This is the place where you will be able to read my weekly newsletters. Thanks for taking the time to read them, Jessica

• Newsletter Friday 25th November 2022

  Fri 25 Nov 2022 Jessica

  Dear Parents and Carers,

  We are so looking forward to the Winter Fair tomorrow. Thank you so much for your kind donations. I know a lot of you have also signed up to help. We really appreciate it and look forward to seeing you there. Thank you to the organisers. It is a lot of hard work to organise and we feel very lucky to be part of such a great community.

  The Quiz night last Friday was great fun and it was lovely to see so many of you there. Thank you again for all the support and the organising. It was great to see everyone enjoying themselves.

   

  Year 4 have been working on a project called Constellations. This year, See You In Stokey and local artists Output Arts are organising a community lights project

  across Stoke Newington called Constellations. The project involves stars appearing in shop windows across the neighbourhood, star-themed light installations outside The Old Church arts centre and on St Pauls West Hackney, and star lights on the big tree by the fire station. These will be lit throughout December and January to bring cheer to the winter months. The Year 4 children have made their own star-shaped lanterns from willow and tissue paper and have been invited to join a lantern procession along Church Street on Saturday 3rd December from Stoke Newington Town Hall to a free community celebration outside the fire station. I am sure anyone can attend. The procession will be led by a samba drumming band, and at the fire station the Mayor of Hackney will turn on the lights on the big tree with some of the children, Vox Holloway choir will perform and there will be a chance to sing along. The street will be closed to traffic during the event, which will finish at 6pm.

   

  Next week we are hosting our Scholastic Book Fair. This will take place at the end of the school day from 3:15 until 3:45 in the school library. Please ensure that you enter via the door that opens into the playground. Parents, carers and children will be able to purchase books in a variety of ways. A QR code will be on display so that parents and carers can pay via their phones or smart devices. Alternatively, books can be purchased using cash. We ask that children from Reception to Year 4 are accompanied by a parent. Children in Years 5 and 6 may attend and purchase books on their own. If your child is in Year 5 or 6 and are intending on purchasing a book please can they have their money in an envelope which they will hand to their teachers in the morning before school. We can't wait to see you there.

   

  On Tuesday 22nd November the Betty Layward boys and girls football team took part in their third league match at the Young Hackney Hub against the Olive School.

  The boys started first and were 2-1 down at half time however perseverance and team spirit by the boys brought the scores level to 3-3 and that's how it finished.

  The girls kicked off their match against the Olive School and comprehensively won 8-2 with 6 goals scored by Eliza. Well done to all the children who participated. We are very proud of you all.

   

  Thank you if you have bought in your money for the mini-marathon. We really appreciate your support and thank you for helping us with this. Any more sponsorship money is welcome.

   

  If you need to tie your dog up outside school please ensure they are calm and will not bark. Some of our children are frightened of dogs. I know they are harmless but not all children do. Thank you for this. 

   

  Please can I ask you to remind your children to wear coats to school. It is getting colder. Please can all items of clothing be named.
   

  Our road safety officers led an assembly this week and we are really proud of how good they are at their roles. We are really concentrating on how we can travel to school safely.

   

  Thank you for your donations for Children in Need. We raised £397.96. That is a fantastic amount, especially when the cost of living is becoming so expensive. Thank you.

   

  I hope you have a lovely weekend and I look forward to seeing you at the Winter Fair tomorrow.

   

  Jessica

  Headteacher

   

   

  

• Friday 18th November 2022 Newsletter

  Fri 18 Nov 2022 Jessica

  Dear Parents and Carers,

  Thank you for your generous donations for the Winter Fair this week. It is really appreciated. We are really looking forward to it next weekend and if you are able to help please come and sign up on the noticeboard by the school entrance. We are also looking forward to seeing some of you at Quiz night this evening. Thank you to everyone who is organising and supporting these events. It makes a real difference to the school.

   

  Thank you so much for all your sponsorship donations for the school's Mini Marathon event.  The children enjoyed running around the playground at school and their mile runs have really helped support our in-school Mini Marathon.  If you are still collecting donations, please send these into school when you are able to.  Thank you very much for helping support with this event. We are so impressed with how much the children have raised so far. We will let you know the total when all donations are in. Thank you again as this money will really help. 

   

  It was Anti-Bullying week this week and the children discussed bullying and how it can make us feel and how we need to be kind to each other. We are really proud of how our children behave and look after each other. 

   

  I would like to say a big thank you to Steve Halsey for his hard work and time as Chair of Governors. He has been the Chair for the last few years. Adam Roland is our new chair. He has written a few words to introduce himself,

  ‘I’m honoured to be recently elected Chair of Betty Layward Governing Body. I’ve been a governor at the school for 4 years, most recently chairing the Curriculum and Inclusion Committee, and have enjoyed a long and fulfilling relationship with Betty Layward School. Both my children attended BL and are now in GCSE and A-Level years across the road at Stoke Newington.   I’ve done my fair share of Betty Layward quizzes, table erecting, raffle ticket selling and burger flipping, and I’m looking forward to continuing to work with Jessica, the SLT, the Governing Body and whole school community to ensure the school continues its upward trajectory. Have a great quiz night!’

   

  A big thank you to Barbara Riddell who was the Vice Chair. Sally Stewart has now been elected into this role and says;

  ‘Following my induction as Parent Governor in November 2021, I am now delighted to be elected as the Vice Chair of Governors. I look forward to working closely with Jessica, Adam (our new Chair of Governors) and my Governor colleagues as we continue to ensure that Betty Layward 'inspires, develops and nurtures every child to have the confidence to learn'.’

   

  I look forward to working with Adam and Sally in their new roles as, like all our governors, the children are at the heart of all they do for the school. We are currently working on improving writing across the school. This area has really been impacted by Covid-19. We are concentrating on children being able to write sustained longer pieces of writing as well as developing content, grammar, spelling and punctuation. It is a lot for children to focus on and we want to give them the best writing opportunities possible. Asking them to write at home can be hard work, especially when we are using computers more and more. You can support your child by helping them learn their spellings and ensuring they remember them, asking them to write for a purpose; this could be a shopping list, a postcard or letter. Any questions please ask your classteacher, myself or a member of SLT.

   

  Thank you for your donations for Children in Need today.

  I hope you have a lovely weekend,

  Jessica

• Friday 11th November 2022 Newsletter

  Fri 11 Nov 2022 Jessica

  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  Thank you for attending your parent's meeting yesterday. It was lovely seeing you and we hope you found your meeting informative and you were able to look at your child's work. We are always happy to answer any questions. Please either come and see me or your class teacher. We are really proud of how well the children are doing. They are hard working and very keen to do their best. We cannot ask anymore than that. 

   

  On Tuesday 8th November, Betty Layward took part in the second round of league matches against Halley House at Young Hackney Eastway Hub. The boys kicked off first winning 6-2 with some great team goals scored. The girls then played their match and despite a dominant team performance lost 3-0. Well done to everyone who took part.

   

  On Wednesday 9th November, The Betty Layward football team took part in a 7-a-side football competition at Mabley Green.  The Girls played 7 league matches winning  six and drawing one, which meant we qualified for the quarter finals, which we won on penalties. The next round was the semi-finals which we won 1-0 thanks to a brilliant team goal which meant we qualified for the finals!!

  During the finals Betty Layward created some really good goal scoring chances but were unable to put the ball in the net, which meant, yes you guessed it ........penalties. After scoring two penalties each, it was left to the last penalty and unfortunately the goalkeeper of the other school pulled off a great save to win the trophy for her school. 

  The boys kicked off their quarter finals match against St Scholastica's Primary School which was a real battle but undeservedly  we lost 2-0 but all our players walked off the pitch with their heads held high. Well done to all the children who took part. We are really proud of you. You are all stars.

   

  This week  Year 5 had cycle training. Bikeability is the nationally recognised cycle training programme. It’s about acquiring the practical skills to cycle safely and with confidence on today’s roads. There will also be a beginner’s course for Y5 and 6 before the end of the school year for any children who are not reasonably confident on a bike. 

   

  Next week is Anti-bullying week, and to mark this it will be Odd Sock Day on Monday 14th November. Please can your child wear odd socks on Monday. We will be celebrating what makes us unique, and spreading kindness throughout the school. I look forward to seeing all the odd socks at Betty Layward. 

   

  The Winter Fair is on Saturday 26th November and we cannot wait to see you all there. Help and support are crucial to making these events successful so thank you to those of you who have already offered help and support. We have had some prizes given in too, so thank you for those as well. On Wednesday 16th November we will be having an own clothes day for the children. In return please can children bring in a donation for the raffle or the kids only zone (where children get to buy presents for the adults in their life), unopened toiletries, costume jewellery, bottles of alcohol, special gifts etc all very welcome.Thank you for your support in advance. 

   

  These are our Christmas dates - 

  13th December - Year 2-6 Christmas performance in the church (tbc - sometime in the afternoon)

  14th December - 9:45am - Reception and Year 1 Nativity Performance - this performance is for Year 1 parents and carers only 

  14th December - 2:00pm - Reception and Year 1 Nativity Performance - this performance is for Reception parents and carers only 

  15th December - 10:30am - Nursery Christmas performance in the Nursery

  16th December - Christmas lunch day and Christmas Jumper Day - School closes for the holidays at 2pm (no fit for sport or clubs)

  Please put these dates in your diaries. There is a lot to look forward to. 

   

  I hope you have a lovely weekend,

  Jessica

  Headteacher 

  

• Friday 4th November 2022

  Fri 04 Nov 2022 Jessica

  Dear Parents and Carers,

  Welcome back after half term. I hope you had a good break.

  We have just recently been re-accredited with our PSQM (Primary Science Quality Mark) award. This is recognition of all the fantastic science teaching and learning that takes place at Betty Layward, and our progress in improving science over the last year. Well done Betty Layward staff and children.

  On Tuesday 1st November the Betty Layward boys and girls football team took part in their first competitive match against St John and St James in the newly formed Hackney League. The boys kicked off the new season with an unlucky 3-2 defeat after being 2-0 down at half time. They then showed great resilience and came back with two goals. The Girls started incredibly well with a 6-0 victory with Eliza scoring a great team goal and a hattrick. Well done to all the children.

  On Wednesday 2nd November, children from year 3 and 4 took part in a football festival at the Young Hackney sports hub. We started off with a few football drills like dribbling, passing and shooting. We then finished off with a football match against 3 schools from Hackney with a loss, a draw and a victory. Well done everyone.

  Quiz night has been very popular and sold out very quickly. We look forward to seeing you there.

  The Winter Fair is on Saturday 26th November and we need lots of helpers and support. We have not had one for a while and it is a great event. Each year, 100 Betty Layward families host an Estate Agent Board in their front garden for 3 weeks to advertise the Winter Fair. 100 Boards = £1,000 raised for the event! If you can have a board please add your details via this link (it only takes about a minute!) 
  Thank you for supporting with this and please help the school by having a board.     

   https://forms.office.com/r/cJLWnWWygJ

  We also need raffle prizes for the Christmas Fair and if you are able to donate anything or know a business that would like to donate please let me know as any donations are very welcome.

  We will be having our school Christmas lunch on 16th December and this is also Christmas Jumper Day. I hope your child will be having a Christmas lunch. This is also the last day of the school term and we will be closing at 2pm. There will be no clubs or Fit for Sport on that day. I will be confirming other Christmas dates soon.

  Grandparents Week is returning. We have not had this week since before Covid and we are thrilled it is returning. For those of you who have not experienced this yet, Grandparents can come in and talk about their own experience of school or read a story. If your child’s Grandparent cannot make it they can write their grandchild a letter and we can share it in class. We think it is important to involve Grandparents as they can be such an important part of a child’s life and it is a lovely opportunity for the children to show their Grandparents our school. This is taking place for the whole week beginning 23rd January 2023. You will book in with your child’s teacher nearer the time. I just wanted to give you the date well in advance so that you can let Grandparents know.

  Every year the staff make a Christmas video for the children and they absolutely love it. We wondered if a parent or carer would like to film it for us. If you would please come and see me or email me. Thank you.

  I hope you have a lovely weekend,

  Jessica

  Headteacher