Jessica's Newsletters

Newsletter Friday 25th October 2024

Fri 25 Oct 2024 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

I cannot believe we are at the end of the first term. It has been a busy and brilliant week with lots going on.

As part of Black History Month Maggy visited us in assembly this week to share her experiences in education and career as part of Black History Month. Maggy has worked in different locations and in many other positions including various responsibilities such as offering medical care to patients, being involved in humanitarian relief work and diverse projects in a Public Health capacity. She is currently part of a team delivering products and services for NHS Digital which for example played a vital role in improving our NHS online services during the Covid pandemic. It was inspiring to hear about how much Maggy has done in her career, to think about how career paths change direction and most importantly to think about being whoever you want to be. On Thursday we had more inspirational talks from Alicia, a parent, and her brother Jonathan to celebrate Black History Month and continue the theme, Reclaiming the Narrative. Alicia shared her passion for learning from a young age, her interest in the arts, and her incredible achievements in life so far. Her message was to continue to believe and learn. Jonathan shared how his interest in fashion and design brought him to have a creative job he is passionate about in the graphic arts. He shared some of his designs and artwork he has created that inspired us all. Thank you, Maggy, Alicia and Jonathan.

Hackney Black History 365 is still taking place over the half term. There are some fantastic events for families and children especially the following:

26th October - Dr Ronx - Welcome to an event like no other! Join us at Homerton Library for an informative session with Dr Ronx on How to Save a Life.

Learn essential first aid skills, CPR techniques, and how to handle emergencies like a pro. This in-person event is your chance to empower yourself and make a real difference in critical situations. Don't miss out on this opportunity to gain life-saving knowledge!
https://www.lovehackney.uk/black-history-season-events-2024/dr-ronx-presents-how-to-save-a-life

28th, 29th, 30th and 31st October - Art and Craft events: Join us for a family craft session celebrating Black History Season! We'll be learning all about adinkra symbols and making our own bookmarks! No booking required. It is taking place at Woodberry Down, Clapton, Dalston CLR James, Hackney Central and Homerton libraries.

Free. Suitable for families and children ages 4+.

https://www.lovehackney.uk/black-history-season-events-2024/family-craft-session

This week in preparation for the Hindu celebration of Diwali, the children were given the opportunity to take part in a dance workshop. The children learnt the story of the Ramayana. This is a great Hindu epic story about Prince Rama and his wife Sita, which has been shared orally and through dance for centuries. The children used their imaginations to physically retell the epic tale, from making the sounds and shapes of the forest to lighting the lamps that guide Rama and Sita home. The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Last week the children were all excited to participate in Science Week. This year's theme was Change and Transformation. To celebrate all the year groups took part in a science workshop that explored chemical and physical changes. The children were able to witness how different chemicals change and react when mixed together. They were especially excited to witness how adding Mentos candies to a carbonated beverage provides enormous numbers of pre-existing bubbles into which dissolved carbon dioxide can escape i.e. a Sprite Explosion. We would like to give a huge thank you to our teachers Laura and Helen for arranging the workshop as well as planning additional in class activities about Change and Transformation.

Betty Layward took part in a football competition on Wednesday 16th October at Mabley Green. There were victories over the Olive School, Parkwood and Queensbridge in the league format which meant we qualified for the quarter-finals against Grazebrook. It was a hard-fought game with Betty Layward coming out on top, to claim the victory with a 2-0 win which then took us to the semi-finals against Gayhurst. Gayhurst beat us in the first league game. It went to penalties after a 1-1 draw and our goalkeeper Ollie pulled off a great save to take us to the finals against Millfields. The final was a very close contest with Millfields winning 2-0. The children put in a huge amount of effort and we are so proud of them. Well done.

On Wednesday 16th October, three children from Year 6 visited Hackney Town Hall to attend the launch of the Hackney Reading Champions. This event marks the kick-off of our Reading Ambassadors challenge. Over this coming year, the Reading Ambassadors will help to raise the profile of reading in our school by completing a series of challenges. These ideas will come from the children with the intent of making our school a place where as many people as possible love to read. We look forward to sharing with you all the amazing achievements the Reading Ambassadors will be taking part in over the year.

Well done to Didem and Deniz for raising over £1000 for doing something incredibly special and selfless—they’re donating their beautiful hair to the Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides free wigs to children and young people who have lost their hair due to cancer or other illnesses. They are doing this as they know hair loss can be devastating for children, and having a wig that looks and feels like real hair can make an enormous difference in their confidence and well-being. Wigs provided by the Little Princess Trust are made from real hair and are completely free of charge to the families who need them. They wanted to do something to help. They’ve been growing their hair for months in preparation, and now they’re ready to make the big chop. This will take place in half term and we look forward to seeing them with their new hairstyles. Well done to them for being so kind and thoughtful.

Well done to the Betty Layward Dad’s football team who raised £750 for the school. They drew 0-0 with the Grazebrook Dads and were impressed with how many people turned up to support them. Thank you to all the Dads for doing this and I think there are more football matches to come.

I hope you have signed up for your parents' meeting. We are looking forward to seeing you there.

We also look forward to seeing you at the PTFA AGM on Monday 4th November at 5pm. Any help and support is really welcome and very much appreciated. It really does make a difference for the school.

I really hope you have a lovely half term break and we look forward to seeing you on Monday 4th November. Thank you for all your help, support and kindness this term.

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 18th October 2024

Wed 16 Oct 2024 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have had a busy and great week. Year went to Woodberry Wetlands which tied into their science topic of habitats. The children looked at a variety of habitats and microhabitats, including grass, under logs, trees and ponds, and did some pond dipping. They found woodlice, worms, beetles, newt lava, newts, water hog louse, leopard slugs, centipedes and spiders. They had a great time and were really well behaved. Well done Year 2.

As part of our Black History Month celebrations, we have had some visitors in this week to talk to the children. Diane Abbott visited on Monday and told the children about her journey to becoming the first black female Member of Parliament in 1987. She was clear about her message of being whoever you want to be and not giving up. The children also asked some great questions. We had two Police Community Support Officers visit on Tuesday and they shared their stories in the assembly and discussed the theme for Black History Month, Reclaiming the Narrative with the children and what it means to them. Moses and Beverly (the PCSOs) shared their stories from growing up in Nigeria and Jamaica and how they continued to learn in Britain to land their dream jobs of working for the MET police. They both passed on the important message of how we can all work together to continue to learn about Black History.

Thank you for attending our Black History Month event today. It was great. Well done to Eva and her Grandad for singing before school as everyone walked in and for singing at the event too. Well done to the parents who organised it and thank you for your support. It was really good fun and the food was delicious.

Thank you to the Grandparents who came in this week. It was great to see you and the children love having you visit. I know we have some more coming in next week, which is great.

To raise funds for both primary schools, a group of Betty Layward dads will be playing against a Grazebrook veterans’ team on Saturday, 19th October (Stoke Newington School pitch), at 4.30 pm. You can support them by donating on this page: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/school-football-charity-match. Please come along to applaud their incredible slow-motion skills and efforts to run. Thank you for your support and thank you to the Betty Layward Dads for doing this.

Please remember to sign up for your parents and carers meeting. We look forward to seeing you there.

Have a lovely weekend,

Jessica

Headteacher

Friday 11th October 2024

Fri 11 Oct 2024 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been a great week at Betty Layward. Year 6, Ruby class presented a wonderful assembly on the Grimm’s Fairy Tales. They were amazing with their acting and singing. Well done Ruby class.

Thank you for those of you who attended Family Friday in Reception today. It was lovely to see you there.

Please remember it is Grandparent’s week next week and we are looking forward to seeing the Grandparents here at school.

On Wednesday 16^th October we havei our Black History event in school from 3:30pm. Please purchase a ticket. We look forward to seeing you there and thank you to the parents who are organising this.

Thank you for your donations for the Harvest Festival. We will be donating these to our food bank. We would still really appreciate more donations.

Last Thursday, 3rd October, the children celebrated National Poetry Day. This was a chance for all children to share in the pleasures of poetry. From schools to libraries, over 1.5 million people participated in this national celebration. This year the theme was COUNTING. The children explored different poetic forms and structures. The children enjoyed creating their own prose using rhyme, free verse, paean, and alliteration. I have attached some of the amazing poems that the children have created. Well done to Ajanhi (Year 4), Sylvie (Year 4), Zahra (Year 4), Salome (Year 3), Skylar (Year 3) and Stanley (Year 3)

Have a lovely weekend,

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 4th October 2024

Fri 04 Oct 2024 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have had a busy week. Today we had a visitor, Paul, who talked about becoming a judge. This is part of our Black History Month theme of reclaiming narratives. This theme encourages us to shine a spotlight on the untold stories, the unsung heroes, and the everyday individuals who have made an indelible impact on our communities. Paul talked about his journey of becoming a judge with the children and answered their very insightful questions. Paul was a parent and a governor at the school and we thank him for coming in and sharing his journey. Please remember we have our Black History Month event on Wednesday 16th October at 3:30pm. We look forward to seeing you there.

Today we enjoyed a delicious lunch to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The children and staff really enjoyed it.

The children in Year 1 went on a great bus ride this week which linked with their Literacy text. They loved it and were incredibly well behaved, well done Year 1.

The children really enjoyed a drumming workshop this week with One-Drum. One-Drum is a troupe of professional Ghanaian performers, made up of African drummers, musicians, dancers and acrobats with over 30 years of experience providing an authentic African performance. Two drummers from the troupe came to visit the children class by class and each child had a drum and they all drummed together. It was fantastic and they loved it. It sounded amazing. Here is the link to the company so you can take a look.

https://www.one-drum.org/performances

Bobbie in Year 6 wrote about the workshop –

‘Over this week, each class has had a workshop on djembe drums. Djembe drums are from Africa, and the ones we used were handmade there. The instructor who was from Ghana, Africa, told lots of jokes and made us all laugh. We learnt many rhythms and by the end, he was inviting people to dance in the circle. All in all, everyone loved it.’

It is Mental Health Day on Thursday 10th October and we would like the children to wear yellow to school. people are encouraged to wear yellow to show support for young people's mental health. This is part of the #HelloYellow campaign by the mental health charity YoungMinds. The campaign encourages people to wear yellow clothing, such as t-shirts, socks, or headbands. The goal is to show young people that they are not alone if things feel hard and that things can get better. Thank you for your support for this. We encourage the children to talk about how they feel and that mental health is as important as physical health.

We have Grandparent week coming up. If your child has a Grandparent who would like to come into school and read a story or talk to the children about something of interest please book in with your child’s teacher. This starts on Tuesday 22nd October to Thursday 24th October. Availability for each class is in the table below. Please see your child’s teacher or email them to book a time. Thank you. We love seeing Grandparents in school and we look forward to their visits.

Date and time Classes Available

Tuesday, 22nd October – Morning Nursery, Reception, 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6

Tuesday, 22nd October – Afternoon Nursery, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Wednesday, 23rd October – Morning Nursery, Reception Aqua, 1, 2 and 3

Wednesday, 23rd October – Afternoon Nursery, Reception Ocean, 1 Violet, 2 Peach, 5 and 6

Thursday, 24th October – Morning Nursery, Reception Aqua, 1, 2, 3 Emerald, 4 Cerise

Thursday, 24th October – Afternoon 1, 4, 5 and 6

We have Science Week coming up soon on October 14th and there are workshops for the children. More information will follow.

We have a table outside for Harvest donations. Any donations would be very welcome and would be much appreciated for our Food Bank.

Have a lovely weekend,

Jessica

Newsletter Friday 27th September 2024

Fri 27 Sep 2024 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have not let this wet weather get the better of us this week. We have had a great week. Thank you for attending your Meet the Teacher meetings. It was great to see you there. We look forward to seeing you at next week's Reception and Nursery meetings. Please remember we have the Reception and Year 1 phonics and reading workshop on Wednesday at 3:30pm. We hope you can make it. The slides for the parent’s meetings are on the website.

Please remember to look at our knowledge organisers on the website to help support your child’s learning with the curriculum from Years 1 – 6. The link for this is

https://www.bettylayward.hackney.sch.uk/knowledge-organisers/

October is Black History Month. In today’s world, stories are powerful tools that shape how we understand our past, present, and future. For too long, the history of Black communities has been told through lenses that often misrepresent, oversimplify, or entirely overlook the rich and diverse experiences of those who lived it. But 2024 is set to be a transformative year. Black History Month UK has unveiled its compelling theme: Reclaiming Narratives. This theme encourages us to shine a spotlight on the untold stories, the unsung heroes, and the everyday individuals who have made an indelible impact on our communities. One of the most exciting aspects of Reclaiming Narratives is its potential to inspire and educate the next generation. This theme offers a fresh perspective on Black history that goes beyond the traditional focus on slavery and civil rights. It’s about celebrating Black excellence in all its forms—whether in the arts, sciences, politics, or everyday life. As well as activities for the children and visitors invited to come and talk to the children at school there will also be a Black History event for families on Wednesday 16th October from 3:30-5pm in the school hall. More information will follow. We hope to see you there.

I want to say a massive well done and thank you to Cem, Didem and Deniz who raised £65 for school by selling books and toys. They were incredible at being very proactive in setting up the stall, making posters, pricing their stock and getting people to stop and take a look. Well done Cem, Didem and Deniz, this is amazing and very much appreciated.

It was lovely to see some of you at Reception’s first Family Friday today. There will be more opportunities to visit this term. It was lovely to see parents are carers reading with the children.

Thank you for not blocking the front entrance in the mornings and afternoons. It really makes a difference for the children coming in. Please can you continue to keep the school entrance clear. Thank you.

I hope you have a lovely weekend,

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 20th September 2024

Fri 20 Sep 2024 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have had a great week. The sun was shining for us and to make the most of the lovely weather all the children ate lunch outside on Thursday. The children really enjoyed it and it was lovely to see.

The African Caribbean Education Network visited us this week and Years 4, 5 and 6 had an anti-racism presentation and Years 5 and 6 had a workshop on Understanding Black British History and Racial Inequality today. The staff then had training with ACEN. What we all learnt was the importance of-

discussing and asking questions about racism in an open and safe environment
using techniques like active listening to help develop understanding
exploring what a stereotype is and start to challenge assumptions we hear and see in the media
celebrating others’ differences and similarities
being empowered to create an anti-racist environment.

We always let the children know they have a voice and why it is also important to be an upstander and let people know if they see or hear any unacceptable behaviours they can speak out. If they feel safe they can say something there and then or they can get an adult to come and help. Our children know this and are good at telling adults about unacceptable behaviour. We want to ensure all our children feel safe to say when something is not okay. The facilitators from ACEN were very impressed by our children and staff and the contributions they made during the presentation, workshops and training. That is always lovely to hear. A massive thank you to ACEN who worked with us and we look forward to continuing to work with them.

Thank you for coming to our International Food Welcome Event today. It was lovely to see so many of you there. Thank you for your help and donations too. This is such a lovely way to start the school year.

This week some children in Y3 and 4 competed against other Hackney schools in tennis. They were supportive of each other and had a lovely positive attitude.

Both teams were successful and came back as winners. Well done to everyone who took part.

A team of Year 4 girls took part in a football competition on Wednesday 18th September at Mabley Green. The girls started with three league games: winning one against Olive School, drawing one against Gayhurst School, and losing one to Shacklewell, which meant we qualified for the quarter-finals. During the quarter-finals, Betty Layward and Millfields had a close encounter, which went to penalties, which we unluckily lost despite some really good penalty kicks. Well done to all the children who took part. We are very proud of you.

Mara showed us the costume she will be wearing in the Hackney Carnival on Sunday during Star of the Week assembly today. Hackney Carnival returns on Sunday, 22nd September 2024. The street parade will be the highlight of the day and feature eye-catching costumes, soul-stirring music and a spectacle of talents from over 30 parade groups. The parade begins at 12:00pm and finishes at 5:00pm. There will also be a wide range of other sites and sounds across Hackney. Here are just a few of the highlights:

Hackney Town Hall Square

It’s a carnival take-over down at the Hackney Town Hall square. Come see a mix of thrilling street arts, bass sound systems and live performances from special guests.

St John’s Walled Garden
For everyone - everyone can get into the spirit at this family friendly disco and activities from Hackney favourites DISCO LOCO!

St John’s Church
Nestled in the front gardens of St John’s church is a family area with food, fun activities and a relaxed atmosphere.

Food Market
No need to dance on an empty stomach. Fuel up and get refreshed with cuisines of the world. Head to the Tesco car park in Morning Lane.

https://www.lovehackney.uk/hackney-carnival

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the Carnival if you are able to go.

Jessica

Headteacher

Newsletter Friday 13th September 2024

Fri 13 Sep 2024 Jessica

Dear Parents and Carers,

Our first whole week back has been great. The new Reception and Nursery children have settled in brilliantly and we are so proud of them. It is like they have been here for ages. When I pop into the classrooms they are happy, focused and having a great time. Well done Reception and Nursery. Welcome to all our new families as well.

We have our International Food Welcome Event next Friday (20th September). This starts after school and there will be delicious food and drinks. You pay £8 for an adult plate and £4 for a child's plate. We also ask for donations of food. It would be much appreciated if you could make something or donate a dish. It is a really nice event and gives new families to meet others and it is also lovely to see all our familiar families. Please donate and please come.

Betty Layward has been awarded the Eco-Schools Green Flag. Well done to Emma (year 6 teacher), the children in the eco committee and all the other children and adults who made this happen. We are very proud of this. The Eco-Schools Green Flag is the perfect way to acknowledge, reward and celebrate the ecological achievements of young people. It clearly demonstrates that their hard work is appreciated, and it provides them with the confidence and motivation needed to continue actively engaging with environmental issues throughout their lifetimes. Finally, it also tells local communities that we are forward-thinking and promote child-led environmental education and action.

Thank you for returning the letters of interest about your child learning a new instrument. The instrument lessons we have remaining for children in years 2 - 6 are trumpet, violin, flute, clarinet and saxophone. Please email admin@bettylayward.org if you would like to book your child into lessons for the year or would like more information.

On Wednesday, we had the first online safety assembly of the year. We discussed the SMART online safety guidelines, and that children should always speak to an adult if they see anything that worries them online. All children will be signing a 'safe internet use in school' agreement next week.

Please check you have downloaded the Arbor app. Please set up an account. Any problems let us know and Rebecca (rebeccaday@bettylayward.org) deals with payments so please get in touch with her if there are any issues with those.

Children can bring in individual cupcakes for their birthday. We cannot allow large cakes, sweets or any other items. Please make or buy items that do not contain nuts as we are a nut-free school. Thank you.

Please can I remind you that the gate opens for Years 3, 4,5 and 6 is at 8:50. The children can walk in on their own. We then let Years 2, 1, Reception and Nursery in at 8:55 and they need to be accompanied by an adult. We ask that you walk all the way round and out of that car park gate. The only reason to come back to the front gate is if your child needs to collect their bike or scooter. This avoids congestion. Please could you pass this information on to other people who drop off or collect your child. That would be really appreciated. Thank you.

We have Grandparent's Week coming up during the week beginning 21st October. This is a lovely opportunity when Grandparents can come into their grandchild’s class and read a story or talk to them about an interest. More details will follow.

Please can you ensure you have completed the form about who can pick your child up. Thanks.

Please remember to check the calendar on the website for dates. You can link your own calendar to it and it will automatically transfer dates over. We have meet the teacher sessions coming up and we would really like to see you there.

Have a lovely weekend. Hopefully, the sun will continue to shine,

Jessica

Headteacher

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