Whole School Worship - Agent Ananias
We learned about a very special mission given by God this week in worship. God directed Ananias, a disciple in Damascus, to heal Saul of his blindness and baptise him. Despite Ananias's fear due to Saul's reputation as a persecutor of Christians, he obeyed the Lord's assurance that Saul was a "chosen instrument". Ananias laid hands on Saul, restoring his sight, and then baptised him, marking his dramatic conversion from persecutor to the apostle Paul, a key figure in spreading Christianity. We reflected on what we learned from the story and the children shared their thoughts, including that we should trust God’s choices, and that everyone has the ability to change.
Year 3- History-Exploring Ancient Egypt Through the River Nile
The Year 3 Historians investigated why the River Nile was so important in the lives and beliefs of the ancient Egyptians. They explored the interactive history timeline online and also looked at the timeline displayed in the school hall. They learned that the Nile was essential for many reasons: It provided water for drinking and washing. It supported farming, as the river flooded each year and left behind rich, fertile soil, perfect for growing crops such as wheat and barley. The children also discussed how the ancient name for Egypt, Kemet, meaning ‘black land’, referred to the dark, fertile soil along the Nile. They discovered that the Egyptians believed the yearly floods were a blessing from the god Hapi, whom they worshipped to ensure the river continued to bring life each year. They were fascinated to discover how the past could be presented in these different ways and worked brilliantly throughout the lesson.
After School Foodie Club- Choc Chip Cookies
Today at the After-School Club, Years 3 and 4 bakers made delicious chocolate chip cookies. They carefully weighed out the sugar and flour, and the children especially loved cracking the eggs, one of the highlights of the session. Apparently, one of the best cookies they've ever had!
Year 3- Science- Exploring materials which are reflective
Year 3 worked scientifically to explore which materials are good reflectors of light, using a variety of materials. Through their investigation, the scientist discovered that several materials are excellent reflectors. They learned that mirrors are highly reflective due to their smooth surface, which bounces light back in a predictable way. Metals like aluminum, copper, and silver were also identified as being highly reflective. They also looked at specialised materials like glass beads used in road markings and retroreflective materials found in safety gear, noting that these are designed to reflect light directly back to its source. They also discussed how some materials, like fluorescent materials and certain synthetic fabrics, are used to enhance visibility and safety, even if they reflect light differently. Overall, the children concluded that reflective materials have many benefits, from improving safety to creating interesting visual effects.
Friday Celebration Worship
This morning, we took a moment to reflect on what has been a busy and wonderful third week of school. Our week began with a focus on God’s Big Story in Whole School Worships, where we came together to deepen our understanding. Year 6 had a fantastic time creating artwork in the Darwen Town Centre, while Years 3, 4, and 6 took part in a Let’s Go Sing Choir workshop, which has inspired even more children to sign up for our school choir. Year 5 enjoyed a Move and Learn session with BwD, and our entire school embraced the excitement of the new clubs that started this week, including Foodie Friends, Football, Fred & Pearl Craft Club, Choir, Netball, and Forest Schools. We also took time to celebrate our individual value award winners, with a huge well done to Zachary and Hollie in KS1, and Eva, Emily, Jack, and Elsie in KS2, for their dedication across the curriculum, their embodiment of our Barney’s 4Bs and Christian Values, and for spreading joy throughout the school. In addition, we were pleased to award India Mill as our Value Award winners for the second consecutive week, and Year 6 as the winners in KS2 with 100% attendance, while Reception and Year 1 in EYFS and KS1 earned recognition with a fantastic 99.3% attendance. Next, we celebrated our out-of-school achievers, including Albie for earning his 5m and 10m swimming certificates, Evie for her bravery in attending Rainbows for the first time, Alice for being awarded Cheerleader of the Week, Peyton for winning Star of the Week at gymnastics, Grace for achieving a highly commended in her recent acro exam, Charlie for being named Student of the Week at Junior Dragons Martial Arts Club, Ava for being awarded Squirrel of the Week, Mason for being runner-up in a recent darts tournament, Lyla for receiving a certificate of excellence for her gymnastics and acro talent, and Annabel for being named Star of the Week at her dance school. Finally, we ended our worship with some heartfelt prayers from Mason, Ella, and Zachary, who prayed for those affected by war and conflict, for those suffering from illnesses, and for those who don’t have enough food—especially as Harvest approaches. We also sang “Our God is a Great Big God.” A quick reminder from Mrs. Ham: Next Friday, September 26th, we’ll be hosting the Macmillan Coffee Morning. All donations will be greatly appreciated.
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Year 3- R.E- How do people celebrate harvest around the world?
Today in R.E., Year 3 investigated how people around the world celebrate the harvest. We began with a class discussion to share our own experiences and understanding. Following this, the children wrote in their R.E. books, noting down some of the wonderful traditions we discovered. The children were particularly fascinated to learn about the different ways people show gratitude for the harvest. In the United States and Canada, Thanksgiving is a major national holiday celebrating the harvest and blessings of the past year. It is celebrated with a large family feast, which traditionally includes a roast turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. It is a time for people to gather and express gratitude for what they have. The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake Festival, is one of the most important holidays in China. It is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, when the moon is at its fullest. Families gather to give thanks for a bountiful harvest and to pray for a good future. A key tradition is eating mooncakes and lighting colourful lanterns.
Year 3- Art- Drawing Like the Egyptians
Today in art, Year 3 Artists travelled back in time to ancient Egypt. Before drawing their egyptian patterns and shapes, they prepared their sketchbooks by creating interesting surfaces to work on. Just like the ancient Egyptians who drew on papyrus, they transformed their white paper using chalk pastels last week to give it that special, papyrus-like texture. With the surfaces ready, they put pencil to paper today to draw beautiful Egyptian patterns, all while listening to some traditional Egyptian music in the background. The children's drawings have turned out absolutely amazing and they should be very proud of the surfaces and patterns they created.
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Year 3 - Exploring Purple Mash
This morning, the children explored Purple Mash, a creative and interactive online learning space. They focused on grammar activities, practising suffixes and using them to create their own exciting sentences. Purple Mash offers opportunities for children to learn through discovery and creativity, which they find both enjoyable and engaging.
Year 3- Maths-Our First TTRockstars Session
In maths today, the children logged on to TTRockstars for the very first time, and they absolutely loved it! They had fun choosing their very own Rockstar names and avatars before getting started with the games. During the session, they practised a wide range of times tables through fun, fast-paced question games. The platform automatically adapts to each child’s learning needs, helping them to improve their recall and speed with multiplication. It was wonderful to see the children so engaged and motivated in their maths learning.
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Let’s go Sing Workshop
Today we took part in the Let’s Go Sing workshop with Gaynor where we learned several songs and sang together. We started by warming up our voices and building confidence as a group. Then we enjoyed singing a range of songs, from fun and simple ones that everyone could join in with, to more challenging pieces. Some of our favourites included: • “Let’s Sing a Simple Song” – a cheerful tune that helped us practise singing clearly and in unison. • “Brenda the Mender” – a playful character song that made us focus on rhythm and storytelling through music. • “The Moon” – a gentler song where we worked on expression and soft dynamics. • “The Scuttled Sloop Pirate Song” – a lively piece that let us sing with energy, actions, and a sense of adventure. The workshop showed us that singing is not just about hitting the right notes, but also about teamwork, listening to each other, and enjoying the journey of music together. We are hopeful that the workshop today has encouraged more children to join our KS2 school choir on Thursday lunchtimes and to take part in the Let's Go Sing concert at Blackburn Cathedral in March.
Years 3 and 4-Foodie Friends After School Club -Wholemeal Pitta Pizzas
Our After-School Foodie Friends Club returned today for its first session of the year, and the chefs had a fantastic time making wholemeal pitta pizzas. They worked together to prepare fresh ingredients, including basil, sweetcorn, tomatoes, and peppers. Some children chose to add tuna, while others kept it simple with tomato sauce and cheese. In addition to being fun and creative, the session provided the children with an opportunity to learn essential cooking skills, including preparation, teamwork, and making healthy food choices, valuable skills they can carry with them for life.
Friday Celebration Worship
This morning marked our second celebration worship of the new academic year, and what an incredible week it has been! A definite highlight was the fantastic "Treasure Island" production by M&M Productions, which truly captivated our entire school. We've also enjoyed settling into our new classes, launching into new curriculums, and electing our Smart School Councillors and Well-being Warriors. We then had the pleasure of congratulating our amazing Value Award winners for this week. These children have made a fantastic start to the new academic year by consistently demonstrating Barney's 4Bs and our Christian Values, alongside working incredibly hard across the curriculum. A huge well done to Evie and Alice in KS1, and to Charlie, Scarlett, Daisy, and Brodie in KS2! We also celebrated some wonderful out-of-school achievements: Alayna for achieving grade excellence in her recent acro exam, Maggie for earning Star of the Week for super effort at gymnastics, Haydn for demonstrating great skill and sportsmanship at a holiday sports club, earning him a huge trophy!, Hendrix for achieving Squirrel of the Week, Scarlett for her impressive achievements in Netball, Sofia for earning a distinction, the highest possible grade, in musical theatre, Annabel for being a superstar on her first day at Brownies, Samuel for showing fantastic courage in his swimming lessons, Thea for being a super Rainbow and attending the Rainbows fun day, Mikey for swimming 10m, Ava for being awarded her builders badge at Squirrels, and Eleanor and Olivia for being super creative at Rainbows this week. Additionally, we recognised Reception and Year 4 for achieving our amazing attendance award this week! Well done to Reception with an impressive 99.6% and Year 4 with 98.6%. Mrs. Ham then shared some exciting events for next week: Years 3, 4, and 6 will participate in a ‘Let’s Go Sing’ concert on Monday, Year 5 will enjoy a Move and Learn session with Blackburn Rovers, and a reminder that Wednesday is School Photograph Day and we will also have our Meet the Teacher sessions. We concluded our worship with special prayers from Harry, Minnie, and Harry, who encouraged us to show respect, spread positivity at school, and consider those less fortunate, such as those without easy access to clean water. We then shared the Grace and had a lively sing-along to ‘We Can Make a Difference.’