Easter Egg Donation
In Worship this morning we focused on our Kindness Kite for this week, which was about fairness and sharing what we have with others. Our children thought of so many ways we share what we have with those who don't have as much as we do such as donating food through our Harvest Appeals, donating warm coats to the homeless, donating our clothes and toys, our Rotakids donating teddies to Darwen Rotary Club and our shoebox appeal for Darwen DARE - Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise. This led us to think about what we could give this Lent and the children thought about gifting Easter Eggs. If you would like to gift an Easter Egg to a child in need in our community, please send one into school. Thank you in advance for your kindness.
Year 5 - Rotakids
This week marks the end of our most recent charity project in association with Darwen Rotary Club. We collected over 60 teddies and plushes from the ever-generous children and families of St Barnabas. Some will be heading abroad to children in war zones with the Teddy Trust, while others will support more local families. Thank you to everyone who contributed and well done to Year 5, whose enthusiasm, posters, comic books and passionate speeches made it all possible.
Year 5 -Rotakids
Today, Julia from Darwen Rotary Club visited the class to discuss our next project. We have decided to collect Teddy Bears to give to children around the world who do not have their own. We have made posters and comic strips to promote the endeavour and we will be asking everyone in the school to donate a Teddy Bear in good condition that they would be willing to part with.
Whole School Worship - Power for Good
Our theme in today’s collective worship was “Power for Good”. Continuing our focus on Anti-Bullying Week, Mrs Ham shared some of the fantastic answers the children gave on Monday about standing up to bullying. These included saying stop, being assertive, asking why, and telling a trusted adult. We learned of how Jesus was a power for good, even when others turned against him, and we reflected on the ways in which we can also be a power for good by being a good friend and spotting when someone needs our help. The WOW Group also shared how they are being a power for good, by protecting our planet and leading our school’s Switch Off Fortnight campaign. They shared posters recommending ways to save energy around school, including turning off lights and computer monitors when they are not in use, and they explained that they will be checking how well each class is doing at saving energy every break time and lunchtime during the campaign.
Rotakids Harvest Collection
A huge thank you from our RotaKids to everyone who has donated shoe boxes filled with toiletries and warm clothing for DARE - Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise over the last few weeks. They are still collecting warm coats, hats and scarfs for Darwen Rotary to help those who are homeless or are in need. Perhaps you could sort through any old coats during the holidays. Thanks for your generosity!
Whole School Worship - Preparing for Harvest Time
This week in worship it has been a time of reflection. We thought about some of the many injustices around the world with the aid of picture and video prompts. The children explored what they saw in the video and explained the injustice of each situation. Mrs Ham then talked about the causes we are supporting this Harvest and we celebrated the charitable efforts made so far by members of our school family. Then it was over to the children as they taught the teachers how to sing a Harvest song in Zulu. We’re all in for a treat at the Harvest service next Thursday.
Year 5 - RotaKids
Dear Parents and Carers, This October, Year 5 is organising a special charity drive to support refugee families in Darwen who are in need of warmth and essentials. We are inviting every family at St Barnabas to fill a shoe box with small items that can make a big difference. Suggested items to include: Warm winter clothing (hats, gloves, scarves) Toiletries (soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo) Non-perishable treats (e.g. chocolate, biscuits) Once filled, kindly secure your shoe box with an elastic band and bring it into school by Thursday 23rd October. Together, we can show compassion and bring comfort to those who need it most. Thank you for your kindness and generosity. Warm regards, Mr Mealor & The Year 5 RotaKids
Year 5 - RotaKids
Kathleen and Julia from Darwen Rotary Club visited Year 5 to help choose our RotoKids. The children elected a president, vice president, secretary and treasurer who will help organise our fund raising efforts this year. We will have events to support the school, our local community as well as making contributions to international relief efforts. Congratulations to Desmond, Olivia, Daisy and Miles!
Edstart Jag Tag Tournament
Today we took part in the Edstart Jag Tag Tournament at Our Lady St John. We played against other schools from across the Borough and managed to secure some wonderful results. St Barnabas vs St Paul’s Hoddlesden - 12-0 win St Barnabas Vs St Anthony’s 8-0 win St Barnabas Vs Audley 14-6 win St Barnabas Vs Daisyfield Once we progressed to the Semi Final we met Audley again which resulted in a 18-0 win and then the final game was against St Anthony’s and we managed to come away with a sixth consecutive win of 12-0. Huge thanks to Marcus @Edstart for organising the tournament- it was fantastic to see everyone taking part with huge smiles on their faces and showing super sportsmanship. What a way to end such a successful sporting calendar! Go Team B!
Growing from Year 3 into Year 4’s Transition Day
What a fantastic day we have had with our soon to be Year 4 class! We have had a PSHE lesson - All About me , a Creative Writing session which focused on a dragon called Targon and a boy named Seb, plenty of artwork and we even managed to squeeze in some time on the MUGA and outdoor gym at the end of the day. The children have shown the four B’s and have been super enthusiastic, producing some wonderful pieces of work for our new displays. We can’t wait to welcome them back in September as they are definitely more than ready!
Year 4 - Linking Schools: End of Year Celebration
What a brilliant way to finish our Linking Schools journey! We all had great fun in Year 4 on the Schools Linking Celebration Zoom. We reminisced about all the enriching activities we took part in this year and shared some of our favourite moments, such as playing the whiteboard game, meeting St Matthew’s and making new friends. We have learned so much about ourselves and who we are, as well as learning about our link class. Tolerance, respect and friendship were definitely key themes as we realised that, although we were different to our new friends in many ways, we also had so much in common. There is just one more step for us to complete, which is our social action project. After collating ideas about improving God’s world, we voted for the most popular idea and decided we would act on it - writing to residents of a care home. Look out for more news about our happy post soon.
Whole School Worship - How Can We Flourish Together?
Today, in our collective worship, we shared ideas of what it means to flourish. The children had some fantastic thoughts, including being the best you can be, persevering, sharing with others and appreciating what God has given us. We looked at each one of our Christian values and decided how they could help us to learn and grow together. Mrs Ham reminded us of some of the “wows” and the “ows” in the world and we discussed how they make us feel. We reflected on the part we can all play by taking action to prevent the suffering in the world. We ended our worship with a reminder and a celebration of the ways we at St Barnabas have affected change in our communities and in the wider world. These included supporting our local refugees, collecting preloved coats for the homeless, raising money for East Lancs Hospice and collecting tinned food and toiletries for our harvest appeal. The children articulated that we all flourish when we aim to make the world a better place.