Fun in the Sun for E27!

By H Hickson9th June 2021

E27’s fieldwork to Sandall Beat Wood was great! We went as part of our expedition “No One is Too Small to Make a Difference” which is focusing on the world’s animal and plant species in different biomes and the threats to the environment globally. We were lucky to have such beautiful weather which made the experience even better. We’re so pleased with how the students conducted themselves, got involved in the activities and were listening and asking questions to the experts that guided us around the wood.

Students learnt about the history of the wood, for example, when and why it was created and how it has changed over time. We identified and learnt about different tree and insect species, where they are in the food chain and how each one of them plays a vital part in the ecosystem of the wood. Another focus of the day was the carbon cycle and the role that dead trees and wood has and the management of the wood due to its SSSI status. We discussed the importance of creating a balance between protecting the environment but also having a space for people to enjoy at their leisure.

Overall, it was a great day and we were really impressed with the students and how they could articulate what they had learnt when we returned to the classroom.

E27 Are Finally Going On Fieldwork!

By H Hickson2nd June 2021

I am really pleased to write that we are going to be taking E27 on their first fieldwork at XP East on Monday (7th June) and Tuesday (8th June) to Sandall Beat Wood as part of our expedition “No one is too small to make a difference” which has an environmental focus. Due to Covid, we haven’t been able to do this sooner so I am really excited they are finally getting the opportunity.

Explorer will be going on Monday and Pioneer will be going on Tuesday. We will be leaving school at 9.30am by minibus and be back in school for 1.15 pm.

Students are advised to wear appropriate clothing for the weather that day as we will be outside for the entire time – suncream will be a definite if the weather is like it has been during the holiday! Hopefully we won’t get any rain but if it is forecast make sure students bring waterproofs. Sensible shoes such as trainers will need to be worn as we will be walking and on our feet for most of the time.

Students will need to bring a packed lunch and make sure they have plenty to drink if it is warm (unless on Free School Meals where one will be provided).

Normal school equipment (pens/pencils/device etc) should still be brought to school as the students will have their normal school lessons in the afternoon, iPads etc will be left in the classroom when on fieldwork which will be locked.

I Love Camping - Timeline Photos | Outdoor quotes, Life path, Path quotes

Crew Rashford

By Web Blogger31st May 2021

HoWLs Self Assessment and Crew Critique.

Over the past few weeks, students took time self evaluating their HoWLs and recorded this for each subject. The interactions between students were great, as they gave feedback to each other via comments on the spreadsheet, highlighting areas that they may want to increase their grade and examples why. This also helps to develop their Get Smart HoWL, being able to receive feedback and reflect their efforts in each subject. Furthermore, this shows that each crew member is developing their Be Kind HoWL, by communicating politely and respectfully with their feedback to others.

Students have also made pledges with these reflections in mind, a goal and focus for any areas they wish to improve. Crew members help to support them with this and respectfully hold them to account in sessions.

Mason – Making a pledge to raise his WH HoWL in art. Brilliant pledge Mason.

Zak – giving critique to a fellow crew member to increase their HoWL and the reason why he believes this. Building confidence and character traits. Nice work Zak.

True Crew!

We had one amazing crew session this term (they usually are), we discussed some on-going issues that some crew members wished to discuss. We showed each other respect, empathy, compassion and most importantly crew equity, crew family springs to mind! We spoke openly and honestly about our issues and responded with maturity and purpose. We made a crew stand in community meeting, BIG thank you to Zak for taking on the responsibility. He nailed it and showed real crewmanship. You’re super star ⭐️

Our foundations are certainly getting stronger and the relationships are building daily.

‘We Are Crew’

Bubble Isolating – back to it smoothly

Crew Rashford transitioned back to online learning effortlessly. As short lived as it was, we were back in school within a week. We remembered the protocols and seamlessly followed them in crew. What a force we are, no barrier is too big, no problem stands in our way. Pure heart and determination with continuing our learning. The enthusiasm to be the best version of ourselves is outstanding. Well done Crew, you rock!

⭐️Shout Outs⭐️

Smashing it in Spanish Manveer! Well done, super impressed!

Another praise for your incredible work in Spanish Holly. Super impressed!

Organising our Charity event.

Crew Rashford is named after the mighty footballer Marcus Rashford, we have been researching and exploring ways we can raise money for a charity, to which Marcus is affiliated and done some amazing work with for many vulnerable people up and down the country.

FareShare is a charity group that helps people in the UK defeat poverty and fight hunger. There are 18 total organisations in the UK. They give out nutritious food and they help breakfast clubs, lunch clubs for elders, homeless shelters and community cafe’s. There are exactly 24,074 tonnes of food redistributed to charities, 1,500 number of volunteers, 10,962 charity and community groups helped and £14.1 million estimate value of food to charities. Marcus Rashford is one of the famous people who have supported FareShare, along with Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Michael Moritz.

You can find more information here: https://fareshare.org.uk/

Crew have researched ideas and created presentations. We pitched these ideas in crew and voted for our favourite. It is a wonderful opportunity to be part of a nationwide charity.

Watch this space!

See ya Soon!

We have really worked hard this term, I am as always, blown away by you all, last stretch before summer break. I am especially looking forward to hearing what everyone has planned this summer. Let’s dig deep and show ourselves what we are made off. Boost those HoWLs and strive to be a true XP Crew.

Have a wonderful half term, hope the suns comes out! ☀️

Crew Rashford

By Web Blogger23rd April 2021

Litter Picking Crew Rashford Style!

Stewardship is one of the core principles of XP and XP East. Our philosophy has always been ‘leave no trace’ and this is why litter picks and lost property were introduced. We have to work together and be crew when it comes to stewardship, to pitch in and also to hold each other accountable to make sure our school is a safe and well maintained place to be. We pride ourselves on crafting beautiful work as staff and students, this should apply to our surroundings.

Each member of our crew took to the job enthusiastically, along with Mr Portman.

We were very impressed with the maturity and pride Crew approached this activity with. Everyone participated and we worked together as a crew to do a superb job. The school grounds looked clean and tidy. Amazing work Crew, well done!

⭐️Crew Shout Outs!⭐️

Holly – I’m emailing to let you know how impressed I am with your Spanish ES this week. Wow, you’ve really put the effort in, and the preposition sentences are AWESOME!! Please keep up this engagement and commitment to your HOWLS. Gracias, Mrs Sprakes.

Keegan – For your written work in HUMs on Nature, you displayed tremendous passion. Look at this feedback from Mr Portman and Mr Sprakes. Outstanding piece of work. You should be very proud of this well done.

Resetting Crew!

We have really been focusing over the last 2 weeks on “Crew Rashford’ and what kind of crew we want to be, what this looks like and how we can achieve this.

We are beginning to identify some crew norms, and slowly displaying them throughout our sessions. There have been some difficult discussions, however we have been really mature, spoken freely and held ourselves and others accountable. This is important as it will keep the focus and help everyone in crew maintain our pledges. Mr Portman has been a great support and mentor during this process, we have appreciated this very much. Thank you Mr Portman.

Buddying up with Crew Rowling.

Today we buddied up with Crew Rowling. A great opportunity to observe another crew in action. We reflected on how their crew conducted the session and the protocols they used, how they allowed each others voices to be heard and how they held each other accountable in a mature and respectful way.

We appreciate Crew Rowling for supporting us and taking time to show us all things crew. They have a great track record and an outstanding reputation at XP and XPE. Crew Rowling have set us a challenge and we can not wait set the ball in motion… watch this space!

I believe that we have great foundations and are developing a stronger unity as a crew.

We are Crew, We’ve got this!

Crew Rashford Blog – EWA

By Web Blogger2nd April 2021

We Are Back!

Spring is here and the warmer weather is approaching.

We have hit the ground running and everyone in Crew Rashford have settled back into school brilliantly. I am super proud of the attitude and commitment to learning Crew have returned to school with!

It is lovely to finally meet everyone face to face and put a few names to faces and profile pics. Their bubbly personalities are even more bubbly in person. Crew have made me feel really welcome in school, it’s like we’ve known each other for an age.

Our first Crew session was fab. We focused on our Crew Pledges and our expectations and HOWL’s. We also openly talked about howe felt about returning to school, COVID testing and more. As a few Crew members attended In-school provision they were able to talk about there COVID testing experiences and but a few minds at rest. It was amazing to see the support we showed each other.

⭐️ Star Of The Week⭐️

⭐️ Tayla – ‘Who found the work in Spanish really challenging, but asked me for help, persevered, and did it anyway. Totally gets the meaning of the words grapple and courage’ Mrs Collinson.

In-School COVID Testing

Crew Rashford would like to personally thank the school testing team for the hard work and the efficient experience.

We had a few nerves but as a crew we pulled together and supported each other perfectly.

We are Crew! Thank you 😊

Equipment For School 🖊

We have re-introduced equipment check-ins each morning. The impact this has on our learning is really crucial, therefore it is required that each Crew member arrives at school with the appropriate equipment.

Charged device
Book (if preferred over AR app)
Pen, pencil, ruler
Mask
Water bottle
PE kit (PE days)

We have done an excellent job and must ensure this happens each day and continue to remind and help others with the equipment if needed. I would like to give a shout out and a massive appreciation to everyone in Crew for this.

Well done and thank you 😊

Back to It!

Our week in Crew looks a little like this.

Each day we have a different focus and it is brilliant to hear from everyone in Crew and having each voice heard.

If the engagement and hard work that Crew Rashford have shown last term continues, then boy are we going to have a fantastic term this time around. Let’s dig deep and do what we do best, strive to be the very best version of ourselves that we can be!

We have got this! 😊

We made it!

5th March 2021Web Blogger

It’s Been a Long Term!

But wow we made it! We have really dug deep and proven how much we can adapt and overcome anything! I just want to say i am extremely proud of Crew Rashford and everything they have overcome and achieved this term, you truly are an inspiration! 😊

Crew/session attendance has improved over the last 2 weeks, which is a fantastic achievement soooo…. Well done Crew, you rock! 👏 🎉🥳

It has been a pleasure and privilege to become Crew Leader for Crew Rashford and I believe we have the making of being a fantastic team. I for, one really enjoy our crew sessions especially Friday’s, we have the opportunity to chill and reflect on the week, listen to music, quiz till we cant quiz no more and really get to know each other. I can not wait until we are in school for crew.

⭐️ Stars Of The Term ⭐️

⭐️ Keegan – For really working hard on adhering to the online protocols.

⭐️ Manveer – For being super helpful and helping crew members with hangout links.

⭐️ Sofiya – For overcoming her worries of coming to school and wonderful note taking.

Switch Off & Recharge Time

As a crew we really appreciated and took full advantage of this opportunity to divert our attention away from technology.

Here are some of the activities Crew took part in over the last 2 weeks.

Online memories 👩‍💻📱 👨‍💻 ✉️

Online learning has been a mix of many emotions, laughter and tears! (oh technology😠) Laggy/glitchy have got to be thee two most spoken words in 2020/2021 I’m sure of it 😂

Crew have put together some of their most memorable moments of their online learning this term.

Have a lovely, well deserved break!

Signing off till we return in 2 weeks, enjoy, have fun and i hope the sunshine’s for you all 🌞.

Mrs Watson 😊 Remember to just be you!

Crew Rashford – Student Led Conference

By Web Blogger22nd February 2021

Crew Rashford absolutely smashed their very first SLC’s, the presentations were very professional and each and everyone of them did themselves proud. It was amazing to see their confidence shine and to really dig deep and manage themselves through the presentation.

We decided it would be beneficial to write a reflective log of the experience, this well help us lay the best foundations for our next round of SLC’s and also remember what it was like the first time around.

These are some of the reflective logs that crew have done so far!

Zak

What went well was i didn’t manage to show my work that i did and struggled with, but without it i think it still went well. (Zak is going to take a photo when he returns to school to show his parents)

It would be even better if i could show my work that i struggled with and the work that i was impressed with.

The experience was very good, i was really really nervous but it went well and i think i did good a job. I was quite scared because i was worried if i messed something up and it would be really awkward for me.

Manveer

What went well – I was very proud of my SLC. I put a lot of Craftsmanship and Quality into my work. The setting of my work and the way it was presented was very organised. I definitely showed my level of understanding. When I first joined the meeting, I had butterflies in my stomach, I was really nervous and scared feeling like something would’ve gone wrong. When I first started talking, all of my nervousness went away and I just started to feel confident which I think is really great!

Even better if – I think it would be even better if I could speak up a little louder, everything was amazing but if I could change one thing, it would be that I could speak a little louder. Concluding it, I think mostly everything went exactly to plan haha!

The experience was overall exciting because I couldn’t wait to show my work to my teachers and it was my first time with an SLC so I didn’t really know what to do.I think if I could change one more thing, I would change my speaking and my voice, I was speak loud but maybe I could speak a little louder. I would like to praise my older sister, Aran because she helped me with my SLC and helped me present it because I was calling on my iPad and my sisters laptop and I felt really. Scared but my sister was there and I felt really calm and relaxed :).

It was a joy to part of the process from start to finish and despite the nerves and the hurdles of being at home, they all did a sterling job.

Hello too!🙂

Many of you parents/carers may have seen me on the SLC hangout and you should any received an email from myself last week. Apologies if you haven’t. My email address is as follows [email protected], please send me an email and let me know if you haven’t received it.

I am super excited to be part of Crew Rashford and the journey they will take through XP. I hope with your support they can individually and collectively be the best of the best.

Thank you 😊

We Are Crew

Crew Rashford (MKE)……What we think, we become…..

By Web Blogger18th January 2021

As part of a Wise Wednesday session, Crew Rashford recently took time to research and identify with online quotations which appealed to them. The students then presented their findings to the rest of their crew mates and explained exactly why the quotes they had chosen had struck a chord with them.

A selection of these were later chosen to appear on our new Crew wall (which is currently in the design phase……watch this space………or rather, watch that wall !!!).

The exercise served a myriad of purposes…..

It was another valuable opportunity for students to throw the grappling hook of exploration further up the learning wall, and pull themselves up to discover new areas of research. In the case of the quote above, not only did we discuss the beautiful meaning of the quote itself, but also the remarkable life and works of Maya Angelou – someone whom the students may not have previously known about.

The exercise encouraged them to be the leaders of their own mini learning expedition.

We found that quotations are a wonderful portal to the learning cloud – to areas of thought, discussion and research – and into areas which Year 7s certainly, may not have travelled of their own volition ordinarily.

My Crew are amazing, and I am so very proud to be able to be associated with them all. We have developed bonds of trust and respect and understanding. They have also taken on the challenge of the new Covid restrictions with courage and determination and their continued resilience to succeed against something which none of us totally understand, is remarkable.

So Crew Rashford – this blog is for YOU. It’s my opportunity (and my honour) to say to everyone out there, that this far, you have all proven yourselves to be worthy of your place at XP. There’s absolutely no reason why we cant continue to grow as Crew, and as a yeargroup and then roll on into the forthcoming years with more, and more, and more momentum.

And to end, a word from our namesake …….whom I’m still waiting to e mail me back.

“…..Always train hard, work harder, never give up, never give in and believe in you….”

Marcus Rashford.

Mr K 🙂

Crew MKE…..Don’t Stop Believing.

By Web Blogger8th November 2020

“…Ive failed over and over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed…..”

Michael Jordan

To say that Ive missed my Crew this past week would be an understatement. That’s how important they are to me. My Crew have developed such incredible characters, personalities and relationships with one another, that at times they leave me speechless. These 13 individuals, who sat on their blue plastic chairs for the first time – only a few months ago, are travelling incrementally into the next, and the next, and the next phases of their lives with courage, determination and a desire to be the very best versions of themselves…

And they’ve achieved this change by being brave, by being honest with themselves, and by accepting that failure is something that has to be a part of their overall learning experience – somewhere along the way.

This past week has been a challenge for us all.

We’ve had disconnections, dropped calls, missed appointments, lay-ins, alarms not going off, and in KH’s case, the kitchen people ripping out his kitchen and cutting off his electricity….all challenges which we have collectively grappled and overcome.

Ive been shown more Harry Potter Wands in one week than Ive seen in my entire lifetime, and been given an insight into some of the things that make my Crew tick when they’re at home. It’s been an experience for us all.

There will be tougher challenges as we move forward, but provided we maintain the same positivity and determination which we have shown in this first challenging week, then this is something which will ultimately define us, both as individuals and as XP.

I believe in my Crew, and I know that every other Crew Leader feels the same about theirs too. Crew MKE, keep doing exactly what you’ve been doing on this learning journey but this time just turn up your determination and desire to learn by another notch on the dial.

Be excited about your learning, be excited about your futures and keep focussing on the day you walk out of XP for the very last time as the ultimate version of YOU. Every second of this journey counts, and you are the captains of your destiny, the leaders of your own learning. Believe in your dreams and aspirations and they WILL happen.

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.

Mr K

Crew MKE Blog….# 2

By Web Blogger24th September 2020

Michael Jordan once said……..” talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships…”.

All of the new students within XP Trust have embarked upon the most important championship of their academic (and life) career so far…..and Crew MKE are really beginning to work together as a team.

They have had a solid start to the next phase of Crew. We have collectively and individually developed our awareness and understanding of one another’s needs and abilities – and this is vital if we are to progress incrementally onto the next step, and the next, and so on…

The students have decided on two final Crew names to identify with ( I can tell you that one is a Premier League Footballer who does massive work with charities and has recently managed to change a Governmental decision regarding the allocation of school meals to children who may otherwise go without……and the second is a global pop superstar who has utilised her profile and skills to support social activism in areas relating to mental health awareness and LGBT rights. The students are really excited about these two choices, so we’ll announce the winner shortly.

Friday afternoons are the time when we really get together as Crew and are given the time and the opportunity to show off individual skills in order to develop ourselves and inspire others. The first student to do this was Isabelle, and her session proved to be a bit of a groundbreaker – not only for us as participants, but for Isabelle herself.

Imagine the scene…its Friday afternoon, the students have come to the end of a long and demanding week….and Isabelle has elected to teach a collection of three Year 7 Crews……Origami !!!!

Isabelle wasn’t phased by the task. From the moment she began to demonstrate how to make an origami swan to the group of around 35 students, she had them in the palm of her hand ! As soon as the inevitable pleas of ‘I don’t know what I’m doing” and “I don’t know where I am” began to come, Isabelle calmly and confidently went to each student – in the guise of a Florence Nightingale figure – and tended to every students needs. She was AMAZING…

When the class was complete and the students had gone, just one solitary swan sat on top of a desk, as if to pay tribute to Isabelles display of character. WELL DONE ISABELLE !!

On the basis of this session, we have decided to introduce a Crew MKE ‘Superstar of the Week Award’ and the title will carry a trophy which the recipient will take home for a week and then present to the next winner on a Friday afternoon. The first recipient of this trophy (when it arrives ) will be Isabelle.

This weeks Friday Figure It Out session will be presented by Sofiya who will be teaching Sign Language ! Well done Crew MKE….