Reception: Firefighter Visit
Reception had a truly "spark-tacular" morning today as we welcomed a very special visit from Jordan (Indie’s Daddy) and his fantastic team of firefighters! We spent our session learning exactly what to do in an emergency: shout for help, tell a grown-up, get out of the building, and call 999. We watched a fascinating video about their equipment and spent time distinguishing between "good fires," like birthday candles or toasting marshmallows, and "bad fires" that can hurt us. The children learned the golden rule to never play with matches or lighters, and we discussed the importance of having a fire plan. We even learned a clever safety trick: using pillows and blankets under a door to help stop smoke and fire from spreading. The excitement reached a new level when Glenn showed the class the heavy-duty gear firefighters wear, including breathing apparatus, torches, and even a heat-seeking camera. A huge well done to Chester and Ohana, who were our brave volunteers and tried on the official firefighter uniform! To top off the morning, we all got the chance to sit inside the fire engine and try our hand at using the real fire hose. What a treat! We want to say a massive thank you to Jordan and the whole crew for visiting us and for the special treats they left behind. Homework Alert: Please help your child check that you have a working smoke alarm at home tonight!
.jpeg)
Reception: Fire Engine Craft
Our Superhero topic took an exciting turn this week as we shifted our focus to the real-life heroes of our community: firefighters! The children were buzzing with energy as they stepped into the role of engineers to design and build their very own fire engines. It was wonderful to watch them take full creative control, carefully selecting their colours to ensure their vehicles looked rescue-ready. The classroom was a hub of construction as the children practised their "joining" skills, figuring out the best ways to connect paper and card to build sturdy structures. To add that final heroic touch, they focused on the finer details that make a fire engine special. From crafting tall ladders for high-up rescues to adding bright sirens and windows, their attention to detail was impressive. This project wasn't just about crafting; it was a fantastic way for the children to develop their fine motor skills and problem-solving abilities while celebrating the brave people who keep us safe. We can't wait to meet a real firefighter tomorrow!
.jpeg)
Doodle and Dance Club
What a wonderful way to wrap up our sessions! Today marked our very last Doodle and Dance Club, and the children certainly made it a memorable one. We kicked things off by following step-by-step instructions to draw our very own Easter bunnies, and Mrs Wilkinson was so impressed by the focus and determination in the room. Everyone worked incredibly hard, resulting in some fabulous drawings that showcased their unique creative flairs. We finished the club on a high note with lots of high-energy dancing to our favourite tracks, leaving us all with big smiles.
Reception Maths - Making 7
This week in Maths we have been thinking about all the different ways to make 7. The children explored this in relation to our story this week ‘The Birthday Crown’ where they thought of different ways they could arrange 7 jewels for the Queen’s crown.
.jpeg)
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.
.jpeg)
Reception - PSHE - King Charles III
In the lesson we discussed who King Charles III is and what he does for our country. We looked at how he helps people and charities and that he represents our country. We made crowns, practised our royal waves and watched a part of his coronation. The children really enjoyed learning about where he lives and his job.
Reception - PSHE - Money
In today’s lesson we talked about money, what it is, what we can do with it, where we keep it and how adults and grown ups make money. We looked at different coins in circulation and role played a shop keeper and buying goods. We even moved this to play with our little ice cream cart outside in the sunshine!
.png)
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.
.jpeg)
Reception: Muddy Monday
Our Reception explorers had a fantastic time during today’s session at Whitehall Park. It was a joy to see them immersing themselves in nature and building so much confidence in the great outdoors. Today, we took a moment to ask the children what they love most about their woodland adventures, and their answers perfectly captured the spirit of the morning. Chester told us that he loves climbing trees and collecting twigs to create fires, while Coban shared that he really enjoys the process of making fires too. In the heart of the trees, Bowen explained that he just enjoys playing in the woodland, while Max was busy building dens and Poppy told us she enjoys making bug houses for the little creatures. The session was also a wonderful chance for discovery; Erin mentioned how much she enjoys finding all the different leaves, and Alfie told us he loves to dig for treasure that nobody can find. Luna highlighted the social side of our trips, saying, "We love to talk about what we can see outside with our friends." Of course, it wouldn't be a true session without a bit of mess—Indie happily told us she simply enjoys getting muddy! It is wonderful to see our class growing so much through these outdoor experiences.
Reception Science Week - Experimenting with Ice
For Science Week, Reception have been experimenting with ice to see how it can change from a solid to a liquid. We based our Science lesson around The Evil Pea from Supertato, where the children had to help free the vegetables from the ice using different tools or equipment. We helped to free the vegetables by breaking the ice, using warm water to melt the ice and by pouring on salt to dissolve the ice. The children loved observing the changes as the vegetables were freed from the blocks!
Reception: Mother's Day Celebration
We are still smiling after our wonderful Reception Mother’s Day celebration! A huge thank you to all the incredible mums, grandmothers, and special figures who joined us today. We were absolutely thrilled with the turnout—having our school hall filled with so much love made the day truly special. Seeing the joy on the children’s faces as they shared this time with you is exactly why we love what we do. We hope you have a restful and well-deserved Mother’s Day this Sunday. You do so much for everyone else; we hope this weekend is all about celebrating you! A huge thank you to our local author, Collette for visiting and reading a story. Her book can be purchased here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/what-s-that-mummy/c-k-lee/9781035880720 If you enjoyed the book at the Mother's Day Celebration and want to support Collette in another way, reviews are very much appreciated on Waterstones or Amazon, you don't have to purchase the book from them to leave a review. Videos will be posted to Dojo shortly.
Reception - PSHE - Looking after our community and the environment.
In our lesson today we looked at the environment and little things we can do to save energy and look after the world around us. We talked about how litter can hurt nature and animals and that if we can recycle our rubbish we can reuse it in the form of a new bottle, or glass or paper. We then had a go at sorting out our rubbish into the correct recycling bins.