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HEAD OF SCHOOL NEWSLETTER 1 December 2016
HEAD OF SCHOOL’S NEWSLETTER NO. 4 Dear Parents, Just a quick update before my final newsletter of the 1st term and we go into the Winter break. Assessments have started for Years 8 to 11 and will be underway for Years 6 and 7 this week with DP 1 finishing on 6th December and Years 6 to 10 on 9th December. Years 4 and 5 (with only Year 4 at Gulberg) will write from 5 – 9th December. In all Years, students are to return home after each of their daily assessments and use that time at home for effective study and revision and this is when we rely on you as parents to play an important part in ensuring that effective study and revision. As I have said many times: sitting up at desk or table for frequent short sessions of alert study is more effective than lying down with the TV and mobile as dangerous distractions!! On Tuesday 13th December (barring no public holiday) we will be writing our first MAP International benchmarking test for Years 3 to 8. Three such tests will be conducted throughout the remaining school year in English and Mathematics to establish where our students are in terms of international standards of education in English and Mathematics. This event will be overseen by Mr. Rashid Khalid and 8 other trained staff at TNS. So effectively all assessments will be over by the 13th December and depending on the religious holiday on Monday or Tuesday 12th / 13th December, all students will be back in class on the 12th December for the last week of term where revision of their assessments will take place. On Saturday 10th December we will stage our Annual Winter Carnival at the TNS DHA grounds from 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm essentially for our Nursery to Year 5 from both branches. This does not mean Years 6 and above are precluded but the event is essentially for the younger classes and their parents/family. An invitation is to follow. During the last week of term we will stage our end-of-term PTC’s (Parent - Teacher Conferences) for ALL classes at both branches from 13-15 December. Schedules will follow. Please attend these very important report-back; update sessions with your child’s class teacher. I want to thank nearly ALL of you for attending your children’s Project Presentations at both branches. A sincere effort on behalf of our teachers to return to the basics of our Reggio Emilia Approach with Early Years and our Project-based Learning (PBL) with all of our students was more than evident in these excellent set of Project Presentations. With more accent on the Process Journal and not so entirely on the Final Presentations our teachers, Art department, Project
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HEAD OF SCHOOL NEWSLETTER 1 December 2016 Coordinator (Ms. Hina Fakhar) and our many support staff – Electricians / carpenters / Art Assistants made a huge effort to ensure that the essence of each class’ project was captured. Your survey feedback for each class revealed a very positive response. I have been through each of your responses and highlighted your good ideas for improvement and what few concerns were noted. We hope to improve on both the process itself and its outcomes during our next set of Project Presentations in April 2017?? Thank you too to those many parents who attended our Year 6 Parent Ed at DHA. Gulberg was not as well attended. We have decided that future Parent Ed sessions will only cover very topical and essential (what we believe should be mandatory) topics for you as parents to attend, understand and have the opportunity to question. We are now awaiting certification of the Rabi-ul-Awwal holiday and whether the 16th December will be a commemorative day for the APS Pehsawar incident. Such confirmation we hope to have for you soon. On a final note parents of Years 8, 9 & 10 MYP: Please do not overreact to what are our piloting and settling down sessions of MYP E assessment practice in the present session of assessments. We are not out to trick any child as we are testing the boundaries of timing/students’ aptitude to think and type and how we can cope with 80 plus computers on at the same time and its constraints on our IT set-up. We are too, the first school to be using an online software which produces an identical E assessment environment and some glitches are inevitable but will be resolved going forward. No child will be disadvantaged in the final marking and all/any challenges the students may have faced in this new era of online assessments will be seriously considered. We want your children to succeed in all they do at TNS. Until next time.
_________________ Clive R. Barnes Head of School
2016 -17
HEAD OF SCHOOL NEWSLETTER 1 December 2016
Health Tip December 2016: To avoid holiday weight gain, eat a salad or an apple, and drink water before heading out to a party or wedding. This will help you not overeat on high calorie cakes, and treats! Enjoy them, but in moderation.