Reception: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
It has been an incredibly exciting week in Reception class as we dive into the wonderful world of Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar. To bring the story to life, we are thrilled to welcome some very special guests—our very own tiny caterpillars right here in the classroom! The children have been busy becoming mini-scientists, learning all about what these creatures eat, how they grow, and the fascinating stages of their life cycle. We even did some counting to discover exactly how many legs they have! There is a real sense of wonder in the air, and we truly can’t wait to watch the magic of nature unfold before our very eyes as they begin their transformation.
Year 3- English/R.E- Exploring the Ten Commandments through Poetry
In today's English lesson, we explored the Ten Commandments to inspire our own "Rule Poems." We looked at how these Christian instructions still shape the way Christians live today and how they relate to the rules we follow in our own community. The children discussed how to take a commandment, like "Do not tell lies," and transform it into a poetic line about being a person of truth and integrity. We talked about how these Christian values are reflected in almost all religions and cultures. Even people who aren't religious follow similar "moral laws" to be good citizens. Do not be jealous" (Coveting) is actually about finding happiness and being thankful for what we have.
Year 3- P.E- Developing the Rugby Swing Pass
Today, Year 3 developed their teamwork and technical skills during an Invasion Games lesson focused on Rugby. The children practised the swing pass, focusing on forming a 'W' shape with their hands and swinging the ball from chest to hip height toward their target. They participated in a "Pepper Pot" drill to improve their passing accuracy and speed, working hard to beat their personal bests in a 30-second challenge. A key focus of the lesson was honesty, as groups were responsible for reporting their actual number of successful passes. The children also explored tactics to outwit a defender, such as feinting a pass and moving into open space to receive the ball. To finish, they applied these skills in a 4v1 game, where attackers had to use quick thinking and precise passing to keep the ball away from the defender.
Year 5 - RotaKids
Julia and Kathleen from Darwen Rotary Club came to visit today to discuss our next charity project for RotaKids. Having supported local and global charities through our previous efforts, we decided this time to support our school. We discussed various fundraising ideas before deciding on two potential favourites: wearing historical dress or dressing as you would in your future career. Now the RotaKids council have to convince Mrs Ham that we have the organisation and passion to get the whole school onside and raise as much as we can for St Barnabas.
Year 5 - Science
In Science, we took advantage of the good weather and went outside to conduct our experiments on the different levels of friction materials can produce. At first, we defined friction as a contact force that opposes movement and can generate heat. Then we measured how much push a toy car needs to move when resting on tin foil, sandpaper and fabric. The children found that the fabric created the most friction because it is rough, creating more contact with the car’s wheels.
Year 1 PE: Athletics
In our new PE topic, we are focusing on skills that we need in Athletics. We started by focusing on our posture, marching to Grand Old Duke of York whilst balancing a beanbag on our head. Then, we focused on following a leader in partners. In groups, we worked in stations. One station allowed us to practise our posture whilst balancing a beanbag on our head whilst moving between two hoops. The second station allowed us to practise rolling a quoit from one cone to another. The third station allowed us to practise both hopscotch and following a leader.
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Reception: Muddy Monday
What a wonderful "Muddy Monday" for our Reception class! The children had a fantastic time exploring the outdoors at Jacks Key Reservoir, keeping their eyes peeled and ears open for the first signs of Spring. It didn't take long for our mini-explorers to spot vibrant yellow daffodils peeking through the grass and delicate blossoms beginning to bloom on the trees. Looking up, we were treated to a beautiful blue sky filled with fluffy white clouds, while the air was alive with the cheerful sound of birds tweeting. To top off our adventure, we even spotted some butterflies fluttering by, confirming that Spring is truly on its way. We are so blessed to have this right on our doorstep!
Year 1 Maths: Measuring with Objects
Year 1 used objects such as cubes, paper clips, dominoes and counters to measure different classroom objects. The children had to make sure that the objects were aligned and they did not leave any spaces between the objects that they were using to measure. The children measured glue sticks, pencils, rubbers, whiteboards etc.
Year 1 Geography: Exploring Our School Area
In Geography, we recalled what human and physical features are. Human features are things made by humans such as playgrounds. Physical features are natural environments such as wooded areas. We walked around our school ground to find human and physical features. We had lots of human features such as the trim trail, playgrounds, the peace garden, the outdoor gym and the Muga. We had some physical features like the football fields and our growing school orchard.
Mad Science After School Club- Exploring the Forces of Motion
In today’s After School Mad Science Club, our scientists explored the fascinating laws of physics through several "Mad Scientist" challenges. The children investigated gravity and inertia by successfully pulling tablecloths from under dishes, proving that objects at rest prefer to stay at rest. We also held exciting woodpecker races, where the students learned how vibration and friction allow a wooden bird to "peck" its way down a wire. Additionally, the children mastered the art of moving coins across fabric without touching them, using clever vibrations to overcome friction. The children had so much fun throughout the afternoon and are already buzzing with excitement for our next session!
Friday Celebration Worship
We had a fabulous first week back and it was wonderful to see all the children working so hard and settling back into school life so positively. Throughout the week, we spent time reflecting on kindness, thinking carefully about the kind things we have done ourselves and the kindness we have seen in others. This week’s values awards were proudly presented to Luna in Reception, Jasper in Year 1, Noah in Year 2, Archie in Year 3, Bluebell in Year 4, James in Year 5 and Elsie in Year 6. Well done to all of you for consistently demonstrating our school values. In TT Rockstars, Archie and Lyla from Year 4 were awarded certificates for their efforts, fantastic work! Our team values results saw Darwen Tower in fourth place, India Mill in third, Whitehall Park in second and River Darwen taking first place. A huge congratulations to River Darwen, who also won a disco and non-uniform day for achieving the most points last half term, what a brilliant achievement! We were delighted to celebrate a wide range of achievements outside of school this week. Ava was awarded a Level 4 certificate in swimming, while Reggie achieved 50 metres, Mikey 20 metres, Minnie C 10 metres, Isabella achieved Stage 5 and James achieved Stage 1, well done to all our swimmers. Luna earned a yellow belt in kickboxing and Eleanor received a certificate for taking part in a duck hunt. Lydia, Annie, Luna, Thea and Olivia were all awarded badges and certificates in Rainbows for first aid, networking skills, tasty treats and present making. Rosie and Naomi were recognised as seconders in Brownies, taking on an important leadership role. Sophia, Darcy, Daisy and Alexis were all awarded sixer badges in Brownies for their leadership, with Darcy also receiving the Brownies doll for being particularly helpful. Samuel was named Beaver of the Week for his excellent map reading and Isaac was awarded Player of the Week for his fantastic shooting, passing and tackling in football. Congratulations to Reception and Year 3 for achieving the highest attendance this week, keep it up! Finally, we shared some important reminders. Reception families were invited to the upcoming stay and play session and we are looking forward to celebrating Earth Day on Wednesday, with children invited to come dressed in green or blue. Year 3 are excited for their upcoming Rock and River Outdoor Adventure trip and we also look forward to the Whitehall Park afternoon tea taking place on Sunday. We ended our worship with thoughtful prayers led by Sophia and Darcy. Well done to everyone for such a positive and successful week.
Year 3- Class Meeting- Should TIKTOK be banned?
During our class meeting, James and Alice led a debate on whether TikTok should be banned. The children shared many strong points, with those in favour of a ban arguing that the app can be unsafe for young children, time-consuming, and sometimes used for unkind behaviour. On the other hand, those who disagreed pointed out that TikTok is a fun way to be creative, learn new skills like dancing or crafts, and stay connected with friends. After a long discussion where everyone gave good reasons for their opinions, we held a vote. The "Yes" side received the highest number of votes, so we will be taking further action on this in a few weeks. We also looked back at our work raising money for a brain tumour cure, showing how important it is for our class to speak up and take action for things we believe in. We will be baking to raise money soon. It is wonderful to see the class so eager to speak up and take real action to help others.