Miss Hamalis’ Bulletin – Monday 6 November 2023

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.

This year, we will be marking the start of Anti-Bullying Week by inviting all members of the school community to wear odd socks on Monday 13 November! On Odd Socks Day, girls, staff and parents are invited to wear a pair of odd socks as a celebration of our individuality, highlighting that our differences make us a stronger and more united community. The day sends an important message to pupils that they should be allowed to be themselves, free from bullying, and helps us celebrate Anti-Bullying Week in a fun and positive way. Please join us by wearing your most colourful odd socks when you drop off and/or pick up your daughter(s). In addition, the girls will pledge to spread kindness across the school with their words and actions.

The organisers of Odd Socks Day have created a resource pack to support parents and carers, who have a unique role to play in guiding and supporting children through their school years. The resource pack is designed to give you information about bullying, tips about what to do if you’re worried about bullying, and the tools to help you talk to your children about bullying.

Barvember is organised by White Rose Maths to encourage everyone to use bar modelling to pictorially represent worded problems. Our girls are taught to use the bar model as a useful tool to visualise and support solving mathematical problems. Even some of the most complex problems can be seen much easier when represented visually. Our girls know that the bar model is not the only way of visualising a problem and also know that problems can be solved in other ways. Across November, White Rose Maths will release five problems a day, so there will be plenty to get stuck into. The problems will get more challenging over the course of “Barvember”. The girls will be attempting a number of daily Barvember challenges throughout the month during their Mathematics lessons; however, we encourage you to continue this good practice at home, making use of the free resources (with worked answers) available on the White Rose Maths website. You may also choose to use this free website to practise reading and completing bar models with your daughter to then try to complete answers together.

We are delighted to be able to welcome parents of Year 5 & Year 6 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 8.30 – 9am. 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 6: Wednesday 22 November

Year 5: Wednesday 29 November

To launch our subscription to Tooled Up Education, an invaluable digital library of evidence-based resources on all aspects of parenting, education and family life, we held a webinar with Dr Weston on Tuesday 31 October. For those of you who were unable to log on at the time, and for others that may want to watch it again, please find the recording: Tooled Up Launch

This beloved festive favourite features renowned composer John Williams’ charming and delightful score performed live to picture by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and the Crouch End Festival Chorus. Since its debut in 2013, Home Alone in Concert has become a seasonal favourite with orchestras and audiences around the world. Tickets and further info can be found here.

The first food bank collection of the academic year, for the Alexandra Wylie Tower Foundation, is well under way. If your daughter is in Waterlow House, please ask her to place donations in one of the blue, labelled Food Bank collection bins in the courtyard. 

Suggested items for donations include: washing tablets, tinned/canned produce, pasta (and sauces), rice, spices, olive oil, juices, stocks, cereals, tea and coffee. Please ensure all items are long-life produce, as regrettably,  fresh items cannot be donated. Clean sauce pots (from your favourite takeaway), egg cartons and tupperware are also helpful donations as it helps the food bank volunteers to share out items.

Sign up for the Spring Term Clubs will happen this term so that all pupils and parents/guardians have confirmation of clubs prior to the start of term. Spring Term clubs will run from Monday 15 January to Friday 22 March. More information on the club programme to follow.

As a reminder please note, that all after-school clubs will be cancelled on Friday 1 December due to the Winter Fair (before school clubs will run as usual): 

• Key Stage 1 Multisports
• Years 3&4 Football 
• Key Stage 2 Karate

As the weather is getting colder, the girls should now be coming to school in their winter uniform: pinafore, skirt or trousers, striped shirt, sweatshirt or cardigan, brown socks or brown tights and a navy blue, brown or black coat. Please ensure that all uniform and anything coming into school is clearly named with your daughter’s first name, surname or initial and form.

Narnia is coming to the Junior School and tickets are on sale! After school on Friday 1 December (no clubs or Mini/Late Owls), the girls with their families are invited to venture through the wardrobe to explore an enchanted Narnia Wonderland, where the children will discover Santa’s Grotto and themes from the beloved story ‘The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe’. We encourage you to enjoy the book or the film with your children prior to the Winter Fair, and look forward to welcoming you for a magical Christmassy afternoon! 

• Buy tickets here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/channingjuniorschool/1030649
• Preorder a 2023 Channing Winter Fair tea towel or tote bag, hand-illustrated by Y3 mum Mrs Nicole Mitchell: https://buytickets.at/channingjuniorschool/store 

Event details on Classlist here: https://app.classlist.com/parent/#/events/view/1002541174

Buy your tickets for the Winter Fair fundraising raffle in aid of Great Ormond St Hospital, and be in for a chance to win some amazing prizes! Family and friends are welcome – and encouraged – to also buy tickets!

Buy tickets here: https://app.classlist.com/events/#/raffle/view/1069000682

Prizes include:

Dinner for 4 at Claridges

Tickets to Willows Farm

Coaching session with Freddie Ljungberg, Arsenal and Spurs tickets, signed Pelé & Maradona shirts

Tea party with Miss Hamalis

Tickets to Ed Gamble at Hackney Empire

Everyman Cinema tickets

Spa and Beauty Salon vouchers

Local pub vouchers

1-2-1 tennis lesson with Mr Entwisle

Gym memberships & coaching passes

Harvey Nichols hamper

1-2-1 Drama lesson with Mrs Lynch

Listen on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Channing Website

We’re delighted to go behind the scenes and have a conversation with some of the key figures behind the upcoming production of ‘Chicago’. Joining us are the talented individuals who have played roles in bringing the production to life: Miss Hill, the Director of the Show and the Head of Drama, who has guided the production with her artistic prowess and creative vision; and Ms Zanardo, the Musical Director of ‘Chicago’, responsible for weaving the enchanting melodies and harmonies that have breathed life into the musical’s iconic songs. We’re also joined by two Sixth Form students, Eliza and Evie, who stepped into the limelight as the leading ladies, portraying Roxie and Velma.