Year 4 Creating Batik Artwork Inspired by William Morris
In our art unit, we have been looking at the work of William Morris. We have spent time creating patterns on tracing paper and then transferring these onto paper and then onto fabric. Next we moved on to adding pva glue onto our fabric pieces, copying the patterns that we had created on paper. This week we used acrylic paint to cover the whole piece, including the pva markings. In our next session, we will soak the fabric in water to dissolve the glue and this will leave us with a finished batik design - we can’t wait to see the final result.
Friday Celebration Worship
Our celebration worship today began with the signing of the Trinity by the Heads and Deputies. Moving onto expressing our gratitude to everyone who supported the school's Valentine's Disco, which promoted love and kindness. We also acknowledged Safer Internet Day, which classes have been focusing on this week. The whole school also enjoyed a fantastic science show presented by Mad Science. The children were buzzing with excitement as we witnessed multiple experiments involving, an egg, fire and a red cabbage. The children in Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 shared their thanks for wonderful dance and gymnastics sessions led by Rothwell Arts. We've also had a great half term of extra-curricular clubs, including Foodie Friends Club, Craft Club, Basketball, SATS and Multi-Sports. Next half term's clubs include Mad Science Club, Edstart Dodgeball and Gymnastics, Craft Club, Performing Arts, SATs Club, Choir, Cross Country, and Netball. Sign up soon, as spaces are limited! All class teachers presented value awards to children in their class that received the most value points this week, Luna, Joey, Lyla, Chloe, Lilly, Isabelle, and Daisy for demonstrating our 4 Bs: being respectful, kind, safe, and ready along with our Christian Values. Well done to these children for their excellent attitude and commitment to learning. The WOW group announced the ‘Wow Badge Winners’ for their amazing badge creations: Reception: Eva, Year 1: Elsie, Year 2: Renee, Year 3: Cassidy, Year 4: Alexis, Year 5: Bella, and Year 6: Daisy. They all received a big bar of chocolate for their entries. Well done to Year 2 and Year 5 for their amazing attendance this week! We also celebrated our out-of-school achievers: Hayden (good tackling), Hendrix (key game at Squirrels), Maggie (Rainbows badges), Olivia (gymnastics), Annabel (Rainbows badges for healthy mind), Grace (song and dance), Molly (swimming), Jack (swimming, Stage 7), Olivia (player of the match), and Tristan (imaginary green belt for kickboxing). Our Sports Hall Athletics team came 3rd in the final! Well done to the whole squad! Our house teams with the highest points will be rewarded with a house points disco and non-uniform day after the holiday. Congratulations to the Green (Whitehall Park) and Red (India Mill) teams tied with an overall score of 11 points for the half term. This week Darwen Tower placed 4th, India Mill came 3rd place , 2nd place Whitehall Park and 1st place River Darwen. Mrs Ham read out a special prayer called the Lord is my Shepherd which focuses on Jesus being like a shepherd by guiding us and always being there for us and Lydia placed the “ Year of Prayer” sticker on our special chart. We thank all those who attended the celebration worship and wish our school family a lovely, restful half-term break. Thank you for your ongoing support.
Sportshall Athletics in Year 4
In our PE session today we did Sportshall athletics. We practised our baton exchange in relays and incorporated speed bounce, hurdles and tunnels. The children worked hard to develop their speed, focusing on form and technique. We are excited for the Year 3/4 Sportshall Athletics competition on Wednesday 26th March on the first week back after the half term holidays.
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Inter - House Bench Ball in Year 4
This morning we took part in the inter- house bench ball which was led by our super sports leaders. The children were playing with their house team; River Darwen, India Mill, Whitehall Park and Darwen Tower. It was fantastic to see everyone joining in and being amazing St Barnabas encouragers. What a super way to end the half term and huge thanks to the sports leaders for organising this opportunity.
Inter- House Bench Ball
What a great Inter- House Bench Ball event we have had today. From Reception to Year 6 every child in school took part. The Sports Leaders led the event and managed each class really well . All of the children engaged with the year group sessions and were really enthusiastic, encouraging each other and working hard to develop their skills. Well done to everyone and a special thanks to The Sports Leaders. Another great event that involved every single child in school!
Worship with Rev. Matt
Today, we had a worship session with Rev. Matt, where the children began with a team game of “the wave.” They had to follow the movement and actively participate, reinforcing the idea of unity, direction, and how we are all connected. Rev. Matt then showed a video clip of Jesus at the Last Supper, highlighting the true power of prayer. He explained that, just like in the wave game, we need guidance in our prayers—someone to lead and show us the way. He reminded the children that Jesus prays for us all, giving us strength and support even when we don’t realise it. Following this, the children reflected on their own prayers, thinking about what they could pray for and the impact those prayers could have. They considered how prayer could bring comfort, hope, and change in their own lives and the lives of others. This time of reflection allowed the children to quietly offer their thoughts and prayers, reinforcing the importance of faith and reflection in their daily lives.
Year 4 - RE: Buddhism and Prayer
In Year 4, we spent some time exploring a range of Buddhist artefacts that are typically used in prayer. We generated questions using the 5 Ws and watched a short documentary clip about a Buddhist temple in Dumfries, Scotland, and what prayer means to them. We thought about our wishes that we would like for the world and we wrote them on prayer flags to add to our spiritual garden.
St Barnabas celebrates Safer Internet Day 2025
Today, we will be celebrating Safer Internet Day. We began today by a worship led by Mrs Wilkinson. We discussed how to stay safe online, what might happen online and what a scam was. We discussed how we wouldn’t speak to strangers on the street so we should do the same online and only speak to people we know. If something doesn’t feel right or we get a little scared, we should always talk to a trusted adult. It was lovely to see the children discussing the importance of staying safe online and we had lots of meaningful discussion during our worship. This will continue in classes throughout the day.
Year 4 - Safer Internet Day
To celebrate Safer Internet Day 2025, the Year 4s learned how to become savvy cybernauts. They began by learning about the importance of setting strong passwords, and they played a game called ‘Guess the Password’ for which the children took turns rolling a dice to generate a password. Their partners then had to try and guess as much of it as they could. They also learned how to spot a scam and practised with a range of common scenarios.
Mad Science Assembly- Whole School
Today, the children were treated to a spectacular science show by Scientific Sarah from Mad Science. Sarah, a trained professional in handling chemicals and fire, emphasized safety throughout the engaging and interactive presentation. Throughout the show, children were encouraged to make predictions about what might happen next, fostering their scientific thinking skills. The children couldn't stop laughing, and there were so many "wow" moments throughout the presentation. The show featured three exciting experiments. First, the children were highly amused by "Egg Bert," a boiled egg that initially resisted entering a glass cylinder. After removing the shell (humorously referred to as his "clothing"), Sarah demonstrated how air pressure, a principle discovered by Jacques Charles, could be used to force the egg into the cylinder. Heating the air inside allowed the egg to slip in, and then, following Charles' suggestion, Sarah introduced cold air to pop the egg back out, to the children's great interest. The second experiment showcased red cabbage juice, a versatile pH indicator discovered by Robert Boyle in 1664. With the help of James, one of the school's science ambassadors, Sarah peeled and blended the cabbage. She explained how adding acid or alkaline substances to the juice would dramatically change its color, creating another captivating visual demonstration. Cassidy also assisted with this experiment. Finally, Sarah performed a "fire hands" experiment. Referencing Doctor Walter Snell's work on storing gas in tanks, she again stressed the importance of safety. Sarah then created three fire bubbles on her hand, a truly mesmerizing finale. Flyers are going home today with details about a new Mad Science After School Club starting next half term, on Monday, February 24th. Importantly, the topics covered in this club are different from those offered last year, so even if your child has participated before, they are guaranteed to learn something new! Registration letters, also going home today, contain full course details and information on how parents can register their children online. The deadline for registration is Friday, February 17th. Interested parents can register online on a first-come, first-served basis at https://northengland.madscience.org. The entire show was a memorable and educational experience for the children, and we're excited to offer this after-school opportunity.
Foodie Friends club- Valentine Biscuits
Our talented bakers created delightful Valentine’s biscuits in various heart-shaped sizes for our final Foodie Friends Club today. They measured flour and sugar, whisked eggs, rolled out the dough, and used food colouring to achieve a lovely shade of pink. The club has been a fantastic experience. Most children have enjoyed it so much that they’ve been recreating the easy bakes at home for their families.
Meet Our Science Ambassadors
We are thrilled to announce that we now have five Science Ambassadors at our school! This exciting role was open to KS2 students, who had to submit an application explaining why they wanted to apply and what made them a strong candidates. We received an incredible number of applications, making the selection process very challenging, but we have now chosen our final five. Our ambassadors are passionate about science, whether it's through experimenting, discovering how things work, or inspiring others to develop a love for the subject. As part of their role, they will support teachers during science lessons, assist their peers with investigations, help set up experiments, and promote a love of science throughout the school. They will also play a key part in science events and initiatives, encouraging curiosity and excitement for learning. We are so proud of them and look forward to Noah, Mathew, James, Cassidy and Naomi shining in their new role!