Dear Parents and Carers,

We have had a lovely week back after the half-term break. We really hope you had a good week. It is lovely seeing everyone back. Year 5 started the week with a great trip to the Buddhist Centre in Bethnal Green.

 

Thank you to those of you who attended the PTFA AGM on Monday. It was lovely to see you there. We really appreciate all the help, time, and support you provide to the school. Every little bit everyone does really makes a difference for the children, so a massive thank you from myself and everyone at Betty Layward. We look forward to seeing you at the quiz next Friday.

 

Thank you for signing up for your parent’s meeting. Please ensure you have done this. Your child can join the meeting if you would like them to, or they can attend the creche. The creche is only for the duration of your meeting and not for the whole afternoon. Premier is open from 1p.m. but has limited spaces as they need to ensure they have the right adult-to-child ratio. We look forward to seeing you on Thursday. Please remember we close at 1pm on Thursday and need all children to be picked up so we can start the meetings. 

 

Our Christmas Concert for Years 2 – 6 is normally held in St Mary’s Church. Unfortunately, they have just let us know that their heating has broken down so we cannot perform there. We are currently finding a new location and will update you with the location and timings as soon as we know.

 

As you know, we are implementing OPAL in our playground. This encourages children to play in different ways. Next week, on Wednesday 13 November, OPAL are holding a short webinar for parents to talk about the power of play and to help them make play part of every day for their child.  At the event, OPAL Director Michael Follett will explore some of the key benefits of play, look at how playwork theory can support parents, and share his top tips for play at home. This event is part of OPAL's commitment to making play part of every child's life and is fundraising to support Project Play, a wonderful organisation that provides safe spaces to play for displaced children in Northern France. This webinar is free to attend, but we encourage participants to make a suggested donation of £10 to Project Play's fundraiser, which is being match funded by OPAL CIC. Book your free place on https://bit.ly/4fgpQKK 

 

As we ask the children not to be on their phones in school we are going to ask parents and carers to do the same. We are asking that you are not on your phone on the school premises, inside the building, coming into school and in the playground. We think this will be a better example for all the children. Please can you let anyone else collecting know this and signs will be going up soon. Thank you for your support with this.

 

If you are requesting a leave of absence for your child during term time please complete an absence request form. These can be obtained from the office. We cannot authorise any holidays or trips that could be taken out of term time.

 

Have a lovely weekend,

Jessica

Headteacher