Year 3 join 'The Great Big Live Assembly' Easter Story
This morning, Year 3 participated in a "Great Big Live Assembly" alongside hosts Krish and Gemma to explore the global significance of Easter. The session kicked off on a high note with a visit from Krish’s two-week-old kittens before diving into the fact that over 2 billion people celebrate the holiday worldwide. The students explored Easter through the lens of literature, learning about the Easter story of the resurrection, written by Charles Dickens for his own children to highlight themes of mercy and love and the story of Christ's resurrection. The interactive session kept everyone engaged with a virtual quiz and "Easter egg" hunt involving artwork from the National Gallery. The assembly also featured a visit with Olivia from a school in Grantham and concluded with a student-led prayer centered on forgiveness and second chances, followed by a reading from Michael Rosen’s poetry collection, On the Move: Poems about Migration.
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Reception Rock your Socks for Down Syndrome
Today we are rocking our socks for World Down Syndrome Day on 21st March. We have been learning about different adults and children across the world with Down Syndrome and the ways we can support them, just like we do with Lenny in our school! The children practised different Makaton signs to help them to communicate with Lenny when he comes into class and decorated their own pairs of socks.
Whole School Worship with Rev Ben
Our Whole School Worship was led by Rev Ben this morning and he started by thanking the children who took part in the ‘ Let’s Go Sing ‘ concert at Planet Ice as they were so amazing and represented our school beautifully. Next, our game was The Fruit Challenge. Neve, Jacob, Darcy, Grace,James and Elijah had to name as many fruits as possible, continuously without any hesitation or repetition. It sounded easier than it was, but as it went on it became harder and harder. This was all about remembering things. Our Bible story was also about remembering things - The Last Supper. The Last Supper was Jesus’ final meal with his 12 closest friends (disciples) before his death, celebrated during Passover. He washed their feet to teach service, shared bread and wine to represent his broken body and poured-out blood, and commanded them to love one another and remember him. Christians believe that Jesus died so that those that trust Him can be forgiven. Jesus gave Christians this special meal to help them remember. Rev Ben asked us ‘ What happened in today's Bible story? ‘ and ‘ What does Holy Communion help Christians to remember?’ The children gave some lovely answers which included the fact that Jesus gave up his life for us with the bread representing Jesus' body which was broken on the cross and the wine represents his blood. We finished our Worship by singing Jesus strong and Kind.
Year 3 Class Worship: Happy News and Fun Reflections
During our class worship today, we explored several inspiring stories from our Happy News issue, reflecting on the theme of happiness and how small actions can make a big difference. We learned about "Moon Chickpeas" being grown in special soil for astronauts, the kindness of "Yakult Ladies" in Japan who check on the elderly, and the creativity of 10-year-old fashion designer Max Alexander. We also celebrated the return of the Large Tortoiseshell butterfly to the UK and the use of "super-hearing" to keep hedgehogs safe. Following these stories, we shared our own thoughts on what makes us happy and what "fun" truly means to us, such as the joy of spending quality time with friends and family. Charlie then read a prayer from Picture News, which thanked God for the things that bring us joy and excitement, like our favourite hobbies and games, and for the friends and family we share them with. We concluded that whether it is through a global scientific breakthrough or a simple chat with a friend, we all have the power to spread happiness and look out for one another.
Year 4 - Class Worship: Joy
In our class worship we looked at the Picture News story for the week about Pokémon turning 30 years old. The subject of the worship was: Finding Joy in the Journey. After discussing the story, the children worked in pairs to discuss their experiences of having fun. They used the social and emotional skill of oracy to really listen to their partner’s response, ready to share it with the rest of the class. They then listened to the Bible passage taken from Ecclesiastes explaining that God wants us all to experience and seek out joy, with the following caveats: don’t sacrifice your kindness and respect towards others in the pursuit of joy, and enjoy the journey rather than solely focussing on the destination.
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Our Whole School Worship-Palm Sunday and Serving Others
Our whole school worship began with signing the Trinity, bringing the whole school together in reflection. To explore the theme of our new Kindness Kite, Jack (Y5), Eliza (Y5), and Olivia (Y4) shared the Fairness Kite, which explained the biblical perspective on justice and treating others equitably. Mrs Ham asked the children to take a moment to reflect on everything we have done as a school to serve others who don't have as much as us. We looked back on our collective efforts to help those in need: Donating clothes, coats for the homeless, and teddies, which were organised by Year 5 Rotakids. Collecting food for Harvest and supporting the Darwen Enterprise Easter Egg appeal. Filling shoe boxes and raising money through sponsored walks. Worship continued with Mrs Ham reading a rhyming Palm Sunday Bible story about Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey, which the children and staff acted out brilliantly. Jesus and his friends were played by Charlie G, Peyton, and Mr Bloomfield. Zac (Year 1) played the donkey that carried Jesus into the city. Iris, Ava, and many other children acted as the crowd, waving palm leaves to welcome the King. Mrs Araujo and Mr Mealor played the Pharisees, representing the religious leaders who disagreed with Jesus and watched the parade with concern. To end our worship, we sang, 'We Have a King Who Rides a Donkey.' We left worship thinking about the example Jesus set and how we can continue to give in service to those around us.
Mothering Sunday Worship
We wanted to send a huge thank you to the children who joined us for our special Mothering Sunday worship today. They were a true credit to our community and represented St Barnabas beautifully. It was a joy to hear their voices fill the church as they performed: • Jesus Strong and Kind • The Butterfly Song • Give me oil in my lamp We are so grateful to you, our families, for bringing them along and allowing them to be such an integral part of our service. Their energy and participation made the morning truly special. Wishing a wonderful Mothering Sunday to all our Mums and Grandmas—we hope you have a relaxing day filled with love.
Friday Celebration Worship
This week in our celebration worship we spent time thinking about the importance of sharing what we have with others. We talked about how sharing can be shown in many ways, such as sharing our time, our kindness, our ideas and the things we have. It was wonderful to see so many examples of children living out this message throughout the week. We also celebrated British Science Week and the fantastic learning that has been taking place across the school. The children have been asking brilliant questions, investigating new ideas and showing great curiosity about the world around them. Alongside this, our clubs have been running brilliantly and it has been lovely to see so many pupils taking part, developing new skills and enjoying activities with their friends. We also celebrated the children who have demonstrated our school values this week. In Reception the values award went to Beau, in Year 1 it was Fiia, in Year 2 it was Lenny, in Year 3 it was Eli, in Year 4 it was Iris, in Year 5 it was Neveah and in Year 6 it was Eden. Well done to all of you for showing our values so clearly in school. We then looked at the team values points for this week. In fourth place was Darwen Tower, in third place was Whitehall Park, in second place was India Mill and in first place was River Darwen. Well done to everyone for continuing to work hard and earn values points for your teams. We also celebrated a number of fantastic achievements outside of school. Zachary received a certificate in Kids with Bricks and was named builder of the week, which is a brilliant achievement. Willow was awarded star of the week in gymnastics and also received a swimming certificate for being able to close her eyes under water. Cassius was awarded a football trophy for excellent scoring and tackling during his matches. Thea and Evie were awarded their 100 Years of World Thinking Day badge. Ella achieved a contract at Crewe Alexandra football club for the next two years and has been playing for them already for over two years, which shows great commitment. Darcy received a badge for completing her Brownie promise. Daisy also brought in two medals from a gymnastics competition where she achieved second and third place. We are very proud of all the effort and dedication shown by these pupils. This week’s attendance awards went to Year 2 and Year 4, so a big well done to those classes for their excellent attendance. We also shared a few reminders about upcoming events. On Sunday there will be a Mother’s Day service at St Barnabas Church at 11.00am where some of our children will be singing for their Mums and Grandmas We are also looking forward to Let’s Go Sing at Blackburn Ice Arena. Reception will soon be hosting their stay and play session and the Scholastic Book Fair will be returning to school next week. On Friday we will be taking part in Rock Your Socks Day to raise awareness for Down Syndrome Awareness Day. Year 4 will soon be heading on their residential trip and Year 5 will be taking part in Bikeability. Friends of St Barnabas will also be hosting a Chocolate Easter Bingo which we are sure will be lots of fun. We finished our worship with thoughtful prayers led by Iris and Elijah, helping us reflect on the week and be thankful for all the opportunities we have to learn, grow and support one another and prayed for peace for those who are living amongst conflict. We also said a special prayer for our Mums and Grandmas for all of the amazing things they do for us and we hope they all have a wonderful Mother's Day on Sunday.
Whole School Worship with Rev Matt
Our Whole School Worship was led by Rev Matt this morning. We started with a prayer and then Rev Matt introduced our challenge - Would you rather. Where would you rather live ,in a castle or a yacht? A cave or a hot air balloon? An aquarium or a zoo? The challenge was linked to our Bible story as it was about the place we live in. The Bible story Rev Matt shared was about where our home is . It was The Prodigal Son which is about a son who foolishly wastes his inheritance, yet is welcomed back with loving arms and forgiveness by his father. It teaches that God’s love is unconditional and that it is never too late to ask for forgiveness and come home. In our time to think session we looked at what the perfect home would look like and how it would feel to know that you could live in God’s perfect home. We learnt that our perfect home would be filled with love, happiness and joy.
Year 3 Class Worship-Year 3 Explore Robotics and Respect
During our class worship, Year 3 were inspired by a recent news story about humanoid robots performing at China’s Lunar New Year Gala. We used the theme "Beyond the Battery" to explore our Christian value of Respect while discussing how technology is rapidly changing the world around us. During our "Pupil Talk" session, the children were fascinated by how robots could spin, jump, and dance to music. This inspired them to develop some truly innovative ideas for robot jobs in our own lives. They suggested that robots could be designed to help with difficult chores, assist people with disabilities, help them with their homework, give out hugs and teach the children a dance routine. We also took time to think deeper about the difference between a living person and an object made by human hands. Reflecting on Psalm 115, we discussed how technology can mimic the way we move, but it can never replace the unique life that makes every human being special. We talked about how, unlike robots that follow instructions, humans have their own feelings, imaginations, and the ability to show true kindness. To conclude our worship, Archie shared a prayer thanking God for the skills that allow us to build and invent. We asked for the wisdom to use our inventions to treat every person with the dignity and respect they deserve. It was a fantastic session that encouraged the children to look "beyond the battery" at the true value of the people around them.
Year 4 Class Worship and Horrible Science Assembly
Today, Year 4 had an extended class worship. The first part followed on from yesterday's collective worship about sharing what we have. We talked about ways we have shared with others and times when someone has shared something small, but it has had a big impact on us. We added some of our ideas to our kindness kite. We also took part in the Big Live Horrible Science Assembly for British Science Week. The topic was light & space, with guest speakers, including British astronaut Tim Peake. The children recapped some of the information they had learned in Years 2 & 3, and learned lots of interesting new facts that will help them when they meet their Year 5 space topic. They also completed challenges in groups based on the information presented.
Whole School Worship - Sharing What We Have
Our kindness kite focus for this week, ‘Shared what they had’, linked perfectly with today’s story, the Feeding of the 5000. Before sharing the story, Mrs Ham asked children to about times they have shared with others. These included smiles, toy and clothing donations and even car sharing. After watching the story, the children reflected on the benefits of sharing and how God provides for his people in abundance, just like how the small amount of food multiplied upon Jesus’s faithful request to God. In reflection, we considered what we could share with others throughout Lent and made pledges to do so. We brought our worship to a close by sharing our wonderful singing voices with one another, practising some Easter songs for our upcoming service.