Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back. I hope you had a lovely break. It is great to see the children back and they are already working incredibly hard. We have a busy term ahead with Blastonbury and other events taking place. Dates will be sent out soon.

 

As you know school is closed for all the children apart from Year 6 for two NEU strike days on 27th April and 2nd May. Year 6 will be in as they are very close to taking their national KS2 assessments and transitioning to secondary school. If your child is in Year 6 they do not need to wear uniform on these days. Please ensure they are wearing suitable and appropriate clothing and footwear on these days. There is no breakfast or afterschool clubs or provision.

 

If your child attends the Junior Adventures Group (previously Fit for Sport) please do not ring the school to book them in, especially after the deadline. We cannot place children into the provision and we also have to follow their procedures. Please contact them directly to book a place. Please also remember to pay as if you don’t the place will be cancelled.

 

Please can I remind you not to stand in the area inside and in front of our school gates. It is getting really congested and it means children are finding it hard to enter.

It is 20p time again. As some of you know, we ask the children to collect as many 20ps as they can to raise money for school. This year the amount will go towards Project Renovate. We let the children know in assembly on Monday and the class that wins by raising the most money then wins £20 to spend as they choose. Thank you for supporting us with this. It is voluntary and not a must but I hope you will support us with this. I hope you also saw the details of Project Renovate. I am so grateful for all the support with this, especially in such difficult times. We will be counting them up at the end of the academic year.

 

It is World Earth Day tomorrow and we will be talking to the children next week about this. One child in Year 5 has made a lovely suggestion about having more plants in the classrooms. They can make pupils feel more content, more satisfied and possibly even improve their learning. A number of plants may also help to clean the classroom air. I was wondering if you had any spare plants at home that we could have in the classrooms. They would be greatly received.

 

On Saturday 20th May, 80 Betty Layward children from reception to year 6, and 20 parents and carers will run the final leg of the Hackney Half Marathon at the school's challenge at Hackney Marshes. They have been running a mile a week at school for 12 weeks, so this last mile completes their half marathon. On Sunday 21st May, 10 parents and carers will be running the full half marathon to raise funds for our school. In 2019, parents and carers ran for Project Playground and raised over £12K, nearly half of what was needed to completely redesign the woodlands, paying for all the equipment our children enjoy today. The Hackney Half was a really important part of the fundraising effort. This time they are running for Project Renovate; the new mission to raise funds to redecorate the upper floor of our school. It’s a big project including 8 classrooms, the ICT suite, a large hallway, and the two stairways. This part of the school hasn’t been improved for over 15 years and is now looking (and feeling) tired and worn. It's in need of repair and renovation to give the children more beautiful spaces in which to learn. Classrooms that feel loved and looked after, just like the children are. It’s time to fix it and we need your help. We know times are a lot harder than they were 2019 and that many people will be unable to donate, but for those who are able, please give what you can, to support the brilliant children running on Saturday, and the adults, parents and carers taking part in the Hackney Half on Sunday. Here is the just giving page.

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bettylaywardprojectrenovate

If your child is attending to run the mile on the Saturday they must have a parent or carers with them. They cannot be left on their own. Thank you for supporting us with this.

 

A group of children in Year 4 are taking part in a reading scheme through the Bookmark charity: www.bookmarkreading.org. On Thursday a photographer came in to take some photos of the children reading to use in their advertising. The children were very enthusiastic, welcoming and showed great confidence in their reading skills. We look forward to seeing these photos.

 

Happy Eid-ul-Fitr 2023. Have a great day and a wonderful year ahead.

Jessica

Headteacher