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Here’s a selection of beautiful work from across the XP Trust!
To read about other stories from across the XP Trust, visit xptrust.org.
Mrs Jackson investigating friction @ Green Top
Skipathon in full swing! @ Plover
Inclusive playgrounds @ Carcroft School
E31 Crew Rock litter picking @ XP
A world of celebrations @ Norton Infants
Final details of the structure @ Norton Juniors
We will remember them @ XP East
We now have a new dedicated news email so that you can send your stories, updates or ideas about potential news articles directly to us in Comms.
It might be something you or your students have achieved, a charity you’re supporting or anything at all that deserves a wider audience.
Write to us at [email protected] – we want to hear about it, write about it and celebrate it!
Find out more and apply here: https://xptrust.org/carcroft-school-apprentice-learning…/
This week in Reception, we have been exploring celebrations and thinking about how we are all different and the special things we celebrate.
We have been remembering those who have served and sacrificed by making our own poppies to hang proudly on our school gates. We were very excited to take our poppies outside and hang them together. We also took time to talk about Remembrance and why it is important that we remember.
We then explored the story Binny’s Diwali, learning about how Diwali is celebrated and the traditions that make it special. This sparked lots of lovely conversations about the different celebrations we enjoy with our own families and how these might be similar or different.
Our provision has been full of creativity! We have been busy making colourful rangoli patterns using coloured rice, experimenting with Numicon shapes to create our own designs and even taking our creativity outdoors with chalk rangoli patterns.
In the construction area, we have been building magnificent Palaces of Light, carefully adding diya lamps to our creations to bring them to life.
It has been lovely hearing the children share their own experiences, learn about one another and discover that although we may celebrate different things, every celebration can be special and meaningful. We are learning to appreciate our differences and celebrate what makes us unique!
At XP Gateshead, building strong relationships is at the core of everything we do. By leading a close-knit Crew of just 12-13 students, you will guide their daily character development and ensure they achieve real academic success. It’s about helping young people discover that they can do work that truly matters.
We are looking for passionate individuals who dare to break the traditional educational mould. As a Learning Coach, you won’t just support lessons – you will foster a vital culture of teamwork, equity, and belonging.
Join us in shaping thoughtful, kind individuals who are ready to change the world.
Find out more about the role and apply here: https://xptrust.org/xp-gateshead-learning-coach-ta-and-crew-leader/
Last week Nursery had so much fun as they attended and played with friends at their Halloween parties in amazing fancy dress costumes! The children had a ball playing all kinds of traditional party games themed for Halloween.
The children took turns, followed instructions and listened carefully as they learned to play new games and learnt how to be “out” without feeling sad or disappointed, helping to regulate their emotions. We played Musical chairs, Pass the Cauldron, Witch Hoopla and Blow the Spider practising the whole range of our fine and gross motor skills.
From Tranquil Tuesday the children began to think about and celebrate Bonfire Night. The children learnt a special Bonfire Night Song as part of their phonics, using actions and sounds to mimic fireworks. A video recording of the song has been sent home on Dojo to celebrate their learning.
In provision the children made firework pictures using paint and toilet roll tubes, practise printing skills. Outdoors the children created firework art using powder paint and their fine motor skills to copy and mark make patterns in the paint.
Caring is what our current expedition is all about and the children over the past term have been learning what it means to care, how we care for others and what caring looks like. To show that we care and respect the soldiers and armed forces to mark Remembrance Weekend, each Crew in nursery used their newly learned printing skills to decorate large poppy’s as Teamwork Tigers, which have been displayed on the front of the school gates.
Finally we have been “Sewing” up our final product for the expedition. The children have been learning how to care for plants and our outdoor area, by preparing our “Secret Garden” ready for spring. The children worked collaboratively in classes to plant Daffodils, as they are the first flower to usually appear in spring, marking the change of seasons whilst also helping to make our garden a beautiful place to be. The children will nurture and care for the plants throughout the winter.
It was a very busy but fun filled week! Well done Nursery.
What a spooky time we’ve had in Class 2! We started the week with a special treat – a fantastic Halloween disco! The children had lots of fun enjoying the spooky celebrations and getting into the Halloween spirit.
As the week went on, our attention turned to Bonfire Night. Many of the children were excited to share their own experiences of celebrating, talking about the fireworks they had seen and the fun they had enjoyed with their families.
During our Crew discussions, we also thought carefully about how to stay safe around bonfires and fireworks. It was lovely to hear the children sharing their ideas and learning how important it is to keep safe while enjoying the celebrations and even had some very special expert visitors from Askern Fire Station.
We have also been very creative with children exploring different ways of creating their own firework-inspired artwork, experimenting with a range of objects, glitter and vibrant colours to capture the sparkle and excitement of a firework display. The results were bright, colourful and full of imagination!
We’ve certainly had a week filled with creativity, exciting conversations and plenty of sparkle in Class 2!
Here’s a selection of beautiful work from across the XP Trust!
To read about other stories from across the XP Trust, visit xptrust.org.
Year 3 War Hero walk @ Green Top
4N Beautiful Work on VE Day! @ Plover
Stranded! Our survival Experience Day @ Carcroft School
Expert Visitors who care @ Norton Infants
5SO Carpenters @ Norton Juniors
Calling all geographers and climate activists @ XP Gateshead
We now have a new dedicated news email so that you can send your stories, updates or ideas about potential news articles directly to us in Comms.
It might be something you or your students have achieved, a charity you’re supporting or anything at all that deserves a wider audience.
Write to us at [email protected] – we want to hear about it, write about it and celebrate it!
As part of our Be Kind – How do we show we care? expedition, we have been lucky enough to welcome some very special expert visitors into school!
First, we met Biscuits, a very special therapy dog from Campsmount School. Biscuits helps children to feel safe, happy and comfortable. We loved meeting him, finding out about the important job he does and learning how animals can show us care, kindness and friendship. There were lots of smiles and excitement!
We then welcomed our local firefighters, who help to keep us and our community safe. We were fascinated to explore the fire engine, discover all the different tools and equipment the firefighters use and find out more about their important role. We had so many curious questions and loved learning about how they help others when they need it most.
Both visits have helped us to think about the different ways people show they care. Whether it’s a friendly four-legged companion helping someone feel happy or a firefighter keeping our community safe, there are so many wonderful ways to show kindness and make a difference.
A huge thank you to all our visitors for taking the time to share their expertise with us. We have loved learning from you!
What if teaching Maths could be about more than covering the curriculum? What if every young person could leave school believing that they really are a mathematician? At XP Gateshead, that’s the ambition.
Joining XP Trust means becoming part of a community that does things differently. We believe education is about more than passing exams.
If you want to teach in a school where your creativity is valued and your work makes a difference, XP Trust is the place for you.
Find out more about the role here: https://xptrust.org/xp-gateshead-maths-teacher/
This afternoon Class Six have been exploring the next part of our Play Passport. To do this, we took part in a Construction Crew! We used construction straws, magna tiles and lego to help us make some wonderful creations from chairs to helicopters and football pitches to magnifying glasses!
We then thought about the skills that construction play can help us build such as our teamwork, creativing and problem solving. What an amazing afternoon!
