Dear parents and carers,
I hope you all had a restful Easter break. This past week has been short but incredibly busy, and I wanted to take a moment to welcome you back and share some highlights from our week of living life in all its fullness here at St Barnabas.

First, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the parents and carers who attended the parents' evening on Wednesday. We had an impressive turnout, with 92% of you attending. Your involvement is invaluable to your children's education and growth.

I would also like to welcome the 30 children and their families into our school family that have gained a place at St Barnabas this coming September. We will be in contact soon with details about our transition. You are very welcome to attend our stay and play sessions over the next three Wednesdays from 9.00am.


*Weekly Highlights*

St George's Day Celebration: We started our St George's Day celebrations and they will continue into next week as St George’s Day has been moved to Monday 28th April by the Church of England, due to it falling during Easter Week.

Reception Class Dentist Visit: Our Reception class had an informative visit from a dentist, teaching them about dental hygiene and care.

Year 5 Earth Day Worship: Year 5 presented a wonderful worship on Earth Day, focusing on how we can care for our planet and God's creations. They also prayed a special Earth Day prayer written by Pope Francis, who sadly passed away this week.

Year 3 Author Visit: Year 3 had the pleasure of an inspiring visit from author Jay Flynn, which greatly enhanced their understanding and writing of biographies.

Voice 21 Visit. In school we have been working over the last year on developing oracy across school. We had a visitor from the Voice 21 project yesterday and she was so proud of the progress that we have made as a school family on developing speaking and listening. A huge thank you to Miss Flynn and Mrs Wilkinson for driving the Voice 21 project and to our staff for their support. It is wonderful to see how much the children’s confidence is growing when speaking in front of others which will stand our children in good stead in the future.

For all of this week's news in detail, please click here: https://stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/news

*Fundraising Success*

Big Lent Walk for CAFOD: Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Big Lent Walk. As a school family, we raised £214 and walked an impressive 2627 km collectively.

Hop, Skip and Jump Event for East Lancs Hospice: We also raised £161 for the East Lancs Hospice through our Hop, Skip and Jump event. Your generosity and support are truly appreciated.

*Upcoming Events*
Tuesday 29th April: Rotakids and School council afternoon tea

Bank Holiday: Please note that school will be closed on Monday, 5th May for the bank holiday.

Thursday 8th May- Year 1 & 2 trip to Crocky Trail

Red, White and Blue Day: Join us on Friday, 9th May for a Red, White and Blue Day to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

Year 6 SATS: Year 6 SATS will take place the week commencing 12th May.

Year 5 PGL Trip: The Year 5 PGL trip is scheduled for 12th-14th May.

Year 3 Rock and River: Year 3 will have their Rock and River adventure on 15th May.
All of the upcoming events can be found here: https://stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/events

Thank you once again for your continued support and involvement in our school community. I wish you and your family a wonderful weekend and hopefully the sun continues to shine.

Warm regards, Becky Ham