Friday Celebration Worship
Today, we started our celebration worship by signing the trinity and reflecting on our very busy week. This week, we launched our new behaviour focuses for this half-term which have been centred around dinner time behaviours. We have been really impressed with how much calmer our school hall is at dinner time- Well done to our whole school and thank you to Mrs Araujo and the WOW group for monitoring! This week we also saw the start of our wonderful Mad Science Club and we are really looking forward to the rest of our after-school clubs starting next week. There are still spaces to sign up to the craft club led by Fred and Pearl and the gymnastics and dodgeball club led by Edstart if anyone is interested. We then congratulated this week’s individual value award winners who have made a fantastic start to the Spring 2 term. Well done to Jess, Declan and Miley in KS2 and Albie, Harry and Thea in EYFS and KS1 for their consistently positive attitude to learning, demonstrating resilience and perseverance in their learning and showing all of our Barny’s 4Bs (being ready, respectful, kind and safe). Furthermore, we congratulated our Year 3/4 Sportshall Athletics winners who competed amazingly well to achieve gold at Our Lady and St John’s on Wednesday evening, River Darwen as our value award winners this week with 396 points and Reception and Year 6 on being our amazing attendance winners this week. A special well done to Reception who achieved 100% attendance. We then moved on to congratulating our out of school sports award winners. Well done to Ava for achieving 5m in her swimming, Thea for fantastic bar work in gymnastics, Lyla for achieving her level 2 in gymnastics, Seb for achieving ‘Trainer of the Week’ at football, Haydn for achieving ‘Player of the Week’ at football, Isabella for being ‘The Little Darreners’ Player of the Week’ at football, Archie for being awarded his green belt at martial arts, Eleanor for being awarded multiple gardening badges at Rainbows, Alessia and Piper-Jo for achieving Stage 2 in their swimming, Marley for her commitment to Brownies, Charlie for achieving 10m in his swimming, James for being a super improved player at football, Isaac for being ‘Player of the Day’ at football, Callie for being fiercely brave at Stagecoach and singing a solo, achieving several awards in her gymnastics such as gaining her level 2 grading and for also receiving Grunty the Dragon in martial arts, Alice for achieving 600m in her swimming, Peyton for achieving a badge at kickboxing, Scarlett for her fabulous commitment to Rivington Netball Club and Mason for achieving Stage 5 in his swimming. To end our worship, Mrs Ham reminded us that it’s World Book Day next Thursday 6th March where we will be dressing in pyjamas and participating in some fun and exciting reading activities and that it is also non-uniform day and a disco for India Mill and Whitehall Park on Friday 7th March for being the overall value award winners last half-term. We then had some beautiful prayers from James and Martha who prayed to keep those who are poorly and those in heaven in our thoughts. We wish you all a lovely and restful weekend.
Year 3- R.E-Explore how Jesus changes lives and research the life story of Mother Teresa.
This afternoon in R.E., Year 3 explored how Jesus changes lives and researched the life of Mother Teresa. They learned that Mother Teresa devoted her life to helping the poor, sick, and needy, believing that by giving up everything, she had gained everything through faith. Her strong belief in God led her to establish the Missionaries of Charity, an organisation dedicated to caring for the most vulnerable. The children discussed how her faith influenced her selfless actions and the lasting impact she had on the world. Working in groups, they shared ideas and reflections, then recorded their findings individually.
.png)
Year 3- Year of Prayer - Paper Plane Activity
As part of the Diocese of Blackburn's Year of Prayer, the children have made paper planes this week. They drew or wrote down something they were afraid of on a piece of paper and then folded it into paper aeroplanes. They then flew the planes across the room by throwing them away from them. Then whispered a prayer asking God to take away our fears and provide comfort and courage. Some of the fears suggested were, darkness, monsters, being alone, or making mistakes.
Worship with Rev. Matt
Today’s worship with Rev. Matt began with The Story of the Great Parade. Rev. Matt invited children to take on different roles, bringing the story to life with waving leaves and flags as Year 6 paraded around the hall. The atmosphere was filled with excitement, just as it would have been on that first Palm Sunday, when crowds welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem. After the reenactment, Rev. Matt explained the significance of Palm Sunday, reminding the children that Christians around the world still celebrate it today. He encouraged them to think about the emotions of the crowd —joy, hope and anticipation—as they welcomed Jesus as their king. He then explored a key Bible verse: “He always had the nature of God, but took on the nature of a servant.” The children reflected on what this means and discussed how they could show humility and kindness in their own lives. Ideas included helping others without expecting rewards, showing respect to friends and family, and using their voices to support those in need. To close the worship, Rev. Matt led a moment of quiet reflection, asking the children to think about one small way they could follow Jesus’ example this week. It was a meaningful way to prepare for Easter and to consider the values of humility and service in everyday life.
Year 3 - P.E- Hockey
To begin our invasion games unit focused on hockey, a specialist provided instruction on core skills, emphasising sending and receiving the ball. The children will build on this foundation by participating in small-sided games designed to develop and apply invasion game strategies.
Year 3/4 Sportshall Athletics Winners
Mrs Gardner and I are immensely proud (and a little bit hoarse from all of the shouting) of our Year 3/4 Sportshall Athletics squad who came 1st tonight. They demonstrated brilliant behaviour, super sportsmanship and were excellent encouragers! A huge thank you to Mrs Gardner for giving up her time to train the squad after school. Parents and carers, thank you for your support with transport and allowing your child to participate in the club. All of the action photos can be found here: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/.../year-3-4... Well done you little superstars, Mrs Ham
Year 3- Debate- How safe do you feel online?
During our class debate, led by Ella and Alfie, the children unanimously agreed that they only feel safe online some of the time. This led to an important discussion about the steps we can take to feel safer in our daily lives. We emphasised the importance of speaking to a trusted adult when feeling uncertain or uncomfortable, as well as the need to use only age-appropriate apps and online platforms. Through this conversation, we reinforced the message that staying safe is a shared responsibility and that making informed choices can help protect ourselves and others.
Year 3- Class Worship-Why do we judge people based on their appearance?
During our class worship today, we watched this week's Picture News about a football team that launched a campaign to support young players with short hair. This came after a junior girls' team faced accusations of "cheating" when opposing teams and their supporters assumed they were fielding boys. To show their support, York Railway Institute AFC's women's recreational squad created a social media video where players wore T-shirts with the slogan: "Girls can have short hair – get over it." The junior players, aged 11 and 12, shared that these comments upset and frustrated them. Kate White, from the women's team, expressed how unfair the situation was, saying: "It's been horrible. It's the girls' basic personal choice it’s who they are. Some girls have short hair, and this singles them out when they don’t need that." As a class, we then watched a short clip of two girls playing football. However, because they had short hair, some people mistakenly questioned their gender. This led to a discussion about why we sometimes judge people based on their appearance whether it’s a person, a book by its cover, or a film by its trailer. Naomi shared her own experience from Year 2 when she was hesitant to talk to Albert at first. But once she got to know him, she realised they had a lot in common. Now that Albert is no longer here, she misses him. We then explored a Bible quote that reminds us, as people of God, to see beyond appearances and treat everyone with dignity, love, and kindness. We also reflected on Martin Luther King Jr.'s powerful words: "I look to a day when people will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character." To conclude, we thanked God for loving and accepting us just as we are, and we prayed for the ability to see beyond appearances and recognise the true worth in every person.
Spring 2- Week 1 Collective Worship- Life in all its fullness & Year of Prayer
This morning in Collective Worship our WOW (Worship our Way) group showed us the special way of praying this week as part of the Year of Prayer across Blackburn Diocese. This week we will be writing our fears and worries on a piece of paper and then fold it into a paper aeroplane. We can then have fun throwing it whilst saying a prayer to God to take our fears and worries away. Some children shared their fears such as heights, clowns, being alone and snakes. We then looked at the Year of Prayer for the whole school which was 'Where are you today?' . We looked at 10 doodled people around a tree:some looked happy, some sad, worried or confused . We then had to decide which one we were at the moment or we would like to be today. We reflected on how we can feel lots of different emotions in a day and then we said a special prayer to ask for God's understanding and support when we feel different emotions. Next we reflected on our school vision and how Jesus came to give us life in all its fullness and He also said He was the good shepherd and the gate. We discussed that when we are feel sad, we can take comfort in knowing that Jesus knows us, just like a shepherd knows his sheep and He is always with us. We thought about how developing our spirituality can also support us when we are feeling sad and we looked at the five ways of wellbeing such as taking notice of God's creations and different ways of connecting with Him, our family and friends. We finished by singing two of our favourite uplifting songs 'If I were a butterfly' and 'Sing a new song to the Lord'. We agreed that they helped us all to feel happy and also showed our gratitude to God for the wonderful world that he created.
Mad Science After School Club- Glow Show
Today in Mad Science After-School Club, our future scientists explored how we see light and how it interacts with different objects. They were amazed as they observed phosphorescence in action under UV light. They also discovered the fascinating secrets behind how real money is made and the special features used to prevent counterfeiting. The children were fully engaged and are now super keen to find out what exciting topic they will be exploring next week.
.png)
Year 3- Art- Paper Weaving- Making baskets -
Over two lessons, Year 3 budding artists created their woven baskets, selecting colours from their mood boards, tie-dye T-shirts, and other sources of inspiration. They explored the work of Anni Albers, a key figure in the Bauhaus movement, which revolutionised modern weaving techniques. The children practised weaving using paper strips, developing an understanding of key terms such as warp and weft. Once the weaving was complete, the edges were folded to form the sides of the basket, with children adjusting the height to approximately 5cm or their preferred size. The corners were then creased and stapled for stability, and a leftover weft strip was used to attach a handle. They were all pleasantly surprised with how well they turned out.
.png)
Whole School Worship- How to make an enjoyable lunchtime?
Our whole school worship today began with the signing of the Trinity by the Heads and Deputies. Mrs. Araujo then led the worship, introducing our new behaviour focus: creating a calmer and more enjoyable lunchtime experience, while continuing to practice the good manners we have already learned. Mrs. Ham highlighted the importance of feeling safe at school, emphasizing that it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure a secure and supportive environment for all. To help improve lunchtimes, Mrs Araujo used a data logger to measure noise levels in the dining hall, which ranged from 79.5 to 80.5 decibels as loud as a truck! Many children noted that the high noise levels were overwhelming, made them want to cover their ears, and could prevent them from hearing important instructions in an emergency. During the worship, children worked with talk partners to discuss the question: If we use good table manners, how could this improve our lunchtimes? Through these discussions, they identified key areas for improvement, such as sitting properly at the table, using a knife and fork to eat, and avoiding walking while eating to reduce choking risks. The WOW group played a key role in visually demonstrating positive lunchtime behaviours. They were featured in photos and role-play scenarios, modelling both the correct and incorrect ways to behave in the dining hall. These demonstrations helped reinforce the importance of eating safely and respectfully. To support these changes, new posters have been placed around the school, reminding everyone to face the table while eating, lean over trays or lunchboxes to avoid spills, and wait until they have swallowed their food before getting up. These expectations will continue to be reinforced through modelling, praise, and reminders, ensuring that lunchtimes are a safe, calm, and enjoyable experience for everyone.