Year 5 - Structure of the Earth
Year 5 used boiled eggs to explore the structure of the Earth, using the shell, egg white and yolk to represent the crust, mantle and core. This hands-on activity helped them visualise the Earth’s layers and understand their composition in a fun and engaging way. As they carefully peeled the shell, they discussed how the Earth’s crust is thin and fragile, just like the eggshell. They then examined the egg white, comparing it to the mantle, which is semi-solid and moves slowly over time. Finally, the yolk represented the core, helping the children grasp the concept of the Earth’s hot, dense center. The activity sparked curiosity and led to great discussions about plate tectonics, volcanic activity and the role of the Earth’s layers in shaping our planet.
Year 5 - Year of Prayer
Year 5 took part in a special Year of Prayer activity, playing ‘The Floor is Lava’ while reflecting on gratitude and thankfulness. As they moved between safe spaces, they shared what they were thankful for, recognising the joy, happiness and blessings in their lives. A wonderful way to combine faith, fun and reflection!
Friday Celebration Worship
Today, we started our celebration worship by signing the trinity and reflecting on another extremely busy yet fantastic week in school. First of all, we thanked everyone for rocking their socks for World Down Syndrome Day and continuing to support ‘THE BIG LENT WALK.’ The kilometres walked across school are ever increasing as is the money that we have raised and we are extremely grateful- thank you! Please continue to let either Mrs Wilkinson or Mrs Ham know if you have walked anywhere and please send photos if you can. This week, we have had a wonderful week learning about Lent in collective worship, Reception, Year 1 and 2 had a special visit from Local Author Janek Puzon, Reception had an exciting firefighter visit, we’ve enjoyed a variety of after-school and lunch-time clubs and Year 6 spent two days exploring London. We then moved onto congratulating this week’s individual value award winners. Well done to Freddie, Cici and Charlie G in EYFS and KS1 and Bobby-Ray, Tristen and Neve in Years 3, 4 and 5. Well done to these children for consistently showing our Barny’s 4Bs and working hard across the curriculum. We also awarded all of Year 6 as the value award winners this week for representing school amazingly well in London and making the most of the experience. Furthermore, we congratulated our Year 1 and Year 4 class for being our attendance winners this week with 96.7% and 99.6% attendance, India Mill as our value award winners this week with 442 points and our Year 4 football team for three fantastic performances in the BRFC league on Tuesday evening- well done! We then moved on to congratulating our out of school sports award winners. Well done to Hollie for being the Star of the Week at gymnastics, Charlie for achieving his blue belt in martial arts and being the Beaver of the Week, Isabella for also being awarded her blue belt at martial arts, Callie for her amazing performance at Stage Coach, Elijah for being Player of the Week at football, Haydn for achieving his white belt at kickboxing, Lyla for achieving gold in a recent Jazz competition and silver for a lyrical dance, Sofia for coming 3rd place in a recent singing competition and Olivia for being Star of the Week at gymnastics. To end our worship, Mrs Ham reminded us that next Tuesday 25th March is ‘Friends of St Barnabas Non-Uniform Day’ in exchange for a cake or sweet treat to sell at the Mother’s Day Coffee Morning on Wednesday 26th March which you are all welcome to. Then, we all had a singalong to ‘Lord of the Dance.’ We wish you all a lovely and restful weekend.
Year 5 - Friction
Today, Year 5 explored the effects of friction in a hands-on science lesson! Using whiteboards and a variety of materials. The children measured the amount of push needed to make a toy car move over different surfaces. The children made predictions, recorded their findings, and discussed how friction impacts movement in real life. It was a fantastic lesson full of curiosity, investigation, and teamwork!
Year 5 - Gaelic Football
Today, Year 5 had an exciting session playing Gaelic football! They developed their passing, catching and teamwork skills while learning the unique rules of the game. The children showed great enthusiasm and determination, adapting quickly to the fast-paced nature of Gaelic football. It was fantastic to see their confidence grow throughout the session. Well done, Year 5!
Year of Prayer and Singing Worship
This morning in our Collective Worship we took part in the year of prayer for this week, which was a prayer about emotions. We discussed with our partner all the different emoji emotions we could see and then named them. We then prayed together for people that we might know in our school or family that might be feeling some of those different emotions at the minute or those who might not be feeling very well. We then had different classes leading the singing and actions for our favourite Easter hymns and songs. What a joyous and uplifting start to the week!
Mad Science After School Club- Slime Time-The Science Behind the Goo!
Today, our young scientists had an exciting, hands-on adventure in the world of Mad Science Slime! The children explored the science of polymers while creating their own colourful, stretchy, and squishy slime. Each child chose their favourite colour, mixing and experimenting like real chemists to bring their slimy creations to life. The children put their slime to the test in our Mad Science Slime Olympics, stretching, bouncing, and squishing their creations to see whose slime was the stretchiest, stickiest, and most creative.
Friday Celebration Worship
Today, we started our celebration worship by signing the trinity and reflecting on another amazing week in school. This week, we have had fabulous week celebrating British Science Week. Thank you to Miss Kachwalla and our science ambassadors for all of the effort they have put into organising all of the exciting investigations they have planned and delivered. We also said a huge thank you to everyone for supporting ‘THE BIG LENT WALK.’ So far, we have now hit an amazing 325km and raised £89. Thank you for helping us to make a difference to the lives of those who aren’t as fortunate as us. Please continue to let either Mrs Wilkinson or Mrs Ham know if you have walked anywhere and send photos if you can. This week, we have also started some amazing work in our classes and enjoyed a collective worship about Easter, enjoyed a great variety of after school clubs such as Craft Club led by Fred and Pearl, Cross Country, Mad Science, Choir, Performing Arts and Gymnastics clubs led by Edstart and our amazing choir sang at the ‘Let’s Go Sing’ concert in Blackpool. A huge thank you to Mrs Govan for leading the choir, Mrs Wilkinson for supporting the event and our fabulous choir for singing their hearts out and representing our school wonderfully well. We then congratulated this week’s individual value award winners. Well done to Cassius, Thomas and Seb in EYFS and KS1 and Finley, Ivy, Summer and Ruby in KS2 for working extremely hard across the curriculum and demonstrating a positive attitude to learning and always showing our Barny’s 4Bs (being ready, respectful, kind and safe). Furthermore, we congratulated our Reception and Year 3 class for being our attendance winners this week with 99.6% and 98.3% attendance and River Darwen as our value award winners this week with 314 points. We then moved on to congratulating our out of school sports award winners. Well done to Minnie for getting the squirrel for amazing behaviour, Eleanor and Olivia for achieving plentiful badges and certificates at Rainbows, Maggie for attending Rainbows for two years and again achieving lots of badges and certificates, Charlie for achieving 10m butterfly, Ava for being awarded a gold medal in her dance and gaining her Squirrels badge, Olivia for achieving the Captain’s Band and Player of the Match during her recent football match for both scoring and assisting goals, Peyton for coming an amazing 3rd place in her recent sparring competition at kickboxing, Rosie for making her promise at Brownies, Thea for being a super gymnast, Annabel for achieving Star of the Week in dance, Finn for coming 2nd place in his recent sparring competition at kickboxing and Evie, Alayna and Arabelle for working hard at Rothwell Arts. Evie showed perseverance in achieving a cartwheel, Alayna showed perseverance in achieving a handstand and Arabelle for demonstrating a bridge. To end our worship, Mrs Ham reminded us that next Friday 21st is ‘Rock Your Socks’ for World Down Syndrome Day. Then, we had a performance from our fantastic choir singing ‘Roar.’ We wish you all a lovely and restful weekend.
Let's Go Sing 2025 at Blackpool Winter Gardens
A huge well done to our choir for their fabulous performance at the Let's Go Sing concert at Blackpool Winter Gardens. You certainly danced Jagger and sang like Abba! Thank you so much to Mrs Govan for her commitment to our choir throughout the year and to Mrs Wilkinson for her support. Thank you to our parents and carers who helped with transport and for your support at the concert.
Worship with Rev. Matt
Today’s worship with Rev. Matt began with a test of strength. Mr. Bloomfield was challenged to rip three different objects: a piece of paper, a piece of cardboard and a curtain. While the paper and cardboard tore easily, the curtain was more challenging, highlighting its strength and resilience. This demonstration led seamlessly into the powerful moment in the Bible when the great curtain in the temple—the barrier that symbolised separation from God—was torn in two at the moment of Jesus’ crucifixion. Rev. Matt then read the Bible passage describing Jesus’ sacrifice, explaining that when the curtain was torn, it was a sign of God’s deep sorrow but also a powerful symbol that, through Jesus, we are no longer separated from Him. The children reflected on the significance of this moment and how Jesus’ sacrifice allows us to live in a close relationship with God. Following this, the children considered how they could respond by living life in all its fullness. They shared ideas on how to show kindness, forgiveness and love in their daily lives, just as Jesus taught. They discussed ways to help others, make positive choices and appreciate the blessings around them. The worship ended with a moment of reflection, encouraging the children to think about how they can bring goodness into the world, strengthening their connection with God and those around them.
British Science Week- Year 5- Building Sand Timers and Sweet Reactions
This afternoon, Year 5 had a brilliant time getting hands-on with science, exploring time and sweet reactions. First, the children took on the challenge of building their own sand timers. They worked in teams to create timers measuring one, two, and five minutes and then tested them to see how accurate they were. Our Science Ambassador, Mathew, was on hand to support them, and it was fantastic to see the children applying their scientific knowledge and working together. Then, we moved onto a heart shaped sweet experiment. The children investigated what happens when heart-shaped sweets are placed in different liquids: water, vinegar, and a fizzy drink. Before they started, everyone made predictions about what they thought would happen. They then carefully observed the changes, noting how the sweets reacted in each liquid. This led to some lively discussions about dissolving, chemical reactions, and the properties of liquids. It was a fantastic day of scientific exploration, where the children learned about time and chemical reactions whilst enjoying the teamwork and excitement of discovery. We certainly lived life in its fullness, celebrating British Science Week with engaging and educational activities.
Year 5 - Year of Prayer
This week’s Year of Prayer focus is all about forgiveness. The children took time to reflect on their actions, writing down things they wished to be forgiven for on a scrap piece of paper. As a powerful symbol of God’s grace and mercy, they then ripped up their papers—reminding them that, through faith, they are forgiven and can move forward with a fresh start. By embracing forgiveness, the children are learning to let go of past mistakes and live life in all its fullness, just as God intends.