Dear Parents and Carers of Students in X25 and E25,
It’s been fantastic to welcome back students in X25 and E25 this week where we have seen them getting stuck into Crew activities. It has been great to spend some time with them so far and get to know them a little better, especially on a brilliant walk on the Monsal Trail in the Peak District!
We’ll build on this great start by getting straight into expeditions next week. As part of our Immersion into the first expedition of the year, we’ll be taking all students in Year 10 from both XP and XP East to the Royal Armouries Museum Leeds on Tuesday 7th September. We’ll be travelling to Leeds by coach and and will leave school after Crew at 9.15. We’ll be setting off back to school at approximately 14.00 so that we are back in school for a normal finish time of 15.15. As the visit is based inside, students will need their regular school dress but will also require a packed lunch and a drink. Any students access free school meals will have a lunch provided.
Usual school rules will apply in terms of mobile phones and these should not be used by students on the bus. Students may wish to take devices such as iPads to take any photographs or to make notes. If your child needs to take any medication, please inform their Crew Leader so that any necessary arrangements can be made.
If you have any questions or queries, please email myself at [email protected].
Unfortunately, we have received confirmation that a student in Crew Rashford in Y8/E27 has tested positive for Covid19 via PCR test.
Track and Trace may get in touch with some parents as they are the organisation for helping the student to identify close contacts – they may advise the identified student to have a PCR test. As per the revised guidelines, children under 18 and 6 months and adults who have been double jabbed no longer need to isolate.
The document that we use at school to support all operational matters surrounding Covid states that those children who are close contacts should continue to go to school as normal (unless they have symptoms):
‘Staff who do not need to isolate, and children and young people aged under 18 years 6 months who usually attend school, and have been identified as a close contact, should continue to attend school as normal.’
If some students have already been aware of this news, and they have had a PCR test this morning the helpline explained to me that they should continue to come to school even if they have not yet received the result. However, this is only the case if they do not have any symptoms.
In light of the planned Outward Bound visit to Ullswater tomorrow, we recommend that students should have their Lateral Flow test at home as normal today. As an additional precaution, we will also test all students tomorrow morning before we go to Ullswater in our testing provision in the XP drama studio.
I’ve been really looking forward to returning to school this week, and the opportunity to circle up once again with Crew Young. Almost as hard to believe that we are now entering our fifth year together at XP East, is the fact that some of them have grown even taller (and/or wider) during the summer break! However, whether they’ve grown further in character or in stature, there are some wise heads on these young, broad shoulders…..
Amongst other things, over the past three days we’ve discovered that Summer has almost completed the manuscript draft of her first novel, Maclaren’s alter ego is the superhero “Oven Glove Man” (with some amazing super powers), Lewis still aspires for a career in the police force, I’m rubbish at the rock game, and Isabel has encyclopaedic knowledge of pop stars, media and social influencers.
From our first outward bound adventure in Malham Cove and Kingswood, to the challenges of Aberdovey, to the experiences of the Slave Museum, and leaving an indelible mark on the fabric of our school when signing the central pillar of the building, Crew Young are now well on the way along their learning journey. Today they designed and then described their roadmap to future GCSE success.
Crew Young takes both their name and inspiration from Cliff Young, Australian farmer who won an ultra marathon finishing in Doncaster, a suburb of Melbourne Australia, beating world class athletes by an unorthodox approach to running the event. He is quoted as saying: “I like to finish what I start doing. I like to see it through to the end, to the best of my ability.”
We are back together and super excited to see what this year has in store for us.
This week we have had a real big focus on Kindness, what this looks like and how we can be kind to others. We aimed to answer the GQ – How does the power of kindness impact on your life and the life of others?
Wednesday – Crafting Kindness Gifts
Crew Rashford considered what kindness is and looks like? We collaborated together on ideas that we would show kindness in and around our community.
With all our resources and ideas, we created beautiful gifts. Some students made origami flowers, shapes and butterflies, some wrote lovely messages on postcards, some were creative with the resources and made wond’s with kind messages such as “You are Wonderful”, some also hand painted pebbles and gifted bells as a security system for theft.
Here they are working hard and ensuring they have checked for quality and craftsmanship!
Isabelle -crafting origami
Jayden, creating a beautiful pebble
Here are some more of the amazing gifts Crew Rashford created.
Thursday – Micro Adventure at Lakeside Shopping Centre
On Thursday we embarked on our adventure, connecting with the world to spread kindness within the local community.
Mason, Manveer, Tara and Holly
Miss Leatham, Sofiya and Olivia
The visit to Lakeside shopping centre was a massive success and there was a real buzz around the place. Members of the public were blown away with the generosity of our students and their gifts but smiles on the faces of those around us and our students too.
It was fabulous to see crew members step outside of the comfort zones and challenge themselves to approach members of the public. I was super proud of Crew Rashford for stepping up to the plate, articulating themselves well and having lovely meaningful conversations with shoppers around the centre. Quite often there was no physical gift given, but for our crew to have a chat with shoppers and make someone’s day.
It really showed the essence of Crew, it shows how we support each other and play to our strengths.
Holly gifting flowers
Manveer gifting postcards
Mr Portman praising E27’s maturity and kindness
Acts of Kindness by Jorja
Em gifting her handmade gifts
Sofiya having a lovely conversation with this kind gentleman
We thought it was important to remind ourselves of the purpose of this exercise as we went along and students made a scrapbook of the micro adventure to Lakeside.
Here are some of the reflections…
Emma
Emma
Manveer
Manveer
Micro Adventure Scrapbooks
Friday – Solo Adventure and Crew Pledges
With all these acts of kindness, we considered that we also need to take time to reflect on the week as a whole. This was an opportunity for Crew Rashford to spend time individually and understand how they can be even more kind in the future.
There was a real mixed bag of emotions, some found it lonely. Realising that they enjoy being around others… while others found it relaxing.
Whilst we have been focused on acts of kindness we also revisited our character traits. We discussed these in many ways, as a crew they look at themselves and how they would like to display these this year. They considered what compassion looks like, how we show respect, when we might need to have courage, what is integrity and how we can ensure we consider craftsmanship and quality is encompassed in our work.
Miss Bowers, debriefing with Crew
Tara, considering her thoughts
Tayla taking full advantage of the quiet time
Um Mason zzzz…
Holly contemplating
Keegan, enjoying time to reflect
Manveer deep in thought
Callum working hard
Zak… you awake?
Zak Focused
Izzy and Mason relaxed and chilled
Jayden embracing the moment
We made pledges as a crew on what kind of things we want to do differently this year compared to Year 7. We really dug deep into what this is and how we can achieve this. As a crew we pledge to hold crew members accountable for them.
After a jam packed week, we also had time to let loose and enjoy some time outdoors. So E27 went and enjoyed a fab game of rounders and cricket. It’s safe to say that there are some members of crew who are slightly more competitive than others 😃. I’m not sure of the score, but Crew Rashford did a pretty good job of communicating and having fun.
Here are some action pics.
I’m sure that was a Six
Go on Tay
Rounders for E27
Mighty E27
It’s been an amazing week and I am looking forward to the year ahead.
Next week is our Outward Bound trip to Ullswater. I honestly cannot wait to spend even more time with Crew. Build a great relationship and deeper foundations to become a stronger unity and crew family.
New College Doncaster were invited to speak to XP East students today as part of their careers programme.
Scott Faulkner, Assistant Principal gave a presentation to E24 in advance of a taster day they will be attending on the 27th September (postponed from July). Students were asked to choose 3 options for the taster day which will be submitted to the college next week after looking at the prospectus they were given.
XP East is the first school to receive this talk and Scott made it clear to students that they should visit and research all local Post 16 provision so they could make an informed choice.
There is an open day on 16th October where students can have a look around and speak to staff and students. Both myself and Scott advised E24 students to apply to several colleges/schools or apprenticeships in their educational journey to Further Education and to be fully aware of the results needed to get there.
As Careers Lead I am also actively engaged in working with other local post 16 providers to ensure the best outcomes for our students.
Today was a timely reintroduction to the purpose of working hard this year as our new year 11s are preparing their road maps to success in their GCSEs and beyond. It has been wonderful this week to listen to the enthusiasm and determination of our young people as they start their last year with XP East. My role will be to support them by giving them the opportunity to make informed decisions for the best outcomes possible.
First of all I would like to say how great it has been to be back with crew this week. We have all pulled together and helped each other so much. We were missing a key member of our crew this week as Miss Johnson has been unwell and we wish her a speedy recovery.
The first day back we completed crew challenges against crew Frank, this became quite competitive but we had lots of laughs. Challenges included, magic carpet riding, tennis ball dropping (with your knees), lid moving (no hands), tea bag throwing, balloon and cup game, jigsaw puzzle races, skittle sorting and finding the kings in a deck of cards. I’m sure crew will love filling you in on the ins and outs of these challenges, if they haven’t already.
During the afternoon we held joint crew dodgeball and corner ball competitions where we were teamed up with crew Mercury. There were some brilliant shows of integrity by those who were out and we ended the day by circling up and sharing apologies, appreciations and stands.
For our second day we went caving and abseiling. This was something that I know some crew members and myself were feeling very apprehensive about but we threw on our waterproofs and headed to the caves. We ended up having a blast and really showed how well we work as a crew by encouraging and supporting each other. We were especially proud of Lily as she decided at the last minute to give caving ago, the smiles on everyone’s faces when she came through the cave entrance was priceless!
After a short coach ride we arrived near the bridge on the Monsal Trail. When we saw the bridge it dawned upon us how extremely high it was and that after around 6 foot the wall of the bridge disappeared, as this was then the arch. This is where most of the panic started to show and that was just from me! There were some who decided they really did not want to complete the abseil but they were a massive support to others by cheering them in and greeting them at the bottom. Layton did well by unhooking everyone’s buckles when they reached the bottom ready to send back up to our guides. Those who did complete the abseil said that they felt a great sense of achievement and I had to agree with them!
Day three was our ‘solo’. For this we walked to Potteric Carr nature reserve and students were given a space and time where they could go through their journal and also reflect on the week and generally themselves. The majority coped with this really well and it was lovely to see them in deep thought.
In the afternoon as a crew we made a presentation of our week and answered our guiding question which was ‘What does it mean to be ‘crew’?’ This was presented as a product of learning on the stairs at XP east. Each person in the crew contributed by either adding information to the slides, photos, spelling and grammar, arranging the layout or presenting. It was lovely to finally have some parents and guardians be able to join us for this.
Although I am extremely tired as I’m sure the rest of the crew are after this fun packed week, I am looking forward to what this year holds for us.
I can’t quite believe that we’re ready to begin the final chapter of our Crew Finch adventure. I’m sure this chapter will include many more exhilarating twists and turns as we step onto the final road of this epic journey, overcoming obstacles and celebrating triumphs, which will ultimately lead Crew to GCSE success. We’ll end as we started: Together (I do love a happy ending!)
We’ve spent our first few days together regrouping and refocusing on Crew. We’ve had some to time to reflect on our Y10 results and map out what our Y11 learning journey will look like. This hasn’t been a solo activity; we know we can’t get there without the support Crew so we’ve been focussing on our Guiding Question:
How can we can everyone to the top of their mountain?
This generated a very mature and compassionate discussion about how everyone’s journey to the summit will look and feel different, but we need to respect each other’s journey and be on hand to support those who need it and respectfully challenge those who may be holding others (or themselves!) back. Crew have also created some amazing learning journey maps, which I will share with you next week.
We also had some time in sports hall playing dodgeball and even snuck in a bit of yoga! And can you spot our new crew pet?? (I’ve pledged to buy a souvenir from every place we visit together this year and will raffle them off at the end of the year!)
On Tuesday we travelled to Flamborough Head, where we hiked from North Landing to South Landing. This featured as the highlight of the week for most of us, especially as we were lucky enough to spot a cove full of seals! We reminisced about some of our other hikes and Malham Cove is still a firm favourite!
The nicest thing about this week for me has got to be the fact that it’s “business as usual” at school (albeit with some extra precautions in place). It’s been absolute joy to see different year groups mixing at break times. Y11s talking to our new Y7s at break times. Lots of excited chatter and activity around the school. What a buzz!
I’m also excited that we can start having parents back into school and I can’t wait to see you all soon at our first face-to-face SLCs for a while! I’ll contact you all soon with more details and other key dates for your diaries.
Dear Parents and Carers of Students in X25 and E25,
It’s been fantastic to welcome back students in X25 and E25 this week where we have seen them getting stuck into Crew activities. It has been great to spend some time with them so far and get to know them a little better, especially on a brilliant walk on the Monsal Trail in the Peak District!
We’ll build on this great start by getting straight into expeditions next week. As part of our Immersion into the first expedition of the year, we’ll be taking all students in Year 10 from both XP and XP East to the Royal Armouries Museum Leeds on Tuesday 7th September. We’ll be travelling to Leeds by coach and and will leave school after Crew at 9.15. We’ll be setting off back to school at approximately 14.00 so that we are back in school for a normal finish time of 15.15. As the visit is based inside, students will need their regular school dress but will also require a packed lunch and a drink. Any students access free school meals will have a lunch provided.
Usual school rules will apply in terms of mobile phones and these should not be used by students on the bus. Students may wish to take devices such as iPads to take any photographs or to make notes. If your child needs to take any medication, please inform their Crew Leader so that any necessary arrangements can be made.
If you have any questions or queries, please email Mr Voltaire at [email protected].
What a cracking start C26 have had to our new school year!
So far, students have spent time with their crews both in school and out of school thinking about our guiding question for our first week back: ‘What does it mean to be Crew?
In school, crews have taken part in several inter-crew activities which have required our character traits of respect, courage, integrity and compassion. Craftsmanship and quality has also been crucial to succeed in each challenge. Students have had to go on a magic carpet ride, take part in a tea party and make sure their knees didn’t tremble too much!
Students have also had to dig deep and show real courage whilst they have travelled to Derbyshire to go caving and abseiling. Being crew has really mattered as some students were incredibly nervous about this but, with the support of crew and by making sure no one gets left behind, everyone succeeded! Take a look…
Tomorrow morning, students are once again heading out of school to take some time to reflect on their week as Crew and to think about their answer to guiding question.
An Invitation:
In the afternoon, students will be presenting their reflections of the week and we would like to invite parents to join us. This is a very exciting opportunity for us all as it will be the first time since Year 7 that we can all meet together again. Current COVID guidelines now make it possible for parents and carers to come to school and see the fantastic work which students have been working on. Students will be presenting at 2.30pm in the heart of both schools. Parents will be able to park in car park 3 and then enter their child’s school and join us on the stairs. Face masks are optional and we will ensure that both spaces are well-ventilated.
Further to my post yesterday regarding dropping off and picking up students it is worth noting that all students will finish school at 3.15pm in the new term as we no longer have to implement staggered starts, as we have in the past.
This will make the car park busy at the end of school so could I ask parents to take extra care to keep our students safe.
Hopefully, in the next few weeks we will be reintroducing Extended Study so students will be able to stay later at school on a Monday to Thursday for additional study. Further details will follow in the coming weeks.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we try to get back to some form of normality! We are excited about tomorrow and can’t wait to catch up with all our students.
