Miss Hamalis’ Bulletin – Tuesday 16 April 2024

Please see this academic year’s Staff List 2023/2024. A reminder that you can also read about the staff and find photos of them on Firefly (please use your daughter’s login details): Staff Bios on Firefly.

Please find the email contact details of the staff: JS Key Contact information. Please could we ask that your specific query is directed to the appropriate individual and anything of a more serious nature is directed to a member of the Senior Team. Please note that Miss Hamalis needs to approve all requests for absences so please send them via the Junior School office: jsoffice@channing.co.uk. Please do not send communications or information to communication@channing.co.uk or info@channing.co.uk as these mailboxes are not checked regularly. 

In order to prevent unnecessary awkwardness and/or embarrassment, please remember to address members of staff by their title and surname. 

Please be mindful that staff may not pick up emails immediately (teachers will, of course, not be checking emails when they are teaching, running clubs or supervising pupils at break and lunchtimes) and may choose to take time to investigate the matter before responding. However, they will endeavour to answer your queries within 24 hours. Please do not think that a lack of instant response means a lack of interest on the part of the member of staff. 

Please note that staff are not expected to reply to emails outside normal school hours, weekends or during school holidays. If you have an emergency which needs to be dealt with before school next opens, please email: jsoffice@channing.co.uk.

You can view all events for the year in the school calendar via our Parent Portal: SchoolBase login. Your calendar view should already be filtered to display the Junior School events and events which are specific to your daughter’s year group. 

The ‘School Calendar Parent View’ button shows the complete calendar, which can be viewed by each month, week or day. Events also appear on the right-hand side of the home page under ‘Forthcoming Events’ and the monthly view of the calendar also appears at the bottom of the home page.

We kindly remind you that the drop-off time for girls in the morning is 8am when the gate is opened, usually by Miss Hamalis. Please can we request that you do not bring your daughter into the school building before 8am (or 7.30am for Early Birds) because we cannot accommodate supervision for the girls. 

Should you wish for your daughter to join Early Birds starting at 7:30am, please consider signing her up. In this provision, our dedicated Teaching Assistants provide supervision, ensuring your daughter’s safety and engagement. Additionally, she will have the opportunity to enjoy breakfast and participate in various activities and games until the whistle blows at 8am, signalling the start of the school day when she can join her peers in the playground.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

We have made arrangements for lunch for the Jewish families who would like their daughters to observe Passover from Monday 22 April to Tuesday 30 April. If you would like your daughter to bring in a Passover packed lunch, please complete this form. Please remember that we are a nut free school. A separate table, with a disposable cloth, will be set up in Fairseat Hall so that the girls can eat at the same time as all of their friends. As usual, fruit will be available at break, although you may wish to send in a snack.

Parents are requested to give advance notice to the school if they intend their daughter to be absent. Please write to Miss Hamalis via JSOffice@channing.co.uk with your request. Please complete this form outlining the days your daughter will be absent from school due to religious observance.

In the Summer Term, all year groups in Key Stage 2 take part in a residential trip. These overnight stays provide lifelong memories for the girls and help establish and develop relationships with their peers. The trips programme has been designed so that the experience offered on each trip differs, as does the length of stay and location. 

Over the coming weeks, we will be hosting parent and pupil information talks to discuss each trip in detail. If your daughter is in Year 3 or Year 6, please note the below dates, which will be held in person at 8.30am in Fairseat Hall. You are very much encouraged to attend to ensure you know all the details ahead of the trip. 

• Year 6: Wednesday 17 April 
• Year 3: Wednesday 24 April 

In preparation for your daughter’s residential trip, please see here for more information provided by Tooled Up: Supporting Your Child if They Feel Worried about Their School Residential Trip. Additionally, if you have any questions ahead of the meeting, please contact your daughter’s Form Teacher and/ or Miss Wright (Assistant Head CoCurricular): dwright@channing.co.uk

We are delighted to be able to welcome parents of Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 pupils into school to watch your daughters in their Year Group Assemblies this term. They will be performed, in Fairseat Hall, to pupils and staff on Mondays and to parents onWednesdays from 8.30am-9.00am. To watch your daughter’s performance, please arrive no earlier than 8.25am when you will be asked to sign in at the iron gates to be escorted to Fairseat Hall by our Specialist Teachers. 

The dates of the Year Group Assemblies this term are: 

• Year 3 Year Group Assembly – Wednesday 15 May
• Year 2 Year Group Assembly – Wednesday 22 May
• Year 1 Year Group Assembly – Wednesday 12 June
• Reception Year Group Assembly – Wednesday 19 June

You are warmly invited to visit the Scholastic Book Fair, which will run from Tuesday 30 April – Tuesday 7 May. Pupils will be able to choose from a selection of popular and inspiring titles at a pop-up bookshop in the Library. Book vouchers will be available for parents to buy from Monday 22 April via a link, which will be shared in next Monday’s Bulletin. Each form will be timetabled to browse the books during library lessons and to visit with parents after school. KS2 pupils will also be able to purchase books during library lunch and break time opening hours. Our Library Leaders will also be running an Outdoor Book Quiz next week. Five lucky winners will receive vouchers to spend at the Scholastic Book Fair.

We have collaborated with Tooled Up Education: an invaluable digital library of evidence-based resources on all aspects of parenting, education and family life. Founder, Dr Kathy Weston, has collated the best and most up-to-date research from around the world and distilled it into usable, easy to understand resources which can be instantly applied to daily life. 

Channing Pin: cha0706

For upcoming Tooled Up Courses and Events please click here. 

• Friday 19 April 10:30am ~ When Children & Young People Struggle to Attend School – How schools & parents can work together
• Friday 26 April 09:30am ~ Tooled Up Education online conference: Reaching Girls Early: Proactive approaches for mental health – appearance, anxiety & body dissatisfaction
• Friday 10 May 1:00pm ~ Q&A: Allergies & Asthma

The deadline for i-art 2024 is this Friday 19 April. Inspired by the Paris Summer Olympics and its motto ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger, Together’, our pupils are invited to submit artwork relating to this theme. Work can directly link to the Olympic Games but the words could also mean something to your daughters relating to their lives, family or personal experience.

The girls are invited to paint, draw, make a collage, create a model – anything that stimulates and interests them, as long as it links in some way to the theme Faster, Higher, Stronger, Together.

Please send your daughter’s entries to Mr Fellows (Art & DT Lead) by this Friday and he will post them to the judging panel.

This June, all pupils in Years 2-4 will have the opportunity to participate in the online First Mathematics Challenge (FMC). The FMC is a school competition-style challenge which is run by the registered charity The Primary Mathematics Challenge.

The questions asked are not necessarily topics that have been covered in the Mathematics curriculum by this time, but they can create a great starting point and lead to discussions later in the year. The questions are not heavily reliant on formal mathematical knowledge, but can be solved by logical reasoning. 

Whilst we wish to offer the opportunity to all pupils, we do not wish the FMC to cause upset for pupils who are developing their mathematical confidence and aptitude. We would not encourage pupils to sit the challenge unless they feel comfortable and confident. We recommend only encouraging pupils to sit the FMC if they feel they have shown above expected mathematical aptitude in lessons; focus when completing mathematical tasks in lessons and homework tasks; as well as the confidence and growth mindset to tackle unknown challenges. 

We encourage you to discuss this stretch and challenge opportunity with your daughters at home over the holidays. Please contact your child’s Form Teacher, via email, by this Friday 19 April should your daughter wish to enter and participate in the PMC. Form Teachers in Years 2-4 will review the list of entries and will also nominate girls who regularly complete extension classwork activities and who they believe will excel and enjoy participating in the FMC.

Throughout the week beginning Monday 17 June, all pupils in each Year 2-4, who have been self-nominated or teacher-nominated, will then sit the FMC online, during one Mathematics lesson within their timetable. Alternative work will be planned and supported for this lesson, for girls who do not wish to take part. Additionally, in preparation for the FMC in June, Form Teachers in Years 2-4 will provide optional practice papers and answers to work through at home.

The Summer Term Curriculum Newsletters for each year group as well as the Information for Parents documents (shared in the Autumn Term) have been shared on the Year group Firefly pages to view and download; please log in to Firefly using your daughter’s account details. You can also click the document links below:

Recommended Reading Lists for each year group are available to view and download from Firefly. Please remember you can contact the teachers directly if you have any questions or in fact, ask them at the gate when you drop off or collect your daughter(s). 

This term we are introducing a wellbeing assessment and tracking tool for the girls in Key Stage 2 called STEER Tracking. The girls will be completing their first assessment during the week beginning Monday 22 April.

Why are we introducing STEER Tracking?It’s not always easy for us to know which pupils need our help as they don’t or can’t always tell us, even though we ask. Sometimes we only know something is wrong when we see a change in their behaviour or a dip in their learning; we think that’s too late. We want to know which pupils need our help, as early as possible, even if their needs are hidden or masked, and what we can do to help. STEER Tracking will enable us to give the right pupil, the right support, at the right time.

What does the assessment involve?
We will be asking all KS2 pupils to complete the short, simple and safe STEER online assessment up to three times each academic year. The assessment tracks how each pupil is steering or making choices in four areas important for healthy adolescent development…

Self Disclosure:  I can choose when to share my thoughts and feelings, or keep them private

Trust of Self: I can choose to trust or question what I think or do

Trust of Others: I can choose to trust or question what others think or do

Seeking Change: I can choose to change things or keep them as they are

Some pupils need a little extra help to make the right choice at the right time; they can get a bit stuck. This can have an impact on their academic progress, friendships, wellbeing, and mental health. Knowing who these pupils are, early enough, means we can give targeted signposts to help them steer their choices better. 

How can you help as parents?
As a school, we’ve had lots of training to help us interpret the assessment data and support our pupils. Though we won’t be expecting parents to make sense of the data, teachers will share insights with you so we can work together to proactively guide and signpost your child when they need it.  We know that when we work together, it has a positive impact on our pupils’ academic progress and wellbeing.

 How can you find out more?
We’d be delighted if you wanted to find out more about STEER Tracking. There are three ways you can do this!

• Take a look at the STEER website
• Click on the links above to watch a short video about each STEER factor.
• Come and talk to us! Mr Entwisle (Deputy Head) will be very happy to discuss this with you.

Please support your daughter to come to school looking smart and wearing the correct uniform. Hair which falls to or beyond the shoulders must be tied back using black, brown or Channing blue hair ties and/or accessories. Only religious jewellery is permitted and earrings should be small, simple studs (hoops and huggies are not safe earrings to wear to school and are not to be worn by pupils). Please note that the girls need to wear black or brown shoes (no boots). With their Winter uniform, they should wear dark brown tights or knee length, dark brown socks. With their Summer uniform, they should wear plain white, long or short socks or white tights. Please also note that coats should be brown, black or navy blue in colour.

As the weather is due to get warmer (fingers crossed!) and the girls go outside during break and lunchtimes (as well as for PE lessons and Forest School sessions), please ensure that your daughter applies a daily sunscreen on sunny days before she comes into school and/or brings in suncream with her to apply herself. The girls are unable to share sun creams due to allergies. We would also advise that the girls bring in a sunhat: either our School baseball cap or a sensible alternative. You can buy all uniform items, including the baseball cap and brown shorts, in-store or online at Uniform4Kids. Alternatively, they have a weekly delivery to school service, so you can have items delivered free of charge to school.

The girls (and staff) are very lucky to have a delicious and nutritious lunch every day. Have a look at the menu options for this term on the website.

You are very welcome to send in nut-free cakes or treats for your daughter to celebrate her birthday with her form or year group. Please ensure that they are separate cakes or treats rather than a large cake that needs to be sliced. Additionally, please be mindful of the size of cakes: they should be no bigger than a child’s hand. Due to health and safety, please do not send in cake pops. Furthermore, please do not send in treats for any other occasions without prior permission from your daughter’s Form Teacher.

Tickets are now on sale for the Summer Fair – ChanFest! We hope you can come…

The CA is hosting a festival-themed Summer Fair for the girls and their families. There will be food trucks, hair braiding, games and prizes, inflatables, a surf simulator, bumper cars, a 360 photo booth, glitter tattoos and nail painting, ribbon wand and flower crown making stalls and much more.

As with all festivals, there will be live performances and interactive fun! Sharkey & George will be running a dance workshop (Rec – Year 2 recommended) and there will be a theatre production of ‘Rubbish Romeo & Juliet’ (Year 3-6 recommended). If your daughter (and her siblings) would like to sign up for either please email jschanningassociation@gmail.com to be put on the list. Both are capacity restricted, so first-come-first-served.

Where: In the school grounds, on the MUGA / Fairseat Hall (not in Stanhope Road playing fields) 

When: Sunday 9 June, 1pm-5pm

Buy tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/channingjuniorschool/1214804

Thank you to everyone who supported the Comedy Night and Swimathon last term. Both were a huge success, bringing parents and the girls together and raising lots of money for charity.

North London Laughs Comedy Night raised a huge £23,247.50 for Great Ormond Street’s Gastroenterology Department! Well done and thank you.

The Swimathon raised over £3,000 for Hypo Hounds and we are still counting! If your daughter was one of the 72 girls who participated and you are yet to share how much you raised, please email jschanningassociation@gmail.com and let us know your fundraising total.

The CA is recruiting and confirming Form Reps for the next school year (2024/25). If you would like to continue or step into the role for your form, or have any questions, please email jschanningassociation@gmail.com 

The role of the Rep is to help run CA-organised events and activities for our girls and their families, to organise form socials, and to manage subs / arrange seasonal gifts for Form Teachers. You are supported by the Co-Chairs throughout the year.

There will be a preloved uniform sale this Thursday 18 April from 7:45am until 8:30am in the courtyard. Uniform is priced at £5 per item, and PE kit is £10 per item. 

Any final donations for this sale need to be placed washed and unlabeled into the blue bins in the courtyard. We are particularly looking for uniform items in sizes 24, 26 and 28.

The Channing Association Parent and Teacher Choir meets fortnightly in term time on Thursday evenings from 7:30pm to 9:30pm at St Michael’s Church in Highgate. The choir is open to all genres of music, and there is a small cost per person per session to cover venue hire and sheet music.

Upcoming rehearsal dates are: 25 April, 9 May, 6 and 20 June, and 4 July. 

For any questions and to sign up please email jschanningassociation@gmail.com

• Thursday 18 April – PreLoved Uniform Sale
• Thursday 25 April – next CA Choir rehearsal
• Sunday 9 June – Summer Fair “ChanFest 2024”