Jessica's Newsletters

Newsletter Friday 6th September 2024

Fri 06 Sep 2024 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back. I hope you had a brilliant summer. It is lovely to see all the children back. It is great to see them. I really enjoyed watching them saying hello to each other and they were so happy to see each other. It was a pleasure to watch. They have come back with big smiles and ready for the new academic year.

The solar panels are up. We have already started to use them and it will be great to see a difference in our electricity bills. Thank you to everyone who has helped fundraise for this project. This includes parents, carers, children and staff. By working together we were able to make this project happen really quickly and it will make a big difference to the school.

Year 5 and 6 can walk home from school on their own if we receive permission from you. You can also leave permission for year 5 and 6 children to walk home after clubs. Please ensure you give permission for these if this is okay as we cannot let a child walk home on their own without it. The children can also bring in mobile phones but they must hand them in to the teacher straight away. We are going to encourage children to not have smartphones because of the following reasons –

Sleep issues: Using smartphones before bed can disrupt sleep patterns because the bright light from the screen prevents the body from producing melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep.
Mental health: Excessive use of smartphones can lead to anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.
Cyberbullying: Children are vulnerable to cyberbullying, which can cause psychological distress and mental health issues.
Social skills: Spending more time on a smartphone than interacting with people can impair social skills development.
Physical health: Excessive use of smartphones can lead to a sedentary lifestyle, which is associated with physical health problems.
Access to unsuitable content: Smartphones provide unfettered access to the internet, which can expose children to unsuitable content.
Eye strain: Smartphones can cause eye strain.
Decreased attention span: Smartphones can lead to a decreased attention span.
Phone theft: Smartphones are at risk of being stolen.

I am aware that ultimately it is a parent and carer’s decision which phone their child has but I would really appreciate the above being thought about. Thank you for your support with this.

Please remember to walk around the school after drop off and when you collect. Please do not go back through the main gate. This avoids congestion. Key Stage 2 come in on their own at 8:50am and Key Stage 1, Reception and Nursery come in accompanied by an adult at 8:55am. The collection time for Key Stage 2 is 3:10pm and the collection time for Key Stage 1, Reception and Nursery is 3:15pm. Thank you.

Please remember to look at the website calendar for dates. There are meetings coming up which gives you the opportunity to meet the teacher and hear about what your child will be learning this year. We hope you can make these.

We have our International Food Welcome Event on Friday 20^th September at 3:30pm . I would really appreciate any dishes or food donations that you could make for this and we really hope you can come. It is a great opportunity to welcome new families.

We are really excited that Nursery and Reception start back on Monday and we cannot wait to see them.

Have a lovely weekend and it is so great to have you all back,

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 19th July 2024

Fri 19 Jul 2024 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

Wow; this is the last newsletter of this academic year and what a great year it has been. We have happy children who work extremely hard, a successful Ofsted, many wonderful events and so much more. Thank you for all your support; contributions, time and kind words. It means a lot. We love having your children and I feel so lucky to be the headteacher of such a fabulous school. The staff are amazing and really care about each individual child. Thank you to them for all their hard work and dedication.

We say goodbye to Year 6. They have been and are fantastic. They went to Norfolk this week and had a great time even though there was a lot of rain one day. They were extremely well behaved and brilliantly supported each other in every challenge. It demonstrated how great these children are - independent, kind, supportive, hard-working and so much more. We are so proof of you, Year 6 and wish you happiness for your next journey. Well done. Your secondary school is so lucky to have you.

We have a new after school care provider starting in September called Premier Education. We have sent you a flyer with details and information on how to register. Any questions please contact them.

Thank you for supporting and attending all our events - the events during school time and the events during weekends and evenings. We really appreciate all of the PTFA’s hard work and the fabulous amount of money they have raised. The summer fair was fabulous and raised £8000. That’s incredible. Well done everyone. Thank you for all your time and support with this.

Please could your child bring in their 20ps on Monday. Thank you for supporting us with this.

We hope you have the best holiday and summer. I hope the sun shines and we look forward to seeing you in September and welcoming new families.

Years 1-6 start on Wednesday 4th September at normal school time. Children new to Reception start at 9:15am on Monday 9th September and children joining Reception from our Nursery start at 9:15 on Tuesday 10th September. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are until 12pm and Thursday is 9am - 1pm including lunch. From Friday 13th September the Reception children will be staying full time.

We have home visits for new Nursery children on Wednesday 4th and Thursday 5th September. Nursery children start on Monday 9th September. Please see the dates sent out for start and finish times.

We close on Tuesday at 1pm for the summer holidays and there are no clubs or Junior Adventure Group on that day.

Have a great summer and see you in September,

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 12th July 2024

Fri 12 Jul 2024 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

What a week we have had. It has been fantastic; full of fun and celebrations. We had a fantastic Eid celebration this week and the food was delicious. Thank you to those of you who cooked, donated, helped and came along to support the event. It was fabulous and a lovely event to spend time together.

We had the Year 6 show this week. They performed Mary Poppins. It was incredible. The children were confident and amazing performers which included singing, dancing, acrobatics as well as acting. They showed us how they have grown and matured during their time at Betty Layward. We are so proud of them and their secondary school is lucky to have them. We have enjoyed every minute of them being here. They finished the performance with a wonderful song about being at Betty Layward and I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house. The parents and carers were very emotional and also very proud of who their children have become. The Year 6 also had great SATs results this year and we are so proud of who they are as well as what they have learnt and can do. They are off on a residential on Sunday to Norfolk and I hope they have a well-deserved marvellous time.

The children visited their new classes this week. They were a little nervous but also really excited. Going into a new class can be daunting especially if they have been mixed. This feeling will quickly disappear when September comes and it will be as if they have always been together. It is great that the children get to know all the children in their year group and this was evident with Year 6 this year as they are incredibly supportive of each other.

Thank you for attending the Parents and Carers events this week. It has been so lovely seeing you in school having fun with your children. The children also really enjoy having you here. Thank you for supporting this.

Despite the really bad weather last weekend, Acer, Tabitha and Georgie raised a whopping £460 by hosting a bake sale. This truly exceeded their expectations and are really thankful to all the Betty Layward families, their neighbours and people who stopped by for cake and a nice cup of tea. What a fantastic community. The solar panel initiative really resonated with people and they were genuinely interested to hear about how the school will benefit from the installation and they dug deep in support. The children hosted the stall on the corner of Hawksley & Woodlea roads just down from the Spence Bakery. The kids took cash and also directed people to the GoFundMe solar page if they didn’t have any on them. Well done Acer, Tabitha and Georgie. This is really incredible work.

On Wednesday the Online Safety Committee, made up of children from Years 3 to Year 6, ran an assembly. They discussed social media and gaming, and talked about why age ratings on games and social media are important. We also had a musical introduction from Ted on the piano and Edith on clarinet, playing game theme tunes. The Committee did a fabulous job at presenting on such an important topic.

Year 1 and 2 had a great time at the soft play in Clissold Leisure Centre yesterday. It was lots of fun and well deserved as they have all worked incredibly hard this year.

We look forward to seeing you at the Summer Fair tomorrow. We still need a lot of helpers so please sign up if you can. It is going to be a great day and helps raises money for the school which is much needed. Thank you for your support.

If you owe any money to school please could you pay by the end of term. Could you also please have a look to see if you have any books that belong to us at home. Thank. This is all much appreciated.

Please remember we finish school for the academic year at 1pm on Tuesday 23rd July.

Have a lovely weekend and see you at the Summer Fair,

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 5th July 2024

Fri 05 Jul 2024 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

It might be raining outside but there is plenty of sunshine in Betty Layward. Lavender class performed an amazing assembly about seasons this week. They had clear voices and also sang beautifully. Well done Lavender class. It was excellent.

Nursery were visited by a variety of animals this week and had a lovely time learning all about them.

The children loved the silent disco and it was great to see them having so much fun. They danced the afternoon away and smiled all the way through.

Thank you for attending your parents and carers meeting yesterday. It was lovely to see you there and for you to get the chance to hear how great your children are. We are so proud of them.

We are constantly talking to the children about kindness and mutual respect and as part of this we are always looking for ways that we can contribute to building an anti-racist community. Understanding racism is a learning journey for adults and children alike. No one is expected to know all the answers. Reflection and eagerness to learn are key to examining preconceptions. We know it is important to speak openly and positively about race, have regular discussions about racism and to acknowledge how race and racism impact different people’s experiences of life. It is important to recognise that systemic racism exists. Racism is more than name calling. It can be seen all around us, from beauty standards to the visibility and depiction of people in everyday society. It also affects the way people live, from the jobs they can get to their personal well-being and sense of safety.

Increasing equity helps us create and children to become the leaders of tomorrow. For example, studies show that pupils who attended more diverse learning environments exhibited greater improvements in their leadership skills.

Increased equity is linked to superior learning outcomes and performance on exams. For example, research shows that when racial segregation in school decreases, so do performance gaps on SATs, which shrank by as much as a quarter in one study.

It has also been noted that students who interact with a more diverse peer group and learn in a more inclusive environment are less likely to hold biased or prejudicial views later in life, contributing to a fairer and more tolerant society.

We ensure that children feel heard, supported, and included, as this enables them to be more engaged in the learning process.

We talk to children about racism and are empowering children to take actions in their everyday life to be ant-racist –

Children can practice anti-racism by:

Naming any experiences they have had and voicing their concerns and feelings to others. We encourage all children to have a voice.
Telling a teacher or adult when they experience or witness racism
Supporting their friends who say they have experienced racism or bullying
Actively listening to their experiences
Accepting that they might not understand what it feels like, but can try to imagine and build empathy
Using their own voice to express their own feelings and to make other people listen to their friends
Not speaking for them or making the situation about themselves
Think about how their friend might feel and supporting their wellbeing

We positively acknowledge questions about race and racism. Even if the question is a difficult one to address, encouraging the children to be confident enough to ask questions is important. We listen and encourage an environment of active listening where people can share safely, and our children listen and reflect on what others say. Betty Layward is a place where we want children to develop a love of learning and are prepared for life, where they make friends and learn life skills, where they feel safe and happy, and where there is zero tolerance for racism. I am proud of the children at Betty Layward as the majority do let us know how they feel when something is not okay and they do tell other children how incidents make them feel. We will continue to allow our children to speak out, have a voice and be celebrated.

We have our Eid celebration after school on Wednesday 10th June. Thank you to those of you who have already offered donations or help. Any donations and help are welcome. This is a lovely event which the whole community really enjoys and the food is incredibly delicious.

The Summer Fair is very soon and it taking place on Saturday 13th July. We still need volunteers. Please sign up if you would like to help. You can sign up online. We do really need as much help as possible and this is a great event for our children as well as other families and people in the community. We will be having an Own Clothes Day for the children on Friday 12th July. The children can wear their own clothes and we ask in return that they bring in a donation of chocolates, alcohol, unused toiletries or unused toys. If you have any larger raffle prizes or work for or know a company who would like to donate one please can you bring them in. We are really grateful for any donations. Fingers cross the sun shines as I know it is going to be a great day.

Have a lovely weekend,

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 28th June 2024

Fri 28 Jun 2024 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

What a busy week we have had. Thank you for attending Sports Day today. It was so much fun and great to see you there. The children really enjoyed it too. Thank you for supporting us today. It is such a lovely day being together and it shows how great the school community is. There was some unexpected fun at the end when I had to race against the police officers. Thank you for all your support and for being brilliant in the egg and spoon race.

Thank you for signing up for your parent's meetings. We look forward to seeing you on Thursday. Junior Adventure Group will be here from 1pm and the creche will be available for children during your appointment time. Please make sure you have signed up. The school will close at 1pm. We are looking forward to letting you know how well your child has done this year.

We have Parents and Carer's week coming up. Please be sure to look out for a letter telling you the date and time. I hope you can make it.

We had Hispanic Day yesterday and the Mariachi band joined us. They were fantastic and the children loved it. Our theme was Carnivals. The children made headdresses and they paraded them in the playground. It was great to see.

On Wednesday the children learning guitar with Zach performed to their families. It was fantastic. The children were great and not only did they play the guitar they also sang along. Well done to all those children. Keep learning and practising.

The children really enjoyed the Railway children on Tuesday. We had arranged this show as a special treat for them as they have worked so hard this year. They loved it and they so deserved it.

Last Thursday, Sarah and Jojo attended the final Hackney Reading Ambassador meeting at Hackney Town Hall. Over the course of the year, Sarah and Jojo have led the Betty Layward Reading Ambassadors through a series of challenges to help raise the profile of reading in our school. They, along with the other reading ambassadors, have attended Hackney reading meetings, set up and run an outdoor reading station, surveyed children about their favourite books, made recommendations, organised and run the Hackney Reading Road Map challenge in Years 3 and 5 and helped develop a weekly graphic novel club. All the children involved have been amazing and we look forward to welcoming new leaders and ambassadors for next year.

We are so proud of Kelise who competed in the 2024 International Future Cheer Barcelona competition this month and came second. Her last competition of the season was also this month called Jamfest Europe which took place in Liverpool. They took home an amazing first place despite having an athlete unfortunately drop out two days before which meant they had to amend their routine in 2 days. Kelise has had a total of 5 competitions this season achieving two first places, two second places and one fifth place achieving zero in four performances, which means no point deductions were made from the performance (which means they were perfect). Kelise has been in competitive cheer for 2 years and will continue for her 3rd year starting this September. The head coach had asked if anybody might be interested in joining. Boys and girls can start from the age of 4. Tryouts for the new season will be this July The coach's details are Marshalscheer@gmail.com or @Marshalscheer on Instagram. Well done Kelise, you are amazing.

Have a lovely weekend,

Jessica

Headteacher

Jessica Bailey

Headteacher
The Betty Layward Primary School

Newsletter Friday 21st June 2024

Fri 21 Jun 2024 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are so glad the sun is shining and summer could finally be here. It makes such a difference and we are hoping it stays nice for Sports Day next week (but not too hot).

We have had a lovely week. Violet class performed a wonderful assembly about oceans. It was fantastic. They were confident, shared a lot of facts and sang beautifully. Well done Violet class.

On Wednesday 19th June, a team of year 4 children participated in a year 4 Aquathlon competition at Clissold Leisure Centre. The children participated in many fun water activities like finding the treasure and hot potato. The activities also included using a float and noodles. Well done to all these wonderful Year 4 children.

Thank you to everyone who came to Family Friday this morning. I hope you enjoyed it. We really enjoy having you.

Our school Eid celebration was due to take place on Monday after school. We are going to postpone it and it will now be taking place after school on Wednesday 10th July. Thank you so much for all your lovely offers of donations and help so far. We are really looking forward to it.

OPAL is going very well in the playground and the children love it. We are about to put a mud kitchen into the woodlands so would really appreciate any donations of kitchen utensils, saucepans, frying pans, plastic plates, cups etc. We are also going to add some water play and would love donations of watering cans, plastic cups, jugs etc. Thank you for all your donations so far. They have really contributed to a happy lunch time. If you ever have any spare mugs our staffroom will always benefit from those too. Thank you for your support.

We are introducing yellow wristbands for accidents and injuries that are not head injuries (these will stay red). If your child has one they will have received first aid for another area of their body. We would always ring you if it is a serious injury. We will let the children know and encourage them not to fall over on purpose to get a wrist band.

Well done to Year 5 who organised their own cake sale today to raise money for their eco-projects and for our solar panels. It is great to see children caring about the environment and how they can help and contribute. Well done Year 5 and thank you for all your cake donations.

Back in February Poppy in Year 3 asked if she could plant a little garden around a tree that grows in the communal space outside her flat to attract butterflies and bees. She did a great job of choosing bee and butterfly friendly flowers and Poppy and her family have watched it thrive ever since. Last week Poppy invited her Woodcraft Folk group to come and see the flowers she’d planted. She then took them to plant some flowers and seeds around a London Plane tree at the top end of Albion Road. The Woodcraft Folk group, which includes children from several local schools as well as a handful from Betty Layward, worked hard preparing the soil and adding a layer of compost before adding a selection of lovely flowers and watering them. After planting the flowers, they went on a short walk around the back streets of Stoke Newington planting wild flower seeds. Poppy and some of her friends have been watering the trees every night and the seedlings are starting to grow. Well done to Poppy, Beth, Silas, Willow and Ivy for caring about the environment. It is great to see.

It is Sports Day next Friday and we are hoping for good weather. Please can the children wear their Team Betty t-shirts and shorts or leggings and trainers. We also ask the children to wear a hat, have sun cream applied in the morning before school and bring two bottles of water to school. We want to ensure the children keep hydrated as it could be a warm day.

Silent Disco tickets are still for sale from the school office. This is on Friday 5th July from 4:30-5:30pm. Parents and carers do not need to stay but if you would like to volunteer to help please let me know. This is for all children from Nursery to Year 6. The tickets are £4 per child and include a couple of treats. The children do not need to bring any money.

The Summer Fair is on Saturday 13th July and we will need volunteers. Please sign up if you would like to help. We doneed as much help as possible and this is a great event for our children as well as other families and people in the community. We will be having an Own Clothes Day for the children on Friday 12th June. The children can wear their own clothes and we ask in return that they bring in a donation of chocolates, alcohol, unused toiletries or unused toys. If you have any larger raffle prizes or work for or know a company who would like to donate one please can you bring them in. We are really grateful for any donations. It sounds like it is going to be a great day.

You should have received the parent’s meeting letter. Please ensure you sign up for your appointment on Monday. We close at 1pm and Junior Adventure Group will be here. The creche is only for children during your parent meeting appointment time.

Please remember we would love donations for our foodbank. Any tins, dried goods or toiletries are welcome. Thank you.

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the sunshine,

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 14th June 2024

Fri 14 Jun 2024 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have had a great busy week and this interchangeable weather has not got us down.

Buttercup class performed an excellent assembly all about Benin. Benin has a wonderful rich history. The children taught us about Benin; a powerful and wealthy kingdom in West Africa. Geographically it was perfectly situated for trading its high-quality goods with other African kingdoms. We learnt that Benin was well known for its impressive arts and crafts as well as the crops produced by its farmers. All the children worked well together to produce this assembly and were clear and confident with their lines. Well done Buttercup class.

Well done to some children in Year 4 who held a cake sale to collect 20ps for their class. Luna, Kitty and Beth did a marvellous job by raising £40.75 so their class already have a healthy contribution for 20p day. Well done to these children and I hope everyone else is collecting their 20ps too.

We held our new Reception meeting yesterday and it was lovely to see parents and carers who are already here and to welcome new families. Thank you to those of you who attended.

Today we start our foodbank for the local Stoke Newington community. This will run every Friday from 2:10 to 2:40 by the Daniel House gate during term time. We would also really appreciate any donations for this foodbank. They could be dried goods, pasta, tins, sanitary products, shampoo, toothpaste, soap, etc. There will be a bin at school for these donations to be placed in. Your child can bring them in too. Thank you for your support with this.

Congratulations on all the fundraising for our solar panels. We are nearly at the amount needed. This is fantastic as it should cut our electricity bills by about half and at the moment this bill is not cheap. It is also much better for the environment. The panels are due to be installed during the summer holidays which is really exciting.

Well done to Raja, Felix, Jaiden and Noah in Year 4 who presented a wonderful assembly on how to work well as a team in sports. They were brilliant and had worked hard in preparing a lot of information. Well done.

Well done to Morley in Year 2 who entered the 2024 Global Young Journalist Awards. Morley was shortlisted and advanced to the final stage of the evaluation process. This is truly a remarkable accomplishment, and we hope Morley takes pride in his exceptional work. It is amazing that Morley was among the top entries as this is a fantastic achievement, especially given the high number of submissions that were received this year. Morley wrote an article about a parent at the school who had run a marathon.

We will be running a workshop on online safety on Thursday 27th June at 3.30pm in the school hall. We will be discussing practical tips to make sure children stay safe online. Please put the date in your diary, we would really like to see you there as this is a really important topic and keeping children safe online is essential. We look forward to seeing you there.

Thank you to those of you who have already bought a silent disco ticket for your child. This is on Friday 5th July from 4:30-5:30pm. Parents and carers do not need to stay but if you would like to volunteer to help please let me know. This is for all children from Nursery to Year 6. I am really looking forward to it and tickets are still available from Max in the office. They are £4 per child and include a couple of treats. The children do not need to bring any money.

The Summer Fair is on Saturday 13th July and we will need volunteers. Please sign up if you would like to help. We do really need as much help as possible and this is a great event for our children as well as other families and people in the community. We will be having an Own Clothes Day for the children on Friday 12th June. The children can wear their own clothes and we ask in return that they bring in a donation of chocolates, alcohol, unused toiletries or unused toys. Thank you for these as these items are essential for the Fair. We are really looking forward to it.

May your feast be the best this Eid. Eid Mubarak. May this day bring love, happiness, harmony and joy in your life. Happy Eid to all of you.

Have a lovely weekend,

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 7th June 2024

Fri 07 Jun 2024 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you had a lovely half term. I cannot believe it is the last week of term before the summer holidays. Where has the time gone? It is the last term for our Year 6 so we will ensure they have the best ending. The children are and have been amazing this year and are very ready for their next adventure to their new year group.

We have a new special event for the children. There will be a silent disco in the playground at 4:30pm -5:30pm on Friday 5^th July. Tickets are £4 per child and will be on sale before and after school on Monday. The children will need to bring a named water bottle and other snacks will be provided, which is included in the ticket price. They will not need to bring any money. We are really looking forward to seeing all the children dancing in the playground with their headphones on.

Nursery had a family morning this morning when parents and carers came in and it was really lovely to see parents and carers having a lovely time with their children. Thank you for coming and supporting the morning. It looked like everyone had a great time.

A new order of PE T-shirts has been made and I am hoping they will be here by the end of next week. Sorry for the delay.

Hopefully, the weather is improving. I have reminded the children to wear hats and to apply sunscreen before school.

We have a lot of children off school at the moment with an upset stomach. We really do not want this to spread further so we ask that you follow the school guidelines and that your child does not return to school until 48 hours after their LAST bout of sickness or diarrhoea. Thank you for your support with this.

We are really looking forward to this term and all the lovely events taking place. Please ensure that you have all the dates in your calendar.

Have a lovely weekend,

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 24th May 2024

Thu 23 May 2024 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you for all your support and kind words about Blastonbury. The children were amazing and you were a great audience. I am always so impressed with what the children can do. They shine all the time. Their singing was amazing and I believe that all the artists and bands whose songs they sang would have been very impressed. Well done to all the Betty Layward children. We would have sung Praise Me again but it had become too hot. We will do it another time. A massive thank you to Luke and all the adults who helped. Thank you for coming and for all your support.

I cannot believe that today is the last day of another term and we only have one term left before the end of the academic year. We have a lot to look forward to next term including Sports Day. Please check the school calendar on the website for the dates. We also have Parents and Carer’s week during the week beginning 8^th July and you will be given a date and time when you can come and join in with an activity, e.g. rounders with your child. This is really fun and we look forward to seeing you there.

The children had a brilliant day last Saturday running the final mile of the Hackney Half Marathon that all of the Betty Layward children have been doing at school this year.

Did any of your children manage to run their final mile last weekend or perhaps they will get a chance over half term? We will keep the GoFundMe page open over the next 10 days just in case anyone has not managed to send the link out to family and friends. Please continue to give paper sponsorship forms and cash to Max at Reception. The GoFundMe link is listed below.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/betty-layward-is-running-the-hackney-half-marathon-2024

We do have a lot of cases of nits at the moment and they seem to be jumping from head to head. Please can you check and treat your child on a regular basis and we would love to see less of them. Please click on the link below for some guidance about nits. Thank you for supporting us with this.

https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/wet-combing-conditioner-treating-head-lice

Have a really lovely bank holiday weekend and half term and we look forward to seeing you all for a great last term.

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 17th May 2024

Fri 17 May 2024 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been a very good week. Year 6 were absolutely brilliant with completing their SATs this week and were very calm and positive. They worked extremely hard and we are really proud of them. Well done Year 6. You are all wonderful children who are so much more than a SATs result. You should be very proud of yourself. We are very proud of you. The children had a great trip to the park today as a treat.

It is Mental Health Awareness Week this week and this year's theme is 'movement: moving more for our mental health'. Our well-being ambassadors led some movement to music outside for all the children and they learnt how movement can positively help our mental health.

Thank you to those of you supporting us by running the Hackney half marathon. We are really grateful. Good luck to you and I hope the weather is kind to you. A big thank you to those of you taking the children to run the mile this weekend too. It is a great thing to do and your support is really appreciated. It was lovely to see some of you after school today collecting the t-shirts and raising funds for the school.

We have Blastonbury at 2pm on Thursday (23rd May). This is in the playground. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the weather is dry. There will be a designated area for you to stand and we ask that you do not come out of that area or stand on chairs etc. You may not be able to see clearly but you will definitely be able to hear clearly. The children are amazing and you are in for a treat.

Thank you to the Reception parents who came to Family Friday today. It was lovely to see you there. It looked like everyone had a great time making puppets. I have attached some photos.

Some children from years 4 and 5 were selected to take part in the Hackney Aquathlon at Clissold Leisure Centre on Wednesday 15th May. The children took part in several water activities like a walking race across the swimming pool, front and back crawl using a noodle and float, picking up treasure and much more. Well done everyone, we are very proud of you. You were great.

We also had a lot of trips and workshops this week. Reception were visited by Zoo Lab and various creatures and loved it. Year 2 went to the Garden Classroom and had a great time. Year 3 went to the Centre for Circus Arts and really enjoyed it. It was lovely hearing all about these. Please ask your child about them too.

This week, year 4 participated in a science workshop hosted by School of Noise. The workshop contained a mix of an interactive presentation, hands-on play and experimentation. They conducted scientific experiments on how sound is made (vibration, frequency), how it travels (medium, longitudinal/pressure waves) and where it ends up (hearing, absorption). A lot of fun was had.

I hope you have a lovely weekend and good luck with the marathon,

Jessica

Headteacher