Newsletter 1st Term 2011-12

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NEWSLETTER

MIRPUR

FIRST EDITION 2011-12

HM’s Note: Dear Parents, Once again the weeks have flown by this term. As I reflect on our very busy and exciting time it is with amazement that I realize what the children have achieved and how well they responded to the challenges and experiences they have faced. It was so lovely to meet many new families. I would like to congratulate all our pupils and staff for a wonderful start to our new school year. Our youngest Pre-Nursery pupils settled very quickly without too many Introduction to the tears and all of our new pupils are beginning to make new friends. It was extremely important that we make a positive Management start to the term and I am very pleased with the level of support, goodwill and optimism shown by all pupils, staff and Headmistress: parents for a successful start.

Mrs Nighat Javed This issue of newsletter will give you a glimpse of all the events and activities held during the first term. Early years held a Poem Competition, Grandparents’ Day, Phonics Quiz to enhance students’ learning and build their confidence. Creative School Coordinators: writing, letter writing, spelling and handwriting competitions were the highlights of the term. More events, Ms Sobia Mir Mrs Sabeen Iqbal competitions and activities will be held during the upcoming term.

As a community, we will need the support and encouragement of each other throughout the year ahead and I am Editor, Newsletter: confident we will have a very productive and enjoyable year. Schooling is a crucial period in a child’s learning. They need Mrs Nadia Zia to be taught a variety of complex skills that will form the foundations of all their learning for the rest of their lives. They IT Skills : learn to read, write, manipulate numbers, observe, record and question. At the same time, positive attitude is fostered, Ms Nazia Yasmin Butt creative learning encouraged and interpersonal skills developed. In this newsletter, and the ones sent out over the year, you are sure to see the wonderful achievements, activities and results of the children and staff at BSS-Mirpur.

Please remember that communication for us is a priority. Do not hesitate to contact your child’s classroom teacher you should have any concerns.

From the Editor’s pen Firstly and most importantly, I would like to welcome all new entrants to the school. We take great pride in our school and are honoured that your families have chosen to entrust us with your education. Each year, our biggest task is to make sure your education is fruitful and inspiring. It’s a job we take very seriously.

We want to extend a warm welcome to all students returning to us for another year. It is good to have you all back, so that we can get on with making a success of the time you have with us, here at Beaconhouse.

The First Term proved be an exhilarating start to the academic year 2011-2012, which unfurled slowly, but surely, a plethora of educational and entertaining events which kept the students and teachers in its grip. I hope, as the Editor, I will have done justice to the towering achievements of BSS Mirpur Campus. Stay tuned for the upcoming newsletter.

Eid Milan Party

Orientation Day

The religious occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eidul-Azha culminated with two Eid Milan Parties, which marked the beginning of many such activities to come in future. The occasion was fittingly celebrated by all classes PreNursery-X C. Students dressed up in all their finery, decorated their respective rooms and laid out sumptuous fare for all to enjoy. At the end of the day, classes took up the stage to display their various talents and add to the joyous celebration.

An Orientation Day was organized at Beaconhouse Mirpur Branch, on 12th October 2011, to apprise and introduce parents to the assessment module and policies followed at BSS. It was also an occasion for the parents to discuss their queries with the school management. The Academic Head from the SGO2, Mrs Amna Usman, accompanied by Subject Coordinators, was present to oversee the proceedings and even give their presentations to the parents. The event, which was carried out in tiers for Classes Pre-Nursery-VI, in four sessions to accommodate all parents was conducted by subject teachers of the respective classes and supported by the coordinators from SGO 2. It was followed by light refreshments where parents expressed their satisfaction and congratulated the HM, Mrs Nighat Javed and her team for an enlightening experience.

Student Council Elections

Mirpur Branch swung into action as the date for the elections for the Student Council was announced. Political temperature rose as the school came alive with an array of colourful and imaginative placards and promotional posters. The campaign reached a fever pitch on the D-day 20th October 2011. Voting was conducted from classes’ I-X. The younger ones, especially, displayed control and discipline during the voting process. Results were finally announced at the end of the day amidst cheers and excitement. The Headmistress, Mrs Nighat Javed, expressed her satisfaction at the smooth and impartial election process and congratulated the jubilant winners.

Details of the result are as under: Headboy Hamza Ali XC Deputy Headboy Ahmed Mirza

IX C

Headgirl Mahnoor Kaleem

IX C

Deputy Headgirl Narmeen Falak

VIII

Our students displayed their skill in spelling by going through to the third round. BSS Mirpur is proud of its young talent and hopes the confidence gained today will prove an asset tomorrow. The management is also grateful to the support of the teachers coordinating the event. A special note of thanks to Mrs Wajeeh Shaukat, a dear parent of a student of BSS Mirpur; who trained these students and sacrificed her time for them.

Prefects Class VIII 1st Mohammad Ikram 2nd Zakria Iqbal 3rd Shahrukh Zia The new members of the Student Council were installed in their positions in a simple, graceful ceremony. The Headmistress took the oath from the successfully elected candidates. She congratulated the newly installed council members for their achievement.She told the audience that it is the new council’s responsibility to represent the students and be a channel between students and the School.

Oath Taking Ceremony

Are you following the Nelson Script?

Nelson Script is the standard writing being followed in all branches of Beaconhouse.

However, new admissions are not used to it and even some old students do not follow correctly.

It was deemed necessary, therefore, to reinforce this in students of classes’ I-V and winners were announced to encourage and motivate them.

Global Dignity Day

Teachers, the backbone of any educational institution, are mentors and sculptors who dye the cast of the future generation. To honour and venerate all teachers, ‘Teachers’ Day’ is celebrated globally on the 5th October. BSS Mirpur, observed this day by organising a ‘Card Making activity’ for classes I-XC simultaneously. Students expressed their deep affection and reverence for their teachers by creating imaginative pieces of art which were later displayed artistically for all to view and admire.

V Yellow V Yellow IV Blue

Age group 12-15 yrs Ahmed Mirza IX C Hamza Javed IX C Asma Javed IX C Coordinator: Mrs Nadia Zia

Prefects Class VII 1st Saif ud din Ahmed 2nd Ali Abaad 3rd Usama Mansoor

Teachers’ Day

Dawn In Education, from 'The Dawn' newspaper, organize a Regional and National Spelling Bee Competition every year, which is attended by various schools of the respective regions. The following students from BSS Mirpur, attended the Islamabad session this year: Age group 9-11 yrs Pareesay Afzal Mohammad Ali Ibrahim Minahil Coordinator: Mrs Sabeen Iqbal

Prefects Class VI 1st Yousaf Wajih 2nd Ayesha Hamid 3rd Zaki ul Hasan

In order to educate and create awareness about the significance of dignity and integrity, the Mirpur Branch celebrated the Global Dignity Day, on 20th October 2011, with fervor. A poster making event was organized along with an essay writing competition.

Students were shown video clippings of students from around the world, who talked about this day at length and shared their experiences.

‘Dawn’ Spelling Bee Competition

Class I Y Abdullah Shah 1st Abdullah Zulfiqar 2nd

Class III B Syed M. Sherjeel Shah 1st Usaid Afzal 2nd

Class I B Usman Amir Masaab Imtiaz Unayzah Afzal

Class IV B Taseen Ali Hafsa Akbar

1st 2nd

Class IV Y Ammar Zulfiqar Hassan Mirza Zainab Shakeel

1st 2nd 3rd

1st 2nd 3rd

Class II B Fatima Javed 1st Rakhshan Raheel 1st st

1 Parent Teacher Meeting

Class V B Raniya Raheel Fatima Afzal Noor uddin

1st 2nd 3rd

Class V Y Pareesay Afzal 1st Aemen Shah 2nd

It was time for the most dreaded day (for students), other than the Result Day of course- First Parent Teacher Meeting. Classes’ 1-V had their meeting on 2nd November, while Pre-Nursery Kindergarten and VI-X had it on the following day, 3rd November. Parents discussed the progress of their wards (or lack of it) with the respective teachers. It was decided that additional support was required for ‘less able’ students. For this purpose, the school assured the parents that Remedial Classes (subject wise) will be organized to solve this issue.

The Beaconhouse Times introduces its online portal The Beaconhouse Times (TBT) has joined the ranks of online magazines around the world. All over the system, Staff, Student and Assistant Correspondents have been chosen to add flavor and interest to the online magazine. From the Mirpur Branch the following have been chosen; Mrs Nadia Zia, Staff Correspondent, Asma Javed, Student Correspondent and Hamza Javed, Assistant Student Correspondent. An Orientation Meeting was arranged at the SGO 2 on the 24th November for this purpose. It is hoped that students and staff members will contribute in this activity with zeal and interest.

Spelling Competition III-V In an attempt to improve students’ spelling skills, the primary level conducted a Spelling Competition in all the classes and five students each were selected. On 21st December, 2011, these students then participated in another Spelling Competition. It was conducted by their respective English teachers, attended by their class mates. The results are as follows: Class III B Ali Sher Usaid Afzal

1st 2nd

Class IV Y Haider Amir 1st Hamza Falak 2nd

Class IV B Taseen Ali Elishba Javed

1st 2nd

Class V B Fatima Afzal Abdul Moiz

1st 2nd

Class V Y Pareesay Afzal M.Ali Ebrahim

1st 2nd

Beaconhouse celebrates its 36th birthday The Beaconhouse School System has been providing quality education to young minds for the last 36 years. Education, medicine, sports and politics are a few examples of the professions which have been fed by Beaconites over these years. It was, with a great sense of pride and enthusiasm, that Beaconhouse Mirpur Campus joined in with many of its sister branches around the world to celebrate the joyous occasion of the birthday of its efficient system. Exclusive art décor was displayed in the school assembly area where the entire student body gathered to wish their alma mater great success. The school management arranged for birthday cakes to be cut and enjoyed by the whole school. The school choir entertained by singing the Beaconhouse song, along with several other foot tapping numbers. The announcement of The Beaconhouse Times going online was also received with excitement and eagerness.

Sports Achievements

Every year the Kashmir Orphan Relief Trust (KORT) organises a Mega Sports Event at Mirpur. For the first time BSS Mirpur Campus participated in the Football Tournament and won accolades for their school. Out of the 12 teams from the various schools of Mirpur, our boys stood third despite being the youngest in the competition. Anmol Sehr of Class VIII participated in the Table Tennis Tournament and played magnificently. The names of our victorious team are: Hamza Ali (Captain) Hamza Javed Awais Saleem Daud Shafique Adris Ali Arbaz Raja Aizaz Raja M. Kamal Aslam Arsal Arvi

XC IX C XC IX C IX C IX C VII IX C VB

Shahrukh Zia VIII Ali Abaad VII Atif Maqsood VII Tanzeel Maqsood VIII Fareed Afzal VI Shuja Kaleem VII Ali Haider V We are proud of all our players and pray they are successful in all their future endeavours.

Cultural Exhibition by all sections of Class IV All sections of class IV, assembled under the able patronage of their teacher, Ms. Sonia Khan and Ms. Shamim Akhter, who motivated and spurred their students on to exhibit their culture with fanfare and aplomb. Adorned in cultural dresses from each province, the students looked so captivating that it was difficult to concentrate on the actual display itself. The Headmistress, Mrs Nighat Javed carried out the opening by cutting a ribbon. She was accompanied by senior teachers who expressed their interest in the displays. Mrs Nighat Javed asked several relevant questions from the students about their lay outs. Later, all classes visited the exhibition and enjoyed themselves thoroughly.

With the advent of the Internet, young people, especially, have forgotten reading. The joy derived from a book has now been replaced with surfing on the net. In order to correct this and inculcate the habit of reading, the Librarian, Ms Tasleem Akhtar took the initiative and arranged a Quiz Competition for classes IV-VIII. This activity was conducted in the library lesson of each class. Following are the names of the triumphant ‘book worms’:

Library Quiz

Arsh Imran Fatima Afzal Yousaf Wajih Narmeen Falak

IV B Saleha Rasheed IV Y VB Pareesay Afzal V Y VI B Wajid Ali Amjad VII B VIII B

Grandparents’ day

Parents bring up their wards with love and care which enables them to face the practical world with confidence. Grandparents however, nurture and shower their grand children with adoration. They are the beacons of light, of wisdom for the next generation. We have all grown up, fed with spacious stories of our grandparents. Therefore to highlight this unique bond between humans the Early Years celebrated Grandparents day on 27th Oct, 2011.

Children showed their love to their grandparents through different activities and also recited poems which were appreciated by their Grandparents. There was a story telling session by the grandparents at the end, much to the delight of the children.

Inter-School Letter Writing Competition

Every emotion requires expression, whether it is through, a poem, a novel or even a ‘letter’. Letter writing is an art in itself which has been exercised by renowned politicians, writers and poets round the world. There are many examples of printed letters by celebrities written to their loved ones or those of immense national importance which changed the face of history. In this age of computers and internet, the significance of letters has diminished; however, the excitement of receiving a personalized comment from your near and dear ones cannot be under estimated. Hence, it can be said that writing letters is a way of taking a leaf out of your life and sharing it with somebody of import. To further cultivate the art of expression, a ‘Letter Writing Competition’ was held on 25th October, which involved classes IV-VIII. Students threw themselves into the task with concentration and produced worthy pieces of self-expression. The names of the triumphant winners were announced in the Morning Assembly which came as a pleasant surprise for them.

Details are as follows:

A second round among the winners was held to select only one student from each level to participate in Inter School Letter Writing competition. The following students from Mirpur qualified for this competition:

20th December, 2011 was a reckoning day for the winners of the ‘Letter Writing Competition’ of five BSS branches; Mirpur, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Jhelum and Kharian. BSS Mirpur played host to the ‘Inter-School Letter Writing Competition’ in which the students of classes IV-VIII, who had procured 1st position in the ‘Letter Writing Competition’ in their respective branches, were invited to participate. The event was well attended, with outstation students, duly accompanied by their teachers. It was mutually decided by the said branches, to appoint Ms Lynne Evans, English Coordinator (Primary) from SGO2, as the judge and task setter. As the students sat down for the competition, Ms Evans called in to assign the task to make the event transparent and free from any controversy.

The result is as follows: Class IV: First: Aleena Irfan, Gujrat Second: Elishba Javed, Mirpur Third: Manahil Khurshid, Mandi Bahauddin Class V: First: Ali Ebrahim, Mirpur Second: Ayesha Tassawer, Mandi Bahauddin Third: Laiba Atif, Kharian Class VI: First: Jawaria Tahir, Gujrat Second: Nirma Farroq, Kharian Third: Shehryar Ali, Jhelum Class VII: First: M. Wariq Wasim, Jhelum Second: M. Hamza Faisal, Kharian Third: Saif-ud-din Ahmed Mirpur Class VIII: First: Narmeen Falak, Mirpur Second: Iqra Mureeb, Jhelum Third: Mahnoor Tariq, Mandi Bahauddin and Syed Khurram Shazad, Kharian.

A quick glance at the School Activities

Phonic Quiz At the Pre-Nursery to Kindergarten level, phonics play an integral part in their academic curriculum.

Attempting to reinforce this concept in a competitive and ‘fun’ environment, teachers of this level organised a ‘Phonic Quiz’ in their own respective classes.

On Thursday, 22nd December 2011, this event took off through like written work, flash cards and audio-visual activities. The objective was; to reinforce learning of letter sounds, letter formation, blending sounds and identifying sounds in words. Students enjoyed themselves thoroughly and will be awarded with Certificates of Appreciation in their Morning Assembly.

Cookie Making Day It was ‘Yummy Cookie Day’ for the Early Years on 23rd December 2011. The students read the various recipes and ratios in the baking routine, making it the ideal ‘hands-on’ activity. It was heartening to see the young chefs baking away enthusiastically, raising the hopes of the ‘Mirpuris’ that the future of ‘bakeries’ is quite bright.

Poem Competition Early years held a poem competition on Tuesday 22nd Nov, 2011. The final result is as follows: Pre- Nursery Wania Fatima 1st, Amnah Iqbal 2nd & Khadija Zabair Khan 3rd Nursery Blue Amna Zulfiqar 1st , Muhammad Ibrahim 2nd & Khadija Qaisar 3rd Kindergarten Zobia Atif 1st, Kashaf Ansar 2nd and Laiba Zia 3rd Parents provided the much needed moral support to their children. Certificates were distributed by the judges Ms. Tatheer Zahra, Ms. Faiza Khurram and Ms.Fareeha Omar.

Remedial Classes In order to provide extra support to students in their areas of concern, Mirpur took up the gauntlet to begin Remedial Classes for classes 1- X C. The classes began in the first week of November and lasted till the end of December. Parents have appreciated the concerted effort of the teachers in trying to collaborate and cooperate with their children in improving their academic profile.