Online Safety: Recognising and Managing Stress
Back to school doesn’t have to be so stressful. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide shares 10 expert tips to help young people recognise and manage stress in healthy ways. Download your FREE copy here >> https://vist.ly/45ffr
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Cre8ability Session 5
This week, our Cre8ability group focused on the vital topic of relationships with family, loved ones, and friends, emphasizing the importance of sharing feelings. We explored strategies for navigating disagreements and arguments, learning how to constructively address conflicts and maintain strong bonds. A highlight of the session was the creation of personalized "family boxes." Each member designed a special box representing themselves and their family, a beautiful and tangible way to reflect on their unique connections. The session underscored the power of open communication and creative expression in building and sustaining healthy relationships. We are looking forward to our final celebration session next week.
Edstart Jag Tag Tournament
Today we took part in the Edstart Jag Tag Tournament at Our Lady St John. We played against other schools from across the Borough and managed to secure some wonderful results. St Barnabas vs St Paul’s Hoddlesden - 12-0 win St Barnabas Vs St Anthony’s 8-0 win St Barnabas Vs Audley 14-6 win St Barnabas Vs Daisyfield Once we progressed to the Semi Final we met Audley again which resulted in a 18-0 win and then the final game was against St Anthony’s and we managed to come away with a sixth consecutive win of 12-0. Huge thanks to Marcus @Edstart for organising the tournament- it was fantastic to see everyone taking part with huge smiles on their faces and showing super sportsmanship. What a way to end such a successful sporting calendar! Go Team B!
Growing and Changing - Puberty - Menstruation
In Year 5 in our Growing and Changing unit, this week we looked at puberty but in particular menstruation. The children discussed key changes in our bodies with increased maturity and confidence. We also went through plenty of questions from our ‘Ask it’ baskets which enabled our less confident children to have usefulness discussed and answered. The children have really got involved in this particular unit and have tackled sensitive subject matter in a really sensible manner which shows how much they have really grown over the course of the year.
Online Safety: Apple iPads
iPads: more than just fun and games! This #WakeUpWednesday guide explores screen time habits, spending traps, and safety tips for parents and educators. Your quick guide to smarter iPad use. Download your FREE copy here >> https://ow.ly/bGZG50Wj5VJ #iPadGuide #TechForKids #iPadSafety
Year 3- Online Safety- Navigating ipads
Today in class, we discussed Apple iPads and some important considerations for children's use, such as screen time, privacy, and appropriate content. It was great to hear children contributing and discussing about their own restricted times and how much screen time they're allowed. For those who don't have time limits, we talked about the importance of managing screen time for good mental health and well-being. Remember, excessive screen time can affect emotions and behaviour, and tools like Downtime and App Limits can help manage this.
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Cre8ability Session 4
This week we continued with our learning on emotional regulation. We focussed on how music can affect our emotions. We listened to lots of music and discussed how we felt after it. Music works the left and right side of the brain so it is really therapeutic. We then explored and had the opportunity to play some African drums. Carol taught us how to play the drums. We learnt bass, tone and slap and how to do a rumble on the drum. The children all created their own rhythm and we did a call and response. We then drummed along to ‘we will rock you’. We finished our session with some mindfulness colouring.
Online Safety: Nintendo Switch 2
Switching things up. The Nintendo Switch 2 adds new features like voice chat and a plug-in camera – but also new #OnlineSafety concerns. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide has the full overview for parents and educators. Download your FREE copy here >> https://ow.ly/beVv50WfwKT #NintendoSwitch2 #VideoGameSafety #TechForKids
Cre8ability- Session 3
Our Cre8ability group met again yesterday. The session focused on managing strong emotions and returning to a calm "Green Zone" for effective communication. The session explored how different brain parts control emotions and trigger fight/flight/freeze responses. Key to the learning was the "3 Ts" strategy: time (for a 90-second cool-down), talk (to discuss what happened), and think (about solutions). Practical activities included making calming glitter bottles to aid regulation, and crafting dream catchers and "Worry Warrior" dolls to help express worries. The workshop provided valuable tools for families to navigate emotional challenges more effectively. It was a wonderful session and they made some beautiful crafts to take home with them too, thank you Carol and Maria.
The Great Live Assembly- World Refugee Day 2025
This morning in Year 4, we took part in The Great Live Assembly for World Refugee Week. 43 million young people and children have had to leave their country for various reasons including persecution and war. We met two children from Kenya - Ajok wanted to be a teacher and had to flee due to civil war. He had to walk over 500 miles to reach his final destination. We then watched an interview with the author Michael Rosen who has recently written On the Move, which uses poetry to highlight the struggles of a refugee. This teaches us that ‘Home is where the Heart is’ and we should really appreciate and support the sacrifices that the refugees across the world have to endure.
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Year 3-Exploring Spirituality Through Refugee Week
Today, as part of Refugee Week, 12 children from Year 3 visited a local church where they had the wonderful opportunity to meet refugees from 17 countries, such as Iraq, Palestine, Greece, South Africa, Afghanistan and Sudan. They listened to powerful, real-life stories of resilience, hope, and strength, gaining insight into these individuals' journeys and the challenges they have overcome. The experience helped to build empathy and deepen the children’s understanding of what it means to seek safety and rebuild a life in a new place. We ate food from Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Italy, Greece and drank Arabic coffee. The children sang songs for the refugees. Reverend Gilbert spoke to the children about how our donations to DARE - Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise have helped refugees and ensured they are always welcomed, and they encourage more donations, etc. This visit linked beautifully with our Spirituality school model of Windows, Mirrors, and Doors. Through Windows, the children looked out and learned from the lives of others, seeing the world through different perspectives. Mirrors encouraged them to look inward, reflect on their own lives, and think about how they might feel in similar situations. Finally, Doors inspired them to step out and consider how they can live more compassionately, supporting others and making positive choices in their own lives. The visit was a meaningful extension of our R.E. learning but also connected closely with Mrs Ham’s worship this week, which focused on raising awareness and showing solidarity with people in need. It encouraged our students to reflect on how they can contribute to a more welcoming and understanding world. Overall, today’s experience supported our whole-school aim of helping children to live life in all its fullness, by inspiring them to be open-hearted, thoughtful, and active in making a difference. #RefugeeWeek
Reception: Prayer in RE
For this week's outdoor learning session, Reception class focused on their RE prayer unit. We discussed how we can pray through song, words and actions too. This week we focused on the concept of prayer not just through words, but through an appreciation of the beautiful world around us – a world we believe is God's wonderful creation. It was a fantastic opportunity to foster a sense of awe and wonder in even our youngest learners. During our outdoor walk, we encouraged the children to stop, look closely, and truly see what was around them. We talked about how everything we observed, from the tiniest ant to the tallest tree, was something God made. We paused frequently, and at each stop, we invited the children to say "Thank you, God," and then to share something specific they loved about what they were seeing. It was wonderful to hear their unique observations –Eleanor thanked God for the grass; Annie thanked God for the animals; Minnie thanked God for India Mill; Thea thanked God for Darwen tower; Reggie thanked God for the flowers and Minnie thanked God for the water.. These simple acts of gratitude helped them connect their feelings of wonder directly to prayer. What was particularly heartwarming was how this experience naturally led us to talk about how we can look after God's world. The children, in their own words, came up with some fantastic ideas about being good "caretakers" of nature. We discussed how important it is not to throw litter and how we can help by picking up any rubbish we see. Their enthusiasm really shone through when we brainstormed even more creative ways to care for animals, such as making bird feeders for our feathered friends and even building "bug hotels" to provide cozy homes for insects! This outdoor RE lesson was a fantastic way to introduce concepts of spirituality, gratitude, and responsibility in a way that was accessible and engaging for our Reception children. They learned that prayer can be about thanking God for all the amazing things He has created, and that looking after our world is also a way of showing our appreciation.