Dear Parents and Carers,

I cannot believe we are at the end of the first term. It has been a busy and brilliant week with lots going on.

As part of Black History Month Maggy visited us in assembly this week to share her experiences in education and career as part of Black History Month. Maggy has worked in different locations and in many other positions including various responsibilities such as offering medical care to patients, being involved in humanitarian relief work and diverse projects in a Public Health capacity. She is currently part of a team delivering products and services for NHS Digital which for example played a vital role in improving our NHS online services during the Covid pandemic. It was inspiring to hear about how much Maggy has done in her career, to think about how career paths change direction and most importantly to think about being whoever you want to be. On Thursday we had more inspirational talks from Alicia, a parent, and her brother Jonathan to celebrate Black History Month and continue the theme, Reclaiming the Narrative. Alicia shared her passion for learning from a young age, her interest in the arts, and her incredible achievements in life so far. Her message was to continue to believe and learn. Jonathan shared how his interest in fashion and design brought him to have a creative job he is passionate about in the graphic arts. He shared some of his designs and artwork he has created that inspired us all. Thank you, Maggy, Alicia and Jonathan. 

Hackney Black History 365 is still taking place over the half term. There are some fantastic events for families and children especially the following: 

26th October - Dr Ronx - Welcome to an event like no other! Join us at Homerton Library for an informative session with Dr Ronx on How to Save a Life.

Learn essential first aid skills, CPR techniques, and how to handle emergencies like a pro. This in-person event is your chance to empower yourself and make a real difference in critical situations. Don't miss out on this opportunity to gain life-saving knowledge!
https://www.lovehackney.uk/black-history-season-events-2024/dr-ronx-presents-how-to-save-a-life

28th, 29th, 30th and 31st October - Art and Craft events: Join us for a family craft session celebrating Black History Season! We'll be learning all about adinkra symbols and making our own bookmarks! No booking required. It is taking place at Woodberry Down, Clapton, Dalston CLR James, Hackney Central and Homerton libraries. 

Free. Suitable for families and children ages 4+.

https://www.lovehackney.uk/black-history-season-events-2024/family-craft-session

This week in preparation for the Hindu celebration of Diwali, the children were given the opportunity to take part in a dance workshop. The children learnt the story of the Ramayana. This is a great Hindu epic story about Prince Rama and his wife Sita, which has been shared orally and through dance for centuries. The children used their imaginations to physically retell the epic tale, from making the sounds and shapes of the forest to lighting the lamps that guide Rama and Sita home. The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves. 

Last week the children were all excited to participate in Science Week. This year's theme was Change and Transformation. To celebrate all the year groups took part in a science workshop that explored chemical and physical changes. The children were able to witness how different chemicals change and react when mixed together. They were especially excited to witness how adding Mentos candies to a carbonated beverage provides enormous numbers of pre-existing bubbles into which dissolved carbon dioxide can escape i.e. a Sprite Explosion. We would like to give a huge thank you to our teachers Laura and Helen for arranging the workshop as well as planning additional in class activities about Change and Transformation. 

Betty Layward took part in a football competition on Wednesday 16th October at Mabley Green. There were victories over the Olive School, Parkwood and Queensbridge in the league format which meant we qualified for the quarter-finals against Grazebrook. It was a hard-fought game with Betty Layward coming out on top, to claim the victory with a 2-0 win which then took us to the semi-finals against Gayhurst.  Gayhurst beat us in the first league game. It went to penalties after a 1-1 draw and our goalkeeper Ollie pulled off a great save to take us to the finals against Millfields. The final was a very close contest with Millfields winning 2-0. The children put in a huge amount of effort and we are so proud of them. Well done.

On Wednesday 16th October, three children from Year 6 visited Hackney Town Hall to attend the launch of the Hackney Reading Champions. This event marks the kick-off of our Reading Ambassadors challenge. Over this coming year, the Reading Ambassadors will help to raise the profile of reading in our school by completing a series of challenges. These ideas will come from the children with the intent of making our school a place where as many people as possible love to read. We look forward to sharing with you all the amazing achievements the Reading Ambassadors will be taking part in over the year. 

Well done to Didem and Deniz for raising over £1000 for doing something incredibly special and selfless—they’re donating their beautiful hair to the Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides free wigs to children and young people who have lost their hair due to cancer or other illnesses. They are doing this as they know hair loss can be devastating for children, and having a wig that looks and feels like real hair can make an enormous difference in their confidence and well-being. Wigs provided by the Little Princess Trust are made from real hair and are completely free of charge to the families who need them. They wanted to do something to help. They’ve been growing their hair for months in preparation, and now they’re ready to make the big chop. This will take place in half term and we look forward to seeing them with their new hairstyles. Well done to them for being so kind and thoughtful.

Well done to the Betty Layward Dad’s football team who raised £750 for the school. They drew 0-0 with the Grazebrook Dads and were impressed with how many people turned up to support them. Thank you to all the Dads for doing this and I think there are more football matches to come.

I hope you have signed up for your parents' meeting. We are looking forward to seeing you there.

We also look forward to seeing you at the PTFA AGM on Monday 4th November at 5pm. Any help and support is really welcome and very much appreciated. It really does make a difference for the school.

I really hope you have a lovely half term break and we look forward to seeing you on Monday 4th November. Thank you for all your help, support and kindness this term. 

Jessica

Headteacher