Year 5 - PSHE
Because it is Children’s Mental Health week, we had a special lesson considering what mental health is and how to look after it. We talked about the range of human feelings and how there are bigger and smaller emotions. They can affect all of us in different ways but talking to a trusted person about our feelings can help us understand them. We discussed who the children might want to talk to and how they can be a good listener.
Year 6 - Big Winter Wander
As part of the Big Winter Wander, Year 6 enjoyed a walk around Jack’s Key, making the most of the crisp winter weather to explore our local environment. During the walk, the children carefully observed their surroundings and learned more about our whole-school sustainability project and the positive impact it aims to have on our community. The children took part in bird watching, using a tally system to record the number and types of birds they spotted. Among the species identified were wood pigeons, carrion crows, starlings, magpies and chaffinches. The children showed great patience and enthusiasm as they quietly observed and counted the wildlife around them. Once our micro forest is fully established, we plan to repeat this survey and compare the results. This will help us to see whether biodiversity has increased and whether our project has successfully created a richer habitat, providing food, shelter and safe nesting spaces for a wider variety of wildlife.
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Online Safety: Fostering a sense of belonging
Feeling a sense of belonging plays a vital role in children’s wellbeing, confidence and gives them the ability to thrive, both academically and emotionally. This weeks #WakeUpWednesday guide explores why belonging matters and how small, everyday interactions can make a meaningful difference in helping children feel accepted and included. Download your FREE copy here >> https://vist.ly/4r52x
Year 3 Present Their Learning: A Journey Through Victorian History to Year 2
Today, Year 3 had a fantastic opportunity to showcase their historical expertise by presenting their learning to Year 2. The children transported their audience back in time, sharing insightful details about the harsh realities of the Victorian era and the reformers who fought for change. The children shared fascinating facts about: The Factory Acts: They explained how these new laws finally made it illegal to employ children under the age of nine and limited the gruelling hours older children could work. Lord Shaftesbury: The class spoke about his tireless work as a reformer who believed every child deserved a childhood and an education. Ragged Schools: They described these free schools that provided food, clothing, and lessons to the most vulnerable children who couldn't afford a traditional education. Working Conditions: The children painted a vivid picture of the dangerous health conditions in Victorian factories, from the lack of ventilation to the "scavenging" roles children often performed under moving machinery. Whether presenting individually or in small groups, every child rose to the challenge, providing a brilliant boost for our Voice 21 initiative. It was a joy to watch them grow into confident speakers, using their oracy skills to teach others about the differences between the past and the present. Well done, Year 3.
Year 4 - Science: Water Conservation
To wrap up our Spring 1 science unit, the Year 4 class were learning about the importance of water and how we can conserve it. They learned that they should be drinking at least 6 glasses of water per day and that it must be clean and pure for it to be drinkable. They found out some issues with leaving taps running unnecessarily and they discussed ways in which we can all conserve water. The children then worked in small groups to choose an issue and create a poster showing how to conserve water. The children will be presenting these in a whole school worship next half term.
W.O.W. Group - Messy Church: The Sower
The WOW group ran their final messy church this week. They did a fantastic job planning a fun session based on the Parable of the Sower. First, they read the story and discussed its meaning and how Jesus wanted his followers to root their faith in God. Then the participants decorated a plant pot. Once the pots were decorated, the children filled them with rich, nutritious compost and added Nigella or Candytuft seeds.
Year 4 - Safer Internet Day: Cyber bullying
In Year 4, we spent Safer Internet Day focussing on a very common issue that many of our school family will probably experience as their internet usage increases: cyber bullying. The topic was introduced to the children sensitively with a look at what cyber bullying may look like. As a class, we read some hypothetical scenarios of unkind messages and shared how we thought the recipient might have felt. We then shared some examples of advice we could give to someone affected by cyber bullying. The children realised that there is a subtle difference between messages aimed at hurting others and those that can be misconstrued. The children were introduced to three options for resolving an issue: block, ignore and tell a trusted adult. They developed skills to help them think critically about what they see online.
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Year 6 - Maths
Year 6 continued to develop their understanding of decimals in Maths, building both confidence and accuracy in their calculations. Using LBQ (Learning by Questions), the children worked through a carefully sequenced range of fluency, reasoning and problem-solving questions designed to deepen their understanding.
Year 4 WOW Badge Design Competition
We are really proud of our WOW badge designs that Year 4 have created for the national walk to school badge competition. The Wellbeing Warriors met on Friday to pick a winner from each class which will be announced shortly and these will go forward to represent the school. If selected in the national competition, the badge will then be made for a month in next year’s campaign.
Whole School Singing Worship - Monday
We started our week with a new kite to think about, God’s Vast Love. We agreed that God is with us all of the time, even if we are on holiday, or at another house or even if we are not making the right choices, God is always with us and will show love and forgiveness. We then celebrated through song, some of our favourites and also practiced some new songs together which is always very exciting.
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WOW Badge Design Year Group Winners
A huge thank you to everyone that took the time to create a design for the WOW walk to school badges for the next academic year. This years theme is “Walk the Senses’ and the children were super creative with their designs in order to incorporate this. Well done to our year group overall winners who were chosen by our Wellbeing Warriors team: Reception - Bowen Year 1- Ava Year 2 - Mollie Year 3- Lyla C Year 4- Lyla F Year 5- Sofia Year 6- Millie
BwD Schools Y3/4 Sportshall Athletics
What a fantastic evening we have had attending the Blackburn with Darwen Schools Year 3/4 Sportshall Athletics event at DVHS. Team B were on fire, securing lots of wins over the course of the night and managed to come away with a silver medal. Well done to all involved and a special thank you to our amazing parents for transporting the children to and from the event amd being the best cheerleaders at the end! A huge thank you to Mrs Gardner and Mr Bloomfield for their brilliant coaching and encouragement!