Crew Ibbotson

By Web Blogger9th October 2020

We are one the home run for half term and our crew have been making pledges of how they can be the best version of themselves for next term! Check out some of the amazing things they have pledged for next term!

I have been hanging around some sessions over the last couple of weeks and watching our crew work hard, get smart and being kind in their sessions! From Riley, Alex and Kiahna practising their Spanish to Cameron and his group carrying out a science experiment!

We have also focused on kindness this week, and the importance of being kind. We had a silent conversation in crew. This meant each of us had a sheet of paper with our name on and we had to go around each one and say something kind about everyone in our crew! When we discussed this we all say how lovely it was to receive nice comments, but also how lovely it is to give them!

Watch this space next week…….our crew name will be officially decided!

 

 

E27 making a mark in art

By Emily Jones2nd October 2020

E27 have really impressed me in their art sessions. They have been learning about line drawing using a range of media including pencil, fine liner, biro and sharpies.

We have looked at how we can use different types of lines to create a range of effects and also grappled with creating a continuous line drawing of a shell (which a lot of pupils found really challenging).

They have listened to my instructions really well and grappled with some new techniques.

All Y7 pupils have also been set homework to create a line drawing of their house, which I am really looking forward to seeing.

Here are some lovely examples of the work E27 Explorer and Pioneer have created in their art sessions.

Continuing on!

By Web Blogger27th September 2020

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.

 

 

Things are getting musical in Crew JRI

By Web Blogger24th September 2020

As another week draws steadily to a close, its really beginning to feel like our new year 7s have been at school forever (can’t believe it’s only been 5 weeks!) It has been fab to walk around lessons to see members of the crew working hard, getting smart and being kind.

In crew sessions lately we have been focussing on the topics of friendship and bullying, two very important topics for XP East and XP School. As a crew, we took some time to really look deeply into what makes a good and fulfilling friendship and I am very pleased that these kinds of friendships are already beginning to bloom beautifully as our time in school continues. Especially in times such as these, meaningful friendships are more important than ever. We also spoke about the tricky issue of Bullying and how this can affect peoples school lives. Everyone in crew was very supportive to each other about this topic which was fab to see, it was lovely to see such maturity when discussing such a serious issue. Shouts to Poppy and Amelia who gave fantastic contributions to the discussion

A particular highlight from the last two weeks was when Holly performed her song about 2020 for us (lyrics attached). Her voice was lovely and the words had brilliant meaning. I see a new star on the horizon!

I am enjoying seeing so much talent arising in our crew and I hope there will be more to share soon!

Crew Ibbotson

By Web Blogger24th September 2020

For the last two weeks we have been looking closely at diversity in crew, resulting in some fantastic and really mature discussion. We have looked at what diversity is, what ways people are different and why we should embrace these differences. This creates a culture at XP that is like no other!

I would like to thank a few crew members individually – Tammy, Alyssa, Brodie and Riley – for sharing some really personal and difficult things in crew, which I think brought us all closer together and really consolidated our bond. We have each other’s back in crew Ibbotson NO MATTER WHAT and that is evident from the courage and compassion shown in these sessions. We understand that whilst we may not all play in the playground together, WE ARE CREW, and that’s what matters.

It’s an honour to work with such wonderful young people. 

We have also been working on memory techniques in crew last week. We played some memory games and tried to figure out the best way we remember information as individuals. You can see Alex, Cam and Ben in the picture trying very hard to remember all the items they were shown (I promised the winner a sweet!). It was so much fun  and very insightful for us to figure out which way worked best for us, hopefully to help us in our sessions!

Crew Ibbotson

By Web Blogger24th September 2020

For the last two weeks we have been looking closely at diversity in crew, resulting in some fantastic and really mature discussion. We have looked at what diversity is, what ways people are different and why we should embrace these differences. This creates a culture at XP that is like no other!

I would like to thank a few crew members individually – Tammy, Alyssa, Brodie and Riley – for sharing some really personal and difficult things in crew, which I think brought us all closer together and really consolidated our bond. We have each other’s back in crew Ibbotson NO MATTER WHAT and that is evident from the courage and compassion shown in these sessions. We understand that whilst we may not all play in the playground together, WE ARE CREW, and that’s what matters!

It’s an honour to work with such wonderful young people. 

We have also been working on memory techniques in crew last week. We played some memory games and tried to figure out the best way we remember information as individuals. You can see Alex, Cam and Ben in the picture trying very hard to remember all the items they were shown (I promised the winner a sweet!). It was so much fun and very insightful for us to figure out which way worked best for us, hopefully to help us in our sessions!

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….

 

A Fantastic Start!

By Web Blogger8th September 2020

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

Introducing….. Crew JRI!

By Web Blogger8th September 2020

Wow! What a whirl wind these first few weeks have been!

Despite the long and confusing break, Crew JRI have hit the ground running and are all settling into school successfully. I have been so impressed with their maturity and readiness to start school, which is credit to them but also to their fabulous parents and guardians!

The first day seems a long time ago now but it was a fantastic chance to get to know each other and our new school. As a new member of the school myself, I knew how daunting it must be for the year 7s, but we soon settled into crew by playing games and having a good laugh. We tested teamwork by attempting to make bridges out of paper, shoutout to Louie, Lily H, Liam and Holly who Showed amazing craftsmanship and quality by making a bridge that could hold 10 pens AND 4 books!

In our crew sessions over these weeks, we have been talking about identity, diversity and the importance of accepting each other’s differences. We have had a chance to share and brainstorm all the ways in which we are different and most importantly, how we can support each other as a crew despite these differences! Some of us are sporty (Lukas and Olivia), some of us speak different languages (Nic), some of us are tech wizards (Ethan and Louie) and this is just to name a few! We have a wonderfully diverse crew!

I am so enjoying getting to know Crew JRI and I am excited to see the fantastic things this year has in store for us!

J Ridout 🙂

 

Crew Ibbotson settling in!

By Web Blogger8th September 2020

Crew Ibbotson have had a fantastic first two weeks at XP East and they have adapted and shown amazing courage! We started amazingly developing our sense of crew by carrying out team building exercises and we had so much fun doing so, especially the marshmallow towers! Appreciation to Tammy, Brodie, Alfie, Cameron and Arina who won the challenge!

 

We have spoken about diversity in our crew and they have developed some fantastic and mature ideas and discussions, they have shown respect and integrity throughout all discussions! 

 

We have a strong sense of crew already and we are currently discussing possible names for our crews of influential figures which is prompting some amazing debates! I know our crew will only get stronger with these guys bringing out the best in each other and the best in me!