Whole School Worship - How Can We Flourish Together?
Today, in our collective worship, we shared ideas of what it means to flourish. The children had some fantastic thoughts, including being the best you can be, persevering, sharing with others and appreciating what God has given us. We looked at each one of our Christian values and decided how they could help us to learn and grow together. Mrs Ham reminded us of some of the “wows” and the “ows” in the world and we discussed how they make us feel. We reflected on the part we can all play by taking action to prevent the suffering in the world. We ended our worship with a reminder and a celebration of the ways we at St Barnabas have affected change in our communities and in the wider world. These included supporting our local refugees, collecting preloved coats for the homeless, raising money for East Lancs Hospice and collecting tinned food and toiletries for our harvest appeal. The children articulated that we all flourish when we aim to make the world a better place.
Another Week of Achieving Great Things & Living Life in All Its Fullness!
Dear Parents and Carers, What another truly fantastic week we've had, packed with children living life in all its fullness and achieving great things! The enthusiasm and effort from our children continue to make us incredibly proud. *This Week's Highlights* It's hard to pick just a few, but here are some of the wonderful things that have happened: *Our Year 5 Peer Mediators have been outstanding! On Monday morning, they led a Worship all about justice and forgiveness, and then bravely started their new role at break and lunch times, helping to resolve conflicts among children. They're doing an amazing job and have put all their training to good use! *On Monday we also had great fun singing our favourite Worship songs at a live Fischy Music Concert. *Year 3 has been deeply engaged in learning about refugees through the book 'I am Refugee'. As part of Refugee Week, some of them were invited to a special Refugee Week Tea Party by Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise (DARE), and the whole class confidently presented their learning to the Year 2 class. *A massive congratulations to our Year 5 and 6 netball squad who won the Darwen Netball League for the second year in a row! They were undefeated in all their games over the last five weeks – what an incredible achievement!They also won the Bee Stinger Netball a few weeks ago so will be representing BWD on the 8th July. *Reception class enjoyed a spiritual walk as part of their Muddy Monday and appreciated all of God's creation and gave thanks to Him all the way along. *We've seen the exciting start of some of our new out-of-school enrichment clubs, including Forest Schools, Cre8ability, Racquet Skills, Jag Tag, Craft Club, and Multi-skills. It's wonderful to see the children engaging in such a variety of activities. *In our Year of Prayer focus, we explored fruit tea smells in class, taking time to thank God for the amazing variety of fruits and vegetables He created. *During Worship with Rev Matt, we continued our focus on different ways to pray, reminding ourselves that we can pray anytime, anyway, and anywhere. We also dedicated worship time to Refugee Week, with some classes joining the Big Live Assembly for Refugee Week. The absolute biggest highlight of the week was our Sports Day this morning! We were completely overwhelmed by the fabulous turnout of parents, carers, and family members who came along to support and encourage in true St Barnabas style. A huge thank you to everyone who came – your presence truly made it special for the children. We are so incredibly proud of each and every child for their determination, courage, and effort, as well as for the fantastic encouragement they showed each other. For all of the news in detail from each class, please click here: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/news Next week promises to be another busy and exciting one: Monday: Our Year 6 children will be showcasing their writing to the writing moderators from the local authority. We are super proud of all their hard work! Tuesday: Our SIAMS Church School Inspection will be taking place. We are so excited to show the Inspector our amazing school family and how we live out our vision of 'Achieving great things through learning and growing together in a love-filled Christian family' and how we all live life in all its fullness. Thank you to the parents who have volunteered to speak to the Inspector and to everyone who has filled in the survey. If you haven't done so already, there is still time to fill this in. https://forms.gle/KUNHYgF69mgkLtM49 Also on Tuesday, Years 1 and 4 will have workshops from the Environment Agency about how they can reduce, reuse, and recycle waste, a great way to protect our planet. Thursday: Darwen Rotary will be visiting our RotaKids to thank them for their fantastic fundraising and projects this year and to start planning for next year. Please note, we've had to postpone our Barney's Got Talent Auditions by a week as our Sports Day ran over today. Thank you for your continued support – it means the world to us and we couldn’t do what we do without your support. Wishing you all wonderful weekend and I hope the sun continues to shine, Mrs Ham
Year 3-The Great Big Live Assembly: A Journey Into Refugee Lives
Today, Year 3 joined hundreds of schools for The Great Big Live Assembly to mark World Refugee Week. Led by Krish Kandiah, the worship helped us learn about the lives of millions of children who have been forced to leave their homes because of war, violence, or danger. We discovered that over 43 million children and young people worldwide are refugees or displaced. Through stories and real examples, including a live connection with children living in refugee camps, we got a better understanding of the challenges these children face every day. Krish encouraged us to think about what “home” means and how important it is to show kindness, support, and hope to those who have lost so much. The worship helped us reflect on the courage and strength of refugees and inspired us to be more compassionate and aware of global issues.
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Year 3-Exploring Spirituality Through Refugee Week
Today, as part of Refugee Week, 12 children from Year 3 visited a local church where they had the wonderful opportunity to meet refugees from 17 countries, such as Iraq, Palestine, Greece, South Africa, Afghanistan and Sudan. They listened to powerful, real-life stories of resilience, hope, and strength, gaining insight into these individuals' journeys and the challenges they have overcome. The experience helped to build empathy and deepen the children’s understanding of what it means to seek safety and rebuild a life in a new place. We ate food from Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Italy, Greece and drank Arabic coffee. The children sang songs for the refugees. Reverend Gilbert spoke to the children about how our donations to DARE - Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise have helped refugees and ensured they are always welcomed, and they encourage more donations, etc. This visit linked beautifully with our Spirituality school model of Windows, Mirrors, and Doors. Through Windows, the children looked out and learned from the lives of others, seeing the world through different perspectives. Mirrors encouraged them to look inward, reflect on their own lives, and think about how they might feel in similar situations. Finally, Doors inspired them to step out and consider how they can live more compassionately, supporting others and making positive choices in their own lives. The visit was a meaningful extension of our R.E. learning but also connected closely with Mrs Ham’s worship this week, which focused on raising awareness and showing solidarity with people in need. It encouraged our students to reflect on how they can contribute to a more welcoming and understanding world. Overall, today’s experience supported our whole-school aim of helping children to live life in all its fullness, by inspiring them to be open-hearted, thoughtful, and active in making a difference. #RefugeeWeek
Year 4 - Year of Prayer: Fruity Smells
The Year 4 class are really enjoying the Year of Prayer theme this week. Each day, they have been guessing the scent of a different fruit/herbal teabag. We began with a tricky one, which was more spicy than fruity (turmeric and cinnamon), but the other two were a bit more of a familiar scent. The favourite so far has been blackcurrant and blueberry. After a little guess, we reflected on our favourite foods and said a prayer of thanks to God for the wonderful foods He provides for us.
Year 3- R.E-Exploring Sikh Beliefs: The 5 Ks and a Way of Life
In today's R.E. lesson, our theologians explored the 5 Ks of Sikhism: Kesh (uncut hair), Kara (a steel bracelet), Kanga (a wooden comb), Kachera (cotton undergarments), and Kirpan (a ceremonial sword). These are the five articles of faith that Sikhs wear as a commitment to their beliefs and values. They discussed the significance of each of the 5 Ks and why they are important to Sikhs today. We also explored the Sikh code for living and considered how following this code might influence a person’s choices and lifestyle. Through group discussions and illustrations, children examined different scenarios and thought about what decisions a Sikh might make based on their faith. They were also allowed to handle and observe artefacts and photographs of the 5 Ks, helping them connect more deeply with the topic. The children recorded their thoughts and reflections using a structured framework to support their understanding.
Whole School Worship - Refugee Week
In Collective Worship today, we continued looking in detail at the Lord’s Prayer. This week we are focusing on ‘give us today our daily bread’. We had lots of ideas about what Jesus meant when He said these words. Of course, food and nutrition was mentioned, but the children said that this can also mean other things we need daily in order to live life in all its fullness, such as love, kindness, a safe place to live, clothing, education, fun and freedom. Mrs Ham then introduced Refugee Week and we looked through our spirituality opening to learn more about it. We were surprised to learn that some well-known people in Britain came as refugees, like Rita Ora and Mo Farrah and we also discussed how Jesus was a refugee when Mary and Joseph had to flee with him to Egypt. We also spent some time celebrating our work with D.A.R.E (Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise) . As a school, we have collected toys, books, Easter eggs, tinned foods and toiletries to help out our local refugees. Some of our Year 3 children will be taking part in a special Refugee Week Tea Party tomorrow at the United Reformed Church and will be meeting a number of refugees and will learn more about what has led them to come to Darwen. Hamza told everyone how he was a refugee from Kenya when he was only 3 and he was given a warm welcome at St Barnabas. Lana shared how her Grandma was a refugee from Palestine. We then reflected on how we can continue to support refugees and give them a warm welcome into our community, just as Jesus wanted us to love our neighbours as ourselves. We watched a video celebrating 80 years of the Moomins and learnt that the Moomin House became a refuge for all different animals who had to leave their homes. We reflected on how we want St Barnabas to be like the Moomin house where everyone feels welcome, accepted and loved.
Whole School Worship - Resolving Conflict
Yesterday’s worship began with some fantastic news! A representative from East Lancs Hospice came in to tell us that our Hop, Skip and Jump event raised £163. Following this, Mrs Wilkinson introduced this week’s Year of Prayer theme: Favourite Places. We spent some time sharing our favourite spaces and then we talked about how God has created so many amazing and healthy spaces for us to enjoy. This led us on to considering the fantastic outdoor spaces we have around school in which we can enjoy time with our friends. We were introduced to our Year 5 peer mediators and Mrs Wilkinson explained how they are going to help us all resolve any fallings out between us and our friends. We are all looking forward to learning to compromise and play together more harmoniously.
Whole School Worship-The Road to Damascus - Change, and Forgiveness
Today's worship with Rev. Ben began with the sign of the Trinity. Rev. Ben then presented the children with images of four well-known fictional "Super Villains": Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter, The Joker, Mrs. Trunchball, and Gru from Minions. The children enthusiastically shouted out the characters' names. This engaging activity led into the story of Damascus, focusing on the transformation of Saul into Saint Paul. The narrative explored how Saul, perceived as a "Villain", could undergo a profound change. Saul was initially a fervent persecutor of early Christians. While on his way to Damascus with authority to arrest followers of Jesus, a blinding light from heaven suddenly enveloped him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" When Saul asked who was speaking, the voice replied, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." This encounter left Saul blind for three days. He was led into Damascus, where a disciple named Ananias, guided by a vision from Jesus, healed his sight. After this miraculous experience, Saul was baptised and became a devoted follower of Jesus, changing his name to Paul. He tirelessly preached the Christian message from then on, becoming one of its most influential apostles. Following the story, the children were given time to consider a key question: Can a 'baddie' become a 'goodie'? If so, how and why?" This prompted thoughtful discussion among the children. The worship concluded with everyone singing "Shine from the Inside Out. and a prayer led by Rev Ben.
Year 4 - Linking Schools Visit to St Matthew’s
Our Linking Schools project reached its final part on Monday with Year 4 visiting St Matthew’s C of E Primary in Blackburn. We had a fantastic day designing “together towns”, creating poetry about living well together and even joining an assembly with local author, Dan Worsley. We have thoroughly enjoyed learning about our new friends and sharing work throughout this year; it has helped us to realise our similarities and celebrate differences.
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Year 4 - Class Worship and Year of Prayer
Year 4's class worship this Wednesday was from Blackburn Dioceses' Worship Together. We heard the well-known story from the Old Testament, David the Giant Killer. We thought about this story in different ways - about trying hard and using critical thinking when tackling a huge problem. We finished our worship with our Year of Prayer for this week, I Spy prayers, in which children hid objects around the room for everyone to try their best to find. We prayed about not giving up and asked for God’s help so that we may persevere.
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Year 3- Year of Prayer- I Spy-A Lesson in Perseverance
As part of our Year of Prayer, the children took part in a fun hunt around the classroom. Hidden in various places were special items, including a cross, a torch, a heart made of stone, a magnifying glass, and a bottle of sprinkles. The children were excited and eager to find them all, searching enthusiastically until we paused the hunt after 1 minute and 30 seconds. Interestingly, one item, the bottle of sprinkles hidden inside a shoebox, wasn’t found. This led to a discussion about perseverance. The children reflected on the importance of not giving up, even when something feels tricky or takes time. They recognised that determination, effort, and not giving up are key parts of our everyday life. To end the session, the children offered a special prayer, asking God to help them continue to try their best, especially when they feel like giving up.