Whole School Worship with Rev Ben
Today we started our Whole School Celebration Worship by recognising the fact that it is St Barnabas Day! Rev. Ben then told us that this half term our Worships will focus on truth. We played the true or false game where the children had to decide if the images on screen were true or false. We had a range of questions on geography, science and maths. Some things are obviously true, but sometimes it’s hard to decide. In the Bible reading that was shared Jesus said: I am the way, the truth and the life. In life we sometimes aren’t sure about which way to go. Christian’s believe that knowing the truth is ultimately about knowing a person - Jesus. Our time to think was : How did Jesus describe himself in the Bible today? How might following Jesus help you if you aren’t sure what’s true? The children had some lovely ideas which included: Jesus is the way , the truth and the light . He can guide us like a compass. If we want to lead truthful lives then we need to follow in Jesus’ footsteps.
Year 5 - School of Kindness
Today Krish from the School of Kindness visited to help us all be kinder people. In a whole school worship, he told us that being kind is based on three key ideas: friendliness, generosity and consideration. We developed examples of these from our everyday lives before discussing how being kind can actually boost our physical and mental health. We then returned to class and made a personal gift for a friend or family member to show our appreciation of them. For more information about this organisation, please visit https://schoolofkindness.org/
Year 1: Making Kindness Cards and Bracelets
Year 1 loved learning more about kindness from 52 Lives. They learnt about empathy, friendliness and generosity. In class, they designed cards and bracelets for each other to spread kindness. It was lovely to see them all making things for their friends and the smiles on their faces when they received a card.
Year 3- PSHE- Spreading Kindness
After our 'Kindness Workshop', we put our values into practice by creating personal postcards for each other. Every child took the time to write down kind words, compliments and encouraging messages for a student. It was wonderful to see everyone's faces as they handed out the cards and read the thoughtful messages from their peers. This workshop was a fantastic reminder of how a few small, kind words can make a big difference and help us look after one another in our school community.
Year 5 - RE
Our new topic in RE concerns the role that women played in the Bible. The first lesson was about Jochebed, the mother of Moses who saw that her baby was special and risked her own safety to save him despite the Pharaoh’s wish. We connected this story to important women of the modern world, such as artists, scientists, politicians and sports people.
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The WOW Group - Recycle to Read Campaign Launch Assembly
This week, the WOW group spoke to the rest of the school about ways we can reduce waste when it comes to our toys. They launched our Recycle to Read campaign by explaining that throughout June and at the beginning of July families can take their broken plastic toys to Tesco Extra in Horwich, Leyland or Chorley and place them in collection bins to earn points for our school. These points will go towards earning free books for the school. If our families are unable to get to the specified stores, school will be collecting broken plastic toys on their behalf. The WOW group also introduced our Toy Swap Shop event, which will be held on Tuesday 9th June after school. Children who bring in a pre-loved toy on Monday 8th or Tuesday 9th June will be able to visit our Toy Swap Shop to choose a replacement toy to bring home. It’s the perfect time to have a half term sort-out!
Whole School Worship - Pentecost
This week, Tuesday’s worship focussed on the Christian celebration of Pentecost. Mrs Ham began by asking the children what they remember about Pentecost, to which some children replied, “When the Holy Spirit came”, “Fire on people’s heads” and “When they spoke in different languages”. We watched a film about a group of pandas waiting for a special gift of some new musical instruments. They woke very early for the delivery but they had the wrong day and the gift wasn’t due until the day after. They had a bedtime story about Jesus’ disciples waiting for a wonderful gift, but they were unsure when it would arrive. Suddenly a strong wind blew and they all had flames on their heads and a warm feeling inside, they knew God’s power had struck them and he was living inside their hearts. Jesus will always be with them and he asked them to always be with him as he was with them. They ran into the streets and Peter shouted to the people that Jesus had rescued them and that Jesus’ love is never breaking and always and forever. Even though not everyone could speak the same language, they all still understood Peter’s words. Mrs Ham told us that Pentecost is also known as the birthday of the church. We all then sang one of our favourite hymns, “He Is Alive” to finish our Pentecost celebration.
Year 4 - RE: Visit to St Barnabas Church
During our visit to church this week, the Year 4 class spent some time exploring and spotting some interesting features. Rev Ben asked them to consider what symbols they noticed, how they may be used and how they may link to the Bible. The children remembered a number of key features from their study of the church in Year 2, such as the font, the lectern and the chalice and plate. They were able to state a use for each symbol and suggest links based on their personal knowledge of the Bible, for example, “The font is for baptising people” and “I think this links to when John the Baptist baptised Jesus.” Rev Ben then explained the symbols’ uses and links in more depth, as well as explaining that the term “Church” mostly refers to the people who form an organised body of Christ’s believers. Rev Ben ended the session with an invitation to ask questions about the objects they had explored, and the Church in general.
Year 5 - Religious Education
This week, our Year 5 pupils showed great maturity exploring different perspectives on the nature of death. We compared the traditions of Christianity and Islam, noting how both often focus on the afterlife and the journey of the soul and how their actions are judged by God. We also looked at Humanism, where the focus is on the here and now. Many Humanists believe this is our one life, inspiring us to make a positive impact on the world today! It was wonderful to see the children discussing these deep topics with such empathy and respect. By comparing Christian, Muslim, and Humanist perspectives, we discussed the concepts of the soul and the afterlife versus a naturalistic, "one life" approach. We’re so proud of the children for their thoughtful reflections on how these beliefs shape the way people choose to live their lives. 🌟
Whole School Worship - One Way Giving
In this whole school collective worship, we developed our understanding of one way giving. Our Year 6 heads and deputies began by sharing what each class did for our Hop, Skip and Jump event. Jacqui, a representative from East Lancs Hospice came to award us with participation certificates and to reveal that we raised a fantastic £357 during our event. Thank you to all our children and parents for your support. Mrs Ham then shared this week’s One Way Giving kindness kite. Three of our KS2 children volunteered to read the sections of the kite and we learned that the Bible says we should give in secret and God will reward us. After this, we watched a cartoon of the event when Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding in Canaan. He secretly asked the servants to fill the jars with water and turned it into wine. The master of ceremonies tasted the wine and approved it to be a very good wine thinking it was provided by the groom. The groom received the praise, and only the servants and God knew that Jesus had performed this miracle. This was a great example of one way giving. Finally, Mrs Ham and Mr Bloomfield put up our new Widgit symbols, with the help of our children, on our Big Frieze to help the children understand God’s Big Story.
Year 5 - RE
We started by discussing the children’s knowledge of what funerals are and why we have them. This is a sensitive topic and the children showed great maturity and sensitivity in sharing their experiences in an open, respectful manner. We then analysed Christian prayers spoken in funerals and considered what they tell us about Christian beliefs around God, Jesus and heaven.
Year 1: Celebrating Earth Day
This morning, we celebrated Earth Day. We came to school dressed in green and blue. We watched a short video from the BBC about Earth Day, climate change and ways we can help our Earth. We then created our own fizzy Earth using baking soda, vinegar and paint. Finally, we wrote some beautiful thank you prayers to God, thanking Him for the nature on our Earth like trees, snow, animals and the sea.