Since the very start of their creative design journey, 6CC have shown resilience and an ability to think critically, before weaving together various sewing techniques to bring their imagination to life.
Through market research and a collective design criteria, each soft toy has emerged as a testament to their dedication and hard work. The classroom has buzzed with enthusiasm as their designs have begun to take shape, boasting a wide range of rainforest animal cuddly toys. Each stitch, every detail meticulously crafted, demonstrates the efforts and passion poured in by our young designers.
Stay tuned for the grand unveiling as we approach the completion of their fantastic final product!
Students from XP Doncaster were very lucky to be able to welcome Flying Scotsman home today as guests of Doncaster Council. They had the opportunity to see this iconic engine up close and meet so many people who have made this special visit happen.
They were also able to hand copies of the newly published book ‘Rail CIty’ to those who had so kindly contributed to it … but more on that next week!
Final Product Preview: Beautiful Sewing at Norton Juniors!
XP Gateshead: Unheard voices of WWI
Last year, Y8 at XPG recorded a radio broadcast of unheard voices from WWI. They did this to honour the sacrifices of those who are sometimes forgotten when we remember the victims of WWI.
We are proud to share that this broadcast will be played on Memory Lane Radio on Saturday 11th November at 11am (their Armistice day slot!) Reuben visited the studio with Mrs Downes and was interviewed about the project. We will share a link to this interview in the coming days.
Be sure to tune in tomorrow to hear this beautiful work on the radio!
Y4 have been unpicking the escapades of the Iceni Queen Boudicca and in particular her courageous (or ridiculous) revolt against Roman rule. Here, we generated a vocabulary bank as to what both the Iceni tribe and Roman soldiers thought of her and then explained our ideas. I must say, the writing was as spectacular as Boudicca’s defeat at Watling Street!
This week, 5HJ have begun to create our rainforest animal soft toys. We started by practicing a variety of different stitches and then used our paper templates to create the front. The focus and determination in learning a new still has been amazing! We are so excited to see the final outcomes.
A team of year 5 and 6 net ballers made the trip to Campsmount for the Leger Sport Y5/6 tournament this week. Despite the cold and wintery conditions, the team performed well and showed determination and teamwork throughout the competition. Well done, guys!
6CC began their second case study of learning last week and have now started to practice sewing techniques necessary to complete their rainforest animal soft toys. This morning, they practised the running stitch, back stitch, over stitch and blanket stitch.
Rainforest Stories
After reading the Kapok tree, the children have now begun planning their own rainforest stories with their own moral to boot. After discussing which features are necessary to create a captivating children’s story, 6CC started planning their own stories, including setting and characters. Keep your eyes peeled to see their work!
Last week we officially kicked off our chance to dance program in school. This year we will be focusing on Alice In Wonderland and so started by taking a deeper look into some of the characters. We used our imaginations to pull best crazy Mad Hatter faces, hurry around like the White Rabbit, scare the people of wonderland like the Queen of Hearts and twirled and explored like Alice. We can’t wait to fall further down the rabbit hole as we continue to explore this ballet!
6CC dove in a different type of romantic numeral maths lesson this week, inspired by the spooks and chills of Halloween. The children firstly began by learning the rules of Roman numerals by understanding the order of the capital letters, such as IX or XI. Next, they embarked on a Roman numeral tombstone treasure hunt to solve the ages of creepy Halloween characters, such as Tiny, the deceased T-Rex, and Witchy Winnifred. Pupils wanting more challenging questions were asked to solve calculations after deciphering the Roman numerals. Great effort, guys!
Sam’s Safari
Last Thursday, the students in years 5 and 6 had an exciting visit from Sam’s Safari, a mobile zoo. They learned about a fascinating array of rainforest animals, from skinks and tortoises to geckos, and even some creepy crawlies. The discussion went beyond interesting facts, delving into where these creatures live and the impact of deforestation on their habitats.
This week, most of our schools are on their half term break – except our newest school, XP Gateshead. They’ve had a week full of incredible stories…
Beautiful Work This Week @ XP Gateshead
Thomas Hepburn Memorial Service
On Saturday 14th October some of our staff, students and families from G30 attended the annual memorial service for Thomas Hepburn at St Mary’s Church, Heworth. The service commemorates the life of Thomas Hepburn who spent his life working to improve the lives of miners and their families as well as being the founder of the Colliers United of Durham and Northumberland in 1825.
It was a real honour to be invited to the ceremony where the acclaimed filmmaker, Ken Loach, spoke about Thomas Hepburn’s life and his fight for social justice as a leader of the first miners’ trade union. The service also featured readings from the local MP for Easington Grahame Morris, the Mayor of Gateshead, Cllr Eileen McMaster and the Reverend Lucy Moss. The Durham Miners Association Brass Band were wonderful and accompanied the service throughout. Following the service, wreaths were laid at Thomas Hepburn’s grave and the Felling Banner group gave our students the great honour of laying their wreath.
Coming Soon: ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’
Beautiful Curation in our new spaces…
Share your stories with us!
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!
