Miss Hamalis’ Bulletin – Monday 23 June 2025

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.

As the girls are coming into school on Saturday, there will be an early finish this Friday 27 June to enable staff to prepare the school rooms and grounds. Please note, Late Owls will not run on this day. The collection times are:

• 11.45am: Reception (side gate) 
• 11.55am: Year 1 (side gate)
• 11.55am: Year 2 (main gate) 
• 12.05pm: Year 3 (side gate)
• 12.05pm: Year 4 (main gate) 
• 12.15pm: Year 5 (side gate)
• 12.15pm: Year 6 (main gate)

We look forward to welcoming you to Founders’ Day this Saturday morning as we come together to celebrate the founding of the school. This year marks a particularly special milestone – our 140th anniversary.

Doors will open at 9.30am and close at 11.30am. The girls need to arrive wearing their Summer school uniform. Please note that all pupils are expected to attend Founders’ Day, and permission must be sought in advance for any absences.

Upon arrival, your daughter will need to collect her personalised passport from her year group’s table in the courtyard. You will then progress down the ramp beside the Drama Studio and follow our one-way system for a unique around-the-world trip. Please remember to visit the work on display in all form rooms, as well as in the Art Room, PE Pavilion, Music Room, Library and Drama Studio. The girls will be able to stamp their passports as they visit each of the countries/rooms. 

We will also welcome Let’s Leap who will be working with the PE Team on the MUGA to encourage girls to have fun, be active and celebrate our year together.

Summer Term Reports will provide an overall picture of what your daughter has achieved at the end of the academic year. You will be able to access your daughter’s Grade Sheet from 3.00pm on Friday 27 June, on Firefly. For information about how to access your daughter’s report please see here. 

Reception children will receive a written report with a comment outlining their progress across the wider curriculum, in PSHE, when playing and exploring, thinking critically and during active learning. 

In Years 1 – 6, teachers will report on all subjects in the curriculum and provide separate report grades for: Academic Achievement as well as Attitude and Engagement.

The grades are:

• Above Expectations
• Meeting Expectations Securely
• Meeting Expectations With Support
• Working Towards Expectations 

The grades will reflect your daughter’s performance in lessons, assessments, homework and her response to feedback. For Reception children, these grades will be used to identify academic achievement across the 17 Early Learning Goals. The reports will also show your daughter’s standardised score from English and Mathematics assessments taken in the first half of the Summer Term. 

What are Standardised Scores?
Standardised Scoring is a method used in education to allow pupils, parents and teachers to directly and easily compare performance in different subjects. Standardised Scoring converts each pupil’s score into a consistent scoring system, taking into account the number of marks available and the average score. The average score for each assessment is awarded a score of 100. Performance above the average therefore results in a Standardised Score higher than 100.

How do I interpret Standardised Scores?
A score of around 100 means your daughter scored in line with the expectations for this cohort in this assessment. A score of significantly above 100 means your daughter scored above expectations in this assessment. A score of below 100 means your daughter scored below the expectation in this assessment.

The below brackets give you a more detailed view of how your daughter performed in each of their assessments at the start of the Autumn Term, relative to expectations:

Why is my Daughter’s Standardised Score Different from her Academic Achievement Grade?
Summative assessment scores provide a single snapshot into a pupil’s progress, but are not the only factor used to determine an Academic Achievement Grade. Your daughter’s performance in lessons, end-of-unit assessments, homework and independent tasks will all help her teachers to formulate their judgement. By taking all of this into account, teachers can better reflect the understanding that has been shown in each topic, rather than relying solely on formal test results. This approach allows for a more accurate and balanced picture of your daughter’s academic development.

Following the standardised assessments earlier in the term, Form Teachers and Specialist Teachers have been able to provide adaptive teaching in the lessons to ensure common misconceptions have been addressed. Your daughter will have gained targeted advice from her teachers throughout this term in response to these standardised assessments, as well as continuous assessment for learning opportunities built into their lessons.

On Tuesday 1 July, during the girls’ lunchtime, the Autumn, Spring and Summer Term Deputy and House Captains will be running fun stalls to raise money for their chosen charities.

Each stall will feature small items for sale, including charms, stationery, fidget toys, keyrings and small toys. There will also be exciting activities such as obstacle courses, “Sponge the House Captain,” and a “Guess the Number of Sweets” competition with prizes to be won. In addition, there will be nail art, face painting, DJ Bolton on the decks and Proms in the Park (performed by our very own ensembles) to add to the fun!

To support your daughter’s House and charity, please send her in with 50p and £1 coins only (no notes, please) on the day so she can take part and make purchases at her House’s stall. Items for sale and activities will vary. 

The Summer Term Deputy and House Captains have chosen the following charities to support:

• Waterlow: GOSH – A charity supporting the care of children staying and receiving treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
• Spears: Childhood Trust – A London-based charity supporting children living in poverty.
• Goodwin: St Mungo’s  – A charity helping people facing homelessness, as well as those who support them, across London.
• Sharpe: Bright Red –  A charity based in the north of England providing care and support for people affected by blood cancer, as well as funding essential research and education. 

You can also help by donating cupcakes or small sweet treats (homemade or shop-bought) for your daughter’s Deputy and House Captains to sell. Donation tables, clearly labelled by House, will be set up in the courtyard from 7.30am on Tuesday 1 July. Please place them there for collection. If baking at home, please include a full list of ingredients, and ensure all treats are nut-free.

Thank you for supporting this fantastic event!

If you have any spare egg boxes that you or your daughter are able to bring in before the end of term, we would be very grateful if you could drop them into any of the blue food donation bins. Food Bank Aid is currently in urgent need of empty egg boxes.

Your help with any donations is greatly appreciated. 

Please note the following clubs that will be cancelled over the next few weeks due to residential trips and school events. This list will be updated weekly, so please check this section carefully: 

• Monday 23 June: Y5&6 Maths through Art cancelled
• Wednesday 25 June: KS1 Karate, Year 4 Cricket, Year 6 Football cancelled 
• Friday 27 June: KS1 Multisports, Y3&4 Football, KS2 Karate cancelled

All clubs finish on Thursday 26 June, with the exception of KS2 Cheerleading Squad which will have their final session on the morning of Friday 27 June.

Any unclaimed and unnamed lost property (both uniform and non-uniform) will be out in the courtyard on the days and times below:

• Thursday 3 July: 7.30am-8.30am & 2.50pm-5.30pm
• Friday 4 July: 7.30am-8.30am & 11.30am-12.15pm

Any unclaimed items still remaining will be donated to charity (non-uniform) or the pre-loved uniform sale (uniform).

Please make a note of the dismissal times and locations below for the last day of term, Friday 4 July.  

There will be no Late Owls on this date.

11.45am: Reception (side gate)
11.55am: Year 1 (side gate)
11.55am: Year 2 (main gate)
12.05pm: Year 3 (side gate)
12.05pm: Year 4 (main gate)
12.15pm: Year 5 (side gate)
12.15pm: Year 6 (main gate)

Is your daughter interested in learning a musical instrument? We currently have a number of vacancies with our brilliant team of Visiting Music Staff (VMS), and we’re offering informal group trial lessons before the end of the Summer Term. Whether they’re a total beginner or just curious to try something new, this is a great opportunity to explore the joy of music in a relaxed and supportive setting.

To register your daughter’s interest, please fill in the form here. A member of the VMS team will be in touch to arrange a trial session before the end of term.

Please save the date for our annual Welcome Evening which will take place on Tuesday 9 September from 6.00 – 8.00pm. As part of the evening, Miss Hamalis will lead a talk and introduce the Form and Specialist Teachers, Teaching Assistants and some of the Support Staff. You will also visit your daughter’s new Form Room to meet the year group Form Teachers and Teaching Assistants to learn more about the expectations for the year ahead.

A special opportunity is available for Channing pupils to take part in Summer Crash Courses running from 21 July to 22 August. These five-day courses are ideal for beginners looking to build confidence in the water, as well as more experienced swimmers who wish to refine their skills over the summer holidays. An exclusive discounted rate is being offered to Channing families: £59 per course (usual price £65)

In addition to the swim courses, pupils and their families are warmly invited to join the Multi-Activity Camp, which runs alongside the crash courses. The camp offers a vibrant mix of swimming, sports, arts and crafts, dance and more – perfect for keeping children active, engaged and having fun throughout the summer.

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.

Reading for Pleasure is an important part of our school culture and many of the girls are avid, thoughtful readers. The summer holidays are a wonderful opportunity to deepen this love of reading, whether through discovering a new author, trying a different genre or simply enjoying the calm of a good book.

What better way to spend a summer day than feet up in the garden with an ice cold lemonade and a good book! We have gathered together some wonderful summer reading suggestions for your daughters. You can find both pupils’ and teachers’ top picks with reading lists for each year group on Firefly here. And look out for the Library Leaders’ book recommendations for summer reading on the Library noticeboard – coming to the courtyard soon.

The Reading Agency also runs a fantastic Summer Reading Challenge, which is open to all children. This year, the theme is ‘The Story Garden’ and the girls can take part online or at a local participating library. They can read from the official book list or set their own reading goals and to read books of their own choosing to win rewards and a certificate. You can find out more here. 

Below are some suggestions for families wishing to further support their daughter’s reading journey this summer:

• British Library: “Discovering Children’s Books” ~ A fascinating permanent collection on the history and creativity of children’s literature. Their website features interactive resources and story-building tools: www.bl.uk/childrens-books
• Discover Children’s Story Centre~ An immersive storytelling centre offering exhibitions and creative play based on favourite children’s books. 

Online Resources & At-Home Inspiration

• Authorfy: Online author-led writing challenges and masterclasses: www.authorfy.com
• BookTrust Age-based booklists, reading tips and engaging resources: www.booktrust.org.uk
• National Shelf Service (YouTube) – Short video book recommendations from librarians, ideal for discovering something new.

Thank you all for supporting the CA and helping us make things more magical for the girls and our community. A special thank you to Co-Chairs, Mrs Imogen Taylor and Mrs Sarah Graham, who are stepping down after two incredible years, handing the baton over to Mrs Sarah Potts and Mrs Jo Glenn, and to Mrs Skye Phillips who steps down as Secretary. Thank you also to Mrs Anoli Nawbatt, who is staying on as Treasurer. And as always, thank you to all the reps who do so much throughout the year.

This past year we have raised almost £20k for charity, helping sick children in GOSH and providing school breakfasts in deprived areas. Thank you for your generosity.

Over the three terms this academic year, we have had a lot of fun supporting the girls, socialising as a community and doing our bit to be more sustainable. Highlights included the girls dressing up for a Hogwarts Winter Fair and becoming festival-chic for another ChanFest. We ran four very well supplied and attended pre-loved uniform sales, the much-loved parent and teacher Quiz Night and the amazing Comedy Night, filling Alexandra Palace Theatre. 

This year, the CA has funded new playground floor markings, a new PA system, ice creams at Sports Day, and much more.

The CA is recruiting and confirming Form Reps for the next school year (2025/26). If you would like to continue or step into the role for your daughter’s form or have any questions, please email jschanningassociation@gmail.com 

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

Sun 31 Aug: Channing Picnic in Highgate Woods

Thurs 9 Oct: Parent & Teacher Quiz Night

Fri 28 Nov: Winter Fair