Reception: Year of Prayer
This week, Mrs Wilkinson gave each child in Reception a piece of ribbon. We discussed how we sometimes receive special looking presents with ribbon wrapped around them. We all took it in turns to tie our ribbon to our prayer tree and gave thanks to Jesus who is the best gift ever!
Church Carol Service
A huge well done to our choir and other volunteers from our school family who sang their little hearts out this evening, at our church carol service. It was a lovely service and we are sure that it brought everyone lots of joy. Thank you Mrs Govan for giving up her time to lead our choir. Thank you to our parents and carers who came along to support.
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Whole School Celebration Worship
During this week’s celebration worship, we reflected on the theme of joy this Advent, alongside the lighting of the peace and hope candles as part of our preparations for Christmas. We discussed how joy can be found in simple moments and acts of kindness, and the children were reminded of the many wonderful events that brought happiness throughout the week. These included the Rocksteady concert, where children showcased their musical talents, the magical pantomime Aladdin on Ice, the school Pantivity Production and the festive fun of the Christmas Fair. Our Values Award winners were celebrated with great applause: Harry in Reception, Molly in Year 1, Evie in Year 2, Chay in Year 3, Sofia in Year 4, Elsie in Year 5, and Poppy in Year 6. Their contributions to school life have been amazing and have been reflected in their awards. Year 1 and Year 4 were also recognised as the winners of this week’s attendance award for their commitment to being present and ready to learn. A heartfelt special thank you was given to all the children who contributed their creative talents to produce the stunning Christmas artwork now proudly displayed in the Rose Garden at Whitehall Park. This beautiful display adds a festive touch to the community and each class will now take a trip to the park to admire all the children’s artwork. Prayers were shared during the worship, led by the children, who asked for peace in countries experiencing conflict and war, kindness to those without food or shelter, and blessings for everyone to have a safe, warm, and joyful Christmas. The Team Values Points results were eagerly awaited, with Darwen Tower placing fourth, India Mill third, River Darwen second, and Whitehall Park taking first place for the week. In addition, India Mill was announced as the overall half-term winner, earning a well-deserved non-uniform day and disco celebration as a reward for their hard work and teamwork throughout the term. This will take place on the last Thursday of the term. We proudly acknowledged the remarkable achievements of our children. Lydia was recognised for earning her Rainbows Influencer Skills Builder badge and for taking action to make a difference, while Naomi received her Christmas badge for Brownies. Isabella celebrated swimming 5 meters, and Lyla earned a Medal with Rothwell Arts for her dedication to ballet. Marnie May was applauded for her accomplishments in tap dancing and gymnastics and Grace achieved her Bronze Award for earning multiple badges at Brownies. Olivia was named Star of the Week for her excellent performance in gymnastics and Tristen celebrated earning his blue belt in kickboxing. Scarlett shone with her Netball Shooting Award, while Oliver achieved a swimming award for swimming 5 meters. Elana was recognised for her Rainbows Influencer Skills Builder and taking action and Luna was honored as Dancer of the Day. Alice and Evie were recognised as they performed beautifully in Over the Bridge and Leonora and Desmond proudly represented their swimming competition in the regionals. Well done to all for these incredible accomplishments! The worship concluded on a high note, with everyone coming together to sing joyful Christmas songs, filling the room with festive cheer.
Year 5 - RotaKids - Christmas Cards for Care Homes
Building on from our Worship earlier in the week about spreading joy this Advent, our Year 5 Rotakids decided to take action. Today, they spread festive cheer in the community by creating thoughtful Christmas cards to send to care homes around Darwen. The children poured their creativity and kindness into each card, adding heartfelt messages and festive designs. These cards will soon be delivered, bringing warmth, joy and a sense of connection to residents who may need it most this Christmas season. It’s a wonderful way to show that even small acts of kindness can make a big difference. Well done, RotaKids, for embodying the true spirit of the holidays!
Year 4: How Do We Value Our Differences?
In our PSHE session today we looked at how we can develop our understanding of being reflective and value similarities and differences between people. We compared our identity with someone else’s, then looked at ten statements to reflect on. We were surprised by what we found and carefully considered moral, social, economic and cultural reasons. Finally we went on to identify three positive things about not everyone having the same ideas and values.
Worship with Rev. Ben
During worship with Rev. Ben, the children began by playing a game of "Spot the Difference," where they had to identify which picture was missing from a selection of displayed images. Following this, Rev. Ben shared the story of Daniel and the Lions' Den. The children learned how Daniel, despite knowing that following God and continuing to pray would put him in danger, trusted in God and was unharmed by the lions. This led to a thoughtful discussion about Daniel's courage and faith. The children then reflected on how they could show courage in their own lives, drawing inspiration from Daniel’s example.
Whole School Worship: Joy at Advent
This week, our advent theme is JOY. We learned about the joy of Jesus’s birth and how we can bring joy into the lives of others this Christmas. We looked at the John Lewis advert about the man in the moon and how the little girl brought joy to the man, who had been very lonely. We also watched an alternative to the original advert about a girl searching for God and when she almost gave up looking, he sent to her his greatest gift: his son, Jesus. We finished with a look at all of the ways our classes have been bringing joy to each other and the community, including litter picking and singing in the local care home and reflected on how we can bring joy to to others this Christmas.
Reception: Bubble Prayers
At the end of our school day, Reception class lit our candle and signed the holy trinity. We then burnt some Frankincense which was lovely and calming for all of the children. This week, for Blackburn Diocese's year of prayer, we focussed on bubble prayers. We discussed what we were thankful for. Some of the children's responses were God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus, parents, teachers and friends. It was lovely for the children to stop and reflect which aided them to explore their own spirituality.
Worship with Rev. Matt
During worship with Rev. Matt, the children began with a lively game of musical statues, setting a joyful tone for the session. They then listened attentively to the story of The Men Who Liked to Say No, which illustrated how unwavering faith can triumph over even the greatest challenges. The story emphasised the courage and resilience needed to stand firm in one's beliefs. Following the story, the children engaged in a thoughtful reflection on its message. They discussed the true meaning of Christmas, explored practical ways to do good, even in difficult situations. They shared ideas on how small acts of kindness and faith can make a big difference, connecting the lessons of the story to their own lives. It was a meaningful session that left the children inspired to carry the spirit of Christmas into their everyday actions.
Year 6 - Class Worship
This week, in our class worship, year 6 discussed what it means to feel included. We explored a new incentive from the FA to raise participation of disabled people in football and expressed how we felt about this. The overarching views were positive, but we also explained how this incentive could have happened sooner. We then linked this to school life and spoke about what it means to feel fully included. The word that epitomises this is ‘belonging‘.
Care Home Carol Singing
Some of our choir members and a few of their younger siblings brought lots of festive cheer to the residents at Acer Lodge Care Home in Blackburn this evening. They sang their little hearts out and filled the staff and resident's hearts with joy. They were overjoyed to have a visit from Father Christmas who brought them all a little gift for being such little superstars. A huge thank you to the parents and grandparents who transported the children to Blackburn, battling horrendous rain, floods and road closures. It was certainly worth it to see the smiles on the residents faces and to hear them singing along.
Year 4 - RE: How Did Jesus Bring Light?
In Year 4, the children’s acting skills were put to the test today when they were asked to re-enact the story of Zaccheus. They began by watching a range of stories that showed how Jesus brought light into the lives of those around him, including the stories of Zaccheus, Levi and the Rich Young Man. They then had to choose one to act out in their groups, identifying the “dark” parts of the story and when Jesus brought light. I think the story of Zaccheus was their favourite as all of the groups chose this one and they each acted it out brilliantly.
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Year 5 - Peace Class Worship
During today’s class worship, Year 5 participated in this year’s Picture News Christmas campaign, focusing on the symbol of peace, which was also our focus this week our Diocesan Year of Prayer. The session began with a thoughtful discussion where the children reflected on what peace means to them, its importance in the world, and how they can actively spread it in their daily lives. Inspired by their reflections, the children then created beautifully crafted origami doves, symbolising peace and hope. Each dove was lovingly decorated with heartfelt prayers, expressing their wishes for kindness, understanding, and harmony. The activity helped the children connect deeply with the true meaning of the season, fostering a sense of unity and purpose.
Reception: Year of Prayer
As part of the Diocese of Blackburn's Year of Prayer, this week's focus was on alphabet prayers. Reception class thought about what brings them joy. Evie said her star on her Christmas tree, Max said playing his memory game, Beau said her family and Mikey said visiting the dinosaur museum. It was wonderful to see the children reflecting and listening carefully to one another. At the end of our prayer we thanked God and said Amen.
Collective Worship: Peace at Advent
Our school is starting to get ready for Christmas and has been decorated. There was one final job to do- our youngest child, Annie placed the star on our Christmas tree. This week we started our worship by looking at the Year of Prayer, which we will be taking part in along with lots of other schools from across our Diocese. Our WOW group explained what we would be focusing on this week in classes. All classes will have a go at alphabet prayers. The children will all think about something that brings joy to them. We then looked at our whole school focus which was on the value of peace. Mrs Wilkinson led the children in prayer. Mrs Wilkinson recapped what Christians focus on in the first week of advent: hope. She lit the first Advent candle. We then looked at what we would be focussing on this week which was peace. The children watched a video all about peace. Leonora said that if we experience conflict in school, we could walk away or not argue with our friends and remain at peace. Matthew said smiling brings us joy and peace. We all reflected on what the world would be like if it was always at peace. The children discussed how loving everyone can bring peace. We ended our worship by singing 'We Three Kings' and 'Ding Dong'.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Today, every child in school helped to decorate our real Christmas tree in the hall. They have been busy decorating their classrooms too so it really is beginning to look and feel like Christmas! On Monday, as part of our St Barnabas tradition, the youngest child in our school will place the star on top of the tree in Worship.
Worship with Rev. Ben
During worship with Rev. Ben, the children explored the story of Daniel and "the boys who liked to say no." Worship began with a fun game of yes or no, where the children decided which foods they would or wouldn’t eat. In the story, Daniel and his friends said no to the king’s food to show their obedience to God. Because they supported one another and remained loyal to their faith, they were granted strength and looked healthy. Rev. Ben explained that, unlike Daniel and his friends, Christians today don’t follow food rules in the same way. However, there are many ways we can remember God in our daily lives. The children reflected on how Daniel and his friends stayed faithful and considered how they could remember God this week—in their prayers, words, and actions.
Year 5 - Litter Picking
As part of No Pens Day, Year 5 explored the local area, taking part in a litter-picking activity inspired by a suggestion from the Smart School Council. This act of kindness demonstrated fantastic teamwork, community spirit, and a shared commitment to protecting the environment. Back in class, the children reflected on what they had observed, noting the impact of litter on wildlife and natural spaces. They engaged in thoughtful discussions about how to make a positive difference, generating ideas such as increasing recycling efforts, designing impactful posters to raise awareness about the environmental damage caused by littering and making a habit of picking up litter whenever they see it. The activity not only built their understanding of environmental responsibility but also empowered them to be proactive change-makers within their community.
Year 3- NO PENS DAY - Litter picking- Brainbox games-What can you remember in just 10 seconds?
Today, Year 3 celebrated No Pens Day thanks to our Smart School Council. They combined learning by litter picking, demonstrating teamwork, communication, and a strong sense of kindness and spirituality. They even discussed how God and the community would be pleased with their efforts. In the classroom, they paired up for a fun game of BrainBox, boosting their memory, observation skills, and understanding of math and reading. Oracy skills were embedded throughout the day, as students listened attentively, took turns to talk, and engaged in thoughtful discussions.
Year 3- Litter Picking- Demonstrating our Christian Value of Service
Year 3 demonstrated the Christian value of service by participating in a litter picking activity. Their hard work and dedication made a positive impact on our school family and local community.
Collective Worship: First Sunday of Advent
Today during worship, Mrs Wilkinson shared the word Advent with the children. We started by discussing what this means. The children said that it was about the countdown to the arrival of the birth of Jesus. It is a time to prepare for Christians. The first Sunday of Advent, Christians focus on hope. We discussed what hope meant and how it is a sign of good things to come. During our reflection we thought about how we can bring hope to people and how we can show love and kindness to others. Cassidy said we could donate to charity, Sonny said we could buy a present for a homeless person and Leonora said we could smile at one another. We prayed to God together and thanked him for sending Jesus at Christmas to give us the hope that the world can be a better place. We ended our worship by singing 'come and join the celebration' and 'ding dong'.
Year 5 - Mountain Life
During geography, Year 5 have started learning about life in the mountains. They began by exploring Lyfta, where they met Simon Mtuy, who lives on Mount Kilimanjaro. Through this platform, the children experienced his way of life, the local culture and how people adapt to living near the mountains. They explored his surroundings and gained insight into his daily life. Afterwards, the children engaged in thoughtful reflection, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of living near a mountain. They considered aspects such as access to natural resources, tourism opportunities and breathtaking scenery. As well as challenges like isolation, harsh weather conditions and limited infrastructure. This reflective discussion encouraged them to think critically about how environment shapes lifestyle.
Key Stage 1 Multi- Skills Festival
We have had a wonderful morning at the Key Stage 1 Multi- Skills Festival at St Bedes. The children took part in lots of activities which were based on fundamental skills. They tried extremely hard and thoroughly enjoyed every second. Our Sports Leaders also did a great job in supporting the younger children, guiding them through each activity and encouraging them all. We even came away with a gold medal! Go Team B!
Whole School Worship - Bishop Philip’s Year of Prayer Launch
The St Barnabas school family were thrilled to join a live worship with Bishop Philip this afternoon, along with nearly 60 other church schools in Blackburn Diocese. Lisa and the Bishop met us via Zoom to talk to us about prayer, why we pray and what happens to our prayers. We were fascinated to learn that Jesus knows each and every one of us, and that he hears all of our prayers. We also learned some new ways to pray. These included quiet prayers, for which we were silent and focused on just being with our thoughts, and noisy prayers, for which we shouted out our school name and our own name as loud as we could. Over the course of this academic year, we will be focusing on a new way to pray each week in whole school collective worship, and in our classrooms. We know the children will enjoy exploring prayers along with hundreds of other children across the Diocese.
Rev Matt Worship
Today, Rev Matt led a fantastic worship that focused on how we can often lose sight of things that are important. He started with a challenge that involved watching a video with a focus in mind, but in doing so, we missed some other events that occurred. This linked nicely to the story ‘God Sends Fire’ as King Ahab had lost faith in God and decided to worship a false God called Baal. To show everyone that God was the true God, Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest. They had to build an altar and ask their God to set it on fire. The prophets of Baal danced and prayed all night, but nothing happened. Then, Elijah asked people to drench his altar with water. He prayed to God, and fire came down from heaven! It burned up the altar and all of the water. Everyone saw this and knew God was the true God. This story can help us remember to have faith in God, even when things are tough, and to always trust that He is in control.
Whole School Worship - World Toilet Day
In worship yesterday, we looked through our spirituality windows and out into the world on toilets. We were shocked and saddened to find out that around 700 children under 5 die every year due to poor sanitation. We heard about Jeremiah in Kenya who doesn’t have access to a toilet. In his community, people would mostly use a hole in the ground or a plastic bag, which some people would tie up and throw on other people’s roofs. We talked about how this affects people’s health and shared ideas of what we could do to help. The children then learned about our Toilet Twinning project for which we raised money a few years go to sponsor the building and maintenance of toilets in Nepal, Uganda, Tanzania, and Afghanistan. We reflected on how we should never take our toilets for granted and thought of ways we could save loo paper and water.
The W.O.W. Group - Spirituality Mural
Our wonderful W.O.W. group would like to say thank you to everyone who sent in their recycled bottle tops. We spent our session this week starting to put our spirituality mural together. It is looking fabulous so far and we can’t wait to share it with you all once it’s in situ.
Reception: Exploring the Snow
Our Reception children enjoyed exploring the snow today. They worked together in small groups to build snowmen! They collected resources for the arms and they all had carrots for their noses. The children also found some icicles so we looked closely at them and how they had formed. It was also wonderful to look around at the winter sight and really feel the snow too. Our world is beautiful in all types of weather and what a treat we all had this morning.
Year 1- Children in Need
On Friday, Year 1 all made a super effort and came to school dressed in Pudsey merchandise, pyjamas or spots to help to fundraise for Children in Need. They all coloured in their own Pudsey and thought about the children who benefit from the generous donations of good people across England and Wales.
Year 5 - Fun in the snow
Year 5 had an amazing time in the snow today, building creative snowmen and making wonderful memories together. It was heartwarming to see the children laughing, playing, and truly enjoying the wintry weather. They also took a moment to reflect on the beauty of our snow-covered surroundings, sharing thoughts about how lucky we are to have such fantastic outdoor spaces to explore and appreciate as a school community.
Children in Need 2024
Our Y6 Heads and Deputies asked everyone to dress in pyjamas or spots to show our support for Children in Need this year. Yesterday we had a special visit from Pudsey Bear and Christine from Asda. They told us all about how Asda are raising money for Children in Need and they said a special thank you to us all for our fundraising to help children who are less fortunate than us. Thank you so much to our staff, children and parents for the effort you have gone to in dressing in your pyjamas or spots and thank you for your generous donations on parent pay. Together we can make a positive difference to the lives of so many disadvantaged children around our country.
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Whole School Thursday Worship with Rev Ben and Pudsey
In our Thursday Whole School Worship,Christine Baldwin, Community Champion from Asda Bolton kindly brought Pudsey Bear to visit us and say a big THANK YOU for our fundraising for Children in Need. They are currently working on a Fuelling Food Programme so that no child will grow hungry in the school holidays. Asda Bolton have raised ver 34 million pounds for Children in Need. The children were very excited to hear all about the project as well as meeting Pudsey. Following on from the visit, Rev Ben took over and we all showed respect by putting ourselves in our reflective prayer place. We began with the Trinity and focused our first discussion on what does it mean to treat someone with respect. Our answers included: being kind, treating someone just as you would like to be treated,when you are ok with difference and treating people equally. Our Bible story today was - A Jar and A Jug. The story focused on Elijah - Gods special messenger and his struggle with the drought. He trusted God that he would get through it with help from the widow and her son. The widow who believed in another God, didn’t believe they would live until she trusted in Elijah and his promise. God saw the widow as someone important and gave her a special job- to look after Elijah. It means listening to others, caring for them and seeing them how God sees them. We then looked at the important message “ Do to others as you would have them do you” Luke 6;31 We finished our Thursday Whole School Worship with a prayer and then we sang ‘ I can make a difference’
Year 4 PSHE - How do we treat each other with respect?
In our PSHE sessions we are focusing on ‘Valuing Difference’. This week we shared different scenarios about how we would deal with aggressive behaviour. The children learned how to recognise potential consequences of aggressive behaviour and suggested how to deal with someone who is displaying this. They showed super communication skillls and discussed conflict resolution and diversity.
Year 5&6 - Football Training
Year 5 and 6 had an action-packed football training session tonight! The children demonstrated excellent teamwork, focusing on passing, dribbling, and positioning skills. With each game, they worked on communication and precision, challenging each other to improve their techniques. It was fantastic to see such determination and enthusiasm from all the players!
Year 5 - Anti-Bullying Week
Year 5 embraced Anti-Bullying Week with Odd Socks Day, proudly wearing mismatched socks to celebrate individuality and this year’s powerful theme of respect. In their PSHE lessons, they reflected deeply on what bullying means, sharing personal insights on how to respond and support others in challenging situations. They discussed the importance of kindness, respect, and inclusivity, learning how even small actions can make a big difference in creating a safe and supportive school environment for everyone.
Year 6 - Hinduism Workshop
Year 6 welcomed Prags into our school today, who led them in a Hinduism workshop. She was very impressed by the children’s knowledge of pilgrimages and she then spoke in more detail about a Hinduism pilgrimage. She explained how the River Ganges is sacred to Hindus and that they believe the water washes sins away. When Prags first went on this pilgrimage, she expressed how it is an emotional event and one that she will never forget. Year 6 listened attentively and showed fantastic levels of respect.
Darwen Remembrance Service
Our Year 6 class attended the Darwen Schools Remembrance Service this morning. They were so respectful when observing the two minutes silence and joined in the prayers with enthusiasm. Our head boy and head girl laid a lovely wreath that the class had created with Mrs Stanton which had special prayers for those who gave up their lives so that we could live ours. After the service we found out that the bagpiper used to attend St Barnabas when he was younger so he let us try on his hat. We then placed poppy crosses on our adopted war graves and took some time to say our own prayers for those who lost their lives in the wars. We also prayed for some of our children's loved ones who are buried in the cemetery. What a lovely morning of remembrance!
Reception: Visiting our Spiritual Garden
Today we are celebrating outdoor classroom day. Reception class are always on the go but we had a wonderful time to sit and reflect in our spiritual garden during our collective worship time. This serene outdoor space was perfect for our children to contemplate love, gratitude, and remembrance. The children were encouraged to reflect on the people they love to foster empathy and connection. The children said that they loved their family, friends and teachers. They also expressed gratitude for God’s beautiful creation, a reminder of the wonders that surround us daily. Beau said that she loved God, Ralphi said he loved the planet, Evie said she could hear the trees blowing in the wind and Oliver said he could hear the birds singing during our moments of silence. We then remembered our poppies and why we were wearing them. Will told everybody it was to remember the soldiers in the war. The class took a moment to remember the soldiers as a sign of respect. As a symbolic gesture, the children used a bubble machine to release bubbles into the sky to heaven. The children really enjoyed this spiritual experience and we are looking forward to the next time we can visit the garden.
Year 5&6 Remembrance Walk
Today, our Year 5 and 6 children made a heartfelt visit to the remembrance graves to honor and remember those who courageously sacrificed their lives in times of war. Standing among the headstones, the children took time for quiet reflection, paying their respects to those who gave everything for the freedoms we enjoy today. With gentle hands, the children tended to the graves—a simple yet powerful act of care and gratitude. This experience reminded our children of the bravery and selflessness that paved the way for peace. This moment of reflection encouraged the children to find gratitude in the everyday blessings we often take for granted, fostering a sense of mindfulness and appreciation for the many freedoms we cherish today.
Years 2 and 3-Outdoor Classroom Day- Remembrance Walk
This afternoon, Year 2 and 3 celebrated Outdoor Classroom Day by walking up to the WW1 Memorial Wall in Darwen Cemetery. As they gathered at the memorial wall, they paused to remember the brave soldiers who fought in the War. They thought about the sacrifices made and the courage shown by those for our freedom. Isaac, Bobby Ray, Lyla, Renee Archie, and Heidi shared heartfelt prayers and poems, honoring the memory of those who gave their lives for our country. As they walked back to school. they appreciated God's creation, the beauty of the trees, and the sweet songs of the birds.
Year 1- Remembrance
Year 1 have been busy reflecting on the importance of Remembrance Day whilst making poppies using various media, creating Remembrance moving pictures and writing Remembrance prayers. They have thought about the soldiers that have and continue to fight for our country to keep us safe. They have also kept in their thoughts many people who work bravely and tirelessly everyday to bring about positive change and keep us safe from harm such as the police, NHS, paramedics, Royal Navy and charity workers.
Year 1 Class Worship- Visiting the Spiritual Garden
Today, we took our worship outside for Outdoor Classroom Day. In the Spiritual Garden, we listened to and enjoyed each other’s beautiful remembrance prayers that we have each created in class. Percy said a prayer to thank soldiers for their bravery and keeping our country safe. Ida, Thomas and Mollie followed with a prayer to say thank you for our everyday heroes such as the NHS, paramedics and charity workers and Callie ended with a prayer about remembering those who lost their homes to the Great Fire of London and all the other refugees who are having to flee their homes. We ended our time in the spiritual garden by having a few moments to ourselves whilst we walked around and took in the sights and sounds of nature.
Cidari Moon Conference
Some of our children and WOW group from Year 4 had an amazing day admiring and reflecting on the moon today at Blackburn Cathedral with Mrs Ham and Mrs Araujo. Most of the schools in our Cidari Multi-Academy trust took part and it was a great way to meet new friends. Each of the children took part in a different activity around a big question about the moon with children from other schools. Rev Ben led an opening worship where we learnt about how God created the moon by hand and crowned us all with honour and glory. Bishop Philip encouraged us all to lie underneath the moon art installation and gaze at it whilst pondering some thought provoking questions. Rev Alan closed the day with a fun moon quiz and we discussed how the moon reflects the sun's light and we can reflect God's light . We finished by singing and joining in with the actions to 'our God is a great big God'. Thank you so much to Mrs Gray from St Oswalds, Knuzden for organising the event and to Mrs Araujo and staff from the other schools for leading a number of amazing activities. What a wonderful day of celebrating one of God's most amazing creations!
Whole-School Worship: Remembrance
At St Barnabas, we always take the time leading up to Remembrance Day to reflect on the people who kept us safe in the past and those who keep us safe now. In worship, we heard examples of people who came from other countries to help defend the UK during the World Wars, and the courage and friendship they demonstrated in doing so. We also thought about how we would like to remember those who lost their lives in war. The children had some lovely ideas, including writing or saying prayers, drawing poppies, visiting memorial sites, attending church services, and even holding a two-minute silence at their weekend football matches. We remember those who gave up their lives for our country and also say a huge thank you to those who work hard everyday to protect us such as the armed forces, the police, firefighters and the NHS. We sang a lovely song of peace at the end of our worship in hope that the world will one day be filled with peace.
The W.O.W. Group: Creating Viewfinders
This week, the W.O.W. Group created viewfinders to help us explore the beautiful natural patterns in our spiritual garden. Over the next couple of weeks, they will be showing the other children how to spend time exploring patterns in nature and they will develop further activities from this, such as observational drawing, describing and games.
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.
Reception RE: The Birth Of Jesus
Today our Reception children began their Christmas unit in RE. We took part in a sensory story all about the birth of Jesus. We used Widget symbols for each part and used our senses to get involved with the story. The children smelt baby oil to understand that Mary was expecting a baby, we walked to show how Mary and Joseph travelled to Bethlehem and we lit candles to show how dark it was. The children then used a drum to knock on the door to see if there was any room. We then used the sign for no. Finally, the children wrapped a baby in blankets to show the birth of Jesus. The children really enjoyed drawing parts of the story in our scrap book and enjoyed getting involved in the story all about the birth of Jesus. We can't wait for the children to act out this special story in their Nativity production in a few weeks time.
Remembrance Singing Worship
This morning in our singing worship we focused on songs of peace as we will be remembering all those who bravely gave their lives in the wars this week. We will also be thinking about people around the world who are still be affected by war and conflict and how we can help them. We will remember them!
Poppy Appeal 2024
Our Heads and Deputies have been around to all of the classrooms today to show all of the children the poppy appeal merchandise that will be on sale from Monday at break times. The suggested donation for slap bands is £1.50, bracelets £1.00 and poppy reflectors 50p. Please send money into school in a named envelope or bag. Thank you in advance for your generosity to this worthy cause. Next week we will be focusing on Remembrance Day in our Worships and Year 6 will be taking part in a special Remembrance Service at Darwen Cemetery. We will remember them.
Year 4 Street Dance
In PE this week we have started our new dance unit - Street dance. The children were so excited to have a specialist Dance Teacher from Rothwell Arts to lead their sessions. Every single child joined in so enthusiastically and it was lovely to see them having such fun as well as learning new dance terms such as a canon, Smurf and windmills. We can’t wait to continue to build on the piece next week and work towards an end showcase piece.
Reception - Diwali
During today’s worship, Reception Class led a special service to celebrate Diwali. The children proudly showcased their beautiful artwork, including vibrant rangoli patterns filling the space with vibrant colours. They sang joyful songs and shared the story of Diwali with the whole school. It was a wonderful opportunity for everyone to learn about and appreciate this important Hindu celebration!
Worship with Rev. Matt
During this week’s worship, Rev. Matt engaged the children with a game of ‘Real or Fake,’ encouraging them to think carefully about what they see and question whether images are genuine or not. This led into the story of Elijah, who courageously stood against people worshiping a statue made of sticks and stones, teaching the children about the importance of true faith over false idols. To close, Rev. Matt invited the children to reflect on what they would like God’s help with, creating a moment of thoughtful prayer and connection.
Year 3- Nightingale Farm- Learning about Animals including Humans
Today, Year 3 had a great time walking to Nightingale Farm. They were thrilled to see a variety of animals up close, including chickens, goats, sheep, pigs, and two adorable ducklings named Salt and Pepper. As they explored the farm, the children learned about animal classification and diet. They asked insightful questions about animal health, behaviour, and reproduction. In small groups, they also engaged in a hands-on activity, labeling parts of animal skeletons on activity sheets. They identified bones like the pelvis, spine, and vertebrae. Throughout the walk, Year 3 were captivated by the beauty of the Autumn season. They paused to admire the colourful leaves, the misty morning, and the friendly greetings from passersby. This experience fostered a deeper connection to nature and a sense of spiritual wonder. Thank you to Nightingale Farm for a great day! All of the photos can be found here: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-galleries/year-3-nightingale-farm-oct-2024
Year 4 - Linking Schools: Who Am I?
Our Linking Schools project is due to start soon in Year 4. Today, the children learned a bit about the project and that we will be teaming up with a school from Blackburn across the year to share work. Further information will be going out to parents soon, but today was just an opportunity for the children to think about themselves and what is important to them. They used their ideas to decorate a piece of bunting and celebrate who they are.
Harvest Heptathlon
Today, each class took part in our Harvest Heptathlon obstacle course challenge for the Bishop’s Harvest appeal. The course consisted of running, hurdles, travelling through a hoop, hopping, skipping, speed bounce and star jumps. A huge well done to every child that took part. They gave it their best effort. And an extra big thank you to all of the Year 6 helpers for helping to set up, replace equipment, demonstrate the course and support and encourage the younger children to complete the course. Let’s hope we can raise some much needed funds for developing classrooms and literacy in church schools in Multan, Pakistan.
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Whole-School Worship: Allhallowtide
In our first collective worship of the week, Mrs Ham looked at Allhallowtide through our three spirituality lenses. Lens 1 - Windows: we looked out into the world at a photograph from Bangladesh depicting Christians gathered around graves with lit candles on them and discussed our observations and ideas about what the people were doing and how they might have felt. We had some fabulous ideas such as it must be a place of worship as they could see a cross and candles like we have in our worship, that they might be praying and that they were remembering. Lens 2 - Mirrors: we learned about All Souls’ Day and reflected on how we might remember our loved ones. The children had some lovely ideas about lighting candles and going to a special place. Lens 3 - Doors: we learned about All Saints’ Day and thought carefully about how we could be like saints. The WOW group introduced our behaviour focus for this half term , which is using good manners around school, and the children immediately put these into action by saying please and thank you, holding doors for each other, and letting people past. What a fantastic start to the new half term!
WOW group Harvest Donations to DARE (Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise)
Our WOW (Worship Our Way) group would like to say a huge thank you for your generous donations to DARE (Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise). Patsy from DARE came to collect the donations yesterday and sent a lovely thank you message on behalf of everyone at DARE. Thank you for your kindness and generosity as your donations will really help to make a difference to the lives of others.
Enjoying our Spiritual Garden
A huge thank you to our WOW (Worship Our Way) group, Mrs Araujo and Mr Fairbanks for planning and developing our Spiritual Garden. We are loving having time to reflect, admire God’s creations, be peaceful and connect with our friends in it at break and lunch times. Thank you to SACRE for the generous grant we received to create a spiritual garden made from mainly reclaimed and recycled materials.
Reception: I am Special
This week in PSHE, we thought about how we are all special. Beau said we are all unique. We discussed how we are all not the same and that is ok. Jasper said we all look different. Cassius said we all like different things. We sang a song about being special and thought about things we like and dislike. Some of the children liked things that their friends did not. We discussed how this is ok as we are all special.
Reception: Diwali
Reception have been learning all about Diwali this week. Diwali will be celebrated by Hindus on Thursday and we are looking forward to teaching the school about it on Thursday. The children learnt about Rama and Sita and how Diwali is the festival of light. They have made Rangoli patterns, cards, Mendhi, diva lamps and cards. The children have also learnt a special song all about Diwali.
Welcome back Worship
It was wonderful to welcome the children back into school this morning after the half term break. We had a brilliant singing worship where we created actions for our new song 'life is always better' and our super volunteers led the actions for our 'song of peace'. song. What an uplifting way to start the new half term!
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.
Year 3- R.E- What does it mean to be called by God?
In R.E. today, the children explored what it means to be "called" and shared times when they’ve been asked or called to do something, whether by friends, family, or teachers. They discussed different kinds of tasks they’re asked to do and how they feel when it’s something important versus something they may not want to do. Some shared moments when they didn’t feel skilled enough but tried because they trusted the person asking. This led to a conversation about feeling called by God, with many children expressing that they believe God may send signs through different forms, like weather, friendships, or even a beam of light, to guide and encourage them. They felt this calling could be an invitation to try new things, make good choices, and grow in confidence. It was a wonderful session of reflection.
Year 1 and 2 at Break Time- Recycling Leaves
At break time, Year 1 and 2 enjoyed recycling the autumn leaves to make huge bouquets to give to their family members this Harvest Time.
Year 4 - Science: Habitats at the Farm
We had a lovely walk up to Nightingales Farm on Monday to take part in some habitat activities. We recapped what we’d learned so far in science and then we learned about the many different habitats which can be found on the farm. We visited the sheep, pigs, goats and ducks and we talked about how the animals thrive in their habitats. We finished our trip by making bug houses using various natural materials. We will be adding these to our spiritual garden in order to encourage more wildlife to visit.
Year 4 - The Great Big Live Assembly
On Tuesday morning, Year 4 joined the rest of the school and over 1000 other schools across the country for the Great Big Live Assembly online. The assembly was a celebration of Black History Month in which we heard from various black celebrities as they talked about people from the black community who have inspired them. There was a quiz about historical figures and a short interview with children from a UK primary school who said we should all be proud of who we are.
Harvest Church Service 2024
Thank you to our Wow group, EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2 classes for leading our Harvest celebration at church today. I have uploaded some videos to class dojo and additional photos can be found here: https://stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-galleries/harvest-church-service-2024 It was wonderful to see so many of our families in attendance. A huge thank you to you all for coming to watch and thank you to all of our families for your continued support this half term. Thank you for all of your kind harvest donations, these can be continued to be sent in during the first week that we are back at school. Wishing you all a wonderful half term, Mrs Wilkinson
Choir - Let’s Go Sing workshop
Choir took part in their first Let’s Go Sing workshop in preparation for their concern in March next year. Rose was super impressed with how much they have learnt in such a short space of time! They represented our school brilliantly and demonstrated so many of our Christian Values throughout the workshop, showing lots of courage and respect. I have no doubt that they will be amazing on the stage when we get to Blackpool! Well done choir!
Year 6 - Black History Month Worship
Year 6 took part in a worship, that schools across the country joined, to celebrate ‘Black History Month’. We discussed how we can ensure that all children feel welcome in school and explored some inspirational figures. One Individual that stood out to year 6 was Ruby Bridges. She is an American civil rights activist who attended a formerly all-white school at the age of 6. Despite having to be escorted into school and jeered at daily, she battled adversity in order to get the best possible education for herself.
Reception: World Faith learning
Today, the children found out a little bit about Islam. Mrs Wilkinson showed the children some Islamic prayer beads called Subhah. We started our learning by wondering what they could be. The children thought it could be a necklace to wear. We wondered what they could be used for. Will said we could give them as a present. We learnt that Muslims used Subhah to pray with. The children all got to hold a Subhah.
Year 3- PSHE- Friends are Special
Year 3 had a fantastic time exploring the meaning of friendship in our PSHE lesson today. We used Harold the Giraffe, Kiki the Kangaroo, and Derek the Penguin to discuss the qualities of a good friend and how to maintain strong friendships. We discussed the qualities and strategies of a good friendship. such as A best friend is someone you trust and care about deeply. Good friends are kind, trustworthy, honest, loyal, and respectful. Even best friends can have disagreements, but it's important to forgive and understand. Ways to make up with a friend include talking about it, apologising, spending time together, and being a good listener.
Year 1 Class Worship- Black History Month
This week in Year 1, we have listened to the stories of some extraordinary people in Black History. We watched a video about Olaudah Equiano who worked as a slave for many years before buying his freedom. We learnt that once he was freed, he was incredibly brave and fought for black slavery to be abolished. We also learnt about an inspirational man called Laurie Cunningham who fought against many challenges to become one of the first black footballers to play for England. Finally, we read a book about Rosa Parks who was a very courageous woman who made her famous stand (while sitting) on the bus, helping to bring about freedom and equality for black people. Year 1 are looking forward to reading more of the ‘Little People, Big Dreams’ books.
Reception: Black History Month Worship
Today we joined the Great Big Live Assembly all about Black History Month. The children found out that lots of people of colour do not feel safe in the place that they live.There are lots of black heroes such as Saka the footballer and Krish a television presenter who have gone on to be extremely successful regardless of the colour of their skin. We ended our worship with a prayer all about treating everybody equally no matter the colour of their skin. The belief that everybody deserves to feel safe and happy. It is important to make sure that everybody feels special and valued.
Monday Worship: Harvest Appeal
This week is Recycle Week so we will be thinking about all of the rubbish we throw away and how it could be rescued and reused or recycled. Bobby-Ray said what one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure! Thank you for all of the donations of coats we have had so far for our Rota Kids Wrap Up Appeal. Mrs Ham showed us two bin bags that at first she thought was rubbish but they were filled with coats that can be donated to the homeless. Mrs Ham then introduced the Bishop’s Harvest appeal which our WOW group have chosen to support this year at Harvest along with DARE (Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise). We started by exploring our spirituality window and looked at a photo of the classrooms of a church school in Multan in Pakistan. We stopped and reflected on what is great about our classrooms. Lottie loves the amount of paper, Ella-Grace said our teachers, Callie said our books, Eleanor said our friends, Jacob said the opportunities to learn, Olivia said the view of Darwen Tower and Will said everything. There are some boys and girls in Multan in Pakistan that are unable to go to school and some who do but don't have many resources in their classroom. We took some time to look at a picture and reflect on what we could see. The classrooms in Multan do not have any chairs, tables, pictures, windows or toys. The children reflected and felt empathy for the Christian children in Multan who did not have the same experience and resources as we all do at St Barnabas. We then started to think about what we could do to make a difference to their lives. The Bishop’s Harvest Appeal has helped the children to receive books, solar panels and hand washing facilities in the past. Rosie said we could do a sponsored run and James said we could collect books. Bishop Philip has asked us all do to a Harvest Heptathlon . We need to think of seven things we could do to help the children in our area and also the boys and girls in Multan. Over the next few weeks, we will be thinking about how we can help and make a difference. We ended our worship by singing ‘I can make a difference’.
Reception: Surprise Frog Visit
Reception had a very exciting afternoon. Some of the children found a frog in our outdoor area. We put the frog in some water and let it out safely in its natural habitat.
Celebration Worship
Today, we started our celebration worship by thanking everyone for dressing in yellow yesterday for World Mental Health Day. What a fabulous day we had! This week, we have also been thinking about courageous advocacy. Well done to our Rotakids who are being courageous advocates by collecting coats to keep people warm this winter and our WOW group for collecting harvest donations for DARE (Darwen Asylum Refugee Enterprise). We then presented Ralphy, Skye and Ella in EYFS and KS1 and Lyla, Harriet, Ruby and Noah in KS2 as our individual value award winners. Well done to these children for working extremely hard across the curriculum and always demonstrating our Barny’s 4Bs (being ready, being safe, being kind and being respectful) and our school Christian values. We also congratulated our Year 5/6 football team who worked exceptionally well as a team in the Kids Cup Heat on Monday during all of the group stages and will now be competing in the final in the 23rd November, our Year 4/5/6 girls football team who played amazingly well in the DPSSA football league last night, Year 1 and Year 5 on being our amazing attendance winners for the second week running and River Darwen as the value award winners again this week. We then congratulated our out of school achievers. Well done to Lyla and Carmen for achieving their Stage 5 in swimming, Tristen for achieving his green and white belt in kickboxing and completing the BwD Summer Reading challenge, Maggie for being a superstar rainbow and being awarded Olivia this week and Isabella for being a fantastic swimmer. Finally, we had some beautiful prayers from James, Iris and Elijah to pray for those who have been affected by the hurricane in Florida and to give thank you this Harvest time and then we sang ‘Sing a Song of Harvest.’ We thank all those who could attend celebration worship and we said an extended thank you to the rest of our school family for all of your continued support. We wish you all a lovely and restful weekend.
Reception- Autumn activities
This week we have enjoyed an autumnal week in our reception class. We read the story ‘The leaf thief’ to talk about the season and how the weather changes. In provision, we have been painting an autumn tree with orange, red and yellow leaves. We have been practising our fine motor skills by following line patterns and have been making hedgehogs using Autumnal treasures in the playdough area.
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.
Rev Matt’s Whole School Worship
Today, during Rev Matt’s worship, the children were captivated by a short clip showing the powerful moment when Moses received the Ten Commandments. The video illustrated how, with people's disbelief in God, dramatic lightning and clouds appeared, revealing the presence of God as he delivered these sacred laws. Through this visual and the accompanying story, the children were guided to understand not only the importance of the commandments but also the broader significance of rules in our lives. This reflection helped them recognise that rules, much like the Ten Commandments, are there to keep us safe, fostering a sense of responsibility and care for one another within our community.
Reception - Hello Yellow Day
Today we have enjoyed taking part in activities to support Hello Yellow Day. We have been doodling what makes us happy and have been talking about the different feelings we all have. We know that there are lots of grown ups around us who can help us with big feelings but we must always ask when we need help.
Year 3 - PSHE- Hello Yellow Day
Following our whole-school worship,to celebrate and raise awareness for World Mental Health Day, Year 3 wore yellow to show our support for mental health awareness. We also learned about some top tips to help people who might be feeling down such as: Allowing children to express their feelings through art and Dance, sing, or play instruments to release emotions . We then watched Emily and Harry's story on BBC Newsround about the importance of talking to a trusted adult.
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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
WOW Group- Harvest Donations
Dear parents, Harvest is almost upon us and, this year, our wonderful WOW group have chosen to support two charities. They would like to continue to support refugees in our local area through the charity D.A.R.E. (Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise) and are asking for donations of non-perishable food items, toiletries and good quality clothing. Please send these into school any time over the next week (by Thursday 17th October) and we will ensure they get to D.A.R.E. More details of the second charity we have chosen will be released shortly. Thank you, Mrs Araujo :)
Year 3- Class Worship- Celebrating Black History
During our class worship, we honoured Black History Month by exploring the remarkable life of Olaudah Equiano. Once enslaved, Equiano overcame extraordinary challenges to become a prominent abolitionist. We also celebrated the achievements of Nigel Clarke, a pioneering Black footballer, and Betty Campbell, the first Black headteacher in Wales. As we reflected on their inspiring stories, some children shared their aspirations and dreams, such as footballers, teachers, hairdressers and a doctor. We also discussed the resilience and determination it takes to overcome adversity, drawing inspiration from Betty Campbell's journey. We thanked God for providing us with opportunities for education, sports, and loving families.
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.
Year 5 - Mayan Workshop
Today, Year 5 visited Darwen Library to take part in an exciting Mayan workshop. Along the way, we took a moment to reflect on spirituality, encouraging the children to be mindful of their surroundings, appreciate the beauty of nature, and recognise the unique characteristics that make our town so special. This time of reflection helped foster a sense of connection to both the environment and their community. Once at the library, the children participated in a range of fun, creative activities. They worked together to find books to answer key questions, explored various sections of the library to locate different types of books, and engaged in a lively Mayan quiz to test their knowledge. The workshop not only deepened their understanding of Mayan culture but also strengthened their research and teamwork skills, making the day a fulfilling blend of learning, exploration, and reflection.
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Year 5 - Christmas Cards
To help with our FOSB fundraising efforts, the children took part in a creative project where they designed their own Christmas cards. Each child had the opportunity to bring their festive ideas to life through art, incorporating bright colors, holiday themes, and personal touches. These unique designs are going to be professionally printed and sold as part of our fundraising campaign. This activity not only allowed the children to express their creativity but also gave them a chance to contribute meaningfully to a great cause, fostering a sense of community and generosity during the holiday season.
KS2 Football Training
KS2 had another exciting football training session following their impressive win in the Kids Cup heat. The energy and enthusiasm from their recent victory carried over, as the children worked exceptionally well as a team, showing great cooperation and communication on the field. Their teamwork was evident in their passing, positioning, and overall gameplay, with everyone contributing to the practice matches. The session not only helped to sharpen their football skills but also reinforced the importance of collaboration and supporting one another both on and off the pitch. The team's hard work and dedication are clearly paying off!
Year 5 - Cricket
Today, Year 5 enjoyed another engaging cricket session, with a strong focus on developing their catching skills. The children practiced different catching techniques, concentrating on hand-eye coordination and positioning to improve their accuracy and confidence in the field. After mastering the drills, the class moved on to playing games where they could apply what they had learned in a fun, competitive environment. The games not only reinforced their catching skills but also encouraged teamwork, communication, and strategic thinking. Each child had the chance to contribute to their team, showing great effort and enthusiasm throughout the session.
Craft Club: Emotion Plates
Today at the Little Craft Club the children made emotion plates. They discussed all of the different emotions and the children chose 4 to put on their plates. They have a peg to attach to the emotion that they’re feeling at any time. Super crafting!
Whole School Worship: Courageous Advocacy
Today in worship we continued to explore the meaning of spirituality, looking at adversity in the world, how it makes us feel, and talking about what we can do about it. We discussed how we can turn our sparks into flames, our ideas into actions. The children were really inspired by some of the images and shared some great ideas, such as donating warm clothing to the homeless, picking up litter so that it doesn’t hurt wildlife and donating food to local shelters and charities. We will be putting some of these ideas into action over the next few weeks, through our Harvest festival and our Rotakids initiatives.
Rotakids - East Lancashire Wrap Up Warm
Good afternoon, In order to support East Lancashire Wrap Up, RotaKids have decided to collect coats to clothe the homeless. Please can you donate any winter coats that are no longer of use and these can be collected into the box above. The coats will be collected, sorted and delivered to local charities throughout East Lancashire. The campaign will run from the 1st October until 31st October 2024. There will be collection box in the hall for all the coats to be collected. Please can we also try and collect glasses too to continue to help developing countries. Thank you for your support Year 5 RotaKids
Whole School Celebration Worship
Today, we started our celebration worship by thanking everyone for their very generous Macmillan Coffee Morning donations last Friday. The heads and deputies will be announcing the final amount later today. We also lit a candle for gratefulness to say thank you for all of the wonderful things that we have in our lives including our loved ones and the beautiful nature around us. We then presented Ava, Isabella, Callie and Mila in EYFS and KS1 and Martha, Carmen, Edward and Will in KS2 as our individual value award winners. Well done to these children for working extremely hard across the curriculum and always demonstrating our Barny’s 4Bs (being ready, being safe, being kind and being respectful) and our school Christian values. We also congratulated Walter and Alice in Year 4 for gaining their pen licenses, all of the children who have achieved their ‘WOW’ badges this month for walking to or from school at least once a week, Year 1 and Year 5 on being our amazing attendance winners this week and River Darwen as the value award winners this week with 549 points. We gave our girls football team a huge round of applause for their three amazing wins last night and particularly congratulated our Year 4 members of the team who stepped up into the Year 5/6 team. Finally, we congratulated our out of school achievers. Well done to Beau, Jack and Lyla for completing the Summer Reading challenge, Darcy for being awarded Star of the Week at gymnastics, James and Grace for gaining their Stage 5 swimming certificates, Leonora and Desmond for their fantastic swimming whilst competing for Blackburn Centurions, Isaac for being awarded Soccer HQ Player of the Day for demonstrating fantastic football skills, Daisy for being awarded 3 medals in the Paris Olympic Competition at gymnastics, Harriet for swimming 100m in her swimming, Fletcher for celebrating his uncle, Charlie for being a super football star, Laila for being the Player’s Player of the Match at football and Brooke for being awarded the Opposition Player’s Player of the Match. Finally, we had some beautiful prayers from, Renee, Callie and Mason and sang ‘If I was a Butterfly’ in celebration of ‘World Animal Day.’ We thank all those who could attend celebration worship and we said an extended thank you to the rest of our school family for all of your continued support. We wish you all a lovely and restful weekend.
Year 2 - Microhabitat Hunt
We took our science lesson out into the woodlands of Jacks Key. We have been learning about habitats and that inside those larger habitats there are smaller microhabitats. We identified various microhabitats in the woodland such as under a log or rock, burrows and nests. It was great to go and find different living things that live in those microhabitats.
National Poetry Day in Year 4
As part of National Poetry Day, Year 4 have written their very own poems based on The Amazon Rainforest. They developed their use of both similes and metaphors to up level their examples. We recited the poems and gave peer evaluations. Once we had finished, we wrote the poems again for a poetry competition called Wonder Verse in which the best poems are selected and published in an actual poetry book. We can’t wait to hear if any of our poems make it to publication so we've got everything crossed. Happy National Poetry Day.!
Creating Optical Illusions - Year 4 Art
This week we have started to create optical illusions using a tropical rainforest theme. First the children selected two images such as toucans, macaws, tropical fish and tribes people. Working within a small group they then cut each of the pictures into 2cm strips. Following this they placed the strips down one side of a vertical fan and the same with the other picture. It is extremely difficult to place the strips in the correct place so that the image isn’t distorted, so we numbered the strips to help us. We are using a carousel of art activities so that each group can focus on their own optical illusion and ask for support where needed. We can’t wait to see everyone’s final piece which will go on to be displayed in the school hall.
Rev Ben’s Collective Worship
In today’s collective worship, Rev. Ben began by engaging the children in an interactive challenge, where three children had to use two pieces of paper as stepping stones to cross the hall. This activity set the stage for the theme of the session: perseverance and trust in challenging times. Rev. Ben then shared the Bible story of Moses and the Israelites' long journey through the desert, highlighting the struggles and faith they experienced along the way. After listening to the story, the children were encouraged to reflect and discuss key questions: 'What did God's people do during their journey through the desert?' and 'What are some positive alternatives to complaining when things get tough?' These discussions helped the children connect the story to their own lives, exploring how patience, gratitude, and faith can guide them through difficult situations.
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.
Whole School Worship: What is Spirituality?
In our Tuesday worship, the theme was spirituality and what it means to us. Mrs Ham talked about things that we can see (physical/ material things) and things that we just feel (spiritual things). We played a fun game where we had to put on a pretend pair of binoculars if it was something physical/ material that we can see or cover our eyes if it was something spiritual that we can't see. We had things like connecting with nature, a big house', money, connecting with friends, inner peace and believing in a God. She introduced the ‘windows’ looking out on the world and how we should take time to learn, to gaze, to wonder and admire and ask ‘why?’ We looked at some of the ways we can live life in all its fullness and today we particularly focused on being 'grateful' for all of God's creations. We also explored how taking notice is one of our five ways to wellbeing too. We looked at some of God’s creations in a video and discussed our favourite ones with our partner. There were lots of 'WOWs' and 'aahhs' at some of God's amazing creations. We finished with a prayer thanking God for all of his creations and sang 'If I were a butterfly' to sing thank you to God. Across this academic year, we will continue to further explore what spirituality means to us at St Barnabas.
The WOW Group - Our Spiritual Garden
After a great deal of hard work and creativity on the part of Mr Fairbanks and the WOW Group, the new spiritual garden was launched in Tuesday’s worship. The WOW members presented the rest of the school with ideas for using the garden as intended and in a respectful manner. Unfortunately, the garden was a bit flooded due to the heavy downpour on Monday, but we are hopeful that it can be used towards the end of the week.
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!
Singing Worship- Harvest
What a joyous way to start a new week at St Barnabas! We first discussed why we sing and we had some wonderful answers such as : to communicate with God, to learn new words and vocabulary, to learn new sign language so we can communicate with those who can't speak or hear, to have fun and to say thank you to God. Today some of our fabulous volunteers taught Reception class some of the signs and actions for some of our Harvest songs that we will be singing in our Harvest Festival on Thursday 17th October. We sang 'If I were a butterfly' and 'Sing a song of Harvest' to thank God for all of the wonderful living things he created such as animals, plants and trees.
Friday Celebration Worship
Today, we started our celebration worship by thanking everyone for their very generous Macmillan Coffee Morning donations, saying a huge thank you to our wonderful teaching assistants on National Teaching Assistant day and saying a special prayer and thinking about both our Cidari family of schools and local schools on ‘National Pray for Schools Day.’ We then presented Olivia, Reggie, Joey, Lydia and James in EYFS and KS1 and Olivia, Lana, Luke, Ted, Eden, Summer, Brooke and Charlie-Rose in KS2 as our individual value award winners. Well done to these children for being fantastic role model for their peers, having a fantastic work ethic and always demonstrating our Barney’s 4Bs (being ready, being safe, being kind and being respectful). Then, we heard from our well-being warriors who told us about ‘Hello Yellow Day’ coming up on Thursday 10th October and asked us to make a contribution on ParentPay in return for dressing in yellow to promote positive mental health. We also congratulated Year 2, Year 3 and Year 5 on being our amazing attendance winners this week and River Darwen as the value award winners this week with 410 points. Finally, we congratulated our out of school achievers. Well done to Hendrix Elijah, Maggie and Callie for completing the Summer Reading challenge, Ava for being awarded her ‘Little Puffin’ certificate at swimming, Scarlett for being achieving an award for her positive contribution to West Pennine Netball, Maggie for achieving a super drawing award, Bobby-Ray for achieving his white belt at kickboxing and stage 1 at swimming, Lyla for achieving two gold awards at gymnastics, Isabella for earning her brown belt at kickboxing and achieving all of her badges at Rainbows and moving up to Brownies, Peyton for red and white belt at kickboxing, Bella for achieving ‘The Little Darreners’ Player of the Week,’ Iris for being a super swimmer, Marley for being a yoga superstar, Charlie for achieving his brown belt at kickboxing, Olivia for achieving her Stage 6 swimming certificate and Layla for achieving a special rosette for being a super horse rider. Finally, we said the Grace and we sang ‘We Can Make a Difference.’ We thank all those who could attend celebration worship and we said an extended thank you to the rest of our school family for all of your continued support. We wish you all a lovely and restful weekend.
Year 5 - Installation Art
Year 5 created their own installation artwork, transforming simple shoeboxes into imaginative, three-dimensional displays. Each child selected a theme or concept to explore, using a variety of materials and techniques, such as painting, collage, and sculpting, to design their unique scenes within the boxes. The project encouraged creativity, problem-solving, and the use of different textures and colors, resulting in a diverse and visually engaging collection of individual artistic expressions. The final pieces reflected the children’s ability to think critically and express their ideas through art.
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Year 4 - Writing Metaphors in Poetry
We are currently studying similes and metaphors in free-form poetry and, today, we started writing our own poems. We used images, word banks and oral rehearsal to create metaphors about the Amazon rainforest. Our finished poems will be entered into a poetry competition with a chance of them being published.
Rev Ben’s Worship: God the Rescuer
Rev Ben came in today to talk about rescuers. He began with a dressing up challenge in which 2 teams had to create their own superhero. Mind Reader won the most votes as the best superhero. Rev Ben linked this to a great rescuer from the Bible: Moses. He told us about God recruiting Moses to talk the Pharaoh into setting his people free. It was a difficult task but, with God’s help, he achieved it. The children spent some time thinking about what made Moses a rescuer and what made Jesus the ultimate rescuer.
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.
European Day of Languages 2024 - Harvest Songs
Today, in singing worship, the children were introduced to some Harvest-themed songs in different European languages. This was in celebration of European Day of Languages, which will take place on Thursday. We have set the children a challenge to learn part or all of one of these songs. They can do this for next week. We are not expecting them to know it by Thursday. There may be some value points available to those who try! :) Here are the links: Harvest songs Portugal - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2iZZ9GBUFE Germany - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuzQraV8d1Q France - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjU3YhaM_50
Year 6 Art - Experimental Mark Making
In Art, year 6 have started their unit by experimenting with mark making inspired by the Mayans. They looked for patterns that interested them and carried these on in their sketchbooks using pencils and other media.
Friday Celebration Worship
During our celebration worship this morning, Mrs Ham began the worship by lighting the candles and reflecting on the many things we are thankful for and grateful for, which led to some children sharing their thankful moments, such as our school, our outdoor area and our families. We then moved on to celebrating a very special member of staff, Mrs Pendlebury who is sadly leaving us today to enjoy her retirement. She has been with us for over 25 years. Heads and Deputies expressed some of their fond memories shared with Mrs Pendlebury. Rosie, expressed by stating that Mrs Pendlebury is one of a kind, Daisy remembered a time when Mrs Pendlebury kindly gave her a hat to wear on a class trip to rock and River. Harry and Hamza recalled moments when Mrs Pendlbury almost fell off a chair which they found amusing. We also watched a short video celebrating Mrs Pendlebury’s time at our school, filled with wonderful memories, a true legend. Mr Bloomfield and Mr Prescott shared a few words too, though no words can capture or express how much Mrs Pendlebury has meant to the school. Her grandchildren Jack and Beau, helped present Mrs Pendlebury with gifts and flowers from the school and staff. Mrs Ham then shared the awards that children received outside of school, including achievements for Charlie, Molly and Isabelle swimming, Isabella, Annabel and Phoebe for the summer reading challenge, James football, Grace dancing and Ella-Grace scouted for Manchester United. Reception and Year 5 won the attendance award. Darwen Tower gained an extra break for the most value points received this week. We then had prayers from Naomi, Sonny and Oscar and sang Mrs Pendlebury’s favourite songs, ‘Welcome everybody’ and Our God is great big God’.
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Year 4 Art - Soap Sculptures
Our art session this week focused on Soap sculptures. We looked at the work of Barbara Hepworth and how things can be sculpted from a variety of materials. We used bars of soap for our sculptures and decided to stick with our rainforest animal theme. We decided between a butterfly, fish or turtle and then selected various tools to create our design. The children soon realised the need for a calm and steady hand in order to make intricate designs especially with the fish scales. As you can see we had some wonderful examples by the end of the lesson.
Year 4 - Smart School Council
In our smart school council meeting this week, we had to vote for the act of kindness that we think is most important to show in school. It was a tough decision with lots of good arguments expressed for the other choices, but after much deliberation, the most votes in Year 4 were for helping adults around school. We also put forward some great suggestions for school improvement.
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.
Year 3- Smart School Council- Act Of Kindness
Year 3 kicked off their first class meeting organised by the school communication team today. Bobby-Ray took the lead role and Cassidy supported by taking notes. In small groups, Year 3 discussed which act of kindness they think is the most important in school. The children found it quite challenging to narrow it down to one vote because they felt it was important to share kindness all the time. However, supporting an adult around school got the most votes.
Year 4 - Science: Researching Habitats
This week, our super scientists in Year 4 headed to Whitehall Park to research an urban woodland habitat. We noted down any animals and plants we saw and commented on the climate and conditions. The children found various micro habitats too. They were able to identify the fundamental characteristics of a habitat and they used their knowledge to build micro habitats for insects.
The W.O.W. Group - Painting the Spiritual Garden
The W.O.W. group began the exciting task of decorating our new spiritual garden today. Crown Paints kindly donated lots of paint for our project, so we took full advantage of the sunshine and began painting the wooden punctuation symbols. Just the benches, bird tables and planters to go!
Year 6 - Picture News Worship
Year 6 took part in a virtual worship which followed on nicely from our class worship. It focused on the clean up and the importance of community in the aftermath of this summer’s riots, that took place up and down the country. We discussed how we can all come together, no matter what our background, and work towards a common goal.