Here’s a selection of beautiful work from across our Trust this week!
For more stories, make sure you visit xptrust.org/stories
#WeAreCrew
Here’s a selection of beautiful work from across our Trust this week!
For more stories, make sure you visit xptrust.org/stories
#WeAreCrew
We had a good first week back to school and our students have settled back into learning.
A focus for the whole community this week has been respectful communication. Respect is one of our character traits and this, along with compassion, is central to how we communicate with each other.
At XP Gateshead we have a zero-tolerance approach to sexism, racism, homophobia and sexual harassment. This behaviour is never acceptable and it will not be passed off as ‘banter’, ‘just having a laugh’ or ‘part of growing up’.
We spent time on Friday in our community meetings discussing with students their ideas on what was and what was not respectful communication. We will combine all of this work and produce an agreed XPG student charter for how we communicate with each other respectfully. Our charter will be shared on our website when complete.
We are incredibly lucky to have a great support team here at XPG. We have an amazing cleaning team from Gateshead services who work behind the scenes from 6am every morning. Karen and Carol are a key part of our crew who show craftsmanship and quality everyday and really care about our school, staff and students. Our catering team, Suzanne and Cheryl are another two members of the crew who do an amazing job for us all on a daily basis, caring deeply about all staff and students. Look at what we enjoyed this week to celebrate Pancake Day on Tuesday and our Friday treats to get ready for the big game this weekend:
On a final note of appreciation, I’d like to thank the mystery family who sent a special delivery our way this week for the whole team. It was very much appreciated by us all!
School will be fully open on Tuesday even though some of our staff will be on strike. We respect the right for our staff to strike and we support their action.
There will be no PE on Tuesday for Year 8.
Our usual programme of Extended Study and clubs are running this week. Please check in with your son/daughter about their extended study and make sure that they are up to date with their work and meeting deadlines. Daily reading must form part of their plans and we expect all students to read their Accelerated Reader texts for 20-30 mins each day. They should be regularly quizzing on Accelerated Reader as they complete their books, please ask them about this.
Staff Development Days
A reminder that we have two staff development days this half term: Friday 10th and Monday 13th March. As normal, students are not expected to be in school on these days.
As usual if you have any questions please contact your child’s crew leader in the first instance.
Thank you as always for your ongoing support.
Julie Mosley
Co-Principal
Happy Friday! Here’s a selection of beautiful work from across the XP Trust this week!
To read about other stories from across the XP Trust, visit http://xptrust.org/stories #WeAreCrew
We are delighted to confirm that Year 8’s presentation of learning for their current expedition ‘What is Power?’ will be on Thursday 30th March starting at 5.30pm. The venue for the presentation of learning will be Caedmon Hall in Gateshead which is part of the Central Library.
This presentation will be anchored around an abridged performance of Macbeth by our students, with insights from students about connections to other subjects that they studied between those scenes.
In preparation for their presentation of learning, students will be going to see a production of Macbeth at Durham Gala Theatre.
This production is a matinee so students will travel to Durham by coach for a 1.00pm performance, and then we expect them to be back in school between 4.00 – 4.30pm. Students should arrive at school for the normal time that morning and will need their regular kit.
The age recommendation for the performance is 14 years plus. However we are confident that our students are mature enough to deal with the challenging themes in this interpretation of the play, having already read it and given the work that we do in Crew.
The website for the performance states that:
“this performance includes flashing imagery and lighting effects; loud noises included recorded gunshot; strong language; scenes featuring moments, descriptions and images of violence and use of firearms; simulated smoking and a reference to child abuse. If you would benefit from more specific information about emotive content and themes, please contact [email protected]”
If you would like more information on this interpretation of the play you can contact the address above. As stated above this fieldwork is really important for the expedition, both as a point of equity for our students in terms of having experience of a theatrical performance and as part of their current learning expedition.
Of course you can contact me if you have any questions too.
Many thanks
Martin Said
Welcome back! We hope you have had a restful half term break and we are looking forward to welcoming our students back tomorrow.
School opens at 8:00am every morning. Students should arrive between 8:00am and 8:25 am and there are spaces available for socialising, reading or completing extended study. Students must be on site for 8.25am for the call to Crew.
As always, students need to bring a school bag with:
We ask students and staff to dress appropriately and modestly. See link here to details on dress code from our website.
As usual G28 students (Y8) will need a PE kit for Tuesday, G29 students (Y7) will need a PE kit on Wednesday.
Clubs will all run this week along with extended study sessions every day except Friday. A reminder that if a student attends an after school club or extended study session they must attend the full sessions until 4:30pm.
Our G29 students continue to work on their two expeditions until the end of this term. Their STEAM expedition, ‘Staying Alive’ with the guiding question: ‘Is survival sufficient?’ and their HUMAN expedition, ‘Do Your Bit’ with the guiding question: ‘Why is it important that we honour all those that sacrificed in WWI?’. A reminder that the presentation of learning for this will be on Friday 24th March at Newcastle University in the King’s Hall – a space that was used as a military hospital during WWI.
Our G28 students continue to work on one cross-curricular expedition this term with the guiding question and title of ‘What is Power?’. Their final presentation of learning – including an abridged performance of Macbeth – will be on Thursday 30th March at Caedmon Hall at Gateshead Central Library. More details to follow in a separate post this week.
As you may be aware, the NEU teachers union have balloted and agreed a further strike action on Tuesday 28th February 2023. As leadership, we will do our best to minimise disruption to child’s education and we will update you in due course.
We have two staff development days this half term; Friday 10th and Monday 13th March. As normal, students are not expected to be in school on these days.
If you have any questions please contact your child’s crew leader in the first instance.
Thank you as always for your ongoing support.
Julie Mosley
Co-principal
We have come to the end of another full and busy half term and, as always, our whole community have worked together demonstrating courage, respect, craftsmanship and quality, integrity and above all compassion.
Our students have continued to work hard across this half term and I’m sure that after seeing your child present their Student Led Conference, you would all agree that they continue to be challenged (and supported) to strive for beautiful work. Thank you all again for your support in SLCs, it is vital that our students share their progress regularly as ‘Leaders of their own Learning’.
It has been a busy final week and here are a couple of highlights:
Our G29 students visited the Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha on Thursday to find out more about Sikhi and how temples operate as part of their expedition ‘Do your bit’ which includes a focus on the experience of Sikh soldiers.
As you can see, our students had an amazing experience and we are extremely grateful to Jaswinder Singh who helped to organise the cultural fieldwork so that our students could carry out ‘sewa’, an act of service.
On Friday our G28 students worked alongside several experts as part of their ongoing expedition ‘What is Power?’. In drama they worked with Christina Berriman Dawson, an acclaimed writer, actor and director who supported students in the preparation for their performance of Macbeth on 30th March.
G28 also continued our work with Alice Roberts and colleagues from Newcastle University around nutrition.
Nature Club also hosted a badger expert who talked to students about the species and the challenges that they face in the wild.
Outside of classrooms, it has been busy with three full days of interviews. I am delighted to say that we have appointed three new teachers to our staff crew:
Rebecca Marshall who joins us as a STEAM teacher (teaching mathematics and some science), Tilda Macphail who joins us as an Arts teacher and Rebecca Jones who joins us as a HUMAN teacher.
We are delighted with our new appointments and look forward to them joining us in June to start their induction with us.
I think that we can all agree that it’s time now for a well deserved rest!
Have a great half term break and we look forward to seeing all of our students on Monday 20th February. Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support.
Julie Mosley
Co-Principal
Happy Friday! Here’s a selection of beautiful work from across the XP Trust this week!
To read about other stories from across the XP Trust, visit http://xptrust.org/stories #WeAreCrew
Visit xptrust.org/vacancies to apply and #JoinOurCrew
Visit xptrust.org/vacancies to apply and #JoinOurCrew
Visit xptrust.org/vacancies to apply and #JoinOurCrew