Dear Parents and Carers,

We have had a great week and hope you have had a lovely one too. As part of our Black History Month celebrations this October, we were delighted to welcome two police officers, Emmanuel and Gemma, to speak with the children. They discussed their roles in our local community, how they help keep people safe and support those in need, and what it takes to become a police officer, from the required qualities and training to the dedication the job demands. The children were captivated by their stories and asked some brilliant questions. Hearing about Emmanuel and Gemma’s journeys was truly inspiring and showed our pupils that they too can aspire to careers where they make a real difference. A huge thank you to Emmanuel and Gemma for taking the time to visit us and for sharing their experiences so generously.  

We were delighted to welcome Janet to our Year 1 and Reception classes this week as part of our Black History Month theme, Honouring Our Communities. Janet told the children she has been a childminder in the community for 40 years. She is passionate about ensuring children feel safe and happy, and about teaching the importance of sharing so all children have the same experiences. The children were interested in Janet's upbringing and family. Janet was born in England but moved to Nigeria when she was young. She moved to Highbury at 16. Some of the children shared that they love Janet's cooking, playing at her home, and the way she always makes sure they stay safe. Janet is a big part of the Betty Layward community, always smiling and sharing her positivity. Thank you for visiting, Janet. 

Following their successful first visit, our Year 6 pupils were delighted to be invited back to the Hackney Caribbean Elders' Organisation for their Black History Month celebration. Fifteen children represented the school and, once again, did us proud, showing great respect and maturity throughout. The members were very happy to see them again, and the children were keen to pick up where they left off, asking thoughtful questions about the members’ lives and how Hackney has changed over the years. We finished the afternoon with a song, a lovely way to end such a special visit. A huge thank you to the HCEO for welcoming us back. We look forward to seeing some of their members at our Black History Month celebration in November. 

To celebrate World Space Week, the children took part in a whole-school collaborative activity exploring our question: what does a spacesuit need to do to keep an astronaut safe? Working in mixed-year groups, the children listened to the picture book The Spacesuit by Alison Donald and then designed their own spacesuits. They explored the essential features needed to keep astronauts safe in space, sharing ideas and learning from one another. It was a fantastic opportunity to bring the school together through science, creativity and teamwork.

We are excited to share that we have launched a new Amazon account and Wishlist to

support the development of our OPAL playground provision. As part of our commitment to providing children with rich, creative and active play opportunities, we continually seek to add new resources and equipment to enhance our outdoor play environment. The OPAL programme encourages imaginative play, teamwork, problem-solving and physical activity, and the children are already benefiting greatly from the experiences it provides. Many of the items we use are simple, everyday resources that inspire creativity and adventure. To make it easier for families who would like to support us, we have created an Amazon Wishlist containing equipment and resources for the playground. These items range from smaller resources that need regular replenishing to larger pieces of specialist playground equipment. If you would like to contribute, you can purchase items directly from the Wishlist and have them sent straight to school. Any support, no matter how small, would be hugely appreciated and will make a real difference to the children’s play experiences. There is no obligation to contribute; your continued support and encouragement of our OPAL journey is greatly appreciated. If you would like to contribute, please use the link https://amzn.eu/0186btFM

We will keep updating the Wishlist to share the items we need to support our playground. Thank you for your continued support of our school and our OPAL journey.

There is a second-hand children’s winter clothing and fancy-dress sale next Friday (23rd October) after school. Please have a look for donations at home this weekend. We will set up rails outside the school next week for you to place your donations. Any donations are appreciated and we hope you can come along too.

New T-shirts are available, as shown in the attached photos. They cost £8 each and can be worn instead of polo shirts. Please ask the children to wear their Team Betty T-shirts for PE and these for school uniform. We hope you like them.

Have a lovely weekend,

Jessica

Headteacher