This week, as part of our Happy, Healthy Me expedition, 5HJ planted seed potatoes which are to be grown and used in the food meal preparation boxes for our final product. The children have been lovingly watering them daily and encouraging them to grab with daily chants and affirmations.
To launch our new and exciting expedition – Happy, healthy me, the children were fully immersed in all things Egyptian on the first day back after the Easter break. 5HJ created mind maps of background knowledge about the Egyptians which they added to over the course of the day after looking at a variety of different sources.
As the title suggests, this week has been a brilliant introduction into our new expedition… Unwrapping the Bar: What is the cost of a bar of chocolate?
From the first day back until the last, our children have engaged in a variety of ‘chocolate themed’ experiences and of course, fully engaged with each activity. We have been part of a chocolate taste test; collected and presented data about our favourite confectionery; evaluated and designed our own chocolate bars; made and sold chocolate brownies; debated whether chocolate is good or bad and even used welding techniques to melt chocolate and build towers. NB. The latter activity suggests that we have just as many demolition experts as we do budding builders!
A tiring week, but a brilliant one. Have a lovely weekend.
The G29 students speeches answering our guiding question “What does it mean to be human?” is now live on our website.
You can listen again and relive the POL speeches here!
This beautiful work is also available to visitors to the QE Hospital at the Windy Nook Entrance via a QR code on the art installation. This is important work matters, raising awareness of the importance of organ donation. A work that chimes with Olivias’ concluding remarks to our POL.
“…being human is about our social structures and relationships. How we connect, understand each other and have a sense of understanding and acceptance for ourselves and others. We build our world through our memories and experience to decide where we want to go in the future. Humans grow through our community and others around us.”
In Spring 2024, students from Years 5 and 6 at Carcroft School embarked on an Expedition to explore the 19th century’s impact on our lives today, examining whether its influence has been positive or negative. Students immersed themselves in the era by creating African pattern-inspired book bindings and sculptures. They delved into the work of British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonabare to understand cultural identity and globalisation. The history case study focused on the British Empire, particularly its effects on South Africa and the Zulu people, comparing Victorian society with Zulu society and discussing the legacy of these interactions. The science component of the Expedition related these historical impacts to the concepts of reversible and irreversible changes, using chemistry to draw parallels between the societal changes and scientific processes.
The Expedition’s culmination was an art exhibition-style event where students showcased sculptures inspired by Yinka Shonabare, reflecting on cultural identity and personal, cultural, or ethnic adaptation in an ever-changing world. This final product, along with literacy-based assessments and case study reflections, demonstrated the students’ learning and understanding of the 19th century’s influence. Throughout the Expedition, a diverse range of texts, including graphic novels and classic literature, enriched the students’ experience. Despite limitations on fieldwork due to economic conditions, video calls with South African residents offered insights into the lasting impacts of the British Empire on the Zulu people, enhancing the students’ global perspective and understanding of historical legacies.
The students’ final product drew together learning from all three of these case studies. They created these activity booklets, which contain examples of beautiful artwork and written information, and include activities for children to complete – here’s a sample of their work below!
We would like to donate these booklets to local places so that children can complete them whilst they are out in our community! If this is something that you feel you would like copies of, we can send them to you! Please send an email to [email protected] and we will organise sending them to you!
Chance to Dance 2024 is well underway with preparations for the final performance in full swing. With weekly visits from Miss Wendy, our chance to dance children have ween working hard to consolidate their ballet knowledge. Focusing on “The Dream”, the children have been thinking about making shapes with their bodies and different ways to move across a space. We can’t wait to watch the beautiful dance they produce!
On Thursday 28th March it was ‘Wear a hat’ day, which is Brain Tumour Research’s annual fundraising event to bring hope to brain tumour patients and their families. This charity is very close to our hearts, having supported children and families in the past and currently who are directly affected by this terrible disease. Every March, as Brain Tumour Awareness month comes to an end, people wear their favourite hat at work, at school, in fact anywhere they go, to support this vital charity and help find a cure. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer. Yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.
We are grateful to all of our children and families who were able to support this fantastic cause and we are delighted to let you know that we managed to raise £293.00!!
The total raised by Wear A Hat Day 2024 so far is more than £100,000 and still climbing.
Y3 celebrated their amazing learning throughout the spring term by each planting a tree around the perimeter of the school field. We reflected on our guiding question “How can we protect our wonderful world?” and presented our learning to parents. We are very lucky that Murphy’s group donated enough trees that every child could plant their own with their own customised wooden tag.
Thank you so much to everybody that came and celebrated the children’s awesome work with us.
Quite literally. What an amazing end to our spring term where both y3 and 4 have planted over 120 trees as part of our expedition – There is no Planet B. During the celebration of learning, we shared our stories about all we had learnt and then talked about the urgency needed to combat climate change. The crescendo of our celebration resulted in a ‘mass planting’ session where, with our community out in full force, we planted the remaining 62 trees around our school perimeter. It has been a quite remarkable expedition – beginning with a litter pick and ending with the children’s work being displayed to the community in order to raise awareness of how pollution and waste can impact on the environment.
As always, we are indebted to a great number of people and services that have supported and driven our expedition. However, special praise is reserved for Murphy’s Group who kindly donated over 100 trees so that each and every child in LKS2 could plant a sapling themselves and know that their learning is steeped in both legacy and life.
Finally, we must finish with a nod to the amazing children across our phase. Throughout this expedition, they have been at their brilliant best and continue to remind us all that although there is much to be frustrated about in the world that we live in, with such impressive, intuitive and inspirational young people having an impact on the planet – our future is indeed bright.
Have a lovely Easter everybody.
There is no Planet B
Last week was Sign Language week in the UK – so all the students at Green Top have made this video, singing and signing the song ‘True Colours’ as part of the celebration!
As part of their awesome POLs this week, every single Year 3 and 4 child has planted a tree at Norton Junior School, with support from Murphy’s and their Roots Programme.
They also celebrated their product from last term (more on this next time!) and unveiled their awesome digital artwork, made from images of recycling – this will be on display in school after the Easter break!
KS1 at Plover have just finished their Expedition ‘The Blue Planet’. Their final product has provided a lasting legacy for the community – a lovely eco garden that will develop across future Expeditions to provide a range of habitats and food sources for a variety of insects, birds and mammals.
Students dedicated the trees to community heroes who have helped to improve the lives of people across Intake and Doncaster at their POL yesterday – including Mrs Ogle and Dame Rosie Winterton!
On Friday, KS1 and LKS2 at Green Top celebrated their learning for their two Expeditions – ‘The Blue Planet’ and ‘There Is No Planet B’
The celebration included an interactive art gallery, a visit from Reptile Rendezvous and showcasing awesome family learning.
Weekly Update for families @ XP Gateshead
Finding the magic in Science @ Norton Infants
UKS2 Celebration of Learning @ Carcroft School
The French Revolution at Campsmount @ Norton Juniors
We’re looking for Cleaners and a Cleaner in Charge to #JoinOurCrew at XP Doncaster – find out more and apply here!
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!
