This is just a reminder that on the last day of this term, Friday 16th October 2020, the school will be closing for all students at 1:30pm after Crew for staff to prepare for the new term. There will not be any provision for students to stay after this time so all students must leave at 1:30pm.
Firstly, it’s Quiz Friday so we start the day with a bit of healthy (but not always friendly!) competition by splitting into teams and seeing who can score the most points for the whole-school Crew Quiz League. Congratulations this week to Team Wilmot who beat Team Parker by just 1 point.
Secondly, I love Friday’s because we have an extra Crew session in the afternoon. We use this as an opportunity to reflect on the past week. This week, I asked Crew for the highlights and lowlights of the week.
As Crew Leader, there have been so many highlights:
One of my highlights is welcoming Mr Wilmot to Crew Finch. He is currently volunteering at the school and will be joining us in Crew three days a week. He’s already contributed so much to our sessions and we’re looking forward to spending more time with him.
Another highlight for me was seeing how well Crew have done on their recent Star Reader test, an assessment of students’ reading and comprehension skills.
Miss Johnson recently shared a presentation with us on why reading is so important. During the presentation we learnt that:
I’m delighted that three of our Crew members are already above this reading age – Noah, Brendan and Tom – and their love of reading is definitely evident in their academic work and attainment.
Being told by two members of staff how well Libby is doing in sessions was a major highlight of the week for me! It’s no secret that she struggled to keep up with her learning during lockdown but since coming back she has really taken charge of her own learning and has started to create her own revision aids during lessons. Great work, Libby!
Meanwhile, Mackenzie’s lowlight actually ended up being his highlight!
Mackenzie was struggling to manage his behaviour is lessons (low level stuff bit enough to disrupt his own and others learning) so was placed on a behaviour tracker at the start of the week. He told us that being on a tracker has actually helped him focus more in class and he is enjoys having set targets to work towards in class. He was given the target to achieve a 3 across Work Hard, Get Smart and Be Kind in all sessions, but he has absolutely smashed this target by consistently working to a level of 4 and 4.5! I’m so proud of your attitude and work ethic, Mackenzie and this just goes to show that you CAN do it!
Other Crew highlights included enjoying the challenge of Further Maths (Tom), sorting out some friendship issues (Dakota) and Bryn’s highlight was just being back and settled in school!
As we worked round the circle, one crew member had the courage to share with us that he didn’t have any highlights to share and that he actually felt a little ‘lost’ since returning to school. Crew allowed him to explore why he felt like this, offering guidance and support in a compassionate and respectful manner. As he spoke, others had the courage to share their own thoughts and worries.
What came out of this is an acknowledgment that, even though we’re back in school, the new normal is anything but normal!
Some of us are obviously still struggling to cope with the previous lockdown, current restrictions, and uncertainty about he future.
It’s something we’ve all agreed to explore in more detail during Monday’s Crew session.
The highlight for me from this is that Crew instantly recognised that a fellow crew member needed their support. Their problem has become “our” problem because… #wearecrew
XP School Trust Limited are seeking an experienced contractor to supply catering services to our schools.
This contract would cover our primary schools – Green Top, Plover, Norton Infants and Norton Juniors and our two secondaries – XP & XP East.
Visits to our schools should be arranged and the deadline for receiving tenders is Friday 30th October 5pm.
For further details and to be sent the Invitation to Tender please email us on [email protected].
In our case study ‘Snakes on a plain’, we have been learning about the adders at Hatfield Moor and how they have been so successful by occupying a niche in nature as a cold climate snake. In the coming weeks we will look at the fire at Hatfield, most likely caused by careless human action, and how the coordinated response from the Local Authority, Natural England and the Fire Service worked tirelessly to protect this important natural wonder on our doorstep in Doncaster.
To deepen our studies, this week students in E25 welcomed experts from Sam’s Safaris into school. Zoe and Joy brought with them some even more special guests. We met a range of reptiles, amphibians and mammals so that students could learn more about how they are adapted to their environments, how they are dependent upon other species and the impact that humans are having on their ecosystems (both positive and negative).
Some of the brilliant insights we gained into adaptations included the Jacobson’s organ in snakes, and how they are able to ‘taste’ the air. We also learned how chinchillas have adapted to their cold environment by having 60 hairs sprout from each of their follicles compared to just one hair per follicle in humans (or none in the case of some of our more veteran teachers). The mountain kingsnake was a particular favourite, with its bright colours mimicking a venomous coral snake to ward off potential predators.
We also heard about how deforestation – often to clear land for palm oil farms – was having a devastating impact on geckos, and how insecticides were causing damage to microbial ecosystems in the soil.
On a more positive note, our experts described how conservation work was helping to protect species, and how young people are more engaged than ever before in helping to protect the wonders of nature on which we are all entirely dependent.
Our experts were knowledgeable and showed great care towards the animals, helping some students (and staff) to overcome their fears too.
Almost everyone fell in love with Scrabble the chinchilla. Mr Doyle said his favourite was the gerbil though; what’s that about?!?
E27 have really impressed me in their art sessions. They have been learning about line drawing using a range of media including pencil, fine liner, biro and sharpies.
We have looked at how we can use different types of lines to create a range of effects and also grappled with creating a continuous line drawing of a shell (which a lot of pupils found really challenging).
They have listened to my instructions really well and grappled with some new techniques.
All Y7 pupils have also been set homework to create a line drawing of their house, which I am really looking forward to seeing.
Here are some lovely examples of the work E27 Explorer and Pioneer have created in their art sessions.
I wanted to share the beautiful work that E26 Explorer have been creating in their art sessions.
I have been really impressed with this group and they should be really proud of their work.
The examples below have been created by Rihanna Bunting, Layton Allen and Jacob Dawson.
Well done Explorer! Working hard and getting smart!
As part of our Mindful Monday activities, members of the group have been nominating charities they would like Crew Obama to support this year. This was quite a challenging task to set for a year eight group, requiring independent thought, compassion and decision making. I have been very impressed by the pupils’ work!
I would like to appreciate all the children for taking time to prepare for sharing their choice in Crew. Some children have nominated charities which have touched their lives in a personal way, perhaps by supporting a family member through illness. Others have shown compassion to strangers by selecting charities such as those which support the homeless. Pupils have considered how they could support their nominated charity, with ideas including bake sales, clothing collections, pet food banks and knitting hats for premature babies.
Crew Obama will now need to make decisions about where and how to lend their support. This will be no easy task as I am sure that all the nominated causes will be more than worthy.
Imogen using her ipad to present her nominated charity (SARI: Stand Against Racism and Inequality) to the group. An excellent proposal to support this charity by promoting its values around school. Well done, Imogen!
Year 9 will be going on fieldwork on 15th October as part of their ‘Welcome to the Machine’ expedition. We’ll be leaving school at 9:30AM and returning at 3:00PM, so this will not affect their drop off or pick up times, however, due to the pandemic, we ask that all students have guardian consent for them to attend.
We’ll be visiting Hatfield Moors, to collect species data and conduct scientific tests on the peatland during the day. We will be maintaining the bubbles, and wearing masks on the coaches to minimize risk of transmission, and we will be outside all day.
As part of the precautions, we ask that you fill in the following google forms, granting permission for students to attend the fieldwork on 15th October:
This outlines that if your child falls ill with covid symptoms on that day, they would need collecting from Hatfield Moors (about 40 minute drive from the school).
If you have any questions about the plans for the day or concerns, don’t hesitate to email me ([email protected]).
Job Title: Cleaner
Grade of Post: National Living Wage
Hours of Work: Monday to Friday (term time only) 2:30am to 7:00am plus 10 days during school holidays
Responsible to: Trust Premises Officer and Head of School
Purpose of the Job:
To provide a high standard of cleaning throughout their work.
Objectives:
Dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, toilet cleaning, desk cleaning, etc
Replenishing toilet rolls and soaps when necessary
Cleaning internal windows and doors
Emptying waste bins and taking rubbish to the bin store
Operating floor cleaning machinery after training
Mix and dispose of all cleaning solutions appropriately
Notifying management of any repairs and maintenance issues
Following all health and safety regulations
Tackle heavy cleaning jobs upon request
Other Responsibilities:
Work well in a small team
Contribute to the overall ethos, work and aims of the school
Attend relevant meeting and participate in training and other professional development activities
Any other items requested by the Trust Premises Officer or Head of School
To apply for this post, please contact [email protected]
[gview file=”https://cdn.realsmart.co.uk/smartfile/9e5449ef5cf30a01907ea6e80d5745fb/uploads/2020/09/18113628/Cleaner-Job-Description.pdf”]
