This week marked our first week back after the Christmas break, and Crew Brunel returned with a real sense of fresh beginnings and renewed focus. While it’s always an adjustment coming back after the holidays, it’s been a positive and productive start to the new year.

We kicked off the week with a whole school community meeting, giving everyone the opportunity to reset expectations. This session focused on revisiting our shared norms and non-negotiables, helping to re-establish routines and remind us of the standards we hold ourselves to as a school community.

Back in crew time, we continued our Passage work. Students spent time thinking carefully about who they would like to be present at their Passage presentations and why. This encouraged reflection and helped students consider the importance of audience and support as they prepare to showcase their learning and growth.

Midweek, we started our new Wise Wednesday case study work. Students were placed into new groups, giving them the opportunity to work with different peers, share ideas, and build new collaborative skills. The fresh groups brought new energy and perspectives to the case study discussions.

We also spent time looking through portfolios, focusing on selecting pieces of work to highlight in Passage presentations. Students checked that their work was in the correct order and reflected on which pieces best represented their progress and achievements so far.

To finish the week, we came together once again for a whole school community meeting. This final gathering was a chance to celebrate successes, including reviewing the praise leaderboard and the attendance league. Crew Brunel had a particular reason to celebrate, finishing top for Year 9 attendance with an impressive 97%.

Overall, it’s been a strong first week back. Everyone is understandably tired, but it’s the result of a week filled with focus, reflection, and a positive start to the term ahead.

Miss Mitchell