Dear Families
Welcome to the final week of this half term!
It is hard to believe that we have only been together for 7 weeks having achieved so much! Our students have continued to work hard to develop their beautiful work, character and academic success and they, like staff, will be ready for a well deserved rest and two week half term break when we finish this half term on Friday 18th October.
G28 and their start to GCSE
G28 students have made a great start to their GCSE courses and all staff working with this cohort have commented on their mature approach to learning, their resilience and willingness to take risks with their learning and appetite for challenge.
In Religious Studies, students have been using their collective knowledge to develop really strong answers to an exam style essay question about the story of the virgin birth in The New Testament.
GCSE Geographers have planned and carried out their first fieldwork with the enquiry question “Has regeneration had a positive impact on the Ouseburn?”
in GCSE photography students have been setting up miniature studios to start to get to grips with the powerful cameras that most of them carry with them every day, in advance of learning skills on DSLRs.
And
This week also, as a consequence of the weather, students from Level 2 Sports were able to put together a fitness warm-up for Miss Jones given that they would be indoors for the session.
DofE for G29 students
All of our Y9 students complete the DofE bronze award as part of our curriculum. G29 have started working on the physical and skill sections through sessions including badminton, urban-walking and mindful arts and crafts.
G30 work with expert Sister Josepha
G30 have had an expert session with Sister Josepha from St Anthony’s convent, who discussing how her beliefs and the teachings of her catholic faith about the afterlife have informed the way that she has lived her life and in turn her perspective on what it means to be human.
Our students were full of admiration for Sister Josepha and the great work that she has done in service to her community and to those in need around the world.
G30 work with expert Andrew Lowes
This week G30 also met Dr Andrew Lowes from the QE hospital. He was able to talk to students about the impact of G29’s work last year and the importance of organ donation. Again this year, we are delighted that our students’ artwork will be curated in our local hospital promoting such a worthy cause of organ donation.
Ongoing professional development for staff
As you know, we are a school invested in learning for staff and students alike. Like our students, we complete induction, present Educator-Led Conferences (ELC’s), and plan collaboratively to produce a high-quality curriculum.
Each week and across the whole year we offer professional development (CPD) opportunities for staff, which this term has included:
- A focus on the holistic nature of our teaching and learning model
- How to plan and deliver effective explanations
- Instructional rounds – an affirmative process where we learn from observing each others’ practice with an expert facilitator to help participants unpack their learning
- A training programme for Early Career Teachers in partnership with Three Rivers Teaching School Hub
- Leadership of learning expeditions
- Development opportunities for staff for e.g.
- Participation in Networks within our wider school trust.
- Working with industry partners such as the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Shipley and Victoria & Albert museums, and the Farrell Centre to develop authentic products for expeditions.
- Participation in national programmes such as Maths Mastery.
- Working with Newcastle University researchers to further develop connections between our KS3 and KS4 curriculum and the wider world.
We are a very small team, which is part of a relatively small school trust. I just wanted to take this opportunity to commend our staff for their commitment to our school, evident in the way that we support each others’ development, providing capacity for each other to attend training or opportunities, providing opportunities for students through carefully crafted learning expeditions and not least the wide offer of clubs and opportunities. Our staff really are exceptional in their commitment to our children: their development and success.
The 2024 Thomas Hepburn Memorial Service
This weekend students from across all years 8-10 attended the Thomas Hepburn memorial service at St Mary’s church in Heworth. Each year the NUM and Reverend Lucy coordinate a service which pays tribute to Hepburn’s commitment to working people and the trade union movement. Aside from the connections to our local history and students’ first learning expedition in year 7, we are of course keen to keep the connection to our community. As you know the school that was once on our site was named for Thomas Hepburn, and our school sits right on top of the roadways that extended from Felling Pit.
There was a particularly beautiful addition to our attendance this year, in that members of our choir were included in the service, performing one of G29’s songs “Justice Forever” which invoked a wonderful reception from the attendees – the biggest round of applause of the day!
Students laid a wreath to honour Hepburn alongside wreaths from many other dignitaries. Local MPs and former MPs were in attendance alongside local councillors and members of the education community. All were full of praise for our students’ performance and the quality of the music that G29 had written. I think we already have at least a couple of additional gigs on the back of this!
We were also very lucky to be able to accompany Bill Elliott, a local folk singer and part of the Elliott family of miners from Birtley who we hope to be able to work with further in putting together folk songs for G31 as part of their final product. All in all a wonderful way to spend a morning with wonderful young people.
Our week ahead
G29 fieldwork
On Monday Year 9 students will participate in local fieldwork visiting the site of the Owen Luder car park, using the space as inspiration for designing their own structure and collecting sounds to accompany their personal oral histories. Students will also be collecting primary data to answer the enquiry question: “Are there inequalities on Gateshead High Street?”. Students will have lunch in school and should dress appropriately for fieldwork and possible changes in weather.
Extended Study and Clubs
Our usual offer of extended study and clubs will all run this week (see schedule here) every day except Friday. Our before-school fitness and running clubs on Tuesday and Thursday will start at the earlier time of 7.45am this week.
Insert schedule here – can it be amended to show extended study too please
PE sessions this week
- G30 students (Year 8) have PE on Monday
- G31 students (Year 7)
- Class 1 have PE on Tuesday
- Class 2 have PE on Wednesday
- G29 students (Year 9) have PE on Thursday
- G28 students (Year 10) have PE on Thursday
Pumpkin Decorating Competition – Friday 18th October
Crew Stanton are hosting a pumpkin decorating competition to raise money for our crew charity Tiny Lives. Students will need to bring in their decorated pumpkins on the morning of 18th October 2024. Please see the website post for full details of competition categories, entry fee and prizes.
Early closure this Friday 18th October
Don’t forget that school finishes at the earlier time of 1.30pm this Friday. This is to allow us time to “degunge” and set up for the next half term. Please make arrangements to pick up your children at the school gate for 1.30pm this Friday. As always, please be conscientious of our neighbours if parking as it is always very busy when students all leave school at the same time.
We return to school on Monday 4th November 2023.
Thank you for your continued support through this half term and we hope everyone has a good holiday. We are looking forward to the next half term where we will be continuing to focus on our culture of beautiful work, character and academic success. Students will be adding work to our “beautiful” work portfolios and getting ready for student-led conferences and presentations of learning which will be an opportunity for you to see some of the work your children have been doing – more on this later.
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