Year 3- Class Worship-Celebrating St. George’s Day
For today's class worship, we learned about the significance of St. George’s Day. We discussed the patron saint's history and the values of bravery and kindness he represents. The children engaged in a thoughtful discussion about fairness and unfairness, exploring what it means to act with integrity. We linked these ideas to the Bible’s teachings on how we should treat others with kindness, respect, and equality. Elijah, read the prayer for the whole class.
Year 3- R.E- Rules Of Living
This afternoon, we continued to celebrate Earth Day by taking our "Rules for Living" lesson into the Peace Garden. Surrounded by God's nature, we took time to appreciate the world around us and think about how to live life in its fullness. We discussed how rules are not just about what we "can't" do, but are there to help us grow, much like Jesus taught us. We talked about how Jesus gave us the ultimate rules for living: to love God and to love one another. By following these guides, we learn how to look after our planet and each other with kindness and respect. It was a lovely, simple way to connect with the outdoors and reflect on the best way to live our lives.
Year 3 Celebrating Earth Day 2026
To celebrate Earth Day, the children came to school dressed in earth colours like green, blue, and brown. It was a wonderful way to show our respect for the planet! Throughout the day, we took part in some fantastic hands-on activities. First, we made wooden coasters representing the Earth. For this project, we used recycled wooden wheels because using reclaimed materials helps us protect our forests and reduces waste, which is exactly what Earth Day is all about. The children also took part in planting sunflower seeds. This was a particular highlight because it gave everyone a chance to get their hands in the soil and connect with nature. They especially enjoyed the feeling of responsibility that comes with nurturing a living thing. These sunflowers will be very useful for our Science topic next half-term, as the children are starting their plant diaries this week to track how their seedlings grow.
Year 3 - Earth Day 2026- Pobble Live Writing Session
We joined a very special live session with Pobble, where the children produced some amazing writing. The story starter was very exciting: the Earth itself had landed right in our school yard! The children wrote about the Earth whispering a powerful question to them: "What are you doing to protect me?" It was a fantastic way to use our imagination to think about important environmental issues.
Whole School Worship- Earth Day 2026: Our Power, Our Planet
Today, Mrs Ham led an inspiring whole-school worship focused on Earth Day 2026, which is tomorrow, and our theme, 'Our Power, Our Planet. We explored essential ways to care for our environment, from the importance of recycling and saving water to the impact of planting trees. During the session, the children demonstrated fantastic oral speaking and oracy skills as they discussed their personal pledges with their peers, articulating how they plan to help the environment, not just on Earth Day, but every day! We heard some wonderful stories: Luna spoke about her time picking up litter on holiday in Greece, while Alfie shared that it is an act of kindness to pick up rubbish even if it isn't your own. Jonas also reminded our budding Planet Protectors to wear green for the land and blue for the sea tomorrow to celebrate Earth Day. From planting trees at home to helping grandparents with local litter picks, the children’s ideas were truly inspiring. We also reflected on our efforts as a school family in protecting our planet over the last few months such as planting a microforest at Jacks Key, planting two orchards on our school grounds, our WOW group's pick up dog poo campaign, our Rotakids recycling teddies and winter coats for those in need and focusing on switching off lights and devices. We concluded by singing, 'We Can Make a Difference', and offering a prayer of thanks for our wonderful world, reflecting on how we can all work together to protect our precious planet.
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.
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.
Year 3- English- Exploring Rules linking it to R.E
Today we started exploring how structure helps us convey a clear message in our writing. To create interest, we watched two contrasting clips: one of a chaotic kitchen on Mother's Day and another of a young girl cooking in a calm, organised space. We are using these clips to help us write poems, thinking about how we can use different structures to show either "order" or "chaos." We also linked this to our R.E. focus on rules and laws, discussing how rules are important because they keep us safe. The children reflected on how, without laws, our streets would be full of confusion, much like the messy kitchen. Ultimately, we learned that a rule is like a promise to look after one another, providing the same structure to our lives.
Year 3- Maths- Exploring Mass and Scales
Building on what the children learned in Year 2, we have started our unit on Scales and Mass this week. While the children already know about grams and kilograms, they are now looking closer at how to read different types of scales accurately. We have also been practicing how to convert between units, remembering that 1 kg = 1000 g. We talked about how we still see these scales today, like when weighing fruit and vegetables at the supermarket. This week’s learning is helping the children become much more confident at weighing objects and comparing masses on their own.