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

• Friday 10th March 2023

  Fri 10 Mar 2023 Jessica

  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  We have had a really good week at school and we have had a lot of children apply to be mini referees. We will be letting them know the outcome of who has been successful very soon.

   

  Thank you to those of you who have donated items for the Jumble Sale or their time to help. We were worried we would not have enough helpers but it should be okay and it can go ahead. If you can still help please let me know. We look forward to seeing you there.

   

  As you know we have a new information system called Arbor. We really need you to log into your account and ensure it is working okay. You will only be able to book next term’s after school clubs if you have Arbor as this is the system we will be using for clubs, payments and parents’ meetings from now on. If you haven't set up your Arbor account, please try the link below and click on 'first time logging in'.  You will need to enter your child's DoB to verify the account. If you need any help or something is not right please contact us.

   

  https://betty-layward-primary-school.uk.arbor.sc/?/home-ui/index

   

  There are teacher strikes on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th next week. Please plan as if the school is closed and if things change I will let you know. We have changed Aqua’s school trip to Friday 17th instead. Homework will be due in on Tuesday and not Wednesday as the school is closed. Thank you for being so supportive during this time.

   

  On Tuesday 7th March, children from Year 5 competed in a football match against Mossbourne Riverside. The boys kicked off first and showed great skill in teamwork. Despite all their great efforts Mossbourne Riverside came out on top. The girls kicked off the second game of the day and were victorious with a 1-0 win.  It could have been more, but we will take the 1-0 victory! Well done to all the children who participated, you are wonderful.  Thank you to the parent volunteers who helped out on the day.

   

  13th – 19th March is Neurodiversity Celebration Week, and is an ideal opportunity for us to learn more about, and celebrate, neurodiversity. The term neurodiversity refers to the differences between how people think, process information, behave and communicate. Types of neurodivergence include ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and Tourette’s syndrome. Every classroom is neurodiverse - because every pupil will have a different way of thinking, feeling, and learning. We will be watching some videos on neurodiversity and discussing neurodiversity within the classroom during the week. If you would like to watch the videos at home, here is the link:

  https://mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/resources/what-is-neurodiversity-videos-for-children/

   

  Apologies for the glitch on school interviews this week. They would not let us log on. Thank you for your patience and I hope you managed to book a meeting. We will be moving the bookings onto Arbor next time so please make sure you have signed up.

   

  Please can I ask you to pay any lunch money debt you might have with us. We are currently owed thousands and we cannot afford to carry this debt. The great news is that lunches will be free for all primary aged children from September for that academic year, so could you please ensure that you are up to date with payments now and for the rest of this school year. If you are having difficulties paying please come and chat with me. I am always happy to help. Thank you for supporting us with this.

   

  I hope you have a lovely weekend and I look forward to seeing you at the jumble sale tomorrow,

   

  Jessica

  Headteacher

  

• Friday 3rd March 2023

  Fri 03 Mar 2023 Jessica

  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  What a fabulous Friday – the children looked amazing. We love World Book Day. Thank you for supporting us with the costumes. The children have had a great day learning about the favourite books you told us about on the survey. We chose the theme of animals as we had so many books to choose from. Here are the books the children worked on today -

  Nursery - The Rainbow Fish

  Reception - Where the Wild Things Are

  Year 1 - The Elephant and the Bad Day

  Year 2 - Handa's Noisy Night

  Year 3 - Giraffes Can't Dance

  Year 4 - The Cat in the Hat

  Year 5 - The Velveteen Rabbit

  Year 6 - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Graphic novel version)

   

  The children really enjoyed it and it was an absolute delight walking around the school and all the classrooms seeing the children enjoying their learning and dressed up in their costumes. What a great day.

   

  Please remember it is the Jumble Sale on Saturday 11th March from 10:30-12:30. Please sign the board by the school entrance if you are able to help. Any help is really welcome as these events raise a lot of money for the school. We look forward to seeing you there and thank you for your donations.

   

  Year 1 went on a trip to the Aquarium this week and they were great. They had a lovely day and we are very proud of them. Well done Year 1.

   

  Some Year 4 children led a wonderful assembly this week on ‘How to look after our Planet’. They worked really hard and made an excellent power point and taught the children all about how we can help look after the planet. Well done to those Year 4 children. They all did really well.

   

  Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel is the UK’s largest walking, wheeling, scooting and cycling challenge. It inspires pupils to make active journeys to school, improve air quality in their neighbourhood and discover how these changes benefit their world.

  This year the challenge will run from 20–31 March 2023. We have registered as a school.  We will compete to see if the children either walk, use a wheelchair, scoot or cycle to school. We will be competing against other schools in the borough and nationally.  We would like to be the ones that win so please encourage your child to travel to school via one of these methods. We will keep you updated with further information.  

   

  Please remember it is Parent’s meetings on Wednesday 29th March. Please sign up for an appointment and we look forward to seeing you then.

   

  Have a lovely weekend,

  Jessica

  Headteacher

  

• Newsletter Friday 24th February 2023

  Fri 24 Feb 2023 Jessica

  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  It has been lovely seeing you after the half term break. I hope you had a good week.

  We had a cake sale before we finished last term and raised £790 which was match funded so in total we raised £1580. This money will go to the charity https://ahbap.org/ Thank you for supporting us with this. It means a lot and every penny really does make a difference.

   

  Please remember we have the jumble sale on Saturday March 11th. Information will be sent out soon. I hope some of you are able to volunteer and help.

  We are really proud of Aranea in Year 6.  We knew she had been a finalist in the Greenpeace poem competition. Over 2700 children entered. This week we found out that she won. Well done Aranea.  It is a wonderful poem and here it is –

  Morning in the forest

  By Aranea
  Category 7-11

  I like to sit under the tree canopy
  At sunrise
  Bark against my back.

  I look up and see the branches
  Flying off in every direction
  Into the blue

  And the first light sitting on the patient leaves
  Underneath me the roots
  Run deep in the wise old earth

  I imagine the fields
  Gazing at the sky
  Waiting for the sun to rise

  The flowers dance and laugh
  In a light-hearted breeze
  I wish this would last forever.

   

  Online safety is a really important topic and one we need to be thinking about and remembering for our children at all times. I think it is easy to think that we are all okay and know all about it when the reality is we don’t. There is a very informative documentary/film all about this and I recommend you watch it. It is called Childhood 2.0. Here is the information https://www.childhood2movie.com/ Please watch it and see the risks of being online. There is more out there than a lot of people realise. Please take the time to look at it as it is eye opening.

   

  There is a teacher’s strike on Thursday 2nd March. Unless things change before then we will be closed. I am sorry about the inconvenience and I thank you again for all your support. We have moved World Book Day to Friday 3rd March and the children can come to school dressed as a book character. Please ensure that they can go to the loo easily and sit down easily in their costumes. We look forward to seeing them and thank you for completing the survey about your favourite book. We will enjoy sharing some of them with the children.

   

  Thank you to those of you who have downloaded the Arbor app and logged in. We are in the process of getting it all set up. If you are having any issues please let us know.

   

  I hope you have a lovely weekend,

  Jessica

  Headteacher

   

• Newsletter Friday 10th February 2023

  Fri 10 Feb 2023 Jessica

  Dear Parents and Carers,

  We have come to the end of another half term and what a great half term it has been. The children are working hard and have been amazing. They embrace learning with enthusiasm and really want to do their best. We are very proud of them. I can’t believe we are half way through the year. Where is the time going?

   

  Year 5, Buttercup performed the most amazing assembly this week on how we can take care of our planet. We were so impressed. The children spoke clearly and were great. They knew so much and were able to explain to us why it is so important to look after our environment. Well done Buttercup class.

   

  We have two new parent governors, Laura Williams, a parent of a year 2  child and a year 3 child and Megan Jones, a parent of a year 4 child and a Reception child. We welcome them to our governing body and thank them for their support and time. 

   

  Our Junior Road Safety Officers led an assembly for Nursery and Reception this week about keeping safe on the road. They were amazing. The children in Saffron class went out onto Clissold Road and monitored traffic and speed. The children used the speedometer and found that the drivers in the area were careful and not too fast. The children are really aware of the importance of keeping safe on the roads.

   

  Thank you for your donations for the cake sale yesterday. The situation in Turkey and Syria is devastating and we want to do as much as we can to support them. We will be sending anymoney raised and donations to the organisation; https://ahbap.org/disasters-turkey. The amount we raise has been matched funded by a parent so all donations have really helped.

   

  On Tuesday we held an assembly for Safer Internet Day 2023. The children discussed games and apps they like to play, and how to communicate with others respectfully online. Children from years 1 to 6 were able to talk about what they would do if they came across something that made them feel unhappy or worried when playing games online and they know to tell a trusted adult. 

   

  Please do look at www.nationalonlinesafety.com. It has a lot of useful guides to all the different games available, and how to support children to use games safely. To create your account, please follow https://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/betty-layward-primary-school and complete your details. When you’re set up, you’ll be able to set ‘Parent/Carer’ as your user type. 

      

  You can access National Online Safety online via any device- including via the smartphone app. To download the app, please go to:

  https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/national-online-safety/id1530342372

  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.nationaleducationgroup.nos

  Alternatively, search for ‘National Online Safety’ in the App Store/Google Play Store. 

   

  Online safety is incredibly important and we ask that you monitor what children are using and looking at on computers and tablets at home. The children are aware of it but reminders and monitoring only help and support them keeping safe.

   

  There is a high chance school could be closed on Thursday 2nd March for the teacher strike. This is also World Book Day. We do not want the children missing out so we will be having World Book Day on Friday 3rd March instead. The children can dress up as a book character. Please can they wear costumes that allow them to use the toilet easily and if it is their PE day they will need to bring in PE clothing. Thank you for your support with this.

   

  Thank you for your ongoing kindness and support. One of the really special things about Betty Layward is how lovely, supportive and kind everyone is. This really makes a difference and the school is a really happy place for children and adults. We are all very lucky and I feel especially lucky to be the Headteacher of such a wonderful school. I wish you a very happy half term break and look forward to seeing you all on Monday 20th February.

   

  Jessica

  Headteacher

   

  

• Friday 3rd February 2023

  Fri 03 Feb 2023 Jessica

  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  Thank you for a good week and all your kind words of support for the teacher’s strike on Wednesday. I know you appreciate how hard they work and the commitment they show to your child’s learning. I know it also must be frustrating for you having to find child care which means your words of support mean even more to everyone so thank you. I will let you know about any future action once I know. 

   

  Well done to the Year 5 children and their clothes sale last week. They raised £400 for cancer research and this is going to be match funded so will have raised £800 in total. Well done. What an amazing achievement. 

   

  Well done to the children who represented Betty Layward in the Hackney Football League on Tuesday 31st January, playing against Mossbourne Parkside.  All of the children played incredibly well and the girls won with an amazing score of 10-2 and the boys drew 2-2.  Thank you to the teams, you were amazing.

   

  Emerald class performed an amazing assembly on Ancient Egypt. They took us back in time and shared some very interesting facts. Well done Emerald class. 

   

  We are currently changing our school information system to Arbor and school payments and bookings will be moved onto this new system very soon. We chose this system for its ease of use so we hope you do find it easier. We might need to be patient with each other while we all get used to it. We moved our old Management Information System to Arbor on 1st February 2023. Adopting Arbor will allow us to communicate with you more efficiently and bring all core school data and workflows into one system. We are really looking forward to getting started with Arbor and parents are invited to familiarise themselves with it using the link below.

  Getting started - Log into the Parent Portal and the Arbor App

  You do not need to do anything at this stage.  We will send further communication on the parental Portal and the Arbor App and how to register by 10th February 2023, please look out for this information and register your child when prompted. We hope you are looking forward to using this new feature as much as we are. Any questions please ask. 

   

  I hope you have had time to look at the knowledge organisers sent to you this week. These are designed to help you support your child’s learning at home and they will also enable you to discuss your child’s learning with them. You will hopefully hear them using the vocabulary we have shared with you on these knowledge organisers. These will also be available on the website. If you need paper copies please let us know. 

   

  Next week is Children's Mental Health Week. The theme for CMHW this year is Connect. Mental Health and well-being are important areas that we look at throughout the year and celebrating this week is an opportunity to explore them further. Connect is one of the 5 steps to well-being that the children have been introduced to in assemblies. Monday's assembly will introduce Children's Mental Health Week to our children. This will open up class discussions on how we can connect with our families, friends and the wider community and how connections can have a positive impact on our mental health. We will be revisiting this theme throughout the week providing children with time to discuss how they are continuing to connect and how it is making them feel. We value the children's mental health as much as their physical health and we want them to feel safe to discuss their feeling and emotions at all times.

   

  Thank you, once again, for all your kind monthly or single donations. It is so kind and generous of you and any offer of help, financially or by helping at an event. Everything is greatly appreciated.

  
  Thank you and have a lovely weekend,

  Jessica

  Headteacher 

   

   

   

   

   

   

• Friday 27th January 2023

  Fri 27 Jan 2023 Jessica

  Dear Parents and Carers,

  What a great week we have had. We have loved the Grandparents coming in to visit us and sharing their stories. Thank you so much to all the Grandparents who came in and to the ones who wrote letters. We thought it was great and we really enjoyed you being part of our school.

   

  Individual children photos are on Monday 30thJanuary and Tuesday 31st January. Sibling photos will be taken on these days too.

   

  Well done to the Year 5 children who organised the children’s clothes sale for Cancer Research. They worked really hard during their lunch times and break times to organise the clothes. Thank you for your donations and for coming to the sale too. I really look forward to hearing how much they raised.

   

  Two Year 1 children led an assembly on ‘how to keep the school clean’ this week and reminded the children about how to look after our toilets. This is really important and something we are always reminding the children. Well done to those Year 1 children. It’s a brave thing, standing in front of the whole school and speaking to everyone.

   

  Over the last 3 weeks, Year 3 Jade class have been participating in a fully inclusive programme which involves pupils’ competing against themselves in a variety of multi-skill based activities to achieve their own personal bests. Well done to 3 Jade, who worked really hard at this.

   

  On Wednesday 25th January a group of children representing year 5 and 6 took part in a netball tournament at the Young Hackney Eastway Hub. The children did really well and had a great time and experience. Thank you to Briony for providing lunchtime training sessions with the children who took part.

   

  You would have received the information about the Parent Governor position this week. I really hope you are thinking about it. Any questions please do not hesitate to ask.

   

  Please remember school is closed on Wednesday 1st February due to the teacher’s strike. Please remember Jade class assembly is now on Tuesday 31st January.

   

  Thank you for all your kindness and support. I hope you have a lovely weekend,

  Jessica

  Headteacher

   

  

• Newsletter Friday 20th January 2023

  Fri 20 Jan 2023 Jessica

  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  I hope you have had a good week. Thank you for your donations of children’s clothes for the Cancer Research clothes sale. You have been very generous and we have enough donations now. We hope you will come and buy some on Friday 27th January at 3:15pm in Daniel House playground.

   

  As you may have heard on the news teachers in the National Education Union (NEU) have declared strike action and the first day of striking would be Wednesday 1st February. The strike is happening because of a national dispute between the unions and the government over pay, school funding and the future of education provision. The NEU is the largest education union and we have a significant number of staff who could be striking. Whilst I understand that this situation may cause frustration those staff who could be striking are committed and hard working members of staff who have given this matter much thought and consideration. There is a strong likelihood we will be closed on that day and I wanted to give you as much notice as possible. I will let you know for certain as soon as it has been confirmed. Thank you for your understanding.

   

  We are really looking forward to seeing the Grandparents next week. It is really lovely having them in school. Thank you for organising any Grandparents that are visiting.

  Well done Aranea in Year 6 who was shortlisted for the Poems for the Planet Competition. Amidst thousands of entries, hers stood out as being both artful and empowered by our esteemed (and so far secret) judges. We are so proud of Aranea, what a great result. Winners will be announced soon.

   

  On Tuesday 17th January the Betty Layward boys and girls football team played two league matches against London Fields and Woodberry Down school. Both teams recorded very impressive scores which moved them closer to the top of the league. Well done everyone!

   

  On Wednesday 18th January the Betty Layward cricket team took part in the Hackney indoor cricket finals at Queensbridge Sports Centre against Shacklewell school. It was the best of 3 rounds. It was a very close encounter with Shacklewell who ended up winning the whole tournament. Well done everyone!

   

  The parent governor letter will be coming out next week so please keep an eye out.

   

  We will be celebrating Chinese New Year next week at school, starting with a delicious Chinese New Year lunch on Monday. I hope you have received the menu.

   

  Have a lovely weekend,

  Jessica

  Headteacher

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

• Newsletter Friday 13th January 2023

  Fri 13 Jan 2023 Jessica

  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  We have had a lovely week. The Year 5 children led a lovely assembly on raising money for Cancer Research on Wednesday. They will be having a children’s clothes sale on Friday 27^th January and donations can be brought in from Monday. We hope you are able to donate some clothes or come and buy some at the clothes sale. Please can any clothes that you kindly donate be washed and in good condition. Thank you for supporting us and the Year 5 children with this.
  
  We also need leggings and jogging bottoms, as spare clothes, in case a child has an accident. We especially need items aged 8 to 9, so if you have these please bring them to school. If your child comes home in anything that belongs to the school please return it afterwards as we can run very short. Thank you, we really appreciate it.

   

  We are going to send out communication about parent governor positions next week. This is a really important role that supports the school. I hope you take the time to read this letter and consider this position. Any questions please ask me.

   

  Thank you to those of you who have told me they have set up a direct debit or standing order or who have offered help to support the school. We do really appreciate it. We know it is a hard time for everyone at the moment and this contribution is voluntary. We are really grateful to be part of such a kind and supportive community. Thank you.

   

  We are really looking forward to Grandparent’s Week next week and meeting all the Grandparents who are visiting us. Please sign up if you haven’t already done so or ask them to send a letter or an email to their grandchild for us to read out in class.

  Thank you for all your support. I hope you have a lovely weekend,

  Jessica

  Headteacher

   

   

  

• Friday 6th January 2023

  Fri 06 Jan 2023 Jessica

  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  Happy New Year. I hope you had a lovely holiday. It was great seeing all the children back on Wednesday. They came into school with big smiles and they told us some great New Year’s resolutions in assembly. Thank you for all your kind words, cards and gifts last term. The staff were incredibly grateful. 2023 is going to be a great year for Betty Layward. We just know it!

   

  Please remember it is Grandparent Week the whole week beginning Monday 23rd January from 2:30pm each day. This is when a child’s Grandparent can visit their Grandchild’s class and talk about their own school experience or read the class a story. They could also tell the children about a job they once did or an experience they have had. Times are available at the end of each day that week. Please can you let your child’s class teacher know what day and time if you have a Grandparent who is able to attend. There will be a sign-up sheet outside the classrooms downstairs. Key Stage 2 teachers will have their sign-up sheet with them when they are seeing the children home at the end of the day in the playground. We are really looking forward to meeting all the Grandparents. If your child’s Grandparent lives abroad or cannot make it in please ask them to write your child a letter and we can read it in class. Any questions please ask.

   

  Please remember that Clissold Road is a school street from 8.30am to 9.30am and 3pm to 4pm, Monday to Friday during school term time. This means no cars can enter the road during this time. Unfortunately, yesterday there was an accident during the road closure time. A car entered and while trying to reverse hit a secondary school child on a bicycle. Luckily, she was okay but she was in shock. This is why we ask that people do not drive down the road during this time as it is so busy with our children and the secondary school children coming to school. The council have decided to put up cameras very soon so the likelihood of you or someone else being caught while driving down Clissold Road during school closure times is very high and there will be a fine.

   

  Class assemblies start again. This is an opportunity for each class to tell you about what they have been learning in class. The dates of these are –

   

  Peach Class (Year 2) – 9:10am Tuesday 24th January

  Emerald Class (Year 3) – 9:10am Wednesday 1st February

  Buttercup Class (Year 5) – 9:10am Wednesday 8th February

  Chilli Class (Year 6) – 9:10am Wednesday 8th March

  Violet Class (Year 1) – 9:10am Tuesday 14th March

  Fuchsia Class (Year 4) – 9:10am Wednesday 29th March

   

  The other classes will be in the summer term and dates will follow. We hope you can attend your child’s class assembly and look forward to seeing you there.

   

  Last year there was amazing fundraising from the PTFA and we look forward to even more events this year. Here are the dates for the upcoming cake sales-

   

  January 13th and March 17th
  Hosted by Years 4 and 6
  
  January 27th and April 21st
  Hosted by Reception and Year 3
  
  February 10th and May 5th
  Hosted by Nursery and Year 2  
  
  March 3rd and May 19th
  Hosted by Years 1 and 5

   

  There will be a Jumble Sale this term and we will confirm the date very soon. Please start sorting any jumble for us so we are ready and have lots to sell. The Summer Fair will be on Saturday 24th June. Please put these dates in your diary. Thank you for all your help and support. It means a lot and really makes a difference.

   

  Some of our Year 5 children are raising money for Cancer Research this term. I am really proud of them and they have come up with all the ideas themselves. They will be asking for donations of children’s clothing, shoes, hats, etc from Monday 16th January and then having a clothes sale after school on \Friday 27th January. They will also be presenting an assembly to the children about this. If you do have any donations of clothes etc please drop them off at school from Monday 16th January. Please ensure they are washed and in good condition. All money raised from the sale will go to Cancer Research. Well done to these children who have really worked hard on this.

   

  Have a lovely weekend,

  Jessica

  Headteacher

   

   

• Friday 16th December 2022

  Fri 16 Dec 2022 Jessica

  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  What a special week we have had. The Christmas songs in the church were just lovely and the nativity was amazing. The children did so well and we were all really proud of them. They all really enjoyed it too. Thank you for coming and for all your support with costumes. We hope you enjoyed it. We are so proud of all of them.

   

  The children watched the staff Christmas video today which they loved. A big thank you to the staff who have are amazing. They work hard to ensure all the children receive the best education and do so with care and commitment. We are lucky to have them. I am sure you will join me in saying thank you to them too.

   

  Thank you for such a great year. Your support and kindness means the world to us. Your children are amazing and it is a pleasure to have them and you at Betty Layward. We have had a great year. Things are now back to normal and we are so pleased they are. We are enjoying events, trips and just being together again. We have really enjoyed 2022. I am also really proud of all the children. They have embraced our new curriculum and show amazing learning behaviour as well as excellent behaviour around the school. They want to do their best and care. This is what is important. When I show prospective parents around they always comment on the behaviour of the children and how polite they are. Well done Betty Layward children. You are amazing!
  
  Thank you to you for being so kind and supportive too. We really appreciate it. You have raised a lot of money for the school already this academic year and this will make even more of a difference with budgets being so tight. Thank you for being so great. I am lucky to be the headteacher of such a lovely school.

   

  Have a Happy Hanukkah, a wonderful holiday, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you in 2023.

   

  We will see you on January 4th. 

   

  Jessica