Year Six Conquers Maths Week England Challenges 🧮

Last week marked an exciting and stimulating time for the Year Six as they participated in Maths Week England 2023. The week-long celebration of all things mathematical brought forth a plethora of challenges, fostering a spirit of friendly competition and collaborative problem-solving.

One of the highlights of the week was the thrilling Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS) Crew battle. 6CC and Crew Cicero eagerly embraced the opportunity to showcase their multiplication prowess, facing off against other crews within the school. The TTRS Crew battle not only tested the children’s mental agility but also encouraged teamwork and camaraderie. Among these formidable crews, Crew Cicero emerged with a commendable 4th place finish, showcasing their dedication and skill in the world of numbers, with ‘arch rivals’ Crew Oliver achieving a 1st place finish.

The Cube Challenge was a captivating conundrum for the children, introduced by Dr. Katie Steckles. The challenge required the young minds to grapple with the intricacies of transforming an eight-faced net into a three-dimensional cube. This spatial puzzle not only engaged the children’s mathematical sharpness but also nurtured their problem-solving skills and perseverance. The atmosphere in the classrooms was one of focused determination as the children eagerly tackled the challenge. The challenge served as a testament to the power of hands-on, interactive learning experiences, making mathematics come alive in a way that traditional lessons might not.

Congratulations to all the NJS pupils who participated in Maths Week England. Their unwavering enthusiasm, coupled with their impressive problem-solving skills, made the week a resounding success. The celebration of mathematical prowess is not just about numbers; it is a testament to the pupils’ ability to think critically, work collaboratively, and embrace challenges with a growth mindset. A special thank you to Mr Chadwick for organising the Maths week activities. Well done to all!

‘Scaling the mountain!’ 🗻⏳💡

The Year 6 corridor has been buzzing with anticipation as their first test week kicked off on Monday. These young minds have showcased incredible resilience and resourcefulness, navigating through the challenges thrown at them in the initial days, with mountain that is maths waiting in the wings, yet to be conquered.

The energy in the classroom has been palpable: enthusiasm and determination evident. In these initial days, they’ve demonstrated outstanding qualities—tenacity, adaptability, and an unyielding drive to excel. Year 6, your efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. Keep up the exceptional work!

Sharing our Stories: 17/11/2023

Beautiful Work This Week

Rail City

From Market Town to Railway City – The Railway Journey that Helped to Shape Doncaster.

This is an updated collection of all the beautiful work created over the last few years by students across the XP Trust schools, inspired by the centenary of the Flying Scotsman and the railway heritage of Doncaster.

This book has given us an opportunity to update the original content of the many rail expeditions, with quotes from experts and our community about the importance of railways, the steam engines built here and the ongoing rail-related business here that will help shape the future of rail.

Published to coincide with a centenary celebration visit from the Flying Scotsman, we humbly hope that this book, created by our students and a new generation of rail enthusiasts, will become part of our railway story.

Norton Infants march for Askern CRY Foodbank

XP Gateshead: ‘Unheard voices of WWI’ broadcast on Memory Lane Radio

XP Doncaster: ‘Do Your Bit’ Radio Broadcast

Top of the Blogs

Weekly Update for Families @ XP Gateshead

C30: Hearing the stories of mining @ XP

A big thank you from KS1 @ Plover

Smashed it! @ Norton Juniors

World Diabetes Day 2023 @ XP East

Jaffa cake fractions @ Carcroft School

Fantastic family learning @ Green Top

Tranquil Tuesday Reading Crew @ Norton Infants

We’ve got Vacancies at XP Trust!

Visit xptrust.org/vacancies to find out more and apply to #JoinOurCrew

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!

Smashed it!

Well done to years 2-6 for a quite magnificent effort over the last three days as part of math’s week!

There were over 4000 schools that competed and our Norton Campus was more than competitive hitting the leaderboard in both disciplines scored: total number of coins and average number of coins per pupil. Well done everyone!

Pins and Needles: The learning journey of creating soft toys 🪡🦥

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! 

Sharing our Stories: 10/11/2023

Beautiful Work This Week

Flying Scotsman Centenary

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!

Top of the Blogs

Getting Smart with Beautiful Revision @ XP Gateshead

C26 Experience the Golden Age at Burghley House @ XP

We Will Remember Them @ Plover

Netball Extravaganza @ Norton Juniors

Spooky Season Reading! @ XP East

Diwali @ Carcroft School

Class 8 – Great use of iPads @ Green Top

Crew Champions @ Norton Infants

We’ve got Vacancies at XP Trust!

Visit xptrust.org/vacancies to find out more and apply to #JoinOurCrew

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!

Boudicca: Brave, Belligerent or just plain Barbaric?

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!