The Key’s innovative project invited the student voice group to embark on their own enterprising projects through the creation of various products including ‘Merchandise of Morpeth’ and ‘Sugar Crush’ sweets. The student voice worked together to think, plan, do and review their very own projects with the support of trained Key Facilitators every Friday during DLE.

Throughout their journey student voice focused on their development of twelve specified Key skills. These skills are the building blocks for future success in education, training, work and adulthood.

This simple journey, based around a healthy balance of freedom and structure, provides the vital spark that young people need to ignite their passions and practically develop their skills for real world success.

After securing the money through a testing business pitch here at Newminster Middle School to the dragons den (a panel of business professionals) each group’s products were ordered and delivered ready for making and selling.

Click the 12 key skills image to enlarge.

Selling

On 17th May the student voice projects were all invited to attend Sage HQ in Newcastle where they were able to showcase their goods.

Leigh Thompson (Sage Foundation Manager) tweeted us to say “These guys were absolutely brilliant. A credit to the school and the programme. Thanks for being part of our #enterprise day.”

On 7th June 2017, all of the students headed down to Morpeth Market to sell their products on a stall to the members of public. They even got advice from a regular stallholder on how to perfect their market “shouting” techniques. Their final selling location was at our Summer Fayre where pupils, parents and staff were able to buy the products.

From the 9-13 October Artsmark are celebrating the amazing achievements of the Artsmark schools who are putting arts and culture at the heart of education.

Over the course of this week, we’ll be sharing our incredible CMS and NMS Artsmark stories. Lookout for the #CelebrateArtsmark.

For this year’s Children in Need we are going to attempt to make and decorate a giant cake which will take the shape of a patchwork quilt – what a spectacle!

Each form class will​ design, plan and decorate a 12 inch square cake on the theme of friendship, care, Children in Need and charity.

On the Friday morning of Children in Need all students, in form classes, will decorate a class cake to match their design. The cakes will then be taken to Chantry Hall where they will be displayed as one giant cake. Students will be given time to admire their work as a whole before sampling later in the day.

The ingredients for the cakes, icing (not decoration) and boards will be provided by the school. However, to allow students to be as creative as possible, we will ask students to volunteer to bring a small amount of the decorations required, as directed by their form teacher.

There will be no charge for the cake as we are also having a Pudsey themed non-uniform day to raise money for the charity with a voluntary £1 donation. The choir will also be doing a sponsored sing in the hope we can raise some additional funds for this fantastic charity!

Linking to the health and well being of our students we have designed whole school projects to encourage individuality and uniqueness. This year we have planned for each pupil to create a unique design on a pebble and we are putting them together, as a school, to form an outdoor sculpture. We have based the project on a book called ‘Only One You’.

We had a fantastic turn out for our Year 5 school lunches last week hosted by our Year 8 prefects.

Families comments included: “It was good to see how dinner times work”. “Fresh food and tasty – thank you for the warm welcome”, ‘”Loved having the chance to spend some time with my child in school” and “Lunch was delicious… when can we come back!”.

Thank you for all the lovely feedback that we passed on to our kitchen staff!

Thank you for joining us!

Having a Coffee Morning was the perfect chance to catch up over a cuppa, enjoy gorgeous treats and help Macmillan be there for people facing cancer. With your help, we managed to raise a grand total of £621.80.

Thank you for all your wonderful support and contributions with the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning, it was great to see so many friends, family and members of the community fill the Newminster Hall. From creative cupcakes to terrific tray bakes, Newminster students you really pulled out the stops this year! Well done to our very own student voice for helping to organise and run the event – the school hall looked like an episode from the Great British Bake Off!

Year 6 have been creating underwater compositions this week.

Thank you and well done to everyone who entered the Steel Pan Logo Competition.

Jenny Gilberg, the steel pan teacher, chose the winning entry by Poppy Mackenzie in year 7 at Newminster.

This logo is going to be put onto grey hoodies for the steel pan players to purchase and wear for their performances. More information to follow …