Reception- PSHE- Anti-Bullying Week
Today we learnt all about anti-bullying and why we are wearing odd socks. We had a discussion about what bullying is. The children came up with some great ideas, stating that bullying is when someone is unkind to someone else again and again, hurting people, calling them names or pulling their hair. We spoke about bullying not just being actions but also words that aren’t very kind.
Year 1 Odd Socks Day
Year 1 loved showing off their odd socks in support of Anti-Bullying week. They even designed some odd socks in the Creative Area.
Year 1 PE: Underarm Throwing and Rolling a Ball
Year 1 tried really hard with their underarm throwing and rolling a ball. Some children even started to underarm throw with their opposite hand to challenge themselves. We noticed that we stand very similarly when underarm throwing and rolling a ball, but we have to bend lower when we are rolling.
Warhammer club
We started our Warhammer club this week. The children selected the miniatures they wanted to paint before choosing the base colours to paint with. The children did an amazing job covering the models with paint and considering their next steps. These include what details they wanted to paint, which colours they want to use and how they will use washes to add depth and detail.
Year 3- PSHE-Celebrating individuality by wearing Odd Socks
Year 3 kicked off Anti-Bullying Week by wearing odd socks and exploring ways to support themselves and others who might feel left out or picked on. Miss Barnes led the lesson, using a variety of scenarios to help the children understand how they can make a positive difference. They discussed what to do if someone is excluded from a game, if a classmate is called names, or if unkind messages are sent online. The children also considered how to respond when rumours are spread, and how small acts of kindness, such as welcoming a new student at lunchtime, can have a big impact. The lesson provided practical strategies for standing up for each other, celebrating individuality, and fostering a kinder, more supportive school community.
Year 3- Geography-Exploring Hemispheres and Weather
In Geography today, the children acted as geographers, beginning by reviewing what they remembered about latitudes before moving on to learn about the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. They then labelled seven countries on the map using a globe and an atlas, applying their geographical vocabulary to locate and describe each place. The class compared climates and weather in different countries, thinking about how the Earth’s rotation affects the seasons. For example, while it is late spring in Australia, the weather is often warm and sunny, with temperatures around 28°C in Sydney and occasional showers, whereas in the United Kingdom, it is late autumn, with cooler, drizzly days around 12°C and shorter daylight hours. This helped the children understand why it can be summer in one country while winter in another.
Year 1 D&T- Remembrance Day
Today in Year 1, we applied our understanding of sliding mechanisms to create beautiful, remembrance-themed moving pictures. As we worked, we reflected on all the soldiers who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice their lives to protect our country. We also thought carefully about the symbolism of the poppy and what it represents. Well done, Year 1, for your thoughtful work and creativity.
Amazing attendance award!
We are incredibly proud and thrilled to announce a significant achievement for our school family! We have been honoured with a national school attendance award, recognising our placement in the top 10% of all primary schools across England for the 2024/25 academic year. This outstanding accomplishment is a testament to the dedication of our children, the support of our parents and carers, and the hard work of our entire staff. It reflects our collective commitment to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to be in school, learning, and thriving. This success builds upon our previous achievement, where we were recognised for being in the top 25% of primary schools the year before. This consistent improvement demonstrates the positive impact of our ongoing efforts to promote excellent attendance and create an engaging and supportive learning environment for all. We extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who has contributed to this remarkable achievement.
Reception PE - Jumping Stations
This week we have continued to develop our jumping skills in the hall. The children accessed four different jumping stations where they could practise jumping and landing appropriately.
Friday Celebration Worship
This morning in celebration worship, we reflected on a wonderful first week back to start the second half of our Autumn term. This week, we have remembered all those who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice their lives for us, and we observed a special two-minute silence. We would like to thank everyone who has supported the Poppy Appeal; our poppy merchandise will continue to be available next week. We then presented our individual value award winners in EYFS, KS1 and KS2. Well done to our worthy winners Hunter, Finn, Inaiya, Elijah, Chay, Harriet and Quinn for consistently demonstrating the Barney’s 4Bs, working extremely hard across the curriculum, producing work of an exceptional standard and showing a genuine desire to always improve. A huge well done also goes to Elijah, Chay, Isaac, Lana, Lyla, Cassidy, Naomi and Emily for achieving their pen licences—we know how hard you have all worked for this accomplishment. We also congratulated Whitehall Park as our overall value award winners for the week, along with Year 1 and Year 5 for achieving the highest attendance. Moving on, we celebrated the wonderful achievements of our children who have been excelling outside of school in their various sports and activities. Well done to Beau for being a mighty defender in football, Ida and Leila for showing impressive skill in stop, starting and steering during horse riding, Callie for demonstrating outstanding floor and vault work in gymnastics, Ava for her generosity at Rainbows and for achieving Star of the Week at Street Dance, Lana for her performing arts award, Theo for earning her drawing interest badge and Star of the Week in gymnastics for exceptional beam work, Olivia for achieving her 20m swimming certificate, Lyla for her success in lyrical, jazz and commercial dance, Olivia again for achieving her Level 1 gymnastics award, Isaac for demonstrating exceptional football skills at the Everton Academy experience, Rosie for being a superstar Brownie and earning several badges, Martha for achieving her 10m swimming award, Lydia for earning her laughter badge at Rainbows and for being extremely helpful, and Eleanor for achieving both her Rainbow Silver Award and a laughter badge. In other news, our Wellbeing Warriors also announced Year 3 as the winning class for having the most walkers in October and proudly shared that our school placed third in the borough for the highest number of walkers overall, our Sports Leaders presented India Mill as the Inter-house Dodgeball Competition winners from before the holidays, and we also congratulated our Year 5/6 Boys Football Team, who represented our school brilliantly and achieved two wins in the BwD Football League last night. Looking ahead, we are excited to continue our Scholastic Book Fair next week, to wear odd socks on Monday as we launch Anti-Bullying Week, and to end the week by wearing spots, pyjamas or Pudsey attire in support of Children in Need next Friday. Thank you to our wonderful school family for their support this week and always. Wishing you all a lovely weekend.
Year 6: Remembrance Service
Our Year 6 children took part in the Darwen Cemetery remembrance day service this morning and we were so proud of the remarkable respect that they showed. A huge well done to Mason for his lovely reading and to all of our children for their maturity and compassion when placing crosses on the graves of the soldiers who bravely fought for our country. After the service the children learned that the piper used to attend St Barnabas as a child so he let the children try on his special hat. As a reward for representing our school so brilliantly, the children got to enjoy their break time on the play area in Whitehall Park. #WeWillRememberThem #remembrance #remembranceday #lestweforget
Year 1 Phonics
Today in Phonics, Year 1 enjoyed playing Phonics Bingo to revise the Phase 3 sounds they have been learning. This activity helped remind us of all the sounds we need to listen for as we segment and blend words when reading. Well done, Year 1!