This week Crew Rashford armed themselves with bin liners and pickers, clearing the grounds of XPE of litter. We really worked well as a crew, buddying up and the end result was fantastic.
We talked about the importance of keeping our school clean and tidy of debris. We discussed the impact litter has on us and the environment.
The input from Crew members highlighted our own actions and ways we can help make the environment a cleaner place. We talked about the use of single use plastics and how long they stay buried on landfill sites, this was a an eye opener for some.
It is safe to say that they all have a mutual respect for our community and the wider environment.
We pledge to do play a role in climate change and looking after the environment!
Fab work Crew Rashford, just fab!
Mindful Monday’s – Stand up, Speak Out
This term in our Wise Wednesday sessions the guiding question is – Why should we stand up for democracy?
The learning target was for Crew to explore social and cultural factors that help shape our identities by reading and analysing a short story and then creating their own personal identity charts..
Crew Rashford grappled with this particular session, they really had to look inside themselves and pinpoint areas and describe themselves and others. But WOW, they took on the challenge and really stepped up.
Listening to each other’s views and stories has not only helped to raise awareness within Crew, but also built stronger relationships. For some they started openly understand who they are as young teens and how others view them, and also the amazing character traits they hold.
We also watched a short video called “The bear that wasn’t by Frank Tashlin.
We unpicked the story and talked about why and how the bear may have felt, showing compassion and empathy towards this example. We was able to link this to our own life experiences and showed real integrity in discussing this.
The lesson we took from this was, always be the best version of yourself, but most importantly always stay true to you, always be you!
Here are of some of the words used to describe Crew Rashford, see if you can relate to them? Some of these are inherited and some are parts of their identity they chose themselves.
Well it’s safe to say Crew Rashford have hit the ground running this term. What an amazing term, over 100 praises on the board. This shows how we display and consume our HoWLs throughout school and sessions.
We have achieved so much, we’ve shown compassion and respect for other crew members, dug deep and ensured we display our character traits. It’s been impressive to see how each and everyone of crew have matured and developed since last academic year.
We have incorporate more fun in crew, as be believe laughter and good times helps devvelop relationships and bonds.
We started obviously with our first week back and Ullswater, but we also continued throughout the term. These included crew games such as ‘In the river, on the bank’, shadow game and trips to Lakeside.
Over the term we introduced a crew praise competition. The number of praises as i said before were over 100 between crew. What an amazing start to this academic year.
Here are the results of this terms competition winners.
⭐️ Tayla and Jayden ⭐️
⭐️ Keegan and Mason⭐️
⭐️ Callum ⭐️
Prizes will be delivered when we return to school in November.
Well done to each and every one of you, super proud!
Miss Bowser and I are super proud of you all and I hope you enjoy your half term break.
Last week in crew Marx we focused on our crew fundamentals and resetting our pledges! We have had a rocky start to term in crew with COVID and isolation so this was our opportunity, all back together, to focus on what we learned at Outward Bound!
we started off the week by litter picking around the school and looking after our community!
We then worked on our pledges and how we will work towards meeting our pledges before the end of term. Check out Cameron’s below who is really working on managing his distractions this term and I must say is smashing it!
We’ve added all our pledges and memories to the crew wall and reminded us what we need to get done and we can refer to them every morning!
Great start to term! Can’t wait to see the progress this year!
Crew Rashford kept themselves busy on the coach, we played car journey games together, giggled a lot 😃 and there was lovely atmosphere!
On arrival we were super eager and excited to get started. We began our day with a picnic on the lawn. Some of E27 kindly support and gave Mrs Watson an acrobatics lesson. Cartwheeling pro style!
Then it was time for Crew Rashford to meet our OB Instructors, Dave and Stu, who immediately made us feel welcomed and excited about what was to come!
Our first activity was to get to know each other and play a Crew game. This game built up our confidence and allowed us to settle in at the centre.
Jog and Dip
Once we had unpacked we were set for our first big activity. Somewhere shall we say excited and eager to get started, others were a little less confident and nervous about it. The beach was stunning and the water was let’s say fresh 😂 but inviting.
Stu and Dave, prepped and syked us for our experience and we were good to go, life jackets on! Safety first! When we entered the water, everyone was supporting and encouraging each other, leading by example and showing others that it’s ok and not as cold as they may think once they submerged themselves under. Holding hands, laughing and smiling Crew Rashford showed real compassion towards one another.
It was so humbling and amazing to see them in this way 😊.
Later that evening after a scrummy meal, we enjoyed orienteering around the beautiful grounds at the centre. Some were more successful than others, but together in smaller groups Crew Rashford did themselves proud and managed to navigate themselves through the task.
We could clearly see that they were incorporating our XP character traits, using compassion and courage to support others.
Tuesday
Crew building Activity
Up and full belly’s by 9am. We start our days with a Crew building activity, by climbing The Wall. At first glance we weren’t sure how or if we could do this, it looked quite difficult. Dave and Stu were brilliant in building confidence and guiding us through this one.
We chose 2 Crew, Zak and Callum as lifting aids to start, they worked together, communicated and successfully lifted Keegan up to the top of the wall, whilst Sofiya and Mason supported Keegan over the wall.
What a successful activity. This helped build courage and confidence within Crew, it allowed others to see that it is possible with the support of others 💪.
Mountain Climbing up Howtown and Camping Adventure
It was time to get sorted for our camp out, we packed our rucksacks with all the necessary equipment, roll mats, sleeping bags, head torch, head insect nets, stove, mittens, waterproofs, snacks and food and of course our bivi tent.
We ensured we had our water bottles filled, thankfully the weather was on our side; thank you Mr Sun ☀️
We set about our adventure in canoes, together we navigated down the river to a beautiful beach. Here we had lunch and prepared our mindsets to hike up the mountain.
This was for some a difficult task, some found it a breeze (not me). We began the hike fairly scattered, stopping and waiting for others as the climb got more intense.
We would often wait and circle up as a Crew and get our strength together. We discussed the importance of supporting each other during this time, how others felt when they could see others ahead of us up the mountain 👨👩👧👦.
We arrived at the halfway point, we could see the importance of staying together, the impact this has on others and what this meant to Crew.
Mason, Zak and Callum, kindly offered to support other Crew members with their rucksacks. Keegan, Tara and Jorja were reluctant to give their bags to them, they expressed their worries that it would be too much and felt bad as this would be a lot for them to do. However, with a gentle nudge and reassurance Mason, Zak and Callum took on the challenge and carried 2 bags each for the duration of the hike.
⭐️ Can I just get a round of applause and a massive appreciation for them, please!
Camp set up! Considering our surroundings we careful built our bivi tents ⛺️, using craftsmanship and quality and supporting others Crew Rashford carefully constructed an amazing camp.
Dave and Stu on the stoves, cooking up a storm in the kitchen we ate our dinners and sat down under the stars drinking warm hot chocolate 😋.
What an amazing experience this was. We spotted the Milky Way and Venus.
Wednesday
Solo adventure – Howtown
The next morning we packed up our belongings, we were all amazed that we had walked up the mountain and set up camp for the night together as a Crew.
It was important to reflect on this experience and take some time to appreciate what we had achieved individually. So before we set off back down the mountain which took us less than half the time it took us to climb 🙈, we sat in our own space and reflected on everything we had accomplished so far.
We appreciated the support other Crew members had shown, the compassion, respect, craftsmanship and quality and courage we showed during the last 12hours, it was incredible.
We made it back down in quick time, our transport arrived in the style of a rowing boat 🛶.
Let me tell you this… we had to work hard at this one. We really had to show determination and resilience during this activity. In these times it helps us unpack and understand how we need to work together even when we are tired and irritable.
But WOW, we really did show compassion towards those that grappled with rowing 🤩.
We made it back to the centre in one piece, but what a challenge. Time to get unpacked and get ready for our next adventure.
Cliff Jumping
This was amazing, every single one of Crew broke through their comfort zones, some swam in open water from the boat to the cliff and some even though they weren’t the strongest of swimmers, jumped from the cliff 🙈.
Some found this activity a breeze and it was right up there street. However, when on a cliff face they had to comment out loud on one thing that they had achieved so far and relate this to an XP character trait. It was there they found this part difficult, to formulate a response and consider their week so far.
But you know what, they did it! 💪
Thursday
Presentation Time!
Mixed bag of emotions on this one. But we all showed great strength and courage throughout. The effort, craftsmanship and quality of Crew Rashford’s presentation was incredible.
Every single one of them spoke well and expressed their time at Outward Bound – Ullswater with passion and enthusiasm. They all showed courage in talking to their peers and really dug deep🤩.
Safe to say there were a few tears shed happy and sad by myself 😢 😊
The End!
Crew thoughts on Ullswater.
Sofiya – “I loved ullswater because it created a tight bond between our whole crew. We worked together and helped each other. It was fun spending time with people we don’t usually spend time around”
Tayla – “Ullswater made me grow stronger and bigger bonds and that’s something I’m grateful for’.
Emma – ‘I had a really good experience,one highlight was when my crew helped me jump off the rocks’.
Manveer – ‘I really enjoyed my experience at Ullswater. One highlight of that week was when we all supported each other by going into the lake and jumping off the rocks’.
Holly – ‘Ullswater made me come out of my comfort zone. I stood in front of my year group and spoke about my experience and I also jumped off a cliff at the highest point’.
Jorja –‘I enjoyed Ullswater so much because I got a lot closer to crew and gained more trust’.
Tara – ‘Ullswater helped me build better bonds with crew’.
Keegan – ‘Ullswater was ok, one highlight was when I noticed Mason help Zak overcome his fear of bobbing his head under water when we went for a jog and dip”.
Mrs Watson – `This has got to be hands down the best few days ever, we will cherish them for a long time”.
Crew Rashford, displayed every single one of the XP character traits to the letter, respected the environment and embraced this experience with both hands.
Let’s remember the lessons we learned from Ullswater and use them in our everyday lives. Crew Rashford you truly are inspirational.
Dave and Stu – ‘You are an amazing bunch of kids, we are very proud of you”.
This statement could not be any more true and I wholeheartedly agree, I am immensely proud of you all 😊.
Sofiya posted this a few months ago to help raise awareness and fund raise for her chosen charity – Little Princess Trust and Mind Over Cancer
“ I want to raise a little bit of money for Mind Over Cancer because it’s my mums birthday week and she was diagnosed with cancer at 16 and it’s been 16 years since she was diagnosed so I think it’s extra special to do it this year to help raise money to help young people with cancer.
I have thought for a long time about cutting my hair, many of you will know how long it is and how much I love it! But I have decided for sure this time that I’m doing it and donating it to The Little Princess Trust because I want to help people like my mum to feel good about themselves and let them get back something they lost.
Mind Over Cancer is a brand new charity founded by mum’s friend Susie. She has been an amazing support to mum and always ready with a smile and a hug. Mum believes this new charity so so much and only dreams of the support it will give to others like her.
The Little Princess Trust started in 2006, a year after mum finished treatment and had lost her hair twice. They state their ‘greatest need is for hair donations that are 16″ (41cm) or longer’. 16!? Perfect. I can do that.
The Big Trim will be on the 24th July! This will mark the date mum celebrated her 21st birthday and the end of her cancer treatment. It was the focus point for her throughout her 3rd battle and the agreed aim between her, the family and her oncologist- ‘to be out by my 21st’ and they made it.
Fast Forward…..
“I cut my hair off to help someone who is/was affected by cancer because no one should have to go through that. Whilst doing so I raised money for Mind Over Cancer which is a charity to help chemo patients with their mental health through their journey.” ~ Sofiya ❤️
Sofiya Raised a Huge £432 AND Donated a Whopping 21inches of Hair.
We would to like to appreciate you and your incredible selfless act of charity Sofiya. Your hair and fund raising efforts will most definitely make a difference to those in need. This act of kindness will surely go a long way. Well done to you, you are an inspiration.
Wow… I can’t believe what a crazy but amazing first couple of weeks this has been. Only week 3 but we have been everywhere!
Lets take it back to the first week, what a week that was. Students returned and got straight back into crew and did what we do best: had a big old catch up!! This is where it was revealed that we would be doing a ‘microadventure’ for the first week. Our microadventure in year 8 was all based on the quality of kindness and how we can show this to ourselves. each other and the wider community. We shared ideas and started on making gifts and little acts of kindness to hand out to people in our local community at Lakeside! Below you can see some of the gifts we made as a crew…
Our trip out to Lakeside was very nerve racking for a lot of us as it was hard to imagine speaking to and showing kindness to people we didn’t know. A few of us from crew needed to show a lot of courage and put ourselves out of our comfort zone. In the end, everyone managed to speak to someone at Lakeside and I could not be prouder of the crew. The feedback from the community was so positive and a lot of people were amazed and overwhelmed by the kindness that they felt from the kids. It is great that we can spread positivity in these times!
Here are some quotes from crew about what they believe kindness is and how important it is for our community:
Holly – Kindness is something everyone should do all the time. I think i made their day because it is also/could be the little things like a small gift to make someone happy. If everyone was kind, it would stop a lot of problems and hate that is happening around the world.
Liam – I can be kind by helping other people out be that if they are a student or staff. I also always try to stay polite in any situations possible.
Nik –
I felt proud when i was handing out my kindness gifts as i was very nervous and anxious at first.
Kindness for me is very important because without kindness the world would be a dull and scary place and without kindness the people would be selfish and mean so thats why kindness is very important.
Lukas – Kindness is a source of happiness formed from doing a kind task.
Lily H – Kindness is doing something for others and Caring for others and just smiling at people.
Max – When I gave my gifts to people I felt warm and good that I had done something kind to someone and maybe made their day. I feel like they would be more impressed by XP as we were being kind and helpful to people so they would be impressed. I think that kindness impacts the world because it makes people more kind and polite. I will be kind at school by following my HOWLs and treating everyone equally and listen and be polite to everyone.
Fantastic reflections from a fantastic crew, well done guys on your first week of year 8!
We are back together and super excited to see what this year has in store for us.
This week we have had a real big focus on Kindness, what this looks like and how we can be kind to others. We aimed to answer the GQ – How does the power of kindness impact on your life and the life of others?
Wednesday – Crafting Kindness Gifts
Crew Rashford considered what kindness is and looks like? We collaborated together on ideas that we would show kindness in and around our community.
With all our resources and ideas, we created beautiful gifts. Some students made origami flowers, shapes and butterflies, some wrote lovely messages on postcards, some were creative with the resources and made wond’s with kind messages such as “You are Wonderful”, some also hand painted pebbles and gifted bells as a security system for theft.
Here they are working hard and ensuring they have checked for quality and craftsmanship!
Isabelle -crafting origami
Jayden, creating a beautiful pebble
Here are some more of the amazing gifts Crew Rashford created.
Thursday – Micro Adventure at Lakeside Shopping Centre
On Thursday we embarked on our adventure, connecting with the world to spread kindness within the local community.
Mason, Manveer, Tara and Holly
Miss Leatham, Sofiya and Olivia
The visit to Lakeside shopping centre was a massive success and there was a real buzz around the place. Members of the public were blown away with the generosity of our students and their gifts but smiles on the faces of those around us and our students too.
It was fabulous to see crew members step outside of the comfort zones and challenge themselves to approach members of the public. I was super proud of Crew Rashford for stepping up to the plate, articulating themselves well and having lovely meaningful conversations with shoppers around the centre. Quite often there was no physical gift given, but for our crew to have a chat with shoppers and make someone’s day.
It really showed the essence of Crew, it shows how we support each other and play to our strengths.
Holly gifting flowers
Manveer gifting postcards
Mr Portman praising E27’s maturity and kindness
Acts of Kindness by Jorja
Em gifting her handmade gifts
Sofiya having a lovely conversation with this kind gentleman
We thought it was important to remind ourselves of the purpose of this exercise as we went along and students made a scrapbook of the micro adventure to Lakeside.
Here are some of the reflections…
Emma
Emma
Manveer
Manveer
Micro Adventure Scrapbooks
Friday – Solo Adventure and Crew Pledges
With all these acts of kindness, we considered that we also need to take time to reflect on the week as a whole. This was an opportunity for Crew Rashford to spend time individually and understand how they can be even more kind in the future.
There was a real mixed bag of emotions, some found it lonely. Realising that they enjoy being around others… while others found it relaxing.
Whilst we have been focused on acts of kindness we also revisited our character traits. We discussed these in many ways, as a crew they look at themselves and how they would like to display these this year. They considered what compassion looks like, how we show respect, when we might need to have courage, what is integrity and how we can ensure we consider craftsmanship and quality is encompassed in our work.
Miss Bowers, debriefing with Crew
Tara, considering her thoughts
Tayla taking full advantage of the quiet time
Um Mason zzzz…
Holly contemplating
Keegan, enjoying time to reflect
Manveer deep in thought
Callum working hard
Zak… you awake?
Zak Focused
Izzy and Mason relaxed and chilled
Jayden embracing the moment
We made pledges as a crew on what kind of things we want to do differently this year compared to Year 7. We really dug deep into what this is and how we can achieve this. As a crew we pledge to hold crew members accountable for them.
After a jam packed week, we also had time to let loose and enjoy some time outdoors. So E27 went and enjoyed a fab game of rounders and cricket. It’s safe to say that there are some members of crew who are slightly more competitive than others 😃. I’m not sure of the score, but Crew Rashford did a pretty good job of communicating and having fun.
Here are some action pics.
I’m sure that was a Six
Go on Tay
Rounders for E27
Mighty E27
It’s been an amazing week and I am looking forward to the year ahead.
Next week is our Outward Bound trip to Ullswater. I honestly cannot wait to spend even more time with Crew. Build a great relationship and deeper foundations to become a stronger unity and crew family.
The new school year will commence on Wednesday 1st September and E27 (Year 8) will be taking part in a number of activities in and out of school to revisit our underpinning principles of Crew.
The week’s activities will be directed by our guiding question: How does the power of kindness impact on your life and the life of others?
On Wednesday crews will focus on refreshing crew expectations and engaging in team building activities, some of which may take place outdoors. Crews will then design and create beautiful products to hand out at Lakeside on Thursday as small acts of kindness within our local community. Please ensure students come to school with appropriate clothing & footwear as we will be spending time outdoors each day. We will end the week by sharing our stories and reflections with yourselves and the wider community, so look out for our crew blogs and web posts!
It is important that students have the appropriate kit when taking part in outdoor activities so please ensure students have the following necessary items during the week, a waterproof jacket, sensible footwear and clothing to protect us from the elements. Please refer to the school’s dress code attached below for our full mandatory list.
It is just as important that students come to school prepared with the necessary equipment for their sessions. We expect students to bring the following items every day: a school bag, water bottle, pen, pencil, ruler, reading book, a fully charged and appropriate device, PE kit (on appropriate day) and outdoor kit (on appropriate days). If you experience any problems providing any of the kit or equipment mentioned please speak with your crew leader.
We are hoping that school will return to our normalpre covid daily routine, however Government guidelines state we need to do onsite student covid tests twice within the first week back. Crew leaders will inform students about this and any changes or updates to their timetables on their first day back.
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to anyone that doesn’t know me. I lead our Outdoor Expeditions across the Trust and last year led our Post 16 provision and had 2 crews in year 11 and XP16. This year I have the pleasure of leading our year 8 team and I am really looking forward to getting to know the students, especially sharing experiences with them at Outward Bound in the second week of term.
If you have any questions please get in touch with your crew leader, If you need to contact me directly, my email is [email protected]
I personally want to appreciate and praise Crew Rashford for welcoming me into Crew back in December 2020. You have all been amazing and I 100% feel like we are creating incredible bonds and relationships. I am so lucky to be your Crew Leader, you blow me away everyday.
We took the opportunity to have some fun over the last few weeks in Crew sessions with all of E27.
Here we are practicing our frisbee, dodgeball and basketball skills. They are super competitive and showed real sportsmanship.
We also shared some postcards to staff members, to let them know how much they have appreciated their support over the last year. Heart felt and beautiful words written, you make me so proud.
I was blown away by the Final Academic Progress Snapshot for every crew member. You truly are amazing young adults. I am really looking forward to seeing how you develop and push further for success in Y8. Always remember, staff at XP are here to support you in every way possible. Work Hard, Get Smart and Be Kind and be the best version of yourself and the success will follow. Well done to each and everyone of you, you should be proud of yourselves
Stars of the term
⭐️ All of Crew Rashford
Spanish Final Product
Our last community meeting was also shared with Mrs Sprakes and Mrs Collinson. Here we were presented with the E27 Spanish product, such a great testament to the hard work all the students have shown. Well done everyone!
To finish off the year, we all got together to have breakfast. We had so much fun, chatted and had the chance to say our goodbyes to Mr Cudine. He will definitely be missed.
I can not wait to see you all in the new school year, hear all your amazing stories from the summer holidays, see how much you have grown and matured. Have a wonderful summer holiday, see you all real soon. Mrs Watson😊
