Jessica's Newsletters

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 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
Newsletter Friday 9th December 2022
Fri 09 Dec 2022 Jessica
Dear Parents and Carers,

We have had a lovely week even though there does seem a lot of illness around. The Carol Concert last night was lovely and it was great to all be back together singing in the hall. Thank you to those of you who came.

Scarlet fever cases are higher than we would typically see at this time of year, with some very serious infections requiring hospital admissions / paediatric intensive care. Scarlet fever is caused by bacteria called group A streptococci. It is usually a mild illness, but is highly infectious. In very rare occasions, the bacteria can get into the bloodstream and cause an illness called invasive Group A Strep (iGAS). While iGAS infections are still uncommon, there have been an increase in cases this year, particularly in under 10s and sadly, a small number of deaths. It is very rare for children with scarlet fever to develop iGAS infection. Currently, there is no evidence that a new strain is circulating. The increase is most likely related to high amounts of circulating bacteria and social mixing. Please read all the guidance I have sent and please let us know if your child has Strep A, chicken pox or scarlet fever. We are asked a cleaner to be here for longer each day to clean tables etc and we are reminding the children that they need to thoroughly wash their hands. Thank you for your support with this. It seems to always happen this time of year.

The winter reading challenge website is now live. Children are encouraged to sign up online or at a Hackney Library and read at least 3 books between Thursday 1 December 2022 and Monday 20 February 2023; children can read any book including ebooks and audio books. As they record and review what they have read they unlock online rewards and can download a certificate or get one from their local library. There are slides for an assembly and the reading record which can be accessed here. Hackney Libraries will also have hard copies of the reading records. A reminder to check What’s on in Hackney libraries, alternatively you can follow them on Twitter on @Hackneylibs and Facebook @HackneyLibraries.

We have some openings for instrumental lessons beginning in January for the following instruments: Guitar (year 5 and 6 only), clarinet, saxophone and violin. Lessons are £120 for the Spring and Summer term and instrument hire is £30 for the Spring and Summer term. You can book on School Interviews. https://www.schoolinterviews.co.uk/code?code=qsr93

I have heard that there are some concerns with the children’s toilets. We are always attempting to look after the toilets and ensure they are working. Please remember that we have over 400 children using them all day every day. We have experienced a problem with the soap dispensers being blocked and we are purchasing an alternative to see if that works better. There is always soap in the toilets but we need working dispensers. We also have automatic flushes that keep failing. We are looking to replace these with push flushes that will be more effective. We check the toilets a few times a day and remind the children to also look after them. I hope that helps answer concerns that you may have. Any concerns please come and see me. I am always happy to chat about things.

Thank you to those of you who attended the PTFA meeting this week. It was great to see so many of you there and to know that so many people want to support the school. Things are different now to how they used to be and school budgets are a lot tighter. We are always trying to find ways to save money without impacting the learning and teaching of the children, as they are what matters and are at the heart of all that we do. We want them to be happy and feel safe and valued at school and this will always be our aim and first priority. It is great to be part of a community who want the same. Betty Layward is very lucky. The PTFA are a really important part of the school and can really make a difference with fundraising so thank you for all your support.

I am really looking forward to seeing you at our Christmas events next week.

Please remember they are-
- Tuesday 13th December 2:00pm -Years 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 Christmas Performance at St Mary’s Church Stoke Newington
- Wednesday 14th December 9:45am -Nativity- Year 1 parents invited
- Wednesday 14th December 2:00pm - Nativity- Reception Parents invited
- Thursday 15th December 10:30am - Nursery Christmas Performance at school
- Friday 16th December - Christmas Jumper Day and Christmas lunch. We break up at 2pm and there are no clubs or Fit for Sport. All children need to be collected.
Christmas lunch will be paid for by the PTFA for all children so please let us know by Tuesday if your child does not want a Christmas lunch.

Thanks and have a lovely weekend,

Jessica

Headteacher
Friday 2nd December 2022
Fri 02 Dec 2022 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you for such a wonderful Winter Fair. It was amazing. It was great seeing so many people helping and it really was a wonderful community event. I was so impressed. We raised an amazing £8136.19, which is the highest amount raised at a fair, that I know of, so far. Well done everyone.

We have kindly been donated a Christmas tree by Pines and Needles and they would love to offer parents and carers a discount on Christmas trees in their pop up stores. Our local pop up store is located in St Mary's Church at: Stoke Newington Church Street, N16

DISCOUNT CODE: [BETTY10 - 10%]

Keep an eye out on Pines and Needles social channels @pinesandneedles for fun activities at our local stores. Please visit www.pinesandneedles.com for more details and other locations as they are all around London.

Also a big thank you to the Spence Bakery who donated the rolls for the Fair and Oakwood estate agents who sponsored the boards. It was great seeing all the community coming together and what a lovely community it is.

We have lots of Christmas events coming up and we are really excited about seeing you there. Please remember we have Carol Concert tickets for sale in the office. It is a lovely evening so please join us. We have the Nativity and the performance in the church. I hope you received the flyer with all the details. There has been an email about the Carol Concert.

Please remember to go and see Constellations in Stoke Newington tomorrow. 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.

On Wednesday 30th November children from year 4, 5 and 6 took part in an indoor cricket competition at Queensbridge Sports Centre. Betty Layward won both of their games against Mandeville and Kingsmead school. We will now play the quarter- finals, semi- finals and finals at Lords Cricket Ground. Well done everyone, we are very proud of you all.

We would like to give notice of the AGM of the Betty Layward PTFA to be held

on Tuesday 6th December at 5pm via video link. The PTFA plays a vital part in the school community and all parents and carers, as members of the PTFA, are invited to support the AGM. This is your chance to hear and see how the funds you have helped to raise have been used for the benefit of the children at our school. The AGM is also an opportunity for you to elect the PTFA Committee, who represent the association throughout the forthcoming year. If you would like any further information about being a Committee Member, please speak to Anne Sheedy. As our PTFA is a registered charity, all committee members automatically become Trustees of the Charity. We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday 6th December.

The Local Buyers Club is donating £5 to Betty Layward Primary’s PTFA for every new member who signs up this year using the code LAYWARDLOCAL. The shop-local club, which is run by a couple from Stoke Newington, promotes independent businesses in North and East London and members benefit from savings and perks at over 300 shops and restaurants, many of which are in N16. Among the local businesses offering savings to club members are: Earlybird Cards, Know & Love, La Rosetta, The Good Egg, Primavera, DabbaDrop, TopUp Truck, The Prince, The Red Lion, Hub, Re:Store, Jaines & Son, Clissold House Cafe, The Green Room Cafe, Push Cycles, The Arcola Theatre, Salut, Jarr Market and many more. Join for £7.49 for the first year (usual price £14.99 per year) at www.localbuyersclub.com/joinnow. Use coupon code LAYWARDLOCAL and they’ll donate £5 to Betty Layward! Or select a double membership and they’ll donate £10.

Have a lovely weekend and thank you again for the Fair. What an amazing result.

Jessica

Headteacher
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
Newsletter 21st October
Fri 21 Oct 2022 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have had a great day today celebrating as part of Black History Month. The children enjoyed drumming and storytelling assemblies and a delicious lunch. We heard some lovely music as the children came into school this morning. I really hope you enjoyed our Black History celebration after school. Thank you to those of you who helped organise it, attended it and supported it. It was a really lovely and special event. Black History Month gives everyone the opportunity to share, celebrate and understand the impact of black heritage and culture. October is Black History Month in the UK and a time to celebrate the contribution black people have made over the centuries in shaping the dynamic and diverse country we have today. Black History Month is about celebrating and sharing knowledge; celebrating the contribution black people have made to freedoms, our culture and our society – from books, music to art, with authors such as Malorie Blackman, musicians such as Christopher Ellis, and scientists such as Mae Jemison, there are many great individuals to celebrate. Although Black History Month only happens once a year, the teaching of black history doesn’t begin and end there at Betty Layward. Our curriculum supports children learning about it all year round.

We have had a great first term of this academic year. The children are settled and happy. I walk around and see them enjoying learning, looking after each other and helping around school. They are an absolute joy to be around and I especially love seeing them proud of their achievements and what they are able to do. I feel very lucky to be here surrounded by them. Thank you for your support this term and I am looking forward to the rest of the academic year.

Betty Layward boys football competed in the Young Hackney football tournament at Mabley Green this week. We played 7 games winning 5, drawing 1 and losing 1. We have qualified for the next round so please watch this space. Well done Simon and the team.

Apologies for the glitch with the Parent’s evening bookings yesterday. I have heard that some of you did not get confirmations by email after you booked. We have checked and your appointments are there. Apologies, ICT can have it’s issues. Thank you for your understanding.

We have had a great first term of this academic year. The children are settled and happy. I walk around and see them enjoying learning, looking after each other and helping around school. They are an absolute joy to be around and I especially love seeing them proud of their achievements and what they are able to do. I feel very lucky to be here surrounded by them. Thank you for your support this term and I am looking forward to the rest of the academic year.

There will be a Dr Bike offering free cycle mechanical checks outside the Clissold leisure centre between 3.30pm and 6.30pm on Wednesday October the 26th. The mechanics will be on hand to make adjustments and simple repairs to bikes of any size.

I really hope you have a great half term break and I look forward to seeing you all on Monday 31st October.

Jessica

Headteacher