Teaching Cycle Safety
Teaching cycle safety to children empowers them to ride responsibly, reducing risks while out on the road. In advance of Road Safety Week, our next guide and the latest episode of the #WakeUpWednesday podcast explain how to keep kids safe when they set out on two wheels, helping them ride with confidence! Download here >> https://ow.ly/CQ8E50U5T5Q Listen here >> https://ow.ly/yiXL50U5T5O
Year 6 - Anti-Bullying Live Lesson
At the beginning of this week, Year 6 took part in a PSHE lesson and a CBBC live lesson that focused on Anti-Bullying Week. The theme this year is ‘Choose Respect’. Year 6 were made aware that disagreements are actually a natural part of life and that we can’t avoid them. However, what we do have control of is the ability to be respectful when we have a disagreement. If we manage to do this, a resolution is easier to find.
Reception Celebrate anti-bullying week
Today the children came to school wearing odd socks to celebrate anti-bullying week. During our PSHE lesson we discussed how we can show respect and be a good friend to each other. These are some of the ideas the children came up with; “Be kind” (Max) “Be helpful” (Cassius) “Be friendly” (Willow) “Share” (Hadi) “Share toys” (Evie) “Be Respectful” (Reggie) “Help our friends if they are struggling with their work” (Oliver) “Listen to our friends” (Will) “Have kind hands with our friend” (Hendrix)
Online Safety: Encouraging Children to Choose Respect
Anti-Bullying Week is right around the corner, and this year’s theme is “Choose Respect”. When disputes arise among children, insults and rudeness can sometimes follow and it’s vital for us to show them a better way. Working with the Anti-Bullying Alliance themselves, we’re bringing you expert advice on how to do exactly that. Download >> https://nationalcollege.com/guides/choose-respect Listen >> https://tr.ee/mppP2QEa1w
WOW Year Group Winners for October
A huge WELL DONE to Year 4 who gained the most walk to school badges for the month of October! It was great to see so many more children gaining their badges this month now we can take part in school through choosing to do the 1K A Day too. Thank you to parents and carers too for all of your support with this super initiative.
Year 6 - PSHE
In PSHE, Year 6 continued their work on relationships. They found out that sometimes we encounter challenges in friendships and that we need to try our best to resolve those challenges. Year 6 provided some fantastic examples of advice and I was extremely impressed by the levels of maturity.
WOW Ambassadors October Badge Challenge
In our Wellbeing Warrior meeting today, the WOW Ambassadors worked through each year group to highlight which children had managed to complete our weekly challenge of walking or park and striding once per week. It’s fantastic to see even more children gaining their badges now that they can also do this by taking part in the 1K A day in school if needed. The WOW Ambassadors can’t wait to announce the winners of the October Challenge in tomorrow's Celebration Worship.
Year 6 - Cricket
Year 6 have made real progress in cricket and taken part in their sessions with such enthusiasm. This week, they took part in a game situation that combined their fielding, batting and bowling skills.
Online Safety: Fortnite
Fortnite is a triumph in the gaming sphere. Fast-paced action in a cartoonish package – but 'cartoonish' doesn’t always mean ‘safe’. In this week’s guide and the latest episode of our #WakeUpWednesday podcast we’re discussing the online safety risks of this popular title. Download >> https://ow.ly/qyuR50TW3CO Listen >> https://ow.ly/QRhp50TW3CN
Year 6 - School Council Class Meeting
This morning, Year 6 took part in their class meeting and discussed how their half first term had been. It was great to hear them speak with such openness and justify what they have enjoyed, what could be better and what they are looking forward to as the year progresses.
Reception: Muddy Monday
Today, our Reception children went for a walk into our local environment. We went on a mile walk to Jack Keys reservoir. The children enjoyed looking at the reservoir, the fallen leaves and loved listening to the birds singing. The children really concentrated on what they could see and hear, exploring spirituality. It was a rainy walk and the children persevered and enjoyed splashing in the puddles too.
Cre8ability
This week is our last Cre8ability session. We discussed what we could do when we feel different feelings. To cheer ourselves up, Harry said we could watch a film, Jacob said we could play together, Hendrix said we could go out for a walk and April said we could comfort someone. When we feel an emotion, it takes a minute and a half for us to feel an emotion and then it is the thinking time that happens after which makes an emotion linger. We created a lovely weaving craft today. Thank you so much to Carol and Maria for running such a wonderful group.
Online Safety: Horror Films and Age Ratings
https://ow.ly/n4Pl50TLKP2 spooky season, plenty of young people will be breaking out the popcorn and giving themselves a fright But let’s ensure that what they’re watching is appropriate. In this week’s guide and podcast episode, we’re offering expert advice on horror films and age ratings. Download here >> https://ow.ly/gCJU50TLKP5 Listen here >> https://ow.ly/IOA050TLKP4
Barney’s Break Time Snack Rules
In our Wellbeing Warrior meeting today, the children discussed what should and what shouldn’t be included in our break time snacks as we have had quite a few questions about this from both parents and children. After looking at national guidance and a healthy balanced diet, the wellbeing warriors have decided that the following foods can be brought in for a break time snack: Fruit - fresh/dry Vegetables Frubes ( tube yoghurt) Cheese ( babybel or similar) Plain /yoghurt covered rice cakes Breadsticks Crackers/cracker bread Items that we would like children NOT to bring in: Any chocolate coated items Cereal bars Nuts Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 receive a free piece of fruit each day. Thank you for your support and understanding. This will begin on our return after half term. If there are any medical conditions that require other items, class teachers and staff will use their discretion. Have a lovely weekend. The Wellbeing Warriors
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Inter-House Sports Dodgeball led by Sports Leaders
A huge thank you to our new Sports Leaders who ran their very first Inter- house competition today. They chose to do dodgeball and every class thoroughly enjoyed it! The children showed each other respect, demonstrated the 4 B’s and encouraged each other every step of the way. We can’t wait to hear who the overall winners are next week
Hello Yellow Day
To celebrate and raise awareness for World Mental Health Day, all the children and staff dressed in yellow to show their support. During a special worship, the children danced to happy songs. We reflected deeply on our emotions, exploring how they shape our inner lives and how we can find strength in times of struggle. We discussed the importance of nurturing our mental well-being through kindness, prayer, and community support. This spiritual reflection reminded us that we are never alone in our challenges; by turning to our faith and embracing hope, we can find peace and resilience within ourselves.
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Year 5 - Hello Yellow Day
To support this year’s Hello Yellow Day, Year 5 enthusiastically created their own unique badges, each representing what made them special. With this year’s theme, "Wear it loud and wear it proud," the children confidently showcased their badges and spoke about them with pride. Afterward, we engaged in a meaningful discussion about mental health and well-being, exploring the different ways we can take control of and improve our own mental health by focusing on activities that bring us joy and comfort.
Cre8ability
This week at Cre8ability we focussed on who our special people are. We discussed how we all have similarities and differences. These differences help us to be unique. We all decorated a box with all of our favourite things. We talked about how we should celebrate our differences and ensure everybody is included.
Year 6 - Hello Yellow Day
Year 6 celebrated ‘Hello Yellow Day’ by exploring ways in which they can make themselves feel better if they are going through a tough time. We discussed that an effective strategy is to take the time to think about how great we are as an individual. To highlight this, we designed badges containing words and symbols. It was great to see the children celebrating what makes them great and focusing on the positives as it is sometimes hard to pay ourselves compliments.
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St Barnabas do Hello Yellow Day 2024
Today in school, we celebrated Hello Yellow Day 2024. Hello Yellow Day is a day when we can show our support for young people and let them know they're not alone with their mental health. Thousands of children came together to make World Mental Health Day that little bit brighter by wearing something yellow and donating to YoungMinds. Right now, the world is a really tough place for children and young people to grow up in. We want young people to know that they don’t have to go through this alone. Things can get better. Because we stand brighter, together. At St Barnabas, we celebrated through our whole school worship led by Mrs Ham and her minion friends, Harry, Hamza, Daisy and Rosie. Each class then used their PSHE session to explore Hello Yellow Day further and it was clear to see that every class made a super effort with their outfits too. What a super day being loud and proud in yellow. #HelloYellow
Teaching Children Fire Safety
Remember, remember … 5 November is approaching fast, but of course fire safety isn’t only important on Bonfire Night. Help children recognise the potential risks with a timely reminder of fire safety essentials in this week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide and accompanying podcast. Download here >> https://ow.ly/Y2lm50THEhe Listen here >> https://ow.ly/lOLi50THEhf
Walk Once a Week Challenge September Winners - Year 3
Congratulations to Year 3 for having the most children who either walked, park and strode or completed the 1K a day in the month of September. They received a whopping 29 badges in total and will now take their place on the WOW hall of Fame. A huge well done and thanks to all of the parents and carers who have encouraged their children to take part in the scheme. Don’t forget - if you can’t manage the walk or park amd stride, you can always do the 1K a day with your teacher in school so that you have the opportunity to gain your badge as well! The WOW ambassadors highlighted that October is National Walk to School month so it is really important to try and travel more actively to school either in the morning or after school has finished.
Cre8ability Session 4
This week we continued with our learning on emotional regulation. We focussed on how music can affect our emotions. We listened to lots of music and discussed how we felt after it. Music works the left and right side of the brain so it is really therapeutic. We then explored and had the opportunity to play some African drums. Carol taught us how to play the drums. We learnt bass, tone and slap and how to do a rumble on the drum. The children all created their own rhythm and we did a call and response. We then drummed along to ‘we will rock you’. We finished our session with some mindfulness colouring.
Online Safety: In-game Chat
Chatting to others in a game can be a great way to connect as you enjoy your hobby together. It’s not always quite so wholesome, however. Our newest #WakeUpWednesday guide and the latest episode of our podcast offer expert advice on the risks of in-game chat! Download here >> https://ow.ly/olvZ50TAgSJ Listen here >> https://ow.ly/ePvP50TAgSO
Reception: Forest Schools
This week, we explored our forest schools area in our school grounds. The children built dens and did lots of imaginative play inside the tree. Lots of children even climbed a tree! The children really enjoyed getting muddy too!
Cre8ability Session 3
This week we focussed on emotional regulation. We looked at how to manage our emotions. Carol and Maria reminded us of the green for calm, orange for feeling overwhelmed and red for anger bottles. We discussed how we can stop going from calm to angry. There are three words that we focussed on to calm down: time, think and tell. We need to take some time, think about what we can do to calm down and talk to someone, it could be a person or an animal. We need to be careful to not make a decision when we are angry. You are 25 when you have fully developed emotional intelligence. We have big expectations of our young children but they still have a long wait to go to develop in emotional maturity. Today we made a calming glitter bottle to help the children take time to calm down, a worry warrior to talk to and a worry catcher to take your worries away.
Online Safety: Instagram
With around 1.6 million teenage users, Instagram has become a favourite hangout for many youngsters online. Despite having so many young members on the platform, it poses its fair share of risks. In this week's guide and latest podcast episode for #WakeUpWednesday, we’re bringing you expert advice on how to keep children and young people safe on Instagram! Download here >> https://ow.ly/gfNu50Tv2wu Listen here >> https://ow.ly/ViQx50Tv2wt
Reception: Muddy Monday
Reception class had their first Muddy Monday session and they walked up to our school field. The children stayed close to each other whilst walking and they all managed to get to the field safely. The children enjoyed rolling down the hill, racing and finding bugs in the grass. It was pouring down but the rain did not stop the,. They are looking forward to next week's Muddy Monday.
Online Safety: Final Fantasy XIV
Swords , sorcery and epic quests! MMOs let you join people from round the globe on a grand adventure – but even a fantasy world can present some very real risks. This week's free guide >> https://bit.ly/4e5Y8jc And #WakeUpWednesday podcast >> https://spoti.fi/3yV3ue4
Year 4 Gratitude and Mindfulness Appreciation
Year 4 enjoyed playing on the outdoor gym and MUGA in the beautiful sunshine. We felt so much gratitude for our lovely surroundings of fields, Darwen Tower and much more all around us.
Cre8ability Session 2
We began our session finishing off our Picasso artwork. Today we thought of words beginning with each letter of the alphabet to link to our emotions. We then discussed feelings and how they can make our tummies feel strange. Jacob said that green is calm, Leonora said orange can make us feel overwhelmed and Eve said fizzy red can make us feel angry. Our aim is to be in green mode but we need to recognise when we are moving into orange so that we can prevent ourselves from moving into red and feeling angry. Our craft this week was using clay. The group all chose their favourite things to sculpt. It was a lovely time for parents and children to spend time with each other and have some fun.
Reception- Outdoor Gym
This morning we have been out on our outdoor gym for the first time. After demonstrating how to use the equipment the children then had a go themselves. They were so sensible and used the equipment safely. They especially enjoyed the cross trainers and exercise bikes. Well done Reception class!
Cre8ability Session 1
We had our first parent and child ‘nurturing emotional wellbeing in creative spaces’ group today run by Cre8ability. The children together with their parents created some artwork in the style of Picasso. It was lovely to see them working together in such a calming environment. The children and parents learnt which colours reflect their feelings and also learnt some calming techniques. A huge thank you to Carol and Maria, we can’t wait for next week.
Online Safety: Supporting Children to Manage Conflict Effectively
Being able to manage conflict effectively is a key skill for all to learn but it can be tricky for young people to know exactly how. This #WakeUpWednesday, we’re offering expert advice on helping children avoid and manage conflict effectively. Check out this week's free guide >> https://bit.ly/3TneFa5 And the latest episode of our #WakeUpWednesday podcast here >> https://spoti.fi/3zpZXIt
Wellbeing Warriors 2024-2025
A lovely warm welcome to our newly appointed Wellbeing Warriors. Following our class vote, we are pleased to announce that Desmond, Eliza, Alice and Darcy are going to lead all our new initiatives in school including supporting with our WOW travel plan which will continue this year. We have made the challenge much more achievable by offering the children who can’t walk to school the opportunity to take part in the 1k once a week with their class teacher instead and this will count as their walk once a week and ability to gain the monthly badge. Please keep your eyes peeled for upcoming events.
Online Safety: Supporting children going back to school
It’s the start of September, and the new school year has begun. Let’s make sure the kids have a successful return! This #WakeUpWednesday, we’re letting you know how to support children as they go back to school after the holidays. Download here >> https://bit.ly/3MvP8rd
Online Safety: Worry and Anxiety
When it feels like the whole world’s on your shoulders, sometimes all you need is a helping hand. This #WakeUpWednesday, we’re looking at the impacts of worry and anxiety on children – and how best to help them manage these burdens. Download here >> https://bit.ly/3S5qDVi
Year 3- Panda Paramedic First Aid Silver Award
This afternoon, we welcomed Dawn, a paramedic, into our Year 3 classroom to help us complete our Basic First Aid Silver Award. Dawn began by asking us how to treat a burn. While we knew to run it under cool water, our guesses for how long it should be done were way off. Dawn clarified that the burn should be cooled under running water for 20 minutes. Dawn then showed us pictures of a child with a graze, a sprained ankle, and a bump to the head. The children informed Dawn that if they have a head injury at school, their parents receive a message so their families can keep a close eye on them. Next, Dawn demonstrated how to give first aid to someone with a broken arm. We all practised putting slings on each other's arms. Though the children found it tricky at first, with practice, they got the hang of it. Dawn also asked the children how to help someone who is choking. The children knew to pat the person's back but were unsure for how long. Dawn clarified that you should strike five separate times between the person's shoulder blades with the heel of your hand. The children then had a turn to practice this on a dummy. Dawn then asked the children to name the four emergency services. She was impressed that they could identify them all: Police, Fire, Ambulance, and Coastguard. She added that you can also request mountain rescue if needed. Before finishing, the children asked Dawn what inspired her to become a paramedic and how long she had been doing this work. Dawn shared that she initially wanted to be a vet but was put off by the idea of having to put animals down, which she found very upsetting. She finds her current job much better because she is always helping people and has been a paramedic for over 15 years. They worked brilliantly as a class and were awarded a certificate for their participation.
Reception: Muddy Monday
Wow! What a year we have had in Reception. The children have made so much progress during our forest schools sessions. They have improved in their stamina, risk taking, problem solving and imagination skills. We have loved seeing all of the children blossom and made the most of our last Muddy Monday session together!
Year 3- Rock and River-
Year 3 had an amazing day at Rock and River today, participating in various challenging activities, including the low ropes course, climbing tower, airbag jump, rafted canoes, sit-on-top kayaks, paddle boards, and mega paddle boards. Despite finding the water cold, nothing stopped them from jumping in and getting wet! They had an absolute blast, demonstrating our school's Christian values by being brave and showing courage, determination, and respect throughout the day. Their behaviour and manners were so impressive that even the instructors were in awe.
Year 3- Rock and River
Year 3 had an amazing day at Rock and River today, participating in various challenging activities, including the low ropes course, climbing tower, airbag jump, rafted canoes, sit-on-top kayaks, paddle boards, and mega paddle boards. Despite finding the water cold, nothing stopped them from jumping in and getting wet! They had an absolute blast, demonstrating our school's Christian values by being brave and showing courage, determination, and respect throughout the day. Their behaviour and manners were so impressive that even the instructors were in awe.
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Online Safety: Online Trolling
Sadly, it can be all too common to encounter mean-spirited comments online – but we don’t have to give them the time of day. This week, our #WakeUpWednesday guide offers expert advice on safeguarding children against “trolling”. Download here >> https://bit.ly/45ReBnR
Reception- Inter House Sports
Our Year 6 Sports Leaders did a fantastic job at leading our inter house sports competition this morning. The children participated in the relay, egg and spoon, sack and running races. They all tried exceptionally hard and were great supporters and encouragers for their team members. We would like to say a big well done to our overall race winners Lydia and Percy who were rewarded with a medal and certificate. The rain can't stop us at St Barnabas! We are looking forward to our outdoor sports day which will hopefully be on Friday 12th July.
Online Safety: Gambling
You may have noticed an increase in betting adverts lately – courtesy of the Euros. Gambling, however, poses a risk to young people all year round. This #WakeUpWednesday, we’re letting you know how to safeguard children from the hazards of gambling. Download here >> https://bit.ly/4bosr29
Reception: Mindfulness
Each morning before we start our day, Reception class begin a mindfulness activity. This helps us to feel calm and ready to start our day. All children participate in the activity and are very sensible throughout. Well done!
Reception: Muddy Monday
Reception had a very busy forest school session today. They enjoyed exploring in the shaded area of Jacks Keys. They found a fox hole and enjoyed exploring and creating their own storylines. They made houses for different animals and roleplayed a story about a fox coming out during the night. Some of our children climbed trees and managed to climb higher than usual. We are so proud of the children and love seeing how far they have come. Super perseverance, challenge and determination was seen from them all!
Online Safety: Promoting Physical Wellbeing
With the Euros in full swing, plenty of children are taking to the pitch but perhaps we can keep them active all year round. This #WakeUpWednesday, we’ve put together some expert tips on promoting physical wellbeing to children and young people. Download >> https://bit.ly/3KM4Pdc
Reception- forest school
The children had a great time exploring our outdoor forest school area. Some children chose to climb trees, some went on a bug hunt, some built dens and some children let their imaginations run wild. It was lovely to see the children so confident and engaged with their outdoor play.
WOW Badge Winners for May
Huge congratulations to all of the children who have managed to ‘Walk Once a Week’ or ‘Park and Stride’ once a week during the month of May. We saw so many children receiving their badges but we can only have one overall class winner and that went to Year 5 ….again! Well done to all involved and keep up the hard work.
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Year 4 - The Big Debate - Should parents be able to access their children’s social media?
As part of our class worship this morning, we completed our big debate on whether or not parents should be able to access their child’s social media accounts? We know that social media can have both a negative and positive impact on children. We also found that OFCOM completed a survey in 2020 which showed that 30% of children aged 5-7 years had a social media account! Reasons for ‘should’ were : It could protect the child from danger It can support with mental health if the child is struggling to deal with issues It can correct negative behaviour ( the parent can intervene) Reasons for ‘shouldn’t’ included: It’s invasion of privacy They can learn their own way about e-safety There are other ways of checking on your child Overall our class voted 22 people for their parents checking and only 5 opposed it.
DPSSA Netball Finals Night
This evening we took part in The Darwen Primary Schools Netball Finals event at Darwen Vale. We had three really tough games winning our first 5-2, drawing our second 1-1 and again winning our final game 5-1. This saw us gain joint top place finishers. Unfortunately it then went down to a goal difference of just three goals so we came away with silver medals. The children played brilliantly and are such a joy to watch. Great team spirit and true St Barnabas encouragers. Well done Team B - you have really done yourselves proud!
Online Safety: Fair play and friendly competition
With #Euro2024 about to start, a little competition could be great fun provided nobody crosses the line. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide lets you know how to nurture a healthy competitive spirit in children and young people, encouraging them to play fair. Download >> https://bit.ly/3z0cQIT
Online Safety: Encouraging Healthy Friendships
Flourishing friendships can be an important aspect of a happy life - but what does a healthy relationship look like? This #WakeUpWednesday, we’re offering expert advice on encouraging healthy friendships among children and young people. Download here >> https://bit.ly/4auaaQD
Monday Worship: Mental Health
Last week was mental health awareness week and the theme was find your moments for movement. We began our worship by thinking about what mental health is. Isaac said it is about how you feel, Lucy said it was all about your emotions and Seb said it was about how you feel inside, not outside. We watched a video all about how people can look ok but actually may feel scared, worried or anxious and it is important to talk to someone, to exercise or to take time out for yourself. David told everybody how he felt worried about his SATs but he came into school smiling so people may not have known. Mrs Wilkinson led a mindfulness activity for everybody to really focus on their body. We then discussed how we can move more. The children suggested that we could play outside, go swimming, play football and dance. We then took part in a moodbuster get active workout where we all jumped, did star jumps, squatted and ran on the spot repeating affirmations. We then reflected on how we can move more and how we can promote mental health to ourselves and others. We ended our worship by singing Lighthouse to remind us that Jesus is always there to listen to us.
Forest school club
This week the children had a great time building dens which opened so much up for their imaginative play. The children created leaf tickets to enter the den. They gave each other different roles within the game. It was great to see the children all playing cooperatively together and using brilliant team work.
Online Safety: School Avoidance
This #WakeUpWednesday, our guide looks at some of the causes of school avoidance and the impact it can have, and provides some helpful tips on how to support children with any challenges they are experiencing. Download >> https://bit.ly/3V1czhq
Year 5- PGL- Three day residential trip
Year 5 have been on a 3-day residential trip to Winmarleigh Hall, where they created lasting memories, and tackled challenging activities such as; Zip wire, abseiling, survivor skills, traverse, raft building, quizzes, sensory trail and vertical challenges demonstrating incredible teamwork. Well done Year 5! A huge thank you to Mr Bloomfield, Miss Kachwalla and Rev Ben for their amazing support!
Year 6 KOOTH workshop
On Friday, year 6 took part in a virtual workshop with KOOTH. KOOTH is an online, anonymous mental well-being platform for children. The children can sign up to this service by: visiting the website, selecting sign up, select their area (Darwen, Lancashire) and filling in a few details (DOB, gender, ethnicity, username). This service can provide support for SATS or anything else that the children may be worrying about.
Year 5 and 6 Hop, Skip and Jump for East Lancs Hospice
Last Friday, year 5 and 6 took part in a fundraiser for East Lancs Hospice. It involved them hopping, skipping and jumping around the school yard. They took part with such enthusiasm. Well done year 5 and 6!
Year 6 P.E.
Year 6 continued their athletics unit. This week, we focused on our running, jumping and throwing skills. As always, we emphasised the importance of being in competition with yourself and trying to better your own personal outcomes. Year 6 took part with great enthusiasm and listened attentively on how to better their technique.
Forest school club
What a lovely day for forest school, today we went foraging for natural materials. The children made spring crowns, where they stuck their flowers, leaves and sticks to a strip of card to make their crown. The children also made some natural paintbrushes and then tested them out using watercolours.
Online Safety: Ofcom Media Report 2024
99% of children are now regularly online, making Ofcom’s Media Use and Attitudes Report a must-read for parents, carers and educators. This #WakeUpWednesday, we’ve got a breakdown of Ofcom’s most eye-catching #OnlineSafety findings Download here >> https://bit.ly/4aV1h3J
Reception- Making bug houses
In class we have been looking at different types of minibeasts as part of our ‘amazing animals’ topic. We learnt a new word yesterday which was ‘invertebrate’ and we learnt that invertebrates do not have a backbone. We had a look at some minibeast habitats and went out to our forest school area and made some of our own houses for lots of different bugs.
Reception- outdoor gym
We have made the most of the beautiful weather this morning and we got out on our outdoor gym. It was great to see children using the equipment confidently and using their gross motor skills and great co ordination.
Online Safety: Shopping Platforms
Everyone loves an online deal! The trouble is, scammers know that too – so they often lurk around online marketplaces, hoping to fleece the unwary. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide has tips for staying safe on shopping apps. Download here >> https://bit.ly/3QgvsKs
Walk to School Summer Worship
As part of our new Walk to School initiative, we took part in a virtual worship this morning. It was to highlight events that will be taking place over the summer term. We also looked at how children travel to school in different countries and found that some children have to go to school in a boat and some children in China have to climb 2500 ft up a mountain side using a rope ladder! The schools that took part, shared why walking to school helped us and we said that it helps us to clear our mind, be with nature, how it helps to keeps us fit and de- stress. The events that are due to take place are Walk to School Week 20-24th May and the WOW Top Ten Challenge when schools try to increase their walks and gain a top ten place on the leader board which is 3-28th June. Our WOW ambassadors are looking forward to promoting these exciting events and will be planning something very exciting!
WOW Badge and Class Winners for March 2024
A huge well done to all 120 of our WOW badge winners for March 2024. What a super effort everyone has made. We have all tried really hard to either walk or park and stride once a week in the month of March which was a little taster session as we did it over the 2 weeks! A big congratulations to Year 5 as they have the most badge winners. We look forward to seeing who has earned a badge for April in a couple of weeks.
Year 4- The Big Debate - should we put restrictions on fast food intake?
In our Class Worship this morning we took part in The Bg Debate which asked; Should the amount of fast food people are allowed to eat be restricted? We learned lots of new facts including- 37% of all American adults have a least one fast food meal per day and that in the UK, 26% of all adults are classes as obese. We also questioned who judges what fast food actually is? Not all fast food is viewed as unhealthy and it also helps poorer families as some fast food is cheaper. As a class we voted that WE SHOULD restrict the fast food and the children debated both sides of the argument very well!
Online Safety: Energy Drinks
A hefty boost of energy during a slump can be a massive help but drinks loaded with caffeine are far from the best option. This #WakeUpWednesday, we're addressing the risks of consuming energy drinks and showcasing healthier alternatives. Download here >> https://bit.ly/3W0dDCU
Forest school club
In forest school we have been discussing the birds coming back from migration and what we could do to help them. We decided to make bird feeders using pipe cleaners and cereal. We then went on a walk around school to decide which trees were the best to hang the bird feeders in.
Reception: Forest Schools
Our Ducklings love our forest school sessions at Whitehall Park! Letting their imaginations run wild is so important for their development. They enjoyed developing their gross motor skills too whilst exploring the outdoors.
Year 4 Go on Residential to The Anderton Centre
Well that’s a wrap! What an amazing adventure we have had at The Anderton Centre. The children have loved tree climbing, archery, fairy den building, night line guide line, bushcraft, marshmallow toasting, team building, XL stand up paddle boarding, midnight feasts, sleepovers (with not much sleep) and AI food. The children have really challenged themselves, attempting things that have really pushed them out of their comfort zones. Team Gardner, Team Araujo andTeam Lyon’s were a pleasure to take and conducted themselves in true St Barnabas style, showing our four Bs along the way at all times. A huge thanks to the parents and carers for allowing us to share such a magical experience with them, labelling every item under the sun and all with the packing skills of a scout leader! We now have very tired children but they have made memories that will last a lifetime! For all of the photos, please click here: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-galleries/year-4-anderton-centre-residential
Online Safety: WhatsApp Breaking News!
Breaking news! WhatsApp has lowered its age limit to 13! With potentially more young people joining the chat, it is even more important that parents and educators are fully aware of the risks associated with this platform. Refresh your knowledge and get expert advice on keeping children safe online with our Wake Up Wednesday Guide Download here >> https://bit.ly/3t0WKLY
Online Safety: Managing Exam Stress
“You may turn your papers over … now.” ⏱✏️ With SATs only around a month away, our timely #WakeUpWednesday guide has some expert advice on helping children and young people to manage their pre-test stress
Year 5 and 6 Rose Garden Visit
This morning, year 5 and 6 visited the Rose Garden to see the art work that each year group created to represent different elements of the Easter story. The standard of work was superb across the school. Mr Bloomfield then led a quiz based on the art work that was kindly created by Mrs Araujo.
Online Safety: Clickbait
The 10 Worst #OnlineSafety Fails (You Won’t Believe Number 6) That get your attention? Clickbait works by appealing to our emotions and curiosity – but where exactly do those links lead? Download our #WakeUpWednesday guide and find out Download here >> https://bit.ly/4axHN4K
Online Safety: Encouraging open conversations at home
It’s good to talk. Whatever the problem, an honest chat - delivered with a little compassion - can help. This #WakeUpWednesday, our guide has expert tips on encouraging and maintaining open conversations with children. Download >> https://bit.ly/49iJ2nn
Year 1- Local History Walk
In their history lessons, Year 1 have been learning about the positive impact that Queen Victoria had on Britain during her reign. They learnt that Queen Victoria and her husband, Albert, supported Britain in becoming more developed. During her reign, trams and trains being developed meant that people and goods could move around the country and machinery that could be powered by coal and water could produce materials such as cotton, paper and metals very quickly that could then be shipped to other countries to support Britain becoming wealthier. Today, Year 1 went on a walk around Darwen to see the impact that Queen Victoria’s reign had on their hometown. They saw many factories that have now been repurposed but were once cotton or paper mills such as Radford Mill on Bolton Road, Hilton’s Old Paper Mill which is now Kenleys and Brittania Mills. They also saw several sights were cotton factories used to be that are now housing estates such as the site where Bowling Green Mill used to stand and where Waterfield Mill used to be. From visiting so many locations where cotton and paper mills used to be, it helped year 1 to understand just how much of a part Darwen used to play in producing cotton especially. They also learnt that this cotton used to get shipped over to India to make Britain wealthier and this is why Ghandi visited Darwen. As well as this, Year 1 also saw the original tramway track which was built and in operation during Queen Victoria’s reign and the concrete capping on Clough Street which tells us that there was a coal mine in his area which would have been used to generate the power for both the trams, trains and machinery. Year 1 walked over 3 miles during our local area history lesson which is a great contribution to our ‘Big Lent Walk’ challenge too- well done Year 1.
Reception: Muddy Monday
Our reception children really enjoyed our Muddy Monday session today at Whitehall park. They climbed up trees, created a cafe, travelled on a ‘steam engine’ and created a bug hotel. Super imaginations!
WOW Ambassador Training
In our very first WOW Ambassador meeting today, we met to discuss the children’s role and how they will promote this walk to school initiative throughout school. We also completed training on how to access the travel tracker and monitor each class on a weekly basis. The children can’t wait for the launch of this exciting new walking to school initiative next week!
Online Safety: Developing Healthy Sleep Patterns
Irony klaxon. This week, #WakeUpWednesday is all about going to sleep! We’ve got together with Minds Ahead to bring you some expert tips on helping children and young people to develop a healthy sleeping pattern.
WOW Initiative Assembly Launch
Today we had our WOW assembly in which we learned all about our new walk to school challenge and how we need to try to walk to school (or find an active way) at least once a week. We met Dan who is from Living Streets. He told us how we can earn badges every month by taking part. It’s so important to walk to improve our mental wellbeing, get fit and decrease pollution. We look forward to practising with the Travel Tracker next week with our newly appointed WOW Ambassadors.
Online Safety: Tekken 8
#WakeUpWednesday … WINS! This week’s knockout guide fills parents and educators in on the latest edition of the fighting game Tekken – highlighting potential #OnlineSafety risks and suggesting how to help young gamers play more safely. Download >> bit.ly/3v0UtSw
Year 6 World Book Day
Year 6 have had a fantastic World Book Day! After a fantastic assembly led by Miss Flynn, as a year group, year 6 developed their own dictionary. They found the meaning of their word, wrote a sentence containing that word and provided some symbolic imagery to enhance the meaning. In addition, year 6 also took part in a ‘book tasting’ session and added book titles to their wish lists that they took home. They followed a three stage process when choosing their books: do I like the front cover? Do I like the sound of the story from the blurb? And finally, can I access the language inside the book?
Year 6 School Nurse Visit
Year 6 had a visit from the school nurse as a follow-up session to the health questionnaires they recently filled out. The children acted extremely maturely and gave some fantastic responses. However, they were clearly shocked by some of the facts (especially around sugar content) regarding their favourite foods and drinks. Did you know that one milkshake contains nearly a week’s worth of a child’s sugar intake?
Wellbeing Club
Mrs Wilkinson really enjoyed spending time with some children from Years 1 and 2 for the start of their wellbeing club. They discussed why it is important to look after ourselves and how we can be kind to ourselves. We then made friendship bracelets and looked at affirmations and coloured in some affirmation posters.
Online Safety: Experiencing Bullying
Hard to identify and even harder to stop. Bullying continues to be a problem which can ruin young lives: this week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide has expert advice for trusted adults on ways to support young people who are being bullied.
Year 6 Money Matters
The focus of year 6’s money matters session was gambling. The children gained an understanding of how addictive gambling can become and the impact it can have on someone’s life. This was illustrated really clearly to the children in a game they played in which they could place bets with artificial money.
Year 6 Music
Year 6 started their new music unit which is focused around songwriting with glockenspiels. This week, they looked at target markets and how, similar to a product in DT, their song must appeal to a certain audience.
Year 6 Computing
This week, year 6 started to create their own storyboards using the programme Scratch in computing.
Online Safety: Self-regulation
Learning the art of emotional control. Young ones can sometimes find it difficult to manage their feelings – this week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide has expert advice on how trusted adults can help children learn to self-regulate. Download >> https://bit.ly/3OSiIc2
Dress to Express 2024
What a fantastic day we’ve had celebrating Dress to Express! It was lovely to get together as a whole school to raise awareness for Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week. Every single member of our school family certainly dressed to express themselves and made themselves heard as we all have a voice. Well done to all of the children that spoke about why they had chosen their outfits and how it allowed them to express themselves.
Year 6 Dress to Express
Mrs Ham discussed in worship that the theme of children’s mental health week is ‘My Voice Matters’. Today, year 6 have really expressed themselves and shown just how unique they are.
Year 6 JagTag
Today, year 6 took part in a JagTag taster session. JagTag is a version of American Football that children can take part in. Year 6 really enjoyed their session and some of the children even expressed an interest to play in the future. The two stars of the session were Colton and Lucy who listened attentively and demonstrated fantastic skill.
Year One- Listening and Following Instructions
To kickstart their new English unit on instructions, Year One had to listen to a series of instructions and carry them out. They thoroughly enjoyed this and were absolutely incredible at it. They did this in the context of creating and then completing an obstacle course. E.g. Firstly, crawl under the hurdle. Secondly, run between the cones. Next, put the hula hoop over your head. After that, side gallop to the quoit. Then, throw the quoit in the air and catch it. Finally, drop the quoit and run back to your team. Year One spotted that instructions need both a time conjunction and a verb. They will also learn about using adverbs as part of their instructional writing and retelling too. What a fantastic start to our unit and even better that it was during mental health week as we know how important exercise is to keep us happy and healthy.
Year 1- Dress to Express
Year 1 made a wonderful effort for ‘Dress to Express Day.’ We had children dressing as their favourite Disney character or princess, dressing as superheroes, dressing in party clothes as they love to party and attend celebrations , dressing as a unicorn, wearing their favourite colours, wearing all things sparkly, wearing football kits and sport clothes to express their love of sports and wearing pyjamas to express their love of relaxing and being snuggled up. Well done Year 1. We loved hearing how you like to express yourselves.
Year 4 Safer Internet Day Rap
Today we had a special Safer Internet Day Worship with each class performing their very own raps. Year 4 collaborated on an extra special one and it was great to see them perform in front of the rest of the school and bust their moves. Well done Year 4!
Online Safety: Monkey
It’s a jungle out there! If a platform where young people can video chat with random strangers sounds like an #OnlineSafety risk which is – quite frankly – bananas, you’ll want to check out our #WakeUpWednesday guide to Monkey. Download >> https://bit.ly/42vYVVA
National Online Safety: Safer Internet Day 2024
It's #SaferInternetDay! The National Online Safety #WakeUpWednesday guides are available to download for free, empowering our whole school community to keep children safe in the online world. We post one every Wednesday so please looo out of them! Explore hundreds of resources for parents, carers and educators >> https://bit.ly/3KPyuDh #OnlineSafety #OnlineSafetyDay #SaferInternetDay2024
Year 6 PSHE
In PSHE, year 6 focused on the qualities of good friends. We started by discovering that it is okay for friends to have different views and interests. We did this by presenting a series of statements and noticed that there were so many differences within our year 6 class: some agreed and some disagreed with the statements. We ended the lesson with the children explaining what they felt were the most important qualities of friendship. Not only did they have to list the quality, but justify why it is important.
Online Safety Rap Prep in Year 4
In preparation for Safer Internet Day on Tuesday 6th February, we have been looking at developing a rap linked to Online Safety. We rehearsed rhyming couplets and looked at pairs of words that we could use such as click and trick, share and beware, friend and send. The children did really well and pushed themselves completely out of their comfort zones! We can’t wait to hear the finished article next week in the special Safer Internet Day Worship.
Year 2 - PSHE
This week in PSHE, we are still looking in particular at rights and respect. We read the book ‘My mouth is a Volcano’ by Julia Cook, in the book, a boy struggles to keep his emotions regulated. We thought about when we can be in similar situations at school. Recently, it has been difficult to remain calm on the playground when games don’t go the way we wanted. We spoke about different strategies to use to help us regulate emotions in those difficult situations.
Online Safety: Persuasive Design Online
#SaferInternetDay is nearly here! Reflecting the “managing influence” strand of this year’s theme, our #WakeUpWednesday guide unpacks ‘persuasive design’ – and uncovers some common but often hidden #OnlineSafety risks to young people. Download >> https://bit.ly/3HEhihl
Year 6 Gym Session
This week, year 6 finally got their chance to explore the gym and had a great time during their break time. They are looking forward to using it on a more regular basis.
Online Safety: MyLOL
FYI … it’s MyLOL: A “dating app for teens” poses evident #OnlineSafety risks – especially when its age verification is far from robust. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide tells parents and carers what they need to know. Download >> https://bit.ly/3Ueo5pK
Bee Yourself: A brilliant online platform designed to promote mental health and wellbeing for young people living in Blackburn with Darwen
Bee Yourself: We've just been made aware of a brilliant online platform designed to promote mental health and wellbeing for young people living in Blackburn with Darwen. It offers a range of resources and activities to help young people feel good and have fun while providing information and support for parents, carers, and practitioners working with young people. The platform is divided into several sections, including the ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’ section, which provides information on local activities and opportunities linked to the 5 Ways to Wellbeing. The 5 Ways to Wellbeing are a set of evidence-based actions that promote wellbeing and include connecting with others, being active, taking notice of your surroundings, learning new things, and giving back to the community. The Parent/Carer Area – Honeycomb – offers health and wellbeing information for parents, carers, and families by topic. It includes links to support and resources for further information on topics such as managing stress, dealing with anxiety, and building resilience. Bee Yourself offers The Big Ask section for young people with questions or concerns. This area provides answers to questions generated by young people through various focus groups, supported by health and wellbeing partners. The section aims to help young people understand and manage their mental health and wellbeing. The Worries Away area is another section that provides health and wellbeing information by topic. It aims to help young people understand and manage common concerns such as anxiety, stress, and depression. The section includes information on how to recognise the signs of mental health issues and what steps to take to get help. Bee Yourself is a valuable online platform that offers a range of resources and activities to promote mental health and wellbeing for young people in Blackburn with Darwen. With sections for children, parents and carers, practitioners, and young people themselves, Bee Yourself has something to offer everyone. It’s an excellent resource for those who want to learn more about mental health and wellbeing and take steps to promote it in their own lives and in the lives of those around them. www.bee-yourself.org
Online Safety: Smartphone safety
Smart phone – smart user? A whopping 98% of over-12s in the UK now have their own phone, with many younger children also using one regularly. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide has expert tips to help them avoid #OnlineSafety risks Download for FREE here >> https://bit.ly/3U3tsrp
Reception: Muddy Monday
Our Ducklings enjoyed exploring a different forest schools area of Whitehall park. They created dens, roleplayed in a restaurant, searched for hedgehogs and loved climbing trees.
Year 6 PSHE- Life Education Session
Today, year 6 were visited by Karen from Coram Life Education. The theme of the session was decisions and how decisions can have a huge affect on our lives. They discussed drugs and how they fall into different categories: legal, illegal and medical. To finish the session, they watched a video about how friends can sometimes try to influence our decisions and not always in the right way. It demonstrated really clearly why it is so important that we choose our friends wisely and surround ourselves with like-minded individuals.
Online Safety: Free speech vs Hate speech
Out of order? Or simply outspoken? This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide can help young people to recognise the difference between free speech and hate speech – and to understand why this complex area is an #OnlineSafety risk Download >> https://bit.ly/3S8wSb4
Online Safety: Setting up parental controls on new devices
Safe to use right out of the box? This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide explains how to set up parental controls on some of the most popular internet-enabled devices – reducing #OnlineSafety risks while increasing the festive fun! Download >> https://bit.ly/41LLOzn
Reception: Christmas Artwork visit to the Rose Garden
Our Ducklings really enjoyed looking at all of the artwork at the rose garden in Whitehall Park. They looked in detail at the children’s drawings and have all said they’d love to show their families over the Christmas holidays. We also enjoyed singing some Christmas songs.
Reception: End of term treat
We are so proud of our Ducklings . They have completed their first term and it has been lovely watching them all blossom. As a treat, after viewing the art in the rose garden, we all had a play on the playground equipment. We had so much fun together.
Year 6 PSHE- Respecting differences
This half term, year 6 have been focusing on valuing difference. We have discovered that although we may be different, there are many positives that can arise from those differences. On the other hand, we have considered the negative impacts differences can have. Today, we focused on the phrase ‘Put yourself in someone else’s shoes’. By doing this, it allows us to think about how different people view things. Sometimes, we need to take a minute to think about what we say as we can unintentionally upset someone. We concluded the lesson by looking at some comments and whether they were respectful or disrespectful.
Online Safety: Tech-free Christmas
“Check pitfalls with #WakeUpWednesday! Tra-la-la-la-laaa …” Stressed about presents – or loved ones STAYING present? We gift you some top tips for reducing your family’s screen time and enjoying a merry tech-free Christmas! Download >> https://bit.ly/4ali6oH
Online Safety: Disney +
‘Tis the season for family movie nights. Many parents will be turning to Disney+ for exactly that reason – but how free from #OnlineSafety risks is the House of Mouse’s streaming service? Our #WakeUpWednesday guide delves into Disney+ Download >> https://bit.ly/485Ykve
Online Safety: The Online Safety Act
New laws, new responsibilities? With the Online Safety Act now coming into effect, our #WakeUpWednesday guide this week highlights some key areas that the fresh legislation covers – and what this means for UK education providers Download >> https://bit.ly/47WzvSG
Online Safety: Black Friday and Cyber Monday
There are bags of #OnlineSafety pitfalls to watch out for on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide has tips to help defend your money while you discover the discounts . Download >> https://bit.ly/47JgQJF
Odd Socks and Shoes Day at St Barnabas
Wow! A huge THANK YOU to you all for taking part in Odd Socks and Shoes Day to launch Anti-Bullying Week. There were so many wacky and unique combinations. The Wellbeing Warriors found it so very hard to choose one winner from each class, but after much deliberation, they will be announcing the winners in Celebration Worship tomorrow.
Year 6 Class Worship- Anti-bullying Week
In year 6, we carried out a class worship on anti bullying. We listened to the song ‘Brave’ by Sara Bareilles and discussed how we have to be brave when we are exposed to bullying, whether we are being bullied or are witnessing it. We discussed how it is linked to our British values: how everyone is individual and how we should tolerate differences rather than target people for liking different things. We ended our worship by relating back to this year’s theme, ‘Make a noise about bullying’, and discussed who we could speak to if we ever come across any forms of it.
Online Safety: Smart TVs
Are you watching TV? Or is the TV watching YOU? As internet-enabled televisions become the norm, this week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide has some useful #OnlineSafety tips to help parents ensure their children are viewing safely Download >> https://bit.ly/47w5VD5
Year 3- Anti-Bullying Week
The whole school kicked off Anti-Bullying Week on Monday by embracing individuality by wearing odd socks and shoes that reflect our unique personalities. Today in class, the children worked in small groups to create shout-out messages, each displayed on a sock.
Year 5 - Parliament Week
This week Year 5 have been exploring the role of MP’s as part of parliament week. The children learned all about the different Houses of Parliament and discussed their role within society and the importance of the decisions that they make. The children explored the variety of processes that take place within the Houses of Commons and the benefits of our democratic system. The children then had the opportunity to discuss and choose an issue that they care strongly about and what they would change to make their issue better for society. The children came up with some excellent ideas about little changes that can have a huge impact on issues such as: global warming, NHS, homeless and many more. Year 5 then acted out a parliamentary debate and debated on many issues arguing back and forth about issues that they feel strongly about.
Online Safety: Microtransactions
Does “free to play” really mean what it says? Many hit games cost nothing to download but make their money via microtransactions – a growing #OnlineSafety concern for parents of young gamers. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide has the details.
Year 5 - RotaKids
As part of Year 5’s pledge to supporting Darwen Rotary, Year 5 have sorted and organised books to be donated to children and families that are less fortunate than ourselves. They have come up with some amazing and fantastic ideas of how they can support their local community and work as a team to make their community a better place.
Online Safety: X
Would you get an A for your knowledge of X? This #WakeUpWednesday, our free guide tells parents and carers about the #OnlineSafety risks – both new and familiar – to stay alert for on the platform formerly known as Twitter. Download >> https://bit.ly/3Mq6t5p
Online Safety: EA Sports FC 24
The most exciting signing of the season? EA Sports FC 24, “the new FIFA”, has arrived … but how well does it defend against #OnlineSafety threats? Our #WakeUpWednesday guide has the essential info for parents of young football fans. Download >> https://bit.ly/3tzZeBe
Reception: Muddy Monday
Today our Ducklings explored our local environment. We learnt all about road safety. The children learnt to stop, look and listen every time they got to a road. We then went to Jack Keys and had a look at the reservoir. Super walking and exploring!
Hello Yellow Day Poster Competition Winners
This morning in Celebration Worship, our Wellbeing Warriors announced the winners of the Hello Yellow Day Poster Competition. Huge congratulations to our Key Stage 1 Winners : Mila and Molly and Key Stage 2 Winners : Summer, Lily, Lucy and Alice. Thank you so much to everyone that took the time to create a poster. They were of such a high standard and lovely, bright and colourful with wonderfully positive affirmations on them.
Online Safety: Roblox
Building your knowledge! The massively popular world-creation game Roblox has finally been released on PlayStation. Our updated #WakeUpWednesday guide reminds parents of the potential #OnlineSafety risks to watch out for. Download for FREE here >> https://bit.ly/3QhfZu7
Year 3 - PSHE - Be Internet Legends
Today we joined an online assembly hosted by Google. We talked about how to be internet legends and to stay safe online, how we feel about using the Internet and about limiting our time to try and keep a healthy balance.
Year 6 Art
In Art, year 6 discovered that the ancient Maya are born with a spirit companion. These are accompanied with a symbol so year 6 produced a symbolic tile full of images that best represent them as a person.
Year 6 PSHE
During ‘Hello Yellow Day’, year 6 were looking at triggers. We focused on what makes them feel angry, stressed and upset. We discussed how it is really important to be aware of these triggers and to have some positive coping skills when they are activated. Year 6 suggested some of the following strategies: count down from 10 to 0; go and do something you enjoy; draw a circle on the palm of your hand and surround yourself with positive people.
Year 6 Art
This week, in art, year 6 looked at the technique ‘Chiaroscuro’. The word comes from the Italian meaning light and dark and is used to make something look more three-dimensional. The inspiration behind year 6’s art work was the word for their Mayan spirit companion. For example, the word ‘Imix’ translates to crocodile and means you are productIve, creative and hard-working.
Whole-School Worship: Hello Yellow Day
Today we are celebrating Hello Yellow Day for World Mental Health Day by dressing in yellow. In worship, our Heads and Deputies dressed as Mrs Ham's Minions and they explained all about Hello Yellow Day. We learnt that we all have mental health and there are things we can do when we don't have good mental health. We made each other smile and feel happy by dancing and singing together with the minions to 'Happy'. We then joined a special live assembly with lots of other primary schools in Blackburn and Darwen, which was led by the Mental Health support team. We talked about our worries and how we can shrink them using mindfulness techniques. Thank you to everyone for dressing in yellow to raise awareness of mental health and remember that it is good to talk to our friends, parents, teachers and other trusted adults if we are worried about anything.
Reception celebrate Hello Yellow Day
Our Ducklings loved wearing yellow today to celebrate world mental health day. We discussed who we could talk to if we felt sad or unhappy. Alayna said we could speak to a teacher, Callie said we could speak to a positive grown up, Millie said we could tell our Mummies and Olivia said we could tell our Grandma’s. We then discussed what we could do to make us feel happy. Percy said we could play with our toys, Cici said we could go for a run, Hollie said we could read a book and Edward said we could sing a song!
Year 5 - Hello Yellow Day
Today we celebrated Hello Yellow Day. As a class and school we raised awareness of mental health and how important it is to have a secure and healthy mental state. We wore yellow to symbolise that awareness and during class time we looked at the variety of ways we can improve our mental health and how our actions and words can have a negative impact on people around us. It was amazing to see all the children celebrating and raising awareness
Year 3- Hello Yellow Day
Following our whole school worship to celebrate 'Hello Yellow Day', Year 3 showcased their creativity by making artwork on the theme of kindness, using affirmations and illustrations. We also explored the importance of talking to a trusted adult about any worries they may have.
Online Safety: Among us
Among Us: fairly safe, or pretty sus? Our updated #WakeUpWednesday guide to the hugely popular sci-fi deduction game tells parents and carers of young Among Us fans which #OnlineSafety risks they need to be watchful for. Download >> https://bit.ly/3LNQQ7D
Well Being Warriors Poster Competition
Good morning In our Worship this morning our Well Being Warriors launched their poster competition for Hello Yellow Day on Tuesday 10th October. They would like the children to design a brightly coloured poster that includes positive affirmations and promotes Hello Yellow Day 2023. The competition will be for KS1 and KS2 with a prize for each. All entries will need to be handed to Year 4 Well Being Warriors by Friday 6th October with name and year group on the back. We can’t wait to see your entries - good luck everyone! From Mrs Gardner and The Well Being Warriors
Year 6 Art
In year 6, we have started our art unit which is all based on making our voice heard. We started by evaluating pieces of art created by the Ancient Maya and created a research page which we filled with patterns that captured our imagination. Those of us who had finished our research pages then tried our hand at some experimental mark making with unconventional tools. This made the children appreciate the Mayan art even more.
Reception: Climbing skills
Today, our Ducklings have been using their strength, balance and coordination skills to climb and balance on our trim trail and climbing equipment.
Year 6 Internet Safety
In today’s class worship time, year 6 focused on being internet legends. This week, they looked in more detail at how things aren’t always real online and how people may want you to believe something or possibly influence you to do something. They were made aware of different rules that can help to keep us safe online, such as: - if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. - Don’t share personal information. - Don’t visit sites that don’t have a padlock in the address bar. - Be alert when playing online games.
Online Safety: WhatsApp
97 million messages. Every. Single. Minute. Our updated #WakeUpWednesday parents’ guide to WhatsApp examines the latest features on the world’s most-used messaging app – and what #OnlineSafety issues they might raise for children. Download >> https://bit.ly/3t0WKLY
Foodie Friends Funtime Club- Years 3 and 4
Our young chefs from Years 3 and 4 made microwave peanut butter and jam brownies today in the Foodies Friends Funtime afterschool Club. The children worked in small groups and followed a recipe. They first discussed the importance of washing their hands and making sure the surface was clean to work on. They then carefully weighed the ingredients and made the mixture. They then poured their well-prepared mixture into a glass dish and popped it in the microwave for 5 minutes. They had an absolute blast and can't wait to come back next week.
Year 5 - Be internet legends
This morning year 5 participated in the be internet legends live assembly. The assembly discussed all the key aspects of online safety and why it is important to remain safe online. They discussed how the internet was an amazing platform for people and how it has changed to world to make things more accessible to people. The assembly discussed the potential threats that can happen online and how to avoid them and know when to alert a trusted adult of a potential danger. They gave lots of tips and advice how to maximise your online activity while remaining as safe as possible. The key aspects the assembly discussed are: - Be sharp - Be alert - Secure - Kind - Brave
Year 3- Be Internet Legends Back to School Assembly
Today, the Year 3 class joined the live assembly delivered by 'Be Internet Legends'. During the assembly, the children learned about online safety, how to protect themselves and using strong passwords. Five key points that were highlighted throughout the session were; Sharp, Alert, Secure, Kind and Brave — these are designed to equip children with the key skills needed to stay safe online including critical thinking and empathy.
Year 1- Be Internet Legends
Year 1 watched the ‘Back to School- Be Internet Legends Assembly.’ We learnt and discussed some very important ways of staying safe on the internet. We know that we should not share information such as our full name, the school we go to or where we live with anyone over the internet and that we should have a tricky password that is hard to guess when we are creating one.
Year 6 - Internet Legends
Today, year 6 took part in the ‘Internet Legends’ workshop. They took part with such enthusiasm, but never lost sight of the message it was tying to get across. They were taught to: - Be sharp and think before you share. - Be secure by using and not sharing strong passwords. - Be kind and respect each other even when you are online. - Be brave by telling a trusted adult when you are in doubt about anything.
Online Safety: Setting Boundaries
Parents and carers have entered the game! Power up this #WakeUpWednesday with our practical tips to setting gaming boundaries – a useful tactic for helping to protect your young gamer from #OnlineSafety hazards while they play. Download >> bit.ly/44W4VGx
Year 5 - Move and Learn
Year 5 have taken part and completed the Blackburn Rovers move and learn session. During the day the children took place in both classroom based and physical activities. Classroom based activities included: learning about balanced diets and why it is important to have a balanced diet, importance of hydration, body and mind and all the benefits of physical activities. The practical elements included team games and ball activities that led nicely into each classroom based session. The children worked really hard and enjoyed the competitive nature of the games and thrived in the teamwork elements of the games.
Year 6 Music
Year 6 have been working hard in their first music session of the year and have been introduced to ukuleles. They showed plenty of enthusiasm and I am sure they will be playing with increased confidence in the coming weeks.
Online Safety: Live Streaming
Has live streaming brought a flood of risks? Many young people enjoy broadcasting on the internet in real time – but not knowing who might be watching is just one of the #OnlineSafety hazards, as our #WakeUpWednesday guide explains. Download >> https://bit.ly/3r1s5xp
Reception: Outdoor Exploration
Today, the children really enjoyed exploring our outdoor area. They continued to build on their friendships and played in the sand area, water area, construction area, roleplay house, stage and made some lovely drawings on our easel! They also enjoyed using the scooters and bikes and investigated how the outdoor physical equipment worked. The children had some milk and snack too to keep themselves cool in the sunshine. Well done to you all!
Reception: Muddy Monday
Today the children showed lots of courage and perseverance as they enjoyed a very wet Muddy Monday adventure walk. They splashed their way through puddles and really enjoyed walking in the rain. It was our last session and the children said it was one that they will never forget!
Online Safety: Summer
Here comes the summer! Being realistic, the long school holiday probably equates to increased screen time for many children. Our #WakeUpWednesday poster has some pointers to help young ones steer clear of common #OnlineSafety risks Download >> https://bit.ly/3rntYnY
Forest Schools in Reception
We saw lots of teamwork during our forest schools session today. The children enjoyed collecting resources to build bug houses and log fires. They also enjoyed creating dens and climbing trees!
Online Safety: Rumble
Get ready… to… Rumble! This video-sharing platform has surged in popularity – but with #OnlineSafety risks including controversial contributors and extreme views, is it suitable for young people? Our #WakeUpWednesday guide finds out. Download >> https://bit.ly/44a0cli
Online Safety: Amino
Is Amino a no-no? It’s a social media platform which encourages interaction and user-generated content – but should young people be amenable to Amino? Our #WakeUpWednesday guide has the essential #OnlineSafety info you need. Download >> https://bit.ly/44nRZt8
Year 2 - Facial Expressions
During this unit of art, Year 2 have been focusing on sketching facial expressions and how you can alter facial expressions by using very few lines. The children explored a variety of emotions and expressions linked to those emotions and then drew their favourite emotions within a setting.
Reception: Muddy Monday
We continued our learning by comparing two local environments, Knowsley Road and Jack Keys reservoir. Seb said there are lots of animal habitats at Jack Keys. Albie said there are lots of trees at Jack Keys. Fletcher said it is much quieter at Jack Keys. Piper-Jo said there are more children at Knowsley Road. Heidi said there are more cars at Knowsley Road. Super comparison. We finished exploring by enjoying a short forest schools session.
Online Safety: AI Chatbots
“How are you today?” AI chatbots are among the most talked-about digital developments of recent times, but how safe are they for young people? This week’s #WakeUpWednesday assesses these ‘virtual friends’ from an #OnlineSafety perspective. Download >> https://bit.ly/42PExNL
Well-being Club
For our well-being club this week we started off by making some lovely apple doughnuts. We all enjoyed mixing the ingredients and chopping up the apples and they definitely enjoyed eating them all up after! We then went on a little walk around the school grounds listening to what different sounds we could hear and if we could find a rainbow of colours in the nature around us.
KS1 Forest schools- Week 2
What fun we have all had in Forest school this week! We walked up to Jacks Key, gathering sticks, leaves and grass as we went. Once we found a nice sheltered area the children started to create their nature pictures and faces. Once our art was finished we explored, climbed trees, jumped into lovely mud and washed our wellies in puddles.
Reception: Muddy Monday
Today the children went on a Muddy Monday adventure. The children walked 2.5km and walked up steep hills, along the reservoir, around the woods and back to school. We started to explore the differences between Jack Keys and the main road.
Wednesday Well-being Club
We had so much fun at our first Wednesday Well-being Club! We had a short walk in the sun gathering flowers and leaves to decorate the woven twigs that we made. We talked about using nature and the outdoor world for our health and well-being and felt very relaxed when we arrived back at school.
Online Safety: Money Muling
“Easy cash, no strings attached” Young people are being recruited via social media to serve as money mules, ‘washing’ illegal funds through their bank accounts. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide profiles this developing #OnlineSafety risk Download >> https://bit.ly/3Nt8Zss
Year 6 PSHE- Kooth & transition
Year 6 had a visit from Heather from Kooth, an organisation who provide free, anonymous mental health support to young people. She focused on the children’s transition to high school and shared with them how Kooth actually works. The children seemed to really take in everything that was addressed and it was brilliant to see how open and honest the children were about their move to secondary school.
Celebration Worship
This week during celebration worship we discussed and reflected over the week of Pentecost. The children enjoyed listening to what each class has been doing over the week and celebrated their achievements and successes during the week. We also had a visit from one of our Cidari Trustees, Jo Venn and it was lovely to show her the great things we have been achieving. A huge well done to all of our values award winners, you are a credit to yourselves and our St Barnabas family.
Sports Stars
A huge congratulations to all of our sports stars this week. Many children participate in a variety of sports and events outside of school. A massive well done to our school's netball team who won the high 5’s netball final this week and our cross country team who worked extremely hard and showed huge amounts of determination to complete the course. Other sporting achievements included, gymnastics, dancing, performing arts, skiing and many more.
Forest School- Using Tools
We had a fantastic forest school club this lunchtime. Some of the year 5 children were taught how to safely and correctly use loppers and a sheath knife and what we use them for. The children watched me demonstrate and then had a go themselves at cutting sticks with the loppers and whittling wood using the sheath knife. The children had a great time learning new skills, they were all super sensible and listened exceptionally well. Well done Year 5!
Online Safety: Influencers
Under the influence? For many young people, social media influencers are ‘the new rock stars’ – but how much of these emerging celebrities’ content can really be trusted? Our #WakeUpWednesday highlights potential #OnlineSafety risks Download >> https://bit.ly/3MuGbhK
Reception: Outdoor Learning
Reception love outdoor learning. The children enjoy playing sports on the MUGA, making musical instruments out of natural materials, role playing, climbing and balancing.
Year 3 PSHE Dental Health
Year 3 have been discussing how they can maintain good oral health. This included food choices and also how and how often they brush their teeth. Each child was given a toothbrush and toothpaste, we encouraged the class to make sure they ‘tickle each tooth’ when brushing their teeth, twice a day to maintain healthy teeth and gums.
Online Safety: Well-being Online
It’s given us online gaming, social media and streaming but the internet also exposes us to things that don’t make us feel good about ourselves. Our #WakeUpWednesday poster has some simple tips for protecting young people’s wellbeing Download >> https://bit.ly/3pL5mos
Reception: Muddy Monday
The children in Reception visited Whitehall park for their Muddy Monday session. They climbed trees, built bug houses, found creatures and discussed their habitats and created their own games. The children enjoyed looking under logs to discover minibeasts. They have all been super explorers.
Year 2 - Collective Worship
During our class worship year 2 have been looking at whether music has a positive impact on the world and what impact the Eurovision Song Contest has on the world around us. The children came up with amazing ideas and suggested that it has so many positives such as: makes people happy, helps express emotion, different songs for different feelings and improves people’s moods. The children spoke very highly of Eurovision and talked about how it brings lots of countries together and is a change to show of talents on a big stage.
Online Safety: Telegram
Special delivery: it’s Telegram. This popular messaging app boasts formidable encryption and speedy delivery – so why is it often regarded as an #OnlineSafety risk? Our #WakeUpWednesday guide helps you read between the lines on Telegram. Download >> https://bit.ly/3pr0GDS
Mental Health Parent Webinars
The week commencing 15th May is ‘Mental Health Awareness Week’. After much success of hosting some parent webinars back in February for ‘Children’s Mental Health Week’, the Mental Health Support Teams are rolling out some more. The topics for the week will be: My anxious child Helping with exam stress Psychoeducation around worry They’ll take place at 10am and 6pm, Monday 15th to Thursday 18th May and it’s for parents, teachers, carers, children and young people, in fact anyone can join.
Year 3 Art: Collecting Natural Materials
On Tuesday afternoon, Year Three went on a walk to Whitehall Park, where we collected some natural materials to use in our next Art lesson. The children will be experimenting with using natural materials for mark making. We collected a variety of different materials, such as acorns, bark, sticks, leaves, conkers and moss!
Year 2 - Creative Writing
During our writing unit the children have been sorting their own sequel adventure to the amazing story A Winter’s Child. The children based their writing on their characters drawing a magical door and then writing about what would be on the other side of that magical door. All the children used really exciting vocabulary and lots of technical grammar skills to make their writing exciting and griping for the reader. A huge focus on presentation and handwriting has been instilled into the children and the examples show some beautifully presented work.
Year 6 TriKidz
Year 6 had great fun competing in their very own triathlon. There were a lot of bright red faces when they returned to the classroom. Fantastic effort year 6!
Online Safety: Smart Watches
Time to get smart about watches? Wearable tech is usually considered 'cool' by young people, with smartwatches at the forefront – but are they safe from #OnlineSafety risks? Trusted adults can find out in our #WakeUpWednesday guide. Download >> https://bit.ly/3NyjNpO
Year 2 Class Worship
During our class worship we have been looking at all the children across the world who aren’t able to go to schools as a result of natural disasters. The children prayed for those in need and made us all appreciate what we have and we came up with many ways in we can help those in need such as raising money for charity and raising awareness.
Online Safety: Wizz
Your quick guide to Wizz. It’s a trending social app that matches young users with potential new friends … and it’s not without #OnlineSafety hazards. Check out our #WakeUpWednesday guide this week for all the biz about Wizz. Download >> https://bit.ly/3ncXmLT
Year 3 Hop, skip and jump
Year 3 have had some fun in the Darwen sunshine, taking part in our school ‘Hop, skip and jump’ challenge supporting the East Lancashire Hospice.
Year 2 - Hop Skip & Jump
In support of East Lancs hospice the children took part in a hop skip and jump event to help support all the amazing work that the hospice does and to raise awareness of all their amazing work that they do.
Reception: Muddy Monday
Reception went to Whitehall park today to find lots of different minibeasts. They lifted up logs to see what they could find. They used magnifying glasses to investigate. We then went and continued our forest schools session climbing trees, making dens, building bug houses and making camp fires!
Online Safety: Ofcom Report
Are kids risk free in ’23? Evidently not. Ofcom have just published their yearly report into children’s digital activities and the #OnlineSafety risks they face. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide has some key findings for trusted adults. Download >> https://bit.ly/40maDzn
Reception: Forest Schools
Wow, what a super session Reception had today. We found squirrels, looked for mole tunnels and saw lots of different mini beasts. The children built fires, bug huts and dens too. They climbed trees and explored the forest schools area in Whitehall park.
Online Safety: Fortnite
This week … it’s Fortnite. A new season of the phenomenally popular online battle game dropped last month – our #WakeUpWednesday guide scopes out this latest update for potential #OnlineSafety risks to its legion of young players. Download >> https://bit.ly/3ZS4Scs
Online Safety: Echo Chambers
In some areas of the internet, there’s no such thing as ‘the middle ground’ – but why are they an #OnlineSafety risk to young people? This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide finds out , Download >> https://bit.ly/3zvXgld
Year 3- Easter Artwork
Year 3 have been on a beautiful walk to the Rose Garden in Whitehall park today. We walked sensibly, taking in the lovely views and stopping to be still, listening to the birds and water close by. Once we arrived we explored the Rose Garden using the paths, looking at each classes art work displays. We then completed a quiz where we answered questions by finding the relevant piece of artwork. We invite you all to visit the Rose Garden during the Easter period and enjoy all of the artwork on display.
Celebration Worship Sports Stars
A huge well done to all of our sports stars who were presented with awards in Celebration Worship this morning. This week Mrs Ham presented awards for the following out of school sports or activities and the children got to stand on the golden podium with pride: Swimming, gymnastics, orienteering, dancing, writing, rainbow badges and the beaver and rainbow of the week. We congratulated our cross country team for their courage and determination at last night's Darwen Cross Country Competition. We thanked our Year 6 Sports Leaders for their successful KS2 inter-house sports competition yesterday as they planned and led it all.
Celebration Worship
Celebrating all of our amazing children in their year groups who received the most value points this week. A special well done to: Reception - Whole class Year 1 - Chay Year 2 - Whole Class Year 3 - Luca Year 4 - Grace Year 5 - Alfie Year 6 - Kaylen Well done to the Reception class who had 100% attendance this week so were the amazing attendance winners along with Year 6! Whitehall Park were out values points winners this week. Thank you to all of the parents and grandparents who joined us.
The Happy Tank in Year 4
We have been lucky enough to take part in another Happy Tank workshop this morning. We listened to John Magee, the Kindness Coach whilst he shared parts of his book, using our breathing techniques and positive affirmations. We are going to work hard on filling our lives with happy habits.
Year 6 PSHE- Autism Awareness
This week has been ‘Autism Awareness Week’ and we have learnt that autism is a condition that affects how a person’s brain works. It may make it harder for people to communicate, make friends and understand social situations. We looked at how we are all unique so the children produced their own hoodie designs to express how they are different to everyone else.
Year 3 - Kindness matters
Today year 3 have had a zoom call with our kindness coach John, who shared some information about his new book ’The Happy Tank’. We spoke about how it is normal to feel all kinds of different feelings. We tried some calming techniques including controlled breathing, as a class.
Year 2 - Dogs Trust workshop
In year 2, we had a visitor from the Dogs Trust who taught our class about the five happy dog rules. The children discussed all the ways we can look after dogs, keep them happy and how to stay safe around dogs. All the children loved learning all the actions to the rules and understood the rules really well.
Autism Awareness Week in Year 4
In our PSHE session today, we looked at Autism Awareness Week. We looked at what autism is, how people are at different levels on the spectrum and the many famous people who have autism, including Albert Einstein and Lionel Messi.
Inter-House Dodgeball Competition
The sport leaders had a great time leading the Inter-House Dodgeball Competition for the rest of the juniors. A lot of fun was had by all of the children! In year 6, the winning team was Darwen Tower!
Online Safety: Managing Stress and Anxiety
Making life easier… or adding to our unease? Digital devices have changed the way we live – but the new forms of stress they can bring are an #OnlineSafety risk. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide has tips for reducing ‘always on’ anxiety. Download >> https://nationalcollege.com/guides/manage-device-stress-and-anxiety
Reception- Muddy Monday
We have had a lovely muddy Monday out in the sunshine. The children were looking at signs of spring on our walk around our school today. The children used a checklist to find all sorts of things we may see in spring. The children were also looking through cloud detectors to see which type of clouds were visible today. The children decided it was the cumulonimbus clouds they could see.
Year 1- Garden Centre Visit
On Tuesday morning we walked down to ‘Four Seasons Garden Centre’ in preparation for our next science topic about plants. We found out lots of information about plants and the seasons they grow in. At the end of our tour around the garden centre we purchased some seeds to bring back to school to watch them grow.
Year 5- P.S.H.E- Our Emotional Needs
The children worked in pairs to design their own character who is the same age as them. They then discussed the needs of their characters, thinking about their strengths and weaknesses, what they like and dislike and how their character feels about themselves. We then explored situations which we don't find easy and created examples of positive coping strategies. These included; speaking to somebody about how you're feeling; writing down your worries if they're on your mind a lot of the time-some people find this helpful.
Reception- Muddy Monday
We had our muddy Monday session in our school area yesterday. We went onto the top field for a game of stuck in the mud and some of us enjoyed rolling down the banking. Whilst we were on the field we found a frog, the children were really interested in the frog and they were very caring towards it. We then had a walk through the willow tunnel and went onto our playground to play some games, such as ‘duck, duck, goose’ and ‘hot potato’. We had so much fun!
Numberfit Fun in Year 4
As part of our mental maths sessions we are taking part in the Numberfit sessions linked to the #Globalchallenge2023. The children complete fun challenges linked to multiplication and fitness in order to take part in the challenge.
Online Safety: Safe and Healthy Online Habits
It’s almost Red Nose Day! In support of Comic Relief, our #WakeUpWednesday guide has got some top tips on helping children and young people to build their digital resilience – minimising the impact of #OnlineSafety threats.
Online Safety: iPads
Getting to the core of Apple’s market-leading tablet
Reception: FA Let Girls Play Campaign
Our Reception class have really enjoyed coming into school in their sports clothes to support the FA’s let girls play campaign for International Women's Day. The children learnt some new skills and played a penalty shoot out against Mrs Wilkinson and Mrs Thompson. We then played a game of football. They showed lots of super ball skills, well done!
Year 2 - FA Let Girls Play campaign
In support of the football association's campaign 'Let girls play' and International Women's Day, we took part in raising awareness to get more girls into football by all wearing a football kit. Year 2 took part in many footballing activities and sessions to encourage more children be be active and to get involved in football.
Reception- Muddy Monday
For Muddy Monday yesterday we had a forest school session in school. Some of the children wanted to create bug houses, some wanted to jump in muddy puddles and some wanted to experiment using water and pipes and they were working together to figure out how they needed to angle the pipes for the water to collect in the tray. We had lots of fun and because yesterday was so wet, we got very muddy!
Mental health support for parents
The mental health support team work in our school to support a number of children and their parents with their mental health. They also provide support group sessions for parents each month and each month there is a specific focus on a different area of mental health support. This month the session is on low mood which parents can attend on Wednesday 29th March from 6.00-7.00pm. Please see the flyers for details of how to sign up.
Forest School- Lunchtime Club
What a brilliant first week of Forest School we’ve had! We’ve had an introduction to forest school and some time to get to know each other and our likes and dislikes. The children have been so enthusiastic and excited to give ideas on how they want our new forest school area to look and what they would like to focus on. We have some children who are fountains of knowledge when it comes to mini beasts and wildlife, these children are really excited to create bug houses, bird feeders and bird boxes. We have some children who are keen gardeners who would like to plant some new flowers and vegetables. We are looking forward to seeing what next week has in store for us.
World Book Day- Staff Swap
As part of our World Book Day celebrations, our teaching assistants swapped classes and read a bedtime story to the children. It was lovely to see different staff members in each class and the children enjoyed seeing a new face too. Our FOSB donated chocolates for every child to enjoy whilst they listened to the story. Thank you.
Year 3 World Book Day - Stories that fill our Happy Tank
To celebrate World Book Day, Year 3 have been sharing their favourite bedtime stories and thinking about the stories that fill up their Happy Tank. Each child has created a book review, for their favourite book. We then shared our book reviews with the rest of the class, to give each other recommendations of books and authors!
Year 2 World Book Day
Today year 2 celebrated work book day by dressing in our pyjamas. We enjoyed collective worship with children sharing their favourite bedtime stories. In class, we completed many activities and shared all of our favourite bedtime stories that fill our happy tanks. We enjoyed listening to stories being read to us from other teachers across the school and enjoyed all the fun activities we completed today. Happy World Book Day!
EYFS & KS1: Author visit
EYFS and Key Stage 1 enjoyed an author visit this afternoon. Raysa Farah came into school to read her story, ‘A cub without a mane’. She explained how her son has leukaemia and lost his hair. Whilst in hospital, she decided to write her book. Raysa explained that no matter how you look, you are still special and a wonderful person. Our children had the opportunity to ask questions. Darcy asked if she had written any other books. Raysa said she had written one other book and it is awaiting approval to be published. Raysa is also a florist so Daisy asked if she liked making flowers. Lyla asked how long it took for Raysa to write her story. Raysa explained it took around a month to write. Eliza asked if Raysa drew the pictures. Raysa explained the role of an illustrator. Her publisher found an illustrator. Raysa then asked the children to draw anything that makes them happy and feel good. We loved your visit and the children left feeling inspired- thank you so much. Raysa’s book will be available to buy on parent pay for a discounted price. Further information to follow.
Years 3 & 4: Author Visit
Years 3 and 4 enjoyed an author visit this afternoon. Raysa Farah came into school to read her story, ‘A cub without a mane’. She explained how her son has leukaemia and lost his hair. Whilst in hospital, she decided to write her book. Raysa explained that no matter how you look, you are still special and a wonderful person. Our children had the opportunity to ask questions. Mason asked how old her little boy is who is poorly. Raysa told the children that he is aged 3. Hamza asked what happens when you have leukaemia. Raysa explained that you are given medication. When Raysa’s little boy was in hospital, that was the time that she wrote her story. Leonora asked how did her older boy feel. Raysa said that he was angry and upset but once everything was explained, he was happy and really looked after his younger brother. Alice asked if Raysa has written any other books. Raysa explained that she had written a story about a mouse that has lost its squeak which is about speech difficulties. Year 4 told Raysa about a story that they have been reading about speech difficulties and explained how there are 4 different adults who sometimes help or hinder children with speech impairments! Finn told Raysa that he had cut his hair off to raise money to create a wig for cancer. We loved your visit and the children left feeling inspired- thank you so much. Raysa’s book will be available to buy on parent pay for a discounted price. Further information to follow.
World Book Day in Year 4
What an amazing World Book Day 2023 we have had in Year 4. Designing book covers, author visits, looking at a new class novel - The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh, role play and even a special read from Mrs Lyons who shared her favourite short stories. We have packed so much into one day and Year 4 have had a fantastic time sharing all things WBD2023
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Year 3 World Book Day: Design your own book cover competition
To celebrate World Book Day, the whole school have taken part in a 'Design your own book cover' competition. The book cover could be a favourite book, or a book that the children might want to write themselves one day! Year 3 loved creating their own entries and we have had such a variety of book covers, from 'Space Boy' to 'World War Ant'!
Years 5 & 6: Author visit
Years 5 and 6 enjoyed an author visit this afternoon. Raysa Farah came into school to read her story, ‘A cub without a mane’. She explained how her son has leukaemia and lost his hair. Whilst in hospital, she decided to write her book. Raysa explained that no matter how you look, you are still special and a wonderful person. Our children had the opportunity to ask questions. Jake asked if her little boy’s hair was growing back. Raysa said that it was. It is very short but it is growing back. It’s not as curly but it is wavy. Lucy asked Raysa if her children liked her book. Raysa said that her eldest, Adam absolutely loves it- he is in reception. Kaylen asked ‘what inspired you to be a florist?’ Raysa explained that she wanted to be a florist since she was 4. Her Mum and Dad loved gardening and she remembered being in the garden from childhood. Raysa went to university first to study psychology but still wanted to be a florist. When she met her husband, she told him her dream and within a month, he created the business and from social media, it became a huge success. We loved your visit and the children left feeling inspired- thank you so much. Raysa’s book will be available to buy on parent pay for a discounted price. Further information to follow.
World Book Day: The Cub Without a Mane
Today, we welcomed Raysa Farah into our school to read and talk about her new book as part of our World Book Day celebration. Raysa is a successful florist who has now written a story after her little boy was diagnosed with leukaemia. 'My little boy S'aad was diagnosed with ALL in Spring 2022 at the age of two. From this experience I have found strength in writing an empowerment book for children and their carers. I want to help empower young children to feel like they’ve got a voice. The book follows a lion cub who loses his big, wild mane after developing leukaemia, but shows bravery to continue being himself and not let his illness get him down'. If you would like to order a copy of the book Raysa has offered a special price of £6.50, payment can be made through ParentPay. Thank you, Mrs Wilkinson
Sharing Our Love Of Reading in Year 1
During World Book Day, Year 1 read and shared their books from home and our school library with great enthusiasm. They each stood up in front of the whole class to show their chosen book that either ‘fills their happy tank’ or is a great bedtime read. The children read and shared their books with their friends and designed a book cover for their favourite book too as part of a competition. In the afternoon an author came in to read their new children’s story to them and they were able to ask questions and take part in an activity celebrating their uniqueness in their house groups. We also made book buddies that they have taken home with them today amongst other activities.
World Book Day- Staff Swap
As part of our World Book Day celebrations, our teaching assistants swapped classes and read a bedtime story to the children. It was lovely to see different staff members in each class and the children enjoyed seeing a new face too. Our FOSB donated chocolates for every child to enjoy whilst they listened to the story. Thank you.
ADHD Course Information
Good morning, Please have a look at the flyer from ADHD North West regarding a course that they are running (again) from March 13th, parents can self-refer to this, the course covers: Characteristics of ADHD Other difficulties Associated conditions Diagnostic criteria Sensory difficulties The Brain Medication Effective communication Use of praise Behavioral strategies Testing & Manipulation
Reception: Rhyme time and Story time
We enjoyed our first rhyme and story time since half term. The children enjoyed singing a variety of nursery rhymes and we listened to ‘The tiger who came to tea’. Thank you to all of the grown ups who came and it was lovely to see some of our preschool children too. Rhyme time and story time continues next Wednesday at 9am and reception families and preschool children are welcome to join us.
Online Safety: NGL
FYI, it’s NGL
Year 2 - Class Worship
This week during our class worship we have been discussing the horrific incident that occurred in Turkey and Syria. Children discussed the devastating effects that it must have on family and what we can do and are doing as a country to show our support to all those affected. Some of the ideas we came up with are: - Sending food and water - Providing tents and beds for people to sleep in - Praying for all those affected - Sending specialist teams such as doctors, nurses and teachers.
World Book Day Information
Next Thursday, 2nd March we will be celebrating World Book Day. This year the theme is bedtime stories and stories that can fill your happy tank. We would love for all children to come dressed all cosy and warm in their pyjamas. Children will take part in a variety of exciting book related activities and competitions and will listen to stories throughout the day. There will also be a book cover competition which the children will complete in school where the children will have the chance to win a £5 book voucher. During World Book Day, a local author, Raysa Farah will visit each class. Once Raysa has been into school, the children will have the opportunity to purchase her book 'The cub that lost its mane' for a discounted price. Further information will be sent out after World Book Day. The children will all receive a £1 token. This can be used at our book fair which will be held between 15-21st March. Between the 15-17th March, the children will all have the opportunity to look at the books in school and they will create a 'wish list' which will be sent home. You can then purchase these books either using the web address on the wish list or by coming into school to purchase books on Monday 21st March and Tuesday 22nd March from 3.30pm. Payment will only be able to be taken by card or contactless payment. We can't wait to celebrate next week and further promote our love of reading.
Forest school sessions for KS2
Dear parents and carers of children in Years 3,4,5 and 6, we are always looking at ways to keep our children physically fit and also to support their mental health and wellbeing. Therefore, starting from next week, 10 children from each class will take part in Forest School sessions at lunch time with Mrs Thompson, our accredited Forest School leader. Year 6 will be on Mondays, Year 5 on Tuesdays, Year 4 on Thursdays and Year 3 on Fridays. Children will still have their MUGA sports sessions with Miss Baxendale too each week. Please see the timetable on class dojo to see which weeks your child will have their two forest school sessions this half term. I will inform you nearer the time of sessions for the rest of the year. The infant children will also be given the opportunity to attend forest school sessions too later in the year. On the day of your child's session, they need to bring in a named carrier bag containing wellies or old trainers plus an old coat, top and jogging bottoms to wear for the session, as they will get muddy. Their first project will be transforming our garden at the front of school. If anybody has or knows of anyone with any spare gardening tools, gardening gloves, seeds, log seats, plant pots etc, please send them into school as we would be very appreciative of any donations. We are sure that the children will love the forest school sessions as they are also a great way to develop children's social skills, teamwork and cooperation whilst having fun.
Reception: Muddy Monday
Today the children explored the changes of weather and different areas of Whitehall park. The children commented on how the weather can be sunny, cloudy, rainy, foggy and windy. The children explored the waterfall and other forest schools sections. They showed the Christian value of courage as we had to walk up a steep hill and walked a long way around the park.
Celebration Worship- Dress to Express- Mental Health Week
The Year 4 class led our 'dress to express' worship this morning for 'Children's Mental Health Week'. The children had prepared lines about mental health, which they presented with confidence and maturity to parents and the whole school. They spoke about how we can all look after our mental health by doing activities we enjoy. They also shared their favourite clip about kindness and stressed how important it is to be kind to each other and the positive impact being kind has on our mental health. The Year 5 Well-being warriors also presented prizes to our winners from KS1 for their amazing artwork which represented their feelings on a drawing of a jar. They finished by singing their favourite song ' My Lighthouse' and prayers led by Tyler and Grace. Thank you Year 4 and to all of the parents, carers and grandparents who joined us.
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Year 5- Dress to Express
This week, the Year 5 class have carried out multiple activities to celebrate 'Mental Health Awareness Week'. Today, the children wore their favourite clothes to express how they're feeling inside.
Reception - Children’s Mental Health Week
We have really enjoyed children’s mental health week. The well-being warriors visited our class and told us a story about being kind to ourselves and each other. We then designed our own kindness jars. We also created pictures of ourselves and discussed how we are similar and how we are different and what makes us special and unique. On Friday, it was Express yourself day. We all chose clothes and accessories that represented our personalities and interests.
Year 6 Money Matters
Year 6 had a visit from the money matters team this week. They discussed issues such as gambling and borrowing. The children took a keen interest in the issues raised as it is something that could directly affect them in the future.
Wellbeing Workshop in Year 2
Today our Well-being Warriors led another one of their fantastic workshops as part of Children’s Mental Health Week. The children looked at lots of different feelings, how we can manage them and that it’s ok to feel sad sometimes. We look forward to finding out our class winners for the feelings jar activity tomorrow in Celebration Worship.
Year 5-The Mind Walk- Mental Health Awareness Week
This afternoon, the Year 5 class stepped out of their classroom to appreciate God's wonderful nature around school. The children took this time to clear their minds, talk to their friends, giggle and just really enjoy being out. It was lovely to see everyone just enjoying themselves.
Wellbeing Warrior Workshops for Children’s Mental Health Week
As part of Children’s Mental Health Week 2023, our Well-being Warriors have been going into Foundation and Key Stage 1 to deliver workshops around mental health. They have looked at the story ‘Lucy’s Blue Day’ and highlighted how it’s ok to have good and bad days. The children then completed an activity on a feelings jar which they loved.
Online Safety: Gaming
Today our online safety poster explains how safe and healthy gaming might actually have some benefit for young minds.
Year 3 Art: Tie Dye
This week, Year 3 have been busy getting creative with tie dye! This term, our focus in Art has been on Craft and we have been focusing on understanding the process a textile designer might take, in order to reach a final design. We created our own mood boards, which showcased our favourite colours, places and people. We then used our mood boards to inspire our chosen colours and designs for our tie dye t-shirts! The children completed each stage of the tie dye process and we will be evaluating our t-shirt designs and discussing what worked well and anything we would change for next time.
Year 3 Tie Dye: The Finished Product!
We are so pleased with our tie dye t-shirts! The children chose their colour theme, based on the moods boards we created in art and it has been great to see the class learn a new craft! As it is Children's mental health week, we have also really enjoyed getting creative and relaxing our minds, with Art!
Online Safety Day: Information for Parents
Today is Safer Internet day and the whole school will be taking part in activities all about online safety. This is also covered in our PSHE and Computing curriculum throughout the year. Today, you can join Myleene Klass on a FREE Online Safety course for parents & carers. Whatever your child's interests, whatever their age, this course can help you protect your children online. Book your place today >> https://bit.ly/3kHGZpc Every week, we post online safety news on our website which you can find here: https://stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/news/tag/online-safety
Kooth - Online mental health and wellbeing support for 10-18 year olds
Good afternoon Year 6 parents and carers, I have spoken to your child today about an online mental health and wellbeing support for young people called Kooth. We have watched a video about the services they offer and there is further information included in the attached letter. Heather from Kooth will be leading a session with our Year 6 children in the summer term and will focus on transition to high school and the Kooth support service. I have given the children a leaflet so they are able to access the service if they wish. For further information on how to help your child with their mental health and wellbeing, please see the following page on our website under the tab of advice and support. https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/key-information/safeguarding
Reception- Safer Internet Day
In class we read a story for internet safety day, it was all about Smartie the penguin and how he could keep safe when using his tablet. The children listened so well and came up with some super ideas of how Smartie could keep safe and what he could do in certain situations. We had a discussion all about stranger danger and said that the best thing to do if something pops up on our tablets that we aren’t sure about is to tell parents, carers, grandparents or another trusted adult they know who could help.
Year 5 - Money Matters
We had some great fun with Mr Souter today when he came to talk to us about managing money. We discussed different types of budgets, deficit, surplus and balanced. We talked about which is the best type of budget to have and decided that a surplus budget allows us to have more of our wants and can help in times of emergency.
Year 1- Safer Internet day
Today for Safer Internet Day we discussed games and personal information online. We looked at lots of scenarios and we decided whether that was safe to share online or not. Year 1 made some very sensible comments about what we should do. We finished the day with a story about Smartie the penguin and his tablet. We learnt that you should always tell a trusted adult if you have any problems online.
Safer Internet Day
During our worship today we celebrated safer internet day. Safer internet day is celebrated all over the world and it helps children to understand ways of being safe online as the internet is growing as well as social media. Children discussed all the amazing things that they use the internet for and understand that it is an amazing platform to use with lots of positives. Although the internet is a great tool, we have to be careful that we: remain safe, understand age limits, only play games with those who you know, avoid online bullying and be able to recognise ‘fake news’. Children discussed many ways in which we can avoid these negatives and to enjoy using the internet for all its all amazing uses it can have such as: - Do not believe everything you see online - Do not post anything that isn’t kind - If I see something that makes me feel uncomfortable tell a trusted adult, report it and block it - Play with people we know - Most importantly keep having fun! - Understand age limits and respect those limits - Keep microphones and cameras off when online gaming with people who you do not know. One of the aims of the session was to keep talking and to be very open with a trusted adult about your online activity. Whether you have seen something that makes you uncomfortable or whether you have done something you believe is wrong. A trusted adult will always be able to help you and help you to remain safe online. Most importantly we recognised that the internet is an amazing tool that can be used to help us gain knowledge, communicate with people and have fun. As the internet grows and gets more advanced we understand that it is not going away. But remaining safe is the key.
Whole School Worship: Children’s Mental Health Week Launch
What is mental health? Elsie said it is about your mind, Darcy said it is your feelings. Everybody has mental health. Sometimes our mental health might feel poorly like our bodies can feel poorly. One way to help our mental health is through our happy tank. Today we learnt all about happy tapping. We practised together as a school and then repeated after John whilst tapping. Mrs Ham explained how it is ok to feel different emotions. The children showed different emotions such as sad, scared, lonely, upset, ashamed, worried and guilty. Mrs Ham asked the children how you can exercise your brain. Isaac said by learning, Kaylen said by pushing passed your limit and Sophia said by eating healthily. This year, children’s mental health week is all about connecting. Connecting with others is vital for our wellbeing and can support our mental health. This links to our Christian value of friendship. Mrs Ham asked how have we all connected to others this morning. Darcy said she has hugged her Mummy, Harlow said she tickled her brother, Edward said he made his Dad a bacon sandwich, Harry said he spoke to his friend and Iris played with her brother. We listened to a poem called ‘together’. We discussed together why being together is so important. Lyla said if you don’t feel together and feel lonely, you could ask a friend to join in playing. You do not need to be a grown up to change the world. We can make a difference. During our reflection, we are going to have a think about how we can connect more to others. On Friday, we will all come together and will dress to express to show how we are unique and special.
Year 2 - Happy Tank
As part of our kindness challenge and children's mental health week, we have created our own Happy Tank. Year 2 have created many affirmations to spread kindness through our class and within the school. Some examples are: ‘I matter in this world’ ‘I am amazing at what I do’ ‘We can make a difference’ ‘I am loved and I am needed’
Choir Workshop- Let’s Go Sing
This afternoon the choir have taken part in a Let’s Go Sing workshop with one of their fantastic singing instructors! We practiced and perfected our songs, in preparation for our concert at King George’s Hall on Monday 13th March! It has been lovely to see the progress that the children have made with their singing and performing this half term and we cannot wait to dazzle the audience at the concert in March!
Year 4 Random Acts of Kindness
As it is National Random Acts of Kindness Day on Friday 17th Feb Year 4 have been out and delivered our very own kindness packs to our local community. Let’s make kindness the norm and put a smile on people’s faces.
MHST Parent Webinars
Good morning parents and carer, Next week it is Children's Mental Health Week. Here are some parent webinars from the Mental Health Support Team (MHST) to help you support your child's mental health. There are four webinars focusing on anxiety, social media and mental health, low mood and the importance of sleep. Please see the attached flyer for further information.
Reception: Muddy Monday
Today, the children have focussed on maps and why we have them. We discussed where we had seen maps. Roman said you can find a map on your phone, Marley said you can find a map at Jack Keys and Elijah said you can buy one from a shop. Eddie told the children that maps tell you where to go and Seb said that you can use a map if you ever get lost. We then went to Whitehall park and found a map. We followed it to find the duck pond. We then went to the forest school area and looked at the hedgehog house and bug house. We also made fires, our own bug hotels and climbed trees. Super exploring!
Celebration Worship 27.01.23
In Celebration Worship this morning, we remembered all of the victims of the Holocaust as part of The International Holocaust Remembrance Day. We also celebrated our values winners across both key stages. All of our classes across school have been working extremely hard, with a special focus on our ‘Happy Tank’ and filling it with positive affirmations this week. Well done to Years 1 and 3 for this week's best attendance and also to Whitehall Park for their achievement of Overall House Winners for values points this week. We finished our worship with Rev Ben leading us in prayer.
Year 5- Class Worship- Social Influencers
During our class worship this morning, the Year 5 class explored the term ' Social Influencer' in detail. The children then came up with a list of people that they look up to and admire, such as; football player, actor, singer, golf player, darts player, BMX rider and a Diablos. We then discussed why they look up to these people in detail. I then showed the children three drinks which I had prepared earlier, In order to influence the children I made them believe that the orange juice was by far the best drink. We then took votes on which drink they would choose to drink, from apple juice, Vimto and orange juice. It was great to see that the children were not influenced by my choice because the majority of the children voted for the apple juice. We then discussed the choices we make, we can choose the people we want to listen to, be influenced by and follow. Jesus always set a good example when he told others to do something, such as to love each other, he did it himself. He asked his followers to do the right thing. Whilst influencers may guide some of our choices, It is important for us to remember both positive and negative consequences. Every child has the right to be protected from social media.
Year 4 Class Worship - How much control do influencers have over our choices?
In our class worship we looked at how much control influencers have over our choices. The latest craze for PRIME was our key topic and we definitely know a lot about it! We discussed that although the influencers may guide some of our choices, it’s important for us to remember to make our decisions with an open mind, considering both positive and negative consequences.
Online Safety: Roblox
We have received reports of a viral post circulating on social media about an alleged self-harm ‘game’ being shared on popular gaming platform Roblox. Known as ‘The Game’, the post claims that the game appears through private chats in an attached Word document that contains the rules and instructions. While it is unclear who made the original post and who took the screenshot of the document, it has been noted by several media outlets and concerned parents and carers, which has increased the sharing of the screenshot. There are multiple risks that come with this, including potential physical harm to children and young people, as well as inadvertent exposure to harmful online content. Currently, online safety experts have not been able to substantiate reports on the validity of this so-called ‘game’ or the claim that children and young people are sharing it. Due to the potentially dangerous and worrying nature of this game, we understand the concerns that parents, carers, and safeguarding professionals may have. That is why we have provided you with practical advice to help you care for the children and young people in your life.
Year 5- P.S.H.E- Negative Effects of Social Media
In PSHE, Year 5 have been discussing the positives and negatives of social media by exploring the impact that online content can have on a person's well-being. We discussed apps, privacy settings, cyber-bullying, trust, friendship, and respect and looked at different scenarios. The children agreed that it was important to have a small circle of friends which whom you know, trust, and enjoy spending time with. In small groups, the children thought of activities a person can take to look after their well-being with a balance of online and offline activities.
Monday Worship: Forgiveness and Friendship
This week, we began our worship with our happy tank. We learnt all about affirmations. An affirmation is when we say a positive thing about ourselves. Our heads and deputies helped Mrs Ham to show what an affirmation was. Our job this week is to think of affirmations to say to make us feel good. Mrs Ham’s affirmation to share was “I am amazing!” The children all joined in with this affirmation. The heads and deputies read lots of affirmations which the children copied to help fill up their happy tanks. Charlotte read an affirmation that said ‘it is ok to make mistakes’. Bobby read out “It is ok to ask for help” and Elsa read the affirmation “I matter in this world”. Today we focussed on our Christian values of friendship and forgiveness. Mrs Ham asked the children if they had ever broken anything. Lots of things can be broken but most of the time they can be fixed. If a book has a rip, Ella suggested that we could use cellotape instead of throwing it away. If a handle falls off a mug, Alfie said that we could use superglue. If we hurt ourselves, Jack suggested that we could use a plaster. Mrs Ham asked the children to think about what we could do to fix a broken friendship. Jesus said if somebody does something mean, you should always forgive them. Jesus told a parable called the unforgiving servant. Our heads and deputies helped Mrs Ham to retell the story. If we do not forgive others, then God will not forgive us. Jesus said that we should forgive people 70 x 7= 490 times! We shouldn’t keep track, we should forgive every time. God always forgives us for big and little things so we need to do the same to each other. For our reflection this week, we are going to have a think about how we can mend a broken friendship and how we can show forgiveness. We finished our worship by singing ‘As one’.
Reception: Keeping ourselves safe
Reception have been learning all about what is safe to go into their body. They discussed what happens if they are poorly and how we should never use medicines on our own. They learnt that they should never put anything in their mouths unless a grown up knows such as a family member or teacher.
Whole School Worship: Martin Luther King Jr Day
We started our worship with our happy tank and we practised our kindness today. We then thought about what Jesus meant when he said you should love your neighbour as yourself. Elsie said your neighbour means everybody. Mrs Ham read a book ‘Little People, Big Dreams’ all about Martin Luther King Jr. It is important to stand up for what is right and love your neighbour, just like Martin Luther King Jr did. If people like Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks hadn’t stood up for what was right then the world wouldn’t be a nice place to live in. Martin Luther King Jr had a dream that people would judge people on their character rather than their skin colour. We had a think about our character today and how others may describe our character. If we show all of our Christian values then we will have a great character. This week we will focus on treating each other fairly. We will also have a think about how we can help other people to make their lives better and we will focus on showing love and kindness towards each other. Freddie said we could be brave and stand up for what is right, Alfie said we could be respectful, Grace said we could donate items to other people, Jack said we could show friendship and Lyla said we could show courage. We then thought about what our dream for the world would be and we had some wonderful ideas such as no violence, no wars, living in peace. everyone being treated fairly and with kindness etc. We finished our worship by singing ‘Make a difference’.
OAA Residential Preparation in Year 4
In our PSHE session today we looked at how we feel about our upcoming visit to an Outdoor Education Centre. We looked at what we will do, how we are supported, sleeping arrangements and much more. We are so excited about the visit but we also understand how we all have different feelings such as worrying too.
Planning our class worship for Children’s Mental Health Week
Today we have been looking at how we can plan our very own worship to highlight Children’s Mental Health Week which takes place on 6th-12th February this year. The theme this year is ‘ Let’s Connect’ so we have looked at what we can do as a school community to promote this.
Year 6 Life Education session
In year 6, we had a visit from Megan from ‘Life Education’ who delivered a session around making decisions. Year 6’s responses were really mature and I was so impressed with how much they engaged in the session. I think one of the main points the children will definitely take away is that it is okay to challenge your friends if you think they are making the wrong decision. It is okay to say no!
Year 6 PSHE
In PSHE this week, we have focused on mixed messages in the media. We discovered that we need to make sure any information we come across has come from a reliable source and that not everything we see is reality. It is important that we have our own mind and if we are unsure of anything we ask a trusted adult.
Year 1- feelings and healthy living workshop
In year 1 we had a visit from Megan and Harold the giraffe. Megan discussed our feelings and emotions and how we can deal with them. We also spoke about many ways in which we can live a happy and healthy life and year 1 did a great job coming up with lots a creative ideas of how we can stay happy and healthy. Thank you Megan and Harold!
Year 4 - Life Education Session
Year 4 really enjoyed their session with Life Education. They learned about self-value, self-care, celebrating uniqueness and when it is good to compromise. They also had a visit from Harold the Giraffe. We’re never too old for a visit from Harold.
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Parent/Carer Support Group from the Mental Health Support Team
Here are the details for the next parent support group from the Mental Health Support Team (MHST).
Reception- All About Me
Reception had a visit from Megan and Harold the giraffe. They taught us what to eat and drink to say healthy, where our body parts go, what to do to keep germs away and what happens if you are poorly. We loved our visit, thank you!
Year 3 Life Education Visit
This afternoon, the class have completed a workshop with Coram Life Education, all about the brain! We thought about how the brain sends our body messages and how messages from the brain can travel at 250 miles per hour! We also thought about things that are healthy and harmful for the brain. Overall, we found out that it’s important to keep our brains healthy by having mindful moments, being active and getting creative!
Year 5- Life Education Workshop- P.S.H.E
Year 5 has thoroughly enjoyed the workshop delivered by Megan and her friend Harold the Giraffe today. Harold was particularly pleased to see familiar faces from last year, he also commented on how grown up the children looked. The children have learnt that all medicines are drugs but not all drugs are medicines, and to always ask a trusted adult before taking any medicine. We also looked at the qualities of a good friend and discussed which qualities are considered important to them. We also watched a short video about staying healthy for our well-being; by eating and drinking the right thing, exercising, mindful colouring and doing things that make you happy.
Year 2 - Life Education
In year 2 we had a visit from Megan and Harold the giraffe from Life Education. We discussed our feelings, emotions and how we can deal with them. We talked about many ways in which we can live a happy and healthy life and year 2 did a great job coming up with lots a creative ideas. Thank you Megan and Harold!
Mental Health Support Team January Newsletter
Please find attached the latest newsletter from the mental health support team, who we work closely with in school. This month there are some great tips and signposts for ways that parents can support their own mental health and wellbeing, as well as their children's mental health and wellbeing. For all of the newsletters from the Mental Health Team, please click here https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/parents/newsletters
Coram Life Education & SCARF workshops
Coram Life Education & SCARF is the UK's leading charity provider of PSHE and wellbeing education in primary schools. Over the next couple of days all of our children in school will have a fun and interactive PSHE workshop delivered by Megan and her friend Harold the Giraffe, from Coram Life Education. Reception: All About Me Year 1: Feelings Year 2: My Wonderful Body Year 3: Meet the Brain Year 4: It's great to be me Year 5: Friends Year 6: Decisions The children really enjoyed the workshops last year and they learnt a great deal. These sessions are part funded by the local authority and the school have contributed the rest. Our staff will also be having training on Coram resources that can be used in PSHE lessons. If you would like to speak to Megan and learn more about the workshops or how you can support your child with their personal, social and health education, you are very welcome to call into school from 8.45-9.00am this Wednesday morning. There is also a website with information for parents about how you can support your child's wellbeing, help them develop a growth mindset and how to talk to them about sensitive issues etc. https://www.coramlifeeducation.org.uk/family-scarf
Whole School Celebration Worship
This morning during whole school celebration worship, we learnt about Epiphany and celebrated our achievements in school this week. It was lovely to hear that some of the children had used the breathing techniques that we learnt on Monday from John, the Kindness Coach's, happy tank programme over the week. Class teachers spoke about our first week back in school and how the children have settled back into our school routine brilliantly. Mrs Ham announced our amazing attendance classes of the week in KS1 and KS2. Well done Reception and Year 4! We then celebrated some fantastic sports stars, both in and outside of school!
Wellbeing Warriors - Idling Campaign
Our Well-being Warriors have been out and about today with their campaign posters about the prevention of Idling. See if you can spot them around our school area and encourage everyone to turn their engines off whilst waiting for their children or doing drop offs.
Year 4 PSHE - Our Feelings
In PSHE we have been looking at how the different things that happen every day can make us feel good or not so good. We looked at ideas on how to deal with the ‘not so goods’ such as talking to someone, doing something to take your mind off it, breathing techniques and counting to ten.
Whole School Worship: Happy new year!
It was lovely to have everyone together for our first worship of 2023. Happy new year to everyone! We took a few moments as we lit our advent wreath to think about Jesus and how he came to bring hope, peace, joy and love to the world and how he wanted us live life in all its fullness. A few of our children shared their new year resolutions. Alice said she wants to eat more healthily, Tristen’s is to always have a smile on his face, Sadie is to not talk back to her parents and Kaylen’s is to go outside more. Mrs Ham shared hers which is to be happy. Mrs Ham reminded us all of the kindness coach, John Magee. She introduced us all to the happy tank. We watched a video from John who explained what the happy tank was. One of the elements is to take some time to rest. During this time, we need to focus on our breathing which can help us to find peace. We all focussed together on our breathing for 2 minutes. Beau said that it made her feel calm and Jacob said it made him feel happy. Mrs Ham shared with everybody a happy calendar that we will follow throughout January. We watched a clip from ‘The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse’. At the beginning the fox was very angry but by the end he was happy. He filled up his happy tank by the boy, the mole and the horse showing him kindness. This year we need to really focus on how we can be kind to others and to ourselves. Through that, we also need to think about how we can find happiness and spread it to others. We all said a new year prayer together and ended our worship with the song ‘Shine from the inside out’.
Reception: What is safe to go onto our body?
This week we have been looking at things that are safe to go onto our body. We discussed what we should wear, how different objects can help us, what can keep us healthy and clean and what to do if we have hurt ourselves.
Year 5- School Council Class Meeting- How can we make school feel cosier?
Before we started our class school council meeting today, Rio (leader) read out the results from the last meeting. The highest vote went to allocate litter pickers from each class to keep our school grounds tidy. This week, we discussed how can we make school feel cosier, with the days getting colder. Our note-taker Kaitlyn collated results and found that all of the group voted for option 2 "be allowed to bring in their favourite blankets to wrap up with in class".
Whole school worship: Peace during Advent
Last week we lit our hope advent candle. Today, Manni lit our peace advent candle. Katie, Eva and Jenson read out our peace prayer. Jesus was sent to bring peace to the world and he is known as the prince of peace. Today, we watched the new John Lewis Christmas advert. Lucy said that the man tried to learn how to skate to make the foster child feel welcome as the child may have felt a little frightened or worried. At the end, the child smiled as they had something in common and she would have felt at peace. For our reflection this week, we need to think about how we can find peace but also how we can bring peace to others.
Mental Health Support Team December Newsletter
Good morning parents and carers, please find attached the latest newsletter from the mental health support team (MHST). Christmas can be a time of celebration but it can also come with added pressure and expectations. Finding a balance over the festive period can be tricky. The 5 Ways to Wellbeing is an evidence based approach to help us find a balance to support positive mental health. MHST have put together some ideas of things you could try with your family to support wellbeing over the festive period. There is a brilliant wellbeing advent calendar here too from Young Minds. https://www.youngminds.org.uk/media/rnyfoubg/primary-wellbeing-advent-calendar-2022.pdf The next PARENT SUPPORT GROUP is on BUILDING CONFIDENCE. Wednesday 25th January 2023 @ 6-7 Please email [email protected] for a link to the meeting. On our website you will find information about local community groups: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/parents/community-groups and information about supporting children's mental health: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/key-information/safeguarding
Online Safety: Social media and mental health
You know about social media influencers ✌
Wellbeing Warriors New Campaign
Our Wellbeing Warriors have been extremely busy creating new posters to highlight ‘Idling’ around our school and the dangers of it. Idling is the term used for when a car is stationary but the engine is still running. This creates harmful toxic emissions that can make us really poorly. The Wellbeing Warriors want to spread this message, especially to our parents and carers so we will be out with our posters over the next week to promote our new campaign and record any idling that we see, especially directly outside our school boundary.
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Year 5- Class Worship- A gift that costs nothing
After watching 'The Grinch' Christmas campaign, the children explored the real meaning of Christmas and how being with your family was far more precious than receiving a gift. They then came up with ideas that they could make or do that don't involve spending money. Some of the suggestions were; to make a cup of tea, give your time to someone you love and care for, read a story, make your own decorations, give a hug and have a movie night.
Help us keep children safe from button batteries this Christmas
This Christmas, homes will be filled with light-up decorations, festive tea lights, singing Santas and flashing Christmas wands. But these – and many other toys – are powered by button batteries that can badly hurt or kill a child if swallowed. Please see the attached images for further information about how you can keep your child safe from button batteries.
Rainbow Support in Qatar - Year 4
In our class worship today, we looked at how many people believe that football should be for everyone and the issues surrounding the England football team being prevented from wearing the One Love armbands to support LGBT+ community.
Celebration Worship- Children in Need
Today is Children in Need day so we have all dressed in spots to raise money and make a difference to children in need. Our Well-being Warriors thanked everyone for their support for our anti-bullying week by wearing odd socks on Monday. They also told us all about bullying and about their next project that they will be tackling in school, idling in cars outside school. A huge congratulations to all of our Values winners this week. We are so proud of you all for demonstrating our British and Christian Values. Congratulations to Years 2 and 3 for winning the amazing attendance award this week for the best attendance in each key stage.
Odd Socks Day at St Barnabas
What a great way to spread the message that we are all unique and can show kindness wherever we go. A huge THANK YOU to our Well-being Warriors who managed to visit every class in school to see all of the weird and wonderful efforts. Another thank you must go to all of the children who entered the BwD Anti- Bullying Week Poster competition. Any successful entrants will be announced on Friday so fingers crossed Team B will have some children put forward.
Monday Worship: Anti-Bullying Week
Today is the start of anti-bullying week. We have all worn our odd socks to show that we are all special and unique. Yesterday was world kindness day. The children said that every day should be world kindness day! We listened to Andy Day about odd socks day. The theme for anti-bullying week is reach out which means talk to somebody about bullying to say it is not ok. During anti-bullying week, we will focus on the Christian values of friendship, respect, courage and forgiveness. We will also focus on the British Values of mutual respect, individual liberty and tolerance. Bullying is when somebody does something mean and they keep doing it again and again. James said the victim would feel “really sad and emotional”. Mrs Ham explained the acronym STOP. If someone does something Several Times On Purpose then it is bullying and we should Speak To Other People. We played a game where the children had to put their thumbs up if they thought the action was bullying and thumbs down if they thought if wasn’t. Mrs Ham asked what would happen if they saw bullying taking place. James said he would tell them to stop, Eli said tell the teacher. It takes courage to do something about bullying. During our reflection we thought about how we are all different and how we need to treat each other with respect. We finished our worship by listening to Andy and the odd socks song.
Year 1- Odd socks day
❌We have kicked off Anti bullying week with odd socks day. We started off the day with an amazing worship about how important it is to reach out to stop bullying. ❌
Year 5- Odd Socks Day- Anti-Bullying Week-
Year 5 wear 'Odd Socks' to mark the start of Anti-Bullying Week. We're celebrating that we are all unique and that being different is okay.
Year 5- Speak Out Workshop- NSPCC
Following on from our virtual assembly, today we had two visitors from the NSPCC team delivering a 'Speak Out Workshop'. The children watched short clips and then had to decide in small groups whether that was bullying or not. We had some great responses. The children exclaimed that sometimes it all depends on the length of time and whether it was a one-off. It is vital that children reach out to stop bullying. They were reminded about talking to a trusted adult or putting a note in their class worry box.
Reception: Odd Socks Day
Reception enjoyed wearing odd socks to kick start Anti-Bullying Week. We celebrated being unique and all decorated our own odd socks. We all discussed what a good friend is and how we all need to be kind to each other.
Year 3 PSHE: Who can I reach out to?
This week is Anti Bullying Week and this year’s message is all about reaching out. Today, Year 3 thought about who the trusted people are in their lives and who they could reach out to, if they needed to talk to someone. #OddSocksDay #AntiBullyingWeek #ReachOut
PSHE in Year 4 - Respect
In our PSHE session today, we looked at our Christian value RESPECT and how we can show this to our peers and adults within our school environment. We watched a short video and then highlighted different examples of respect, discussing how it is a positive feeling or action shown towards something or somebody.
Year 4 - NSPCC Virtual Worship
In Year 4, we watched the NSPCC virtual worship and learned about the importance of sharing our worries with a trusted adult.
Online Safety: Online Bullying
Outwit the internet bullies with our #WakeUpWednesday guide
Mental Health and Wellbeing Support in School
Good morning parents and carers, please find attached the latest newsletter from the Mental Health Support Team. Mental health and wellbeing is given the highest priority in our school and is a big focus on our school improvement plan each year. We know that if children, staff or parents aren't emotionally well and happy then this can be a barrier to effective teaching and learning. In school both myself and Mrs Wilkinson are trained mental health first aiders who provide support and signpost support to children, parents and staff. We also have an Educational Mental Health Practitioner called Hazel Broadfield who works with us to provide families with support with mental health issues. We also have two trained ELSA's in school, Mrs Hegarty and Mrs Lyons, who provide emotional literacy support to specific children throughout school. Mrs Gardner, our PSHE lead also has a group of Wellbeing Warriors that help to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing and organise events. They are organising an Odd Socks day next Monday and have led a poster competition to launch Anti-bullying week. If you or your child are experiencing any issues linked to mental health and wellbeing, Mrs Wilkinson and I are always available to speak to on either informally on the yard or through arranging a meeting. Alternatively, there are also sections on our website where different services and groups linked to mental health and wellbeing are signposted. https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/key-information/safeguarding https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/parents/community-groups There are also services and groups signposted on the MHST newsletters. MHST run a Parent Support Group. It is an online group which is currently topic based. It is a space where information is shared with discussion between parents. Last group's topic was Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, where we explored what OCD is and how to support your child. There is no pressure to contribute or have your camera or microphone on, there is a chat function to contribute to the session. The next topic is Social Anxiety Wednesday 23rd November 2022 @ 6-7pm online via microsoft teams Please email [email protected] for a link to the meeting.
Smart School Council -How can our Peace Garden be improved?
In our Smart School Council session this morning, we discussed how our Peace Garden could be used more effectively. We looked at five options. Will was our class leader and Hamza was chief note maker and they did a fantastic job! We looked at British values, especially democracy as part of our discussion process. Our final decision was option 2- to have peace garden monitors.
Year 6 Class Worship- NSPCC
Today, year 6 joined in with a NSPCC virtual worship. The theme was all about speaking out if we ever have any worries and the amazing resource available to the children in ‘childline’.
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NSPCC- Year 5
During our class worship this morning, we watched an online assembly led by the NSPCC, about speaking out and staying safe. We learnt about children's rights and discussed what we feel is most important to us. We all have the right to speak out and stay safe!
Year 1- Hand hygiene
Year 1 have been learning the importance of hand hygiene this morning. We did a couple of experiments to show how important it is to wash our hands. Kasim showed our hands under the special lamp and then showed them again after washing our hands with soap and water. Year one were amazed at the results!
Reception Hand Hygiene
Reception have been learning about hand hygiene this morning and how we can protect ourselves from germs and bugs. The children experimented with a special cream which they rubbed into their hands and it acted as the ‘germs’. They then looked at their hands under a UV light to see where all the germs were. Then they washed their hands carefully, making sure they cleaned in between their fingers, the backs of their hands and their fingernails where most germs stay. They checked their hands again with the UV light after washing them and could see the places where they had not washed properly.
Year 4 - Hand Hygiene Workshop
A huge thank you to LCC for delivering a hand hygiene session to Year 4 today. The children were shocked to discover that their hand washing may not always be sufficient in removing germs, especially those who put their hands under the black light. We will definitely be spending more time washing our hands going forward.
Year 1- what’s special to us?
On Monday year 1 brought in pictures or objects that are special and unique to them, this linked in nicely with Hello yellow day as they also spoke about their feelings and how their special person or object made feel.
Year 1- Hello Yellow.
What a super busy day we’ve had in year 1. We loved dressing up in yellow and talking about our feelings. We had a special worship for hello yellow day ran by the minions which was amazing ,they told us it’s ok to not feel ok and to speak up if we ever feel like this.
Year 3- Mental Health Awareness
Today we continued our discussion around World Mental Health Day. We talked about who we can go to if we feel upset, angry or scared. The children said they would go to their parents, grandparents, siblings or their teachers for help. We also discussed about how we could raise awareness around mental health and what we could do for those who are going through this. The children then had a go at drawing a feelings monster and writing a description.
Year 6 Hello Yellow Day 2022
Year 6 thoroughly enjoyed ‘Hello Yellow Day’. In their PSHE lesson, they specifically looked at the emotional needs we have as humans and how they can ensure they are being met.
Monday Worship: Hello Yellow Day
Wow, what an uplifting worship we had. We began our worship with our trinity. Mrs Ham then called upon her minions to help her with today’s special worship. We began by dancing along to ‘Happy’. The roof blew off with all of the fabulous singing and dancing. The minions started by asking the children to show different feelings, for example, tired, happy, sad and loved. The minions explained how you are not alone with your mental health and it is important to talk to somebody. The minions explained that Young Minds is a great campaign about opening up about your mental health. The children watched a video about mental health. It explained how we all have feelings that come and go every day. If feelings become too big then it is important to talk to somebody about them. The minions shared some morning affirmations that we can use. If you say an affirmation, it can make you feel happy, brave, confident, strong and determined. The children said affirmations together such as ‘today is going to be a great day’, ‘I am kind’ and ‘I matter in this world’. The minions explained that you can donate to Young Minds which helps provide a service to help young people with their mental health. The minions have created a competition to design your own emoji. The winning emoji will receive a special hamper prize! This week, we will also have a hello yellow hunt on the MUGA every lunchtime. We finished our worship by singing ‘build up’. A huge thank you to our minions- our head boy, head girl, deputy head boy and deputy head girl.
Reception- Hello Yellow Day treasure hunt.
WOW! What a fun lunchtime session we had today, we went on a hunt to look for 10 yellow objects that had been hidden around our school. A huge thank you to our minions- our head boy, head girl, deputy head boy and deputy head girl for guiding reception children around school to find all of the yellow objects.
Year 3- Hello Yellow Day
Year 3 have had an amazing Hello Yellow Day! We discussed how important mental health is to everyone. We went around the classroom and each child said something kind to the person sat next to them. This gave each child a boost of confidence and positivity.
Reception: Hello Yellow Day
The children have really enjoyed raising awareness for mental health by wearing yellow. We discussed what makes us happy. Eddie said football makes him happy, Renee said playing with her sister and Maggie said kissing Mummy. We also spoke about what we should do if we ever feel sad. We looked again at the story of the colour monster to describe our feelings.
Hello Yellow Day- Year 5
Today, we celebrated 'Hello Yellow Day', to support the young people in our lives and raise funds for Young minds. We discussed why it is vital that we ask for help and talk to someone that we trust or a professional. We also watched a short clip about a young girl called Katie who was constantly worrying and overthinking things. However, after speaking to someone and asking for help she can now move on and enjoy her life. As a class, we made a soothe box. The box contains a picture of ourselves with some information about our favourite memories and things we like doing which help us stay calm and relaxed.
Year 5- Police Officer- Be Ace Talk
Year 5 were super excited about our visit from John (Police Officer). They learnt that children between 10 and 17 can be arrested and taken to court if they commit a crime. The police force has a duty to keep us safe. It is their job to protect us and they are trained to do their job well. We learnt about different types of assaults, crimes and damages to possessions. The children were intrigued to learn about the number of arrests John had made and why. The most common place where an arrest or a warning is made is at the local supermarket where youths walk in and casually walk out with snacks. Sophie and Isaac played the role of lead actors in a crime that could happen in the schoolyard (secondary) and outside of school. The moral of the lesson was, never retaliate, we all have choices to walk away from situations that could cause us harm.
Mental Health Support Team Newsletter October 2022
Here is the latest newsletter from the mental health support team that work with our school and other local primary and secondary schools to support children's mental health. On Wednesday 19th October at 6.00-7.00pm there will be a parent support group session via TEAMS focusing on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). If you would like to attend the virtual meeting please email [email protected] for a link.
Year 2 - PSHE
Year 2 - PSHE. We discussed loneliness, what to do if you see someone who is lonely and how you would feel if you are lonely. The children worked really well expressing their views and opinions on the matter and worked well to come up with ideas of what they would do if they saw someone who is lonely.
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Year 5- P.S.H.E- Happy being me
During our P.S.H.E lesson today, the children explored some of the ways similarities and, more importantly, differences can affect people’s attitudes and behaviour. We looked at reasons for people being discriminated against and how it made them feel. We also looked at the early life of Rosa Parks, thinking about the lives of all that suffered during the segregation period. We spoke about the importance of respecting others, even when they are very different from them (for example, physically, in character, personality or background), making different choices or having different preferences or beliefs.
ELCAS Parent support group: Separation Anxiety
Please have a look at the flyer regarding a parent support group for separation anxiety. Thank you.
Year 2 - Showing how to be good friends.
Year 2 - Showing and talking to each other on how to be a good friend and how to be there for each other.
Online safety: Managing grief
How do you deal with grief?
Anti-Smoking and Vaping- Whole School Assembly
This morning, we had a visitor from public health Blackburn and Darwen. The children were asked a series of questions related to keeping ourselves healthy. All the children got involved and asked lots of questions and listened attentively. We all learnt that a recent study which was carried out in Blackburn and Darwen that shops were selling illegal vaping and illegal cigarettes. These drugs can be very harmful, they can cause heart disease, lung disease, cancer, hearing loss, dental problems and it can kill us. The children ended the assembly by singing "We can all make a difference in this world of ours". So, no to smoking and vaping!
Collective Worship- Launching Our 30 Day Kindness Matters Challenge
This morning, Mrs Ham started our worship by lighting a special candle to remember Her Majesty who sadly died on Thursday after serving our country for 70 years and to think about and pray for our new King Prince Charles III. We also started off our worship by singing the song ‘Kindness’ by Fischy Music to start off our theme of Kindness. Mrs Ham told us that to kickstart our new academic year, we will be taking part in the Kindness 30 day challenge just as we did last year. We discussed why being kind is so important because it can make people feel loved. It is also contagious and can create a ripple effect. We listened to John the Kindness Coach who introduced the 30 day challenge to us and day one of the challenge which is, ‘Don’t say mean words or perform mean gestures to others.’ We then watched a video and talked about the acts of kindness that we could see. Ella-Grace said she saw the man sharing his money so that the little girl could go to school, Harry said he helped the plants to grow by watering them, Carter said he fed the hungry dog and Seb said that he helped the lady with her very heavy cart. Mrs Ham asked us what the effect of this man’s kindness was and we said that people felt loved, valued and special and this is exactly why we should all be kind. We then listened to a story called ‘Kindness Grows’ which shared a special message about friendship and looked at our new display in the library which supports the message that we are all one huge family and need to love and support one another through kindness. Finally, Mrs Ham asked us to reflect on what we can do this week and every week moving forward to create that ripple effect of kindness to make our school an amazing place to be and we sang ‘Rich in Kindness.’ It was also lovely to have Lillian back in worship with us to give us all a blessing.
Reception: the colour monster
Today, the children in Reception have read the colour monster. We have started to talk about the different emotions and our feelings. We learnt what fear, calm and anxious means. The children created a collage of each emotion and we will be focussing on this story this week. Super work!
Our school family tree
Our whole school family created their own unique circle for our family tree. It represents our vision of everyone 'Achieving great things through learning and growing together in a love-filled Christian family'. We love that all of the circles are special and unique, just like our children that God created.
Year 2 Class Worship- Inclusivity
Year 2 focused on inclusivity in their class worship this morning. They looked at the new range of Barbie and Ken dolls that are now available to buy in shops. This included the first Ken doll with vitiligo, and a Barbie doll with a prosthetic limb and another with a wheelchair. They also look at the new Barbie doll that Strictly Come Dancing star Rose Ayling-Ellis has also unveiled with a hearing aid. Year 2 talked about how this is wonderful and helps children from different backgrounds and with different disabilities feel included. They ended the worship by singing ‘We Can Make a Difference’ and by saying some beautiful prayers.
Year 3: Prayers of Hope
Today in R.E, Year 3 thought about some of their aspirations and hopes for the new academic year. Each child wrote their own prayer of hope to add to our prayer tree, in the worship area.