Year 1- Geography
This week, Year 1 are enjoying a Geography themed Role Play and Investigation Area. In the Investigation Area, we have been creating our own booklets to represent where we all live on a larger scale and have gradually zoomed into where we live on a smaller scale. For example, we are part of the world and Europe but on a smaller scale we live in Darwen. In the Role Play Area, we have been taking on the role of a travel agent. We have had to book a holiday (in the United Kingdom) for a customer. The customer has had to choose a destination e.g. Scotland or more specifically Edinburgh and the travel agent has had to advise them about different types of accommodation and the best mode of transport. We understand that if we are travelling to Scotland, Wales or staying in England then a car, bus or train will be suitable but if we are travelling to Northern Ireland then a boat or aeroplane would be necessary.
Mad Science Assembly- Whole School
Today, the children were treated to a spectacular science show by Scientific Sarah from Mad Science. Sarah, a trained professional in handling chemicals and fire, emphasized safety throughout the engaging and interactive presentation. Throughout the show, children were encouraged to make predictions about what might happen next, fostering their scientific thinking skills. The children couldn't stop laughing, and there were so many "wow" moments throughout the presentation. The show featured three exciting experiments. First, the children were highly amused by "Egg Bert," a boiled egg that initially resisted entering a glass cylinder. After removing the shell (humorously referred to as his "clothing"), Sarah demonstrated how air pressure, a principle discovered by Jacques Charles, could be used to force the egg into the cylinder. Heating the air inside allowed the egg to slip in, and then, following Charles' suggestion, Sarah introduced cold air to pop the egg back out, to the children's great interest. The second experiment showcased red cabbage juice, a versatile pH indicator discovered by Robert Boyle in 1664. With the help of James, one of the school's science ambassadors, Sarah peeled and blended the cabbage. She explained how adding acid or alkaline substances to the juice would dramatically change its color, creating another captivating visual demonstration. Cassidy also assisted with this experiment. Finally, Sarah performed a "fire hands" experiment. Referencing Doctor Walter Snell's work on storing gas in tanks, she again stressed the importance of safety. Sarah then created three fire bubbles on her hand, a truly mesmerizing finale. Flyers are going home today with details about a new Mad Science After School Club starting next half term, on Monday, February 24th. Importantly, the topics covered in this club are different from those offered last year, so even if your child has participated before, they are guaranteed to learn something new! Registration letters, also going home today, contain full course details and information on how parents can register their children online. The deadline for registration is Friday, February 17th. Interested parents can register online on a first-come, first-served basis at https://northengland.madscience.org. The entire show was a memorable and educational experience for the children, and we're excited to offer this after-school opportunity.
Year 1- Year of Prayer
This week’s theme for the Year of Prayer is praying through the use of a ‘Prayer Band’. Year 1 have enjoyed drawing people that they would like to pray and thank God for such as their mummy, daddy, grandparents, siblings and pets. Some children also chose to draw and think about the wider community such as people who are sick in hospital, those who are in the midst of war and refugees who are having to flee their homes. Whilst saying their prayer, the children held on to their prayer band. We are really enjoying learning about lots of new ways in which we can pray. Well done Year 1
Worship with Rev. Ben
Today, we had worship with Rev. Ben, which began with a fun yet challenging relay-style game where we had to balance ping pong balls on a paper plate while moving carefully across the hall. Rev. Ben explained that, just like in the game, life can sometimes feel unsteady or difficult, especially when we are upset or facing challenges. To help us reflect on this, Rev. Ben showed a clip about what Jesus did when he was feeling deeply sad the night before his death. The video illustrated how Jesus turned to God in prayer, seeking strength and comfort during his time of sorrow. Rev. Ben explained that, just like Jesus, we can share our worries and struggles with God, knowing that He listens and understands, and can help us through even the toughest times. He reminded us that no matter how we feel, we are never alone—God is always there to support and guide us.
Year 1 Class Worship- Picture News
Today in class worship, Year 1 explored the following question, ‘How do you become the best at a sport?’ Miss Flynn was really impressed that many of us already knew who the sportsperson Luke Littler was and why he had become famous. We thought about what skills Luke Littler would have needed to demonstrate in order to become the famous darts player that he is today. The children came up with some very thoughtful answers such as having the patience and perseverance to practise again and again. They recognised that he wouldn’t have got to the advanced level that he is at now at without making mistakes along the way and having to continually work hard to improve his skills. For example, the aim of his throw. We thought about how we can show courage when we are working on a skill in order to improve and be the best that we can be.
Year 1 Class Worship- Children’s Mental Health Week
Today in class worship, we engaged with the Blackburn with Darwen Children’s Mental Health Presentation on the theme of ‘Know Yourself and Grow Yourself.’ We started by discussing what mental health is. Olivia said that mental health is looking after yourself on the inside, Alessia said that it is having a happy heart and mind and Callie said that it’s about how you feel. We then thought about the following question, ‘What are the signs that our mental health is good?’ We recognised that our mental health is good when we are feeling happy, we can can concentrate and enjoy lots of things in our lives. Isabella said that this could be enjoying spending time with our family, Alayna said that this could be enjoying spending time with our siblings, Samuel said this could be enjoying going to places such as the play centre and Vienna said this could be enjoying playing with our friends or having some alone time to practise a skill or talent. We learnt that to have good mental health, we must recognise when we are feeling negative feelings such as sadness and anger so that we can support and comfort ourselves by doing something that we enjoy. We also learnt that if a feeling is becoming too big to manage or cope with and it is stopping us from sleeping, having fun or not being able to concentrate then we must seek support from someone that we trust. The children decided that they would ask the support of their mummy, daddy, other family members or teachers at school. To end our worship, we had some beautiful prayers.
Year 1 English- Following Instructions
To kickstart their new English unit on instructional texts, Year One had to listen to a series of instructions and carry them out in order to create and complete an obstacle course. They thoroughly enjoyed this and were very good at it. Year One spotted that instructions contain both time conjunctions and verbs. They will also learn that adverbs can be a useful part of instructional writing too. What a fantastic start to our unit and even better that it was during mental health week as we know how important exercise is to keep us happy and healthy.
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Children's Mental Health Week Launch Worship & YOP- Talents
This morning Mrs Ham launched our Children's Mental Health Week theme of 'Know yourself, Grow Yourself'. We started by looking at our school vision that says 'Achieving great things through learning and growing together'. We thought about what the growing together means and we had some super suggestions such as growing emotionally and mentally, getting better at things and not giving up when we find things hard. We then looked at our emotions and how they control our brain, just like in the film Inside Out. We thought about the times when our brain tells us that we aren't good at things and we had some great examples such as in acro when doing cartwheels, in maths or art and when we do things for the first time. We thought of ways to challenge our brains and help ourselves grow by doing things that we enjoy such as listening to music, taking part in sports or other hobbies, showing courage to try new things etc. We then focused on our Year of Prayer for this week which is thanking God for our talents. We shared our talents and thought about ways we could express our talents this week and especially on our dress to express day on Friday. We reflected on how we should shine from the inside out and always respect each other's God given talents and the way we like to express ourselves. We discussed that if we laugh at the way someone likes to express themselves then that might hurt their feelings and they will feel sad and won't want to express themselves that way again. We said a lovely prayer thanking God for our talents and how we promise to share them with others and respect others' talents. We finished with singing one of our favourite songs 'Shine from the inside out' which reminds us that God knows us, loves us and fills us with talents that we need show to everyone we meet.
Friday Celebration Worship
Today, we started our celebration worship thanking our whole school for coming to school in non-uniform to raise funds for food, shelter and first aid supplies for those in America who are being affected by the LA wildfires. Thank you to our Rotakids for organising the non-uniform day to help make a difference . We then reflected on a busy week in school. This week, we held in our thoughts all the Jews who suffered in the holocaust and thought about how we can show love, kindness and generosity to our neighbours and again we have enjoyed some wonderful dance and gymnastics sessions led by Rothwell Arts and some amazing extra-curricular clubs such as Foodie Friends, Craft Club, Basketball and Multi-Sports Club led by Edstart. We then congratulated Haydn, Eve and Eddie in EYFS and KS1 and Jack, Leo, Luca and Leonora in KS2 for pushing themselves out of their comfort zone and trying new things, demonstrating hard work and perseverance in their learning and showing all of our Barny’s 4Bs (being ready, respectful, kind and safe). Furthermore, we congratulated Year 2 and Year 5 on being our amazing attendance winners this week, India Mill as our overall value award winners this week with 431 points, our Sportshall Athletics squad for winning their heat on Tuesday evening and getting through to the finals and our new Science Ambassadors (Noah in Year 6, Matthew in Year 5, James in Year 4 and Naomi and Cassidy in Year 3) for their fantastic applications. A huge well done to these children- we know that you will be amazing in your new role! We then congratulated our out of school sports award winners. Well done Ava for being awarded two gold trophies in her dance, Reggie for demonstrating fantastic football skills, Alice, Olivia and Daisy for their ‘Inspiring Women’ creation that won them a trophy at Brownies, Luna for winning ‘The Tiny Ballet Dancer of the Year’ award, Archie for achieving listening and follow the instructions at swimming, Lilly for achieving a special award in dance, Darcy for being a super gymnast, Lyla for working hard to master the aerial (a cartwheel with no hands), Grace for achieving two medals for song & dance and her own choreography, Annabel for achieving Star of the Week at Musical Theatre, Scarlett for being a super defender at netball and achieving the gold award and Beau for achieving Stage 5 in her swimming. To end our worship, Mrs Ham reminded us that it’s Dress to Express next Friday 7th February for Children’s Mental Health Week and we had some beautiful prayers from Vienna and Ralphi who prayed for those less fortunate than ourselves, including those who don’t have food and drink at their disposal as we do and those are in the midst of war, conflict and natural disasters. We then sang ‘Sing a New Song’ and thanked those who could attend celebration worship. We thank the rest of our school family for all of your continued support. We wish you all a lovely weekend.
Year 1- Year of Prayer
This week’s theme for the Year of Prayer is special fingerprint prayers. In Year 1, the children made themselves using their fingerprint and said a prayer to thank God for making us special and unique. We had children saying thank you for their families including their mummy and daddy, for their special talents such as football and dance and for giving them characteristics such as perseverance and strength when things get tricky. Well done Year 1!
Worship with Rev. Matt
This morning’s worship with Rev. Matt focused on the theme of perseverance. It began with a challenge where the children had to work together to keep an inflatable in the air without letting it touch the ground. As the game went on, they quickly realised that success required teamwork, determination and persistence. Following the challenge, Rev. Matt introduced a parable from the Bible—the story of the unjust judge. He explained how the woman in the story kept returning to the judge, refusing to give up until she received justice. This demonstrated the power of persistence, showing that when we truly believe in something, we must keep trying and not lose heart. Rev. Matt linked this to prayer, reminding the children that when we speak to God, we should be just as persistent. The children then took a moment for reflection, considering the question: What is something you could pray for this week? They were encouraged to think about personal challenges, hopes for others or things happening in the world that they could bring to God in prayer. To conclude, Rev. Matt left the children with a powerful message: when we knock on God’s door through prayer, He will answer. This message reinforced the importance of faith, patience and perseverance in our relationship with God.
Join our PTFA
Friends of St Barnabas (FOSB) are always looking for volunteers. We would love for you to join us to help fundraise for our wonderful school. If you would like to volunteer, please contact us via email: [email protected] Thank you in advance for helping.