This is the place where you will be able to read my weekly newsletters. Thanks for taking the time to read them, Jessica

• Friday 29th September 2023

  Fri 29 Sep 2023 Jessica

  Dear Parents and Carers,

  We have had a great and busy week. The children are enjoying their topics. They are working hard and we are very proud of them. It was lovely seeing you at our Meet the Teacher meetings this week. We have a couple more next week.

   

  The International Welcome Food Event was great last Friday, despite the weather, which did get the better of us in the end. We raised £1150 and I would like to thank you for your support, kindness and donations of food. It was lovely to see so many of you there.

   

  Please remember the AGM on Thursday 5th October at 5pm. This will be online and a link will be sent out soon. Please look at the information that was emailed to you from them. We look forward to seeing you then.

   

  On Wednesday 26th September, 8 children from Betty Layward took part in a Cricket Festival at the Young Hackney Hub. The children started with some throwing, catching and batting drills followed by a cricket game at the end which was so much fun. Well done everyone and thank you to the parent volunteer for your help on the day.

   

  Last weekend Emma and Mara ( Apricot class) decided they wanted to raise some money for our school by putting on a cakes and lemonade sale outside Emma's house. Maddie (rainbow nursery) also helped bake! Their vanilla cupcakes, brownie cakes, chocolate chip cookies and homemade lemonade were very popular and they were all very chuffed to have raised £46.20 for the school. A massive well done to Emma, Mara and Maddie. 

   

  Grandparent week is coming soon and will be happening the week beginning 16th October. Grandparents can be a big part of children’s lives. It is an opportunity for the children’s grandparents to come in and read a story, tell the children about their school experience or tell them about an interest or a hobby. The sessions will take place on most afternoons of that week so if you would like your child’s grandparent to attend please contact your child’s teacher to arrange a time. The sessions are about 10-20 minutes each. We really enjoy meeting grandparents and look forward to seeing them then.

  Matilda wrote about the eco trip last week –

  The Eco Trip

  Where?

  We went to a shop on church street called Know & Love run by a lady called Karen.

                

  Who went?

  The year fives and year sixes of the eco committee. We went to the shop that’s stock is very locally sourced and good for the environment. We had a look at their products and asked questions about how they were made and how they were imported.

   

  What?

  We went to a little room at the back of the shop, there was the owner there and other people there. A lady from Hackney Herbal, a social enterprise. Two other business women who ran a business called Kind Bag, where they make bags made of recycled plastic bottles, were there. There was also a woman who made wooden birds and a Hackney councillor.

   

  After

  When I got home I took the Verbena leaf the lady from Hackney Herbal gave me, she told me that if I put it in a cup of boiling water it would turn into tea so I put it in and it turned bright green! It was tea-licious!

   

  Thank you for a great recount of the trip Matilda.

   

  Covid is back and is on the increase. If your child does have Covid please can they not come into school for 3 days and this is for the 3 days after they take the test. Any questions please let me know and we are encouraging the children to wash their hands.

   

  Have a lovely weekend,

  Jessica

  Headteacher

   

  

• Friday 22nd September 2023

  Fri 22 Sep 2023 Jessica

  Dear Parents and Carers,

  I hope you have had a good week. Thank you to those of you who helped and donated food for the Welcome Event this afternoon. It was all delicious. It was lovely to see so many of you there and I thank you for all your support. It is a really lovely event and an opportunity to all meet up after the holidays.

   

  We were all really pleased to receive a letter this week about our Year 6 SATs results and how well our children did. Please see the attached photo. Well done to our children and our staff for the excellent outcomes.

   

  We have started working with Opal to develop our lunchtime provision and I have resent the questionnaire. Please complete it if you haven’t already. It is really exciting and the changes will be happening soon.

   

  Thank you to those of you who attended the Meet the Teacher’s meetings. There are more next week and the week after. We hope you were able to see some of the newly decorated classrooms upstairs.

   

  On the 19th September, during London Design Festival Week (16 - 24th September), our Eco Warriors went to a local shop, Know and Love, on Church Street to look at designers and artists who are leading the way on sustainability. They really enjoyed the trip and a big thank you to Know and Love for providing the workshop.

   

  A big well done to Charlie and Lily who raised £21 for Project Renovate by selling cakes. Fantastic work and well done. 

   

  Please can you ensure your child is not scooting on the road on the way to school and on the way home, especially if they are not wearing a helmet. I know it is a school road but cars can appear unexpectedly. The cameras are now up so please do not drive down between the hours of 8:30-9:30am and 3-4pm. You will get a fine if you do.

   

  We are putting the dates of events on the school website calendar. You can subscribe to it and then it will put the events in your diary.

   

  We are organising more trips for the children this year. From Year 1 to Year 6 there will two art trips or workshops and two religious education trips as well as three or four trips or workshops per class per year. We are really looking forward to these and you will receive more information soon.

   

  Have a lovely weekend,

  Jessica

  Headteacher

  

• Newsletter Friday 15th September

  Fri 15 Sep 2023 Jessica

  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  What a great week we have had. Our new children in Reception and Nursery have settled in really well. I am so impressed with how well they are doing and I really enjoy seeing their happy faces when I go to visit. They are also doing really well eating their lunches and being out in the playground. I am sure they will be tired today after their first full day. We are so pleased they are all here and we are really enjoying getting to know them.

   

  I have put all the dates for the Meet the Teacher meetings on the calendar on our website. Please view the calendar in grid format as the list format is not very clear to see. We are going to get this changed. Please take a look and put these dates in your diary. It is an opportunity to meet your child’s teacher and find out what they will be learning this year. If you have a KS2 child it will also give you an opportunity to see the newly decorated classrooms. The Year 6 meeting will also include information about applying for secondary school. The admissions process is for children in Year 6 who will start secondary school in September 2024. You need to apply by 31 October 2023.

   

  Next Friday (22^nd September) at 3:30pm we will be hosting our Welcome International Food Event in the playground. I would really appreciate some help with this and some donations of dishes. This is a great opportunity for everyone to meet up after the summer holidays and for new families to meet other members of our school community. Please let me know if you can help or donate food as it would be a great shame to have to cancel our first event. I am really looking forward to it.

  The children are loving the new school lunches. It is a pleasure to sit and eat with them. I am seeing a lot of empty plates and hearing some lovely compliments about the food. Today the children had a special lunch for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year and it was delicious.

  I hope you got the flyer for our working week in October. We are really looking forward to this.

  Thank you for returning the letters of interest in learning a new instrument. The available instrument lessons we have remaining are trumpet, violin, flute, clarinet and saxophone. 

  Please email Briony at Brionyblow@bettylayward.org  if you would like to book your child into lessons for the year or would like more information. 

   

  School starts at 8:50am for Key Stage 2 and 8:55 for Reception, Nursery and Key Stage 1. Your child will be marked as late if they arrive after these times. If your child arrives 10 minutes late every day, that adds up to almost an hour of school lost every single week. Please ensure your child is on time.

   

  Have a lovely weekend and I wish all of you celebrating Rosh Hashana a very Happy New Year this weekend,

   

  Jessica

  Headteacher

   

  

• Newsletter Friday 8th September 2023

  Fri 08 Sep 2023 Jessica

  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  It is so lovely to be back. I hope you have had a great summer. Welcome to our new academic year. We have an exciting year ahead. Summer still seems to be here which is great for the beginning of term. The children have come back with huge smiles and have settled into their new classes really well. It is fabulous to see them. Welcome to all our new children and their families. I hope you will be really happy here. We are really thrilled you are part of the Betty Layward community.

   

  The upstairs has been decorated and most classrooms have been refloored. It looks amazing. It had not been done for years and the flooring was over 20 years old. It is astounding how much difference bright new white paint and fresh new floors can make. The company did not order enough flooring so two classrooms and the ICT suite will have their floors fitted in the half term holidays. A nice environment for the children is crucial for effective learning as they are in the classrooms all day and I am so pleased they now all have it. We do still need to raise the rest of the money to pay for this so thank you for your support.

  The sail shades were also due to be put up in the holidays but have been delayed due to the company being busy over the summer and the weather delaying some of the jobs before us. They should be put up this term though. Thank you for raising the money for this too.

   

  The children are really enjoying their new school lunches and I am so pleased that all children have access to school lunches at no cost to you this year. They are really delicious and the new company work well with our school ethos; putting the children first and ensuring that we are using good quality ingredients and minimising food waste. Please look at their website – Fuel for learning and see how they work. We are really thrilled they are here and Damian, the chef, is serving and talking to the children every day which is really lovely to see. They are often complimenting the chef. It is so lovely to see them happy while they are eating.

   

  We have our International Welcome event in the playground on Friday 22^nd September at 3:30 pm. This was really lovely last year and it is a great opportunity for families to meet each other, especially new families. We will be selling dishes from around the world but to do this I would really appreciate donations of a dish from you. There will also be a BBQ and refreshments. We will be selling food by the plate and there will also be drinks. If you would like to help me set up and help at the event I would also really appreciate it. Please let me know. Any money raised will go towards the decorating of the upstairs classrooms. Thank you for wanting to support this.

   

  Please remember to put your child’s name in their uniform and any other clothing they wear to school. It would be great to see less lost property this year. We do not allow crocs or backless shoes as footwear so please remember this.

  Thank you for being such a great community and I am really looking forward to this school year. If you need anything please ask. Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the sunshine.

   

  Jessica

  Headteacher