more details.
We will be putting out separate posts with more information on these events for Year 7 and Year 8 tomorrow.
This has been organised by Crew Angelou as part of their charity work – Wednesday 20th December 4:30-6:30pm.
This will take place on Thursday 21st December
As usual if you have any questions about your son or daughter please get in touch with your child’s Crew Leader in the first instance or email general enquiries to [email protected].
Julie Mosley
Principal, XP Gateshead
Our PoL for Year 9 will take place in two halves. Please see the map below for locations of the two buildings for the evening.
At 6.40pm we will ask students and families to move between the two sites, where they will then complete the evening. Students will be dismissed at the end of the second session which will run from 6.50pm until 7.30pm. Families will take their children home directly from Newcastle.
The transfer between the two buildings should take around 10 minutes. Travelling via Brewery Lane and Barras Bridge means that there are no steps on this route.
We will transport students to the university on Thursday afternoon after lunchtime so students do not need to bring a packed lunch unless they usually do so as we will eat lunch in school.
As part of the afternoon there will be a campus tour. The forecast is currently dry but cold, so usual outdoor kit is needed:
There will not be an opportunity to change into PoL clothes once students leave school so students will need to come to school in the PoL/smart clothes that they will be wearing for the evening.
Please complete this Google Form by clicking here to let us know that you have read this information and to confirm your attendance.
Dear Families
As you may be aware, Bonny Power has been absent from school for a lot of this term. This has been due to personal health issues and caring responsibilities. Miss Power will officially leave us at the end of this term, she has decided to leave teaching for a while and explore other opportunities.
I’m sure that you will join me in thanking Bonny Power for all of her high quality work at XP Gateshead as a Mathematics teacher and a Crew Leader.
I would also like to take the opportunity to praise Rebecca Marshall for her additional work this term in mathematics to cover Miss Powers’ absence and ensure that our students continue to have a high quality mathematics experience.
In January, Stephanie Jamison will join our team as a STEAM teacher.
Julie Mosley
Principal
Hello everyone!
During our crew day Crew Angelou built upon the research we did on our crew charity Young Minds last year. Young Minds is a UK based children’s mental health charity that provides support such as advice, a 24/7 text helpline and many articles made specifically for every child’s individual and unique struggles.
There is guidance for a myriad of experiences on the Young Minds website meaning hopefully everyone at our school and anyone else that may find it useful. For example, there are multiple links that lead to information and advice on individual experiences and feelings. Children will most likely be able to find a story or piece of advice they can relate to or use. Not only are there reassurances for different mental health issues but there is also information and advice for children struggling with their gender, sexuality, race, body and kinds of discrimination they may be facing.
Parents, carers and teachers will also find help and resources! These are mainly focused around how to help and support a child in your care who is in need of it. If you feel that you will find it beneficial, please check out the website.
Our crew are currently planning a Christmas Party for students including a Karaoke fundraiser to raise money for Young Minds. This will take place on Wednesday 20th December from 4.30 until 6.30pm. Tickets are £1.50.
Crew Angelou
