Reception Remembrance Day Activities
For Remembrance Day, Reception have been taking part in lots of different provision challenges. We have been thinking about why poppies are special for this time of year and saying prayers for the soldiers that sadly lost their lives to help protect us.
Reception- Understanding of the World- Guy Fawkes
In class we have learnt all about why we celebrate bonfire night and the story of Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plot. We learnt the “remember, remember the fifth of November” song and watched some fireworks before then going and making our own powder paint fireworks on the playground outside.
Reception- RE- Thanking God, Harvest
During our RE lesson we have been looking at the things we were thankful for. We looked at some of the foods we were thankful for and we tried different types of bread from around the world. We then wrote prayers about some of the things we are thankful to God for.
Whole School Worship - Remembrance
Ahead of Remembrance Sunday, our collective worships this week are all about taking time to reflect on those that have sacrificed themselves to keep us all safe. We have been learning about what Remembrance Day means to our nation and also to us personally. Mrs Ham explained the significance of the poppy and she shared some stories of extreme bravery and self-sacrifice demonstrated by those in the services during the World Wars. We considered which Christian values these people showed and Mrs Ham invited some children to share how they will be remembering our service men and women, past and present, this Remembrance Day.
Reception: Muddy Monday
The children in Reception went to Jacks Key for their Muddy Monday session. They found lots of natural resources to build bonfires in preparation for Bonfire night on Wednesday. The children then went on a rainy walk and showed great perseverance and resilience. The children all worked well together and it is lovely to see them continuing to develop during these sessions.
Reception PSHE - Helping Others
This week in PSHE, we have been thinking about feelings and ways we can help others if they are feeling sad, scared or worried. We talked about the choices we could make to cheer up our friends and family when they need it, such as giving them a hug, making them something, asking if they are OK or giving them a small gift. We then made our own rice crispie cakes with the intention of giving these to someone we know to make them feel happy and loved. Although we’re not sure if many of the cakes made it home - they looked rather delicious!
Whole School-Harvest Festival at the Church – Living Life in All Its Fullness
This morning, our school community came together at our church to celebrate our Harvest Festival, a joyful morning filled with song, prayer, and thanksgiving. The service began as Naomi and Martha signed The Trinity, followed by everyone joining in a rendition of our Harvest Samba song. We also heard about Bishop Philip’s inspiring challenge, pedalling to raise money for those in need, reminding us that even small acts of kindness can have a big impact. As part of the Bishop of Blackburn’s Harvest Appeal, we have been encouraging everyone to ‘Pedal Along’ and raise money for Christians in South Africa. Olivia shared a thoughtful talk, and Darcy reminded us to keep in our prayers families and countries around the world who are suffering. We also gave thanks for the work of DARE and reflected on people using their time and energy to support good causes. The reception and Year 2 class delighted everyone with their Harvest songs. Year 1 shared Thank You for Our Favourite Food, helping us reflect on gratitude. Lilly and Sofia led us in a thoughtful final prayer. We also said goodbye and good luck to Miss Norton, April, and Eve, and shared our thanks to Mrs Araujo, Mrs Ham, and our dedicated WOW Group for helping make this service so meaningful. Our Harvest celebration at the church was a wonderful reminder of our school vision, living life in all its fullness, through thankfulness, compassion, and community. Wishing all our families a restful and joy-filled half-term break!
FOSB Spooky Discos
A huge thank you to our Friends of St Barnabas (FOSB) volunteers and Mrs Wilkinson for planning and running our spooky discos tonight. What a great way to end a busy half term! The children had a great time dancing and playing games! The photos can be found here : https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-galleries/fosb-spooky-disco-1
Reception: Child Initiated Learning
The children were very excited to set up their own coffee shop today. They came up with their own drinks such as chocolate milkshakes and malteser hot chocolates and took turns to serve each other. A huge thank you to Sophia from 1617 for supplying us with lots of goodies to use.
PSHE Feelings Reception
This afternoon Reception took some time in PSHE to think of others, to recognise how someone may be feeling and discuss what they could do to help. We had some lovely suggestions including making a cake. We then took our idea outside and took turns to make a special cake to give to someone. The children enjoyed mixing, encouraging their friends and also decorating the cakes so they are all unique just like us.
Whole School Worship & Farewell to Mrs Norton
It is with great sadness that we are saying goodbye to our school cook of 19 years, Mrs Norton, this week. In our whole school worship we celebrated all Mrs Norton has done for us by inviting some of our children to share memories and messages of thanks. Each class made Mrs Norton a special card and Mrs Ham presented her with some gifts from our school family. We wish her well as she embarks on a new chapter. Mrs Ham also shared an update about our Harvest collections for Dare and we practised our songs for the Harvest service.
Reception: Diwali Super Learning Day
We have had a super Diwali learning day today! We made Rangoli patterns with natural resources that we created, made cards, created Mendhi, made Diva lamps, sang, learnt a Bollywood dance and explored lots of different Hindi artefacts too. What a brilliant day!