NEWSLETTER 2019-20

BSS CLIFTON KG-II, 2019-20

Beaconhouse Kindergarten II - Clifton

August 2019 Dear Parents, The staff and I welcome all our students and their families, to the special community of Kindergarten II Clifton.

It’s great to see our students smiling faces as they walk into school in the morning. I’m sure all our parents would also be pleased to see the new, more modern updated look of Kindergarten II Clifton. There has been addition of ACs in all the classrooms and overall a more inviting ambiance.

These changes have been made to provide a better overall learning experience for our students and we hope to have a great year ahead for all.

I would like to start this newsletter with the BSS Learner profile as this profile is the over goal we hope to achieve. The knowledge, skills, critical thinking, attributes we hope to be able to develop in our students as they proceed on their learning journey with us towards, well-rounded personalities ready to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

creative innovative

and

analytical

Inquisitive

Ethical

Empathetic

Resolute

Holistic and self sufficient

Globally competent

Digitally Intelligent

Parents and educators serve as role models for these attributes and values which are then emulated by our learners. Do cut out the table above and post the learner profile at a visible location in your home and talk about its aspirations from time to time with your children.

Last year we had introduced our school motto, “Be nice – Be kind” to all the students and we will be continuing with the same this year as well. We look forward to your help in reinforcing this valuable message at home too.

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BSS CLIFTON KG-II, 2019-20

Some new additions to our faculty: We are delighted to announce some new additions to our staff at Kindergarten II Clifton. Ms. Frozan Mustafa has joined as the new Parent Relations Officer (PRO). Ms. Dalcina D Castro has joined us as Kindergarten A - Lead Teacher. Mr. Mohammed Javed has joined us as the Taekwondo instructor while Ms. Shabana Majeed has also recently joined us as the new librarian.

Our School Coordinator is Ms. Sana Imran and we look forward to continuing to develop and improve the good work of our whole school community.

Priorities for School Improvement for 19-20.

The main Areas we will be focusing on through our School Improvement Planning during 19-20 would be: ✔ Reading. ✔ Ecology: Saving the environment ✔ Using Technology to enhance Teaching and Learning We will keep you updated on these as the year progresses.

The School Timings are: Class

Monday – Thursday

Friday

8:00-12: 30

8:00 - 11:30

8:00 -1:00

8:00 - 12:00

8:00 – 2:00

8:00 - 12:30

Pre Nursery Nursery - KG Grades I , II

Punctuality and attendance.

Kindly ensure that your child is regular in attendance and reaches school on time. Attendance is monitored daily at the gate. If your child is consecutively late three times we will be sending a circular home as a reminder to be punctual. For habitual tardiness a special PTM would be held with both parents. Children coming in late miss special assemblies and also important concepts as the teachers start their lessons on time.

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BSS CLIFTON KG-II, 2019-20

Health and Hygiene Kindly do not send your child to school if your child is unwell or is showing symptoms of some infection etc. please follow the complete quarantine period for infectious diseases such as mumps, measles, chicken pox etc. Upon return a clearance certificate from a doctor would be required to be submitted to the PRO. We do our best at kindergarten II to prevent the spread of head lice. If your child has head lice they must be treated at home, before the child can return to school. Please take the time each week to check your child’s hair and immediately treat any infestation found.

School PE Uniform and Cyclic Time table: Your child must wear the correct school uniform at all times and especially on PE days. For classes Is and IIs kindly ensure that your child comes in PE uniform as per the day PE Period falls on the cyclic time table.

The schedule for the cyclic time table will be sent separately. Please ensure you write your child’s name on all uniform sweaters, PE Jackets, School bags etc.

Morning and Home time Arrangements: We are always concerned about the safety of our students. There are teachers and staff on duty in the morning from 7:45 am onwards. All children must be collected on time at the end of the school day, by the designated parent/carer.

School ID cards are compulsory for all concerned. At home time, parent / carer will show students ID Card to the gate keeper. The card confirms that the card holder is the only one with the authority to collect the student. The gate keeper will announce the name of the student so that the child may come out of the school premises to go home. In case the ID card is misplaced, kindly inform the PRO immediately.

Parents MUST contact the school office if there is a change, i.e. another adult will be collecting your child.

In such case kindly call the PRO and inform or send an authority letter with the new person. We will not let your child go home unless we are notified. New ID Cards for 19-20 will be issued in a weeks’ time.

We are trying to work with you for your child’s security. Please do not argue with the security team, traffic wardens or teachers on duty. They are just performing their duty.

Parent Teacher Meetings: This year the PTMs are scheduled for the first week of October and the second one in the first week of March.

However need based PTMs would be scheduled as and when needed. At the same time if you would like to meet with the teachers or the Head of School then kindly take an appointment with the PRO at the given number and we would be happy to accommodate during school time.

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BSS CLIFTON KG-II, 2019-20

School phone numbers are: PRO: 021 35871550 and 0310 2321881 School Accountant: 021 35877699 You may call between 9:00 am - 1:00 pm for any assistance.

Child Protection: We at Kindergarten II Clifton through the implementation of the Child Protection Policy (available at the School Office), endeavor to ensure that all child protection issues, or where there are reasonable grounds to suspect an issue, will be handled appropriately by the Child Protection committee of the school. This committee is led by the Head of the school and two teachers. One is Ms.Tasneem Murtaza for Grades Pre Nursery, Nursery and KG and Ms. Dalcina De Castro for Grades 1 and 2 Do let us know, for any reason, if your child is upset or distressed when s/he comes to school, so that we can work together to settle the child.

Food in School: Please ensure your child’s lunch / snack contains a healthy balance, with no fizzy drinks, mithai , chocolate, Greasy parathas and biryani etc. as these tend to go bad, so kindly avoid these.

Our Healthy food snack plan contains the following recommendations for 4 days of the school week. You may choose as per your convenience. These are to inculcate lifelong healthy eating habits in our children.

Please remember we prefer you do not send cakes or muffins or packet crisps apart from Wednesdays, as the other children just see and want to know why they can’t have these as well. Please cut the plan below and post on your fridge as daily reference.

Choose any of these items for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

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Fresh fruit/ bite sized / Raisins

Cucumber sticks

Carrot sticks

Chickpeas

Sandwiches/ cheese

Raisins

Roti Wraps

Dry cereal

Nuts ( if not allergic)

Boiled eggs

Noodles ( dry not watery)

Pasta salad

Cold cut roll ups

Beans lobia.

Boiled/ Grilled potato wedges

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BSS CLIFTON KG-II, 2019-20

WEDNESDAY WOULD BE ‘FREE CHOICE DAY’ AND THE CHILD MAY BRING ANYTHING Birthday Parties: We celebrate birthdays with the children with a candle, a birthday badge and by singing Happy Birthday to the child/ren.

If parents wish to do a simple cake cutting celebration in school, they are to inform the PRO at least a week prior to the date. School lunch is usually served between 9:30 am to 10:30 am. Please arrange for a plain cake. We will not be allowing expensive theme based cakes, elaborate arrangements in the classroom, party favor bags or any other party food items of any description.

If parents insist, these will be returned. This is for health and safety reasons, but especially to safeguard those children who have food allergies. If you want to attend the Birthday celebration in class then kindly come on time so that school routine is not disrupted. We will be strictly enforcing this protocol and your cooperation would be highly appreciated.

Behavior and discipline Policy: At the beginning of the year the teachers discuss the classroom rules / hallway rules/ playground rules and set expectations with the children. Age appropriate expectations are set for rules, rewards and consequences.

Please talk to your children regularly about being good ambassadors for their family and school. We as a school will continue to support you in reminding your child to say please, thank you, excuse me, to learn to wait, to knock on the door before entering, etc. To display good manners at all times.

HOMEWORK SCHEDULE At BSS homework (HW) is a valuable part of schooling. The primary purpose of homework being to reinforce, enrich, and/or extend learning and help students practice or extend the development of important skills and understanding of key concepts. In the Early Years we also believe in activity based homework, which the parents and children can do together as a hands on activity at home.

In the Pre Nursery and Nursery, HW would only be sent for students as and when reinforcement is needed at home. KG, classes I and II would be receiving homework as routine. HW plan would be pasted in their message books.

The Beaconhouse Mobile App All parents are aware of the Beaconhouse Mobile App which was launched to assist parents in staying up to date with their child’s progress in school. Please visit Google Play/ Apple iStore and type Beaconhouse 5

BSS CLIFTON KG-II, 2019-20

to find and download the App, if you have not done so already. In fact we would urge all parents to make the best use of this means of communication with the school and ultimately be able to monitor their child's learning on a regular basis from the comfort of their homes.

These are the features of the App: Attendance: You can be fully up to date with your child’s attendance and apply for leave via the app.

Homework You can get notifications when your child receives homework and inform the teacher when the assignment has been completed.

Assessments You will have access to your child’s academic progress including monthly assessments and exam results. (classes I and II ).

PTMs The App lets your request a one - on one meeting with the teacher and set up an appointment easily Fee Payment You will receive notification when fees are due with the added advantage of paying from the same place Syllabus The app lets you view our child’s entire syllabus easily and clearly in one place Booklists The app will give you the required booklist and the name of the publisher.

School Circulars You will receive all circulars and communication from the school via the Beaconhouse app Events You can catch up on all the latest events and happenings across Beaconhouse.

The app is extremely secure. It has a strict two point authentication system which means the user gets a pin code via SMS and email address registered with the school.

1. Using Technology: Visual diaries / Learning Stories / social Media presence/ Edmodo Each week especially in Pre Nursery, Nursery and Kindergarten we record photographs and observations of the children and the activities they have been involved in during the week and relate them to our learning outcomes. We do this to also give you more of an idea of all the amazing things that happen at school and to make the children’s learning more visible. These Learning stories in our EY section, are uploaded in each child’s e folio maintained by the class teachers. To maintain a link with parents using technology the Edmodo platform is also used which is an educational platform. We 6

BSS CLIFTON KG-II, 2019-20

will be sharing the details of your edmodo codes shortly. Some of these photographs of school events are posted on the school's Facebook page. Not every child will be featured each week but over a period of time all the children will have their photo on Facebook. Please make time to visit our Facebook page and pass on any comments or feedback you may have.

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BSS CLIFTON KG-II, 2019-20

Communication with Parents through technology This year in the interests of conserving paper and ensuring everyone receives their notes and newsletters we are hoping to email all important information to our parents. However Excursion forms etc. where parents written consent is required will still need to be printed off. Notices would also be posted on the school facebook page and the Edmodo Platform. Simpler messages are communicated via SMS alert. If you would like both parents to receive the emails please include additional email addresses. Please remember to regularly check your email, facebook page, Edmodo page for any messages. Please inform us if you have changed your phone numbers or address.

The Homework Message book is also a very important tool for communication. Do kindly review and sign on a regular basis.

Important Dates for Your Diary: ● Winter break will be from Monday December 23rd till Friday December 27th 2019 ● Spring Break will be from Tuesday 24th March till Friday March 27th 2020 ● End of Year Result day 2020 is scheduled for June 4th 2020 ● Back to school for the session 20-21 would be August 3rd 2020 ● Winter Uniform comes into place on 15th November after which summer uniform is back by 1 st April.

ICT CONSENT FORM

The use of emerging technologies has become integral to the lives of children in today’s society both within school and in their lives outside school. We at BSS facilitate our students to use ICT resources within our ICT Policy.

We will take every reasonable precaution, including monitoring and filtering systems, to ensure that young people will be safe when they use the internet and ICT systems at school.

In the light of the BSS e safety guidelines you are requested to give your child permission to allow your child to use the internet at school.

We assure you all internet based activities in school will be carried out for educational purposes only You are requested to sign this consent form and send it to the class teacher at earliest.

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BSS CLIFTON KG-II, 2019-20

BEACONHOUSE KINDERGARTEN II – CLIFTON ICT CONSENT FORM Name of Student: ___________________Class / Section: _________________ Date:______ I allow my child to 1

Use the Internet for research

2

Email ( group email for school activity purpose only)

3

Skype / Google hangout to engage in video conferencing sessions

4

Online games for a class activity

5

Class / school blog

6

Class / school social network ( e.g. School’s Facebook page / Edmodo page)

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Online discussion forum

I allow the school to 1

Photograph my child during class activities

2

Video record my child during class activities

3

Use the photographs/ videos for school publications on social media.

YES

NO

YES

NO

I also understand that the school will take all reasonable precautions to ensure that pupils cannot access inappropriate materials during school hours. I understand that the images will only be used to support learning activities or in publicity that reasonably celebrates success and promotes the work of the school.

Signature of Parent: _____________________________ Date: ______________________

Do let us know what we can do to make Kindergarten II Clifton the best it can be. We look forward to working with you so that your child can grow in confidence, with a love of learning, and a determination to be the best person they can be. Explain to your child that treating everyone with respect, being on 9

BSS CLIFTON KG-II, 2019-20

time every day, and working hard in school is important to you. The value you place on these will be the value your child holds Attached you will find the student data form for 19-20 kindly fill and return to the class teacher.

Looking forward to a safe and exciting year ahead Best regards Afshan Ali

Head Mistress Kindergarten II Clifton Convener for BSS, Cluster 25

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BSS CLIFTON KG-II, 2019-20

Student Data Form 2019-2020 To be filled by Parents (Please write legibly). Kindly return at earliest along with Four passport size and Two 1” x 1” Recent photograph in school uniform. Kindly write the name and class level of your child at the back of the photographs.

Name:

Class/Sec: ________________

Nationality: __________________ (Please specify in case of Dual Nationality) Date of Birth: ______________________ Gender: MALE/FEMALE Current Address: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Father’s Name: _______________________ Profession: ____________________________ Name of company where employed: __________________Designation: _____________ CNIC# __________________ Email Address: ___________________ (please write legibly) Res Phone# _______________________ Office Cell: _______________ Mother’s Name: ______________________ Profession: __________________________ CNIC# __________________ Email Address: ___________________ (please write legibly) Res Phone# _______________________Office Cell: _______________ Please specify the Mode of Transport of your child to school 1. Private car (mention number) _______________ 2. Private van (provide name and contact of van contractor and driver) ________________________________________________________________________ (The above information is only for safety concerns/ the school has no affiliations with any third party transporter nor do we recommend any such facility).

HEALTH RECORD Q1. Does your child suffer from any allergies or illness that requires special attention? If YES then give details. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Q2. Is your child on any special medication? If YES please give details. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 11