Crew Kahlo’s second week in Year 11

6th September 2023Miss Jones

During crew at the beginning of the second week, I asked members of crew Kahlo to share a quote that meant something to them. We then discussed how each quote could relate to the year ahead of them – in the run up to their GCSE’s.

Here are the quotes that crew chose:

Harrison – ‘Strive not to be a success but rather to be of value‘ by Albert Einstein

We linked this to the character traits that we value here are XP – how its important to be successful academically but also really important to be a good (well rounded) person.

Arthur – ‘Believe in yourself and you’re half way there‘

We discussed how it is really important that you believe in your abilities in school and to stop doubting yourself. Saying that you can’t do something is not very helpful and its important that everyone tries their best – especially in Year 11!

Kearan – ‘Nothing is certain except death and taxes‘ by Benjamin Franklin

Kearan chose this to show that you can’t predict anything – nothing is certain in life (apart from death and taxes). Linking to the fact that GCSE’s are defiantly going to be happening for Y11 – but lots of twists and turns and ups and downs might happen in the run up to them – we just don’t know! (But that’s why crew is important)

Max – ‘Don’t exist, live‘

Max is a very positive person who likes to push himself (especially in the gym). He is determined to do well in his exams and wants to do well. Just existing and getting through each day isn’t enough for Max – he wants to live!

Tammy – ‘Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead‘ by Benjamin Franklin

This was a bit of a curve ball for crew – but interesting to talk about. We spoke about secrets and how some people aren’t very trustworthy. How sometimes it’s better to keep things to yourself.

Billie – ‘Whatever you are, be a good one‘ by Abraham Lincoln

Crew spoke about the fact that if you’re going to do something – you may as well do it properly and well. Don’t just coast through Y11 and your GCSE’s – go for it, try your best – then reap the rewards on results day!

Bryan – ‘Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find‘ The Greek Bible

Crew spoke about asking for help when and if they need it this year at school. If you don’t understand something or you need some extra clarification – ask! Don’t be embarrassed or nervous – its your year, its important and if you don’t ask – you don’t get!

Olivia – ‘Never give up‘

Olivia wasn’t the most enthusiastic for this task (I’m not sure she is a morning person). But this is a good one. Especially this year – don’t give up, keep going. Its going to be tough – there are going to be days that you really can’t be bothered and you’re sick of everyone telling you that’s its important (blah blah blah). But you owe it to yourself to keep going and never give up.

Nida – ‘You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water‘ by Rabindranath Tagore

This is a good one and brought up conversations about the effort you put in during Y11. You’re not going to get the best GCSE’s you can by just turning up to school. That’s just the first step – what you really need to do is graft! Get your head down and concentrate, revise at home, get feedback from teachers and act on it.

Alex – ‘Without training they lacked knowledge, without knowledge they lacked confidence, without confidence they lacked victory‘ by Julius Ceasar

Crew didn’t fully understand this quote at first, but after a little discussion we spoke about the fact that this year is all about being a bit of a sponge – taking in all the information that your teachers are giving you – all the advice and the knowledge about each subject. But the most important thing is what you do with this – you learn it, remember it and apply it. Hopefully, as the year progresses you become more confident going into your exams – then, victory! Amazing GCSEs on results day!

Miss Jones – ‘Keep calm and carry on‘

This has been something I have said to myself for years. As my crew know, I get worked up regularly – I overthink things and can sometimes get a little overwhelmed with all the things I have to do. So I repeat ‘Keep calm and carry on’ to help reduce the noise in my brain. It sounds silly but it really does work. Maybe this will help you during year 11 when things get a bit much.

Crew Kahlo putting the hours in at home

12th October 2022Miss Jones

I wanted to show some pieces of work that Olivia, Jessy and Nida have been working on at home.

All three girls have really impressed me with their work ethic and are showing how they ‘Get Smart’.

Olivias Hums work:

Jessy’s artwork:

Nida’s artwork:

Crew Kahlo starting Year 10

2nd October 2022Miss Jones

Crew Kahlo has made a great start to their fourth year at XP (How time flies).

Our crew week was a bit different this year which consisted of:

  • A crew day to check in with each other and set expectations for the year ahead
  • A day of team-building activities to help us communicate and work better together (which we won!)
  • A coastal walk at the lovely Flamborough to have a chance to walk and chat in the lovely fresh air
  • A crew presentation to answer the guiding question ‘How can we get everyone to the top of their mountain?’.
Crew-Kahlo-POL-Slides-Y10-first-week-backDownload

Crew Kahlo going into Year 9

By Miss Jones19th September 2021

What a busy first couple of weeks crew Kahlo has had in Year 9!

There’s never a dull moment at XP, especially at the beginning of term. We kicked off the new year with an outward bound trip where we went abseiling off a bridge (80ft!) and caving:

On our second day of Year 9, crew took part in a number of fun challenges (working as a crew) in the morning and then played the other Year 9 crews in a bench ball tournament. We ended the day with a community meeting.

On our third day of Year 9 we walked to Potteric Carr nature reserve and then did a ‘Solo’.

When we got back to school, crew prepared for their POL to explain what they had done that week and what they had learnt from it. They worked well as a team to present to their peers and parents.

As you can see – we don’t mess about! We start as we mean to go on here at XP.

Cant quite believe that crew Kahlo are in Year 9 already – bring it on!

 

X24 History, getting started with revision!

By B Batty17th September 2021

Students this week have been given their own copy of the revision guide for our History exam board OCR B SHP History. All students should have named their copy so that if they are misplaced they can be returned. Students are encouraged to annotate and highlight the guide as they carry out their revision.

The revision guide has a number of different topics, however, students will need to focus on the following sections for revision:

  • The Elizabethans 
  • The People’s Heath 
  • Living under Nazi Rule 

The locations of these topics can be found in the contents page. We would recommend in general students start by revising The People’s Health as well as focusing on page 88 in order to prepare for the upcoming assessment in lessons. 

If any student has been absent when these revision guides were handed out, they can see myself or Mrs Hannam directly and we will make sure they get their copy.

 

A further revision guide focusing on the Viking Expansion will be issued to students in the coming weeks.

 

 

A busy couple of weeks for crew Kahlo

By Miss Jones3rd May 2021

Well, it’s been a busy couple of weeks in crew. We have been working hard and cracking on.

This week, crew Kahlo has been looking at ‘British Values’ as part of our crew curriculum. We have been learning about how British Values teach us tolerance and respect for others.

We even made a display in our crew room.

We then moved onto looking at the difference between weather and climate. Pupils carried out research into causes of climate change.

I wanted to highlight this beautiful work by Bryan and Jessy. For our current Y8 expedition ‘Wherever I Lay my Hat’ where we have been looking at the artist Luke Dixon for inspiration. Pupils have practiced adding lines and patterns to simplified copies of his work and also using a viewfinder to zoom in on details. I don’t know about you, but I think Jessy’s pencil-tone portrait is absolutely amazing! I only asked for a line drawing – but she went for it! We didn’t want to add any lines (like Luke Dixon does) over this drawing – so we have photocopied her work and she is adding lines to a copy so she has not one but two beautiful pieces of work!

On Thursdays, crew Kahlo has started to think about the HoWLs grades that they would give themselves for that week in each subject area and crew. Pupils critiqued each other’s grades and commented on whether they agreed with them or not. This led to loads of discussion about what ‘work hard’ looks like and how they could try and improve their own ‘get smart’ in lessons. It has been really great to have Mr. Challen in crew with us as he has been able to comment on pupils’ work in their maths lessons.

A very productive couple of weeks crew! Keep up the good work.

Crew Kahlo are back in the building!

By Miss Jones28th March 2021

So, we got through our first week back after Lockdown 3.0. It was a tiring week but we made it.

Crew hit off the week with a covid test before they were able to mix with their classmates. They did really well and were really sensible about it.

To end the week, X26 crew leaders thought that it would be good for pupils to blow off a little steam and have a couple of games of dodgeball.

I was really impressed with crew as we didn’t come last! Even though we were two crew members down.

I was particularly impressed with Arthur who was throwing the balls so so far and properly took poor Kolby out at one point! He was a great sportsman and said sorry for the powerful take-out.

I hope Nida won’t mind me sharing this – but I was so happy to receive the following photos of some artwork she has been working on this weekend based on the artist Luke Dixon that we are looking at in Y8 art sessions. Nida always works so hard and has a real talent for drawing. Everything she does is presented so neatly with great care and attention. Absolutely brilliant work Nida!

Fantastic week back crew! Roll on next week.

 

 

We made it!

4th March 2021Miss Jones

So, we made it crew! A 9-week term online – WOWZER!

It’s been tough, but we have got through it.

There has been some wonderful work produced by crew Kahlo this term and they have worked so so hard and I’m really proud of them.

These last two weeks we have been able to log off lessons and have some time at the end of each school day to do something a little different.

The crew have been….

  • Building dens:

  • Taking time out to read.
  • Meditating and relaxing to music.
  • Creating their own perfect playlist of music.
  • Taking part in a rainbow photography challenge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • A world book day scavenger hunt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s been great to see the crew doing something a little bit different!

For our crew members that have been in school, they have been working off some of their energy by playing badminton, basketball, or busting out some shapes following ‘Just Dance’ routines with their friends. Look at Olivia go!!!

Have a relaxing 2 weeks off crew Kahlo and try to stay off those screens!

Focus on checking in, communicating and connecting

By Miss Jones22nd February 2021

With everything that is going on around us at the moment, it can sometimes be difficult to remember the most important stuff…. connecting, interacting, and looking after one another.

If you ask any member of crew Kahlo they will probably say that I say the same things over and over again like a broken record – but hopefully, they listen when I say (almost every morning)

‘Email me if you need me, let me know if there is anything wrong’

I say it because I mean it. I always tell them that I can’t help them unless they let me know what is the matter. That goes for all pupils at XP. Every single member of our staff wants each pupil to be safe and happy and will always be there if and when needed.

This is one of the reasons why each morning during our crew sessions we have a ‘check-in’, where each pupil is asked to share their thoughts in some way. I don’t know about other crews, but our check-ins ALWAYS spark some kind of discussion, debate, or even just an opportunity for us to have a bit of a laugh.

Here are some examples of our crew check-ins during lockdown 3.0:

 

Some of our check-ins provoke insightful and interesting revelations and others just make it very clear that crew Kahlo is a special little bunch who I fit in with perfectly.

My crew knows how much I love a cat meme.

Stay safe

Miss Jones

Positive thinking and lovely feedback for crew Kahlo

By Miss Jones26th January 2021

On Friday, I had the pleasure of hosting our weekly community meeting for X26. I wanted to take the opportunity to speak to my crew and their peers about seeing the positives in life at the moment.

I started our online hangout by asking pupils to have a think about what this quote means:

One of the explanations from a student was ‘When you’re unhappy you don’t feel like doing anything but when you’re more positive you have more energy and you’re happier ‘. I have to say that I agree with this. 

I described my own feelings about lockdown 3.0 and the fact that we are working in a very different way. We are all going to have good days and bad days but we must remind ourselves of the positives.

It’s very easy to think negatively about ourselves, about a situation, or about an event that has happened or is about to happen. However, it’s really important that we find positive thoughts to keep us happy and feeling good. 

Finding the positives isn’t easy and is a skill that we definitely have to work on.

Last week, I asked all the teachers of Year 8 to give me some feedback about how pupils are getting on with their online learning.

I was so impressed and it genuinely gave me a warm fuzzy feeling being able to share this feedback with X26 and especially crew Kahlo.

Look at this lot!

#wearecrew