Newsletter December, 2011 From SMI's desk William Henry says and I quote “Let's learn to live with content; seek elegance rather than luxury; refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly, listen to others with open heart; to bear all cheerfully and to do all bravely.” We are closing our fulfilling first term enriched with curricular and co-curricular activities, which had a significant impact on the learning and personal development of the children. I feel pride in sharing with you that The Beaconhouse Times Online has been launched on November 4th marking the 36th Anniversary of Beaconhouse School System. It is a portal that connects our students, parents and teachers from all over the country to share achievements, news and information. All our events have been uploaded on TBT and can be viewed on the website www.tbt.beaconhouse.net. Our children are growing in times where English has become an essential medium. This year a special focus on developing appropriate language skills is adopted. The children who are found conversing in English all the time will be awarded a badge. I believe that with your support and positive suggestions, our goals and aspirations will thrive further. On behalf of all my team members, I wish you all the very best for the next year. I hope that all our unvoiced and unanswered prayers materialize and each of us pledges to do whatever we can to make this world a better place for our children.
“An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don't.” Anatole France
The New Year has embarked on its orbital journey and we pray and wish that it would be safer and more serene than the previous one. By the grace of Allah Almighty we have completed our first term. Throughout the term, keeping up with the tradition, we not only aimed to provide a versatile education to our children but also emphasized upon the importance of wider social and cultural development through extra curricular activities. These evenly spread and carefully selected activities are always a great contributory factor in developing well rounded personalities of our students. We always take pleasure in sharing these activities with you as we believe that a parent is the first natural teacher who creates and nurtures the child's most important environment. We also take this opportunity to remind you of a few important things. · Get involved in your child's school routine, ask questions and answer queries. · Let him/her explore and learn by helping you with your daily chores. · Expect good behaviour from your child and insist upon it. · Inculcate healthy eating habits in your child. · Discuss safety rules with your child and ensure that they are followed. “The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.” Robert Maynard Hutchins
Open Day The new academic year commenced with an Open Day at BKR. This provided the parents an opportunity to interact with their children's teachers in a welcoming atmosphere, ensuring an engaging ambiance. The school epitomized an aura of welcome which served as a comfort zone for the little ones. Every nook and corner was speckled with brightly hued balloons. Cartoon characters, stilt walkers, jumping castle and the trampoline made their day. Each child took a piece of art as a souvenir along with his/her class photograph, back home.
Orientation Day In order to acknowledge the significance of parental involvement in the development of a child's personality and academic performance, BKR held a two day orientation session in October. It not only provided us with an opportunity to share the objectives and the layout of the curriculum with parents but also helped us to discuss with them the importance of monitoring their child's routine and academics.
Parent Teacher Meeting It is a well accepted fact that a child benefits most when school and home, work in collaboration. In order to promote co-operation between parents and teachers and to provide them with a platform to th
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discuss the performance of students, a PTM was held at BKR on 14 and 15 October. Presence of a commodious number of parents was a source of encouragement for us.
Global Dignity Day th
Global Dignity Day was observed on 20 October. Activities included showing of videos from all over the world, pinning of badges and holding talk sessions in classes. It aimed at instilling a positive, inclusive and an interconnected sense of value in young people that we hope will guide them as they grow
Healthy Food Day The children of Pre-Nursery, Nursery and KG got an opportunity to learn about the significance of healthy food in relation to physical growth and sound mental development. The story boards depicted a race between healthy and junk food and how the victory of healthy food helps a child to understand its importance for our body. Poems, quotes emphasizing healthy eating habits were displayed around the school. All the classes planned activities such as making of milkshakes, salad and sandwich and fruit juices. 100 % students participated in the activities wholeheartedly and parents were also invited to taste the food items prepared with the children's help. The parents appreciated the event as they feel that children are more inclined towards consumption of junk food as compared to healthy food.
Talk Session In order to accentuate the key role of plants in the sustenance of life on earth, an interactive talk th
session was organized for the students of class 2 on 25 Oct,11 October. It was a great source of satisfaction for us to see these young scholars sharing their knowledge with each other. Mrs Seemi Khawar, Mrs Saba Amar Mall, Mrs Faiza Zia and Mrs Faaiza Durrani imparted information about the sizes types and parts of plants along with their utility in human and zoological life. A number of plants were displayed in the arena for students' observation
Investiture Ceremony The aim of education is not only to impart knowledge of facts but also to produce responsible and productive members of the society. To inculcate a sense of responsibility in our students, an rd investiture ceremony was held on 23 Nov-2011, in which members of the English Literary Society were given sashes and badges by Mrs. Seemi Khawar SMI, BKR 1&2. These students were selected according to a carefully designed criterion. After the ceremony the students had their photographs taken with the school administration and Mrs. Ayesha Sohail SGH-2. The event is first of its kind, ever held in BKR.
Special Support Programme A special support programme was designed to facilitate those students who required extra support in the development of basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics.
Waste Watch Week A world on the abyss of destruction needs multitude of hands and compassionate hearts to realize the extent of devastation that lies awake in the form of reckless waste. A Waste Watch Week in this regard was observed. It aimed to inculcate an awareness of the preponderance of recycling the waste material in our students from an early age .The young conscientious students of Beaconhouse Kindergarten Branch shouldered the responsibility of cleaning the spacious grounds of Ayub Park. Students of class 1 and 11 were escorted to Ayub Park, wearing bright yellow T shirts with BSS logo and WASTE WATCH WEEK printed on them. They sorted materials according to four categories i.e. glass, metal, paper and plastic. Later on students participated in a competition to make pieces of art with st
their fathers' help using waste material. Two best pieces of art from each section were selected as 1
& 2nd. Students delivered speeches on the importance of 3 Rs i.e Recycle, Reuse, Reduce . Former professor of Allama Iqbal University, Mr. Anwar Ullah Sheikh highlighted the significance of the need of recycling in present times. Videos of the event can be watched on the following website http://www.youtube.com
Junior Games Sports activities and games are not only considered healthy but also serve as training devices for improving positive social behaviour among children from an early age. Students, who indulge in team games and sports, learn about getting along with others, taking turns, negotiating rules for games and sticking to them. They can handle defeat and celebrate success appropriately from an early age. In the boisterous event of the first round of Junior Games nd (Northern Region) held on 22 Nov- 2011, BKR entered the semi finals by defeating HSPR. Our players defeated BSS Gulraiz Branch RWP in semi finals hence qualify for the final round. They managed to procure both the trophies in the final event that took place in Jinnah Stadium Sports Complex Islamabad on 14th Dec- 2011. They also secured the winner's trophy in 1st Kids Athletic Competition 2011-2012 held on the same day. These events were not only a source of enjoyment for our students but also encouraged a healthy competition among participating teams.
Pakistan Math Challenge th
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On 27 & 28 October 2011 our students of class 1& 11 participated in the Pakistan Math C h a l l e n g e . We p r o u d l y a n n o u n c e t h a t th
Muhammad Abdullah of class 11-D secured 6
position under the category of Top 100 Primary Years Winners 2011. Three of our students managed to win Emerald Certificates in Pakistan Math Challenge. Rohan Awaiz (1 E), Maria Izhar (1 B), Zain Ijaz (2 F) Our students were able to procure 65 Bronze Certificates in Pakistan Math Challenge and our branch was placed in the top 20 schools of Muhammad Abdullah
Pakistan.
Rohaan Awais 1-E
Maria Izhar 1-B
Polio Day at BKR1 The children of Pre- Nursery and Nursery were administered polio drops as per the schedule planned by the Polio Eradication Programme. We hope and pray that this disease wilts away from our country with the help of this extensive programme being carried out country wide.
11-D
Zain Ijaz 2-F
Eid Milan Party Keeping up with the tradition of BKR this year too, the festivities of Eid-ul-Fitr were carried on and all the students came dressed in their finery on the Eid Milan Party. A spirit of sharing and happiness suspended in the air as children shared their lunch with their classmates.
Support Packs Last year BKR initiated provision of support packs for children of class 1. These packs focused on enhancing students' conceptual ability through level appropriate tasks. This year we have taken a step forward and made support packs for class II. The parental feedback is very encouraging as at the heart of our combined efforts, lies students' academic improvement. Early Years Support Packs will also be available after the winter break in the 2nd term.
Training Programme Complacency is an obstacle that challenges improvement in every field of life. We at BSS are constantly trying to enhance our teachers strengths and help them to edge forward professionally through innovative teaching techniques. To acquire these goals all the staff members undergo rigorous in house training by our administrative team. They also receive sufficient learning opportunities through co-teaching techniques and demo lessons by our curriculum coordinators, based in the school group office. The support that they are receiving aims to enhance their existing teaching skills. Lastly , we want you to realize that your involvement in your child's education conveys to them that you as a parents are the child's number one role model and most influential teacher that he will ever have. Regards,
Seemi Khawar SMI
Saba Amar Mall SM
Faiza Zia SM
Salmina Abid School Coordinator
Faaiza Durrani School Coordinator