To the Scholastica family: What an eventful start to the new year! It has been a challenging year, no doubt, but one in which we were still able to accomplish a lot. As usual, we spent the summer working on further upgrading and improving different aspects of our operations, including: - new textbooks were introduced for English and Bangla in the junior level, and Bangladesh Studies in Class V and VI; these were resources developed by our talented and hard-working Curriculum Development Unit; - we revised our emergency planning and disaster management planning in order to conduct drills and prepare our students for such emergencies (some such drills had to be cancelled due to the disruptions last term but will take place in the early weeks of the second term); - we introduced a more structured system for tracking training of our faculty (through the introduction of individual Professional Development Plans); - we continued our work on significantly upgrading the teaching methodology in the core subjects (and especially English and Bangla) and the Arts; - and of course we were able to complete a lot of the annual maintenance work we do every summer to keep up the comfort and cleanliness of our campus environments. In addition, the outstanding results of our O’ and A’ Level students were announced in August and once again, we were delighted and inspired to see wonderful achievement by so many of them. Despite all the disruptions and difficulties faced by our students earlier in the year, they were able to achieve excellent results and the average pass rate and rate of achieving top grades was higher this year than in years past. We are so happy and proud! And despite all the challenges, we still were able to conduct all kinds of events, functions, trips and educational programs in the first term this year, which were appreciated and enjoyed by all. Read all about our students’ achievements and catch a glimpse into all the activities of the school in the pages of this newsletter. Thanks a lot to all our students, parents, faculty and management – it takes an entire community to educate a child and we are grateful and blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful, hardworking and dedicated members of the Scholastica family. Thank you –and congratulations on all the achievements we have celebrated already this year! Warm regards, Syed Maher Murshed Syeda Madiha Murshed Chairman Managing Director Scholastica Newsletter Scholastica Newsletter 1. Message from the Chairman and Managing Director.. Page 01 2. Exam Results... Page 02 3. Educational Resources and Materials.. Page 03 4. Gallery Page 04 5. Academic Events and Achievements.. Page 06 6. Sporting Glories.. Page 07 7. Trips in Bangladesh and Abroad.. Page 07 8. Internship Program.. Page 07 9. Summer@ Scholastica.. Page 08 10. Notable Achievements by Faculty.. Page 08 11. Awareness programs.. Page 08 Contents Message from the Chairman and Managing Director First Term 2013-2014
Transcript
To the Scholastica family:
What an eventful start to the new year! It has been a challenging year, no doubt, but one in which we were still able to accomplish a lot. As usual, we spent the summer working on further upgrading and improving different aspects of our operations, including:
- new textbooks were introduced for English and Bangla in the junior level, and Bangladesh Studies in Class V and VI; these were resources developed by our talented and hard-working Curriculum Development Unit;
- we revised our emergency planning and disaster management planning in order to conduct drills and prepare our students for such emergencies (some such drills had to be cancelled due to the disruptions last term but will take place in the early weeks of the second term);
- we introduced a more structured system for tracking training of our faculty (through the introduction of individual Professional Development Plans);
- we continued our work on significantly upgrading the teaching methodology in the core subjects (and especially English and Bangla) and the Arts;
- and of course we were able to complete a lot of the annual maintenance work we do every summer to keep up the comfort and cleanliness of our campus environments.
In addition, the outstanding results of our O’ and A’ Level students were announced in August and once again, we were delighted and inspired to see wonderful achievement by so many of them. Despite all the disruptions and difficulties faced by our students earlier in the year, they were able to achieve excellent results and the average pass rate and rate of achieving top grades was higher this year than in years past. We are so happy and proud!
And despite all the challenges, we still were able to conduct all kinds of events, functions, trips and educational programs in the first term this year, which were appreciated and enjoyed by all. Read all about our students’ achievements and catch a glimpse into all the activities of the school in the pages of this newsletter.
Thanks a lot to all our students, parents, faculty and management – it takes an entire community to educate a child and we are grateful and blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful, hardworking and dedicated members of the Scholastica family. Thank you –and congratulations on all the achievements we have celebrated already this year!
Warm regards,
Syed Maher Murshed Syeda Madiha MurshedChairman Managing Director
ScholasticaNewsletterScholasticaNewsletter
1. Message from the Chairman and Managing Director.. Page 01
2. Exam Results... Page 023. Educational Resources and
Materials.. Page 034. Gallery Page 045. Academic Events and
Achievements.. Page 066. Sporting Glories.. Page 077. Trips in Bangladesh and
Araf Noor IqbalSamin Tahmid IslamMehzabin Binte ReazKazi Abdul MuktadirIftekhar Ibne Masud IftiMd Ehsan AlamAsef Hassan AmizAnisha Golap MiahAdib Mahid KhanSyed HidaduzzamanNavid Yasin SadmanWasifuddin MahmoodMohammad Muhtashim MannanAnanno AgnijitShiham Hassan SabaMuhtasim Sultan FaruqueJiniaFaiza SultanAnik PodderMeazi MehrabKhan Safat Islam AnantaMaisha KhanOishi Rifa TasfiaTawshif Tamjid AlamNafiul Ahmed EmonNafisa SadafIrma Asfi MurshedAariha Imtiaz AliHumaira Tasneem RahmanAzmayeen RahmanAnika Zaman BushraMahfuzur Rahman Lieon
Students With Top Grades• 30 students with 8 ‘A’ grades• 31 students with 7 ‘A’ grades• 32 students with 6 ‘A’ grades
Total = 93 Students’ with top grades
Congratulations to all our high achievers, and all our students, for making us proud with their fantastic results!
Scholastica has been in operation for more than 35 years and it continues to build such solid academic foundations that our students graduate with flying colors year after year. This year was no exception. The results from the CIE examinations were excellent once again, and we congratulate our young achievers and thank their teachers and families for working so hard to support them
Result of O & A Level Examinations
Exam Results, A‘ Level, June 2013
TotalStudents
Total Papers
A* Grade
A Grade
B Grade
% of Passes
% of Top grades
297 2048 379 652 571 98% 78%
“Don’t limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time.” Rabindranath Tagore,recipient of Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913
“I feel that the write up….has excellently put together the essentials for the young learners. The illustrations and maps will help in the process of understanding and make the … historical facts palatable and interesting for the learners… Scholastica … deserves our appreciation for their laudable effort.” – Abdul Momin Chowdhury, Honorary Professor of History, University of Dhaka.
“The book has been very competently written both academically and linguistically. It will certainly serve the needs of students of English medium schools in the country….providing students with standard textbooks on Bangladesh affairs.” – Sirajul Islam, Professor (rtd.) of History, University of Dhaka, and Chief Editor, Banglapedia: A National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh.
“…this book is an excellent introduction to the facts of Bangladesh environment for the young students at the primary level.” – K. B. Sajjadur Rasheed, Former Professor, Department of Geography and Environment, University of Dhaka.
“I hope our young learners will be able to know their motherland, its geographical setting, glorious history, very rich cultural heritage and society as well.” – Md. Shafiqul Alam, Former Director General, Department of Archaeology.
As you know, Scholastica has a Curriculum Development Unit that works on quality control and the development of curriculum and teaching resources. Developing textbooks and workbooks is a key component of our work. In the past year, CDU has developed the following texts that are already in use fromthis year.
Esho Borno Shikhi: This Bangla language workbook has been carefully designed to meet learner’s needs by developing their core skills in Bangla reading and writing. The workbook has been written in order to make Bangla attractive to our students and give them ample opportunities to apply what they learn.
Songs of Childhood Book One & Two: The poems in these books have been compiled in order to develop literary abilities among very young learners aged 5-6. Each poem helps students learn and talk about the world around them, and relate their lives to what they learn in class
Discovering Bangladesh Book II:
Discovering Bangladesh has four parts – History; Culture and Heritage; Geography and Environment; and Civics and Society. This series contains contents aligned to the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) and Bangladesh National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) syllabus.
Experienced and professional content writers, developers and editors have worked very closely with a graphic designer to develop these textbooks. Scholarly and in-depth research and development helped produce rich texts and multi-colored resources which are expected to make these textbooks different and attractive to the multiple senses of the young learners.
Scholastica’s CDU is responsible for constantly seeking improvements in the teaching methodology used by our teachers. In the past two years, we have worked on upgrading the way we teach the Arts and a great deal of our focus has been on English and Bangla, Language and Literature. In Bangla, we require students to develop their proficiency as their mother tongue and their first language.
With both English and Bangla, our focus on language has been on providing opportunities for students to apply their newly acquired language skills in a variety of contexts, with an emphasis on improving expression and communication. And with literature, in both English and Bangla, we have encouraged students to develop the habit of reading independently and reading for pleasure at home, while they attend class in order to learn how to think about what they are reading and how to analyze the writer’s language, technique and message. By asking students to read at home, we are able to spend more time in class on critical and creative thinking, thereby enriching their reading experience.
We have been very happy with the response from students and teachers so far – students seem to be enjoying their classes, engaging critically with their texts and improving their language skills as a result of our teaching methodology. We will continue to require support from parents to ensure students get the most benefit from this progressive and effective teaching methodology.
Page 3
Educational Resources and Materials An Update onCurriculum
Development
“The school has a very good educational system that includes well equipped labs, great teachers and a great physical educational system. The after school clubs are also amazing.”Tafhim Ariq Choudhury, Class XI- E, Roll -226
Page 4 Page 5
Academy Achievement Awards,Mirpur
Annual Drama Cast Party, SRU
Climate Change Champions Contest,Mirpur
Closing Ceremony ofDiscipline month, SRU
Academy Achievement Awards, SRU
Academy Achievement Awards,Mirpur
Bring Out The Best In You, MIU
After School Club, MIU
Duke of Edinburgh Award, Mirpur
Pledge Harbor School-EsseayCompetition, Mirpur
Faculty in the student exchangeprogram, JRD
SIBT (1)
Scholastica Inter School BasketballTournament, SRU
Egypt Conference, SRU
British Council Book ReadingProgram, Mirpur
Dettol Handball Tournament,SRU
Discipline Month, MIU
Dettol Handball Tournament,SRUPartille Cup, SRU
Grandparents Day, JRU
Prefect Badge Ceremony, SRU
Lazy Eye Test, JRU
Green world, JRD
Teachers Excellence Award, JRG
Global Handwashing Day, JRU
Healthy Food for Healthy Life, JRU
Hyderabad Model United NationsConference, SRU
Global Hand Washing Day, MIU
Scholastica Inter School HandballTournament, SRU
World Teachers Day, Mirpur
Scholastica Inter School HandballTournament, SRU
Victory Day, MIU
Tea ceremony club, JRG
United Nations Day, MIU
Teachers Day, JRG
Healthy Food for Healthy Life, JRG
Victory Day, SRU
Field Trip, JRG
Scholastica Inter School HandballTournament, SRU
UN Day, SRU
Parent teachers meeting, JRDWorkshop on Origami, MirpurPrefect Badge Giving Ceremony,MIUScholastica Inter School Handball
Dettol Handball Tournament,SRU Prefect Badge Giving Ceremony, MIU The 14th World Unity& World Peace Festival
The 14th World Unity& World Peace Festival
SAIF AL IMAM SHOTAID: 2005-01-0181CLASS-V, SEC: DROLL: 010CAMPUS: SRU
An enthusiastic and self-motivated learner, Saif demonstrates proficiency in all areas of academics. He participates actively in quizzes and debates. Saif’s focused attitude towards fulfilling his duties and responsibilities and friendly behavior is appreciated by his peers and teachers.
Rayan is a well-mannered and talented child; it is a pleasure to have him in the class. He shows great interest in debate and project work. His achievement in academics is commendable and sets an excellent example for his peers
A well-mannered child, Jarif always completes his tasks on time. He is always seen carrying a book in his hand wherever he goes. He shows keen interest in Art. It is a pleasure to have him in the class.
MD. ISHMAMUL HAQUEID: 2002-01-0265CLASS – VIII, SEC: C ROLL # 010CAMPUS: MIRPUR
It has been our privilege to watch Ishmam grow in all areas of academics and co-curricular activities. He is very sincere and a constant source of inspiration to his peers. He has demonstrated admirable leadership skills which have helped him achieve his goals in debates and quiz competitions in particular.
BANIN ABRARID: 2001-01-0237CLASS-IX, SEC: A ROLL: 006CAMPUS: SRU
Banin Abrar is an amiable person and a responsible and hardworking student, and his efforts are reflected in his good grades. He has been selected as a prefect and is performing his duties sincerely.
AHMED NAFIS ARAFATID: 2000-01-0123CLASS-X, SEC: EROLL: 144CAMPUS: SRU
Ahmed Nafis Arafat is a sincere and intelligent student. Nafis likes to read books and plays football and tennis. He has been selected as the Class Prefect of Class X- E and performs his duties with sincerity. He volunteered and helped out in the Disciplinary Month Program conducted in school in October 2013.
Our Merit Scholars this year are at the top of their class – they not only excelled in their studies last year but also scored the highest on their Merit Exam and interviews. Congratulations to these outstanding students!
So many of our students are such achievers! Here are some highlights from their academic achievements this term:
Page 6
Academic Events and Achievements AcademicAchievements
“Scholastica’s educational system is very well managed and well coordinated. It makes sure to keep the students constantly involved, not only in academics but also in extra curricular activities.” Tanisha Binte Alam, Class X-F, Roll-031
Name of Event Participants Information
Results
Academic Achievement award:September
Students of Class IV-IX, Mirpur Campus
248 students received awards in High Honors, Honors and Most Improved categories
Academic Achievement award
Students of Class III, Middle Uttara campus
55 students received awards in High Honors, Honors and Most Improved categories
Academic Achievement Award:
Students of classes IV to XII, Senior Uttara campus
375 students received awards in High honors, Honors and Most improved categories.
Junior Climate Change Champions Contest organized by The Daily Star
September, 2013, organized by Japan Origami Academy Society
Seven students attended a workshop from Mirpur Campus
Acquiring expertise in origami making.
An essay writing competition on “What will Bangladesh be like in 2040?”organized by Pledge Harbor School
Samreen Mehak (VI/A), Mirpur Campus
Runner up
ALOHA (Advance Learning of Higher Arithmetic) competition 2013 in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia.
Aryana Ismail Fakir (V/D), Mirpur Campus
Championship
Initiators Inter School Quiz Championship organized by COGITO and Independence TV
Raihan Hossain (IX/D) and Mashruk Jahangir (IX/D), Mirpur Campus
2nd position
Techscape 2013 by SPEED youth on 16th November’13
Mohammad Razib Hassan (IX/A) & Tausif Hossain (IX/A), Mirpur Campus
1st place for creating the most impressive science project -“Triple Alternative Energy Project”.
Duke of Edinburgh Award
Students from Class VI- IX, Mirpur Campus
Awards for participation
Nitto Rong National Annual Cultural Competition, 2013 held in Bangladesh Shipokola Academy
Labiba Ibnat Audhora, KGII/E/JRD
First prize
Bangladesh First Champs 21 Four students from SRU predicated; reached the second round.
COGITO Quiz COGITO Marketing Solution
Four students from SRU predicated; participated in the first round
Prefect Badge Giving Ceremony, September
Faculty and Management, SRU
Class IV – XII58 students were selected as prefects
This is what students had to say about their experiences on these recent trips:
“This was one of the best experiences of my life. I feel proud that I represented my school, my country in front of 67 other countries and did them proud. It’s truly amazing and to get prizes and be the only international team to win prizes at the competition is even better. I'll never forget this trip.”
Ulviya Narmin Hoque ChistyVI/A/27
“The name Confluence indeed justifies the event. Meeting all these people from different countries was great as well as getting close to my fellow Scholasticans. Confluence helped us all, Bangladeshis, Indians, Nepalis, Ugandans unite and become soul mates.”
Samreen MehakVI/A, Mirpur Campus
Of course, we are planning more trips for the second term, stay tuned to hear more about them!
Page 7
Scholastica runs an internship program every summer for high school students. This is an opportunity for them to get access to the working world and learn about different careers. It is an invaluable opportunity for students to gain early exposure and learn professional skills that can help them for life.
Here are the companies that hosted Scholastica students as interns this summer:
Adcomm Limited Dhaka BankAscent Group Gemcon GroupRadio TodayIndependent University, Bangladesh United Hospital LimitedStreetwise Education FoundationBeautiful Mind - Centre for Autistic
and Mentally Challenged ChildrenShishu Bikash Kendra (Zonta Club III)Utsho Bangladesh JAAGO FoundationThe Dhaka Tribune The Daily StarBangladesh Enterprise Institute BRAC IED Yunus CentreUnited Nations Information Centre
Thank you to these companies for their efforts; we appreciate the support!
Our students get good evaluations from their internship supervisors; here is just a sample of what hosts have to say:
“Both the interns … are very well behaved boys. They complete tasks that are given to them and do not hesitate at all if they are asked to do things at the last minute (occupational hazard). I will point out this, when in a brainstorm, neither boys hesitate to voice what they know about the brand being discussed and their participation has become almost a ‘must’. It’s a pleasure having them with us and I am sure they are learning a few things about working in an advertising agency themselves.” - Ms. Dipa Reza, HR Manager, Adcomm Limited
Students also really appreciate the opportunity. Here is what two students said about their internship experience this summer:
“My internship at Radio Today was fascinating. Our supervisors were deft and had made us feel a very crucial part of the whole office community. We were treated fairly equal and were given very exciting, novel and
(P.T.O)
InternshipProgram 2013
We pride ourselves on the achievements of our sports teams. This year, like so many in the past, saw our teams winning numerous awards and going very far in several tournaments. Well done!
We are relentless in providing opportunities for our students to grow, excel and gain exposure to the wider world. This term was no different, with our school organizing several trips for our students:
SportingGlories
Trips in Bangladeshand Abroad
“The sports management in Scholastica is really amazing, starting from all the friendly and well trained coaches to all the equipments that we have. We have Volleyball, Handball, Basketball and Football and yearly a lot of tournaments played of which Scholastica has been the champions at almost all.” S. Nafisa Mahbub, Class XI, Sec-G, Roll-195
Name of Event Location Date
International Green Economy and International Culture Let’s Take Care of the Planet conference
Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
October 2013
Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Trip
RDA, Bogra Sept - Oct2013
Harvard Model United Nations, India 2013
Hyderabad, India
August 2013
Partille Cup Handball Competition 2013
Sweden July 2013
World Unity and Peace Festival Conference at City Montessori School, Indira Nagar Campus
Lucknow, India December 2013
Name of Event Team or Player from Scholastica
Result
Scholastica Inter School Volleyball Tournament, September2013
Scholastica Girls and Boys
Both boys and girls became champion
Scholastica Inter School Basketball Tournament, September2013
Scholastica Girls and Boys
Both Scholastica boys and girls became runner up
Aga Khan Football Tournament, September2013
Scholastica Boys
Runner up
Aga Khan Football Tournament, September2013
Scholastica Boys
Runner up
Polar Handball Tournament, September2013
Scholastica Girls and Boys
Boys – Runner up.Girls-Champion
AISD Volleyball Tournament, September2013
Scholastica Girls and Boys
Boys – Runner up.Girls-Champion
DISA/AISD Middle School Football Tournament (Boys) and Basketball Tournament (Girls), November 2013
Scholastica Girls and Boys
Boys-Champion
Girls- Semifinalist
DISA/AISD High School Football Tournament (Boys) and Basketball Tournament (Girls), November 2013
Scholastica Girls and Boys
Girls-Runner up
Boys- Semi finalist
Scholastica-Dettol Inter School (Boysand Girls) Handball Tournament, Novmeber 2013
Scholastica Girls and Boys
Girls-Champion
Boys-Runner up
Partille Cup 2013, Sweden, July 2013
ScholasticaBoys (Mirpur)
Played the first round matches
Partille Cup 2013, Sweden, July 2013
Scholasticagirls (SRU)
Played the first round matches
Page 8
Lazy Eye
Green world
Healthy food for healthy life
International Day of Older Persons
Discipline Month
Parent Awareness Programs
United Nations Day
Grand Parents’ Day
Awareness Program on Global Hand washing Day 2013
Bring Out The Best In You
The World Teacher’s Day
Awareness ProgramsOrganized
during the Term(July to December)
Internship Program (contd.)interesting task to complete. Due to congenial ambience, I will always recommend Radio Today to the interns next year. It had been a delight to participate at Radio Today, as part of the Summer Internship Program.” - Sakib Rezaul Haque
“It has been an enriching experience which I will never cease to forget. Knowledge is essential in customer relations. Through this internship I have sharpened my people skills, acquired ample knowledge, and had a taste of the professional sphere. I am sincerely grateful to United Hospital Ltd., Scholastica, the management, and all the staff involved for this opportunity and I appreciate everyone’s cooperation and goodwill. Thank you.” - Shadman Sakib
Our students are not the only ones in the Scholastica family who have achievements to boast about; here is what our talented faculty have been up to this term!
The following members of our faculty received the Excellence in Teaching Award, a new program administered by the management of Scholastica. Congratulations!
Ms. Mashraky Mustary of the Junior Gulshan campus has been selected and given the chance to participate in Jenesys 2.0 (Japan East Asia Network of Exchange for Student and Youth) as “Bangladesh – Japan Friendship Ambassador” and visited Japan for 12 days along with other SAARC country students. As part of the program, she also visited a number of elementary schools of Japan.
Notable Achievementsby Faculty/ Management
for the Term
Caught in the Press
“I have been in the debate club since class 6 and personally it’s my favorite club. All the members are amazing debaters and we get to learn a lot about the different ways of debating and we get to debate on many interesting topics. I hope I’ll become an experienced debater someday.” Nayara Noor-E-Fatema, Class VIII-D, Roll-016
“Intelligence plus character, that is the goal of true education.”
— Martin Luther King Jr., leader of the African American
Civil Rights Movement, recipient of US Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal
SPEED youth ran a summer program this year in Uttara. A balance of fun and learning is the cornerstone of the philosophy behind the program. Students got to choose 3 subjects from a wide variety of options ranging from soccer, handball, basketball to math games, young scientist, graphic design, animation, photography and guitar. Special theme days were celebrated, which included red day, blue day, sunglass day, tie day, and hat day! Additional programs included a fun day at Fantasy Kingdom, a carnival and a movie night. The students will miss the summer fun but can look forward to a wonderful program again next year.
