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!
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!
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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!