Goodbye and Thank you
This morning, as part of our Leavers' Worship, we took the opportunity to say some very special goodbyes. We thanked Lucy for her many years of hard work and dedication to Friends of St Barnabas, Miss Kachwalla for her seven years of commitment to our teaching team, Mr Carter for his fantastic work teaching our Year 2 class this year, and Summer, who is relocating and moving to a new school. Here is the special thank you video that some of our staff and children created to say thank you and goodbye to Miss Kachwalla: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsO8FEbXHQA We are incredibly grateful for everything each of you has contributed to our school community and wish you every success and happiness as you embark on your exciting new adventures. Good luck—you will all be greatly missed!
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Year 6 Leavers’ Church Service
This morning, we gathered together in church to celebrate our incredible Year 6 children as they reached the end of their wonderful journey at St Barnabas. It was a heartfelt and memorable service, filled with reflection, celebration and gratitude. We began by listening to the children share some of their most precious and treasured memories from their time at St Barnabas, reminding us all of the friendships, experiences and special moments that have shaped their primary school years. Mr Bloomfield then presented a series of prestigious awards, recognising the children's achievements, dedication and the positive contribution they have made to our school community. Progress Award went to Lola, Star of the Year to Ruby, Children’s Champion to Lily-May, Spirituality Award to Grace, Performing Arts to Luca, Sports Awards to Theo and Summer, the Kevin Keegan Courage Award to Tilly and the Overall Commitment to School to Mason. We are incredibly proud of each of these children and all they have accomplished during their time at St Barnabas. We also took the opportunity to recognise and thank those children who have embraced leadership roles with enthusiasm and dedication. Charlie, Isabelle, Edward and Eden were thanked for their outstanding commitment as our Head and Deputy Head Boys and Girls, while Summer, Ella, Neve, Luca, Seb and Theo were recognised for their fantastic service as Sports Leaders. We also extended our heartfelt thanks to all of our wonderful Play Leaders, whose kindness and commitment have made such a positive difference to our school community. Mrs Ham and FOSB then presented each of our Year 6 leavers with a special gift to remember their time at St Barnabas, while Rev Ben shared some inspiring words of encouragement and presented every child with a ‘Guide to Thriving at High School’ as they prepare to begin their next exciting chapter. The service concluded with two truly touching videos: a beautiful collection of treasured memories celebrating the children's time at St Barnabas, followed by a heartfelt tribute created by the Year 6 children for Mr Bloomfield. There was hardly a dry eye in the church as we reflected on the wonderful memories, achievements and friendships that have made this cohort so special. We are immensely proud of every one of our Year 6 children and know they will continue to shine as they embark on their exciting high school adventures.
Whole School Worship- Spreading God's Love and Sharing Our Talents
During today's whole school worship, we had a session led by Rev Ben, who signed the Holy Trinity before we began a fun balloon race to reach the finishing line, where Mason, Summer, Peyton, Arlo, Charlie, Seb, and Willow weren't allowed to use their hands at all, which was highly entertaining to watch! After that, we thought about the "race of life" and St Paul, with Rev Ben reading us the story of Paul getting shipwrecked while the children joined in by repeating the words "not at all" throughout. There was a thoughtful moment aimed right at our Year 6's too, getting them to think about their next steps with the big question, "What is your task as you leave this place?" and they had some brilliant answers, saying their tasks were to spread the word of God and Jesus, show His love, and be a good friend to anyone feeling lonely at their new secondary schools. After the children shared some of their amazing talents, we ended worship with a prayer and singing "My Lighthouse" together.
Year 6 - Circus Skills
Year 6 were treated to an exciting circus skills workshop. The children embraced every challenge with enthusiasm, taking part in a wide variety of activities including juggling, plate spinning, riding mini balance bikes, performing with ribbons and testing their coordination through balancing acts. It was wonderful to see everyone stepping outside their comfort zones, showing resilience, determination and plenty of teamwork.
Summer Reading Challenge Assembly
Today, Jackie from the Library Service came in to talk to us about the Summer Reading Challenge. She told us about lots of exciting challenges and prizes, so look out for some more information coming home this week.
End of Year Awards and Celebration
We ended the year with pride at our annual awards ceremony, celebrating our children who have achieved great things and have been living life in all its fullness. It’s important to recognise that all of our children across school have been on an incredible journey this year and each and everyone one of them should be immensely proud of their accomplishments and the commitments they have shown to our school family. A huge well done to Our award winners this year: Reception - Star of the Year: Coban, Progress Award: Ronan, Children’s Champion: Poppy Y1 - Star of the Year: Marnie-May, Progress Award: Freddie, Children’s Champion: Albie Y2 - Star of the Year: Phoebe, Progress Award: Teddy, Children’s Champion: Joey Y3 - Star of the Year: Harry, Progress Award: Alice, Children’s Champion: Elijah Y4 Star of the Year: Finley, Progress Award: Lana, Children’s Champion: Emily Y5 - Star of the Year: Desmond, Progress Award: Miles, Children’s Champion: Olivia For our specialised awards this year, congratulations to Lottie on her acceptance of the Sharon Kay Kindness Award and Elijah for receiving the Planet Protector Award. What incredible achievements. We then excitedly announced the new roles and responsibilities for the upcoming Year 6 class. Please join us in saying well done to our new Heads, Deputies, Sports Leaders and Play Leaders for next year! Head girl: Olivia Deputy girls: Darcy and Sofia Head boy: Arlo Deputy boys: Desmond and James Sports leaders: Daisy, Alice, Eliza, Charlie, Carted, Ted. Play leaders - Alfie, Alexis, Nevaeh, Elliot, Leo, Peyton, Carmen, Miles, Layla, Heidi, Sonny, Harriet, Eliza, Daisy, Olivia. Lillie, Darcy, Sofia, James, Jack, Luke and Desmond - with more yet to be confirmed! We would also like to say a huge congratulations to our Netball team who came 2nd in the DPSSA Netball, and of course to the Overall Winners for DPSSA Witton Athletics - well done on representing our school amazingly well and your contributions to sports in school. Go Team Barnys! Lastly, we said an emotional Goodbye and Good luck to Miss Kachwalla, a valued and loved member of our school family, who is sadly relocating and leaving this year. It was clear to see what a wonderful impact Miss Kachwalla has had on our school and we thank her for the dedication, love and support she has provided to our children over the last few years. She leaves with a special place in all our hearts, but we know she will continue to shine in her next venture. Thank you Miss Kachwalla, we will miss you dearly!
Year 6 - Careers Day
Today, Year 6 celebrated the RotaKids Careers Day, with the children dressing up as the careers they aspire to have in the future. It was fantastic to see such a wide range of ambitions, from athletes and teachers to doctors, engineers, police officers and many more! Throughout the day, the children explored the importance of setting goals, working hard and showing resilience to achieve their dreams. The children discussed the skills, qualities and determination needed for different careers before creating informative and creative posters showcasing their chosen profession and the steps they can take to make their aspirations a reality. It was an inspiring day that encouraged the children to think positively about their futures and reminded them that, with dedication and perseverance, they can achieve great things.
Year 6 - PSHE
Today in Year 6, the children continued exploring their Growing and Changing unit in PSHE. Throughout the session, the children discussed a range of real-life scenarios they may encounter as they get older, including body image, physical and emotional changes, the influence of social media and building positive self-esteem. The children worked collaboratively to explore these situations, discussing and modelling appropriate responses while considering healthy ways to manage challenges they may face in the future. It was fantastic to see such thoughtful conversations, mature attitudes and respectful discussions as the children developed the knowledge and confidence to make positive choices and support both themselves and others.
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Year 6 - The Greatest Show
🎪 ✨ Step right up! ✨ 🎩 We are absolutely bursting with pride after our phenomenal Year 6 production of ‘The Greatest Show’! Every single child pushed themselves out of their comfort zone to deliver a truly unforgettable performance. The singing was amazing, the choreography was spot on, and it has been such a privilege to watch their confidence grow so much throughout this journey. 🌟 A massive thank you to all the parents and carers for your wonderful support, from helping to practice lines at home to being such an amazing audience. 👏 We also want to send a huge shoutout and thank you to Mrs Araujo for being an absolutely fantastic Musical Director! 🎶 To all the dedicated staff who worked tirelessly behind the scenes—helping with props, costumes, videoing, and learning lines—we couldn't have done it without your hard work and teamwork. 🎬👗 We hope the children will carry the magical memories of this production with them forever. You truly are the greatest! ❤️🎪
Year 5-6 Transition
Today, our Year 5 pupils took an exciting step on their primary school journey as they transitioned into Year 6. Throughout the day, the children took part in a range of activities designed to help them reflect on who they are and the goals they want to achieve during their final year at primary school. They designed their own personalised hoodies to showcase their personalities and created aspiration jars, filling them with their hopes, ambitions and targets for the year ahead. To finish the day, the children confidently delivered their speeches as they applied for key leadership roles within the school, including Head Boy, Head Girl, Deputy Head Boy and Girl, Sports Leaders and Play Leaders. It was wonderful to see so many pupils stepping out of their comfort zones, speaking with confidence and demonstrating the qualities of future leaders. We are incredibly proud of each and every one of them and can’t wait to see them flourish in Year 6.
Year 6 - Panda Paramedics
Today, Year 6 took part in an engaging and invaluable session led by Panda Paramedics, where the children learned essential first aid and lifesaving skills. The children enjoyed a hands-on experience, practising CPR on training manikins, learning how to use a defibrillator safely and developing their understanding of basic first aid techniques. Throughout the session, the children showed fantastic enthusiasm, maturity and teamwork, gaining the confidence and knowledge that could one day help them respond in an emergency. It was a brilliant opportunity for the children to learn practical skills that could make a real difference in someone’s life.
Whole School Worship with Bishop Philip
We were thrilled to welcome Bishop Philip into our wonderful school this week. When he arrived, the Year 6 pupils treated him to a VIP performance of one of their favourite songs from their end of year production. Bishop Philip then led a special worship in which the children helped him with a lively retelling of the story of Daniel in the Lions’ Den. The children loved joining in with the actions and helping Daniel with his dilemma of whether to go against the king and continue praying to God, or to worship only the king. The children were then tasked with identifying the message in the story and they gave some thought-provoking answers about trusting in God even when it’s difficult and knowing God will look after you. Mrs Ham later took Bishop Philip on a tour of the school where he invited each class to ask questions about his role in the Diocese of Blackburn.