Friday 30th April 2021 saw Crew Macmillan take on Captain Sir Tom Mooreās 100 challenge – where we decided we wanted to raise Ā£100, by walking 100 laps of the perimeter of XP.
We trialled it… and achieved 143 laps collectively. So crew showed courage; and challenged ourselves to completeĀ 200 lapsĀ in Captain Tomās honour. We got ourselves ready to go…
And guess what? Continue reading
āThe family of the late Captain Sir Tom Moore is inviting the world to take inspiration from his famous 100 laps around his garden to celebrate Captain Tomās life, his generosity of spirit and the hope and joy he brought to millions.
The Captain Tom 100 is taking place on what would have been his 101st birthday weekend, from Friday 30 April to Bank Holiday Monday 3 Mayā.
So, as a crew, Crew Macmillan have decided we will be taking on Captain Sir Tomās 100 Challenge this coming Friday, April 30th.
The Challenge involves completing 100Ā of something!Ā
Crew have decided to collectively complete 100 laps of XP school in one single crew session. Actually, then, we had a trial run on Friday; and managed to smash that target, so weāre going to challenge ourselves to achieveĀ 200 Laps instead!!!
Weāve set up a fundraising page to try and raise some money in aid of our chosen charity, Macmillan Cancer Support. If you are in a position to help us to do so, the link is here.
We would love to be able to raise Ā£100 – what a lovely amount in honour of Sir Captain Tom Moore.
I look forward to taking on this challenge – come on crew, weāll smash it!
What a long 9 weeks that was!
Crew Macmillan outdid themselves yet AGAIN with attendance, engagement, and achievement. It was a long, gruelling 9 weeks of completely online learning but as a crew, we Ā got there. We supported each other; we laughed, we cried, we had meltdowns, and we built each other back up.
We spent time off screen, and during this we achieved tonnes! From indoor picnics, to nature walks, creating happy playlists and pushing ourselves to go out of the house for exercise (yes, Frankie, ASDA does count as a mental exercise, Iāll allow it!). Take a look below at what Crew got up to!
I cannot WAIT to have crew back in person, even though i donāt think any of us are looking forward to early mornings after a wonderful half term!
Parents, just a reminder of how next week will look for Y10:Ā
Crew, please arrive forĀ 10:15amĀ onĀ Monday 22nd March. We have some crew activities & COVID Testing planned in the morning, and Ā you will be in sessions in the afternoon.
Timetable willĀ return to normalĀ for Y10 from Tuesday 23rd March.
Please remember:Ā Face masks will need to be worn.Ā If there are any issues (or exemptions!) please contact me via email. You will also need toĀ bring a water bottleĀ as fountains are still out of use.
Time for Crew Mac to come back and smash this term. I have every confidence that you guys will!!
See you Monday!!
Miss Cocliff x
Student Led Conferences are vital to our work. They put our students in charge of sharing information about their academic progress with their families. In the words of expeditionary learning guru Ron Berger, āStudent Led Conferences require and empower students to take the lead role in communicating their learningā – in other words, our students know they have to be responsible for their learning and progress, and they must be able to explain to their families where they are at, and where they are heading!
SLCās obviously looked a little different this year. They were online; students had 25 minutes to speak about a range of things, including their HoWLs data, Academic progress, how they have found working from home, and the pledges they made at the start of the year. Crew Macmillan continue to surprise me daily; and once again, they absolutely SMASHED it! They each spoke confidently and maturely, could analyse their own data in terms of GCSE grades (which is a vital skill as we head into Y11) and they were all able to share examples of beautiful work with their families. As such, i wanted to share some of the amazing work with you!
Firstly, Crew were asked to reflect on their attendance across the year. Although we havenāt physically been in school THAT much in Y10 (Thanks, COVID!) – online attendance is still absolutely vital, and it is still monitored. Some great reflections in crew; here is Imogenās! Imogen spoke through how āblueā means āAwesomeā – in terms of our narrative for success, this means Imo is exceeding expectations!
Students were then asked to reflect on their Work Hard, Get Smart, and Be Kind attributes in sessions. Archie and Joe provided really detailed analysis for each HoWL!
What a start to 2021!
Welcome back, Crew Mac – even if it is online for now!
I canāt even begin to express how happy I am that crew Macmillan have had an absolutely wonderful start to the year! Aside from a couple of internet issues, youāve all achieved 100% attendance in sessions, and crew – INCREDIBLE. A huge thank you from me, because that means youāre engaged and learning exactly what you need to be during these difficult times. It just proves how awesome you lot are!
The last couple of weeks have highlighted just how resilient our students (and staff!) are, and everyone just seems to have stepped it up a gear, going above and beyond for each other whilst weāre limited to home learning. On Monday this week, Crew took part in Mindful Mondays, and for a bit of positivity, i asked Crew to find a quote that made them smile. This could be for a number of reasons, but positivity breeds positivity, and we found it was a brilliant way to kick our week off. I was very impressed with the maturity of Crew during this task, and take a look for yourselves at some of the quotes they picked out:
…what a long term itās been!!!
As weāre nearing Christmas, too, we felt that as a crew, itās important to spread some Christmas cheer.
On Thoughtful Thursday last week, we decided to highlight some appreciations for our wonderful staff. Crew receive praise postcards a lot, so we wanted to pay it back! See some wonderful words below.
Weāre all very aware of the financial impact the various lockdown/tier 3 restrictions have had on our community, especially on those who have been furloughed or are self employed and unable to work.Ā So, in addition to the staple non-perishable items (cereals; tinned and packeted foods; tea/coffee/juice) we are specifically asking for donations of those ātreatā items that some families may have to go without this year.
For example:
If you are able to contribute, please can you send items in to be passed on to your childās Crew LeaderĀ by Monday 15th December.
The hampers will be donated toĀ St John The Evangelist Church in BalbyĀ andĀ The Trussell Trust at Christ ChurchĀ during the last week of term.
Thank you in advance for your generosity and support.
Mrs Mawby, Miss Cocliff, Mrs Batty, Mrs Collinson and Miss Wilmot (Crew Leaders Year 10)
Tomorrow is FINALLY the day I can return to work after having to self isolate for 8 days; the longest Iāve been away from Crew!
As a crew, we would like to say a HUGE thank you to Mrs Johnson for stepping in whilst I joined Crew on hangout from home. And a personal thank you to Charlie – who has made sure Iām able to join crew, organised everything that needs organising, and has just in general been a great deputy crew leader. I wasnāt joking about getting you a badge! š
It seems Crew Macmillan have still been flying the flag around school whilst Iāve been working from home, which is evidenced by the data on the praise form. Take a look at our figures so far – Iām so glad youāve carried on being just as amazing, you have all done me, yourselves, and crew really proud!
Alfie, 60 praise entries is unbelievable. Frankie, 50!? INSANE. The fact that we have EVERYONE in crew with over 15 praise entries blows my mind – remember, praises are entered when students go above and beyond expectations in sessions, whether that relates to working hard, getting smart, being kind, or compassionate, or respectful, or showing brilliant craftsmanship and quality; it does get noticed! Letās make it our mission for ALL of Crew to reach at least 25 praise entries by Christmas!
I canāt wait to be back with crew and give you more updates in the upcoming couple of weeks.
Remember this Friday and Monday (27th and 30th November) are staff days, so students wonāt be in school; crew, make sure youāre caught up on any outstanding work; our focus as a crew is going to be on handing in all extended study on time!
Keep working hard. Youāre incredible humans!
Miss C x
Crew Macmillan have had another cracking week this week! I am constantly blown away by how hard they work, how smart they get, and how kind they are.
Our Mindful Mondays this week focused around our weekends. We spent our crew session catching up, speaking about positives and negatives to our weekend. Most of Archieās weekends now are taken up by his new puppy, Ralph – and Milo canāt go football training at the minute now weāre back in lockdown! What a funny old year!
Tranquil Tuesdays in Crew Mac saw students get to grips with our new E-Library. We explored the selection of books available, and weāre impressed with the new system! Hopefully this will allow us to expand our vocabulary, and our love of reading – some of crew struggle with this, but itās something we are working on, together! I canāt wait to settle down to a good book from the library now!!!
In crew on Wednesday, we had the pleasure of Tristan and Loris joining us from Crew Webb! Our Wise Wednesday session focused on paying our respects to mark Remembrance Day. We spoke about the sacrifices made by the heroes of our country in the wars, and we also spoke about the sacrifices our key workers have made during this pandemic. We marked Remembrance Day by creating poppies with messages of remembrance on the back, and sorted these out to make our Crew door reflect the thanks we have for the servicemen and women who gave their lives for our freedom.
Our Thoughful Thursday Y10 community meeting was a great one facilitated by Mr V. We spoke about the characteristics we need to embed to be successful, and the ones that stood out were grit, determination, and being persistent! There are examples of Crew Mac doing this every day, and Iām absolutely sure that if we continue to work as a crew, this grit will definitely pay off in terms of GCSE results next year.
This morning we began to analyse our HoWLs for this term; Iām going to keep this short as itās a work in progress, and there will be more to come on this next week… but for now, just check out how impressive this snapshot of Crew Macās HoWLs is!!!
Finally, Iād like to say a big thank you to Crew Macmillan this week. I didnāt have the best time on Tuesday and Wednesday and compassion and respect was shown in abundance. Itās unbelievable how lucky I am to be in the position of Crew Leader for such fantastic, kind hearted human beings. Iāll leave you with this gorgeous piece of artwork Courtney has created for our crew wall – sheās absolutely right, we really are crew!
…we’ve only gone and done it! We’veĀ finallyĀ reached the end of the first term in what has been one of the most weird, unpredictable times that we’ve experienced.
I wanted to end this term on a positive, and so i hope this post does Crew Mac some form of justice!
Throughout this term, Crew Macmillan have worked together on a number of different tasks and topics. We’ve learned about how stress can affect us and our sleep; and how sleep (or lack of) can affect us too! We’ve completed our Star Reader tests to find out our reading ages; and started a book club on Tuesdays, reading Pay It Forward; something we, as a crew, aspire to do this year. [check out these concentration faces!!]
We’ve laughed, cried, and everything in-between. Crew really have been incredible this term – thank you, guys!
Here are crew Macmillan working hard; and as a team, to learn about stress!
Possibly my favourite moments of this term, though, have revolved around some of the incredible work crew Macmillan have produced. As a learning coach in Y11, it’s not often i get to see their amazing work – so i love it when i do!! Can you BELIEVE this is aĀ drawing that Alfie has done as an artist study?! I thought it was a photo!
Courtney has also been working hard in Art: check out this brilliant viewfinder study she was working on. Some great tonal work and shading!
In 3D Art, students have been looking at steampunk style face masks; and there are some incredible examples. I was really impressed by Archie’s, and Joe’s attempts to create one!
I also wanted to highlight thisĀ fantasticĀ piece of work done by Ricki. I don’t think i’ve ever seen a poetry analysis so detailed. Ricki led a bit of the session, along with Jayden. The amount of writing on this piece of paper is astounding!!
And finally this term, crew have been working on going above & beyond, and trying to beat the other Y10 crews on praise. I set them a secret mission, to get the most entries on the praise form as a crew. We’ve an average ofĀ 24.7 praise entries in Crew Macmillan; WOW!
Courtney has been entered on to the praise formĀ 32 times during this half term! Courtney has worked incredibly hard and shows up every day, works hard, gets smart, and is kind, even when she isn’t having the best day! I am so proud of you, Courtney – well done! Some of Courtney’s praise entries are:
“Brilliant conduct during DofE when MCO had to tend to a first aid issue. Crew just sat and got on with DofE. Huge amounts of respect and compassion shown.” – me!Ā Ā “Excellent paired work in sessions” – Mrs Batty. “These students are working so hard continuously in all sessions.” – Mrs Johnson.Ā Keep up the hard work Courtney!!
Heather has been entered on to the praise formĀ 21 times during this half term! What an achievement!!!! Heather has put in an incredible amount of effort since returning to school – in toĀ allĀ sessions!!! Well done Heather – keep working hard! Some of Heather’s praise entries are:
“For producing amazing work in Expeditionary Arts” – Mrs Johnson. “really working hard this week on GCSE content” – Mr Shakesby. “All these students were working really hard in Art today. They grappled with their 3D work and were thinking creatively to produce facemasks in a steampunk style.” – Mr Jackson. Well done Heather!!!
AlfieĀ has been entered on to the praise formĀ 39 times this half term. WOW – that must be a record?! Alfie is an incredibly hard worker, who comes in and shows kindness and compassion every single day to anyone he crosses paths with. An incredible effort, amazing work Alfie! Some of Alfie’s praise entries are:
“Great hotel conversation, well done.” – Mrs Sprakes. “Great focus throughout the lesson” – Miss Taylor. “For being really supportive and kind when they could see a staff member was upset/struggling. Sent a lovely email too to ensure the staff member in question was okay. Such kindness and compassion goes a long way. Well done guys, and thank you.” – me!!
Frankie has returned to school almost flawlessly! Frankie has been entered on the praise formĀ 35 times!!!! this half term – how amazing is that!!!! Frankie has also been working on a Dr Who project outside of school, so has had tonnes on her plate this term – and still shows up to sessions and works hard with a smile! An absolute pleasure to have in Crew Macmillan – keep up the fantastic work Frankie! Some of Frankie’s praise entries are:
“Accurate use of the present tense (different people) in a writing task.” – Mrs Sprakes. “Excellent paired work in sessions.” – Mrs Batty. “Fantastic start to English GCSE. Focused and keen to get on. Brilliant HoWLS- Well done! Keep it up!” – Miss Johnson. Well done Frankie!!
IsaacĀ has also returned to school brilliantly after lockdown, and has been entered on the praise formĀ 31 times this term. An amazing achievement!!! Isaac has knuckled down so well, come back in to school and worked hard, gotten smart, and has been really kind this term. Keep working hard Isaac – i promise that it will pay off!!
Some of Isaac’s praise entries are: “Fantastic start to English GCSE. Focused and keen to get on. Brilliant HoWLS- Well done! Keep it up!” – Miss Johnson. “Beautiful work on KWL, well done.” – Mrs Sprakes. “Great attitude in lesson.” – Miss O’Grady. Such positive feedback, Isaac – excellent work!!!
Imogen comes into school every day and SMASHES IT. She is such an incredible person, who works incredibly hard, has great attendance and a fantastic attitude in sessions. Imogen has been put on the praise form 33 times this term – that’s 33 times where staff have noticed Imogen going above and beyond what is expected of her! Wow!!!
Some of Imo’s praise entries are: “Improvement in vocab test results from one week to the next, well done.” – Mrs Sprakes. “Working hard in Maths” – Mrs Johnson. “Brilliant level of focus. In depth annotations made. Lovely session where everyone was on it!!” – Miss Johnson. What a superstar – Amazing work Imogen!!!!
Joe has come back into y10 absolutely brilliantly! We’re working on Joe’s HoWLs – he’s been working incredibly hard this term, and his HoWLs grades are set to be tip-top! Joe excels in STEAM, and his maths talent is second to none – he knows way more than i do!!! Joe has receivedĀ 14 praise entries this half term – what a guy!!! Some of Joe’s praise comments are as follows:
“For producing amazing work in Expeditionary Arts” – Mrs Johnson. “Fantastic start to English GCSE. Focused and keen to get on. Brilliant HoWLS- Well done! Keep it up!” – Miss Johnson. “Great attitude in lesson.” – Miss O’Grady. Well done Joe – have a relaxing half term!!!
MiloĀ is just an absolute superstar, and his hard work really doesn’t go unnoticed. Milo is aiming high for his GCSE’s, and that doesn’t come without graft! He comes in every day, asks some brilliant questions, and gets on with his work day in, day out. Milo has also receivedĀ 14 praise entries this half term – what an achievement!!!
Some of Milo’s praise entries are: “Always works hard in PE.” – Miss O’Grady.Ā “Worked hard and created beautiful work in the session” – Miss Taylor. “Creative hotel conversation in Spanish.” – Mrs Sprakes. Keep up the great work Milo!
VinnieĀ has also just been amazing this term! Coming back into school, Vinnie has really matured and adapted well to the regular school routine. He’s been working hard in sessions and i’ve had tonnes of positive feedback. He’s really engaged well in his Geography sessions, too! Vinnie has been entered on the praise formĀ 18 times this term – Crew Mac really are killing it this term!!!!
Some of Vinnie’s praise entries are as follows: “Brilliant conduct during DofE when MCO had to tend to a first aid issue. Crew just sat and got on with DofE. Huge amounts of respect and compassion shown.” – me!! “Working so well on their assessment in citizenship ” – Mrs Burrows. “Excellent recall of knowledge in quick fire test” – Mrs Batty. Keep it up, Vinnie, and you’ll achieve amazing things this year!
FinnĀ is an absolutely wonderful human – what a joy to be around, and to have in crew. Finn constantly asks fantastic questions, he works hard, gets smart, and focuses on being kind – this comes with being the resident comedian!! Finn has had an amazing term and has been entered on the praise form an impressiveĀ 20 times!!!
See here some of the comments about Finn this term: “Working so well on their assessment in citizenship ” – Mrs Burrows. “really working hard this week on GCSE content” – Mr Shakesby. “All these students were working really hard in Art today. They grappled with their 3D work and were thinking creatively to produce facemasks in a steampunk style.” – Mr Jackson. Amazing work, Finn – keep it up after a nice 2 week break!!
RickiĀ has settled properly into Crew Macmillan absolutely perfectly. He has had some tough moments this term – but has been proving to everyone what an incredible young man he is! Ricki has received 30Ā praise entries this term as a result of his hard work and his dedication to turning things around in school. He really has blown me away – i really hope this continues Ricki – you’re a fantastic addition to crew Mac!!!
Some of Ricki’s praise comments are as follows: “Admiral have been on fire since they returned to School. Its a pleasure to be in their sessions.” – Mrs Johnson. “Working so well on their assessment in citizenship” – Mrs Burrows. “Excellent paired work in sessions” – Mrs Batty. Keep up the brilliant work; you’re capable of amazing things!!
CharlieĀ has also returned to Y10 almost flawlessly. She goes above and beyond every single day to help others where she can, all with a smile on her face. Charlie, you’ve been an absolute delight to have in Crew this term – I really hope you know how much we appreciate your hard work! As a result of this, Charlie has been put on the praise formĀ 29 timesĀ this term; AMAZING!
Some of the comments made about Charlie are: “Really impressed with the last few lessons, listening, helping with equipment and putting effort into the sessions. Well done girls. Please keep it up.” – Miss O’Grady. “Great translation into Spanish, well done.” – Mrs Sprakes. “Worked hard and created beautiful work in the session” – Miss Taylor. Keep up the fantastic work, Charlie – you’ll go far!!
And last but certainly not least, Archie; who has worked like an absoluteĀ trooperĀ this term. Archie has produced some top quality work this term which demonstrates XP’s character values. He has worked SO hard this term, he’s getting involved in sessions, and he’s being kind every day. And his efforts have been noticed by staff-Ā Archie has receivedĀ 15 praise entries this term – along with some praise postcards!!
Some praise entries for Archie are: “Remained on task and didn’t say a word for a whole 18minutes! Record!!” – Miss Johnson (haha!!), “Working hard in Session 1. Expeditionary Arts” – Mrs Johnson. “Working hard on demonstrating an understanding of key plots in Stave 2 of A Christmas Carol” – Mrs Mawby. Archie seems to be really smashing it in Humanities; please do keep this up, Arch – i’m so excited to see what you achieve this year!
So, Crew Macmillan – it’s over and out for 2 weeks. Don’t miss each other too much… try and relax a little – you need to recover ready to work just as hard next term!!
See you soon… stay safe!
Miss Cocliff x
