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Online Safety: Fostering a Sense of Belonging
Every child deserves to feel seen, heard, and valued. Our FREE guide shares 10 simple ways to build belonging at school and at home - from celebrating individuality to tackling bullying. Download >> https://ow.ly/oW4h50VNUsx #WakeUpWednesday #ParentTips
Random Acts of Kindness around our community
As part of our PSHE sessions we have been looking at mental health awareness, what fills our buckets and how we can spread kindness. We decided to complete random acts of kindness by sharing our kindness poems that we had written in class. Inside the poems we wrapped a hot chocolate and a biscuit for people to enjoy. It was so lovely to share these with our local community and the children were super excited to give them out. We put a smile on so many peoples faces and they really appreciated how much effort Year 4 had made. We look forward to sharing more about this in our Presentation of learning next week whilst it’s Mental Health Awareness week too !
Year 4 PSHE - Mental Health Awareness
In our PSHE lesson we have been looking at Mental Health Awareness. Mental health is everything. Mental health is more than just a small part of our lives.It’s connected to every little thing we do, every place we go and every person around us. Mental Health Awareness Week this year takes place from Monday 12 – Sunday 18 May 2025. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. In our sessions we have been learning how to fill our buckets with all the things that find us joy, writing Kindness poems and planning random acts of kindness.
Year 5- Peer Mediation training
Year 5 took part in their first peer mediation training session. They worked with Ben Harper from Quakers and staff and children from DACA. They learnt the rules of peer mediation to remain impartial, keep things confidential and to not do things for people but with people. The children learnt the 5 steps of peer mediation and had a go at roleplaying a session. We can't wait for our final day of training next Thursday.
Whole School Celebration-Living Life to the Full- Afternoon Tea
The afternoon tea, organised by the Smart School Council and RotaKids, was a wonderful celebration of our school family living life to the fullest. There was a lovely selection of cakes and biscuits, some homemade by the RotaKids the day before and some bought in. The children enjoyed chatting, laughing, and drinking hot chocolate together. We're thrilled to share that the event raised an impressive £256, which will go directly towards supporting our school. A huge thank you to everyone who supported the event and to all the staff who helped make it happen. A special thank you to our friends from Darwen Rotary who came along to support too. We look forward to hosting many more in the future!
Year 3- PSHE-Celebrating Our Differences
In our PSHE lesson today, we explored the theme of celebrating what makes each of us unique. We began with a fun and interactive "stand up, sit down" activity. I read out a series of statements, such as "I prefer Velcro to shoelaces," "I like rain more than sunshine," or "I enjoy reading more than playing games online", and the children stood or stayed seated depending on whether they agreed. It was a lovely way to show that even though we’re all different, we can still learn from and enjoy each other’s perspectives. We then read the story of The Ugly Duckling and reflected on how the duckling might have felt being different from the others. This led to a discussion about the importance of kindness, understanding, and not judging someone based on how they look or what they like. To end the lesson, the children wrote kind and thoughtful things you could say to someone different from you, instead of using hurtful words. Their suggestions were creative and full of empathy. The powerful message we took away was that our differences are something to be proud of—and that we should always choose kindness.
Year 3 - Online Safety- Making Friends Online
This afternoon, Year 3 explored different scenarios where someone might think they are talking to a friend online, without realising it could be a stranger. We discussed how online interactions, especially in games or chat rooms, can sometimes feel like real friendships, even when we don’t know the person. Some children felt strongly that the people they play with online are their best friends. This opened up an important conversation about what makes a real friend, someone you see regularly, someone your parents or carers know, and someone you can trust in the real world. The children were reminded that while online games can be fun, it’s important to stay safe by never sharing personal information and always speaking to a trusted adult if something doesn’t feel right. The key message was clear: not everyone online is who they say they are, and staying safe is more important than winning a game or making a new “friend” online.
Online Safety: Making Friends Online
Friend or foe? Almost 1 in 5 children have chatted online with someone they've never met in real life so it's vital trusted adults know the risks. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide helps parents and educators support children in forming safe, healthy connections in the digital world. Download here >> https://ow.ly/s6yr50VFxUh #MakingFriendsOnline #OnlineSafety #KeepingChildrenSafeOnline
Year 4 - Linking Schools: Why Social Action?
As our Linking School project continues, the Year 4s have been considering things in their relationships, the school, the local area, the environment and the wider world that they care about. In today’s session, we listened to the Starfish Story and talked about how small, kind actions can have a big impact on others. We looked at the world around us and decided on some actions we could take to improve it. After sharing our ideas, we voted and decided that we would like to go on a class litter pick, and write to residents of a local care home. We will be carrying out our actions over the Summer Term.
Reception Dentist Visit
Reception had a visit from Darwenside Dental Practice to speak to them about their oral hygiene. They shared with us how we can look after our teeth by reducing the amount of sugary snacks and drinks we have between meals. They also spoke to us about the importance of brushing our teeth twice a day and visiting the dentist regularly for check ups. We are very lucky to have such wonderful Dentists who help us to keep our teeth healthy.
Year 3- Hop, Skip and Jump for East Lancs Hospice
Year 3 have completed their Hop, Skip and Jump for The East Lancashire Hospice Challenge . The children all wore their decorated crowns whilst making their way around our 1k course in order to raise money for this wonderful cause. Donations can be made on parent pay for all those who took part and received their special chocolate treat.
Online Safety: Search Engines
Search engines can be handy, but they can also expose children to harmful or misleading content. Our latest #WakeUpWednesday guide – and the newest episode of our podcast – shares quick tips to help keep young users safe whilst browsing online. Download here >> https://ow.ly/xgw850VwBig Listen here >> https://ow.ly/Fp9t50VwG9s