We made it!

4th March 2021Emily 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 Emily 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 Emily 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

Crew Kahlo still smiling and having fun!

By Emily Jones21st January 2021

Well, what can I say!? What a strange time we are having to deal with at the moment! I have to say though, that I am a very proud crew leader and I am so impressed with how crew Kahlo has adapted.

We have had to change the way we do crew. We now have a video call every morning to have a catch-up and check-in. One of our check in’s was ‘Crew Kahlo Cuppa’ – where we all went to grab a cuppa to have a chat. As you can see, we have a few Harry Potter fans and one crew member who really loves his mum…can you spot which person that is?

I wanted to upload these photos of crew from just before Christmas. This is from our Christmas Jumper day in school with the fabulous MIss Haythorne!

This photo was taken on the last day before we broke up for Christmas, we had a bonus crew session at the end of the day. The last crew of 2020. It’s going to be weird to look back on these photos in years to come. Hopefully, by that time we won’t have to wear facemasks anymore! (fingers crossed!)

 

Crew name display, crew pledges, analysing HoWLs and celebrating a birthday.

By Emily Jones15th November 2020

So, crew Kahlo is back to full strength. We have welcomed another new student to our crew…Alex. He has well and truly fit in with our crew

When speaking to his teachers, it has been lovely to hear such wonderful feedback about Alex and how he has hit the ground running at XP. He has been working really hard and getting smart in his sessions. Here are a few things that his teachers have said about him:

Mrs. Sprakes (Spanish) – Alex shows COURAGE, he’s never done Spanish before but he’s come into Y8 and he’s giving it a real go. Awesome!

Mrs. Ibbotson (Hums) – Alex is doing great in Hums. He is always getting involved and has lots to say and input to the sessions. 

We created a crew display with our name ‘Crew Kahlo’ by adding colour to mindful colouring pages and laminated them. I think it looks great! Every member of crew also wrote a pledge that they feel is important to them to work towards in the run up to Christmas. Some of the pledges were:

  • to concentrate in lessons (Tammy)
  • to be kind (Alex)
  • to use integrity all the time (Max)
  • to remember things (Arthur)
  • to remember to bring my water bottle and equipment (Bryan)
  • to be more organised and to concentrate more (Olivia)
  • to help other people (Kearan)
  • to speak more in class (Billie – Lou)
  • to get my homework in on time (Jessy)
  • to ask more questions in class (Harrison)
  • to be in school on time (Callum)
  • to answer and ask more questions in class (Nida)

We will be checking in on these pledges throughout the term to hold each other to account and make sure we fulfil them.

The crew has also started to analyse their HoWL’s data this week. Looking at the marks they have received for ‘Working Hard; Getting Smart and Being Kind’ for each subject

Next week, we will be making pledges on how to improve our HoWLs as the year progresses.

We will be looking at how we can support each other as a crew to do this by giving kind, specific, and helpful feedback to each other.

We also celebrated a birthday. Happy Birthday, Olivia! Now officially a teenager! (Oh dear. Haha)

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 Emily 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 Kahlo are back!

By Emily Jones5th September 2020

It’s all go at XP after our time at home during the lockdown. It’s so good to have the crew back together again. I’m really proud of crew Kahlo for settling back into their school routine (even though they’re all a bit tired). Each and every member of crew has made a fantastic start to Year 8 and has received some lovely feedback from their teachers.

For our first day back we had a full day together to re-connect and catch up.

I was impressed with their mature attitudes towards the new rules that we have to follow to stay safe in school. They also let off a little steam by playing a few games outside to get some fresh air…

We discussed ideas for crew pledges to try and help each other when we need support

The crew has had some changes this week like our first whole school virtual community meeting:

We also had the introduction to ‘Wise Wednesdays’. For our first week, we were looking at ‘Understanding Identity’. We discussed how social and cultural factors help to shape our identity. It was a chance for the crew to explore who they were as people and think about how others see them. It was challenging for some members of the crew but they grappled with the tasks and supported each other. It was lovely to have the chance to speak to them all about ‘what makes them who they are’.

Well done for having a great start to Year 8!

X26 & X25 Coming Back Stronger!

By Miss S Robinson26th August 2020

It is wonderful to welcome back our students in Year 8 and 9 today, they have certainly returned with renewed energy and enthusiasm!

Today, is all about Crew.  Students have been spending their time today reflecting on the past few months, learning how to keep themselves safe whilst in school and most importantly reconnecting as a Crew.

I have had the pleasure of spending time in each of the Crew’s and it is great to see the students engaged, working collaboratively and happy!

What a way to start the year! #Comingbackstronger

 

Its official! We have a crew name!

By Emily Jones25th June 2020

So, crew EJN presented their crew name suggestions to Miss Robinson in last week’s crew hangout. They were prepared, confident, and articulated their reasons for each individual really well.

I was very impressed!

After almost an hour of presenting their slides, Miss Robinson decided that our new crew name was going to be…(drum roll please)…

This is after the famous Mexican artist ‘Frida Kahlo’. You may recognise some of her artwork below:

She created a number of self-portraits as well as paintings about her disabilities.

She had a really tough time and was in a lot of pain throughout her life.

 

Here are some of the pages that Arthur in our crew prepared to describe her:

 

So, as you can see from Arthurs slides – she didn’t have it easy. She had a lot of challenges to overcome in her life – but she was so determined and courageous!

Harrison read through most of the slides as Arthur had a few technical issues and was losing connection. Harrison read really well, he was clear and confident. He showed a lot of courage as I know he was not in his comfort zone whilst doing it. Well done Harrison.

For Arthur’s last page he described why he thought that we should name our crew after Frida Kahlo…

The reasons that he gave above absolutely blew me away and actually brought a tear to my eye – thinking about how far we have come as a crew and all that we have been through!

We have been through some hard times, some challenging times, some difficult times – but we are crew and we can get through it! We support each other and back each other up.

I am a very proud, emotional, embarrassing, and ‘cringy’ crew leader – but I don’t care!

I’ll leave you with this quote from Frida which I think is VERY true.