Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back. I hope you had a lovely break. It’s wonderful to see everyone back with such bright smiles. The weather is improving, which is lovely to see.

This week in Opal, we have been learning about how to use equipment safely during wet weather and how to access equipment safely in our loose parts shed. We have two fantastic sheds that store all of our Opal equipment. One shed holds our loose parts, which can be accessed daily, while the other shed contains our smaller parts for various activities, including construction, arts and crafts, sports, role-play, and more. This week, we introduced a large construction kit with wheels, cogs, panels, and poles. The children have thoroughly enjoyed building vehicles and castles; we even managed to move the vehicles. We are seeking further donations of wellies and waterproofs. If you have any spare wellies or waterproofs to add to our Opal collection, please bring them in. While we are hoping for more sunshine, we are also preparing our wet weather play resources and equipment for Opal to be ready when needed. Thank you.

It’s 20p time again. If you haven’t done this before, we ask the children to collect as many 20p coins as they can. This can be achieved by children helping out at home with chores or participating in fundraising activities. This initiative allows the children to take the lead in fundraising for the school, and the class that raises the most will win £20 to spend as they wish. It’s a great fundraiser, and we appreciate your support with this.

We are pleased to share that Betty Layward is working towards achieving the Bronze Rights-Respecting Schools Award stage—a nationally recognised initiative led by the UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK). This award supports schools in creating and maintaining safe, respectful, and inspiring learning environments. Through this programme, children are not only valued and respected, but their individual talents are nurtured, empowering them to flourish both personally and academically. By beginning our journey towards the Bronze Award, we are formally committing to placing the values of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of everything we do. At this early stage, we are working to raise awareness throughout the entire school community about what it means to be a Rights-Respecting School. Our goal is to ensure that children feel valued, listened to, and empowered to play an active role in their learning and in the life of the school. Thank you for your continued support as we work towards this important achievement.

We have 80 children registered for the Hackney Half, and only a handful of places remain. This is the highest number we have ever had. Please check that you have received an email from letsdothis (it may be in your junk or spam folder). If you do not have an email, please message Kirsty as soon as possible. If you are not fully registered, your children WILL NOT be able to run. PLEASE also start getting the children sponsored by friends, family, workmates, and neighbours so we can raise money for our school. The fundraising link is https://gofund.me/7da4ca9d. We appreciate your support with this.

Please remember to check the school calendar for dates this term, as there will be new events added, such as Blastonbury on the afternoon of Tuesday, 20^th May.

Have a lovely weekend,

Jessica

Headteacher