This week, the blog for Crew Obama has been written by Lleyton and Robert and is a brief summary of their thoughts about plastic pollution. The topic generated some really varied responses from crew members. We learned that plastic pollution does not just harm exotic species in far away places. Only last month, I saw birds using plastic as nesting material at Lakeside. 

“Recently in Wise Wednesdays, we have been learning about how plastic impacts the environment. We were angry to learn that the baby whales are dying from plastic pollution. 

I noticed that there are over 15 things made of plastic in our Crew room. These included obvious items such as pens,chairs, and highlighters but we were surprised to find plastic in the door frame and the electric sockets!

We have spent time together as a Crew working on a letter we could send to a local MP. It suggests how to change packaging and make rules so that we only use a certain amount of plastic. We would like adults to change their lifestyles to use less plastic. If something isn’t done about plastic pollution soon then we will kill other species.”  Lleyton and Robert

One really important part of the XP identity is the compassion and maturity pupils show when delivering appreciations, stands and apologies in front of their peer group. The appreciations really showcase the breadth of reasons we have for valuing our fellow members of the XP community. I especially liked an appreciation this week for someone who tried, even though they ultimately failed to achieve their goal!

Crew members have spent time considering their progress this week by assessing their own HOWLs scores. This is yet another example of how children at XP are given a voice. Over to Imogen and Scarlett for a reflection on Crew Obama’s progress this week:

“During our HOWLs self assessment this week, we noticed that we have been struggling with maths this week as we are doing a new topic. We wondered how we could improve on the subjects we struggle with. We could do this by contributing more in our lessons and working hard. Our HOWLs in HUMS and STEAM have been very good because we engage more in these lessons. Currently in HUMS we are writing a first person narrative through the eyes of a migrant and this has been spread across all our lessons. We had some experts come in and we had a look at the ‘I am A Migrant’ website. This helped us collect our ideas to put into our work. In science we have been looking at parachutes and how the different forces act on them. We made our own to see this for ourselves and timed it to find out the perfect design.”

Crew Obama returned to school with a mixture of enthusiasm and trepidation. We spent our first day back in Crew and used the time to share any worries we had. An overall sense of tiredness told us that we needed to get back into the routine of having earlier bedtimes! 

This week we spent Mindful Monday reflecting on our own feelings and emotions. We used the ‘Colour Monster’ to help us to visualise our mood, and to convey it to others. There were some really good discussions about the connotations of colours such as blue or green, and whether they should be used to represent feelings of calmness, sadness or happiness. 

The completed colour monsters were used to illustrate just how varied our moods and feelings can be at any given time. Not just within our Crew, but within individuals too. I don’t think there was a single member of Crew Obama who used just one colour for their mood monster. The activity showed how important our character traits of kindness and compassion really are in order to look after ourselves and each other. 

Enjoy the Bank Holiday,

Miss Cross

I would like to send a huge appreciation to all the parents and pupils who have helped this term to go as smoothly as possible. XP determination and compassion have served us well!

It has been an absolute pleasure to see Crew Obama get behind the ‘Screens Off and Recharge’ initiative during the final two weeks of term. Pupils have reported reconnecting with their families and forgotten interests in a variety of ways. Siblings have called truces and gone out for bike rides together. Savvy parents have encouraged make-over challenges resulting in gleaming bedrooms, kitchens, dogs and scooters. Art and reading books have been opened and enjoyed. Pupils have tried new crafts or skills such as photography and origami. Crew Obama really are a talented bunch! 

I will leave you with a few of the many images pupils have shared in Crew, and to wish you all a restful two weeks. 

Miss Cross