Whole School Worship: Joy at Advent
This week, our advent theme is JOY. We learned about the joy of Jesus’s birth and how we can bring joy into the lives of others this Christmas. We looked at the John Lewis advert about the man in the moon and how the little girl brought joy to the man, who had been very lonely. We also watched an alternative to the original advert about a girl searching for God and when she almost gave up looking, he sent to her his greatest gift: his son, Jesus. We finished with a look at all of the ways our classes have been bringing joy to each other and the community, including litter picking and singing in the local care home and reflected on how we can bring joy to to others this Christmas.
Reception: Bubble Prayers
At the end of our school day, Reception class lit our candle and signed the holy trinity. We then burnt some Frankincense which was lovely and calming for all of the children. This week, for Blackburn Diocese's year of prayer, we focussed on bubble prayers. We discussed what we were thankful for. Some of the children's responses were God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus, parents, teachers and friends. It was lovely for the children to stop and reflect which aided them to explore their own spirituality.
Year 6 - Class Worship
This week, in our class worship, year 6 discussed what it means to feel included. We explored a new incentive from the FA to raise participation of disabled people in football and expressed how we felt about this. The overarching views were positive, but we also explained how this incentive could have happened sooner. We then linked this to school life and spoke about what it means to feel fully included. The word that epitomises this is ‘belonging‘.
Reception Nativity
A huge well done to our Reception children who were amazing in their Nativity this morning. We are so proud of how much their confidence has grown since starting with us in September. They sang and danced their little hearts out and they really did fill our hearts with joy! A massive thank you to Mrs Wilkinson, Mrs Govan and Mrs Thompson for all of their effort into making the production such a success. A special thank you to Mrs Hegarty and Miss Craig for helping get the children in and out of their costumes and Miss Lyons for painting their faces. Thank you to Rev Ben for blessing us all and leading us in prayer at this special time of year, when we remember the birth of Jesus. Thank you so much to all of our Reception parents and carers for providing the children with wonderful costumes and for practising their lines. Thank you also for coming along and showing your support today. We hope you enjoyed it and hope your hearts were filled with joy too.
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Year 5 - Peace Class Worship
During today’s class worship, Year 5 participated in this year’s Picture News Christmas campaign, focusing on the symbol of peace, which was also our focus this week our Diocesan Year of Prayer. The session began with a thoughtful discussion where the children reflected on what peace means to them, its importance in the world, and how they can actively spread it in their daily lives. Inspired by their reflections, the children then created beautifully crafted origami doves, symbolising peace and hope. Each dove was lovingly decorated with heartfelt prayers, expressing their wishes for kindness, understanding, and harmony. The activity helped the children connect deeply with the true meaning of the season, fostering a sense of unity and purpose.
Year 4 - RE: How Did Jesus Bring Light?
In Year 4, the children’s acting skills were put to the test today when they were asked to re-enact the story of Zaccheus. They began by watching a range of stories that showed how Jesus brought light into the lives of those around him, including the stories of Zaccheus, Levi and the Rich Young Man. They then had to choose one to act out in their groups, identifying the “dark” parts of the story and when Jesus brought light. I think the story of Zaccheus was their favourite as all of the groups chose this one and they each acted it out brilliantly.
Reception: Year of Prayer
As part of the Diocese of Blackburn's Year of Prayer, this week's focus was on alphabet prayers. Reception class thought about what brings them joy. Evie said her star on her Christmas tree, Max said playing his memory game, Beau said her family and Mikey said visiting the dinosaur museum. It was wonderful to see the children reflecting and listening carefully to one another. At the end of our prayer we thanked God and said Amen.
Reception: Nativity Crafts
The children in Reception have been getting very creative. They have made stables using different materials and drew the scene explaining who each person and animal was. The children have also made angels using paper plates.
Collective Worship: Peace at Advent
Our school is starting to get ready for Christmas and has been decorated. There was one final job to do- our youngest child, Annie placed the star on our Christmas tree. This week we started our worship by looking at the Year of Prayer, which we will be taking part in along with lots of other schools from across our Diocese. Our WOW group explained what we would be focusing on this week in classes. All classes will have a go at alphabet prayers. The children will all think about something that brings joy to them. We then looked at our whole school focus which was on the value of peace. Mrs Wilkinson led the children in prayer. Mrs Wilkinson recapped what Christians focus on in the first week of advent: hope. She lit the first Advent candle. We then looked at what we would be focussing on this week which was peace. The children watched a video all about peace. Leonora said that if we experience conflict in school, we could walk away or not argue with our friends and remain at peace. Matthew said smiling brings us joy and peace. We all reflected on what the world would be like if it was always at peace. The children discussed how loving everyone can bring peace. We ended our worship by singing 'We Three Kings' and 'Ding Dong'.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Today, every child in school helped to decorate our real Christmas tree in the hall. They have been busy decorating their classrooms too so it really is beginning to look and feel like Christmas! On Monday, as part of our St Barnabas tradition, the youngest child in our school will place the star on top of the tree in Worship.
Worship with Rev. Ben
During worship with Rev. Ben, the children explored the story of Daniel and "the boys who liked to say no." Worship began with a fun game of yes or no, where the children decided which foods they would or wouldn’t eat. In the story, Daniel and his friends said no to the king’s food to show their obedience to God. Because they supported one another and remained loyal to their faith, they were granted strength and looked healthy. Rev. Ben explained that, unlike Daniel and his friends, Christians today don’t follow food rules in the same way. However, there are many ways we can remember God in our daily lives. The children reflected on how Daniel and his friends stayed faithful and considered how they could remember God this week—in their prayers, words, and actions.
Year 3- Class Worship-The Earthshot Prize winners
Today in class worship, we celebrated the Earthshot Prize winners. This inspiring award recognises people and organisations working to protect our planet. Year 3 were particularly excited, having just cleaned up their local community. We discussed how small acts of kindness, like their community clean-up, can contribute to a healthier world. The Bible reminds us that we are stewards of creation, and responsible for caring for the Earth. We prayed, thanking God for our beautiful world and asking for forgiveness when we haven't been good stewards.