World Book Day in Year 4
World Book Day in Year 4. We have absolutely loved World Book Week, but we have especially enjoyed World Book Day today. When Year 4 entered the classroom today they were shocked to see a jungle, cave, sloths galore, planes that had crashed and fierce piranhas in the river! The theme of our WBD and the whole week was based on the class novel that the children read back in Autumn Term - The Explorer by Katherine Randell. The children loved the story and this is why we decided to go back to the Amazon Rainforest. After taking part in the WBD quiz this morning, the children completed various challenges and whilst this was going on we had a ‘ Stop, Drop and Read’ session where children were picked to stop whatever they were doing and make their way into the cave to read and enjoy the biscuits and juice. It was lovely to see the children using our Jungle area enthusiastically and sensibly, showing their love for reading. In our PE session, the children had to go on a hunt for all of our past class novels using their orienteering skills. Again, they did this brilliantly with great big smiles on their faces. Finally, to finish off the day we played ‘ Guess the Teacher ‘ where we shared slides with photos of a teacher reading but their faces were covered with their favourite books. It was so much fun!
.jpeg)
Year 4 PSHE - Who helps us stay healthy and safe?
In our PSHE session this week we looked at who can help us stay healthy and safe. We looked at the roles of a teacher, doctor, police officer, crossing patrol, site supervisor, school administrator, nurse and child line councillor. The children worked in small groups and all collaborated on their posters to produce some super pieces of work.
.jpeg)
Year 4 - Webinar with Author James Fox
On Monday, the Year 4 class took part in a live webinar and Q & A session with up-and-coming author James Fox. He talked about his books, including Boy Vs. Reality, and shared ways in which he has drawn inspiration from real life. The children loved the session, especially because they got a few shout outs when their questions were read out and answered during the webinar. It was a truly inspiring session.
Year 4 - Pinocchio Dance
The Year 4 children joined in with great enthusiasm during their West End dance session with James on Tuesday. They learned about how dance is a way of telling stories with their bodies. They then worked with James to create some movements to help them to tell a section of the story Pinocchio. At the end of the day, the school came together for a joint performance. Each class in turn came to the front of the hall to perform their part of the story. It was amazing to see every child give their all to their performance.
Year 4 - Linking Schools: Zoom Call
This week, the Year 4 class had the opportunity to meet their link class from St Matthew’s in Blackburn via a Zoom call. The call began with a brief introduction and a chance to share some Makaton/Sign Supported English they had learned. Together, the children from both classes laughed and played games. They also asked and answered curiosity questions, such as, ‘What after school clubs does your school offer?’ Or, ‘What’s your favourite book, and why?’ It was great to meet our link class and to see who we sent our identity maps to.
Year 4 - English: Recital
The children are definitely enjoying our current class novel, The Firework-Maker’s Daughter. In this lesson, the children had to practise reading and reciting a paragraph from the story. They used symbols and actions to help them remember the words in each sentence, and they rehearsed 4 or 5 times before the text was removed and only the symbols remained. The children then performed the paragraph with actions and using their symbols to help them remember the words. This will help them to develop the inner voice of an author, ready for writing their own paragraph based on this one.
Year 4 - World Book Day Hook
The children are really looking forward to World Book Day, especially following this survival kit activity based on our first class novel, The Explorer. We watched the news report of the plane crash from 2023, in which 4 children ended up stranded in the Colombian jungle. The children instantly recognised the similarities between the incident and the events of The Explorer. Following this the children spent time in groups, using their talk tokens and debating the four most important items to pack in their rucksack for their survival. Each group had a brilliant discussion about why some things are more essential than others and how important it is to meet basic needs first. The children are going to love the activities planned for Year 4 for World Book Day.
KS2 Timestable Rockstar Battle
A huge well done to our champions of this month’s Times Table Rockstars Battle! Our individual champions are: Year 6 – Luca Year 5 – Charlie Year 4 – Bobby-Ray Year 3 – Charlie A special congratulations to Year 6 and Year 4, who were our overall winning teams and claimed victory in their class battles. Well done to everyone who participated — your effort, enthusiasm and determination made it a fantastic competition!
Whole School Worship
During today’s whole school worship, we reflected on what we might give for Lent. We explored how Lent is a time of sacrifice, remembering Jesus’ sacrifice, but also a time to give — not only by giving something up, but by giving more of ourselves. We thought about how we can share smiles, kindness, love and live out our Christian values in simple, meaningful ways each day. The children shared thoughtful ideas about small changes they could make, both at school and at home, to show patience, forgiveness and generosity. We also focused on this week’s Kindness Kite theme, “Share what you have,” reminding ourselves that even the smallest act of generosity — sharing time, helping a friend or offering encouraging words — can make a big difference to others.
.jpeg)
Whole School Worship - Ramadan
During worship, we were also treated to a special and informative reflection on Ramadan, thoughtfully led by Miss Kachwalla. The session helped us to understand the importance of this sacred month in Islam — a time of prayer, fasting, reflection and generosity. We learned about how Muslims around the world show dedication, self-discipline and compassion during Ramadan, and how values such as kindness, gratitude and community are central to this time. It was a wonderful opportunity to deepen our understanding, celebrate diversity within our school community and reflect on the shared values that bring us together. We also looked at the similarities between Lent and Ramadan and how they were both important times to give to others and give food up or fast to feel closer to God.
Friday Celebration Worship
What a wonderful and incredibly busy first week back we have had in school. On Monday we welcomed special visitors into our school and they were so impressed with the children’s beautiful behaviour, their hard work and their fantastic oracy skills. We are so proud of the way our children represent our school community. A huge thank you to Miss Kachwalla for organising Mad Science, it was a brilliant experience and the children absolutely loved it. This week we have also spent time reflecting on Lent, thinking carefully about what we might give up and how we can grow closer to God during this special season. It has been lovely to see so many children taking part in our amazing after-school clubs and joining in with the Big Winter Wander. We are delighted to celebrate our Values Award winners this week. In Reception, Mason and Phoebe have shown our school values so beautifully. In Year 1, well done to Thea. In Year 2, congratulations to Joey. In Year 3, Alice and Evie have impressed us all. In Year 5, well done to Miles, and in Year 6, congratulations to Beau. Our Pen Licence this week goes to Scarlett in Year 4, what a fantastic achievement for your presentation and handwriting. In our Team Values results, fourth place goes to Darwen Tower, third place to Whitehall Park, second place to India Mill and in first place this week is River Darwen. A huge well done to River Darwen who will get to wear their own clothes on Friday for their disco, enjoy your celebration. We also have so many wonderful sporting achievements to celebrate. Alice has been awarded a trophy in cheerleading for coming second place. Bowen has received a football trophy for his excellent skills. Ida and Layla have both earned a badge for riding trot in horse riding. Phoebe has achieved her 10m swimming certificate and Stage 3. Olivia and Eleanor have earned a Rainbows badge for baking, trying different foods, completing a duck hunt and caring for animals carefully, and Eleanor has also achieved a water skills certificate. Maggie has been awarded a purple belt in martial arts for her fantastic kicking and punching, as well as achieving Stage 3 in gymnastics. Annabelle has received the hardest worker certificate in dance and has the amazing opportunity to go to New York for a dance show, we are so proud. Callie and Charlie have both achieved their 50m swimming certificates. Lyla has won medals in dancing. Seb and Scarlett have received certificates from a sports club during the half-term holidays and Scarlett's netball team also won the league. Tristan has been awarded a purple belt for punching and blocking. Ted has won a huge trophy for BMX racing for coming second in his age category. Lydia has awarded Olivia from Brownies for being kind and helpful. Grace has achieved dance medals for coming second and third. A special well done to our Year 5 football team who played six games, drawing two, narrowly losing one game 1–0, and winning three – a fantastic effort and great teamwork. Well done to Year 1 and Year 3 for achieving the highest attendance this week, your commitment to being in school every day really does make a difference. Looking ahead, we are excited for World Book Day next week. On Tuesday we have special Pinocchio dance workshops and a performance to look forward to. Don't forget to get your dolly peg book character entries in too. On Thursday, children can either dress as a book character or come in their pyjamas. Reception will be performing for Mother’s Day on Friday 13th March and we warmly invite families to join us for our Mother’s Day Sunday Service at church on Sunday 15th March where all of our children are welcome to sing to their Mums. Thank you to Olivia and Ava for leading us in our prayers this week.
.jpeg)
Year 4 English - Writing in Role
In our English session today the children were using a character from our class novel “The Firework Makers Daughter’ to write a short diary extract. The children wrote in the role of Chulak and identified how he felt about finding out the secret to firework making.