Sharing our Stories: 08/09/2023

Beautiful Work This Week – Double Edition!

#C30Aberdovey – Our Reflections

Last week our new Year 7s were the 9th cohort of students from XP to head off to the Aberdovey Outward Bound centre to answer the guiding question ‘What does it mean to be Crew?’. These are their reflections after just three days of their secondary school journey…

Orchestra in residence at XP

XP is now the official new home of the Doncaster Youth Jazz Association.

Fifty years ago John Ellis MBE created the Doncaster Youth Jazz Association (DYJA). 

Over the next half century, with three bands and a fourth ensemble made up of alumni, the organisation was to become internationally renowned.

The Doncaster Youth Jazz Orchestra has played at some of the awesome venues in the world, from the Royal Albert Hall to Buckingham Palace, the United Nations in New York to Ronnie Scott’s in London. Always delighting audiences and showcasing the young people of Doncaster’s talent and virtuosity.

Now, after many years at Beckett Road, DYJA are moving into our XP school, which will become their base. Their office, rehearsal and teaching rooms and music library – as well as full band rehearsal space will be here with us at Middle Bank.

Andy, our Chief Academic officer commented:

“We are absolutely delighted, across the XP Trust, that the Doncaster Youth Jazz Association is now based at our founding school, XP.

To support and be associated with an organisation that has travelled the world, sharing its music and the amazing talent of Doncaster’s young musicians, is very exciting and part of our ongoing commitment to the local community.

As we look forward to celebrating 10 years of XP in 2024, this feels like another landmark moment in our story – and we hope this is so for DYJA too as they continue their decades-long journey.”

Charlotte Arrowsmith, Chair of the Board of Trustees added:

“This feels like a new and exciting chapter for us at DYJA as we enter our 51st year. We’re delighted to have moved into XP School – and we’re looking forward to working and creating here, in such an inspiring place.”

#C30Austerfield

Plover’s Colour Run

Acts of Service: C28’s Sine FM Adverts for Moorends Foodbank

X28, X27 and X26 Building Crew

Top of the Blogs

BBK/Chotting @ Carcroft School

Weekly update for families @ XP Gateshead

Student Ambassadors – First meeting of the year @ Plover

Stay and Challenge @ Norton Infants

Class 12: Crew Reading @ Green Top

Act of Kindness @ Norton Juniors

XP Outdoors – a (number) minefield! @ XP

Sports Day 2023 Video @ XP East

The Paper Dolls

After some of us listened to The Paper Dolls we decided we wanted to make our very own paper dolls. We talked about what kinds of things connect our crew just like the paper dolls!! I was really impressed with everyones resilience because we soon discovered making paper dolls is fiddly business!

Mrs Parsons xx

Read a book day…

We celebrated the day by sharing lots of lovely stories and making bookmarks in Class 3. We are going to enjoy spending time in our reading area this year exploring many more books.

National Read a Book Day.

Today Nursery sat and shared a story with their teddies and friends to acknowledge National Read a Book day. The story was titled “Bunny Loves to Read”. In our story Bunny shared his love of reading and teaches all of his friends that you can travel to different worlds, even when you can’t go anywhere due to the rain! Bunnie’s friends realise how exciting reading is and when the rain stops they play games like the characters from their stories.

Phonics superstars 🌟

The children have absolutely blown me away in our phonics sessions this week. Here we are hard at work writing our new graphemes..

Well done Class 1 👍 xx

National Read a Book Day

To celebrate National Read a Book day we had our very first Mystery Reader! Olivia’s Mummy came in and read The Paper Doll’s by Julia Donaldson – we absolutely loved joining in with the song! We already can’t wait to make our very own paper dolls in Crew tomorrow.

We can’t wait to find out who our mystery reader will be next Wednesday!

Mrs Parsons xx

Class 2 take part in National Read a Book Day

Today in Class 2 we enjoyed sharing lots of stories together to take part in National Read a Book Day. I chose Pass the Jam Jim by Kay Umansky and Mrs Lowe read Sometimes I Feel Sunny by Gillian Sheilds. We share stories, rhymes and non fiction books in our classroom every day, but today it felt extra fun knowing there were lots of people all over the country making an extra effort to enjoy reading today. I wonder what books you enjoy reading? 📔🙂