Owl Babies!

For the past two weeks Crew Frost have been looking at the story Owl Babies in our afternoon expedition, during this session the children were introduced to play dough, their task was to make their very own baby owl. The children particularly enjoyed using feathers and googly eyes to represent the features on their owls, whilst strengthening their fine motor muscles by pinching, splatting and rolling the dough. Well done Crew Frost.

Fine Motor practice.

We are having a big push on fine motor this year within nursery to make sure we are ready to write! Our first job of the day is to practice our threading skills, the children have shown how they can concentrate working the thread through the holes, it is alot harder than we think to master! Keep aiming high crew Frost!

Squiggle While You Wiggle!

This week crew Frost have been introduced to the early writing programme Squiggle While You Wiggle, this programme offers the first steps to build their fine and gross motor movements. The programme also encourages mark making with meaning whilst incorporating dance, uses of materials, and just lots of fun! We can not wait to see what fine motor skills will develop over the next few weeks.

Sharing our Stories: 05/09/2025

Beautiful Work This Week

Welcome back!

Here’s a selection of beautiful work from across the XP Trust from the our first two weeks back! To read about other stories from across the XP Trust, visit xptrust.org.

Top of the Blogs

Year 6 leavers party 2025 @ Green Top

Family learning fun @ Plover

Our colour monster journey! @ Carcroft School

Acts of service to others @ Norton Juniors

Crew Barnes: 1st week back @ XP

Beautiful Artwork by Freya @ XP East

Weekly Update for Families @ XP Gateshead

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!

Computing – Crack the Code

During our first computing lesson today, we began by talking about what coding is and why coding was used during the war. We then had some time to work in pairs to break some different cipher codes; some involve moving letters around the alphabet while others have hidden items within the text.

Creating Roman Coins

As part of our hook into our new expedition, the children had the opportunity to design and create their own Roman coins out of clay. They carefully considered the symbols and designs used by the Romans and thought about what might be important to feature on their own coins. 

Carcroft Crew Graffiti Project

Today we worked together as a whole school crew to design and create our very own graffiti wall! With the support of expert graffiti artists, we learned new skills and used our creativity to celebrate everything that makes Crew special. From sharing ideas and sketching designs, to choosing colours and spraying the final masterpiece, we collaborated as one team to bring our vision to life. Our graffiti wall now stands as a bold reminder that when we work together, we can achieve something amazing!