Year 2 - Big Lent Walk
Today, Year 2 embarked on their Big Lent Walk, exploring the scenic surroundings of Jack's Key. This provided a wonderful opportunity for the children to appreciate the natural beauty we are fortunate to have within our local area. During the walk, the children were encouraged to observe and identify signs of spring. They were delighted to spot daffodils, butterflies, and bees, whilst enjoying being outdoors in the glorious sunshine. The total distance covered by Year 2 will contribute 75km to our overall Big Lent Walk initiative. We are continuing to strive towards our fundraising goal and would be grateful for any donations, however small, to acknowledge and support the children’s efforts. Donations to Cafod can be made here: https://schools.walk.cafod.org.uk/fundraising/st-barnabas-ce-primary-academys-big-lent-walk
Year 1- Year of Prayer- Easter Prayers With Hot Cross Buns
As part of the Diocese of Blackburn’s Year of Prayer, the children in Year 1 tasted Hot Cross Buns and said some beautiful Easter prayers. The children could see that the Hot Cross Buns were a symbol of Easter because of the cross that is displayed on them and they were able to make the connection with Jesus’ crucifixion. We collectively said thank you to God for dying on the cross to take away all the bad in the world so that we could have a new start. We saw this as us having the opportunity to lead a life where we respect and show kindness to our world and the people in it. We also said thank you for all the new life that we experience in Spring such as baby lambs, chicks, bunnies, tadpoles and beautiful flowers and prayed that all of the baby animals are brought safely into the world.
Year 5 - Easter Artwork
Year 5 have been exploring Jesus’ victory during this period leading up to Easter. Through discussions and reflections, the children considered how Christ’s triumph brings hope and light into the world, overcoming sadness and darkness. They then expressed their understanding through artwork, using contrasting colours to depict the cross as a symbol of victory against a dark background. Each piece powerfully represented the message of hope, reinforcing the significance of Easter in the Christian faith.
Year 3- The Big Lent Walk
This afternoon, Year 3 walked 2.7 miles, embracing the journey of living life in all its fullness. Along the way, we engaged with our spirituality windows, mirrors, and doors concept, gaining new perspectives, reflecting on our own experiences, and considering how we can make a difference. Through our actions, we not only contributed to a great cause but also felt a deep sense of achievement. We stopped by the graveyard to remember the lives lost, taking a moment to reflect and feel thankful.
Year 3- R.E- The Cross: A Story of Sadness and Joy
Today in RE, Year 3 explored the cross using flap books. They started with a dark-coloured cross on the top flap, showing the sadness of Jesus's crucifixion. By lifting the flap, they revealed a bright, joyful cross underneath, symbolising his resurrection. This hands-on activity helped them understand how the cross can show both the sadness of Good Friday and the joy of Easter Sunday. They discussed about how the dark colours illustrated the sadness of Jesus's death, whilst the bright colours represented the happiness of him coming back to life.
Year 6 R.E
In R.E, year 6 have been discussing why Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah. They listened to Bible stories and discussed prophecies about Jesus.
Year 3- Class Worship- Helping Other Countries
In our class worship this week, Year 3 discussed the recent news story about twenty world leaders forming a 'coalition of the willing' to support Ukraine- Helping Other Countries. The children felt strongly that everyone needs to work together and find solutions that are good for everyone. Emily then read a prayer, thanking God for the example of the Good Samaritan, who demonstrated compassion by helping a stranger in need. We also explored how other faiths emphasise caring for others and working together to promote peace and justice.
Collective Worship - The Garden of Gethsemane
Our collective worship began with the Year 6 class presenting their learning about Shakespeare. Thank you for sharing, Year 6! Mrs Ham then led our worship about the Garden of Gethsemane and how Jesus spent time praying for strength from God to help Him through the events that were to follow. We spent time reflecting on all of our Lenten events so far: Lent walks, Lenten promises and our 40 acts of kindness. Finally, we took part in this week’s special Year of Prayer by all sharing what was on our minds with Jesus, considering what we are thankful for, by writing these on a leaf. Mrs Ham created a prayer tree in our entrance area with over 200 lovely prayers on leaves from all of our children and staff.
Year 4 - English: Easter Poetry
This week, we began our poetry unit in English. Our topic is the Easter story, with our aim being to produce a piece of poetry, some of which will be displayed in the rose garden at Whitehall Park. We are only in the first stages at the moment; exploring poetry and working on our performance skills, but we had great fun creating and performing Kennings about Judas.
The W.O.W. Group - Lego Serious Play
The WOW group have been working hard to prepare for a very special Lego session over the past few weeks. They have made up individual packs, prepared activities based on BIG questions in RE and this week they have practised the activity ready to deliver it next week. They can’t wait to deliver the session and facilitate some great discussion to explore children’s RE learning so far.
Year 3 - Year of Prayer- Prayers for Healing the Sick
During our 'Year of Prayer' session, the children reflected on who needed healing, focusing on healing the sick, etc. They wrote down names on plasters and we prayed for Jesus to bring them comfort. It was great to see how the children considered not only those they knew, but also those suffering in wider contexts, like wounded soldier, patients at the hospitals and pets that are taken ill.
Year 1 Science and RE- Spotting Signs of Spring (New Life)
This afternoon, Year 1 went to Whitehall Park to look for signs of Spring (new life). They went in search of bird nests, flower buds, flowers, blossom, birds, bees, ladybirds, squirrels and butterflies. They spotted lots of flowers including daffodils, pansies, forget me not and crocus, flower buds, seedlings, birds and were even lucky enough to spot a squirrel.