.jpeg)
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.
Year 3- English/R.E- Exploring the Ten Commandments through Poetry
In today's English lesson, we explored the Ten Commandments to inspire our own "Rule Poems." We looked at how these Christian instructions still shape the way Christians live today and how they relate to the rules we follow in our own community. The children discussed how to take a commandment, like "Do not tell lies," and transform it into a poetic line about being a person of truth and integrity. We talked about how these Christian values are reflected in almost all religions and cultures. Even people who aren't religious follow similar "moral laws" to be good citizens. Do not be jealous" (Coveting) is actually about finding happiness and being thankful for what we have.
Year 5 - Kindness Kites
2026 is the centenary year for the Blackburn Diocese, which includes the churches and schools in the local area. To celebrate this, everyone at St Barnabas has been thinking about kindness and the different forms that it can take. Previously the children have considered the power of saying something kind, listening and sharing while giving examples from their own lives. This week, we completed our ‘making peace’ kite and over the next two weeks we will start thinking about generosity.
Whole School Worship with Rev Ben
We had a lovely Whole School Worship this morning which was led by Rev Ben. We started with a true or false game and Rev Ben asked us some questions - Does an octopus have 5 hearts.? Do ostriches bury their heads in the sand when they are scared? Do butterflies taste things with their feet? The purpose of the story is to make us think if things are true or not? The story of Easter is true but some can’t quite believe it but it is an event in history and there is evidence to back it up. Easter shows Jesus is alive and able to forgive. If you know you are forgiven, you must forgive others. We focused on the Bible story of The Resurrection. The story told us that after Jesus died on the cross, he was buried in a tomb secured by a large stone. On Sunday, the third day, women found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty; an angel announced Jesus had risen. Jesus appeared to his disciples, proving he was alive before ascending to heaven.
Whole School Worship - The Value of Kindness
Today, our whole school worship was focussed on the value of kindness and our Kindness Kite of God rewards kindness. We talk about kindness frequently at St Barnabas, especially as it is one of our 4 Be’s. As we came into worship, a video was playing that showed how kind acts affect the recipient, prompting them to pay the kindness forward so that it spreads. The children spotted some acts of kindness in the video and linked these to the charitable activities we have taken part in as a school family recently. Mrs Ham read some motivational quotes and we all acted out sprinkling a glitter trail of kindness and throwing around kindness like confetti. She then showed us the story of The Good Samaritan and explained that showing kindness isn’t something we reserve just for our friends and family; it’s for everyone. Quotes from the Bible about kindness were read brilliantly by Matthew, Darcy and Charlie from this week's Kindness Kite. We then spent some time reflecting on how we will show kindness this week and beyond, and we finished by singing one of our favourite songs, Rich in Kindness.
Year 5 - Easter Hop Skip Jump
Wearing our Easter crowns, we hopped, skipped and jumped around the playground for 1km to raise money for East Lancs Hospice. Luckily the weather was perfect so it was a great chance for some exercise. East Lancs Hospice is an organisation dear to our hearts, providing essential care and dignity for people in Darwen and Blackburn. Please donate any money you can either through our parent pay or directly through their website.