XP Gateshead

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 #WeAreXPTrust

We are all really looking forward to our Transition Days at XP Gateshead and  getting the chance to meet all of our new students. On the evening of Wednesday 29th June, we will also hold an information evening for parents – more details below.

Your child will be spending two full days with us, meeting their new teachers and friends and getting a feel for their new school. 

Transition days Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th June

• Timings of the days:  8:25am-3:15pm

Like a regular school day, students can arrive in school from 8:00am but  need to be present by 8:25am. Our school day finishes at 3:15pm.

Your child will follow a typical day at XPG on both days which include some crew sessions, expedition sessions and a community meeting.

The ‘essential kit’ students need to bring

• a backpack or bag (with enough space to carry an A4 folder)
• a water bottle
• pencil case kit of: pen, pencil. ruler, eraser and pencil sharpener.
• On Wednesday, your child will need to bring a suitable PE kit so they can sample an XPG PE session.

Lunchtime arrangements

There are two options for lunch:

• Students can bring in their own healthy packed lunch each day. Please ensure this is nut free as we have students in our community with severe nut allergies. 

or

• Students can try a school meal with us.

The menu is shown below:

	Tuesday 28th June	Wednesday 29th June
1st choice Main meal	Roast chicken, yorkshire pudding, creamed potatoes, vegetable medley and gravy	Katsu chicken curry and rice
2nd choice Vegetarian meal	Cheese omelette	Mac & Cheese with garlic ciabatta
Jacket Potato	With beans, cheese or tuna and salad	With beans, cheese or tuna and salad
Dessert	Flapjack	Chocolate brownie

Lunch costs will be covered by XP Gateshead on both days if you choose a school lunch for your child. Please let us know your preferred option for lunch on the google form below.

Information Evening for Parents/Carers

Finally, we are holding an Information Evening for Parents on Wednesday 29th June at 6pm. This meeting will last approximately one hour.

It is vital that at least one parent/carer attends this meeting as we will share important information about the Outward Bound experience in Ullswater which will be your child’s first week at XP Gateshead starting August 30th. 

We have limited space in school so there is a maximum of 2 parents/carers only per family. Your son/daughter is not required to attend the Information Evening. 

Please let us know how many places you require on the google form below.

Google form to complete with details for lunch and Information Evening places.

 

Our iPad for Learning Scheme portal is now open until 10pm on Thursday 28th July.

Click here to access the scheme

As we have discussed in our transition family meetings, students are expected to bring a device with them to school every day.

We strongly recommend that parents purchase the latest iPads, which gives them access to Google Docs and many creative apps such as iMovie, GarageBand and art apps. We believe that iPads are now the best pound-for-pound device for learning.

Working with our current Year 7s, the latest iPads have been transformational in the way that we have been able to approach learning in the classroom with every student on the same device.

 

We have created a great value parental contribution scheme which offers all our parents affordable access to the latest iPad with comprehensive insurance. This cost to parents is significantly cheaper than if you were to buy them from a shop (roughly 20% cheaper), and you get to spread the cost over the payment plan. After the final payment, the iPad is yours to do with as you wish. You can also purchase the iPads in one-off payment.

The other advantage of our scheme is that the iPads are managed by school and we can add apps to the devices that are needed for your child’s learning. During school time, only apps needed for school will be available. This helps us keep our students safe and distraction free whilst using devices. Out of school, any other apps can be installed by students.

 

In our scheme, you are able to buy an iPad with a keyboard case and trackpad, with the option to purchase an Apple Pencil which is incredibly useful for art apps and digital creation.

 

Option 1: iPad, comprehensive insurance, keyboard case, school apps and security. £15.50 per month

Option 2: iPad, Apple Pencil comprehensive insurance, keyboard case, school apps and security. £18 per month

 

Delivery will be made directly to XP Gateshead in time for the new school year and you will be contacted when your iPad is ready for collection.

We are delighted to be able to confirm that Year 7 will launch their published book “From the Ground Up” at Seven Stories – the National Centre For Children’s Books!

This is such a fantastic opportunity for our students and takes us right back to where the planning for our school with our first team of staff began last year.

The book launch will take place after school on Thursday 30th June.

We will transport students from school to Seven Stories. Students will then be presenting their book to experts and members of the community in the loft room at Seven Stories after school. As this is a formal event we will ask students to dress smartly for the occasion as they would for a presentation of learning.

Following this there will be an informal celebration on the ground floor (level 3) where parents and families will be welcome.

Families should arrive from 5.00pm. The cafes will be open on levels 2 and 3, as well as copies of the book available to purchase for £9.95. All proceeds raised from book sales will go back into the education of your children.

Students will make their way downstairs from their presentation to join our families at around 5.30 pm, and the event will close at around 6.00pm.

Please complete this Google Form to confirm your attendance at the informal celebration and to confirm that you will be able to take your child home from Seven Stories at around 6.00pm.

There is limited parking available in the area, or alternatively Seven Stories is around a 20 minute walk from either Manors or Byker Metro stations. More information on getting to `Seven Stories can be found here.

‘Without our stories we don’t exist – if we don’t share them nobody will…’

At XP, we share our stories every single day – here’s why it’s so important to do this. #ShareYourStory

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 xptrust.org/stories

We have had an update from our clothing supplier FBT Europe.

They expect their stock of XP Gateshead clothing to be replenished in mid-August. This has been delayed due to changes in customs arrangements for FBT’s suppliers.

We will update you via our website when the items are back in stock.

A reminder that our dress code can be found here. The branded clothing from the FBT shop is not mandatory, but we do recommend the black polo shirts for day to day wear, and these are also suitable for formal occasions such as Presentations of Learning.