I was very pleased with the high levels of engagement and focus in E24 (Y9) GCSE Spanish on Friday. Our students were practising asking and answering health-related questions, using a board-game and dice to introduce an element of unpredictability and “spontaneous speech” – exactly how our students will be assessed in their final GCSE Spanish speaking exam.
Due to the level at which they are working now, when using interrogatives and correct intonation it is no longer a case of what they say, but also how they say it. These are higher level thinking skills that our young linguists are developing with great proficiency. Well done!
E24 Pioneer students will visit Hatfield Moor tomorrow morning as part of their immersion into their new learning expedition.
Students must dress prepared for the weather. It is likely to be wet/muddy so hiking boots or a separate pair of trainers, along with a plastic bag to place them in (PE trainers will be fine).
Students will eat lunch in school as normal.
Explorer will visit Hatfield Moor on Thursday morning.
Week 4 starting 27.01.20 students will be delivering their passage presentations to a panel of parents, teachers and outside visitors to the school. This is an incredible piece of work that allow students to start their chosen GCSE or common mission subject.
The students have worked extremely hard to put together the presentations and we look forward to your attendance.
Booking slot options will be sent out to parents by crew leaders via Sign Up Genius over a 2 week window. Please see the attached letter to see the presentation content:
Thank you to the family and friends who attended last night’s Presentation of Learning where students spoke so beautifully about why we still need charity. A massive thank you to those of you who donated food items for the Given Freely, Freely Given emergency food and clothes bank at St John the Evangelist Church, Balby. We will be accepting donations of food, clothing and household items until the end of term.
It’s all go for E24 at the moment! As mentioned last night, their next Presentation of Learning will be on Thursday 12th December, 4.30-5.30pm where they will be presenting their work and findings on their current STEAM expedition ‘Slow Down’ which gave them the opportunity to explore answers to the guiding question:
How Can Maths and Physics Save Life?
As ever, we thank you for your support on these evenings which are a crucial part of your child’s learning. We look forward to seeing you there!
Students in 9Pioneer and 9Explorer will be presenting their learning from our expedition Small Change on Wednesday 4th December at 4.30pm in XP East School. Students have been working towards a number of learning targets focused on the GCSE text ‘A Christmas Carol’ and the historical context of the period when Dickens wrote the novella. We would like to invite you to hear from your son or daughter and see the work they have produced in order to answer the guiding question: Why do we still need charity?
We will also be asking, if possible, for donations to support the work of the Balby Church food and clothing bank.
FOR THE FOOD BANK: food that just requires hot water adding: e.g Instant porridge, Cup Soups, Mug Shots, instant/pot noodles(supermarket own brands are ideal)
FOR THE CLOTHES BANK: all types but the greatest demand is for jeans, joggers for men and all clothes for children aged 6-18.
An incredibly eye opening and powerful morning of fieldwork for Pioneer and Explorer over the last two weeks. As part of our expedition ‘Small Change’, we visited Balby Church to take part in their ‘Big Sort’ on a Monday morning, providing much-needed clothes, food, toiletries and household items for those who have very little.
Both classes have done the school and themselves proud with their contribution to the ‘Big Sort’ working hard alongside existing volunteers sensitively, respectfully, and with lots of compassion. Well done!
See a bit of the Big Sort for yourself below:
A number of students commented on how lucky they were in their home situation to have easy access to things that are so easy to take for granted, such as soap, basic food and water, and it made them feel more grateful for the things they have. And question what they actually need!
It was also really uplifting to see just how many things are donated, and the variety of donations, reinforcing the positivity and compassion of the local communities providing for those in want.
And yet it is shocking that we learnt that everything would be gone the next day when those in need queue up outside the church in the hope there is enough to go around.
What a wonderful operation being run at Given Freely, Freely Given, and what a privilege it has been for our students to be able to take part and work alongside these amazing volunteers.
Year 9 will be taking part in fieldwork for expedition ‘Slow down’ for STEAM on Monday 11th of November. This will be a 40 min walk from and back to school to identify road conditions in the local area around XP East.
Students will need to ensure they bring a warm coat (waterproof) and comfortable shoes suitable for light walking.
Crew Young are learning gardening skills as their first activity going towards their Bronze DofE award, by getting down and dirty planting new crops for a delicious salad. The crew split in half to make a new addition to the XP East garden. One group was busy working on a flower bed, the other groups onions, cress plants, parsley and basil. At this time of year these miniature plants are quite easy to grow because they are resilient to the wintry breeze.
We then did some peer critique doing the protocol ‘milling to music’. What a great way of getting students out of their seat, appreciating other students work and writing purposeful feedback.
Some great moves from Explorer! When the music stopped students went to the nearest table and peer critiqued (we did this twice). Students then actioned their feedback by improving the work from the suggestions given. In purple pen they explained this and wrote a personal target they needed to achieve in next weeks lesson. All in all an excellent week in Art for E24! Keep it up!
Year 9 have been lucky enough to experience another fantastic day of fieldwork, helping them build background knowledge for their STEAM expedition, ‘Slow Down’. In a few weeks time, their learning will culminate in a final product that answers the guiding question:
What does physics and maths have to with saving life?
This Thursday, the year group visited Alton Towers’ education department to learn about how they assess the safety and functionality of their roller coasters. Students were briefed on how they might want to design their own roller coasters using the principles of physics and mathematics.
They also applied their knowledge of algebraic substitution by calculating gravitational potential energy, as well as velocity at each hill of their roller coasters and centripetal acceleration. Students were then given a workbook to fill out as we travelled through the park – they were able to explain why they felt so weightless during the drop on oblivion, and were able to calculate GPE on the coasters across the theme park using the knowledge gained in the workshops. Plus, we all had a lot of fun on the rides!
We will be picking up this new physics and maths content once we get back into school this coming week and applying it across the STEAM sessions.
Due to the level at which they are working now, when using interrogatives and correct intonation it is no longer a case of what they say, but also how they say it. These are higher level thinking skills that our young linguists are developing with great proficiency. Well done!
