Year 3- BIG Debate Club
In our class debate this morning, we discussed if it was better to be a teacher or a pupil. We had some great conversations, especially because some of our pupils have family members that work in schools and see them working hard in the evenings and holidays. Some pupils thought it was great to be a pupil because at break times they can play with their friends and eat with their friends at lunch time. They didn't like the idea of marking books and assessments. They discussed that being a teacher is tough but can also be lots of fun because they can teach what they enjoy the most. We then discussed the importance of teaching a range of subjects to prepare them for the future.
The Big Plastic Count
THE BIG PLASTIC COUNT We're excited that our school is joining the Big Plastic Count initiative from March 11th to 17th. The issue of plastic waste affects us all, and our young ones must have a say in finding solutions. Click on the link below for more information. https://youtu.be/x0nQHO7Mw-k?si=76vpk8Hf9wXOKqn1 During this initiative, your children will play a vital role in gathering evidence about what happens to our plastic waste. This information will be used to advocate for change at national and global levels, urging UK ministers, supermarkets, and major brands to take action towards phasing out plastic production. In the coming days, your child will receive a ‘Let’s count tally sheet’. Count as you throw from Monday 11th March morning until Sunday 17th March! Simply mark every piece of plastic package as you throw it away on the tally sheet. We encourage you to support them in this activity, and they can then input their findings at home using the unique class link provided on their class page between 18-31 March. Once all the results are in, we'll create our class footprint and share it with the children. We appreciate your continuous support in involving our pupils in these significant initiatives. Thank you, Smart School Council and Miss Kachwalla
Year 4- The Big Plastic Debate
In our Class Worship today we looked at The Big Plastic Debate. As part of this initiative we will count the plastic that we use at home and try to help put a stop to our plastic packaging problem that we have in the UK. We looked at what type of plastics we use and how to identify these using the plastic ID tool available through the website. We can record this and then use the unique code to generate both our class and school footprint. This is all being promoted by Greenpeace who hope to build a strong global plastic treaty to phase out plastic production for good!
Year 2 - The Big Debate
This morning, we began our day by having a debate in class. This week's topic was ‘should all children be given pocket money?’. We had various points of view in class. We listened to each side of the debate and then voted. As a class the majority of us thought that all children should not be given pocket money. The main reason for this is we thought parents might have more important things to spend their money on.
The Big Debate Club - Should all children receive pocket money?
This morning we took part in Smart Schools Council Big Debate. It asked us to discuss whether children should all be given pocket money or not? We found that the average pocket money for 11-16 year old is on average £16.30 per week which seems an awful lot, especially with the cost of living crisis! The children debated confidently and used their speaking and listening skills to get their points across. As a class we decided that not all children should receive pocket money for a variety of reasons and if children are old enough they should earn their own money by getting a part time job which will benefit them greatly.
Year 3- Class Meeting- National Storytelling Week
Today, James led the class meeting while Alfie took notes. We reviewed the actions from our previous meeting, set by the communication team. The primary focus was on the key question: If we had a trolley outside at playtimes with healthy snacks, would you use it? The majority of the classes voted a definite yes. Mrs. Ham took action and listened to what the students wanted, and now KS2 get fruit for break time. In our latest class meeting, we kicked off National Storytelling Week by discussing the question, "How can we enhance the enjoyment of reading in our school? The children voted in favour of revisiting Darwen Library and meeting the authors of their favourite books.
Year 6 Class Meeting
This week, in our smart school council meeting, we discussed how reading can be made more enjoyable in school. The most popular vote was more trips to the library and the children explained that this would give them access to a wider variety of genres. The children also expressed their own ideas on how reading could be made more enjoyable that will be shared at the next school council meeting.
RotaKids and Smart School Council - Toy collection
The RotaKids, Smart School Council of Years 5 and 6 and the rest of the school family at St Barnabas would like to say a massive thank you for your generosity. In just over two weeks, we have been overwhelmed with donations of toys for families in need. The donations will now be distributed amongst families and refugees of Darwen. This will definitely make this time extra special for so many families and that is because of you.
Year 4 Smart School Council
In our Smart School Council session we discussed if we should be able to buy healthy snacks at break time. The vote was a unanimous yes as everyone thought that this was a great idea and we can pay on parent pay beforehand to help things run smoothly.
YEAR 3- NO PENS DAY WEDNESDAY
Year 3 had a great time supporting 'NO PENS DAY' today. To encourage children to speak and listen to each other, the class took part on playing 'Who am I', imaginary show and tell, played snaps using multiplication and division cards and made some Christmas decorations using salt dough. They had a great time and it was a wonderful opportunity to give everyone a chance to talk about something they love and feel proud of.
Year 3- School Council Meeting
In our class meeting today, set up by the smart school councillors, the children discussed whether we should participate in 'No Pens Day Wednesday'. On this day, the children will not have pens and pencils; instead, we will focus on speaking and listening. Alice led the meeting, and Walter wrote down key notes from the meeting. Every group voted in favour of 'No Pens Day'.
Year 4 Smart School Council
In today's Smart School Council session, we discussed if we should take part in National No Pens Day on Wednesday 29th November. The children looked at whether it would be a good idea to focus more on speaking and listening activities all day or not. It was a unanimous vote with all six groups voting to take part and suggesting great reasons to do so. We can’t wait to hear the whole school outcome!