Thank You for Joining Our First Reading Café!
Thank You for Joining Our First Reading Café! A huge thank you to everyone who came along to our very first Reading Café—it was such a lovely event! The children really enjoyed sharing stories and spending time reading with you. There was a wonderful buzz around the room as books were opened, imaginations sparked, and conversations flowed. It was a joy to see such enthusiasm for reading! We’re hoping to make this a regular event, and it would be fantastic to welcome even more of you next time. Keep an eye out for our summer term date—we’d love to see you there!
Sports for Champions Visit – Alisha Evanston (Tumbling)
We had an inspiring visit from professional tumbler Alisha Evanston as part of our Sports for Champions event! Alisha wowed the children with her amazing tumbling skills and even invited some brave volunteers—including a few teachers—for a fun handstand competition. She shared her journey as an athlete, showing videos of her performances, answering thoughtful questions from the children, and proudly showing her medals. The session was full of energy and excitement, and the children left feeling motivated and inspired to follow their own dreams. A huge thank you to Alisha for such a memorable experience!
Easyfundraising
We’ve registered Darwen St James CE Primary Academy with #easyfundraising, which means over 8,000 retailers will now donate to us for FREE every time you use #easyfundraising to shop with them. These donations will help SO MUCH, so please sign up to support us – it’s completely FREE and doesn’t take long. https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/support-a-good-cause/step-1/?char=379393&invite=6po80d&referral-campaign=c2s&utm_campaign=web-referral
Online Safety - Instagram
Instagram remains a go-to app for teens, with its endless stream of photos, videos, and ‘Stories’ keeping young users constantly connected. From influencer content to live broadcasts, the platform is packed with evolving features that can feel fun and engaging – but can also raise some serious concerns around screen time, online pressures and exposure to inappropriate content. We’ve created this free guide – also available in podcast format – offering parents and educators up-to-date knowledge on the risks and safety tips for this latest version of Instagram.
Year 4 - English - Group Reading
Year 4 have been completing some group reading activities in English this week. We have worked together to identify similar features across a variety of texts and to create success criteria in preparation for our own writing of an informative text. We've even managed to find answers to questions from these texts and create questions for each other to answer!
Year 4 - Science - Electricity
Year 4 have been looking at electricity as part of our Science topic these past few weeks. We have become rather skilled at identifying the different components needed to create a circuit and can troubleshoot issues that may make a bulb not work. This week we have looked at insulators and conductors and were able to put our predictions to the test in our practical activity, where we were able to test our ideas out!
Year 4 History - Ancient Greeks
In History we have been learning lots about the Ancient Greeks. This week's focus was to find out and experience how some city states came to make important decisions, by having our own assembly and debating for or against a right to vote, using the forms of democracy that the Ancient Greeks did thousands of years ago!
Year 4 English
Year 4 have been working hard this half-term in preparation for writing their very own nonfiction story and becoming real-life authors! They have edited, annotated and improved draft pieces of their writing to create a final version of text, that any reader will enjoy looking at. It was a hard task being an author, but the end result was definitely worth it - some fantastic stories have been created!
Year 4 - Picture News - Do World Leaders Have A duty To Have Other Countries?
During Class Worship, Year 4 used their reflecting skills to debate whether countries should work together. They showed respect as they listened to others with different opinions about a difficult situation.
The Benefits of Reading Every Day!
Reading with your child every day has a huge impact on their learning and development. It helps to build their vocabulary, improve their imagination, and develop a lifelong love of books. Just 10-15 minutes of reading each day can strengthen their confidence, comprehension skills, and ability to express themselves. Encouraging daily reading—whether it’s a bedtime story, sharing a book together, or letting them read aloud—helps to support their progress in school and beyond. Thank you for making reading a special part of their day!
Online Safety - Streamers
Livestreaming is now a major part of children’s entertainment, evolving from gamers sharing screens into a booming industry with diverse personalities. While watching streamers can be entertaining, it comes with no small number of risks for children, such as misinformation, negative influences, and inappropriate content. With over 2.5 million viewers on Twitch – the current most popular streaming platform – at any one time, this guide highlights the potential dangers associated with watching livestreams and the importance of staying informed. We’ve created this free guide – also available in podcast format – to provide parents and educators everything they need to know about streamers and how to keep children protected.
Year 4 Coding
Year 4 have been working hard in their computing lessons and have been creating pieces of codes to get their sprites and animations to move and complete simple tasks. Some interesting pieces of programming have been created and enjoyed by all.
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