Middle School Newsletter 2020 by Beaconhouse

Walton Campus Middle School

Newsletter 2020

24th December,2020

THE ACADEMIC POST

The Beechtown High School Weekly Newsletter

PRINCIPAL'S NOTE: Dear Parents,

Assalam-u-Alaikum 2020 -Our unprecedented year has finally come to an end. Looking back, we can see the ways this year has tested us all. Though we had bleak moments, this was truly the year we realized the power of humanity and perseverance. Moving straight into the ‘New Normal’, we at BSS – Walton adapted to the changes required to continue living our lives with the Covid-19 pandemic the best we could. With the support and cooperation of our worthy parents & the dedication of our tremendous staff, we were able to ensure continuous schooling for our students throughout the year 2020. During the “Lock Down” and high infection months, we taught our students with the new blended program of online classes with Beaconhouse Schooling Uninterrupted (BSU) and in-person classes in the school building with the hybrid model of teaching and learning. We also supported our students having limited or no access to technology through written work in the notebooks. It is truly amazing to see the kind of effort put forth by our parents, staff and the students to make this endeavour a success. BSS learner profile attributes encourage students to develop the skills needed to succeed in the 21st century. To ensure that BSS students continue to thrive in a world where change is constant and learning never stops, it is imperative to provide opportunities to our students at national and international platforms through which they can develop the skills of collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving and more. Keeping that as our focus, we made sure that our students participated in online competitions throughout 2020. With the talk of vaccinations on the horizon, we hope and pray for a time where we may all come together again in person. We wish you all a very happy and safe new year. Happy Holidays!

Child Protection and Grooming Session 2020 21st February 2020

Child Protection & Grooming Session was held on 21st February 2020 for the students of Grade VI & VII. This session was conducted by the Middle School Headmistress, Ms. Maleeha Khawaja. The aim of this session was to raise awareness among our students about Anti-bullying and its positive and negative impact on their young minds. This session enabled students to deal effectively with the problems of Bullying. Ms. Maleeha also talked about health and hygiene; healthy eating habits and safe circles and inculcated a sense of respect for other individuals of the community in them.

“THE FAMILY IS THE NUCLEUS OF CIVILIZATION.”

International Women’s Day 2020

“A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.”

Diane Mariechild International Women's Day is celebrated annually on 8 March. It is a day when people around the world acknowledge the achievements of women and girls, as well as call for further action to close the gender gap in terms of education, health, economics and politics. The significance of the Day was highlighted by the students of Middle School. Keeping in view, the theme of International Women's Day, as “An equal world is an enabled world”, students of Grade VI prepared a presentation on the topic, “Let Equality Bloom”. They enacted the role of women as a daughter, sister, and mother. The presentation highlighted the competencies of women and their Intellectual capacity for holding responsibilities efficiently. Students also acknowledged the efforts of female leaders of their school by presenting bouquets and badges to their teachers.

International Kangaroo Linguistic Contest (IKLC) i

The International Kangaroo Linguistic Contest (IKLC) aims to improve the communication skills of the pupils and boost their confidence level. It also offers an international recognition to the students at an early stage of their life. Students of Middle School participated in the International Kangaroo Linguistic Contest 2019 (IKLC) during the month of November and the results were announced on February 12, 2020. Our students achieved great laurels at the IKLC. The winners were honoured at a special assembly where they were given medals, badges and certificates as encouragement for actively taking part in extra- curricular competitions. Altogether, we secured 4 medals in this Kangaroo Linguistic Competition. B +

Manahil Imran of Class VI Gold and Mahnoor Syed of Class VI Pink won Gold medal at Benjamin Level. Sheroze Husham of Class VII Gold and Hammad Malik of Class VII Gold won Silver medal at Cadet Level.

Digital Citizenship Awareness Session 2020

The aim of the session was to teach the young generation about the positive and negative effects of over usage of technology, dangers of social media, and keep our students protected online. Teaching “Digital Citizenship” is one of the attributes of Beaconhouse Learner Profile. The parents were also invited for the session to understand the positive and negative effects of social media especially “Cyber Bullying on the young minds”.

WWF-PAKISTAN ‘THE PANDA CHALLENGE 2020' WWF-Pakistan and the Coca-Cola Foundation collaborated to host the finale of ‘The Panda Challenge 2020' school competition, organised on Tuesday, 25th February, with active participation of over 30,000 students. This grand finale was the third and final stage of the school engagement program, prior to which orientations and activities took place in schools involving over 30,000 students who competed to be short listed as semi-finalists and finalists. The event was held at Ali Institute of Education. Muhammad Hammad of VI-Silver won second prize at National Level in English Declamation. The event was graced by the Minister for Provincial Assembly, Ms Sumera Shams who distributed medals, shields and certificates to all the winners in the presence of top management officials from WWF Pakistan and Coca-Cola. The Panda Challenge is an Interschool activity which brings together students from grade 1 to 8 from different schools. The 2020 Challenge was organized not only to help raise awareness about the environment but also to create a platform that helps the youth in honing their public speaking abilities, mental faculties, artistic endeavors and creative writing capabilities around the theme of plastic pollution.

BLL IDOL,2020 "Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything." - Plato. Middle School Students participated in BLL Idol 2020 on 11th February, 2020 organized by Beaconhouse Liberty Campus. It was a mega event in which around 60 participants and 20 schools competed together. Our students bagged 2nd and 3rd position in Ghazal and Folk Category. Muhammad-Bin-Shahzad of VI Gold won 2nd prize in Ghazal Category. Rameen Khalil of VII Gold won 3rd prize in Folk Category.

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated around the world on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. The theme for Earth Day 2020 is "Climate Action."

For Earth Day, Middle School had several activities:

An E- Magazine comprising of poems & articles written by students was published. Students made E-Posters & videos in their Art lessons Music teachers made a medley of songs by asking the students to send in videos of them singing the Earth song and they put it together to make a mashup of the song. Students sent in their testimonials talking about earth day.

Virtual Morning Assembly A virtual assembly was organized by the Principal with a very impressive and important message to remind the students about the importance of taking care of their surroundings. All students logged into their Google classrooms at 9:00am sharp for special online assembly in a Hangout Meet session.

Padlet Walls were maintained for all the sections of Grade VI and VII to express students’ views, messages, pledges and quotes on Earth Day.

Certificates of Appreciation for submission of Assignments Students were awarded with the certificates of appreciation for their active participation in BSU online program on 22nd April.

A class party was arranged on Google Hangout Meet for all the classes. Students were dressed up in casual white attires. They shared jokes and funny messages and had great fun together.

E-Mania 2020 “Better You Better Tomorrow” Middle School Team organised a Mega Interschool Cocurricular Event for Arts, Debates and Music on 12th, 13th and 14th of June. We had participation from Beaconites of all 3 regions. We had more than 300 students who participated in the event. For the first round the students sent in their entries in the form of videos/audios/ pictures etc. After judging them in round 1, we tried to ensure maximum participation in the finals. Final Rounds were held live and judged by renowned external judges. It was a highly successful event.

E-Mania 2020 “Better You Better Tomorrow” “Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest actsThis is the secret of Success” Quotes a Wiseman and our brilliant students followed it. They showed their best in this Mega Event which concerned Arts, Music, Sports and Debates which were conducted over a span of 3 days. Each activity was judged by Prestigious judges who selected the best students against the given criteria. The first Round of these activities invited 100% participation. The students sent their videos of debates, Art work, songs and exercises. The selected ones then participated in live competitions. The enthusiasm of the students in the competition was appreciable. We congratulate all the winners.

Virtual Music Competition

To share and exhibit their love for their country, and to hone their listening and Oratory skills the young vocalists of grade VI and VII sang their hearts out and expressed their immense predilection and affection for their country in a Virtual Singing Competition held on 14th July, 2020 on Google Hangout Meet. The theme of the competition was, “National Songs” which build confidence and enhanced the Patriotic feelings of the students, hence national songs are regarded as an essential and healthy part of the school curriculum at BSS, encouraging loyalty, respect and ‘good citizenship’ in students.

We love you Pakistan!

Virtual Art Competition “Art will never be able to exist without nature.” ~ Pierre Bonnard An Online Art Competition was conducted on 13th July 2020 for Middle School Students. The theme was “Nature” (Drawing Color Bleeds and Silhouettes) and the Medium was markers, paints, crayons, pastels, and collage. No doubt exploration of nature can take endless forms, because nature provides us with such a vast wealth of inspiring phenomena for Art. The children showcased their creative skills in drawing and coloring in 2 Rounds. 100% participation was assured in the first round whereas the results were amazing artwork in the live monitored Hangout Round. This fun-filled activity witnessed enthusiastic participation by all students.

Virtual Art Competition:

Transition Meetings To meet the challenges of setting high standards and making BSU an enriching online experience for the new academic session 2021. Transition meetings were held on class level as well as cluster level. The constructive feedback by the previous year’s class teachers and subject teachers proved highly efficacious in gauging students learning style for the future and adopting strategies for maximum student output.

Hangout Sessions The true alternative for face to face learning was the Hangout Sessions. Incredibly creative and meticulously planned Hangout Sessions were conducted in BSU Phase 2 as well. The students benefited to their maximum through these live sessions. The use of PowerPoint Presentations, videos, virtual boards, Padlet, and the latest teaching techniques clearly depicted the research conducted by the teachers.

Virtual PTM With the incredible learning experience with BSU 2 students and parents expressed their views openly and concisely in the Virtual PTM. They admired the well-planned Hangout Sessions which thoroughly clarified the concepts through PPT’s and different audio-video aids. They were awestruck by the prompt response of teachers in the Google classroom streams and the written assignments submitted by the students of BSS which they expressed in the Parent Feedback Form. These Virtual Meetings proved a great success in evaluating student learning in BSU 2.

Leaving No Stone Unturned

To keep our students up to the mark with the preceding learning paradigms. IKMC revision sessions were conducted at Middle school for classes VI and VII. Hangout sessions were organized where students attempted IKMC past papers with the guidance and support of their Mathematics teachers. The IKMC competition was held on 6th August 2020.

A Winner Never Stops Trying: To ameliorate student stamina for exercise as the lockdown restricts them to the premises of their houses. A Virtual Sports Competition was held at Middle School Walton Campus in July. Students observed immense vigor and felt active going through the strenuous exercises to be judged first on videos and then live online Hangout presentations. The best ones were selected by the judges on the criteria of endurance, posture, and strength. No doubt the exercises raised their adrenaline level high.

Playing is the best way of learning M Arham Ali of class VI Green successfully completed all modules of PomPak – Learn to Earn and received certification from the State Bank of Pakistan project. It was a great achievement on part of this young learner to have completed all modules up to the bracket of 21 years of age over a very short span of time. Arham learned about investment and how to deal with financial matters through his game. He recommended it to his fellow students through a video message. In these distressful times, making good use of gadgets and learning positively to be aspirations for others is an achievement on part of our brilliant learners. A huge number of our students are playing this game and have received their certificates on completion of their respective age bracketed module. It is Pakistan’s first online financial literacy course which is delivered through an engaging and interactive game. It helps students to master the essentials of saving, budgeting, borrowing, banking, and other key topics. NELPY (POMPAK)-National Financial Literacy Program for Youth congratulated and shared the video of M. Arham Ali where he has talked about his learning experience on different platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn. Keep shining and keep learning!

G GA AM ME E O ON N

Atelier hosted by Beaconhouse Garden Town “Music expresses feeling and thought, without language; it was below and before speech, and it is above and beyond all words.” – Robert G. Ingersollng We are delighted to announce it that our melodious rock star, Muhammad Bin Shahzad of VI Gold secured 2nd position in the Lip sync category of Atelier 2.5 hosted by BSS Garden Town.

We are so proud of our young talented singer!

Hitting 2nd POSITION AT VIRTUAL SCIENCE FAIR It is indeed a proud moment for us at Walton as our brilliant young student Muhammad Ferzaan Bukhari from grade VI Blue turned theory into a practical experiment and Secured 2nd position in the Virtual Science Fair organized by Beaconhouse Valencia Town Campus. Ferzaan participated in it and made a spinning car using recycled material and practically costing just the battery price. Taking a keen interest in science and balancing out different materials in such a way to make them work together is an achievement in itself, let alone to stand out among so many other outstanding competitors and gaining the second position. The young student executed the project on his own, the rules and guidelines of the fair were clearly briefed to him by his teachers while the rest of the hard work and effort was undoubtedly his own. The car is in complete working condition and turns a complete 360-degree spin. The materials used include old bottle caps for wheels, spare copper wires, a motor, an empty matchbox, and a 1.5 V battery.

Well done Ferzaan! Keep it up; we see a very bright future ahead for you. Really proud of our young scientist!

SCIENCE IS ORGANIZED KNOWLEDGE

No doubt our talented students know how to career their knowledge towards the right direction which can be fruitful not just for themselves but also for their surroundings as Our inspiring young scientist, Moin Arif, of VII Red BSS Walton Campus Lahore, has made a smart dustbin using Arduino, Ultrasonic Sensor and a Servo Motor. It is a simple but useful project called Smart Dustbin. Using this project, the lid of the dustbin stays closed, so that waste is not exposed (to flies and mosquitos) and when you want to dispose any waste, it will automatically open the lid. It gives us immense pleasure to see our young learners deeply engrossed in each and every subject, not even to miss out on Robotics to come up with this amazing project.

Way to go Moin ! Keep it up.

Virtual Defence

Day Celebrations!

Defence Day is an opportunity to commemorate the sacrifices and courageous acts of our fellowmen and armed forces during wars and struggling times which Pakistan had to face. Middle School students pledged their solidarity with Pakistan Armed Forces through videos, PowerPoint presentations and by using lino and padlet. Short clips on the history of Defence Day and patriotic songs paying homage to our martyrs and ghazis created an emotionally electrifying ambience in the classes. Through colours and pictures, our young artists created posters to express their feelings regarding the armed forces. Defence Day celebrations at Middle School helped students learn to be thankful and to pray for the safety and solidarity of Pakistan. It conveyed the message that strength, unity, courage and determination are the key factors to protect and safeguard the freedom and honour of our homeland Pakistan.

VIRTUAL INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS! “In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.” – Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Middle School Students celebrated this day with great zeal and zest. They expressed their dedication and passion to do something for their homeland by writing their pledges on the padlet pledge wall. Students made PowerPoint presentations on the heroes of Pakistan. Patriotic songs were played and sung by the students. National Anthem was played at the same time in all the sections to show the respect, unity, and love we have for our motherland. Teachers and students were all dressed up in green and white attires. Students made Independence Day posters and paintings during their Live Art lesson. Indeed, it was a day of joy, a day to love and respect our country and make it a better place for everyone to live and experience freedom, peace, and unity in diversity. Long Live Pakistan.

Children’s Day 2020

To mark the significance of the Children’s Day, BSS Walton Campus Middle Section arranged some convivial activities for the students on special google meet sessions with their class teachers. The rip-roaring plan of wearing crazy hairstyles in blue dresses added to the celebrations. Their “Baby Pics”, with the caption Guess “Who is Who” was the most hilarious time as their chuckles filled the air on guessing incorrectly. Verbally our innovative students shared their sentiments on Jam boards and sang songs regarding Children’s Day to entertain each other. At the end of the session all of them joined a live Session of Zumba steps with Ms. Asma our P.E teacher. The amusing activities to lighten our stressed-out youth in these COVID-19 days no doubt left a mark on their innocent brains.

FIRST VIRTUAL PTM@ MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR SESSION 2020-21 “At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child’s success is the positive involvement of parents.” Jane. D. Hull.

Virtual Parent-Teacher Meetings were a great way where the parents and teachers formed a formidable co-operative way with the sole intention of improving the children. Virtual Parent Teacher Meetings were held for every individual student of Middle School in the mid of October 2020.

GLOBAL DIGNITY DAY 2020 In order to highlight the significance of the intrinsic right of respect to every individual, we organized different Global Dignity activities. During homeroom lessons, Talk Sessions, were held where teachers emphasized upon the importance of respecting every human being, irrespective of race, culture, religion or social status. Our Middle School students virtually communicated with SOS children on Google Meet and had fruitful discussion with them. They also sent gifts for SOS Village children as a token of gratitude. An E-magazine was designed in which students’ essays, articles and poetry were published.

"Celebrating 45 Years of Excellence-Happy Birthday BSS!" by Middle School The 45th Birthday of Beaconhouse was celebrated at Walton Campus on November 4, 2020 with a lot of enthusiasm. Students dedicated poems to BSS and paid tribute to the teachers for their hard work and efforts through their artistic skills. The story of BSS journey to excellence was also shared with the students. The purpose to celebrate this day was to develop sense of ownership of their school and also to show their love for their school.

Teacher's Day The Teachers Day celebrated on Monday 5th October with utter avidity and gusto. The Day began with a significant Wishing by our esteemed Principal Ms. Tehmina Lodhi and the Management at Walton Campus in gratification and recognition of the countless and persistent struggles by the Teachers to strive for the best. A delectable and delicious lunch box in an ambiance of flowers was accorded to all the teachers by our esteemed Principal Ms. Tehmina Lodhi and the Management along with a teacher’s day gift of a Bookmark, revealing gratifying compassion for the teachers. The teachers were overwhelmed by the goodwill gesture and were greatly appreciative of it. Waltonites wrote thank you notes for their teachers indubitably realizing the responsibilities and consistent efforts their teachers put in to provide them standard education.

Virtual Elections 2020 ‘’Setting Goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible. Rejecting all barriers of the Covid19 situation the Middle School organized Online Elections on Friday 6th November 2020. The act of voting in itself is a defining moment. Having said that, the dexterous students of Middle Section Class 7 set forth on projecting their targets for their future establishment, after being nominated to run in elections for the positions of Head Boy /Girl through a stringent process of submitting their applications online and later shortlisted by the School Management. They went through a meticulous, unbiased procedure of selection on the criterion of excellence in Academics followed by detailed interviews by our distinguished Principal Mrs. Tehmina Lodhi and respected HM Mrs. Maleeha Khwaja. They privileged the opportunity of special Online Campaigning spread over an entire week in October. The fortunate nominees delivered impressive speeches in the videos they prepared, assuring commitment to school's improvement and convincing the student body to vote for them which were shared in their Google Classrooms. The Student Council In-charge Ms. Naila clearly spoke of the rules and regulations to be observed while campaigning, casting online votes, and balloting for the Election. The high spirits and enthusiasm of the Middle School Students was evident in their zest to join online Hangout sessions organized by their class teachers to cast their votes for the selection of Head Boy/Head Girl and House Captains and Vice Captains. The House In-charge exhibited exemplary monitoring during these voting sessions. The overall experience proved an unparalleled triumph and a trendsetter in the Virtual World. We wish the successful candidates the best!

Investiture Ceremony for the Academic session 2020—2021

The Harder you work for something, the greater you’ll feel when you achieve it. (Unknown)

No doubt our young Waltonites of Middle Section felt greatly prized as they received badges and sashes as the members of the newly inducted student council at the Investiture Ceremony for the Academic Session 2020—2021 by our Honorable Principal Mrs. Tehmina Lodhi and our respected HM Mrs. Maleeha Khawaja in the school auditorium. The ceremony was like a beam in the darkness, donning the mantle of accountability as students pledged to bestow their duties to the best of their abilities. The programme inaugurated with the recitation and the translation of the Holy Quran followed by the National Anthem to signify patriotism. The ceremony was shown live through the Google Classrooms to accommodate the students sitting at home during this pandemic. The Student Council comprised of Class Prefects, Captains, and Vice Captains, TBT Coordinator& Dignity Ambassador, and the Executive Council; constituting of the Head Boy, Head Girl, Deputy Head Boy, and the Deputy Head Girl. The student council took the pledge to perform their duties with sincerity, honesty, and perseverance. The thought-provoking and impactful speeches by the Head Boy, Head Girl, and the Principal Madam Tehmina Lodhi were adulated with a round of applause. The ceremony concluded with a group photograph of the Student Council members’ making it an exemplary event for all.

Guided Tour of Google Classroom The Middle School Management Team and teachers organized Guided Tour to Google Classroom for the parents and students. The virtual session was conducted on Friday, 4th December, 2020 by the Middle School teachers. The session was all about the Google Classroom, it was all explained through power point presentation and tutorial videos.

Ms. Maleeha Khawaja The Headmistress Middle School

Dear Parents, This academic year was quite a challenge for everyone! But in spite of all the odds, we managed to have a very successful year. This was due to the unconditional support from our respected Principal Ms.Tehmina Lodhi , the Beaconhouse Head Office, our amazing hardworking coordinators, teachers, and supportive parents of our dear students. The Lahore skies were covered with smog at the start of the new academic year. The students and the teachers got used to wearing masks and staying indoors. But who would have thought that after a few months, the whole world and our nation would be struck with another calamity, “Covid 19”. It was unbelievable that our lives came to a standstill. We all took it as a shock, we were not able to go to school, work, shop, or meet our friends even relatives. In this grim situation came a ray of hope for everyone ‘the BSU’-Beaconhouse Schooling Uninterrupted. Due to this, the students did not miss out on their studies and the teachers continued their routine of working from home and provided a hybrid style of education to the students with a synchronous and asynchronous approaches. We all learned a lot in this novel journey: from becoming completely digitally literate to holding mega-events like E-Mania, Virtual PTM, Virtual Online Competitions. All this would not have been possible without parentbody's persistent support, cooperation. Resultantly, an unforeseen difficult year came to a successful close as you advanced hand in hand with our exigent endeavours. We all feel happy and grateful to you that in this unsettled and distressed situation under the lingering shadow of pandemic we were able to provide academics as well as co-curricular activities to our dear students through BSU Google Classrooms. Achieving this worthy objective would not have been possible without your valuable wholehearted support and selfless tiring efforts of our dedicated and hard-working teachers, our real heroes. My salute to all our teachers.

Important Dates Winter Break

Monday,28th December 2020

School Reopens

Monday, 11th January 2020

Mid Years Results

Thursday, 21st January 2020

https://www.facebook.com/BSSWalton

https://www.beaconhousetimes.net/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGaPuLoiqxISHYn3VBADvkw

Contact: Main Walton Road, near Farooq Colony, Farooq Colony, Lahore Ph:#35929683 / 35929685 / 35929686 / 35929607-08