Year 1 to Year 2 Transition Day- Phonics Bingo
Today, during their transition day, our current Year 1 children (soon to be Year 2) enjoyed an exciting game of phonics bingo. Last year, as they moved from Reception to Year 1, they focused on Phase 2 and some Phase 3 sounds. This year, they confidently tackled all the Phase 5 sounds, including alternative graphemes, which they've recently been learning and applying in their writing. It was brilliant to celebrate their progress and test their knowledge of these many sounds!
Year 4 - PE: Tennis Skills
In Year 4’s tennis skills session this week, we focussed on returning a ball through a target. To warm up for the session, the children played Rats and Rabbits - a twist on the game of tag played in pairs. The children were then introduced to the new skill by developing hand-eye co-ordination. They performed actions that their partner had to mirror. They then learned how to stand side on with their feet shoulder-width apart and their face towards the ball. They practised using their hand to return the ball through a hoop. Next week, we will be repeating this skill but with rackets.
Cre8ability Session 4
This week we continued with our learning on emotional regulation. We focussed on how music can affect our emotions. We listened to lots of music and discussed how we felt after it. Music works the left and right side of the brain so it is really therapeutic. We then explored and had the opportunity to play some African drums. Carol taught us how to play the drums. We learnt bass, tone and slap and how to do a rumble on the drum. The children all created their own rhythm and we did a call and response. We then drummed along to ‘we will rock you’. We finished our session with some mindfulness colouring.
Years 2 & 4 - RE: Exploring the Church
Both Year 2 and Year 4 are currently studying the Church in RE. To develop the children’s knowledge and understanding, Rev Ben invited both classes to church to explore the features and talk about why they might be found in a church. The Year 2 children have been learning about various features and labelling them, which was further developed through experiencing how they are used and why. The Year 4 children have been learning about the similarities and differences between different churches and other places of worship, and they have been finding out about how some common features are connected to the Bible. Thank you for inviting us, Rev Ben. The experience definitely enhanced the children’s learning.
Online Safety: Apple iPads
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Year 3- Online Safety- Navigating ipads
Today in class, we discussed Apple iPads and some important considerations for children's use, such as screen time, privacy, and appropriate content. It was great to hear children contributing and discussing about their own restricted times and how much screen time they're allowed. For those who don't have time limits, we talked about the importance of managing screen time for good mental health and well-being. Remember, excessive screen time can affect emotions and behaviour, and tools like Downtime and App Limits can help manage this.
BwD School Games - Y3/4 Quad Kids
This afternoon some of our children from Years 3 and 4 represented the school at the Blackburn with Darwen School Games Quad Kids event at Witton park. The children did four events which included a 60m sprint, 400m long distance, vortex throw and long jump. Every single pupil represented the school wonderfully and really encouraged each other to push to their limits. We now need to wait to see how we’ve done once every school has completed the events. Fingers crossed for Team B !
Year 5 - Human Life Cycle
During this science lesson on the human life cycle, the children explored the stages of growth from birth to adulthood, with a particular focus on the rapid development that occurs during infancy. After discussing key milestones in a baby’s first year—such as weight gain, increasing height and motor skill development—the class worked collaboratively to interpret a set of data showing the monthly growth of a baby. Using this information, they constructed line graphs to visually represent changes in height and weight over time. The activity helped reinforce their understanding of how humans change and grow during the early stages of life.
Year 2 and 4 - Visit to St Barnabas Church
This Tuesday afternoon, our Year 2 had the opportunity to visit St. Barnabas Church. This visit was a perfect way to build on our recent RE lessons, where we've been learning all about what makes a church, its origins in the Bible, and the different features you might find inside. The children really impressed Rev Ben with their existing knowledge, confidently sharing what they'd learned in class. They got to explore areas of the church they wouldn't normally see, making the experience even more special. To round off the visit, the children had the chance to ask Rev Ben some excellent questions they'd prepared in their last RE lesson. It was a brilliant way to reinforce all the learning we've been doing and bring our RE lessons to life!
Year 1 Class Worship- The Man Who Came Back
This week, Year 1 explored the powerful story of Jesus healing the ten lepers during their class worship. The children learned a valuable lesson from the story: only one of the ten men returned to thank Jesus, while the others quickly went home to their families. This prompted a wonderful discussion about how important it is to be grateful and thankful for everything we have. We then heard some beautiful prayers from Leila, Harry, and Alessia. They thanked God for his love and power and asked for help to remember to be thankful every day.
Reception- Super sentence writing
This half terms topic is ‘we are explorers’ and this week we have been learning all about the beach. The children have written independent sentences relating to the picture on the writing sheet. The children thought of their own sentences and used the sound mats and tricky word mats to help them.
Year 3- Geography-Exploring South America in Geography
In today’s geography lesson, the children explored the continent of South America. Using atlases, they located South America on a world map and began identifying both physical and human features found across the region. Year 3 watched a short video clip to help bring the landscape to life. The children were amazed by the Amazon Rainforest, the towering Andes Mountains, and the powerful Amazon River. We also explored some of South America's remarkable human landmarks, including the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Other stunning features that captured the children’s interest included Iguazu Falls, one of the largest and most beautiful waterfalls in the world, and the culture and history.