Dear parents and carers, we've had an incredibly busy week of living life in all its fullness here at St Barnabas. I'm excited to share some of the great things we have achieved:

*Rotakids and School Council Afternoon Tea: It was a wonderful celebration of our school family living life to the fullest. The children enjoyed chatting, laughing, and drinking hot chocolate together. Thank you to all of the staff who supported the event.

*Bee Stinger High Fives Netball Competition: Our team won the heat and are through to the final – a fantastic achievement! Thanks to Mrs Gardner and Mrs Wilkinson for supporting.

*Year 5 Peer Mediation Training: Our Year 5 students took part in an enriching peer mediation training session in association with Quakers and DACA, equipping them with valuable skills to assist their peers.

*Year of Prayer: Our playground lines have been a wonderful reminder to follow the right path, as taught by Jesus. It's been heartwarming to see the children engaging with different ways to pray each week through our Diocesan Year of Prayer.

*KS2 Square Root Day: Our Key Stage 2 children enthusiastically participated in Square Root Day, making learning both fun and educational.

*Cross Country Competition: We witnessed a great team effort, with Emily winning gold and Carter securing silver in Year 4. A big congratulations to them all for their effort and determination on the hottest day of the year so far! Thank you to Mr Norris and Mrs Gardner for your support and to parents for transporting and supporting.

*Choir: It's wonderful to see new members joining our choir, which now meets during Thursday lunchtime.

*River Darwen House Team Disco: A fun and successful event enjoyed by all. A huge thanks to Mr Bloomfield for leading and to Miss Lohar for supporting.

*Random Acts of Kindness: Our Year 4 children have been focusing on supporting our mental health through kindness so they delivered special kindness poems and sweet treats to local residents this afternoon.

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

Reminders of Upcoming Events:

Monday: Bank holiday.

Tuesday: Year 1 will have a mock baptism at our church. Children are welcome to wear their party clothes.

Wednesday: Year 4 mini-tennis competition

Thursday:

Year 1 & 2 are off to the Crocky Trail trip. Please ensure they arrive early at 8:30 am.

DPSSA Netball League kicks off at Holy Trinity.

Friday: We'll celebrate Red, White, and Blue Day for the VE Day 80th year commemoration. Children may come dressed in red, white and/or blue and donations to the Royal British Legion can be made on parent pay.

For all of the upcoming events, please see our noticeboard on the yard or our website here: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/events

Thank you for your continued support, whether that is supporting your child with their reading and homework, transporting and supporting them at events, attending our celebration worships or ensuring that your child attends school regularly and on time. It truly makes a difference to our school family and ensures that St Barnabas continues to be such a brilliant place to work and learn. I wish you a wonderful May bank holiday weekend – may it be filled with sunshine and joy.

Best wishes,

Becky Ham