Smart School Councillors Raise £163 for 'The Brain Tumour Research'.
A huge thank you to all the parents and children for your incredible support at our recent bake sale; thanks to your generosity, we successfully raised £163.00 for ' The Brain Tumour Charity'. Our Smart School Councillors did a fantastic job organising the event and helping with the baking, resulting in an impressive spread of 180 biscuits and 100 fairy cakes. These funds will make a huge difference, allowing us to pay for 10 DNA preservation tubes and provide much-needed comfort to a child following their diagnosis by sending them a Brainy Bag and a cuddly bear. We are so proud of our students hard work and grateful to our wonderful community for helping us provide this vital support.
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.
The Big Bake Sale
'The Big Bake Sale' Dear Parents and Guardians, Next week, our School Councillors are turning into star bakers! We are putting on our aprons to help raise vital funds for The Brain Tumour Charity, an organisation dedicated to moving further and faster towards a cure. Our goal is to help reach the charity's fundraising milestones, and we would love your support to get there. We will be baking our treats on Tuesday to ensure everything is fresh for the sale on Wednesday, May 6th. Children can grab delicious homemade buttery biscuits and cupcakes for £1 each during morning break, and any leftover bakes will be available for purchase at the school gates after school. You can contribute directly via ParentPay, or children can bring cash to school on Wednesday. While bakes are £1, any additional voluntary donations are incredibly appreciated as we strive to smash our £300+ goal. Every penny raised brings us closer to a cure. Thank you in advance! The Smart School Council team and Miss Kachwalla (D.T leader).
Year 5 - RotaKids
Julia and Kathleen from Darwen Rotary Club came to visit today to discuss our next charity project for RotaKids. Having supported local and global charities through our previous efforts, we decided this time to support our school. We discussed various fundraising ideas before deciding on two potential favourites: wearing historical dress or dressing as you would in your future career. Now the RotaKids council have to convince Mrs Ham that we have the organisation and passion to get the whole school onside and raise as much as we can for St Barnabas.
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.
Reception - Hop, Skip & Jump
Reception thoroughly enjoyed taking part in our yearly ‘Hop, skip & jump’ around our school 1k track to raise money for East Lancashire Hospice. The children wore their Easter crowns with pride and moved around our school track by hopping, skipping or jumping. What a brilliant effort by all.
Year 1 and 2: Hop, Skip and Jump
Year 1 and 2 really enjoyed raising money for East Lancs Hospice. They all participated in hop, skip and jump in the lovely sunshine. It was lovely to see all of their beautiful Easter crowns too.
Year 4 - Hop, Skip and Jump Event
This morning Year 4 took part in The East Lancashire Hospice Hop, Skip and Jump Event. Every Hop, Skip & Jump brings the hospice closer to providing vital care for families facing life-limiting illnesses. This charity is very close to our hearts and what a gorgeous day to take part. The children loved getting out in the fresh air and sunshine.
FOSB Easter Chocolate Bingo
A huge thank you to everyone who came to our FOSB chocolate bingo this evening. We hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did. A massive thank you to our FOSB PTFA for organising and running the event. A special thanks to Mrs Araujo for being a super spring chicken! ???? All of the photos can be found here: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-galleries/fosb-easter-chocolate-bingo
Year 3- East Lancashire Hospice Hop, Skip and Jump
Today, our Year 3 class hopped, skipped, and jumped. They took on our 1k track to raise money for the wonderful East Lancs Hospice, and they did it in style, wearing their own, handmade Easter crowns. We are so proud of their incredible effort and teamwork. To celebrate their hard work, every child was rewarded with a chocolate egg. Parents, you can still support this amazing cause! Donations can be made easily via ParentPay.
Year 5 - Easter Crowns
On Thursday, we will be raising money for the East Lancs Hospice by doing a sponsored 1km hop, skip and jump. The children can be sponsored through the forms they have taken home and any money can be contributed through parent pay. They will be wearing their spectacular Easter crowns, which they made today, while they are getting their steps in.
Year 3- Class Meeting: Oracy in Action: The Big Bake 2026
During today's class meeting, Eddie and Roman led a powerful session on joining The Big Bake 2026 to support the brain tumour community. This initiative provided a fantastic opportunity for the students to develop their oracy skills, as they engaged in a thoughtful debate about how their collective efforts could help save lives. By practising active listening and articulating their ideas clearly, the students moved from initial deliberation to a unanimous, enthusiastic "Yes" vote. This Smart School Council action not only serves a vital cause but also showcases the students' growing confidence in using their voices to drive change and collaborate on a plan to bake and sell goods together.