Dear Channing Hall Parents!
The school is alive. The past week marks the
beginning of our second year. The entire staff has
worked hard to get ready for the students to
arrive. A huge thank you goes out to Tami Minnick
who has made the school a safer place through
writing and updating our safety plan and compiling
the classroom safety backpacks. Also thank you to
Carl Vizmeg (an ER doctor and father of a 1st
grader), who works with us on the safety committee
and safety training. The teacher’s aides were
trained and certified in CPR and first aid while the
new and returning faculty spent three days coming
together as a group to prepare for the year. Now
with your children back, the halls and classrooms
are even more alive with their work and energy. I
hope your child has come home talking about their
new class, their new teacher, and shown excitement
for the new school year.
Reflection on What is Important
In looking forward to a new year, Sarah, the Board
of Directors, and I talked about our hopes and goals
for the year. As we mentioned in our State of the
School meeting in May, our focus and commitment
revolves around becoming an IB Word School and we
will be turning in our first IB application this
spring. As a school in our second year, we are
still in training and always working towards
improvement and excellence, and there must always be
a focus on the big picture and the goals we hope to
reach. As the administration and board reflected on
our values and goals, it became clear that this
year, within our focus on International
Baccalaureate, we want to work toward being
Champions.
A Year-Long Focus on Being Champions
Pause for a moment and reflect on what comes to mind
when you think of a Champion? For me, the first
thought was an orange Wheaties cereal box with Bruce
Jenner or Mary Lou Retton on the front. Still, in
thinking deeper I started to think about more
champions in all forms and sizes. There is Mother
Theresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., President Lincoln,
Margaret Mead, and Albert Einstein. There are also
groups of Champions; the Red Sox’s, The Jazz, and
the Freedom Writers (a group of students from a
South Central LA high school who made an impact by
going beyond their differences). For us it is also
important to look within our community at Champions
such as parents, firemen, local leaders, and
teachers. What all these people have in common are
the skills and values we want to instill in the
students at Channing Hall. As Champions we value
integrity, risk-taking, dedication, problem solving,
respect, and spirit, which perfectly align with
International Baccalaureate and the IB attitudes.
Our goal this year will be to focus on being
Champions. What makes a Champion? How does a
Champion carry him/herself? How does a Champion act
towards others? How does a Champion treat the
environment? How does a Champion act in class?
What does a Champion do when they make a mistake? I
believe the Champions of the future are the students
that walk the halls of Channing Hall, a hall of
winners.
Champions and Back-To-School Night
Back-to-School Nights will be held this Wednesday
(grades 5th – 8th) and
Thursday (K- 4th) with classroom sessions
beginning at 6:30. Uniforms can be ordered and
CHAPS information will be available beginning at
6:00. The full schedule is attached. As last year,
please leave your children at home. The goal of the
night is for you as a parent to spend time with your
child’s teacher, get an overview of the class, help
you understand the curriculum, and learn what is
expected of your child. This is a night to get the
big picture. The individual time with your child’s
teacher comes at Student Conferences in September.
Your child’s teacher will be unable to conference
with you about your child at this time but will be
addressing all parents. As you walk our halls
please notice the Champions posted on the bulletin
boards. These are the result of a board/faculty
exercise when the question was asked “what does a
Champion think, feel, act, and say?” Your child has
completed the same exercise in class and you will be
hearing about it more as you visit your child’s
classroom. With your support and through your
volunteer hours both in and out of the classroom,
our students will learn the valuable skills
necessary to work towards becoming Champions.
I look forward to seeing you all at Back-to-School
Night and remember, Channing Hall is the Hall of
Champions.
Warmly,
Heather