Mrs Townson’s big chop!

10th September 2021J Townson

[Shared with permission from Mr Sprakes]

After school today I am going to the hairdressers to have 12 inches of my hair cut off, which I will donate to the Little Princess Trust; this is a charity which provides real-hair wigs for children who have lost their hair, for example, through alopecia or cancer treatment. It costs at least £550 and approximately 10 hair donations to make each wig. Please visit www.littleprincesses.org.uk to learn more about this wonderful charity and the work that they do to provide wigs and fund research to support these children.

If you would like to support me in this, please use our character trait of kindness in your comments about my new hairstyle on Monday (!), share information about the charity with others, or, if you feel able to, you can donate through this link to my fundraising page.

C26 (Y9) Bronze DofE

10th September 2021A Parker

C26 (Y9) across both schools have made a the first steps toward achieving their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award!

Students, with the support and guidance of dedicated DofE Leaders and Crew Leaders, will spend time each week working on a programme of activities which include:

  • Skills: students will be undertaking a 3 month First Aid programme.
  • Volunteering: students will spend 6 months raising money for their Crew charities, becoming reading mentors to younger students and litter picking around our community.
  • Physical: 3 months of undertaking any sporting activity done as part of an organised club out of school, or by joining any of the after school clubs which will be launching soon!)
  • Expedition: planning for and undertaking 2 days/1 night hiking expedition (dependant on Covid restrictions at the time).

Find out more here!

By the end of the academic year students should have done enough to have achieved their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. Students are expected to achieve all sections of their Bronze award programme unless they have a valid reason not to.

The DofE programme forms a crucial part of the Trust’s Outdoor Curriculum, and we are extremely grateful to the FXP for their continued support and fundraising efforts to ensure that we are able to purchase the Bronze welcome packs and enrol every student onto the DofE award scheme.  The welcome packs will be delivered to your home addresses after students have registered on the eDofE app and include a handy discount card for outdoor specialist shops!

If you have any questions specifically about the Bronze award, please contact your child’s Crew Leader, or you can contact me (Angella Parker) direct: [email protected]

*Just a note to add we have plans in place for C24 and C25 to complete the expedition element of their DofE award later this year! 

Year 10, week 1&2

9th September 2021Katie Haughey

It doesn’t feel right typing that my crew are in year 10(!!!!), entering their fourth year at the school, and their final two years at XP. We spent the first week back working together in crew, where we asked ourselves ‘how can we prepare for the next climb?’

One of the activities we partook in an intercrew competition, discussing strategies and cheering each other on while we completed the minute to win it tasks. While the activities were a little daft, it was nice to see crews circling up to strategize and making sure everyone was included.

On the Friday of the week we spent in crew, we were fortunate enough to get to walk the Monsal Trail. It was quite a physically demanding route at times, but the compassion I saw from my lovely ‘care bears/photographers’; Jess and Charlotte, was phenomenal. I’d like to give them a special mention for carrying others bags, slowing their own pace to help others catch up, and their supportive words during the route.

I’d also like to give Sami a special mention, he had the opportunity to flex his GCSE Geography skills as our navigator, and I felt he did a great job!

The walk was a great practice for the Y10s Duke of Edinburgh award, that I’m hoping that most my crew will opt to do this year. I took a tonne of pictures and videos on the day which I’ve compiled below:

Back in our new Crew Room in week 2, we discussed what is required of us over the upcoming two years with GCSEs approaching. We looked at how we procrastinate, and how we can start drip feeding a little revision into our habits at home to start the following two years right. Also, we celebrated Callum’s 15th Birthday the only way we know how – with chocolate fudge cake and lemon drizzle cake for the quirkier members of my crew.

That’s us checked into Y10!

E27 Homeward Bound….

9th September 2021XP East

What an amazing week we have had at Outward Bound in Ullswater and what a beautiful location for our students to start the beginning of their school year.

It’s been full of fun, adventure and amazing learning opportunities for our students after such a tough year of lockdowns and uncertainties. 

I am incredibly proud of our students’ achievements this week and the strength they’ve found in themselves and each other when faced with challenges that have pushed them out of their comfort zones.

There have been many moments this week that I’ve witnessed our students facing their fears head on, overcoming them and then empowering their peers and crew leaders to do the same. We are able to climb these ‘mountains’ we face because of the supportive environment around us that is nurtured within crew. Students will bring what they have learnt back into the school environment and continue to become the best version of themselves.

Crew’s finale to the week is a short presentation answering the guiding question, ‘what does it mean to be crew’?

I also want to bring to your attention that after yesterday’s expedition a number of students returned to the centre with ticks which have been dealt with and removed appropriately. As an extra precaution we are sending students home with information leaflets and advising students to check themselves again when they are home. If you have any further worries or concerns please contact NHS 111. 

We are hoping to leave the centre at approximately 12pm. I will update you again when we set off with an estimated time of arrival back at XP. Please remember this can change due to traffic so keep an eye out for further arrival updates throughout the day.

Best wishes,

Kate

Year 6 Parent Information Evenings

9th September 2021XP East

It is our intention to host two Year 6 Parent Information evenings on Monday 27 and Thursday 30 September due to high demand. Obviously, this may be subject to change so please keep checking our website for further updates and details. Andy Sprakes

We’re launching our joint C26 (Y9) and C25 (Y10) optional visit to Madrid 2022!

8th September 2021D Pearson

Following our students’ highly successful stay in Barcelona in May 2019, we are delighted to confirm our intention to run a joint C25/C26 (year 10 and year 9) optional fieldwork visit to Madrid from Friday 24th June 2022 – Monday 27th June 2022. Staying ensuite, on a half board basis in a hotel in Spain’s vibrant capital city, our students’ itinerary will include:

  • coach transfers with return air travel to Madrid Barajas Airport
  • group seating allocation on board the aircraft
  • tour of Bernabeu Football Stadium
  • excursions to Reina Sofia, Thyssen Museum and the Plaza Mayor
  • Visit to the Palacio Real
  • An evening meal in Hard Rock cafe
  • The services of a travel tour representative throughout our stay
  • Basic travel insurance endorsed by the DfE

This optional fieldwork visit is open to all students in our current year 9 AND year 10 in XP and XP East, both the GCSE Spanish groups and the Spanish+ groups, and as the final price is dependent upon the number of participants we have quoted £599.00 based on 35 students taking part. However, this price could increase or decrease depending upon final numbers.

As well as providing an excellent opportunity for our students to practise their Spanish speaking skills, it will also incorporate study of Spain’s artistic heritage, and this will form the basis of a subsequent Presentation of Learning. An initial non-refundable deposit of £50.00 required by Tuesday 21st September may be paid via the Parentpay portal, and letters confirming the details may be obtained from Mr Pearson, Mrs Sprakes or C25 and C26 Crew Leaders.

Year 10 Immersion Fieldwork to the Royal Armouries

8th September 2021S Mitchell

Students in Year 10 took part in a wonderful visit to the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds yesterday. The purpose of Immersion is exactly that; to immerse students into the subject content that they will be exploring throughout this expedition. Going on fieldwork is just one of the ways we build curiosity and give students a visceral experience to get them to begin making connections between different subjects and the real world.

In this visit we were given a guided tour of the WW2 ‘Firefight’ exhibition and a handling session based on the theme of choice where students were able to hold and explore different weapons and artefacts from both WW1 and WW2.

Our students conduct and attitude to learning was exemplary and they really did our school proud. Well done, Year 10. Let’s see what comes next…

Crew Parkinson: How can we, as a crew, prepare ourselves for our next climb? 

8th September 2021H Hickson

Written by Aaron, Ava, Lacey, Kris, Rosie, Dylan, Florence, Marcus, Harvey and Bob. 

It was a welcoming and fun start of the new school year. We settled back into the Crew talking to everyone as we had our Crew breakfast. This helped us to settle back in and get used to being in Crew again. Then we did Mandala drawings to put up on the Crew wall for everyone to see, we drew images and patterns to represent our identity. Near the end, we did Minute to Win It games with the year group… our crew came last in them, but spirits we still high. 

On Tuesday we played Sportshall games with the year group. During this we did multiple games to strengthen our team work and healthy competition between the Crews. Crew Parkinson and Crew Anoa’i managed to win one round with some amazing dives by the alliance piloted by Marcus.

We then had a Careers session to make a charity and research the careers and job roles needed to start the charity. We did this activity to understand the different roles and qualifications needed in different career paths, for example we needed advertisers, fundraisers, medical professionals and accountants. We talked about how one of the ‘climbs’ of this year will be starting our GCSEs and the future ahead and began thinking about the qualifications we might need for our careers.

The whole year group were given prompts in order to write a letter to our future selves. We did this as part of a ‘solo’. By writing these answers we would be reflecting on our current and past selves to see what we could improve and set ourselves future goals – we’ll see what the future holds! 

On our walk on Friday, we showed lots of character traits, which included: helping Miss Johnson up the steps when she couldn’t get up them, we regrouped on the steep hills, and we overcame the challenge of the two steep and tall hills. This demonstrates that we don’t just give up at the slightest challenge but persevere and support each other, we all hit the ground running, and if we get Crew right, we get everything right!

An update regarding Covid19 – 07.09.21

7th September 2021Jamie Portman

Dear Parents

Through the testing process this week, as I stated yesterday, we have identified an increasing number of positive Covid cases in school. As a result, we are increasing the testing processes so that we can identify and isolate cases, where possible. Mr Sprakes spoke to Public Health Doncaster today, and shared the latest data regarding positive Covid tests in both staff and students, who were supportive of the measures we have put in place up to date. If cases continue to rise then we have been advised to seek further advice.

We also ask parents to continue to test your child every Wednesday and Sunday via the Lateral Flow tests that our schools have provided students with. 

Obviously, the situation is very challenging and changing constantly. As a result, we may have to adapt our systems by putting in place further strategies, after consultation with Public Health, in our schools to try and further reduce the spread of infections. 

As such, I would encourage parents to check the website on a daily basis for any updates. If you subscribe to our website you will receive automatic updates to your email account. We have found in the past this is the most effective and timely way of communicating with parents.

Crew will still take place for students isolating through Google Hangout so that they can check in with their crew and crew leader if they are well enough to do so. Also, work has been set through Google classrooms so if your son/daughter has to isolate then, if they are asymptomatic and/or well enough, they can access class sessions so that they can keep up with expedition work. If there are any issues with this provision please do not hesitate to contact your son’s/daughter’s crew leader in the first instance and we will endeavour to solve any problems.

Expeditions have started really well and students are engaging, at the moment in fieldwork activities and working with experts. If cases continue to rise we may need to review this. 

With the lifting of the restrictions across England, and people mixing freely it is very difficult for us to manage the situation in school. I would like to thank you for your understanding and the overwhelming support we receive in trying to make sure our young people have an amazing learning experience whilst keeping safe.

We have a further meeting with Public Health Doncaster to review our protocols before the end of this week and I will update you when this has taken place.

Best wishes

Jamie Portman