Miss Hamalis’ Bulletin – Monday 3 February 2025

Posted: 3rd February 2025

Miss Hamalis, Head Of Channing Junior School

This week, we are excited to mark our annual celebration of Children’s Mental Health Week, with the theme ‘Know Yourself, Grow Yourself.’ During our morning assembly, Mr Entwisle (Deputy Head) shared a thought-provoking message about the importance of self-discovery. Understanding who we are is key to personal growth and supporting our mental wellbeing. He highlighted that we strive to understand ourselves and grow as individuals throughout our lives, and that school is a safe and exciting place to support this journey.

The girls have been encouraged to reflect on how self-awareness can empower them. They learnt that by recognising their strengths they can build confidence, and by understanding their emotions they are better equipped to manage them, especially during challenging times. The girls also explored what brings them joy and fulfilment, helping them focus on what truly matters. With a strong sense of self, they have been inspired to set meaningful goals and make positive choices for their futures.

Through this exploration, the girls learnt that self-awareness is about understanding not just their strengths and challenges, but also what makes them happy or sad, as well as embracing their individuality. It’s about recognising their hopes, dreams and fears. As they build a deeper sense of self, they also develop the ability to connect with others and form strong, supportive relationships that help them navigate life’s challenges with resilience.

Mr Entwisle also highlighted the power of kindness and how giving back can bring great happiness and fulfilment. To illustrate this, he shared two short films: The Long Wait and Kindness Boomerang which beautifully demonstrate how small acts of kindness can create a ripple effect of positivity.

Throughout the week, the girls will participate in a range of activities designed to promote mental health and wellbeing, including yoga and mindfulness sessions. If you would like to join in with some of these activities with your daughter at home, please follow this link.

We’ll conclude the week with a special non-uniform day on Friday, themed Express Yourself. This is a wonderful opportunity for the girls to express their individuality by wearing their favourite colour(s), outfit or a creative combination. In our commitment to sustainability, we encourage the girls to use items they already have at home, sparking their creativity in the process. I’m excited to see the unique expressions the girls bring to the day!

Finally, a last reminder to sign up for the chance to contribute your thoughts towards shaping our vision for Channing 2035. We will be hosting World Café-style facilitated sessions where we’ll explore what you love about Channing, what you feel could be improved, what changes you’d like to see and what new ideas you’d like to create. Please use this link: Channing 2035. There are only a few places left, so if you haven’t already booked, be sure to secure your spot soon.

With warm wishes

Miss Dina Hamalis
Head of the Junior School 

Calendar & Events

School Calendar

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.

Birds & Owls Wrap Around Care Update

Thank you for your thoughtful and constructive feedback on the changes to our wraparound care provision. We appreciate you taking the time to share your views. Please know that we have carefully gathered and reviewed your comments and queries, and we will provide a comprehensive response as soon as possible. In the meantime, we are grateful for your patience and support.

Spears Foodbank: Monday 3 February - Friday 14 February

Today is the first day of the Spears House food bank drive, which will run until Friday 14 February. All donations will go to the Alexandra Wylie Tower Foundation’s food bank. If your daughter is in Spears House, please ask her to place donations in one of the blue, labelled ‘Food Bank’ collection bins in the courtyard. There will be two more collections running throughout the year, with girls in each House being asked to donate items. However, all members of the community are very welcome to donate at any time! 

Suggested donation items include: washing tablets, tinned or canned produce, pasta (and sauces), rice, spices, olive oil, juices, stock cubes, cereals, sugar, salt, tea and coffee. AWTF is also currently in urgent need of the following items: long-life milk, pasta, cereal, tinned corned beef, chocolate and tinned fruit. If you are able to include any of these specific items, they would be especially grateful.

Please donate only long-life products, as we cannot accept fresh items. Additionally, all donations must be within their sell-by and use-by dates, as AWTF cannot distribute expired food. We ask that you kindly check dates before donating.

Many thanks in advance to Spears House for all your support!

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Cancelled Clubs:

Due to room availability in the Senior School, please see the club cancellations below: 

Thursday 6 February: 

  • Years 4-6 Gymnastics (Senior School)  

Tuesday 11 February: 

  • Years 5&6 Dance (Senior School)  

Thursday 13 February: 

  • Years 4-6 Gymnastics (Senior School)  

Additionally, due to Year 4 Swimming Week and Year 3’s Assembly, Years 3&4 Cross Country will be cancelled on Monday 10 February. 

Please liaise with Miss Radford (Receptionist) to sign your daughter(s) up to Mini or Late Owls, should you require this: jsreceptionist@channing.co.uk

ABRSM Practical Music Exams: SPRING TERM w/c 31 March - APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN

We will be holding Spring Term Practical music examinations over two or three days during w/c Monday 31 March for candidates in both the Junior and Senior School. These examinations are also open to candidates who have practical music tuition outside of school, providing their teacher has stated that they are ready to take an ABRSM Practical examination this term.

We need parental consent before we enter candidates, therefore parents need to complete the online form by 4.00pm on Wednesday 12 February. Regrettably, we will be unable to process late applications.

Wallace Chess Spring Half-Term Camp

Chess Camp is open to all children aged 5-12, whether a complete beginner or a tournament player. 

Dates: Monday 17 – Thursday 20 February

Times:

Full-day camp: 9.00am – 4.00m

Half-day camp: 9.00am – 1.00pm

Please note that bookings are only possible for a full week (four days).

Pick from two locations:

– Swiss Cottage (Swiss Cottage Community Centre)

– Kensington (St Mary Abbots Centre)

Regular and Elite groups (for advanced/tournament players) will run at both venues.

For more information: https://wallacechess.com/activities/chess-camps/

Tooled Up TooledUp Courses for Parents

We have collaborated with TooledUp 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 more information about this resource, see the dedicated section below. 

For upcoming TooledUp courses and events please click here

  • Wednesday 19 February 12.30pm ~ Helping Children & Young People Accept Themselves & Their Autism Diagnosis
  • Monday 24 February 7.30pm ~ A Parents’ & Educators’ Guide to Medication for Autism & Anxiety

Communication

Staff Contact Information

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

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. Please do not send communications or information to communication@channing.co.uk or info@channing.co.uk

 

Activities, Competitions & Challenges for the Girls

Useful Websites - Music

As requested in several Parent’s Evening meetings, Mrs Munro (Head of Music) has put together a page of useful websites for KS1 pupils to explore. These websites offer activities to support learning of notes, listening games and more.

Young Artists' Summer Show at The Royal Academy: Reception - Year 6

Whilst we await news of our ‘Young Art’ competition entries, pupils are now invited to create a masterpiece fit for the prestigious Royal Academy as part of the Young Artists’ Summer Show 2025.

This competition is open to people aged between 4 and 18 years old. Submission is done online by parents (for free) and closes at 5.00pm on Wednesday 5 March. 

Things you need to know:

  • Pupils can submit one artwork of any type and there is no theme. 
  • The artwork can be made using any medium. It can be a painting (including digital), sculpture, photograph, installation, video, drawing or a combination. 
  • Parents submit their own child’s work on the Royal Academy website. Simply:
  • Register for an account
  • Select ‘Channing School: The Bank, London, N6 5HF’ in the school finder
  • Share the necessary details and submit jpeg photos of the artwork
  • The artwork will be seen by a panel of judges and selected pieces will be shown in an online exhibition. Some of the artworks will also be displayed at the Royal Academy of Arts in July and August.

Good luck to all entrants!

Channing Association News

CA Charity Swimathon in Aid of Magic Breakfast: Saturday 15 March - Sign Up Now!

The Charity Swimathon will take place on Saturday 15 March and is now open for all Junior School girls who would like to participate. You can find details of the event, including a sign-up sheet and a sponsorship form, below. All girls are welcome to take part, although for safety reasons it is recommended for those who can swim at least one length (18m).

We’re raising funds for Magic Breakfast that provides breakfast for children across the UK to tackle morning hunger in schools. Please download a sponsorship form from Classlist.com.

Venue: Poolside Manor Swimming Pool, Lyndhurst Gardens N3 1TD

Time: Saturday 15 March, 4.30pm – 6.30pm

Sign Up Form: 2025 Channing Swimathon Sign Up 

Event details (including sponsorship form): Classlist.com

Sponsorship Form

Charity: Magic Breakfast

North London Laughs Charity Comedy Night: Buy Tickets Now

There are still tickets available for North London Laughs, the now annual charity comedy evening in Alexandra Palace Theatre, where Channing parents get exclusive first-access to the best seats. Acts include: Ed Gamble, Bella Hull, Simon Brodkin, Josh Weller, Emmanuel Sonubi, Katie Norris and Mark Maier. 100% of funds raised will be donated to the Squirrel Ward (Gastroenterology Dept) at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Buy tickets: North London Laughs

CA Diary Dates

  • Sunday 9 February, evening: North London Laughs Charity Comedy Night, buy tickets now: North London Laughs 
  • Saturday 15 March, 4.30pm – 6.30pm: Charity Swimathon in Poolside Manor, see Classlist.com
  • Sunday 18 May: Summer Fair ‘Chanfest’, held in the Junior School grounds