Year 5 - Creative Writing
Today, Year 5 completed their alternate endings to the chapter in The Invention of Hugo Cabret, imagining what might happen when the characters finally discover what the mysterious device does. The children showcased fantastic creativity, using suspense, plot twists and vivid imagination to engage the reader. They developed their own characters’ emotions through powerful dialogue and descriptive language, building tension and atmosphere throughout their writing. Each piece demonstrated a strong understanding of narrative structure, including a clear climax and resolution. It was a wonderful opportunity for the children to apply their creative writing skills.
Year 4 PE - Athletics - Throwing and Sprinting
PE this week focused on sprinting and throwing. We looked at developing a throw using a sling action, discussing the differences to the push and pull throw. We worked on zones to see how far the children could reach and discussed how you can use your body to generate force when throwing. Finally, we finished off with sprint races working on sprint starts and fast finishes.
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Online Safety: Fostering a Sense of Belonging
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Year 4 British History - Exploring the features of a Viking longboat
In our history lesson this week we have been exploring the features of a Viking longboat, describing how these features contributed to Viking success and identifying the most important parts of the boat. Whilst researching, we found that the Vikings built longboats to raid, battle, explore and transport goods. They were between 13 and 23 metres long and were long, narrow and light so they could move around quickly. The children worked hard to identity the key features by adding labels following watching a short clip.
Year 4 Tennis Competition
A huge well done to Carter, Eliza, Ivy and Ted who competed in a tennis competition at Blackburn Northern Tennis Club this afternoon. This was the very first time the children had played on a tennis court and they approached each game with lots of enthusiasm. We are so proud of them all and they tried their very best in each game. They represented our school with pride and positivity and came 3rd overall. Well done! A huge thank you to Mrs Wilkinson for supporting and umpiring and to the parents who collected.
Year 1 Collective Worship- VE Day 80th Anniversary
Today in class worship, Year 1 were introduced to VE Day and explored its meaning. They learnt that it means ‘Victory in Europe Day’ and how tomorrow (8th May) will mark this by celebrating 80 years since the end of World War II. Year 1 understood the significance and joy that this would have brought to everyone in Europe. They looked at pictures of people having street parties, dancing and singing and understood that this would have been a time of great relief and happiness where people could live more peacefully and not have to fear for their own lives or the lives of their friends and family. Year 1 are looking forward marking the occasion on Friday by wearing the colours of the Union Jack.
Year 3- English-Understanding Rules and Kindness Through Michael Rosen and Marc Colagiovanni's Poems
Today, the children listened to two insightful poems: The Dinner Hall by Michael Rosen and The Reflection in Me by Marc Colagiovanni. The Dinner Hall by Michael Rosen explores the idea of rules and order within the school dining hall, highlighting the importance of structure and kindness to ensure everyone can enjoy their lunch. The poem reflects on what might happen if rules were ignored and how they help create a more respectful environment for all. The Reflection in Me by Marc Colagiovanni focuses on the concept of self-reflection and the importance of being kind to ourselves. It emphasises how understanding our feelings and actions, alongside following rules, can help create a more harmonious and caring environment. The children discussed the themes of both poems, considering how rules help us work together and why kindness and respect are essential. This ties in with our school's 4 Bs. They then chose their favourite poem and shared their thoughts, justifying their opinions with reasons.
Random Acts of Kindness around our community
As part of our PSHE sessions we have been looking at mental health awareness, what fills our buckets and how we can spread kindness. We decided to complete random acts of kindness by sharing our kindness poems that we had written in class. Inside the poems we wrapped a hot chocolate and a biscuit for people to enjoy. It was so lovely to share these with our local community and the children were super excited to give them out. We put a smile on so many peoples faces and they really appreciated how much effort Year 4 had made. We look forward to sharing more about this in our Presentation of learning next week whilst it’s Mental Health Awareness week too !
Year 4 Food Technology - Biscuit sampling and package evaluation
This week we started our new food technology unit on adapting a recipe. We have chosen to focus on biscuits and we started by evaluating package design and what a target audience is. We then tasted several biscuits including chocolate cookies, fruit shortcake and pink wafers looking at taste, texture and appearance. The children discussed the products in lots of detail and shared reasons as to why they liked/dislike certain biscuits, giving them a star rating.
Year 3- R.E-The Story of Moses and The Ten Commandments
In today’s R.E. lesson, the children began by discussing the relevance of the Ten Commandments in today’s world. They explored whether these ancient rules still apply and why they might be important in modern life. The children unanimously agreed that the Ten Commandments are still very relevant, as without them, society would face chaos and disorder. Following this discussion, the children listened to the story of Moses and the giving of the Ten Commandments. They reflected on how these commandments, which were received by Moses on Mount Sinai, continue to influence religious and moral beliefs today. The children explored how these commandments promote values such as respect, honesty, and responsibility, and how they shape the way people live their lives according to religious teachings.
Whole School Worship - V.E. Day & The Lord’s Prayer
Our worship began with an introduction to V.E. Day. Mrs Ham gave a short explanation about the Second World War and the celebrations that took place after Europe’s victory in 1945. There will be a number of worships and activities taking place across the week to commemorate 80 years since the end of World War II, including our Red, White and Blue day on Friday. Mrs Ham and Mrs Araujo then launched this week’s Year of Prayer activities. Our focus was then directed to The Lord’s Prayer. Mrs Ham spent some time explaining the first few lines to make sure everyone in our school family understands what they are praying about when they recite The Lord’s Prayer. We focused particularly on the word “hallowed” and that this means holy. We shared our ideas of how we can carry out God’s wishes and that we can all try to be like saints. The children had some extremely thoughtful ideas about welcoming people and why it is important to make others feel welcome. We finished by reciting The Lord’s Prayer once more and then singing one of our favourite worship songs, My Lighthouse.
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Barney's Best Bits- Summer 1 Week 2
Dear parents and carers, we've had an incredibly busy week of living life in all its fullness here at St Barnabas. I'm excited to share some of the great things we have achieved: *Rotakids and School Council Afternoon Tea: It was a wonderful celebration of our school family living life to the fullest. The children enjoyed chatting, laughing, and drinking hot chocolate together. Thank you to all of the staff who supported the event. *Bee Stinger High Fives Netball Competition: Our team won the heat and are through to the final – a fantastic achievement! Thanks to Mrs Gardner and Mrs Wilkinson for supporting. *Year 5 Peer Mediation Training: Our Year 5 students took part in an enriching peer mediation training session in association with Quakers and DACA, equipping them with valuable skills to assist their peers. *Year of Prayer: Our playground lines have been a wonderful reminder to follow the right path, as taught by Jesus. It's been heartwarming to see the children engaging with different ways to pray each week through our Diocesan Year of Prayer. *KS2 Square Root Day: Our Key Stage 2 children enthusiastically participated in Square Root Day, making learning both fun and educational. *Cross Country Competition: We witnessed a great team effort, with Emily winning gold and Carter securing silver in Year 4. A big congratulations to them all for their effort and determination on the hottest day of the year so far! Thank you to Mr Norris and Mrs Gardner for your support and to parents for transporting and supporting. *Choir: It's wonderful to see new members joining our choir, which now meets during Thursday lunchtime. *River Darwen House Team Disco: A fun and successful event enjoyed by all. A huge thanks to Mr Bloomfield for leading and to Miss Lohar for supporting. *Random Acts of Kindness: Our Year 4 children have been focusing on supporting our mental health through kindness so they delivered special kindness poems and sweet treats to local residents this afternoon. For all of this week's news from each class in detail, please click here: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/news Reminders of Upcoming Events: Monday: Bank holiday. Tuesday: Year 1 will have a mock baptism at our church. Children are welcome to wear their party clothes. Wednesday: Year 4 mini-tennis competition Thursday: Year 1 & 2 are off to the Crocky Trail trip. Please ensure they arrive early at 8:30 am. DPSSA Netball League kicks off at Holy Trinity. Friday: We'll celebrate Red, White, and Blue Day for the VE Day 80th year commemoration. Children may come dressed in red, white and/or blue and donations to the Royal British Legion can be made on parent pay. For all of the upcoming events, please see our noticeboard on the yard or our website here: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/events Thank you for your continued support, whether that is supporting your child with their reading and homework, transporting and supporting them at events, attending our celebration worships or ensuring that your child attends school regularly and on time. It truly makes a difference to our school family and ensures that St Barnabas continues to be such a brilliant place to work and learn. I wish you a wonderful May bank holiday weekend – may it be filled with sunshine and joy. Best wishes, Becky Ham