We are incredibly lucky to have the Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band returning to XP on Thursday17th November.
All of Year 7 from both XP & XP East are invited to attend on the XP Stairs from 7:30 – 8:30pm to watch the band rehearse. Parents / guardians of students are encouraged to attend with them and also watch the hour rehearsal.
It will be another great opportunity for our students to see these world class musicians as they prepare for their annual performance at the Sage concert hall in Gateshead.
Students will need to go home with a known and responsible adult at the end of the evening. Please ensure suitable transport has been organised.
What an awesome start to the year. XP Outdoors has really taken off this year and we have some amazing stories to share with you.
We started the term with a getting to know each other session andwe played crew building games. It was a fantastic way to find out more about each other and for staff to build relationships with students.
From here we moved on to safety protocols and expectations. Being in an outdoor environment comes with some risks and C29 certainly took on board the different safety protocols we discussed to ensure each student was safe at all times.
Our first activities were a huge success and enjoyed by students and staff. Heading down to the firepit and garden area, students took part in Hapa Zome – an ancient Japanese Fabric dying activity and Leaf Art. Here are some of our products from the sessions.
Students grappled and supported each other and were able to produce some amazing crafts.
Alongside this students also took part in a CampFire activity. Where we enjoyed biscuits and Hot Chocolate (like by a few students). We were blown away by their engagement and behaviour during the activity. Students were able to all take part and play a role during the session, from making hot chocolate to handing out biscuits and washing up the cups. It was awesome to see everyone working together as crew!
Here are a few snaps from the sessions.
As the colder weather is approaching students are reminded that additional clothing may be required. Please come prepared for all eventualities, we would love to be outdoors as much as we can.
We are looking forward to next term’s activities and can not wait to see what amazing products the students produce.
It has been a wonderful first term for our crew and this week we now have the chosen name of ‘Nightingale’, presented outstandingly by Karina and Ruby. All of the crew have settled and are working hard and getting smart with learning in their new expeditions. The expeditions have also involved them going on fieldwork to: The National Coal mining museum in Wakefield, Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire and the evening at XP School with Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band visiting. The majority of the crew are set up and working and learning from their iPads or laptops and completing extended study on Google classroom and have individual accounts with Accelerated reader where they gain access every school day with reading in the morning, afternoon and in Crew for Tranquil Tuesdays.
Earlier in this expedition C29 were treated to some world class experts visiting school in the form of the Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band.
The students were able to watch the band rehearse and see the microscopic detail that was drawn out by the Musical Director Allan Withington. It was an amazing opportunity for the students to hear a brass band in such top form as they prepared for the British Open Brass Band Championships.
Below is a recording from one of the rehearsals the week before the contest.
The band went on to give an outstanding performance at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall from a number 1 draw. Playing number 1 also meant they made history at this brass band contest by being the first band to play ‘God Save The King’.
Following the contest day and all the excitement of the performances and of course the results, students debriefed the contest in our following lessons together. We listened to some of the recordings from the day and analysed the final placings. We continue to reference our visiting experts in most lessons as part of our expedition ‘From The Ground Up’.
We would like to thank all involved in the Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band for their support of our expedition and for giving our students such a high quality experience. We look forward to welcoming the band back in the future.
On the 13th September, our C29 students travelled to Bletchley Park, home to the Bletchley Park code breakers. Bletchley housed more than 9000 people in secrecy, not only from the world but from their friends and family, in the battle to break the enigma code.
Students had the chance to see and learn how the enigma machine worked and therefore why it was vital in the success of the Allied forces during WW2. This fieldwork showed the importance of Science and Maths within one aspect of life, there are many others still to see. Students enjoyed the ability to grapple with different types of ciphers and codes, working together as they eagerly struggled to determine the name hidden within the entire set of clues.
Students and Staff learnt a lot from the day. Thank you C29
It’s hard to believe that only 2 school days after returning from our tiring but immensely fun Outward Bound adventures in Wales, Crew DPE were off site again on fieldwork visit last Wednesday. This gave me time to reflect on just how much they had grown in character, developed self-belief and come together as Crew. We have begun our own journey, and undoubtedly we will come to discover that there is more in us than we think….
We are very lucky to have the Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Brass Band visiting school this week to support our Y7 expedition.
Y7 Admiral and Skipper are invited to come back into school (on the XP Stairs) on Thursday 8th September from 7:30 – 8:30pm.
Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band (currently ranked 9th in the world!) have agreed to be involved with us again this year and support our students, which is amazing.
Y7 Students and their parents / guardians are invited to come in and watch an hour of the band’s rehearsal so we can use this experience during our work in Music in the coming weeks. This will be a great opportunity to see world class musicians at their best.
Students in X29 Year 7 will be visiting the National Coal Mining Museum on Wednesday 7th September. This fieldwork will be part of students immersion into their first expedition of the year. We will leave school at 9am and return by 3.15pm. Students will need to bring a bag with:
A packed lunch (students on free school meals will be provided with a lunch), a pen / pencil / pencil case to complete work during the day and a warm coat as part of the day is outside.
If your child needs to take any medication, please inform their Crew Leader so that any necessary arrangements can be made.
C29 will be travelling to Bletchley Park on Tuesday 13th September. We will be leaving school at 8am so students need to arrive at school by 7:30am. Students will also require a packed lunch, however free school meal students will have them provided. Students will be arriving back in school by 5pm, however, depending on traffic, this could change and so I will post updates on the website.
