This week I have decided  to focus upon the reading that we do here at XP and the great work that my Crew are doing.

We have taken our AR reading tests this week and there have been both up’s and downs.

Some of our crew have raised there reading age! . While there is also some who have received a reduced age.

We discussed reasons for this , and they responded with honestly and integrity. Some simply do not enjoy reading and have mentioned that they do not read at all apart from in school.

Some may not have book at all. There are many opportunities to get books.

Where to get books…

• Students have access to an online library eReader
• If your child prefers physical books, take a look at this website which has a list of places you can buy books cheaply without having to buy through Amazon
• Doncaster Libraries are currently offering a click and collect service

Reading is so important and I hope that by working together we can support our crew to develop a lifelong love of reading.

On a second notes are some appreciations for my crew.

Well done to Belle , Ed and Lucas for consistently being recognised as hardworking students during this difficult time. You are a credit to the crew.

Wow.

What a whirlwind the last few weeks have been. With schools closing it has been difficult to adjust to remote learning. However , My Crew has smashed it.

They all have fallen right back into the habits of work and learning .

Working Hard , Getting Smart and Being Kind.

Special thanks to Belle + Edward , your focus has been fantastic.

In crew we have spent some time in a mindful state. Some of the crew have drawn some wonderful pictures.

I would like to share them with you.

Another week has drawn to a close and Crew JCU has taken some fantastic strides as they settle into XPE.

I wanted to start this with all the wonderful praise that has been sent towards our Crew and share some of those with you :

• Deaken has shown a remarkable effort this week in all lessons (especially maths) , showing us he can work hard! Keep it up!
• Belle has shown all of the values that we have here at XPE day in day out , an absolute joy to have in my crew
• Olivia has produced some fantastic work for me in science, Keep it up

These are a small snippet of the wonderful praise they receive each week.

We have also had some amazing pictures from our resident artists Belle & Emily

In Crew we have been looking at what makes up a good friendship and what makes up a bad friendship. We have looked at what makes a bully do the things they do , the ways that people are different and we should celebrate them.

We have also looked our crew name and have come up with a few wonderful suggestions. While I wont spoil the suspense just yet. I will leave this quote form our current favourite.

Learning never exhausts the mind.

What a Fantastic start!

It has been a wonderful start to school with Crew JCU

Coming up from primary school can be a terrifying time for many , however the values and maturity I have seen from crew JCU has been astounding. Despite the intricacies of secondary school being harder than usual.

We started our days working together as a crew  , getting to know each other in the midst of the Lock-down period. Reflecting on our experiences of lock-down has been difficult but the general feel is that we want to get back to normal.

One of the fabulous towers we created

A wonderful drawing from Emily

We followed with some wonderful sessions which resulted in this amazing photo of Edward with his cheesy grin.

We also have some budding artists and performers within our crew.

Kicking off with a wonderful drawing from Emily , complete with an XP East shirt

We have resident MMA fighters as well as some up and coming dancers. I hope to see more of these fantastic talents as we move through the school year

The feedback from lessons has been amazing , with everyone Working Hard and Getting Smart 

Special thanks to Lucas for all his fantastic work in Math’s

And to Deacon for his great work in science

Lessons have been tough , days have been hard , but as a crew , everyone has shown their willingness to continue in their positive start! Here’s to continuing on this fantastic journey