Dear Families
Last week we launched our new learning expeditions across all year groups and this week, students will have the big reveal with guiding questions and case studies unveiled.
More details of the types of activities that students have been carrying out in immersion can be found below.
Students have settled back into school and routines really well.
We also had lots of visitors to the school last week, including Trish Wright who is building on the work Mrs Tatters has done with us to get our food technology space kitted out and ready for Year 7 to start using this term. Other visitors included Chris Harte, who featured in Year 9โs film on migration. With Chris Harte were Martin and Val Westwell, who took time from a visit to the UK from Australia to come and see our school. Val is Deputy Principal of a โthroughโ school in Adelaide from nursery to sixth form, and Martin is CEO of the Department of Education for the whole of South Australia. Here is some of Martinโs wonderful feedback to our students and staff:
โOne of the things that makes the school so remarkable is that, in many ways, itโs not out of reach of any school.
When ambassadors Ruby and Harris took us on the tour their pride in the school and their engagement in learning shone from themโฆ
There was clear trust between students and educators, and an authenticity in every interaction. The fact that they led the tour without any teacher involvement really shows the studentsโ story is the schoolโs story.
The intentional connection to community and the enormous effort put into building and maintaining relationships with parents and the broader community were inspiring and it was clear the students gain a great from these authentic interactions and relationships, including a strong sense of purpose.
The general feeling of the school was of calmness and clear purpose, with a culture of high (self) expectation, improvement and mastery. The fact that on the first day of a new term, visitors could be dropped into a class discussion and the group respond so openly and thoughtfully was very impressive.
The power of โcrewโ was really clear. Students referred to it frequently in a very positive way and I think see it as their anchor. Itโs clearly authentic and intentional and its place in the timetable really reflects the importance itโs given.
Not only was the compassion so very apparent in every interaction and story, so was the generosity of students and staff. We are so very appreciative of this.โ
Immersion
As you know the immersion is the part of the expedition where we generate curiosity about the topics that will be studied, and build background knowledge so that all students are able to contribute when we get into the formal study of learning targets through Case Studies.
This week in STEAM, G30 have been reading a range of texts including a focus on Station 11 by Emily St. John Mandel, set in a post-pandemic dystopia where life is both dangerous and tough. And yetโฆ a band of people calling themselves The Travelling Symphony still tour in trucks converted into horse carts performing Shakespeare. They have also been considering how they might fare on a desert island with limited resources.
In their separate HUMAN expedition, G30 have studied the extent of the former British Empire, as well as reading a play called โWhite Poppiesโ set during the earlier years of The Great War. When Tom Headley enlists underage in the Great War, he and his childhood friends head straight to the front line as tunnellers. Eighty years later, a young schoolgirl sets out to research her great grandparents as part of a Poppy Day project. She uncovers shocking truths.
G29 have been reading a Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson in STEAM, and making connections to practicals which emphasise changes in substances and systems. In HUMAN, students have been learning about tectonic hazards such as earthquakes and used a simulation to try to mitigate the impact of their devastating effects, for example by preparing a coastal village with protections against tsunamis. They have also carried out a gallery walk which contained many images of protestors in scenarios at home and abroad from today and from history. Finally, students have also started to read an abridged version of Shakespeareโs Macbeth in modern English. All will be revealed this week on how these pieces of the expedition puzzle fit together.
In their STEAM session, G28 have been In HUMAN G28 have been carrying out an investigation into health inequalities across the world and in our own Town. Students read a report by Alice Wiseman – Director of Public Health for Gateshead – which outlines the differences in average life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for people born in Gateshead contrasted with those born in areas that are typically more affluent. Students were shocked by the stark differences in outcomes and were able to put questions to Alice on Friday afternoon following their investigation.
With all of the above, students have been working hard at making connections between topics in anticipation of how our guiding questions will pull all of the ideas together for each learning expedition.
The week ahead
Theatre visit on Wednesday for some G28 students
We apologise for the short notice around this, however there is an exciting opportunity for which we received confirmation on Friday afternoon last week.
On Wednesday this week there is a performance of the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde which includes a directorโs commentary / Q&A session about interpreting and re-imaging the original gothic novella Robert Louis Stevenson for the stage.
Students will be asked if they would like to attend based on their HoWLs in drama sessions, and families will be informed tomorrow if you child will be attending.
The performance takes place on Wednesday 17th Jan in the afternoon. We will be travelling by minibus to and from the venue at Sunderland College and should be back in school for around 4.30pm. We will update the website with an arrival time on Wednesday afternoon.
SLC Preparation
G30 and G29 students will continue with their preparations for their Student-Led Conferences. Please can all G29 families ensure that they have completed this Google Form to help your child to prepare for the conference.
We invest a lot of time in giving students opportunities to reflect upon their learning and growth. A significant amount of Crew time is devoted to this in the run-up to SLCs. Please do ask your child about how their preparation is going.
We look forward to seeing you in the fortnight commencing January 29th. All families should now have received details of how to sign up for an SLC slot with the exception of Miss Diamondโs Crew – Miss Diamond is not in school during the weeks of SLC so more details for those families will follow this week.
Clubs and Extended Study
Clubs and supervised Extended Study sessions after school return this week. Here is our offer:
This week also sees the return of the regular setting of Extended Study work for students to complete using their iPads.
It is important that students get into good habits around extended study. Studies have shown that this has a positive impact on student progress, on average (+ 5 months), particularly with pupils in secondary schools. We recognise that it is not always possible for students (or staff) to have a quiet working space at home which is why we offer a space to work in school from 3.30-4.30pm Monday-Thursday.ย
Our full rationale for Extended Study can be found here.
The two tables above are worth sticking to the fridge or saving as a screenshot on a device for quick reference!
PE this week
- G30 have PE on Monday.
- G29 have PE on Wednesday.
- G28 Class 1 have PE on Thursday. Due to the staff day, G28 Class 2 do not have PE this week. We will look to rebalance this in a later week.
Staff Days on Friday 19th and Monday 22nd January
This half-termโs staff days fall this week and next on Friday and Monday. Friday sees all staff heading to Doncaster for a focus on our teaching and learning model, and on Monday we will be working on school priorities as part of our ongoing school improvement plan.