Crew Blessed – Business as usual!

By Marc Robins25th January 2021

What a fantastic effort in all areas Crew Blessed have made. It really is business as usual with regards to productivity and our character development.

Flashbacks to Crew displaying COMPASSION in school towards each other and supporting others with their CRAFTSMANSHIP & QUALITY.

The level of individual COURAGE and the support for each other has shown just how strong Crew can be when things change or get tough. The support and compassion shown above has definitely moved online with our learning.

There was a heart-warming morning where Liam wanted to share an online voucher with someone in Crew. Cejay was selected by Mr Robins to receive this (based on his online efforts) and he then chose to share it further with others. If that’s not Crew I don’t know what is!

The level of INTEGRITY too has been outstanding: students finding ways to overcome IT issues and other members of Crew making sure everyone has the link for the the next Google Hangout. Everyone has really stepped up and the level of engagement compared to the first lockdown has been fantastic. I’m really proud of our attendance so far, both to Crew in a morning and to the sessions.

When Mr Robins delivers online Crew from school, it’s not uncommon to get a visit from the Lorax!

It is also true that Crew Blessed are showing such RESPECT for their teachers by not only engaging in the sessions but really appreciating them and their efforts to provide stimulating lessons. This comes up every Friday in the appreciations section of our Community Meetings.

We Are Crew!

 

Crew Thunberg Back At It Again!

By Joe Nixon25th January 2021

So it turns out it’s still January even though it feels like we’ve been in lockdown 3 (or is it 2??) for about a thousand years.

HOWEVER Crew Thunberg have been rising to the challenge of distance learning and have been absolutely smashing it!

Attendance in online hangouts has been absolute near perfect and the engagement in online sessions has been great too. Here are a few of the highlights so far:

Y8 students have been working hard to produce some ‘Op Art’ and their own homages to Bridget Riley’s ‘Moving Squares’. Here you can see Lola and Ava’s fantastic work on these home projects:

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Fantastic work, girls!!

And I’ve also been sent this great picture from Kristian. A reyt good work set up! Cats? Check! Bearded Dragon? Check! Lego AT-AT Walker? Check!

Keep up the fantastic work, Kristian!

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Well done for the excellent engagement, everyone! Don’t forget to send in some more pictures – we love to see them!

Remember, it is a staff day on Friday (29th) and Monday (1st), so school and online learning will be off for those days. Also, SLCs are coming up – an email will be sent out in the next week inviting you to an online hangout where your child will be talking about their learning at XP this past term.

Crew Thunberg Pizza Party!

By Joe Nixon15th November 2020

As a child I was quite the fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This quartet of humanoid turtles, working together to fight evil, always celebrated victory by eating an inordinate volume of pizza. And never have I seen a better way of honouring triumph than the humble pizza party.

Way back before lockdown (if we can remember such a time), back when Crew Thunberg were in Y7, our attendance was so high, that we actually won the whole school attendance league. The result of this was that, as a crew, we were asked to decide on a reward to celebrate.

For months we have umm-ed and ahh-ed about what our reward could be. With another lockdown seemingly on the horizon, a few weeks before October half term, we decided to take the decision to have pizza and watch a film.

Crew Thunberg absolutely loved their Friday afternoon crew: pizza all round, loads of games, and the Simpsons Movie. It was a pizza party that Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo and Donatello would have been proud of.

Very well deserved, Crew Thunberg! Keep up the excellent work, and let’s hope for some great attendance this year as well…

Amazing prints by X26

16th October 2020Miss Jones

Really impressed with Y8’s prints from today’s art lesson.

It was lovely to see the enthusiasm and excitement of the students with this new technique.

 

Can You Help With Our Suffragette Commemorative Plaque?

By Joe Nixon11th October 2020

Part of the product for the Y8 expedition Fight the Power! is going to be a plaque that celebrates the work of Doncastrian Suffragettes. But we need YOUR help to make it happen….

From September to Christmas, the all Y8 students across XP and XP East are completing an expedition called Fight the Power! This expedition focuses upon the power of protest and rebellion, from the Peasants’ Revolt, through to the Suffragette Movement and beyond.

Fight the Power! is an ambitious study that bridges all subject, HUMAN, STEAM and the Expeditionary Arts. During this expedition students are paying particular attention to the amazing work of the Suffragette Movement, focusing specifically upon how the Suffragettes of Doncaster helped to build and improve the society we live in today.

To celebrate the work of these amazing women, all students in Y8 will be involved in raising money to produce a cast-iron plaque by a local artist that will be placed permanently in Doncaster town centre. For the rest of their lives, our Y8 students will be able to take family and friends to see how their work has positively impacted their local community by highlighting the incredible work of these unsung heroes.

Y8 would really appreciate it if you could take a look at their crowdfunding page for the project and donate anything you can:

https://www.spacehive.com/doncasters-suffragette-plaque?searchText=doncasterhttp://

Without your pledges, this won’t be able to happen!

It is really important that at this stage the crowdfunding page is NOT shared on social media -this will come a little further down the line.

If the students manage to raise enough funds for the plaque then, the crowdfunder will enter its second stage, where students will be able to raise funds to work with Sarah Smizz, another local artist. With Sarah, students will get the opportunity to help design and create trade union style banners that will immortalise the work they are currently undertaking on their expedition.

Thank you for your support with this important work.

Welcoming our new crew member, coping with the Coronavirus and appreciating each other

By Miss Jones26th September 2020

This week we have welcomed a new arrival to crew Kahlo. Introducing Kearan!

He fits in fantastically with our quirky little bunch and he has told crew that he is so so happy to be a student at XP and that really shines through!

Kearan’s teachers have been really impressed with his attitude and enthusiasm in sessions. He has just got stuck in and is thriving.  

Miss Ibbotson (Human) told me that Kearan is a superstar. She said that they have done an assessment this week and he just cracked on with it. He wasn’t worried at all. She said that he is awesome!

Miss Ridout (Science) said ‘Kearan has been amazing in my sessions!!! He is fab and should keep up the great work. He always gives amazing answers!’

What a cracking start! We are so happy to have you in crew Kahlo!

On another note…

I have noticed that this week has been especially difficult for a few members of crew Kahlo (and other pupils at XP) when it comes to their emotions and worries about the COVID-19 pandemic. Firstly, I would like to say that I really do feel for our students and I am super super proud of how they are handling our ‘new normal’ at school. 

The coronavirus has caused significant changes in our daily lives (at home and at school) and left us feeling stressed, anxious, and even afraid. The world has experienced pandemics before, but nothing quite like COVID-19. 

I have been trying my best to help my crew to stay positive and focus on the things we can control in order to make it through the coming days and months. 

We have had some really lovely crew discussions about how we can try to support each other when we are feeling a bit rubbish and worried about stuff. 

Here are some of the things that we thought were important:

  • We need to keep washing our hands while we are at school. 
  • We should be mindful when we are outside for break and dinnertime. There are still classes on so we shouldn’t be too loud and we should also be sensible and safe (not jumping on each other or playing silly games) 
  • Talk to each other about our feelings and worries. Especially in crew. 
  • Be understanding of other people’s feelings and realise that everyone’s circumstances are different. 
  • Remember that some things are out of our control and all we can do is be there for each other. 
  • Try to have fun… as we did in crew to blow off a little steam on Friday afternoon. We decided to have a bit of a dance-off and a giggle.
  • Focus on the positives. Remember to appreciate others and be kind to one another. Like crew did for their community meeting appreciations, which finished off our 5th week nicely.

Crew Thunberg: Working Hard with Werewolves

By Joe Nixon26th September 2020

Hard work, with a bit of fun and games, keeps Crew Thunberg keeping on.

Over these last few weeks, Crew Thunberg have been focusing on how we can continually improve our performance in school. We know this means constantly revising and improving how we can work hard, get smart, and be kind.

To make sure we’re working as hard as we can we have revisited our HoWLs and have been making sure we have been getting on the praise form as much as possible. We have held each other to account to ensure we are doing the best we can do in session!

Crew Thunberg have worked especially hard these past few weeks in our Wise Wednesday sessions, where we have discussed the dangers of a single story. I have been blown away by the levels of maturity that the material in these sessions has been met with. Crew has dissected some crucial issues, such as race and gender, and assessed how individuals are judged by their sociocultural background. Here is a picture of students working hard on their contributions:

After a hard working few weeks, Crew Thunberg decided it was time for some bonding time. Ava, Lola, Oscar and Kira led a session where crew members worked as a team to decide who the saboteur was in a couple of rounds of Werewolf. It was an excellent opportunity for the members of crew leading the session to work on their leadership skills whilst providing the rest of us in crew with a much needed reward for all our hard work over the past few week. Here is a photo of Ava leading her round:

Excellent work again, Crew Thunberg! See you on Monday!

Our last week as crew EJN

By Miss Jones11th June 2020

This week, crew EJN have been working on their crew name presentations that they will be showing Miss Robinson next week during their weekly crew hangout.

Crew have a few ideas about who they would like to be named after and why:

Crew have also been busy completing their home learning, creating some beautiful work.

These are for the nature page for their visual diaries:

 

Arthur
Arthur
Arthur
Brandan
Max
Nida
Olivia
Tammy

Positive and motivational quotes for their visual diaries:

In other news, Olivia has been swimming in a river!!!

…and Jessy has a new dog called Callie.

Crew EJN making the most of the beautiful weather

By Miss Jones4th June 2020

We are back to school for a new term. Back to home learning and trying our best – having good days and bad days and just trying to get through and stay safe.

Crew EJN were ready for a break and a little time off last week. Luckily the weather was absolutely stunning!

This is what crew got up to:

Arthur went on lots of walks, met his grandad and took Dotty the dog for a walk and play. He had his first KFC in months (Its was delicious!) He went to Birkin fisheries for ice cream and a picnic and he saw lots and lots of ducklings. He also made a bug hotel for his garden by cutting lots of bamboo up and putting twigs around an old pop bottle in a plant pot. He also painted a pebble to say thankyou to the NHS. 

Arthurs bug hotel
Arthurs first KFC for months
Arthurs NHS painted pebble

Brandan went to Cleethorpes for the day (social distancing of course) and sat and played on the beach. He also went to his sisters for the day where they had a new pool and a 7ft dinosaur sprinkler called Dino.

Tammy built a bird table and found an old colouring book to colour in. 

As well as being out in the sunshine, crew were still keeping busy with their home learning tasks.

Max has created some lovely artwork based on the artist Kandinsky

Crew EJN have also made a cracking start on their Visual Dairies for their new expedition called ‘Above all, compassion’. Here are their front covers

Arthur
Brandan
Max
Nida
Tammy

Im really proud of crew EJN and all their hard work. They have enjoyed their holiday and have got back to working hard with their home learning!

Well done crew!

Surprising revelations made by crew

By Miss Jones9th May 2020

This week we went back to basics a little for our crew google hangout. We discussed a few protocols like ‘microphones to be on mute unless you have been directly asked to speak’ and to put your hand up and wait if you have a question. I decided to go through this because our previous hangouts have been a little rowdy and off topic. When everyone talks at the same time, it’s really difficult to hear anyone.

Once the new rules had been established, we did our check in which was ‘What is the worst thing you have ever eaten?’. Now, this is where I was really surprised! There were some very unexpected answers. For example:

Broccoli, olives, ketchup (who doesn’t like ketchup!?), garlic, asparagus, shepherds pie, instant mash, coleslaw, tuna, Harry Potter dog food flavoured jelly bean and finally – a caterpillar and a worm!!

After those revelations, we looked at our crew tracker. This is where I have been keeping tabs on crew and their progress with their home learning tasks. I have shared this document with parents as well so they can see the work that is being completed and what needs to be done.

By talking about work that some members of crew have completed  – it really helps the other students understand the tasks and help each other (which has been really lovely to see)

We then moved onto a quiz which was made up of four rounds; general knowledge, films, music and capital cities. Jessy won with a massive 24 out of 25, with Arthur coming second with 21 and Tammy third with 20. Olivia has volunteered to prepare a quiz for next week and be the quizmaster. I wonder how many questions I will be able to answer!

REMEMBER – our crew hangout is every Tuesday at 12 noon and is compulsory. 

All but one crew member attended the last one, it would be SO good if we had every member of crew joining next week (and every week that we are in lockdown).

I would also like to say a big well done to Olivia, Arthur, Harrison and Max for joining Miss Vayro’s google hangout session for Hums on Mondays at 1.30 and also Nida for joining one.

Can ALL crew please ensure that they join Miss Vayro’s hangout EVERY MONDAY at 1.30 please.

This will help you with your expedition and also give you an opportunity to stay in contact with your classmates (which I think is really important).

Lastly for this week, I wanted to share some emails that I received from Mrs Collinson. She wanted to let me know that some members of crew EJN have been working really hard on their Spanish work:

Massive well done! Keep it up.