We are entering into the 7th week of online learning at XPE- with seemingly, no end in sight, and so our community meeting was focused around strategies to beat the screen fatigue, and a challenge to to get us all out of the house this weekend!
We started off with a brilliant check in of superhero names, based on dates of birth- some absolute, moving then onto apologies, appreciation and stands. Some fantastic work going on- as shown by the appreciation from staff and students within crew Churchill, for the work around student led crew sessions.
See all E24 apologies, appreciations and Stands made below on the Padlet
Scan this QR code or see applications here
Community meeting Photography Challenge
To encourage us as staff and students to get time away from the screen, a challenge was set for students to over the weekend take photos whilst out on walks out of the house, to be entered in the following categories,entries must be original, and be taken over the weekend whilst out of the house- see some of the entries posted on the challenge by students in E24-
Voting for category winners will take place in week 7 community meeting.
The categories…
1) Architecture
2) Near and Far
3) Nature
4) Food
5) Frozen
6) Technology
E24 Original photos, submitted by Alfie C, Chloe T, Summer, Keisha
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.
It is fantastic to see that crew Mercury have had 100% attendance in their remote learning sessions. I’m so proud of the effort and commitment that crew are showing during these difficult times.
I’m really looking forward to seeing the beautiful work that crew Mercury have produced and sharing it. I’ve had some great feedback from staff!
Massive well done to Poppy and Jayden for receiving praise postcards!
During crew we have been preparing for the upcoming SLCs. We have been looking back on our last expedition where we have identified beautiful work and reflected on out HOWLs.
I can’t wait to hear crew Mercury share their experiences and become leaders of their own learning.
Well, back online it is… but as expected, Crew Rowling are smashing it out the park!
As we know, we’re not a competitive Crew at all 🧐 🤪 However, i am super duper excited to reveal the latest HOWLS data:
Work hard: 3.59
Get smart: 3.5
Be kind: 3.8
Which is not only impressive as far as a set of Crew averages go… but it also means…
WE HAVE THE BEST HOWLS IN XP EAST!
and
THE BEST (WH/ BK) ACROSS BOTH SCHOOLS!
This is down to the fantastic efforts of all members of the Crew, sharing their ideas, contributing to sessions, supporting one another, and generally being Crew. Mrs Barnes has definitely joined the best!
Speaking of Mrs Barnes, all Crew members received a phone call or email home over the last week or so and feels they were really positive. She enjoyed getting to know Crew parents and we hope that this supports the transition into having not just 1 Crew Leader.. but 2!
Over the last couple of weeks Mrs Barnes has been taking some of our Crew sessions whilst I have been attending meetings under my new role, I have been pleased to see students still logging in on time, paying attention, and completing what is expected. I am proud of the grafters they have become/ are becoming!
Crew highlights:
All Crew members are attending sessions on time and completing work expected.
The hangout chat has been a huge success again. Students are relying on each other for support and removing any issues by simply reaching out. This has also helped students to complete work when they are struggling.
Shawn provided some thought provoking Check In questions.
Harvey has taken on the first of the returning Friday afternoon quiz (I know some parents will be pleased to hear this!)
Cerrina and Harvey have been keeping everyone organised ensuring they share the relevant hangout link before sessions.
SLC scripts are coming along nicely and all Crew members are working hard- even adding peer critique!
Faith has been acting as a Learning Coach in the in school provision, alongside doing her work to support other students. Take a look at the notes she has captured:
There’s so much more i could go on all day…
In light of the work we have been doing around Crew HOWLs, we intend to raise the profile of students being Great and Awesome by spotlighting one student per week on our blog, this will be written by a Crew member so they can highlight what has been discussed during sessions. This should give support to others who are trying to improve their HOWLs grades and inspire them to become Awesome too! Keep your eyes peeled for who is in the spotlight in next weeks blog post!
I appreciate all of the hard work Crew Rowling are doing, and i know Mrs Barnes does too. Not only are you becoming leaders of your own learning but you’re making our job super easy too!
Following the closure of our Y8/E26 bubble, we will now move to an online educational provision as shown below – this has proved to be highly effective in supporting students in other year bubble closures as engagement rates have regularly been above 95%.
Here is our protocol for online learning:
all Crew sessions and lessons will take place LIVE via Google Hangout and the timetable is highlighted below.
students will receive input from teachers and have time to complete activities on Google Classroom.
students are registered in Crew (8.30am), at the beginning of the morning session (9.15am) and afternoon session (1.15pm).
all students are expected to join each session. If a student is absent, Crew Leaders will contact home to ascertain the reason why. If a student is unable to join a session, for example, they are unwell, we ask parents to please contact the office.
Crew Leaders and Expedition teachers will send Google Hangout invitations to their classes.
invites for live sessions will be sent through email.
If you have any questions regarding the above, please contact your child’s crew leader.
Thank you.
PS: It was amazing to have 86% (44) students join the hangout this morning with our expert Victoria, who spoke to us about the Suffragette movement in Doncaster. What a turn out at short notice!
Unfortunately due to the closure of the Y8 (E26) bubble we are having to cancel the planned fieldwork on Tuesday 8th December. We were planning to busk at Lakeside Village Shopping Centre to raise funds for our final product but this won’t be possible now.
I am pleased to say that one class did manage to get to Lakeside (pictured above) earlier in the year and there are other fundraising events happening to ensure our final product happens.
To see our current total and for more information you can follow this link to view our crowdfunding page.
I’d like to say a massive THANK YOU to Lakeside Village Shopping Centre for all their support with our expedition.
Good luck with the online learning E26 and stay safe.
The year 8 students across XP School and XP East are working towards part of their final product for the ”Fight the Power’ expedition. C26 have been learning about the power of protest, and the impact activists have had on the rights and freedoms we enjoy today. The goal is to commemorate this work, both in a plaque that will live proudly in Doncaster train station, and through works of art that we will be curating celebrating local activism across Donny, should we raise the funds.
With only 19 days left to reach their crowdfunder goal, students will be pushing to make the final £800 over the coming weeks with their fundraising efforts. We have arranged raffle prizes, because our busking plans were unfortunately no longer feasible due to lockdown restrictions, but we’re not letting it stop us!
Students have recently had an expert visit from Olivia from Black Lives Matter Doncaster, who shared with the groups about the protests earlier this year. Her insights into structural racism and her experiences of micro-aggressions helped open up a dialogue in our school on difficult but deeply important topics.
I would like to thank her for the work she continues to do and we look forward to working with her in future.
Students also have a hangout / expert visit arranged this Friday morning, where they will be learning about the impact of the local Suffragette movement, and the impact Doncastrian suffragettes had on women’s rights across the UK.
Our year 9 students were lucky enough to get out on fieldwork on the final week of term to complete work relating to their ‘Welcome to the machine’ expedition. Over the next seven weeks of the winter term, they will be working on their answer to the guiding question:
‘Do the benefits of industrialisation outweigh the costs?’
For their first STEAM case studies, students have been looking at conservation data, learning about how data can be collected and displayed using multiple representations. They have also been learning about specialisation and ecosystem management.
They visited The Hatfield Moors, our local nature reserve, to examine the extent of the fire damage from earlier this year. Students have been learning about the protected species that can be found at the site, particularly the adder, and how Natural England and the fire service prioritised safeguarding these species during the clear up operation.
While at the site, students conducted a series of sampling techniques, as well as collecting data on the wildlife. Sadly, due to slight delays in being able to visit the site, we weren’t able to spot any adders as they have likely gone into hibernation for the winter, however, students were still able to find other species key to maintaining and supporting the ecosystem at the wetland.
Students also conducted a number of tests on the site, in accordance with their two daily learning targets for the day:
1. I can estimate the population density of a species using random sampling techniques.
Students engaged in data collection of various parts of the site, using quadrats to provide increasingly accurate estimations of species numbers in the areas we sampled. We created a set of axes, used a random number generator to find coordinates to sample, and collected the data from those coordinates.
After collecting data in teams of three, we used all the data collected to calculate the predicted species number, based on scaling up the measurements to accommodate the size of the field. In debrief, due to a large range in answers, we went on to calculate the mean for those estimations, to create a more accurate estimation. We also discussed why using the random number generator was fundamental in keeping our research free from bias.
2. I can investigate the effects of abiotic factors using systematic sampling techniques.
Students then went on to conduct a series of pH tests on the wetlands, again using their quadrats placed along a transect, to link changes in species to abiotic factors of the wetlands. In debrief, we examined the data, looking for patterns relating to the abundance of the plant species and the abiotic factor recorded.
I’d also like to thank our very own Marshall Jones, for taking his time on the day and spare time to create this amazing vlog documenting the day:
I feel incredibly fortunate that we were able to make it out to the site given the current circumstances, and I really look forward to hear how the work the students have done on this series of case studies will inform their guiding question answers over the coming weeks.
