Character Traits in Crew Parkinson

By H Hickson30th June 2019

It’s been all systems go in Crew Parkinson in preparation for their SLCs over the last 2 weeks. 9 members of Crew have had their SLCs now and I am impressed with the quality of them. It showed the students have been getting smart as overall the standard has improved since their first SLCs in November due to the work they have put in. It was great to hear the students reflect on their academic grades, their HOWLs and the work they found challenging, would like to improve and are proud of, as well as setting targets for themselves to take forward.

As a bit of relief from the SLC preparation, we played a game of Crew hockey, organised by Bob. After a great game, we circled up and reflected on where we had seen the character traits during the game. The crew identified members who had shown either respect, compassion, integrity, craftsmanship and quality or courage during the game. For example:

Ava was identified as showing courage because Bob nominated her as team captain and although she wouldn’t have chosen to lead her team she certainly stepped up to the mark!

Marcus and Kris were appreciated by Crew for overcoming a small disagreement and showing compassion and respect to each other and Crew so that the game could continue.

Callum was appreciated for his craftsmanship when scoring 2 goals – well done!

This discussion led to a wider conversation reflecting on the year. We talked about how although our Crew is made up of people with very different personalities, beliefs and interests but we have all grown together as Crew. I’m so thrilled to be their Crew leader and build even stronger bonds over the next academic year! 

 

 

 

 

Student led conference

By Katie Haughey27th June 2019

Over the past couple of weeks, crew Turing have been getting their resources prepared for the student led conferences. This will be my crew’s second presentation meeting between them, myself and their parents. I’m anticipating that a further six months at the school will really improve the standard, and I am expecting them to be excellent.

I’m incredibly impressed to see so many members of my crew attend the after school SLC preparation sessions and come to meet me in their spare time to continue uplevelling their scripts. The Thursday sessions have been a great opportunity to get some detailed feedback from myself, plus we’ve ended each session on a high and have dedicated 20 minutes to team games, which have been a lot of fun!

Other than this, each students had a 1 to 1 meeting where we have gone through their academic grades and HOWL scores from data drop 3 and enjoyed hot chocolates. I’m delighted to see so many members of my crew smashing MEGs and making significant gains on their HOWLs from the last data drop.

This week, I’ll be preparing a full data set that my crew can take home with them, and I’ll also be organising targets that will carry over to year 8.

SLCs and Data Drop 3

By K Poncia26th June 2019

As part of their preparation for their upcoming SLCs, Crew Churchill were eager to find out their new academic grades and HoWLs.

This information forms part of Data Drop 3 and was shared with students during crew at the beginning of the week.

As a crew, we were delighted to see how grades had improved.

Tyler is ‘smashing’ his MEG in HUMAN.

Alyssa is ‘smashing’ her MEG in maths and Spanish.

Denzil is ‘smashing’ his MEG in maths and science.

Adam is ‘smashing’ his MEG in science and all his HoWL grades are now 3.0 and above!

Kyle is ‘smashing’ his MEG in Spanish.

Ruby is ‘smashing’ her MEG in maths and all her HoWLs are 3.5 and above!

Theone, Aran and Ben are ‘smashing’ their MEGs in ALL subjects and all their HoWLs are 4.0 and above – brilliant!

Can’t wait for your SLCs now, Crew Churchill!  Well done!

 

 

Data drops and highs!

By A Parker26th June 2019

We’ve been analysing and discussing our DD3 (data drop) grades and, whilst I’m pleased with Crew’s progress, there have been a few slight drops in grades which unfortunately will see us slipping down the HOWLs league table.

Having said that, I’d just like to take a moment to celebrate Bryn’s progress.  It’s fair to say that he didn’t display the best learning behaviours at the beginning of the year, and this was reflected in DD2’s habits of work and learning grades.

This was discussed during his last SLC and, since then, we’ve been having regular check-ins to make sure he has been working hard, getting smart and being kind in all lessons.

Just take a look at the difference between DD2 and DD3 (in bold):

HUMS STEAM MATHS
Work Hard Get Smart Be Kind Work Hard Get Smart Be Kind Work Hard Get Smart Be Kind
DD2 2.8 2.5 3.0 3.0 2.9 3.5 2.3 1.8 2.5
DD3 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0

I’m sure you’ll agree that Bryn’s improvement in his HOWLs are outstanding. Jaw dropping, in fact!

He knows that he still has to put more effort in towards working hard and getting smart, particularly in relation to extended study and he discussed this during his SLC.

Crew would like to say a massive “Well Done” to Bryn for responding to feedback after his last SLC and DD2, getting his head down and working exceptionally hard.  His class members tell me that he has been showing perseverance and resilience in all classes, particularly in Maths.  I’d also like to thank his teaching staff, especially Mr Ryder, for always pushing him, supporting him and making Bryn realise his own potential.

Keep it up, Bryn.  You’re absolutely flying into Year 9!

But don’t forget to do your homework 😉

Kicking off our SLCs!

By A Parker25th June 2019

A big well done to Noah and Mackenzie for kicking off Crew Finch’s last Student Led Conferences of Year 8!

Both boys spoke articulately and with confidence about their learning and progress to their guests, as well as reflecting openly and honestly about the areas they need to improve on.

For example, Noah said that he needed to try harder to manage his distractions in class and stay 100% focused at all times.

Mackenzie acknowledged that he needs to get better at doing his homework.  He has therefore pledged to stay for extended study at least once a week, either to complete his homework or just to extend his learning by using the resources on the Expedition website.  He recognised that this would help him improve his grades moving forward into Year 9.

We’ll be checking-in weekly to make sure that both boys are sticking to these pledges!

I’m really looking forward to attending the rest of my Crews SLCs over the next couple of weeks.  If any Crew Finch parents haven’t yet booked a slot, you can book here:  Crew Finch SLC Booking (June 2019)

 

Crew Young – our SLCs have begun

By D Pearson24th June 2019

This afternoon three members of Crew Young delivered their final Student-Led Conference of the current academic year. Isabel, Ella and Aaron shared their learning and progress with their guests, and they found the process to be academically rigorous as they were at times challenged to evidence their assertions. All three were a credit to their parents and have set the standard for others to follow. Well done Isabel, Ella and Aaron

Preparing for Student Led Conferences in Crew Ali

By J Townson19th June 2019

Crew Ali have spent much of their Crew time over the last couple of weeks reviewing their progress, monitoring targets and selecting pieces of work to share with their parents and carers in their Student Led Conferences (SLCs) at the end of the month.  This involves a great deal of self-reflection and an opportunity to share successes and challenges with a wider audience, as well as set themselves action plans to ensure they hit the ground running as they start Year 8.

Some students have pledged to ‘get their head down’, whilst others are celebrating smashing their Minimum Expected Grades (MEGs).  In all cases, they have to plan what they will say, produce notes or slide shows to support their delivery and ensure they can speak articulately and confidently about their learning.

As their Crew Leader, I’ll be right there with them to support and critique.  We are really fortunate at XP East that parents are so involved and supportive of our students, and I look forward to seeing our parents and having a chance to catch up face-to-face too.  Keep it up Crew Ali, one week to go until the SLCs begin!

Taking responsibility for our own learning

By A Parker19th June 2019

As Crew prepare for their SLCs, they have been given their new HOWLs grades.  I’ve encouraged them to compare their Data Drop 3 grades to their Date Drop 2 grades, and reflect on why they may have scored lower or higher than last time.

One member of my Crew has respectfully challenged the grades given to her here, and it shows how students at our school feel comfortable and confident enough to approach teaching staff to talk about elements of their learning and behaviour.

This message is a good example of how much our students care about their learning and grades – they’re not just numbers in a spreadsheet.

Churchill Clean Up Crew!

By K Poncia12th June 2019

As students of XP East School we know that we have a key role to play in the stewardship of our school and its surrounding area.  To ensure that our school grounds, both inside and out, are kept in top condition, each crew takes part in ‘Clean Up Crew’.

Last week, it was Crew Churchill’s turn so, armed with grabbers and gloves and dressed in our high-vis vests, we tackled the rubbish in Car Park 3.

We collected five bin bags full of rubbish, ranging from McDonald’s packaging, to nappies to car parts!

Churchill always work hard during Clean Up Crew and feel proud that they have had a role in keeping our environment clean and tidy.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

By A Parker11th June 2019

Well, I think so anyway!

Yes – it’s student-led conference time, where our students get to share their learning and targets with their family.

Crew will spend the next couple of weeks preparing for their SLC, which involves reflecting on their learning and selecting the work that:

  • they are most proud
  • they could improve on, and
  • shows mastery in a particular subject.

Crew will also reflect on and discuss their HOWLs, extended study record and general conduct.

I have set my Crew an extra challenge this year of setting a Year 9 Pledge, to get them focussed on the year ahead and their Passage Presentation.

SLCs will commence week beginning 24th June and will run on selected days over the following 2 weeks.  An email with the booking link will be sent to parents before the end of this week.  Hopefully there will be a convenient time slot for you to book but if not, please email me on [email protected] to discuss.

See you soon!