Friday Celebration Worship
What a fantastic week we’ve had in school, there is so much to celebrate! We are really looking forward to next week’s drama club's Heroes of Troy performance on Tuesday, and we are so proud of our choir who represented us beautifully at Let’s Go Sing. A special well done to Grace for her performance in Les Misérables, what an incredible achievement! A big thank you to our WOW Group for creating poo bag dispenser posters to help keep our local area clean, such a thoughtful and responsible project. We’ve also been busy improving our school environment, with tree planting in our grounds to begin creating our very own orchards. Year 4 have been absolute stars on their residential, showing excellent behaviour and representing the school brilliantly. Year 5 have also impressed us with how sensible and responsible they were during Bikeability. Thank you as well for all of the generous Easter egg donations, we really appreciate your support. This week’s values awards go to James in Reception, Ava and Tommy-Joe in Year 1, Harry in Year 2, all of Year 4, Darcy in Year 5, and Talia in Year 6, well done for consistently demonstrating our school values. A huge congratulations to our TT Rockstars certificate winners: Charlie D, Elijah, Freddie, Eddie, Emily, Olivia, Isaac, Joshua, Ella Grace, Alexis and Ivy, fantastic effort and dedication to your times tables practice! In our team values this week, Darwen Tower came 4th, Whitehall Park 3rd, River Darwen 2nd, and India Mill took 1st place, well done everyone! We are incredibly proud of all of our sporting achievements this week. Well done to Beau for achieving a superstar gymnastics certificate for walking on the big beam, and to Thea for earning her Stage 2 gymnastics certificate. Charlie G and Olivia were both awarded Player of the Week in football, while Charlie G was recognised for excellent defending. Ava achieved badges in Squirrels and Beavers and was also named Beaver of the Week, fantastic commitment! Congratulations to Eleanor, Olivia, Annie, Evie and Phoebe for earning multiple Rainbows certificates, and to Lydia, Skye and Chester for their swimming certificates. Phoebe also received a rosette in dancing, while Scarlett was named trainer of the week in netball. A special mention to Annabel, who not only completed a 500m swim for Cancer Research UK but also raised an incredible £341, what an amazing achievement! Callie performed brilliantly as Peter Pan in her recent show and received a certificate, and James achieved his red belt in Ju Jitsu, well done! Olivia also received a certificate for effort in gymnastics, great perseverance! Our swimming team performed brilliantly at the gala against Blackburn and Darwen schools. James won a bronze medal for backstroke, Jenson placed second in breaststroke and Desmond got two silvers, an amazing effort. Our cross country team also showed great determination competing against other local schools, well done to everyone involved. Well done to Year 2 and Year 5 for achieving the best attendance this week, fantastic effort! Looking ahead, we have lots of exciting events coming up including the FOSB Easter Egg Bingo on Tuesday, the Rocksteady concert on Wednesday, our Heroes of Troy performance after school, Hop, Skip and Jump for East Lancashire Hospice, our Easter Service on Thursday, and a special visit from Spring Chicken. A reminder that we break up early at 2.00pm on Thursday. We finished our worship with lovely prayers from Darcy and Charlie D, thank you both for such a thoughtful contribution. What a wonderful week, well done everyone!
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Whole School Worship: The Last Supper
Today’s worship was a deeply moving and thought-provoking session led by Rev. Ben, as he helped the children explore the complex meaning of Good Friday. The morning began with a lighthearted but meaningful game where Rev. Ben asked Eliza some very tricky questions while giving Luna much easier ones. Just as it looked like the game might end poorly, an intervention changed everything, which Rev. Ben used to illustrate the core message: Christians believe Good Friday is all about how God steps in to help us when we need it most. Rev. Ben then shared the story of the crucifixion, describing it as a "dreadful day" that naturally makes us feel sad. However, he explained that Christians call it "Good" Friday because it represents the moment Jesus stepped in to save humanity, choosing to take the punishment himself so that all who trust in him can be set free. This sacrifice transforms a day of mourning into a time of profound joy. The children showed wonderful engagement as they recounted details of the story; Hollie and Isabella spoke of the physical suffering Jesus endured, while Percy remembered the crown of thorns placed on his head. Elijah also noted the moment Peter tried to defend Jesus, only to be told to put his sword away. The worship concluded with a beautiful reflection on how these events make us feel. While Sofia acknowledged the sadness of the cross, she looked forward to the "something good" coming on Easter Sunday. Mollie, Olivia, and Mason all expressed feelings of happiness and gratitude, recognising that Jesus’ actions were a "favour to us all" that took away their sins. To close our time together, Rev. Ben led a thank you prayer, and we joined our voices to sing Jesus, Strong and Kind.
Year 3- Class Worship-Living Out God's Big Story
In our class worship today, we watched the latest video in our ‘Living Out God’s Big Story’ series. We explored the story of the first Disciples from the Book of Acts and discovered that when the early church started falling out, they didn't give up; instead, they recruited seven Deacons to help serve the people and restore fairness. In the video, Bishop Philip talked to us about how we can be servants to one another to bring peace to our own community. This linked perfectly with our "Kindness Kite" theme for the week .
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Year 4 - Class Worship: Helping To Make Peace
Our class worship this week tied together our kindness kite theme of 'helping to make peace' and phase 2 of our Linking Schools project - Social Action. We watched the God's Big Story worship from Blackburn Diocese, which was about serving others, and we drew pictures on our whiteboards to show one thing we had taken from the worship. Then we joined in with actions to the Starfish Story and discussed the things we are passionate about and that we can help to change in our community. We have shared a number of ideas and we will vote on a project to undertake in the Summer Term.
Reception: Class Worship
We had a beautiful start to our day as we gathered for class worship, beginning by signing the Trinity together. Lisa led us in a heartfelt repeating prayer, reminding us that "God is good, all the time," before we settled in to listen to a story about the depth of God’s love. To help us connect with the message, Lisa asked the children if they ever felt overwhelmed by having too many jobs to do. Eva shared a relatable moment, mentioning how she often needs a helping hand when it’s time to clean her room! We learned that even Jesus’ disciples needed support, which is why they appointed apostles to help them spread their message. We were also joined by Bishop Philip, who shared a powerful message about the heart of a servant. He explained that servants are special because they prioritise the needs of others, which creates a sense of peace and allows everyone to share the good news of Jesus. In a world where arguments can happen, we discussed how Jesus calls us to be servants who put others first. Whether we are visiting a friend, being kind, or standing up for a good cause, we are choosing to be peacemakers who stand up for what is right. The children had some lovely ideas on how they can serve others in their daily lives. Mason suggested cheering up those who feel sad, Chester reminded us that we can always lend a helping hand, and Phoebe shared that a simple hug can make a big difference. We concluded our time together with a "sorry prayer," asking for forgiveness for the times we fall out with one another and seeking God’s help to be better peacemakers. We ended on a high note, joyfully singing "Our God is a Great Big God"!
Year 3 join 'The Great Big Live Assembly' Easter Story
This morning, Year 3 participated in a "Great Big Live Assembly" alongside hosts Krish and Gemma to explore the global significance of Easter. The session kicked off on a high note with a visit from Krish’s two-week-old kittens before diving into the fact that over 2 billion people celebrate the holiday worldwide. The students explored Easter through the lens of literature, learning about the Easter story of the resurrection, written by Charles Dickens for his own children to highlight themes of mercy and love and the story of Christ's resurrection. The interactive session kept everyone engaged with a virtual quiz and "Easter egg" hunt involving artwork from the National Gallery. The assembly also featured a visit with Olivia from a school in Grantham and concluded with a student-led prayer centered on forgiveness and second chances, followed by a reading from Michael Rosen’s poetry collection, On the Move: Poems about Migration.
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Reception Rock your Socks for Down Syndrome
Today we are rocking our socks for World Down Syndrome Day on 21st March. We have been learning about different adults and children across the world with Down Syndrome and the ways we can support them, just like we do with Lenny in our school! The children practised different Makaton signs to help them to communicate with Lenny when he comes into class and decorated their own pairs of socks.
Whole School Worship with Rev Ben
Our Whole School Worship was led by Rev Ben this morning and he started by thanking the children who took part in the ‘ Let’s Go Sing ‘ concert at Planet Ice as they were so amazing and represented our school beautifully. Next, our game was The Fruit Challenge. Neve, Jacob, Darcy, Grace,James and Elijah had to name as many fruits as possible, continuously without any hesitation or repetition. It sounded easier than it was, but as it went on it became harder and harder. This was all about remembering things. Our Bible story was also about remembering things - The Last Supper. The Last Supper was Jesus’ final meal with his 12 closest friends (disciples) before his death, celebrated during Passover. He washed their feet to teach service, shared bread and wine to represent his broken body and poured-out blood, and commanded them to love one another and remember him. Christians believe that Jesus died so that those that trust Him can be forgiven. Jesus gave Christians this special meal to help them remember. Rev Ben asked us ‘ What happened in today's Bible story? ‘ and ‘ What does Holy Communion help Christians to remember?’ The children gave some lovely answers which included the fact that Jesus gave up his life for us with the bread representing Jesus' body which was broken on the cross and the wine represents his blood. We finished our Worship by singing Jesus strong and Kind.
Year 3 Class Worship: Happy News and Fun Reflections
During our class worship today, we explored several inspiring stories from our Happy News issue, reflecting on the theme of happiness and how small actions can make a big difference. We learned about "Moon Chickpeas" being grown in special soil for astronauts, the kindness of "Yakult Ladies" in Japan who check on the elderly, and the creativity of 10-year-old fashion designer Max Alexander. We also celebrated the return of the Large Tortoiseshell butterfly to the UK and the use of "super-hearing" to keep hedgehogs safe. Following these stories, we shared our own thoughts on what makes us happy and what "fun" truly means to us, such as the joy of spending quality time with friends and family. Charlie then read a prayer from Picture News, which thanked God for the things that bring us joy and excitement, like our favourite hobbies and games, and for the friends and family we share them with. We concluded that whether it is through a global scientific breakthrough or a simple chat with a friend, we all have the power to spread happiness and look out for one another.
Year 4 - Class Worship: Joy
In our class worship we looked at the Picture News story for the week about Pokémon turning 30 years old. The subject of the worship was: Finding Joy in the Journey. After discussing the story, the children worked in pairs to discuss their experiences of having fun. They used the social and emotional skill of oracy to really listen to their partner’s response, ready to share it with the rest of the class. They then listened to the Bible passage taken from Ecclesiastes explaining that God wants us all to experience and seek out joy, with the following caveats: don’t sacrifice your kindness and respect towards others in the pursuit of joy, and enjoy the journey rather than solely focussing on the destination.
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Our Whole School Worship-Palm Sunday and Serving Others
Our whole school worship began with signing the Trinity, bringing the whole school together in reflection. To explore the theme of our new Kindness Kite, Jack (Y5), Eliza (Y5), and Olivia (Y4) shared the Fairness Kite, which explained the biblical perspective on justice and treating others equitably. Mrs Ham asked the children to take a moment to reflect on everything we have done as a school to serve others who don't have as much as us. We looked back on our collective efforts to help those in need: Donating clothes, coats for the homeless, and teddies, which were organised by Year 5 Rotakids. Collecting food for Harvest and supporting the Darwen Enterprise Easter Egg appeal. Filling shoe boxes and raising money through sponsored walks. Worship continued with Mrs Ham reading a rhyming Palm Sunday Bible story about Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey, which the children and staff acted out brilliantly. Jesus and his friends were played by Charlie G, Peyton, and Mr Bloomfield. Zac (Year 1) played the donkey that carried Jesus into the city. Iris, Ava, and many other children acted as the crowd, waving palm leaves to welcome the King. Mrs Araujo and Mr Mealor played the Pharisees, representing the religious leaders who disagreed with Jesus and watched the parade with concern. To end our worship, we sang, 'We Have a King Who Rides a Donkey.' We left worship thinking about the example Jesus set and how we can continue to give in service to those around us.
Mothering Sunday Worship
We wanted to send a huge thank you to the children who joined us for our special Mothering Sunday worship today. They were a true credit to our community and represented St Barnabas beautifully. It was a joy to hear their voices fill the church as they performed: • Jesus Strong and Kind • The Butterfly Song • Give me oil in my lamp We are so grateful to you, our families, for bringing them along and allowing them to be such an integral part of our service. Their energy and participation made the morning truly special. Wishing a wonderful Mothering Sunday to all our Mums and Grandmas—we hope you have a relaxing day filled with love.