Dear Families
What a first week back we have had! This week is fundamental to us in an XP School, it’s where we build and tend to Crew which is the foundation of our school and our pastoral structures…
‘If we get Crew right, we get everything right’.
G30
Our G30 students have had a fantastic week at Ullswater finding out what crew means. I hope they returned to you full of tales of their outward bound adventures and new friendships. Across the week, students began to form strong bonds with their crew and crew leaders, supporting each other to rise to every challenge set. We could not have been more impressed by our new year 7 students. They were compassionate, courageous, respectful and showed integrity in equal measure across the week.
G29
Our G29 students returned to school strong and spent their first week considering the question ‘How can we support each other to lead the learning of our new Year 7 Crew?’. Y8 Crew Leaders have been blown away by the quality of student work and the depth of thinking. There is no doubt that Y8 students will work with us to ensure that our new students are welcomed into XPGateshead and are quickly part of our school community. The week ended with a fantastic day of fieldwork in Gateshead and Newcastle which had been fully planned by each Crew. Their conduct on fieldwork was exceptional.
G28
Our Pioneering G28 students led the way in school this week and returned stronger than ever. They worked as a Crew to answer the guiding question ‘How do we form great habits to tackle initiatives as a Crew with increasing agency, independence and resilience?’ They displayed greater maturity and had a clear sense of purpose as they were challenged to rethink how they best work as crews and the norms they use, strategically planned crew charity events for this year and prepared for fieldwork reconnecting with the Outdoors. It was a fantastic day out in Northumberland with over 8 km walked and smiles all round!
We could not have had a stronger start to our school year and can’t wait to welcome all students tomorrow.
Our week ahead
G30 students (Year 7)
Students will be working in their Crews on Monday and Tuesday reflecting on their Outward Bound experience and thinking about what Crew looks like in the classroom and around our school.
They will get tours of the school on Monday and our new spaces as well as an introduction to PE (students do not need their PE kits this week).
We will hand out iPads to G30 students on Monday. These will come with instructions on how to set these up on the school management system which is a fairly straightforward process. Students will need to set these up at home on Monday evening ready for a first training session on Tuesday. It is really important that the screen protector is applied as soon as you take the iPad out of the box, without this any insurance claims will not be valid.
On Wednesday, students will find out their new classes and Immersion for their new learning expedition will start.
G29 students (Year 8)
Students will begin a week-long immersion for their new learning expedition this week.
They will have their first PE session on Tuesday so will need their PE kit.
On Monday, students will find out their new classes and their seating plans.
G28 students (Year 9)
Students will begin immersion for their new learning expedition this week. As part of immersion, students will be taking part in local fieldwork on Tuesday when they will visit Gateshead High Street to conduct an environmental survey. Please see this post for more details.
G28 PE sessions take place on Thursday and Friday
- Class 1 will have their PE session on Thursday so will need their PE kit.
- Class 2 will have their PE session on Friday so will need their PE kit.
On Monday, students will find out their new classes and their seating plans.
Making the right start
All students need to be in school for an 8.30am start so they must arrive by 8.25am at the latest. There will be staff in school supervising so students can arrive from 8.00 am.
We will finish formal sessions at 3.15pm and there will be no extended study or activities after school this week.
Cycling to school
We are really pleased to see so many of our students cycling or scooting to school. Can I remind parents that if students are to bring bikes or scooters to school then they must have a bike lock. In terms of safety, students should also have a bike helmet. Please check that your child’s bike is in good condition frequently.
Please note that electric scooters (e–scooters) are not allowed in school. This includes all other ‘powered transporters’ too such as hoverboards and electric unicycles.
Kit List
As always, students need to bring a school bag with the following kit :
- A filled water bottle
- Pencil case including: pens, pencils, ruler, eraser and pencil sharpener
- A fully charged iPad (G28 and G29 from Monday, G30 from Tuesday) and headphones (ideally not expensive ones, for example here)
- A notebook
- A reading book
We also suggest that students bring a healthy snack for break time – no confectionery (sweets), fizzy drinks or energy drinks please as we do not allow these in school. Please note there must be no nut products in snacks or packed lunches – this is especially important as we have students in this cohort who are highly allergic to nut products.
Mobile phones should be switched off and in school bags each morning. Students should not be using mobile phones during the day without permission from a member of staff. If you need to contact your son or daughter please do so via the school office at [email protected] or on 0191 4814360.
Lunches
Students can choose to bring in a healthy packed lunch (no nut products, confectionary, fizzy or energy drinks) or have a school meal with us.
Our school dinners are very popular with our students, thanks to our wonderful kitchen crew. Students make a daily food choice in crew each morning and we have a three week menu.
If your child receives a free school meal, we will provide lunch. Please contact the school office if you have any questions around school meals.
We now have our own XP Gateshead ParentPay account. All G28 and G29 students were given a letter last week detailing how to set up/link your ParentPay account so that you can continue paying for school lunches. All credit/debts will be carried across from the old account at the start of the new academic year.
G30 students will be sent home with a letter on Monday detailing how to set up your ParentPay account so that you can pay for school lunches.
If you do have any issues or do not receive the letter from your child please email the [email protected] for support.
It is Week 2 this week.
We are really looking forward to welcoming all of our students back tomorrow. 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].
Thank you for your ongoing support and a special thanks to G28 and G29 parents who have been sharing their XPG knowledge and expertise with our new G30 parents. Together, we are definitely stronger.
#WeAreCrew
#WeAreXPGateshead
Julie Mosley
Principal