Together Again!

By S Mitchell2nd April 2021

After 3 long months of lockdown and online learning, Crew Anoa’i were reunited!! To say they were excited to be back would be an understatement. Crew Anoa’i are back and ready for the term ahead, full of hard work and possibilities. This term is the term for change!

For the past week and a half, Crew Anoa’i have spent the mornings getting to know each other again. We spoke to each other about how lockdown has affected us and how we felt about it. Being around people, other than your family, was daunting for some but as a crew we overcame those fears and settled back into our tribe life. We have bonded once again and enjoyed each other’s company. This helped us to feel comfortable at school, as some of our crew felt very anxious about being back in the building. 

There have been many hilarious conversations about random topics, resulting in tears of pure joy. We’ve been able to open up and talk about personal things, which we haven’t done before. Crew Anoa’i have also played some games where we worked in teams, something we would have struggled with previously.

We then took a journey down memory lane and started to create a memory board for our crew room. We rediscovered images of each other that display togetherness and demonstrate how we are a family. Crew Anoa’i will continue to add to this as the year goes on. We wish to capture all of the best moments with each other, memories that will last a lifetime. 

Crew Anoa’i have come together and really bonded this past week and a half. I can’t wait to spend more time with them!

#ComingBackStronger

YEAR 9 PARENTS: Permission to use the Pixlr image editing app

By Martin Said19th February 2021

Within our expeditionary art sessions in Year 9 we would like students to use the Pixlr app to create some digital artwork.
This is a free and fantastic online image editing app. By doing this it will allow all students to work on the same platform regardless of the device being used.

Students need to sign up for an account, however it specifies that users should be over the age of 16. This is a condition of the app creators, however there are no inherent risks in using the software. Essentially it is an online photoshop equivalent.

Could you please complete this short Google Form to let us know if you give permission for your son/daughter to sign up for an account and use the app.

If you have any questions please contact [email protected]

Thanks as always for your support.

Imagination in Action

By S Mitchell7th February 2021

After a long week, Crew Anoa’i needed a little break, so we did something different in Friday’s crew session. As it is Children’s Mental Health Week, we discussed the topic of ‘Expressing Yourself’. 

We asked the question…

‘What does it mean to ‘express yourself’ and what does that look like?’

Some of the responses Crew Anoa’i came up with were inspiring and it really made us all think about the expectations society has of our younger generations. The pressure our young students face each day to follow the ‘norm’ has a massive impact on their mental health. So, we decided to boost our mental health by getting creative and having a laugh.

The Squiggle Game

The squiggle game is a simple game. All you need is a piece of paper and a pen or pencil. Make a squiggle on your page, then let your imagination run wild! What can you see emerging from your squiggle? Here are some examples created by Crew Anoa’i.

By Théa Clarkson

By Lucie-Mae Cordell

By James Hudson

By Nikodem Parzybut

By Fin Haines

By Miss Mitchell

Join us and get SQUIGGLING!!

 

#ExpressYourself

 

Expeditionary Art Gallery – Lockdown 3.0 – Part 1

By Emily Jones27th January 2021

Hi all,

Here is a rundown of some of the beautiful artwork that has been produced by our wonderful XP and XPE students during lockdown 3.0.

As a team, we have been blown away by the effort and resilience that our pupils are showing.

I hope you enjoy having a flick through their work as much as we have.

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Very special visitors to E25 this week

By Martin Said2nd October 2020

In our case study ‘Snakes on a plain’, we have been learning about the adders at Hatfield Moor and how they have been so successful by occupying a niche in nature as a cold climate snake. In the coming weeks we will look at the fire at Hatfield, most likely caused by careless human action, and how the coordinated response from the Local Authority, Natural England and the Fire Service worked tirelessly to protect this important natural wonder on our doorstep in Doncaster.

To deepen our studies, this week students in E25 welcomed experts from Sam’s Safaris into school. Zoe and Joy brought with them some even more special guests. We met a range of reptiles, amphibians and mammals so that students could learn more about how they are adapted to their environments, how they are dependent upon other species and the impact that humans are having on their ecosystems (both positive and negative).

Some of the brilliant insights we gained into adaptations included the Jacobson’s organ in snakes, and how they are able to ‘taste’ the air. We also learned how chinchillas have adapted to their cold environment by having 60 hairs sprout from each of their follicles compared to just one hair per follicle in humans (or none in the case of some of our more veteran teachers). The mountain kingsnake was a particular favourite, with its bright colours mimicking a venomous coral snake to ward off potential predators.

We also heard about how deforestation – often to clear land for palm oil farms – was having a devastating impact on geckos, and how insecticides were causing damage to microbial ecosystems in the soil.

On a more positive note, our experts described how conservation work was helping to protect species, and how young people are more engaged than ever before in helping to protect the wonders of nature on which we are all entirely dependent.

Our experts were knowledgeable and showed great care towards the animals, helping some students (and staff) to overcome their fears too.

Almost everyone fell in love with Scrabble the chinchilla. Mr Doyle said his favourite was the gerbil though; what’s that about?!?

Crew Turing: Practicing First Aid, Shading, Gratitude, and FINALLY WINNING A SPORTING AWARD!

By Katie Haughey26th September 2020

Crew Turing have made a start on the Duke of Edinburgh skills segment over the past couple of weeks. Each student is working towards their bronze award this year, comprising of a skill element, outdoor physical challenge as well as volunteer work. We’ve been completing the St John’s Ambulance first aid course, a skill that could make a difference to someone’s life in the future.

We started last week by learning about how to put people in the recovery position if they are unresponsive. Each crew member took it in turns in pairs to practice putting another crew members in the recovery position, while others gave kind, specific and helpful feedback. This week we’ve been working on what to do if someone is having an asthma attack.

Another highlight that I’d like to mention was the lovely art session I covered this week just passed. It was nice to see my crew members working hard towards their other subjects and improving their drawing skills. Above is Sami, Lewis, Reece and Lexi working on their graduated and blended colour work.

A couple of weeks back we collectively read this article in the Guardian, titled ‘At 31, I have just weeks to live. Here’s what I want to pass on‘. I was struck by the quality of reflection after reading Elliot Dallen’s life lessons, particularly this one on gratitude.

The importance of gratitude. During my worst moments – the shock of cancer diagnosis, the mental lows and debilitating symptoms of chemotherapy – it was difficult to picture any future moments of joy, closeness or love. Even so, at those times I found comfort in remembering what I have: an amazing family, the friends I’ve made and times I’ve shared with them, the privilege of the life I’ve had.

We did a whiparound on all the little things we were grateful for that we might not have had access to due to covid. Some spoke of missing hanging about with their friends at the weekend, missing gymnastics and other sporting training, or missing a hug from their grandparents. Over the past week, I’ve asked my crew to come up with some of the things they’re grateful for, here are some snippets:

Finally, I just want to congratulate my historically not-so-sporty crew on being announced as 2019-2020 Year 9 winners of the sporting competitions! Huge appreciations to Torran, Mollie and Lexi for putting on sport-related crew sessions for us to help improve stamina and skill prior to the matches. I have a feeling 2021 could be the year we don’t come last in every sport-related event….

X25 & E25 are producing some fabulous oil pastel studies in their Art sessions

By Emily Jones19th January 2020

Year 8 students have been experimenting with oil pastels this term in their art sessions to create some beautiful sunset inspired blends. Can’t wait to see the finished pieces.

E26 and E25 have submitted some excellent extended studies!

By Emily Jones5th December 2019

E26 and E25 have been learning about warm and cool colours in their X Block art sessions.

They have a really good understanding of this, as you can see from their work!

E25 Inter-Crew competition

By James Walker1st October 2019

The weather may have scuppered our normal plans today but it didn’t dampen our spirits. We took the opportunity to run our first inter-crew competition of the year. E25 students competed fiercely in their Danish Longball contest (a mixture of cricket and dodgeball). Points were up for grabs for good sportsmanship, good individual play and, of course, for winning games. Crew Turing ultimately emerged victorious after some outstanding play by all!