Dear Parents and Carers,

We have really enjoyed our first full week back. The children are very well settled, and it is lovely to see them around the school.

We do have spaces in our Nursery, so if you know any families who might be interested, please send them our way.

We are delighted to announce that Betty Layward has been awarded the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award with Distinction in recognition of our commitment to sustainability and environmental protection. To earn the award, we used the Eco-Schools programme to identify environmental priorities, take action, and involve pupils and the wider school community in making positive changes. One key project involved working with the North London Waste Authority to improve our waste management and reduce waste. As a result, we reduced our waste by 36% last academic year, and 85% of waste was correctly sorted into the appropriate bins. Members of our Eco Committee were also invited to an award ceremony at Eco Park House in Edmonton, where they received a North London Waste Authority award for their commitment to reducing waste. They enjoyed a tour of the recycling facility and took part in fun activities, including making bookmarks from waste materials and designing their own recycling facilities using LEGO.

Thank you for your patience with Arbor this week. I know there have been a few teething problems. Please ensure you have added the names and details of the people authorised to collect your child, and that you have agreed to any documents we have asked for, such as the home school agreement. These should be under Notices in Arbor. Thanks for your support with this.

Please can I remind you not to use mobile phones on the school site, except when taking photos in assemblies, if agreed. Please can you let other people who collect your child know this, so we do not need to ask them not to use their phones as they enter school. Please can I remind you to wait to cross the road before you come into school in the mornings. Key Stage 2 enters at 8:50, and Key Stage 1, Reception and Nursery open at 8:55. Please do not wait by the entrance or the gates. We have children monitoring and helping with how parents, carers, and children enter. Thank you for listening to them and for being understanding, as they are also trying to keep everyone safe. Please also remind the children not to scoot or ride their bikes anywhere on the school grounds.

Parents and Carers can pay for extended school care (including breakfast club and after-school clubs) using Tax-Free Childcare or childcare vouchers via the HMRC platform or their childcare voucher provider. Once your payment reaches the school’s bank account, we will manually allocate it to your child’s Arbor account. Please note that Tax-Free Childcare and childcare vouchers can only be used for extended school care and cannot be used to pay for school lunches, school trips, uniforms or instrumental tuition. Please book your clubs as normal, then make the payment after you receive confirmation of your bookings.

With Harvest around the corner, we will be supporting Hackney Foodbank with a food collection this year. They are currently providing emergency food and support to around 420 people every week, many of them families with children. Harvest is a really important time for them, as the donations they receive help keep their food supplies stocked and ensure they can continue providing emergency food to local people facing hardship. Boxes will be outside the School Reception areas from Monday, and we are asking for donations of dried food, tins, toiletries, nappies, cereals, and other long-lasting items.

Head along to Hackney Foodbank’s Open Day

Ever wondered about the logistics of feeding hundreds of people every week?

For the first time, Hackney Foodbank is opening its doors at its Homerton HQ with warehouse tours, a chance to meet the team, games, a bouncy castle, crafts and a cake sale. The Open Day (on Saturday, September 26th between 10am and 3pm) is free, with any donations of long-life food gratefully received. Guests can also book to take part in the food bank’s legendary Supermarket Sweep Challenge, which sets off at 10 am.

Jenna Fansa, Head of Fundraising at Hackney Foodbank, said: “Feeding hundreds of people every week takes a lot of organising, and we’d love the chance to show people around. Our caseworkers will be there to talk about the work they do and the difference it makes, and we’ll have some lovely activities for children. The Open Day is free, but we’d welcome any donations of long-life food. We’re also inviting guests to sign up for our Supermarket Sweep Challenge. Working in teams of up to six, they’ll head to the supermarket with trollies and shopping lists and compete to bring back the most food within a £100 budget. Other challenges await along the way, plus bonus points for our fun inflatables at the end. The winner will walk away with our coveted supermarket trolley trophy.”

Places for the Sweep are limited and can be booked by visiting this website: https://donorbox.org/events/943950/steps/choose_tickets

The Open Day takes place at the Wally Foster Community Centre, Homerton Road, Hackney, E9 5QB.

SNCC currently has around 320 junior members (both boys and girls), and they would love to welcome more young cricketers to the club, particularly in their thriving girls' section. Indoor training for juniors this Autumn starts on the weekend of 18/19/20 September at four venues in Hackney: Bridge Academy, Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy, Britannia Leisure Centre and COLA Shoreditch Park. Here are links to all the timings (as well as details of subs):

https://www.stokenewingtoncricketclub.com/training

https://www.stokenewingtoncricketclub.com/membership

I hope you have a lovely weekend,

Jessica

Headteacher