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.
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.
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.
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!
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 - 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.
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.
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.
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.