Friday Celebration Worship
It has been another very busy and exciting week here at St Barnabas. In Worship we have been taking time to reflect on both Lent and Ramadan, thinking about kindness, reflection and helping others. We have also had a fantastic week celebrating World Book Day, sharing our love of reading and enjoying all the brilliant costumes and book characters we saw in school. Our classes were also lucky enough to take part in the Pinocchio dance workshop and performance, which was fantastic to watch. There has been lots happening beyond the classroom too, including the River Darwen team disco and our wide range of clubs, such as Kids with Bricks club. Many of you have also been taking part in the Times Tables Rockstars competition and showing great enthusiasm for practising your times tables. We have now completed our Big Winter Wander and together we have raised £175 for WWF, which is an amazing achievement. Thank you to everyone who took part and supported this. Our RotaKids have also been showing kindness in action by collecting teddies for Darwen Asylum Refugee Enterprise and Darwen Rotary which will help support children less fortunate than us. We also had the World Book Day Dolly Peg Competition run by the Friends of St Barnabas and the judges were very impressed with the creativity and effort that went into the entries. The award for Best Book Character goes to Phoebe for Greg the Sausage Roll. The award for Most Creative goes to Ida for the Highway Rat. The award for Best Use of Materials goes to Molly for Molly and the Goldfish Fairy. The Judges’ Choice award goes to Alfie. The award for Most Imaginative goes to Alice for Stitch and the Outstanding Effort award goes to Elliot. Well done to everyone who took part and a huge thank you to our FOSB for organising the competition as well as contributing money to the Pinocchio workshops. A massive thank you to our parishioner Glenda for undertaking the difficult task of judging the competition. Our Values Awards where we recognise children who have been showing our school four Be's of being kind, respectful, safe and ready to learn. In Reception the award goes to Erina. In Year 1 it goes to Cassius. In Year 2 the award goes to Thomas. In Year 3 it goes to Albie. In Year 4 the awards go to Cassidy and Alfie. In Year 5 the award goes to Olivia and in Year 6 the award goes to Isabelle. Well done to all of you for showing our 4 Be's and Christian values so clearly in school. We also had some pen licences to award this week in Year 3. These go to Harry, Molly and Eddie. Well done for showing such neat and consistent handwriting across the curriculum, not just in English. We celebrated our team values totals for the week. In fourth place was Darwen Tower. In third place was Whitehall Park. In second place was River Darwen. And in first place this week was India Mill. Well done everyone! We also have lots of wonderful sports and out-of-school achievements to celebrate. Olivia, Eleanor and Annie have been awarded a certificate for celebrating 100 years of World Thinking Day at Rainbows. Alessia has been awarded her Level 1 for back bends in dance. Poppy has been awarded a teddy for really good dancing. Carmen and Renee have both been awarded their yellow belts in kickboxing. Albie has been awarded player of the week for good tackling. Martha has achieved her 20 metre swimming certificate. Haydn has been awarded a trophy for scoring seven goals in football. Olivia has also received a certificate for a fantastic backwards roll in gymnastics. Callie has been awarded a certificate for completing two years of JuJitsu. Maggie has received a Brownie doll and her promise badge. Annabel has been awarded star of the week in dance and swimmer of the month. Jack has been awarded a certificate for completing a silver swimming challenge and Piper-Jo has achieved her 50 metre swimming certificate. Well done to all of you for your hard work and dedication outside of school. A special well done also goes to our Cross Country team who showed fantastic determination when competing in rainy weather and muddy conditions. They ran over a mile, which is a brilliant achievement. We also held our inter-house competition for football and bench ball and the winning house was India Mill. Well done to everyone who took part. Our WOW group had some exciting news to share as well. Our school is now number one across all Blackburn and Darwen schools for walking to school last month. That is an incredible achievement. Year 4 are the overall winners for walking to school and badges will be given to all children who walked to school. Our attendance awards this week go to Year 2 and Year 3. Well done for coming to school every day and being ready to learn. Finally, just a reminder that Reception will soon be performing their Mother’s Day Service next Wednesday at 9.00am and there will also be the Mothering Sunday Service at St Barnabas Church where children are invited to come along and sing to their mums. To finish our worship we had lovely prayers from Olivia and Darcy and we sang the Butterfly song.
World Book Day Oracy Worship
What a fantastic morning we had celebrating World Book Day! Children from Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 came together for a special Oracy Talk Assembly, where the hall was filled with the sound of meaningful discussion. Working in trios, the children were challenged to dive deep into their love of literature by sharing their favourite books and characters, providing thoughtful "whys" for their choices. The energy peaked during a fascinating debate on whether reading gives you a "superhero power." After some deep exploration, the children concluded that reading truly is a superpower; they decided it makes you incredibly clever and has the unique ability to expand your imagination beyond the classroom. Mrs. Wilkinson was immensely impressed by the level of maturity and respect on display. It was a "super" oracy worship, with children across the three year groups demonstrating excellent communication skills by taking turns and listening intently to one another. It was wonderful to see our youngest learners not only celebrating stories but also developing the confidence to articulate their ideas with such clarity and enthusiasm.
Reception World Book Day
Reception have loved dressing up and wearing their PJs for world book day. We started the day with a special worship to share our love of books with our friends. We then had a fantastic drawing club lesson where the children innovated a part of the story from Detective Dog and created their own imaginative Libraries to share books with others. During provision, we shared our favourite stories and created bookmarks to take home.
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Reception - RE - The Lost Coin Parable
In our lesson today we read the Parable of The Lost Coin and discussed how it feels to lose something special and how happy we feel when we find it. We talked about celebrating together and how God feels when he finds someone who is lost. We then worked in groups to find lost coins outside and celebrated together when we found them.
Reception - PSHE - Looking after our school community
Today in our PSHE lesson we talked about our school community, how we can look after it and why it’s important. The children came up with some great ideas how we can keep our school, clean, tidy and safe. We had special team leaders who did a great job ensuring their teams and areas were tidy.
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Whole School Worship - Ramadan
During worship, we were also treated to a special and informative reflection on Ramadan, thoughtfully led by Miss Kachwalla. The session helped us to understand the importance of this sacred month in Islam — a time of prayer, fasting, reflection and generosity. We learned about how Muslims around the world show dedication, self-discipline and compassion during Ramadan, and how values such as kindness, gratitude and community are central to this time. It was a wonderful opportunity to deepen our understanding, celebrate diversity within our school community and reflect on the shared values that bring us together. We also looked at the similarities between Lent and Ramadan and how they were both important times to give to others and give food up or fast to feel closer to God.
Reception: Scholastic Author Webinar
Our Reception class swapped their "Muddy Monday" boots for books during an enchanting webinar with author Catherine Jacob, who introduced us to her brand-new story, Betsy Buglove and the Lovely Ladybirds. After proving their expert status as outdoor explorers, the children were mesmerized by Catherine’s magic magnifying glass and learned fascinating facts, such as how ladybirds act as lucky charms for farmers and can even survive underwater for an hour. The adventure concluded with a creative masterclass from illustrator Lucy Fleming, who guided the budding artists through the steps of drawing Betsy herself. It was a truly wonderful workshop that brought the magic of the garden straight into our classroom!
Reception Police Visit
Our Reception class was treated to an informative and exciting visit from police officers Ryan and Andrew. The children were thrilled to meet the friendly officers, who started by asking the class what they thought police officers do. The children eagerly answered, "They catch the bad guys!" Ryan and Andrew gently explained that while catching bad guys is part of their job, their main role is to help people and keep everyone safe. To give the children a better understanding of their work, the officers showcased some of the important tools and resources they use. They showed the class items like handcuffs, safety glasses, pepper spray, a camera, scissors (for smash-window rescues), a baton, a helmet to keep them safe, a radio for communication, a shared ID card, and a pocket notebook. The children even got a chance to practice shouting "Get Back!", which is what police officers use to manage situations safely. The excitement reached new heights when the class was given the opportunity to explore the police van. The children listened to the siren and watched the flashing lights, which added to the thrill of the experience. They all had a turn to sit inside the van, imagining what it would be like to be a real-life police officer. The children were all very captivated by the visit, and we are sure they will be talking about it for days to come. The visit not only provided our students with a fantastic opportunity to learn about the valuable work police officers do in our community, but it also helped build positive relationships between the children and the police. We are so grateful to officers Ryan and Andrew for taking the time to visit our Reception class. Their visit was an incredible learning experience, and it has surely left a positive impact on our children.
Friday Celebration Worship
What a wonderful and incredibly busy first week back we have had in school. On Monday we welcomed special visitors into our school and they were so impressed with the children’s beautiful behaviour, their hard work and their fantastic oracy skills. We are so proud of the way our children represent our school community. A huge thank you to Miss Kachwalla for organising Mad Science, it was a brilliant experience and the children absolutely loved it. This week we have also spent time reflecting on Lent, thinking carefully about what we might give up and how we can grow closer to God during this special season. It has been lovely to see so many children taking part in our amazing after-school clubs and joining in with the Big Winter Wander. We are delighted to celebrate our Values Award winners this week. In Reception, Mason and Phoebe have shown our school values so beautifully. In Year 1, well done to Thea. In Year 2, congratulations to Joey. In Year 3, Alice and Evie have impressed us all. In Year 5, well done to Miles, and in Year 6, congratulations to Beau. Our Pen Licence this week goes to Scarlett in Year 4, what a fantastic achievement for your presentation and handwriting. In our Team Values results, fourth place goes to Darwen Tower, third place to Whitehall Park, second place to India Mill and in first place this week is River Darwen. A huge well done to River Darwen who will get to wear their own clothes on Friday for their disco, enjoy your celebration. We also have so many wonderful sporting achievements to celebrate. Alice has been awarded a trophy in cheerleading for coming second place. Bowen has received a football trophy for his excellent skills. Ida and Layla have both earned a badge for riding trot in horse riding. Phoebe has achieved her 10m swimming certificate and Stage 3. Olivia and Eleanor have earned a Rainbows badge for baking, trying different foods, completing a duck hunt and caring for animals carefully, and Eleanor has also achieved a water skills certificate. Maggie has been awarded a purple belt in martial arts for her fantastic kicking and punching, as well as achieving Stage 3 in gymnastics. Annabelle has received the hardest worker certificate in dance and has the amazing opportunity to go to New York for a dance show, we are so proud. Callie and Charlie have both achieved their 50m swimming certificates. Lyla has won medals in dancing. Seb and Scarlett have received certificates from a sports club during the half-term holidays and Scarlett's netball team also won the league. Tristan has been awarded a purple belt for punching and blocking. Ted has won a huge trophy for BMX racing for coming second in his age category. Lydia has awarded Olivia from Brownies for being kind and helpful. Grace has achieved dance medals for coming second and third. A special well done to our Year 5 football team who played six games, drawing two, narrowly losing one game 1–0, and winning three – a fantastic effort and great teamwork. Well done to Year 1 and Year 3 for achieving the highest attendance this week, your commitment to being in school every day really does make a difference. Looking ahead, we are excited for World Book Day next week. On Tuesday we have special Pinocchio dance workshops and a performance to look forward to. Don't forget to get your dolly peg book character entries in too. On Thursday, children can either dress as a book character or come in their pyjamas. Reception will be performing for Mother’s Day on Friday 13th March and we warmly invite families to join us for our Mother’s Day Sunday Service at church on Sunday 15th March where all of our children are welcome to sing to their Mums. Thank you to Olivia and Ava for leading us in our prayers this week.
Reception - Traps for the Evil Pea
In Reception this week, the children turned into engineers to design custom traps for the Evil Pea from Supertato. Using a range of resources such as LEGO, cardboard boxes and elastic bands, the children used their imagination to bring their traps to life. They refined their ideas and proudly explained how they would finally bring the story's villain to justice.
Mad Science Assembly-Going for Gold with Scientific Erica
Today, our students were treated to a spectacular, high-energy show by "Scientific Erica" from Mad Science. From Olympic-themed fire demonstrations to using gas to inflate giant balloons, the room was filled with "wow" moments and non-stop laughter. Under the expert supervision of Erica, a trained professional in chemical and fire safety, the children stepped into the role of scientists, making predictions and testing their theories in real-time. It was a memorable day that proved science is as much fun as it is educational! A special shout-out goes to our Science Ambassadors, who were a fantastic help throughout the event. Children in Years 1-4 have been given a letter with information about a Mad Science after school club next half term. It starts 13th April with new topics. Deadline date to register is 03.03.26. First come, first served. https://northengland.madscience.org/signin.aspx?successURL=%2fmyschedule
Reception - The Sower and the seeds Parable
Today we learnt from the The Sower and the Seeds Parable. We talked about the hidden lesson and how the seeds are our ideas, and our minds and our hearts are the ‘good’ soil if we listen and learn. We can learn about God and then tell stories about him to others.