Year 1 - Making Christmas Calendars
Year 1 enjoyed making Christmas Calendars this week. We used a photograph of ourselves in our Christmas jumpers and decorated the calendar for our adults.
Year 1 - Christmas Dinner
Year 1 enjoyed eating Christmas Dinner with their friends. We all enjoyed our chicken and especially our Christmas cookies!
Year 1 - Art and Design - Using Water Soluble Felt Tips and Water To Enhance A Drawing.
Year 1 built on their drawings of shells from last week by using felt tips and water. They drew their shell in their books and then chose two complimentary colours. They used the felt tips to highlight dark and light on their shell and then applied water with a brush.
Year 1 - PSHE - Inside My Body
Year 1 learned all about the inside of their bodies this week in PSHE. We discussed where organs are located and how important they are for our bodies to function properly.
Year 1 - Nativity Rehearsal
Year 1 have been working hard practising their parts in our production of Lights, Camel, Action! On Tuesday we had our first dress rehearsal in front of the whole school! I'm sure you'll agree they all look fabulous in their costumes.
Year 1 - Computing - Creating A Pictogram
Year 1 collated data by rolling a dice 20 times. They then produced pictograms to represent the data.
Year 1 - English - Using Envoys To Communicate Facts
Year 1 consolidated their knowledge about Seasonal Weather by making posters. Later, they sent an envoy from each team to gather further facts about weather in each season. They practised oral rehearsal of facts during this activity ready for their writing later in the week.
Year 1 - English - Freeze Frames For The Story Zog
In English, Year 1 has been re-imagining the story of Zog. They have come up with new characters and settings, following the structure of Zog. Today they acted out some freeze frames in order to learn the order of the story.
Should I Keep My Child Off School?
Lots of bugs and germs are spreading, and we know you want to do what is best for your child. Please see the NHS guidance below on keeping your child off school. If you are keeping your child at home, please contact the school office as soon as you can.
Year 1 - P.E. - Gymnastics
Year 1 enjoyed a Gymnastics lesson this week. They practised balancing on benches, climbing and completing sequences using a straddle, star or pike.
Year 1 - Art and Design - Looking Carefully and Drawing Accurately
Year 1 experienced looking very closely at objects and noticing the light and dark on images. They used pencil to draw using a continuous line and using criss cross movements to create shadow.
Year 1 - Science - How Do Daylight Hours Change With The Seasons?
Year 1 learned about how daylight hours change during the seasons. We learned that there are less daylight hours in Winter, and more daylight hours in Summer.
Year 1 Computing - Creating A Pictogram To Show How Year 1 Travel To School
Year 1 collected data from the class about the different ways in which we travel to school. We drew pictures to show our individual data and then created a pictogram to show the information visually. Later, we used our pictogram to talk about the number of children that travel in different ways.
Year 1 - Art And Design - Making Sketchbooks
Year 1 made sketchbooks as part of our unit on Drawing. We collected different types of paper and made sure they were about the same size. Then we folded each piece in half and stacked them. Finally, we added a cover of card and secured them using an elastic band.
Year 1 - English - Using Images To Retell A Story
Year 1 created a story map of 'Zog'. They then rehearsed retelling the story using a repetitive pattern and adding actions. They enjoyed performing the story for each other.
Year 1 Art and Design - Using Chalk To Develop Our Spiral Drawings
Year 1 enjoyed developing their spiral drawings with chalk and pastels.
Year 1 - Music - Tapping a Steady Beat
Year 1 enjoyed using percussion instruments to tap a steady beat to a variety of songs.
Year 1 - P.E - Dribbling
Year 1 enjoyed a Ball Skills lesson that taught dribbling skills. The children practised their dribbling around cones, then they played team games where they used their defence skills against the other team.
Fire Safety
A Home Office study has found that approximately 350 children are injured in accidental fires every year
Year 1 D.T. - Measuring Ingredients Using Non-Standard Measures.
Year 1 had great fun in D.T this week measuring dry ingredients such as cornflakes, oat flakes and flour. They used measuring spoons, cups and jars to practise their measuring.
Year 1 P.E - Balancing and Throwing and Catching a Ball.
Year 1 warmed up by pretending to be turtles with shells on their backs to practise their balancing skills. Later they developed throwing and catching techniques in pairs.
Year 1 - English - Writing Facts About Mice.
Year 1 watched a clip that taught us some really interesting facts about mice. We discussed them and orally rehearsed them before writing them down in our small groups. Later, we presented our facts to the class.
Year 1 RE - Sukkot; The Jewish Harvest.
In RE, Year 1 have been learning all about Harvest. They have also been learning about the Jewish Harvest week called Sukkot. During Sukkot, they build a dwelling called a Sukkah and it is decorated with special plants and fruits. As a class we built our own Sukkah and some even got to sit in it!
Year 1 Music
Year 1 enjoyed composing their own music and following their score with percussion instruments. Later we recited our favourite nursery rhymes and played along.
Breakfast Club
In the Breakfast club we made brick towers bigger than a year 5 child and played Guess Who Games . We had lots of fun.
Year 1 Science, Hearing Investigation
Year 1 investigated the effect of distance on sound. We found that as we moved away from a sound, it got quieter.
Year 1 Maths Part Whole Model
Year 1 used counters to split each whole into two parts.
Year 1 International Day of Prayer
On International Women's Day Of Prayer, Year 1 talked about why we pray. We decided that we prayed to say thank you, to ask for something or to say sorry. The children said some prayers and then coloured in these beautiful crosses.
Year 1 - Science
Year one enjoyed exploring their sense of smell during today's science lesson. They were tasked with naming the smells of some well known household goods.
Year 1 Geography
During Geography this week, Year 1 explored the Reception area and later produced maps using symbols to represent the equipment they found.
Year 1 PSHE
During PSHE Year 1 explored their feelings. They expressed various emotions with their faces such as happy, sad, cross and worried.
Year 1 Science - Food Tasting
Year 1 tasted bitter, sweet, sour and salty foods this week in science to explore their sense of taste.
Year 1
Year 1 explored their sense of touch this week in Science.
Year 1 - Maths - Comparing the Amounts of Objects
Year 1 worked really hard in maths this week comparing amounts of objects and using the vocabulary less and more.
Year 1 Science - The Five Senses
Year 1 thought about what they would see, hear, feel and taste in a variety of locations. They learned to name the part of the body that provides each of the five senses.
Year 1 - DT - Tasting Porridge
Year 1 began their D.T unit on food by tasting different flavours of porridge. They tried apple and blueberry, plain and golden syrup. Yum, yum!
Year 1 - PE - Ball Skills
Year 1 enjoyed their P.E lesson learning ball skills. They developed skills in dribbling and controlling a variety of balls.
Year 1 PE lesson: Balancing and Stability
In their PE lesson Year 1 learnt about how they can balance and make themselves stable whilst jumping. They pretended to be frogs jumping on to lily pads and learnt that they could use their arms to balance themselves. Through bending their legs and swinging their arms they were also able to jump much further.
Year 1 - Our First Week Back!
The children have been enjoying various continuous provision activities during their first week in Year 1. Here you can see children drawing inspired by Van Gough, making minibeast legs and making creations using craft paper.
Year 1 - English - Writing Using Finger Spaces
Year 1 enjoyed learning key facts about mice and then writing them using spaces between words.
Year 1 - Science - Our Bodies
Year 1 enjoyed naming part of the human body in their Science lesson this week.
What Parents and Educators Need to Know about Worry and Anxiety
At times, growing up can be a stressful experience. It’s not unheard of for young people to fret about things that could potentially go wrong in their lives – and what implications this would have for their life. In some situations, this can go beyond feeling uneasy about the future and become full-blown anxiety, which affects their mental, emotional and even physical wellbeing. While worry and anxiety can originate from many different places, it's immensely important for parents and educators to understand the effect this can have on youngsters – and how best to support them if they’re going through a difficult time. This guide provides insight into the ramifications of worry and anxiety, and how you can help children manage – and hopefully overcome – these challenges.
Year 1 - Maths - Money
Year 1 have been learning about money this week. We have been finding amounts using 10p, 5p and 2p.
Year 1 R.E
Year 1 have been learning about the Hindu creation story. They made groups pictures of what they had learned.
Year 1 P.E.
Year 1 used all of the team working skills they have learned this half term to complete challenges in the hall using equipment.
Year 1 Geography - Capital Cities
Year 1 researched the capital cities of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales using atlases.
Year 1 - Design Technology - Choosing Materials
Year 1 explored different materials that would be suitable for the different parts of their garage. They explored tubes, corrugated card and different sizes of boxes.
Year 1 - Science - Sorting Objects By Material
Year 1 sorting images according to different criteria. Some of us sorted into fabric, plastic or wood. others sorted into waterproof or not waterproof.
Year 1 - Sport for Champions
Year 1 enjoyed their visit from the Sports For Champions representative. This is Year 1 enjoying an energetic work out.
Year 1 Science - Testing Materials
Year 1 helped teddy to find some material to make a new umbrella. They tested each material to see if it was waterproof and then told teddy the results. Year 1 found that plastic and tin foil were waterproof, but that the best material for an umbrella was plastic.
English - Rat Facts
Year 1 have been learning facts about rats. These photos show us sharing our ideas and making fact posters.
Year 1 R.E. - Creation
Year 1 experienced creating new things during their first lesson on our unit of Creation.
Year 1 - P.E - Orienteering
Year 1 began their unit on orienteering with some team building and problem solving challenges.
Year 1 Science - Everyday Materials
Year 1 completed the task of sorting objects according to their material, whether they are waterproof or not and whether they are transparent or opaque.
Year 1 Science Day - Our Bodies
Year 1 investigated our bodies during Science Day. We discussed how we may all have the same body parts but that we are all different. We drew around each other and compared our outlines.
Year 1 Science Day The Science Show
Year 1 had lots of fun learning about pushes and pulls during the Science Show.
Phonics Screening Check - Parent Info
Please see attached the parental information regarding the Phonics Screening Check.
Year 1 Courageous Advocacy - Marcus Rashford
Year 1 talked about being brave and how to be brave to 'stick up' for someone else. They learned about the famous footballer Marcus Rashford. Marcus was a courageous advocate for children who do not have enough to eat. He wrote to the Prime Minister on behalf of all the children in the country to ask if they could have free school meals.
Year 1 Skills Builder - Art Gallery
Year 1 enjoyed developing their creative skills on Skills Builder Day. They looked for inspiration from famous artworks of the seaside, cityscapes, the countryside and abstract art. They then created their own mini gallery.
Year 1 Maths - Fraction Pizzas
Year 1 have been learning about halves and quarters. Today, they made some fraction pizzas, they decorated them with three different toppings to show one half and two quarters.
Year 1 - Guided Reading - Decoding
Year 1 enjoyed their guided reading session with their new book this week. The children read the new vocabulary from the text and enjoyed spotting these words as we read the book together.
Year 1 Picture News - Special Objects
Year 1 talked about the people who are special in their lives or a special time they have experienced. We discussed how simple objects can remind us of a person or an event. The children drew their special objects and shared their thoughts with the class.
St James Rainbows and Brownies
St James Rainbows and Brownies have spaces available. They meet each week at St James Over Darwen Church. Rainbows is for girls aged 4 - 7 and Brownies is for girls aged 7 - 9. The children earn different badges, they bake, craft, raise money and have lots of fun! Please contact Lisa on 07895023147 for more information.
Year 1 P.E - Throwing and Catching.
Year 1 enjoyed P.E outside this week. During this lesson they learned how to throw a short distance under arm and a longer distance using an overarm technique.
Year 1 Maths - FInding a 1/4 of a Shape.
Year 1 talked about how to cut sandwiches into quarters. We used paper templates to help us look closely at each alternative. Then, we prepared jam sandwiches for our classroom picnic, making sure that every sandwich was an equal quarter.
Ordering School Meals Via ParentPay
We have listened to your feedback regarding wanting to know what your child eats in school and we have now activated ParentPay meal ordering so that you can order what your child will eat in school (please note thaat this will be compulsory form September). Please familiarise yourself with this by logging on to your ParentPay account and selecting your child's meals with them at home. Dinners need to be ordered before 9am. Please message Miss Greenwood if you have any problems logging on, thank you.
Year 1 - History
In History, Year 1 are learning about Sir Francis Drake. The photographs show the children following the route of Sir Francis Drakes circumnavigation of the world on his galleon, The Golden Hinde.
Year 1 - Science - Melting Materials
Year 1 have been learning about the effects of heat on different materials. We exposed ice cubes, chocolate, sugar and wax to heat and recorded our findings.
Year 1 - Art and Design - Knotting and Winding
In Textiles, Year 1 have been experimenting with knotting and wrapping techniques. They practised knotting wool to a stick and then winding it around until the whole stick was covered.
Year 1 - PE - Jumping
Year 1 have been learning how to jump in P.E. They thought about how to use their arms and their legs to help them jump further.
Year 1 - Science - Classifying Objects According to Their Properties
Year 1 have been learning how to classify objects according to their properties.
Reception and Y1 - Guided Reading
Reception and Year 1 have been developing their early reading skills. They have been applying their phonetic knowledge to help them decode the words in the book and they have been working on improving their fluency when reading. The children have really enjoyed these interactive reading sessions and have used the Chromebooks to use the ebook feature, this has been a real hit too!
Year 1 - History - Sir Francis Drake
in History, Year 1 have been learning about Sir Francis Drake. In these photographs, the children are using the vocabulary they have learned about life aboard a galleon to produce posters.
Friends of DSJ
We are looking for new members of our Friends at Darwen St James group. The group was created to help raise funds for school by thinking of ideas and planning fundraisers throughout the year. Past events include; *Film night *Bingo night *Family evening *Summer Fair *Christmas Fair All the money we raise is used in school - we have developed the nurture room and we are currently renovating the library areas around school. If you would like to find our more or if you would like to volunteer, please speak to Miss Sears.
Year 1 - R.E - Baptism
Year 1 are learning about Baptism in R.E. In this lesson we were exploring different forms of Baptism ceremonies from around the world. We talked about the images and wrote down our thoughts and questions.
Year 1 - Textiles
Year 1 are learning about weaving in our Art unit of Textiles. In these photographs, the children are embellishing strips of fabric with pom poms, glitter and sticky shapes. In our next lesson, they will use these to weave a whole class piece of work.
Mrs Simms and Mrs Williamson - A New Adventure Awaits!
On Friday we say a sad farewell to Mrs Simms and Mrs Williamson as they leave us for pastures new. We would like to thank them for all of their hard work and dedication at Darwen St James. I am sure you will join us in wishing them luck for the future. Mrs Williamson and I would like to send a heartfelt thank you for all your support over the last 13 years whilst we have been at Darwen St James, however this Friday will be our last day in school as we both move on to new adventures. We would also like to thank the children for all their hard work and dedication over the years and we are sure they will continue to flourish throughout the years to come.
Free School Meals - Extended!
As you all are aware, we received funding last year and we were fortunate to be able to offer free school meals to all of our children. We thought that this would be run until the end of March, however we are thrilled to announce we are able to extend this to the 26th April. From 29th April children who are not on free school meals will have to pay for their lunch and there will be a slight increase in cost and the new charge will be £2.50 per day. Now is a good opportunity to look into seeing if your child will be eligible for free school meals if you haven't yet applied by visiting Blackburn with Darwen Borough Councils website here https://www.blackburn.gov.uk/schools-and-education/school-meals
Online Safety - What Parents and Educators Need to Know about Township
Potentially addictive online games are nothing new, but the specifics of this kind of media can vary enormously – and, as a consequence, the risks in each individual game are just as diverse. The city-builder Township is no exception: providing its legions of devotees with accessible, satisfying fun … but exposing them to potential hazards at the same time. However, any safeguarding issues that the game might have can (with a little knowhow) be neutralised – allowing young players to have some engrossing fun without adults needing to worry about children’s data, their money or their mental wellbeing. Our guide outlines how to help young gamers enjoy Township safely and responsibly.
Easter closure information
Easter closure information
Easter Competition Winners
A huge well done to the winners of this years Easter competition! Rev Kev and Miss Greenwood had the difficult decision of selecting 3 winners form each class. We had over 20 family entries too, which was great! Congratulations to those winners.
Online Safety - Wake up Wednesday - Clickbait
While scrolling online, you’ll almost inevitably have come across posts or links with headlines like “You Won’t Believe These 10 Crazy Facts about …”. Such lurid language – and the often-dubious nature of the content it promotes – has become something of a running joke on the internet. Yet while these articles are often laughed at by communities online, they can have an insidious side. Clickbait, as it’s known, can frequently function as part of a trap: intended to draw users in for the sake of advertising revenue or, in worse cases, masking an attempting to collect their personal information. This #WakeUpWednesday guide explores the various risks of clickbait and offers some top tips for evading the pitfalls of this controversial marketing technique.
Easter Egg Competition
This year our competition theme was the Paris Olympics and we have had some eggstrodinary entries! Well done ot every family that entered this years competiton, the judges have had an eggstremely dificult decision this year! The winners will be announced in our special Easter Worship tomorrow, you are all welcome to join us.
Year One - Guided Reading
In Guided Reading, we have been using our pointers to help us track our reading. We also used them to point to tricky words or graphemes too.
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Measles Guidance
Please see the latest guidance for measles.
BwD Family Hub Website
Fantastic news! Our website is live! The Start for Life Family Hub Website is the gateway to information of where services are, it details everything a family will need in those 1001 critical days and beyond. Our Family Hubs and Children Centres are our Single point of access to those start for life, wider services and family help. The Hubs and Children Centres are the physical places where a family can visit and speak to a trained staff member, face to face, who will provide them with straightforward information or advice on a wide range of family issues spanning the 0-19 (25 with SEND) age range and connect them appropriately to further services across that age range if they need more targeted or specialist support.
10 Top Tips for Parents and Educators: Encouraging Open Conversations at Home
Cultural and technological changes have made the experiences of today’s children vastly different to our own childhoods; it can be challenging to engage youngsters in open, honest conversation – especially about more sensitive topics. This, combined with many children’s instinct to avoid “rocking the boat”, can make it difficult to stay up to date with the goings on in their lives. However, it’s hugely important that trusted adults still offer an empathetic ear and feel able to encourage young people to open up about their day-to-day activities. This #WakeUpWednesday guide provides ten top tips for promoting open conversations with children – helping to make sure there’s someone they know they can turn to in times of need.
Year 1 - Maths - Numbers to 50
In maths we have been learning about numbers to 50. We looked at how to represent numbers using tens and ones. We used a 50 square and found different numbers based on their tens and ones. E.g. I am thinking of a number with 1 ten and 7 ones - The children then had to find and circle my number.
Year 1 - Computer Science - Coding
Year 1 enjoyed a great coding lesson in computing today. They made planes move along runways and take off by organising their code. Later they made scary ghosts and bats move across a haunted house!
Year 1 - Maths - Number Problems
We have been looking at missing number problems in maths today. We had a first, then and now story and the children had to work out how many frogs jumped in the pond. 3+_=8
Year 1 - Science - Planting Seeds
Year 1 had a great afternoon planting seeds and learning the names of common flowers.
Year 1 - Phonics - Popcorn Pop!
In phonics this morning, we played 'Popcorn Pop', reading words with the 'ea / e-e' digraph.
Year 1 - English - Ordering a Poem
In English this morning, the children thought about the shape of the poem and worked in pairs to put the poem in order.
Year 1 - World Book Day
Year 1 have had a great Book Day afternoon. We read Sloth in The Slow Lane and learned some key facts about sloths. Later, we made a sloth mask and some children did a collage.
Year 1 - English - When I am by Myself
We started our new unit in English today, a poem called 'When I am by Myself'. The children have been learning the shapes for the poem which will help them with the sequence when they are writing their own. We played a game called 'Show me'. After learning the names of the shapes, the children worked with a partner and matched them to the different parts of the poem.
Year 1 - PE - Athletics
In PE, the children have completed a relay race as part of their athletics unit.
Year 1 - Maths - Subtraction
In Maths today, we have been subtracting by counting backwards on a number line.
Year 1 - Little Red Riding Hood
Year 1 have been collecting vocabulary to use in their writing about Little Red Riding Hood. They focused on the characters and the woods. The children worked in pairs completing a 'Role on the wall' activity. For this, they had to think about how the wolf felt and what he looked like.
Year 1 - Funky Food
This week Year 1 started their new D.T unit of Funky Food. We started this unit by doing a survey of our favourite fruits and vegetables. The photographs show the children completing a tally chart as they asked their friends questions. Then Year 1 produced pictograms of what they found.
Online Safety - Self Regulation
As infants, we all rely completely on adults to help us resolve situations that are causing us to become upset or stressed. This is known as co-regulation. The next phase, once autonomy has begun to develop, is called self-regulation: this is when children start to become capable of exercising more control over their impulses and behaviour, and managing their own emotions. This vital developmental milestone, however, isn’t reached spontaneously. Learning to self-regulate requires sensitive guidance from trusted adults – simply talking with children about their thoughts and feelings, for instance, can ease the route to self-regulation. This #WakeUpWednesday guide has some expert tips for supporting children to reach this goal.
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