Crew Brunel has had another productive week, balancing community responsibility, reading, discussion, and personal reflection as we continue to grow together as a crew.

We started the week by taking time to give back to our school community through litter picking around the school grounds. As members of Crew Brunel, we understand the importance of being stewards of our environment and looking after the spaces we share every day. We worked together to tidy the school grounds, showing pride in our community and setting a positive example. Small actions like this help reinforce the values we talk about regularly in Crew: craftsmanship and quality, responsibility, and respect for our surroundings.

On the following day, we split into our classes – Admiral and Skipper – to complete some reading of our anchor text My Sister’s Keeper as part of our English catch-up. This gave everyone the opportunity to ensure they were fully up to date with the story and ready to continue exploring its themes and ideas in upcoming lessons.

We also took part in another session of our current Wise Wednesday topic, continuing to build our understanding through discussion and reflection. These sessions are always a great opportunity for the crew to think more deeply about important issues and share their perspectives.

Later in the week, we spent time reviewing our praise and conduct data. We looked at how the crew has performed across the week, the term so far, and the year so far. This is always an important moment for reflection. We celebrated those students who have consistently demonstrated positive behaviour and strong effort, recognising the achievements they have worked hard for. At the same time, we also had honest conversations about accountability, encouraging those who may have slipped to refocus and finish the term strongly.

As part of this reflection, students also completed their HoWL (Habits of Work and Learning) assessments. Everyone took time to self-assess their habits during lessons, thinking carefully about their focus, effort, organisation, and contribution. Students then peer-assessed someone from their class, providing constructive feedback to help support each other’s improvement. These reflections are an important part of helping students take ownership of their learning and recognise areas where they can continue to grow.

We finished the week with a staff day, giving students a longer weekend. This extra time will hopefully allow everyone to rest, recharge, and come back ready to perform at their best as we prepare for our POL (Presentation of Learning) next week.

Well done to Crew Brunel for another positive week — let’s come back refreshed and ready to finish strong!

Miss Mitchell