Image of Year 4 PE - Using the Climbing Frame and new Gym Equipment
19 Dec

Year 4 PE - Using the Climbing Frame and new Gym Equipment

For our PE session today we incorporated all of the skills that we have learned over the past few weeks and transferred these into the new gym equipment. We also got the multi use climbing frame out to give the children more ways to explore travelling, changing position and direction, jumping and landing. It was a great session and all of the children loved it!

Image of Year 4 Adventure Art and Trail Quiz Walk
19 Dec

Year 4 Adventure Art and Trail Quiz Walk

Year 4 have had a great day today taking part in the Advent Art and Trail Quiz Walk. We walked to the Rose Garden first where we did the Advent Trail Quiz and the children worked really well to follow the clues and answer the questions. Next we walked around the garden admiring the beautiful pieces of artwork that the children from St Barnabas had completed. After that we walked to Mrs Gardner's home to enjoy hot chocolate, marshmallows and cream or a hot vimto with a side of chocolate biscuits. Finally, we walked back to the park and went on the playground before heading back to school. The children were great at showing the 4 Bs both in and out of the classroom and it was lovely to watch them all with huge smiles on their faces too.

Image of Years 4, 5 and 6 Christmas Party
18 Dec

Years 4, 5 and 6 Christmas Party

It was party day today and the children in Years 4, 5 and 6 came together to play games and show off their best dance moves. They enjoyed a round of pass the parcel and a couple of games of corners, but their highlight was definitely dancing in their flashing glasses to an array of nineties and noughties pop classics.

Image of Year 4 - RE: Christingle
18 Dec

Year 4 - RE: Christingle

We completed our Year 4 Christmas unit this week, learning about Christingle and what each part of the Christingle candle represents. The children then made their own Christingle candles out of satsumas, cocktail sticks, birthday candles and sweets. We spent some time thinking about those who may not always have their basic needs met whilst we held our candles.

Image of Year 4 - PE: Basketball with Edstart
18 Dec

Year 4 - PE: Basketball with Edstart

Ahead of the basketball club starting in January, Edstart came in to lead a basketball skills session this week. The children thoroughly enjoyed practising dribbling and demonstrating chest passes and bounce passes. They showed great sportsmanship and fantastic teamwork. Well done Year 4!

Image of Whole School Celebration Worship
13 Dec

Whole School Celebration Worship

During this week’s celebration worship, we reflected on the theme of joy this Advent, alongside the lighting of the peace and hope candles as part of our preparations for Christmas. We discussed how joy can be found in simple moments and acts of kindness, and the children were reminded of the many wonderful events that brought happiness throughout the week. These included the Rocksteady concert, where children showcased their musical talents, the magical pantomime Aladdin on Ice, the school Pantivity Production and the festive fun of the Christmas Fair. Our Values Award winners were celebrated with great applause: Harry in Reception, Molly in Year 1, Evie in Year 2, Chay in Year 3, Sofia in Year 4, Elsie in Year 5, and Poppy in Year 6. Their contributions to school life have been amazing and have been reflected in their awards. Year 1 and Year 4 were also recognised as the winners of this week’s attendance award for their commitment to being present and ready to learn. A heartfelt special thank you was given to all the children who contributed their creative talents to produce the stunning Christmas artwork now proudly displayed in the Rose Garden at Whitehall Park. This beautiful display adds a festive touch to the community and each class will now take a trip to the park to admire all the children’s artwork. Prayers were shared during the worship, led by the children, who asked for peace in countries experiencing conflict and war, kindness to those without food or shelter, and blessings for everyone to have a safe, warm, and joyful Christmas. The Team Values Points results were eagerly awaited, with Darwen Tower placing fourth, India Mill third, River Darwen second, and Whitehall Park taking first place for the week. In addition, India Mill was announced as the overall half-term winner, earning a well-deserved non-uniform day and disco celebration as a reward for their hard work and teamwork throughout the term. This will take place on the last Thursday of the term. We proudly acknowledged the remarkable achievements of our children. Lydia was recognised for earning her Rainbows Influencer Skills Builder badge and for taking action to make a difference, while Naomi received her Christmas badge for Brownies. Isabella celebrated swimming 5 meters, and Lyla earned a Medal with Rothwell Arts for her dedication to ballet. Marnie May was applauded for her accomplishments in tap dancing and gymnastics and Grace achieved her Bronze Award for earning multiple badges at Brownies. Olivia was named Star of the Week for her excellent performance in gymnastics and Tristen celebrated earning his blue belt in kickboxing. Scarlett shone with her Netball Shooting Award, while Oliver achieved a swimming award for swimming 5 meters. Elana was recognised for her Rainbows Influencer Skills Builder and taking action and Luna was honored as Dancer of the Day. Alice and Evie were recognised as they performed beautifully in Over the Bridge and Leonora and Desmond proudly represented their swimming competition in the regionals. Well done to all for these incredible accomplishments! The worship concluded on a high note, with everyone coming together to sing joyful Christmas songs, filling the room with festive cheer.

Image of PSHE -Valuing Difference Part 2 in Year 4
13 Dec

PSHE -Valuing Difference Part 2 in Year 4

In today’s PSHE session the children started by discussing how we celebrate difference and treat each other with respect and fairness. We then moved on to identifying different celebrities and finding how they are different from one another and what are their attributes contribute to who they are as a whole person.

Image of Whitehall Park Rose Garden Art Trail
12 Dec

Whitehall Park Rose Garden Art Trail

Thank you to all the children who created fantastic Art work for our ADVENTure trail at the Whitehall Park. A selection of the Art work is now on display in the Rose Garden for everyone to see. All classes will be visiting next week to look at the Art work, talk about the Nativity story and sing some Christmas carols to get us all in the festive spirit!

Image of Not Getting Inn!
12 Dec

Not Getting Inn!

Our whole school was treated to a modern day version of the Nativity story. 4Front Theatre put on a wonderful production for our children. There was lots of laughter, singing and chanting throughout. Most importantly, there was a wonderful heartfelt message at the end of hope and joy. The photos can be found here: https://www.stbarnabasdarwen.co.uk/photo-galleries/not-getting-inn-1

Image of Year 4 - Linking Schools: Who Are We?
12 Dec

Year 4 - Linking Schools: Who Are We?

In Year 4, we have been spending some time exploring what makes us who we are. We started creating identity maps ready to send to our link class at St Matthew’s. We can’t wait to receive some work back and find out more about our new friends.

Image of Worship with Rev. Ben
12 Dec

Worship with Rev. Ben

During worship with Rev. Ben, the children began by playing a game of "Spot the Difference," where they had to identify which picture was missing from a selection of displayed images. Following this, Rev. Ben shared the story of Daniel and the Lions' Den. The children learned how Daniel, despite knowing that following God and continuing to pray would put him in danger, trusted in God and was unharmed by the lions. This led to a thoughtful discussion about Daniel's courage and faith. The children then reflected on how they could show courage in their own lives, drawing inspiration from Daniel’s example.

Image of Year 4 - PE: Gymnastics
12 Dec

Year 4 - PE: Gymnastics

We’ve been working on our rolls this week in PE in Year 4. We began by practising pencil rolls, teddy bear rolls and forward rolls and then we worked them into our duet routines. We are certainly brimming with skill and creativity in Year 4, and our unit theme of self-motivation was evident in the way we worked to perfect our skills.