Year 2 - Axe Throwing and Archery
This afternoon, Year 2 were very fortunate to be able to take part in an axe throwing and archery session from Sports Cool. The children absolutely loved throwing axes and firing their arrows at the targets.
Year 3- Archery and Axe Throwing
This afternoon, the children had a great time learning archery and axe throwing. In archery, they practised their stance, learned how to nock an arrow, and aimed at the target, it was great watching their skills improve with every shot. They also gave axe throwing a go, working on their accuracy and focus.
KS2 Christmas Church Service
This morning, we had a special Christmas Church Service led by Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 to celebrate Advent. Year 6 lit the first candle for hope and shared their hopes and dreams for the future. Leonora and Daisy shared their dream of being a teacher to inspire others in the same way that they have been inspired in their own education, Alice shared her dream of being a paediatric nurse to support children in their time of need and suffering, Matthew shared his hope of travelling the world and experiencing the awe and wonder it can offer, Oscar shared his desire to be a kind and respectful citizen as he grows into adolescence and adulthood and Jake shared the hope of being like his parents who love and care for him and inspire him every day to be kind and positive. Year 5 then showed their beautifully crafted origami doves, symbolising peace and hope. They then read their heartfelt prayers, expressing their wishes for peace. Year 4 lit the candle for joy and shared their wonderful metaphors for Jesus through artwork such as Jesus being a torch and a lighthouse. This symbolised the joy Jesus brings us. Finally, Year 3 told us about the final theme of Advent which was love. They spoke about how we are able to share love by being kind and supportive of one another and shared some examples of how Jesus showed love through the miracles that he performed. The candle for love will be lit this Sunday. To end our collective worship, Mrs Ham gave us a few moments to reflect on how we can spread hope, joy, peace and love this Christmas time. We had examples such as smiling, giving hugs and kisses, giving a high-five, making and giving someone a card, encouraging others to challenge and overcome things, letting others join in with our games and giving our friends and family the precious gift of time. She thanked all of the staff for their outstanding commitment to our school family, our parents for their fabulous support and our amazing children for being so well behaved and working so hard. We then heard from Rev Ben who shared a lovely Christmas blessing and we had the pleasure of watching our fabulous Christmas video which showcased all of the Christmas fun we have had over the last few weeks and it brought lots of joy and laughter to the whole congregation.
Year 1- Visit to Whitehall Park
Yesterday afternoon, Year 1 enjoyed exploring the ADVENTure Trail in the Rose Garden at Whitehall Park. We looked at all of the beautiful artwork that the very talented children across our school have produced and took part in a quiz. We answered questions which made us focus on various aspects of the Nativity Story. We then had a jolly sing along! To end our trip to Whitehall Park, we enjoyed a play on the park. So much fun was had by all and it was absolutely amazing to see all the children smiling and giggling away, taking turns, working as a team and making precious memories with each other.
Year 4 Adventure Art and Trail Quiz Walk
Year 4 have had a great day today taking part in the Advent Art and Trail Quiz Walk. We walked to the Rose Garden first where we did the Advent Trail Quiz and the children worked really well to follow the clues and answer the questions. Next we walked around the garden admiring the beautiful pieces of artwork that the children from St Barnabas had completed. After that we walked to Mrs Gardner's home to enjoy hot chocolate, marshmallows and cream or a hot vimto with a side of chocolate biscuits. Finally, we walked back to the park and went on the playground before heading back to school. The children were great at showing the 4 Bs both in and out of the classroom and it was lovely to watch them all with huge smiles on their faces too.
Reception: Santa Visit
It is safe to say that all of our children are on the good list! Reception class loved their visit from Santa Claus. Thank you for their presents, we had lots of excited children. Please have a look at our gallery for more photos. https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-galleries/santa-visit-2024
Church Carol Service
A huge well done to our choir and other volunteers from our school family who sang their little hearts out this evening, at our church carol service. It was a lovely service and we are sure that it brought everyone lots of joy. Thank you Mrs Govan for giving up her time to lead our choir. Thank you to our parents and carers who came along to support.
Year 5 - RotaKids - Christmas Cards for Care Homes
Building on from our Worship earlier in the week about spreading joy this Advent, our Year 5 Rotakids decided to take action. Today, they spread festive cheer in the community by creating thoughtful Christmas cards to send to East Lancs Hospice and care homes around Darwen. The children poured their creativity and kindness into each card, adding heartfelt messages and festive designs. These cards will soon be delivered, bringing warmth, joy and a sense of connection to residents who may need it most this Christmas season. It’s a wonderful way to show that even small acts of kindness can make a big difference. Well done, RotaKids, for embodying the true spirit of the holidays!
Care Home Carol Singing
Some of our choir members and a few of their younger siblings brought lots of festive cheer to the residents at Acer Lodge Care Home in Blackburn this evening. They sang their little hearts out and filled the staff and resident's hearts with joy. They were overjoyed to have a visit from Father Christmas who brought them all a little gift for being such little superstars. A huge thank you to the parents and grandparents who transported the children to Blackburn, battling horrendous rain, floods and road closures. It was certainly worth it to see the smiles on the residents faces and to hear them singing along.
Year 6 - Road safety workshop
Today, year 6 visited DACA for a road safety workshop. The children listened attentively and explored the importance of minimising distractions when walking to school. In a world that is surrounded by technology, it is very easy to get distracted, but it is really important to take precautions when we are near roads.
Year 6 - Parliament Week
On Friday, Year 6 rounded off ‘Parliament Week’ with a meeting with Baroness Wilcox of Newport. Baroness Wilcox started the session with a presentation about the House of Lords before answering some questions that the children had prepared prior to the session. Some of the questions were fantastic and a big thank you to Baroness Wilcox for answering them so openly and honestly.
Reception - How the Church celebrates Christmas
This morning, Rev Matt visited us to share with us how the church celebrates Christmas. He explained that the retelling of the Nativity story is the most important part of the celebration as it is about the very special birth of Jesus. The singing of hymns and lighting of candles also symbolises the joy and light that was brought into the world at this time. We also talked about how we celebrate Christmas at home. Beau said ‘we decorate the house’ and Eleanor said ‘we have Christmas tea’