Holocaust Memorial Day Worship
Our first collective worship of the week had a serious and somber tone as we held in our thoughts and prayers all of the Jews who suffered in the Holocaust. We looked out of our spirituality windows to learn how the Nazis did not show love to their Jewish neighbours like God commanded but instead treated them really badly during World War II. We watched a BBC interview with a Jewish survivor, who described some of the personal tragedies he faced at the young age of 6 when his family sent him away to save his life from the Nazi regime. He shared how he travelled on the Kindertransport and a British family showed him love and compassion and became the light in the dark. Through our spirituality mirrors we were able to reflect on how hearing of these events made us feel, and how the Jews must have felt back then. Finally, through our spirituality doors we learned of the many survivors who have worked tirelessly to make people aware of the devastation that was caused so that it would never happen again. We reflected on how we should always love our neighbours regardless of whether they look like you, pray like you, speak like you or think like you and stand up to anyone who is being mean to others.
Friday Celebration Worship
Today, we started our celebration worship by reflecting on another busy week in school. This week, our school staff have had some Makaton training which was wonderful and we can’t wait to roll some of the key signs out across school. We’ve also enjoyed some fantastic Life Education sessions led by Karen and Harold the Giraffe and Reception, Year 1, 2 and 4 have continued with their wonderful dance and gymnastics sessions led by Rothwell Arts. We then congratulated Hadi, Samuel and Eve in EYFS and KS1 and Joshua, Layla, Millie and Will in KS2 for demonstrating an outstanding attitude to learning, pushing themselves out of their comfort zone and always showing our Christian Values of respect, friendship and courage. Furthermore, we congratulated Reception and Year 6 on being our amazing attendance winners this week, River Darwen as our overall value award winners this week with 304 points and our Year 5/6 football team who represented our school amazingly well last night in the DPSSA football league winning 6-2 in their first game and 7-1 in their second game and achieving 2nd place overall- well done boys! We then congratulated Ava for being awarded ‘Star of the Day’ at Multi-Sports Club, Olly for swimming an incredible 50m, Samuel for developing his confidence in swimming and swimming with only a one-arm disc, Grace for achieving a distinction in her ballet exam and a platinum award for scoring 90 or marks in her classical ballet exam, Eliza for being a phenomenal horse rider, Sofia for achieving ‘Star of the Week’ at musical theatre and Millie for being awarded with her a Stage 1 swimming certificate. We then heard from our well-being warriors who launched a competition. They are inviting our whole school to design a badge for our ‘WOW’ campaign. The theme for this is ‘Walk With Joy’ and the designs must be big, bold and colourful. There will be a winner in each year group (Rec-Year 6) who will receive a special prize from Mrs Gardener and the well-being warriors and the overall top 5 designs will be sent off, printed and made into one of the ‘WOW’ badges for the 2025/2026 ‘Walking to School’ campaign. Examples of badge designs could include wildlife or pets, local buildings or landmarks and hobbies. We also heard from our Rotakids in Year 5 who told us about a non-uniform day that we will be having next Friday 31st January to raise funds for food, shelter and first aid supplies for those in America who are being affected by the LA wildfires. Please make a minimum donation of £1 for this worthy cause. To end our worship, we had some beautiful prayers from Archie, Max and Phoebe who prayed for those less fortunate than ourselves, including those in America who are amidst the wildfires and having to live through fear and heartbreak. We then sang our 'Life in all its fullness' song and thanked those who could attend celebration worship. We thank the rest of our school family for all of your continued support. We wish you all a lovely weekend.
Choir - Let’s Go Sing Workshop
Today our Choir took part in their final workshop with Gaynor in preparation for the Let’s Go Sing concert in March. The children are working really hard on the lyrics to each song and Gaynor was super impressed with their confidence, enthusiasm and actions. As we’ve said before, we are certainly a small but mighty choir! I’m sure they are going to blow us all away when they perform on the second biggest stage in the world at Blackpool Winter Gardens, and we can’t wait to watch them singing their hearts out.
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Rotakids Non-uniform day to support those affected by the LA fires.
As part of Year 5 RotaKids, we are determined to make a difference and support the 180,000 people who have been affected and forced to flee their homes due to the devastating LA wildfires. On Friday, 31st January, RotaKids will be hosting a non-uniform day to raise money for those impacted by this tragic event. We encourage everyone to get involved by wearing their favourite clothes and contributing to this important cause. We kindly ask for a minimum donation of £1, but any additional contributions will be greatly appreciated. This will be available on parent pay next week. Every penny raised will go towards helping families rebuild their lives and providing essential supplies to those in need. This is a wonderful opportunity to teach our children the value of helping others and making a positive impact on the world around us. Thank you for your generosity and support, Year 5 RotaKids
DPSSA Schools Football League
Today, our incredible football team showcased their talent and determination, winning their final two games and securing an impressive second place in the Darwen Primary Schools Football League. The boys played brilliantly and should be extremely proud of their hard work and achievements!
Worship with Rev. Ben
Today’s worship with Rev. Ben began with a lively game of Captain’s Orders. In the game, forgiveness was straightforward—a simple cue to face the window—but in real life, forgiving someone is often much harder. Rev. Ben explained that one of the things Jesus taught us is that forgiveness can be challenging because we may not always have the right perspective. The children then listened to The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, which highlighted that true forgiveness comes from the heart. Through this parable, Jesus illustrated the importance of showing others the same grace and forgiveness that we receive. Afterward, the children engaged in a thoughtful discussion, exploring key questions such as: What did Jesus want people to learn about forgiveness from the parable? and How could this story help you in situations where you need to forgive others? The discussion encouraged the children to reflect on the value of forgiveness and how it can bring peace to their lives and relationships.
Year 5 Life Education Session
Year 5 really enjoyed their Life Education session this week. The focus was on friendship and the children watched different scenarios, discussing themes such as: drugs and body impact, assertiveness and standing up for what you know is right, even when that is difficult to do. The children also talked about health and mindfulness and even had a little hello from Harold the giraffe!
Year 5 P.E
In P.E, Year 5 have been practising hockey skills. They have been focusing on dribbling, passing, receiving and aiming with co-ordination and accuracy. This can be very tricky, but everyone’s technique is improving a lot.
Year 5 Writing: Diary Entries
In English, Year 5 have been reading “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens and have now started writing diary entries from the perspective of Oliver. The focus has been on fronted adverbials, describing feelings and the senses, as well as using ambitious vocabulary to make their writing more descriptive. All of the children have produced some super writing!
Year 5 - Day and Night
Today, Year 5 embarked on an exciting hands-on activity to deepen their understanding of Earth's rotation and how it causes day, night, and time zones. The children created their own model, using a ball of clay to represent Earth, a dowel to demonstrate its axis tilt and rotation, and a torch to symbolise the Sun. Through this interactive experiment, the children were able to visually explore how Earth rotates on its tilted axis, causing different parts of the planet to experience sunlight or darkness at various times. The children also discussed the significance of time zones and how Earth's rotation impacts the way we measure time across the globe. As the torch illuminated one side of the clay Earth, the children observed how light represents daytime, while the shadowed side represents night. This hands-on approach helped them connect scientific concepts to real-life and why we have day and night.
Year 5 Art
In Art, Year 5 have been focusing on interpreting the message within an image. They thought about what they could see, what stood out to them and why, how the image made them feel and what title they would give it. They then created their own version of an image, using pastels to blend and highlight, plus tissue paper for texture or to draw attention to a focal point. They created some real masterpieces!
After-school- Foodie Friends Club- Yummy, fruit scones.
In Foodie Club today, KS2 bakers made some delicious fruit scones. They did a great job weighing out the flour and adding just the right amount of sugar. They mixed in sultanas, then rubbed the butter into the flour. After that, they rolled out the dough and used cutters to shape their scones. Everyone had a brilliant time, and the best part -they got to take their scones home while they were still hot from the oven.