Year 1- Year of Prayer- Easter Prayers With Hot Cross Buns
As part of the Diocese of Blackburn’s Year of Prayer, the children in Year 1 tasted Hot Cross Buns and said some beautiful Easter prayers. The children could see that the Hot Cross Buns were a symbol of Easter because of the cross that is displayed on them and they were able to make the connection with Jesus’ crucifixion. We collectively said thank you to God for dying on the cross to take away all the bad in the world so that we could have a new start. We saw this as us having the opportunity to lead a life where we respect and show kindness to our world and the people in it. We also said thank you for all the new life that we experience in Spring such as baby lambs, chicks, bunnies, tadpoles and beautiful flowers and prayed that all of the baby animals are brought safely into the world.
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Whole School Science Boffin Show- A Whirlwind of Scientific Wonders
The whole school was treated to an unforgettable science show today, delivered by the amazing Science Boffin Katja. Katja started with demonstrating the incredible power of polymers with slush powder, turning liquid into gel. The highlight for many was the "Elephant Toothpaste" experiment, which created a mountain of foam in seconds! This spectacular display showcased an exothermic reaction in a way that truly captured everyone's attention. Katja also explained the essential Fire Triangle (fuel, heat, and oxygen) and demonstrated a controlled fire experiment, teaching us about the science behind combustion. The wonders of air pressure and fluid dynamics were unveiled with a mesmerising demonstration using a hairdryer, balloons, and a foam ball. By generating a powerful column of air, Katja made the objects appear to float, illustrating Bernoulli's principle and leaving students amazed. Naomi, our science Ambassador assisted Katja with this. The latex glove was used in more than one experiment, and was used to show how gases expand. Katja, with Miss Wilkinson's assistance, demonstrated the dramatic effects of gas production using a simple latex glove. As the chemical reaction progressed, the increasing carbon dioxide within the glove caused a noticeable pressure build-up, inflating it and making it firm to the touch. Latex, being inherently limited in its ability to withstand extreme pressure, would stretch beyond its elastic capacity. This continuous stretching, coupled with the weakening effects of the reaction's byproducts and moisture, would eventually lead to the glove becoming brittle and 'crumbling,' visually illustrating the material's breakdown under the stress of the expanding gas.Now, 'Henry' the glove has taken up residence in our school. Science ambassador Noah and Poppy, with a gas blower, demonstrated a captivating toilet roll trick, visually illustrating Bernoulli's principle; by directing a powerful airflow through the center of the suspended toilet roll, they created a region of low pressure, causing the surrounding higher-pressure air to stabilize the roll within the airstream, leaving the children amazed at how the roll appeared to defy gravity. The show sparked a flurry of brilliant questions from our inquisitive students, including Leonora, Elijah, Mason, and Darcy. Their thoughtful inquiries were a testament to their genuine love of learning and the power of hands-on science, truly living life in all its fullness through exploration and discovery. A huge thank you to Science Boffin Katja for bringing science to life in such an engaging and memorable way!
Year 5 - Easter Artwork
Year 5 have been exploring Jesus’ victory during this period leading up to Easter. Through discussions and reflections, the children considered how Christ’s triumph brings hope and light into the world, overcoming sadness and darkness. They then expressed their understanding through artwork, using contrasting colours to depict the cross as a symbol of victory against a dark background. Each piece powerfully represented the message of hope, reinforcing the significance of Easter in the Christian faith.
Year 3- The Big Lent Walk
This afternoon, Year 3 walked 2.7 miles, embracing the journey of living life in all its fullness. Along the way, we engaged with our spirituality windows, mirrors, and doors concept, gaining new perspectives, reflecting on our own experiences, and considering how we can make a difference. Through our actions, we not only contributed to a great cause but also felt a deep sense of achievement. We stopped by the graveyard to remember the lives lost, taking a moment to reflect and feel thankful.
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Year of Prayer and Singing Worship
What an uplifting and joyous way to start a Monday morning practising 'When I think about the cross' and the new upbeat Easter song from Pop Uk called 'He is alive'. We loved putting our own actions to the song and Year 6 modelled enthusiastically at the front, encouraging everyone to join in. We also introduced the Year of Prayer in classes for this week which involves everyone eating hot cross buns, which Mrs Ham brought in. We then said had our special Year of Prayer prayer for this week which thanked Jesus for praying for us just before he died and for always loving us and being there to hear our prayers.
Mother's Day Worship at St Barnabas Church
A huge thank you to the children who came to sing at the Mother's Day Service at St Barnabas Church. You were all wonderful and really made everyone smile with your singing and beautiful words about your Mummies. Thank you to parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles who came to watch too and for bringing the children so they could represent St Barnabas. Thank you to Mrs Araujo, Mrs Gardner and Mrs Hegarty for coming to support the children too and thank you to Rev Ben for inviting us to sing and for making us all feel so welcome. Photos and videos can be found here: https://stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-galleries/mother-s-day-celebration-at-st-barnabas-church Wishing all of our families a Happy Mother's Day, Mrs Wilkinson
Friday Celebration Worship
Today, we started our celebration worship by signing the trinity and reflecting on another extremely busy yet wonderful week in school. We have been extremely busy preparing for Easter in our RE lessons and in collective worships with Mrs Ham and Rev Matt, Reception led a very special worship and FOSB hosted a lovely coffee morning on Wednesday morning to celebrate Mothering Sunday, Reception and Year 1 contributed to ‘The Big Lent Walk,’ we have had enjoyed a variety of wonderful lunchtime and after schools clubs and Year 5 enjoyed a bikeability session. We then said a huge thank you to you all for continuing to support ‘THE BIG LENT WALK.’ So far, we have walked 1518km and raised £114. However, we really believe that we can surpass this. Please let either Mrs Wilkinson or Mrs Ham know if you have walked anywhere and please send photos if you can. This is a great way of giving back during Lent and supporting our mental health and well-being. We then moved onto congratulating this week’s individual value award winners. Well done to Archie, Vienna and Molly in EYFS and KS1 and Isaac, Darcy, Talia and Jake in KS2. Well done to these children for demonstrating great resilience, respect and kindness. Furthermore, we congratulated Carmen in Year 4 for working hard to achieve her pen license, our Year 2 and Year 4 class for being our attendance winners this week with 99.2% and 99.3% attendance, Darwen Tower as our value award winners this week with 278 points and our Year 5/6 Cross Country Team for demonstrating great resilience, determination and respect in the Darwen Primary Schools League Cross Country Event at Witton Park last night. We then moved on to congratulating our out of school award winners. Well done to Thea for swimming 10m, Eleanor for achieving a Rainbows agility badge, Maggie for being a fantastic Rainbow and working hard toward her gold badge, Lyla for demonstrating great skill in her acro, Harry for being the ‘Trainer of the week’ for fantastic tackling at football, Naomi, Martha and Scarlett for making their Brownie promise at the weekend, Marley for achieving her Stage 3 and 10m swimming certificates, Isaac for achieving ‘Player of the Day’ for scoring the winning goal in a recent football game and being the ‘Player of the Week’ at Soccer HQ, Sofia for being awarded her birthday badge at Rainbows, Isabella for achieving ‘Player of the Week’ for her super dribbling at football, Summer for receiving a 1st in a recent gymnastics competition as part of a duo, Daisy for demonstrating great skill in a recent gymnastics competition, Tristen for being awarded his green belt in kickboxing, Carmen and Renee for being awarded their white belt in kickboxing and Lydia for being the ‘Star of the Week’ at EdStart gymnastics club. To end our worship, Mrs Ham invited us all to join a special Mothering Sunday Worship at St Barnabas Church on Sunday at 11am. Then, we all had a singalong to ‘Give Me Oil in My Lamp.’ We wish you all a lovely and restful weekend.
Year 3- Art-D.T- Recycled Bottle Art
For Mothering Sunday, Year 3 transformed recycled plastic water bottles and lids into a work of art for their special someone. They painted the bottles with acrylic paint, imagining them as miniature vases, and then added hand-drawn flowers and stems to complete their designs.
Worship with Rev. Matt
Today, Rev. Matt led worship and shared the second half of the Easter story, focusing on the events following Jesus’ crucifixion and burial. The children listened intently as he spoke about the resurrection, emphasising the joy and hope it brings to Christians around the world. Through engaging storytelling, Rev. Matt encouraged the children to reflect on the meaning of Easter and how it represents new beginnings, faith and God’s everlasting love. He posed thought-provoking questions, prompting the children to consider how the message of forgiveness, kindness and renewal can be applied in their own lives. The session ended with a moment of quiet reflection and a prayer, allowing the children to appreciate the significance of Easter and its impact on their faith and actions.
Collective Worship - The Garden of Gethsemane
Our collective worship began with the Year 6 class presenting their learning about Shakespeare. Thank you for sharing, Year 6! Mrs Ham then led our worship about the Garden of Gethsemane and how Jesus spent time praying for strength from God to help Him through the events that were to follow. We spent time reflecting on all of our Lenten events so far: Lent walks, Lenten promises and our 40 acts of kindness. Finally, we took part in this week’s special Year of Prayer by all sharing what was on our minds with Jesus, considering what we are thankful for, by writing these on a leaf. Mrs Ham created a prayer tree in our entrance area with over 200 lovely prayers on leaves from all of our children and staff.
Year 4 - English: Easter Poetry
This week, we began our poetry unit in English. Our topic is the Easter story, with our aim being to produce a piece of poetry, some of which will be displayed in the rose garden at Whitehall Park. We are only in the first stages at the moment; exploring poetry and working on our performance skills, but we had great fun creating and performing Kennings about Judas.
Year 3 - Year of Prayer- Prayers for Healing the Sick
During our 'Year of Prayer' session, the children reflected on who needed healing, focusing on healing the sick, etc. They wrote down names on plasters and we prayed for Jesus to bring them comfort. It was great to see how the children considered not only those they knew, but also those suffering in wider contexts, like wounded soldier, patients at the hospitals and pets that are taken ill.