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Year 2 - English - Identifying Diary Features
In Year 2, we worked in talk partners to identify the features in a diary entry.
Times Tables - April Battle Week Winners
Our KS2 children have been really stepping it up with their times tables practice lately and we couldn’t be prouder. They’ve racked up THOUSANDS of correct answers between them, resulting in one of our biggest point-scoring battles yet. A huge congratulations to this month’s winners: Piper-Jo in Year 3, Lottie in Year 4, Charlie in Year 5 and Charlie in Year 6. And to our class champions, Year 4 taking the LKS2 trophy and Year 6 taking the UKS2 trophy. May’s battle will be slightly different with the children requesting a boys vs. girls battle. Good luck, everyone!
Year 4 - Science: How Sound Travels
This week’s science involved a carousel of activities to investigate how sound travels. The children learned that sound must travel through a medium: solid, liquid or gas. And that it’s the vibration of the particles around the sound source that causes sound waves. The children found out that sound travels more quickly through solids as the particles are packed more densely than in water or air. They then investigated differences in how they heard the sound through different mediums.
Year 4 - Linking Schools: Social Action
We are now in Phase 2 of our Linking Schools journey and we have discussed issues we are passionate about in our community. It became evident quite quickly that the children took umbrage with inconsiderate road users. They reported concerns about drivers breaking the speed limits near their homes and around town, and they listed a number of problems they’d encountered due to inconsiderate parking. Following this discussion, we decided to look at the Highway Code and create posters to remind road users to show courtesy. The children created some super posters that were colourful, eye catching and delivered clear messages for drivers. We will be writing to our local MP and sending in our posters, requesting that they may be used to create signs for the worst affected areas of Darwen.
Year 1 Geography: Exploring Darwen
As part of our Geography unit, Year 1 explored our local area in Darwen. We visited many places such as India Mill, Darwen Town Hall, Darwen Heritage Centre, Darwen Leisure Centre and Bold Venture Park. It was a long 8km walk and the children enjoyed seeing different areas in their town.
Whole School Worship - One Way Giving
In this whole school collective worship, we developed our understanding of one way giving. Our Year 6 heads and deputies began by sharing what each class did for our Hop, Skip and Jump event. Jacqui, a representative from East Lancs Hospice came to award us with participation certificates and to reveal that we raised a fantastic £357 during our event. Thank you to all our children and parents for your support. Mrs Ham then shared this week’s One Way Giving kindness kite. Three of our KS2 children volunteered to read the sections of the kite and we learned that the Bible says we should give in secret and God will reward us. After this, we watched a cartoon of the event when Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding in Canaan. He secretly asked the servants to fill the jars with water and turned it into wine. The master of ceremonies tasted the wine and approved it to be a very good wine thinking it was provided by the groom. The groom received the praise, and only the servants and God knew that Jesus had performed this miracle. This was a great example of one way giving. Finally, Mrs Ham and Mr Bloomfield put up our new Widgit symbols, with the help of our children, on our Big Frieze to help the children understand God’s Big Story.
Online Safety: Managing Exam Stress
Exam periods can place significant pressure on young people, affecting their confidence, focus and overall wellbeing. Our latest #WakeUpWednesday guide explores realistic and supportive strategies to help manage this pressure. It highlights practical approaches, including: • Organising workload and reducing overwhelm • Using active and creative revision techniques • Creating calm, focused study environments • Using technology, including AI, in a thoughtful way The guide also emphasises the importance of maintaining balance, motivation and positive wellbeing during exam preparation. Download the guide here:https://vist.ly/428mn #Education #Wellbeing #Safeguarding #TeachingAndLearning #WakeUpWednesday
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Ocean Awareness with the Marine Conservation Society
Today, we were joined by Lorna from the Marine Conservation Society for a brilliant session. The children explored the wonders of our Ocean while learning about serious challenges such as climate change, overfishing, and ocean pollution. A particularly memorable moment was learning that sea turtles often mistake floating plastic bags for jellyfish, their favourite food, highlighting the dangers of litter. Lorna inspired the children to think creatively about waste, showing them how to repurpose plastic items, such as turning old milk gallons into birds or bird feeders. The children loved sharing their favourite things about the sea, and to help us keep learning, Lorna mentioned that there are plenty of fantastic free resources available on their website to explore at home or in class.
Year 5 - RE
We started by discussing the children’s knowledge of what funerals are and why we have them. This is a sensitive topic and the children showed great maturity and sensitivity in sharing their experiences in an open, respectful manner. We then analysed Christian prayers spoken in funerals and considered what they tell us about Christian beliefs around God, Jesus and heaven.
Year 6 - Athletics
This week in PE, Year 6 have been developing their athletics skills and demonstrating fantastic enthusiasm throughout. The children explored effective baton changes in relay running, focusing on timing, communication and smooth transitions to improve overall performance. The children also practised their chest push technique, concentrating on control, balance and generating power, as well as refining their javelin throwing skills with an emphasis on accuracy, distance and safe technique. It has been wonderful to see such great effort, determination and teamwork from all children, with many showing increased confidence and supporting one another to improve. Well done, Year 6!
Times Table Rockstar Champions
A huge well done to our Times table Rockstar champions, who battled it out to take first place in their classes! An incredible 121 children took part, achieving a fantastic total of over 181,000 correct answers, a truly brilliant effort by everyone involved. A special congratulations goes to our winners: Piper-Jo – Year 3 Lottie – Year 4 Charlie – Year 5 Charlie – Year 6 What an amazing achievement, we are so proud of you all!
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The Big Bake Sale
'The Big Bake Sale' Dear Parents and Guardians, Next week, our School Councillors are turning into star bakers! We are putting on our aprons to help raise vital funds for The Brain Tumour Charity, an organisation dedicated to moving further and faster towards a cure. Our goal is to help reach the charity's fundraising milestones, and we would love your support to get there. We will be baking our treats on Tuesday to ensure everything is fresh for the sale on Wednesday, May 6th. Children can grab delicious homemade buttery biscuits and cupcakes for £1 each during morning break, and any leftover bakes will be available for purchase at the school gates after school. You can contribute directly via ParentPay, or children can bring cash to school on Wednesday. While bakes are £1, any additional voluntary donations are incredibly appreciated as we strive to smash our £300+ goal. Every penny raised brings us closer to a cure. Thank you in advance! The Smart School Council team and Miss Kachwalla (D.T leader).