Newsletter 2nd Term May 2016-17

Beaconhouse School System Beaconhouse School System

Risalpur Branch

End of Year Newsletter May 2017 Contents Welcoming Students Back to School Winter Gala – Early Years Inter-House Arts Competition Inter-School Football Match Inter-House Speech Competition Hands-on Activities ICT Activities Science Experiments Parent-Teacher Meeting Outdoor Activities PSHE Activities Clubs and Societies Activities Visit to PAF Passing out Parade Plickers EY Activities

SMI’s Note We have come to the end of another extraordinary year, filled with learning, exciting events and many achievements. First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the parents for their support, both to children as well as to the school. Academically, it has been an excellent year for all classes. Our team has focused on developing the young minds to the best of their potential. We have continued our endeavour to get the best by challenging and supporting both, students and the teaching staff.

Active participation and support of parents is a key factor in our success.

We appreciate all possible support and hope to keep partnering with parents to groom our young learners together.

Open Day

Learning will continue and we look forward to your involvement in an equally exciting next year as well. Wishing all the students the best of luck!

Students Leadership Conference (SLC)

Ms Sadia Qamar.

Jashn-e-Baharan

SMI

Orientation Session for Class VIII Farewell for Class VIII End of Year Party Editors’ Note Dear Readers, We have tried our best to make sure that this memoir of Beaconhouse Risalpur Branch helps you in recapturing this eventful year. This newsletter is a compilation of the immense effort put forward by the students of Risalpur Branch and is also a specimen of their creativity. This was another splendid year, with our students bringing laurels to the school in all possible spheres. Isn’t it rightly said that “A flower makes no garland”; thus, this newsletter is not the outcome of the effort put in by an individual, but is the immense effort put forward by Ms Sadia and all of the teachers and students together. This is just a small tribute to the Beaconhouse Risalpur Branch, hope you will cherish our efforts. Happy reading!

Regards, Javeria Asad

Open Day 2016 Following last year’s tradition, BR arranged an Open Day during the second term, which provided parents with a forum where they could see the interactive learning that is taking place in the school. The event contained hands-on experience in the fields of performing arts, science activities, healthy eating, games, art, crafts and recycling activities.

Leadership Initiative: Students’ Leadership Conference (SLC) We successfully initiated a Students’ Leadership Conference, as a reflection of the Beaconhouse Learner’s Profile. SLC was a platform which facilitated a collaborative and inclusive educational environment for students to expand their individual leadership potential. This gave students an opportunity to explore their leadership abilities. Students from Nowshera, Mardan and Attock branches came on one platform and practically applied the attributes of the Beaconhouse Learner’s Profile by thinking analytically and ethically, and keeping any difference of opinions aside to come to a single decision within a group. This opportunity boosted the confidence of our students and enabled them to look for leadership potential within themselves.

BSSR Contact Numbers 0923-631219, 0306-9640848

Welcoming Students back to School: The school year started by welcoming our students back to school after first term and winter break on January 2, 2017. Students were enthusiastically welcomed by the teachers and SMI to begin the second term with more zeal and zest.

Winter Gala – EYs As the school resumed, The Early Years classes arranged a Winter Gala on January 10, 2017, to celebrate the winter season with mufflers, coats and gloves. Students of the Early Years prepared different presentations and performed different activities with their mothers. It was a colourful and joyful event.

Inter-house Arts Competition An Inter-House Arts competition was held on January 18, 2017, in which students from all the houses participated and showed their creativity through art. Winning houses were awarded with certificates, and all of the participants received certificates of participation for future encouragement.

Inter-school Football Match A football match was organised at the branch on February 2, 2017, in which the Nowshera Ext. Branch’s football team was invited. True sportsmen’s spirit was shown by the students and both the teams played very well. This event helped our students learn the importance of sportsmanship and teamwork in every game.

Inter-house Speech Competition An Inter-House Speech Competition was held on February 21, 2017, in which students from all the four houses participated. This helped students to speak publically with confidence. Green House got first position and Blue House received second position, in both Urdu and English Speeches.

Hands-On Activities As Benjamin Franklin said, “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn”. At the Beaconhouse Risalpur Branch, we believe that involving students in hands-on activities will make them learn better, hence different hands-on activities were carried out throughout the term, and will be carried out in the future as well.

ICT Activities Along with hands-on activities, we give equal importance to ICT integration in all subjects. Keeping in mind that our students are ‘technology natives’, we provide them with opportunities to use different Web 2.0 tools, PowerPoint presentations, real time scenario-based games and assessment for learning tools. On February 20, 2017, our students used real-time scenario based games, using the Web 2.0 tool “Scratch”, with The City School Lahore students.

Science Experiments At the Beaconhouse Risalpur Branch, science resources are used frequently at all the levels for science lessons. This also gives a hands-on learning experience to the students when learning about many science concepts, like mixtures, acids and alkalis.

Students not only learn from the science experiments, but they also retain the learned concepts.

Parent Teacher Meeting The second PTM of the academic year 2016-17 was held on March 15, 2017, in which the parents met all the teachers to share their concerns and queries. This was a good opportunity for parents to interact with the school management and teachers.

They discussed their children’s performance in different areas at length.

Outdoor Activities We believe that learning should not be limited to the classroom only. Students should also be given practical, real-life experiences to learn different concepts.

In order to do so, on January 24, 2017, the students of Class V were taken for a shopping activity to learn about budgeting. Many other such activities were carried out as well throughout the year, such as examining a frog and learning about spinach in the school garden. Also, Class II students brought plants to be planted in the school garden.

PSHE Activities

We put a lot of focus on developing civic sense amongst our students, to make them responsible citizens. Personal, Social, Health and Emotional studies are embedded in the curriculum to let students identify the characteristics that are essential for becoming a responsible citizen. Team work, being empathetic towards others, keeping yourself clean and healthy and importance of clean eating are a few topics covered in the PSHE curriculum. We not only focus on academics, but also on character building of our students, so that they are able to contribute positively towards society.

Clubs and Societies Activities In this academic year, we had clubs and societies for oral communication, digital literacy, science (the Einstein club) and arts (the crafty explosion club). Students participated in the activities of their relevant clubs and learned new and innovative facts and skills.

Visit to Witness Passing out Parade at the P.A.F Like previous term, Plickers was again used in this term as a real time Web 2.0 tool for assessment of learning. This tool enables students to receive their marks or grades then and there without any delay. In almost all the subjects, class tests were taken using Plickers.

Plickers Like previous term, Plickers was used in this term also as a real time assessment for learning Web2.0 tool. This tool enables students to receive their marks or grades then and there without any delay.

In almost all the subjects, class tests were taken using Plickers.

Early Years Activities Throughout the term, the Early Years classes took part in many educational, as well as physical, activities and availed many opportunities to prove their abilities and strengths. The students of Pre-Nursery used the “squishy bag” to trace letters or objects, and also learnt sounds using different instruments. The students of Nursery arranged a fruit salad party and invited the whole school to witness the importance of fruits for a healthy body and mind. Students wore dresses as fruits and prepared salads with the help of their teachers. Students from Kindergarten experienced many ICT-integrated activities, like learning words and opposites using ‘All-in-one PC’, along with other physical activities. At Early Years, we also focused on PSHE studies in order to develop self-responsibility amongst the students. Hands-on activities was also another important aspect of their class activities.

Jashn – e – Baharan (Spring Festival) Spring was celebrated in all its charm at the campus as ‘Jashn-e-Baharan’ on April 13, 2017. The key highlights of this event were Urdu Adab ki Mehfil, student performances of spring songs, cultural performances by students, a traditional menu, facepainting, cultural games, traditional music and much more. It was indeed a fun-filled event, where parents were given a chance to witness their children’s performances and spend quality time with them.

Orientation Session for Class VIII Class VIII is a decisive class for the students as they choose their board exam subjects. A session was arranged, in collaboration with Nowshera and Mardan branches, to answer any questions the parents and students had regarding Matriculation and O Levels subjects to be taken by the students as per their choice. This session proved to be very helpful for students in making up their minds, for either of the systems to be chosen.

Farewell for Class VIII To bid goodbye to the senior most class of the branch, Class VII students gave a farewell party to Class VIII students, wishing them the best of luck in their future endeavours and joining them in cherishing the good memories and time spent at Beaconhouse Risalpur. Class VIII students will surely be missed!

End of Year Party Students had an end-of-year party at the end of the school session. Every class arranged a onedish party. The students of Middle School felt happy and relieved as this party was arranged on the last day of school, after final examinations. On this day we saw a mix of emotions on the faces of our students, they were happy and excited for the summer break, but some students were sad about parting from their friends.

Activity Week for Non-Exam Classes As exam classes were busy with reinforcement and preparatory tests, non-exam classes were involved in an activity week, in which the teachers had planned many educational and entertaining activities for the students. The activity week began on May 22, 2017, with a ‘Chef Day’, in which students made sandwiches and salads under the teachers’ supervision. A ‘Mathematician’s Day’ was also celebrated, in which open-ended resource material was provided to the students to make any objects and relate them to math. An ‘Arts And Crafts Day’ was planned next, in which students challenged their creativity and designed many innovative art objects. For students’ entertainment, a ‘Movie Day’ and ‘Water Splash Day’ was also planned, which allowed students to unwind and enjoy spending some quality time with their friends.

Students’ Participations and Achievements Our students have shown their abilities in all the fields and subjects at school and achieved many laurels in this regard. Middle School students participated in many online inter and intra SG competition including collage making and voice over competitions. Class VIII received 3rd position in Pictorial message online competition. Middle school students also participated in “Show yourself through Art” competition held at BEC, Islamabad. Primary students from class IV participated in Comic Story Online competition. Our youngest students have made us proud by participating in K&U (Knowledge and Understanding) projects competition and prepared a project on Transportation. Students of Class V participated in another SG event “Planet I Wish” and presented their creative ideas assertively. Zarrar, Mishal and Khadija from Class KG participated in “Narrate my Picture Story” online competition and won 3rd position intra SG Edited by: Javeria Asad