Miss Hamalis’ Bulletin – Monday 16 March 2026

Posted: 16th March 2026

Miss Hamalis, Head Of Channing Junior School

Dear Parents & Carers

It was a joyful start to the day in assembly this morning as Miss Jimenez (Inclusion Lead) spoke to the girls and staff about International Women’s Day and the powerful message that every girl can dream big and achieve remarkable things. There was a wonderful sense of energy and pride in the room as the girls reflected on the many ways women and girls make a difference in the world.

International Women’s Day, celebrated each year on 8 March, is a global moment to recognise and celebrate the social, cultural, economic and political achievements of women and girls. It also reminds us that there is still important work to do to ensure equality and opportunity for all. The day is both a celebration and a call to action to create a fairer world where every girl’s voice is heard, valued and encouraged.

To bring this message to life, Miss Jimenez shared the wonderfully uplifting book ‘Girls Can Do Anything!’ by Caryl Hart, illustrated by Ali Pye. The book is full of bright illustrations and joyful rhymes that celebrate the many talents, personalities and dreams that girls can have. It reminds readers that girls can be bold, adventurous, creative, curious and kind, and that they can pursue any passion, hobby or career they choose.

The story celebrates individuality and possibility. Some girls love sport, some love science, some enjoy performing or inventing while others delight in exploring nature or creating art. The book shows girls in many different roles and activities, helping children to imagine the wide range of opportunities open to them. It also highlights women who have made inspiring contributions to the world, encouraging the girls to see that they too can grow up to shape the future.

The assembly also reflected on the importance of recognising and celebrating the achievements of women and girls around the world. International Women’s Day reminds us that women have made extraordinary contributions in every field, from science and politics to the arts, education and sport, and it encourages us to continue working towards a world where everyone has equal opportunities to thrive.

At school we often talk about the values that shape our community such as empathy, curiosity, resilience and responsibility and these connect beautifully with the spirit of International Women’s Day. When we encourage one another, celebrate each other’s successes and stand up for fairness, we help to create a community where everyone can flourish. The assembly reminded the girls that when women and girls are given opportunities to learn, lead and contribute, communities become stronger, more creative and more compassionate.

You may wish to reflect on some of these ideas with your daughter at home. The girls might think about the things that make them unique, the women and girls who inspire them in their own lives and how they can encourage and support others each day. After the assembly, many girls spoke enthusiastically about the women who inspire them including mothers, grandmothers, teachers and sisters whose kindness, determination and courage shape their lives.

Most importantly, the assembly reminded the girls that their own ideas, talents and ambitions matter. Each of them has the potential to make a positive difference in the world whether through creativity, compassion, leadership or innovation. As a school community, we remain deeply committed to nurturing confidence, curiosity and independence so that every girl feels empowered to explore her interests and believe in her abilities.

Alongside this, this week we will also be taking part in Neurodiversity Celebration Week. This provides a valuable opportunity for the girls to recognise and celebrate the different ways people think, learn and experience the world. During form time, the girls will take part in an activity designed to help them explore what neurodiversity means, created by Miss Jackson (SENCO). Our aim is to continue developing the girls’ awareness, empathy and respect for the diverse strengths and perspectives that everyone brings to our school community. Celebrating difference and recognising that people learn and experience the world in different ways is an important part of building an inclusive and supportive environment where every girl feels valued.

At this time of year there are also several cultural celebrations taking place: 

St Patrick’s Day celebrates Irish culture and heritage and is a time associated with community, storytelling, music and the colour green. We wish all families who celebrate a very happy St Patrick’s Day.

Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, will soon be celebrated by many of our families. Marking the arrival of spring, Nowruz is a time of renewal, hope and gathering with family and friends. It symbolises fresh beginnings and the turning of the seasons.

We also mark the Spring Equinox, the moment when day and night are of equal length. Across many cultures this time represents balance, renewal and the promise of warmer, brighter days ahead.

To all our families celebrating these occasions, we send our warmest wishes. May this season bring joy, reflection and a sense of new beginnings.

With warm wishes

Miss Dina Hamalis
Head of the Junior School

Staff Contact Information

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.

You can find the Channing Promise on the school website. This is something the whole school community upholds and underlines our values of respect, tolerance and inclusivity. We know you will be nothing short of respectful in your communications with staff and you can expect the same in return.

Calendar & Events

Club Cancellations: Future Dates to Note

Please see below for details of clubs that will be cancelled in advance this half term. These cancellations are due to school events such as Parents’ Evenings, as well as staff absence for residential trips and sporting fixtures. For the clubs listed below, please collect your daughter at the usual time or sign her up for Late Owls.

Whilst we endeavour to limit on-the-day cancellations, these may occasionally occur due to staff or external club leader absences. In the event of an on-the-day cancellation, you will always receive a text message informing you that the club has been cancelled. In these circumstances, your daughter may remain in Waiters for the duration of her scheduled club time (no collection during Waiters), be collected at the usual end of day dismissal time or be signed up for Late Owls.

Both advance and on the day cancellations are also reflected in the SOCS club calendar. We encourage you to check this section and your SOCS calendar regularly to stay up to date with any club changes or amendments.

As a reminder, clubs finish this Friday for the term, and will resume after the Easter break on Monday 2 April.

House Baking Competition

Today (Goodwin) and tomorrow (Sharpe) will be the first two Houses’ opportunity to submit their cake for the House Baking Competition. Next week it will be over to Spears (Monday 23 March) and Waterlow (Wednesday 25 March). 

If your daughter would like to enter, on her Houses’ specific day, please drop your daughter’s cake entry (in a secure box/ tin, which is clearly labelled with her name) to the tables in the courtyard. Please ensure it is left on the correct table, labelled with ‘Reception and Key Stage 1’ or ‘Key Stage 2’. 

At the end of the day on Monday 16, Tuesday 17, Monday 23 and Wednesday 25 March all entries will be sold in the courtyard, by the Year 6 House Captains, to raise money for the Whittington Hospital Children’s Ward. The bake sale will run between 3.00pm and 4.00pm. Anyone is able to buy the cakes – not just those in that house as it’s a collective contribution to the charity.

Happy baking!

Curriculum Talks Programme: Drama (Reception - Year 6) & English (Year 1 - Year 6)

Drama ~ Tuesday 17 March, 6 – 7pm
This talk will be led by Mrs Lynch (Drama Teacher) and members of the Junior School Senior Team, in Fairseat Hall. The session will offer valuable insight into Drama at the Junior School and the journey the girls go on from Reception to Year 6. If you would like to sign up to attend, please use the link provided: Drama at Channing (Reception – Year 6).

Supporting with English from Home (Y1 – Y6) (Rescheduled) ~ Tuesday 21 April, 6 – 7pm
This talk will be led by Miss McHard and Mr Westerman (English Leads) and will focus on how you can support your daughter with her English learning from home. During the evening, they will share practical strategies to help develop both writing and reading skills, offering guidance on how you can build confidence and embed strategies taught in school.

Please note that the names of those who previously signed up have been added to the new form. If you would like to sign up to attend, please use the link provided: Supporting with English from home (Y1 – Y6)

Reception & Year 2 Drama Workshops: Wednesday 18 March

Reception and Year 2 will be taking part in a special drama workshop during the school day. The girls will step into the magical world of Mrs Tuppence’s toy shop, where teddies, trains, dolls and puppets come alive at midnight. However, disaster looms as Peyton Pixel threatens to shut the shop down. Only the pupils can help the toys prove their magic and save the shop. Along the way, the girls will explore toys from the past and present, from clockwork wonders to digital delights, discovering how materials, mechanisms and ways of playing have changed over time.

The workshops will be led by a professionally trained actor who will appear in character to guide the girls through a magical and immersive drama experience. Through storytelling, movement and role-play, the session brings learning to life while encouraging imagination and creativity. It also supports key areas of learning across English, PSHE, Expressive Arts and Physical Development.

Skipping Workshops: Monday 16 & Thursday 19 March

We are delighted to inform you that we have invited Skipping Workshops to work with our school, teaching different skipping skills to every form. Years 3-6 will have their workshops on Monday 16 March, and Reception-Year 2 will have theirs on Thursday 19 March. The workshops will be followed by a whole-school showcase.

Skipping Workshops have presented demonstrations in over 3000 schools and are the longest most experienced company in the UK. To help children & parents interested in encouraging skipping we have a series of brief videos that illustrate various skills & challenges https://www.skipping-workshops.co.uk/ 

 Their aim is to introduce modern and traditional skipping games including individual rope tricks, speed skills and Double Dutch, back into the playground.

Open Classroom & Parents’ Tea Party: Save the Date ~ Tuesday 24 March, 4 - 5pm

We are excited to invite all parents to our Open Classroom Event on Tuesday 24 March, from 4-5pm. This event offers parents the opportunity to visit their daughter’s classroom and explore the work that she has produced in her books. 

This is an informal event designed to celebrate your daughter’s progress. Parents will be able to browse through books and projects, with their daughters guiding them through their work and sharing what they have learnt. This is a fantastic chance to engage with your daughter’s education and see firsthand how she has grown academically. 

Additionally on this date, Miss Hamalis will be hosting a Parents’ Tea Party with Mrs Brant (Deputy Head) and Mr Davies (Deputy Head Academic): a relaxed opportunity to spend time together and get to know one another better. We are looking forward to sharing plenty of tea, cake and chatter with you all.

Easter Bonnet Parade: Friday 27 March

On the last day of term, as per tradition, we invite the girls to take part in our much-loved Easter Bonnet Parade! They are encouraged to bring in a homemade Easter Bonnet to wear with pride. A simple sun hat decorated with flowers, bunnies, eggs or chicks is perfect – and reusing a favourite from previous years is absolutely welcome! We can’t wait to see their wonderful creations as they parade with their friends. Please ensure all girls come to school in their full school uniform rather than PE uniform or Forest School clothing.

Lost Property Reclaim: Thursday 26 & Friday 27 March

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

  • Thursday 26 March: 7.30am-8.30am & 2.50pm-5.30pm
  • Friday 27 March: 7.30am-8.30am & 11.30-12.30pm

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

End of Term Dismissal Times: Friday 27 March

Please make a note of the dismissal times and locations below for the last day of term, Friday 27 March.  

There will be no Late Owls on this date.

11.45am: Reception (side gate) 

11.55am: Year 1 (main gate)

11.55am: Year 2 (side gate) 

12.05pm: Year 3 (main gate)

12.05pm: Year 4 (side gate) 

12.15pm: Year 5 (main gate)

12.15pm: Year 6 (side gate)

Form Photos: Friday 17 April

We will be welcoming back NiceSmile to take Form Photos on Friday 17 April. Please ensure that your daughter comes into school in her Summer uniform, including a cardigan/jumper, plain white, long or short socks or white tights, school shoes and with a hairbrush in her bag. 

Please ensure that if your daughter has long hair (hair longer than shoulder length), it must be fully tied back/up in brown, black, white or Channing blue hair bands and clips. No jewellery may be worn except for religious symbols or small plain studs in pierced ears and the girls should not be wearing nail varnish. 

If your daughter usually has Forest School on Friday, please ensure she has her kit and suitable clothing in a bag to change into as necessary. If your daughter usually has PE on Friday, please ensure she also brings a pair of trainers to change into, there is no need to bring a change of PE uniform, on this occasion.

Courses for Parents

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 more information about this resource, see the dedicated section below. 

For upcoming Tooled Up courses and events please click here

  • Tuesday 17 March 12.30pm ~ Living with Loss: Grief Beyond the First Year
  • Thursday 19 March 7.30pm ~ How to Support Teenagers with Friendship and Relationship Issues
  • Friday 20 March 1.00pm ~ Supporting Children During Distressing Global Events

Young Enterprise News: Saturday 14 March

It was a true pleasure to speak with various Junior School parents who came out to support our Young Enterprise teams at Brent Cross on Saturday 14 March. Both teams were highly commended by the judges. However, we are pleased to share the news that Seeds&Greetings were awarded ‘Best overall Company’. We are absolutely thrilled at this recognition.  

Both teams are now moving onto the East and North London Company of the Year Awards. Again, we are so grateful for all the support and feedback from the Junior School parents. We’ll next see you at the JSummer Fair in June where we’ll be displaying our products and all of our trophies.

Curriculum

Personal, Social, Health & Economic Education (PSHE)

In the Summer Term, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is taught as a part of our whole-school PSHE Programme. Guidance from the DfE informs schools that: “Parents have the right to request that their child be withdrawn from some or all of sex education delivered as part of statutory Relationships and Sex Education”  (p17 DfE Guidance)

Puberty is taught as a statutory requirement of Health Education and covered by our Jigsaw PSHE Programme in the ‘Changing Me’ Puzzle (unit). Sex education refers to Human Reproduction, and therefore parents are able to request their child be withdrawn from the PSHE lessons that explicitly teach this. The lessons that pupils can be withdrawn from are:

  • Year 4 –  Lesson 2 (Having a baby)
  • Year 5 – Lesson 4 (Conception)
  • Year 6 – Lesson 3 (Conception, birth)

Ahead of these units being taught in Summer 1, we will ask that you please inform your daughter’s Form Teacher, as well as Ms Merritt (PSHE Lead) via email if you wish to withdraw her from the specific lessons listed above. To inform Ms Merritt please use the following email address: emerritt@channing.co.uk

Resources for Parents

Tooled Up Learning Assistant (TULA)

Channing families now have access to TULA (the Tooled Up Learning Assistant). This is a new, multi-lingual AI tool designed to provide you with instant, reliable parenting guidance, and it is available to you as part of your existing membership.

TULA is a conversational tool that provides immediate advice drawn exclusively from Tooled Up’s evidence-based library. Unlike general AI (like ChatGPT), TULA is a closed system. It does not search the open internet, instead, every answer is grounded solely in Tooled Up’s researched content, ensuring the guidance is safe and trustworthy.

TULA is designed to save time by:

  • Providing quick, practical answers when you need support in the moment.
  • Tailoring advice to your child’s specific age and your current situation.
  • Linking directly to relevant Tooled Up articles, webinars, and activities if you wish to dive deeper.

You can watch a brief, 5-minute explainer video here.

To use TULA, please follow the following steps

  1. Log in to your account: https://members.tooledupeducation.com/log-in
  2. Click ‘Ask TULA’ in the main menu at the top of the page.

If you haven’t yet created your account, you can register here using our school PIN: cha0706.

We remain committed to supporting our families with the best research-led resources available. We hope you find TULA to be a helpful and accessible addition to your parenting toolkit.

Channing Association

Swimathon Donations

If your daughter took part in last week’s Swimathon or if you’d just like to donate, please send your donations to the below link ensuring that the girls name is included in the donation: https://www.justgiving.com/page/channingswimathon2026

We have already raised enough to fund over 8000 meals, so please help us to reach our 10000 goal.

Pre-loved Uniform Sale

The CA is running a pre-loved uniform sale on Monday April 20 between 8.00 – 8.45am in the courtyard. For any donations of unwanted, clean and unlabelled uniform items (especially PE kit), please leave in the labelled blue bins in the courtyard. 

If you would like to help with sorting out and setting up, please contact jschanningassociation@gmail.com

Summer Fair Chanfest: Sunday 7 June

We are looking forward to inviting the Channing Junior School family to the annual Chanfest celebration on Sunday 7 June in the school grounds. Tickets will go on sale after Easter. 

There will be plenty of games and fun for everyone, but we would like to ask whether anyone has any contacts in the catering industry who would be interested in running a stall. 

If so, please contact us on jschanningassociation@gmail.com

North London Laughs: Thursday 14 May

We are delighted to confirm the star-studded line up for North London Laughs Comedy Night at Alexandra Palace Theatre on Thursday 14 May.

https://www.alexandrapalace.com/whats-on/north-london-laughs/

This is a charity comedy night in aid of the Gastroenterology Department at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Year 6 Leavers’ Events

  • Leavers’ Party: Friday 5 June (arrival from 18.30pm) at “Twenty at N20”
  • Tea Party & Rounders Match: Tuesday 30 June at 1.30pm (at school) Parents invited.

Diary Dates

  • Thursday 14 May: North London Laughs Charity Comedy night, Ally Pally, with Channing parents offered first access to tickets. 
  • Sunday 7 June: Summer fair ‘Chanfest’ held in the grounds of the Junior School
Open Days

Our Summer Open Day schedule has been published:

Junior School Open Day Dates

Senior School Open Day Dates

Come and experience our school firsthand!
👉 Click here for more details and to book your visit.