Kindergarten Branch Rawalpindi “Value of each man depends upon the art and skill which he has attained. Hazrat Ali

From the SMI's Desk Early years of education enjoy a pivotal status in the academic life of any individual. They have been described as the sound foundation that holds the transitional key to later stages in life. At our kindergarten branch, we emphasize on enhancing children's academic abilities, while simultaneously guiding students to adjust socially in a school environment. Education is not confined to the limitations of books; hence, we endeavour to holistically develop the personality of each child through a variety of activities. We believe that extra curricular events develop the ability of a child to operate as a member of a large group, through the sharing of a teacher's attention, demonstrating independence and following directions. Summer, like a fiery dragon, is breathing down on us with its blazing heat, and undoubtedly, children are looking forward to their much awaited vacation. I hope you will be able to spend quality time with your children. I pray that the Lord Almighty protect us in the months that lie ahead and may He pour His eternal grace on our country.

Glimpses of Activities Held in the Second Term Our second term comprised of a series of events which aimed to develop conceptual understanding and confidence

Healthy Food Day

The children of Pre-Nursery and Nursery 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. All the classes conducted activities such as milkshake making, salad and sandwich making and enjoyed fruit juices with a 100 % student participation. Parents were also invited to taste the food items their children had helped to prepare. The parents appreciated the event as they feel that children are more inclined towards consumption of junk food as compared to healthy food. Therefore, this platform that highlighted the hazards of eating junk food was much appreciated by all parents.

Inter-School English Poetry Recitation Competition

Beaconhouse Kindergarten Branch, Rawalpindi, celebrated the world of rhyme and rhythm through an Inter-School English Poetry Recitation Competition. The arena was decorated in delicate hues of blues and purples with a predominant depiction of the water world. BSS Wah, BSS Harley Street, BSS Civil Lines and the host branch i.e BKR, participated in the event. 15 children from each branch participated in group presentations depicting Special Olympics, Winter Season, A Tribute to Mothers along with an Ode to Nature. After the group presentation, two children representing each school came for solo recitation of funny poems. Each presentation was enhanced by beautiful props, detailed costumes and subtle background music. Mrs. Ayesha Sohail, Head of School Group 2 and Mrs. Amna Usman, Academic Head of School Group 2 graced the occasion as Chief Guests. The winners from the event were:-

Group Presentations Beaconhouse Civil Lines Branch, Rawalpindi ( A Tribute to Mothers)

------ 1st Prize

Beaconhouse Harley Street Branch, Rawalpindi ( 9 Gold Medals) ------ 2nd Prize Beaconhouse Kindergarten Branch, Rawalpindi (An Ode to Nature) BSS Wah (Winter) ------Consolation Prize

------ 3rd Prize

Solo Presentations Anushay Anjum from Beaconhouse Civil Lines Branch, Rawalpindi (Sick)------

1st Prize

M. Zikarullah Rehman from Beaconhouse Harley Street Branch, Rawalpindi (Mathritius) -2nd Prize Shehryar Tajamul from Beaconhouse Kindergarten Branch, Rawalpindi (Noodles)------3rd Prize M. Abdullah Tariq from Beaconhouse Civil Lines Branch, Rawalpindi (All My Great Excuses) Runner Up Prize

Annual Sports Gala

Physical activities combined with fun can develop social interactive relationships and physical challenges and encourage healthy competition amongst students of all levels. BKR celebrated its Annual Sports Gala with full zeal and fervour. The arena reverberated with motivated young competitors and equally enthusiastic parents. The event stretched over a span of four days and boasted of students' hundred percent participation. The programme started with the name of Almighty Allah followed by an impressive march past. 'World Peace' was the theme of the Pre-Nursery's display. The children of Pre-Nursery, dressed up in different national costumes from across the world, performed together conveying the message of peace, love and harmony through their serene song “Peaceful World”. The children of Nursery participated in the rhythmic aerobic presentation to the beat of a popular song. The K.G children went “Aloha” through their vibrant Hawaiian presentation taking every one on a trip to the exotic island. Children of class I dressed up in their smart high school uniforms, performed aerobics on a popular song from'High School Musical'. Class II presented a colourful tableau depicting various moods of nature. Children also participated in an impressive Karate display; their moves blending in perfect harmony of martial arts, upholding the traditional Japanese art of combat. The display paved way for races which boasted of 100% participation.

Music Gala

The season of spring was welcomed with a delightful Music Gala held in BKR on the 9th and 10th of March. The highlight of the event was the hundred percent participation of students from each section of kindergarten, class I and class II. The backdrop was aesthetically designed with musical notes and fabric in soft autumn hues. The programme started with a Naat followed by two rounds of competition comprising of English and Urdu songs. All the children put up a brilliant performance as they sang a variety of songs depicting patriotism and love for our motherland. Parents of all the participants attended the event and their joyous pride at seeing their children perform so confidently on stage was evident from their faces and feedback. It was an ideal opportunity to build children's self reliance by nurturing their musical abilities while performing for an audience

Open Day

Beaconhouse presented 'Little Leaders', a set of interactive workshops for parents outside the BSS fraternity, to educate them on issues related to children and the role they can play in developing leadership and IT skills, improve reading habits in their children and use play as an effective tool to enhance learning. BKR had the honour to be chosen as one of the venues for the event. A range of activities held throughout the day such as face and hand printing, puppetry and puppet making, potter making clay pots and jumping castle among others delighted the young visitors and parents. Along with these, our student choir entertained the guests with a variety of songs. The pride of BSS, our alumni, who are well placed professionals or students in renowned universities all over Pakistan, attended and shared their experiences of the years they had spent with BSS.

Earth Day

Cigarettes are killers that travel in packs'

Each year the number of tobacco related deaths as compared to other causes, is doubled. We are living in times when this vice is becoming common day by day. Therefore, in collaboration with Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital, BKR participated in a poster making competition to develop awareness among young children about the hazardous effects of smoking. The students of class II participated enthusiastically in the competition. The winners were awarded certificates. Their names are: 1st

Anam Ansar

2A

3rd

Farzeen Fatima 2A

2nd

Ayaan Khan 2 B

Cons- Momina Tabassum

We are extremely proud of our students who bagged 1st and 2nd position from Shaukat Khanum Poster Making Competition Category A (class I to 3). You can visit the website http://www.shaukatkhanum.org.pk/how-to-help/support-groups/skm-tiger-club/449.html The winners are: 1st

Anum Ansar-2-A

2nd

Ameer Hamza Khan- 2-G

These children will be awarded certificates from Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital in a ceremony, in Lahore.

Parent Teacher Meeting

Our second PTM was held in April to discuss each child's individual progress. We at BSS believe that the essence of education is at a disadvantage without the crucial sharing of responsibility between teachers and parents. It was an ideal opportunity for them to have a mutual discussion about

the child's drawbacks and the ways to improve his/her existent academic skills. We would like to leave you this thought

'Do not train children to learning by force and harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds so that you may discover with accuracy the particular bent of the genius of each.' Plato

English Handwriting Competition Developing an effective pencil grip, muscular control and fine motor skills of children in their early years of schooling is crucial to our school routine. Handwriting with correct formation, following the recommended strokes is an integral part of the Early Years Education. From Nursery, children are introduced to forming letters according to the Nelson Handwriting Script. Children from Nursery till class II participated in a handwriting competition. Best three entries from each class were selected to participate in the Inter-Section Competition. The winners from each level were awarded certificates. Their names are: Nursery

K.G

1st

M. Fawaz

Nsy-C

1st

Rohaan Awais

KG-H

2nd

Abdul Rehman

Nsy-C

2nd

Unaiza Farooq

KG-F

3rd

M. Ibrahim

Nsy-C

3rd

Sakina Mustaali

KG-D

Runner Up- Momen Muntiha

Nsy-D

Runner Up - Abyan Mahsud

KG-D

Runner Up- Shanzah Khan

Nsy-B

Runner Up - M. Zaib Khan

KG-C

Class-1

Class-2

1st

Hiba Kamran

I-D

1st

Nekkia Zahra Syed

II-C

2nd

Noor Muzzamil

I-A

1st

Esha Khan

II-E

3rd

Syed Murtaza Salman I-B

2nd

Aqsa Ali Noor

II-B

I-F

3rd

Taha Ahmed

II-B

I-E

Runner Up - Muhammad Usman

Runner Up - Rohail Ahmed Filza Umer

II-G

Mental Math Quiz Competition In order to highlight the importance of oral computational skills and to encourage students' mental agility, class 1 and 11 organized a Mental Math Quiz Competition which comprised of two rounds. Students qualifying the first round participated in the second and final rounds at their respective levels. The names of the proud winners are:

Class 1

Class II

1st

Yahya Zahid

1G

2nd

Fatima Sajid

1D

Syeda Yasha Abid 1 D

1st 2nd

Muhammad Talha 1 E 3rd

Hamza Assad

1H

3rd

Mohib Ali

II C

Usama Abdul Shaeed

II C

Noor ul Wahab

II A

Hashim Khawaja

II E

Malaika Jamal

II G

Long Service Award Ceremony In April, BSS honoured employees who have successfully completed ten and more than ten years with the system. It is a matter of great pride for our branch that out of a total working staff of 103 people, 6 were awarded for completing 10 years, 9 for completing 15 years, 8 for completing 20 years and 1 for completing 25 years with BSS. Their pool of experience is undoubtedly an asset to our system. These milestones could not be reached without their sheer hard work, perseverance and dedication. Congratulations once again to all the award winners.

Remedial Classes This year BKR organized remedial classes for all levels from Pre-Nursery to class II. The focus of these classes was to improve the students' out put through monitored work. We take this opportunity to thank all parents for their cooperation in helping us to help their children.

Our Teacher Training Programme Professional growth of every teacher undoubtedly has a desirable effect on the classroom atmosphere. Therefore, to ensure quality teaching, teachers undergo special training programmes which aim at developing their understanding of the curriculum, and simultaneously help them to evaluate their teaching styles and strategies. Our teacher training programmes include:

Induction Course When new teachers are inducted in the system, they have to undergo a special training programme. This aims at familiarizing them with the methods required in implementing the curriculum, thus enhancing their teaching strategies, classroom management and consequently, the holistic development of students.

Foundation Training Programme It is an opportunity for considerably new teachers to be a part of a week long programme which aims to improve their professional qualification and skills. All the inducted staff members who have completed one to two years in the system complete their foundation course.

Co-teaching Workshops Co- teaching is one of the latest teaching strategies that are being employed in BSS classrooms. Co- teaching aims to combine the professional skills of teachers through sharing of ideas and learning from each other's experience.

Words of Advice Summer break is indeed a great opportunity for the parents to capitalize on the time at hand to develop their children's output. We would like to share a few suggestions which will help you develop a healthy holiday routine of your child.

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Take time out daily to help your child write from letters to words, from words to sentences and from sentences to stories, depending on his/her level.

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Encourage your child to use a dictionary from K.G. onwards for vocabulary development and spelling. Don't criticize your child's efforts, rather use it as a yardstick to identify improvement in his/her output. Monitor what your child is watching on T.V. and computer as research suggests that too much T.V. can have a detrimental effect on your child's ability to concentrate.

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Try to engage your child in healthy activities such as reading, outdoor play, learning to play a piano, swimming or any sport for physical and mental fitness.

In the words of David M. Burns,

'Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life.' Regards,

Mrs. Seemi Khawar SMI

Mrs. Saba Amar Mall SM

Mrs. Faiza Zia SM

Mrs. Salmina Abid School Coordinator

Mrs. Faaiza Durrani School Coordinator