NEWSLETTER JULY & AUGUST, 2017 DPS STS JUNIOR SCHOOL VOL: 2, ISSUE: 1

NEWSLETTER JULY & AUGUST, 2017 DPS STS JUNIOR SCHOOL VOL: 2, ISSUE: 1

~~Academics~~ Primary : Book Deposit Day: A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. The New Academic Year is here! The Academic Session of 2017-18 commenced with 'Book Deposit Day' for grades 1 & 2, on Tuesday 11 th July and continued till Wednesday 12 th July, 2017. Parents came to school to deposit the books and notebooks and met the new class teachers. The event went smoothly and was conducted meticulously with the collaboration of teachers and parents. Summer Book Reading Competition: Every year, the DPS STS School Dhaka conducts a Book Reading Competition with a view to encourage students to read books and to spread the joy of reading. The competition was held in the Junior School Campus, on Wednesday, 26 th July, 2017. All the students from grades 1 to 4 participated in the competition. The competition took place in the respective classrooms for 40 minutes. It involved many activities including reading books and taking part in an assessment. Ms. Nahid Tabassum, Head of English Department, was responsible for the overall supervision. The competition aimed at developing the reading habit and language proficiency in English through reading story books. The winners of the Summer Book Reading Competition are: Grade-1 Name Position Section Stella Sanwar 1 st Robin Md. Mustayeen Ul Bari 2 nd Flamingo Daanya Abdus Sobhan 3 rd Eagle Grade-2 Name Position Section Faiha Islam 1 st Birch Umama Mahzabin 2 nd Oak Raham Zia 3 rd Oak

Grade-3 Name Position Section Awhona Saha 1 st Gulf Imad Fawaz 2 nd Canyon Rawayfi Tasawwar 3 rd Dune Grade-4 Name Position Section Deandra Jamilia Castro Zulfiqar 1 st Newton Nubah Warda Ahsan 2 nd Darwin Rumaiza Amreen 3 rd Einstein Computer Science Fun Week: The Computer Science Fun Week was held from 30 th July to 3 rd August, 2017, in the Junior School Campus. It was a wonderful experience for the students of grades 1 to 4. They utterly enjoyed playing games in their lab and watching short documentary video clips on Internet Safety and Robotic Activities. The students also enjoyed watching animated short movies and magic shows under the guidance of C.Sc. teachers. The students eagerly helped the teachers to decorate the soft boards outside the Computer Labs. Social Science Display: The Social Science department arranged a display of the projects done by grade 1 & 2 students on Thursday, 17 th August, 2017. The project theme was Family and Polite words.the projects were displayed on the 2nd floor of the Junior School Campus. It was a colourful and an eye catching exhibition. The teachers helped the enthusiastic students to bring out the best of their imagination through their work.

Inter House Invention & Inventors Poster Project Display: The Department of Science arranged an Inter House Invention & Inventors Poster Project Display on the 13 th, 16 th, 17 th, 21 st and 22 nd of August 2017, in the Junior School Campus. The students of grades 1-4 visited the Science Lab to get to know about the inventions and inventors. They also watched videos of famous inventions which have had a great impact on the human civilization. Parent Teacher Meeting: The 1st Term Parent Teacher Meeting for the Primary section was held on Thursday, 24 th August, 2017, in the respective classrooms at the Junior School Campus. The meeting was organised to give the parents an opportunity to discuss the progress of their wards in the new academic session of 2017-18. The teachers provided detailed and constructive feedback to all the parents. Pre Primary : Life Skill Activities: The life skill activity of Playgroup was blowing bubbles with a straw. It was held on Tuesday, 18 th of July in the Outdoor Play Area. Children had fun blowing bubbles. At first, the teachers demonstrated how to blow bubbles with the help of a straw and then they blew bubbles under the supervision of the homeroom teachers. The children of Pre-KG had a Bubble Printing Activity on Wednesday, 19 th of July, 2017. It was an entertaining way for children to learn about colours and bubble textures. The students of Nursery got to know about the seasons of the year and related information during circle time on Wednesday, 26 th July, 2017. While some students carried umbrellas, others wore rain coats and walked in the Outdoor Play Area followed by their class teachers. The students of Playgroup learned how to make aeroplanes using paper on Tuesday 8 th of August, 2017. They were given a piece of paper to complete the task under the supervision of the teachers. Then they were taken to the indoor play area to fly the aeroplanes. The activities were fun and engaging for the children and also helped them to enhance their fine motor skills. Sorting Beads Activity: The students of Nursery sorted beads according to their colour and shape in the month of July. This activity helped them to improve their hand and eye coordination. Also, they were able to recognize and identify different colours and shapes confidently. Playing Hopscotch: The students of Pre KG enjoyed playing Hopscotch as an activity for number recall and recognition on Thursday, 20 th of July, 2017, in their respective classrooms. Hopscotch is a classic game that kids of all ages can play. The game encouraged the students to count while practicing both coordination and balance.

Rhyme with Role Play Five Little Ducks: The students of Pre-KG learned the rhyme, Five Little Ducks from the internet with the help of the teachers on Sunday, 30 th of July, 2017. They also performed a role play based on the rhyme. The students wore headgears of ducklings and looked adorable. Magic Letters: In order to recognize Bengali letters, a magic letter activity was held for the students of KG. The teachers gave the students a blank piece of paper and asked them to colour it. As the letters appeared like magic on the white paper, the activity was named Magic Letters. The students were fascinated by this creative work. Letter Formation: The students of KG practiced letter formation using flour. This activity is helpful in developing children s fine motor skills. All the children participated in the activity very attentively. Speaking Activity: On Thursday, 17 th of August, 2017, the students of Nursery had a speaking activity on the topic Myself. The students spoke about themselves and drew their own pictures. It was an enjoyable experience for them. Identifying Bengali Letters: The KG students had an activity on identifying Bengali letters. They had to randomly select flash cards which were turned upside down and identify the letter. The activity was quite challenging for the students. Comparison-Number Activity: The KG students were taught to compare and understand the place value of numbers. This activity was done with the aid of The Crocodile Story where the crocodile always eats the bigger number. Making a Mouse: The students of KG made a mouse with the help of their teachers on Tuesday, 8 th August, 2017. They labeled the different parts of the mouse and coloured them. During the activity, they learnt the names of different parts of a mouse and their functions. Before Going to Bed: Tom goes to bed activity was held on Sunday 13 th August, 2017, where children of KG were taught to get ready for bed. They were given picture cutouts with the sentences and asked to arrange the sentences according to the sequence of the pictures.

~~Co-curricular Activities~~ Primary : Eid-Ul-Fitr Celebration: On Tuesday, 25 th of July, the students of grades 1 to 4 celebrated Eid-Ul-Fitr through a cultural programme at the Junior School Campus Auditorium from 8:50 am- 9:20 am. The programme commenced with Surah Fatiha and translation. The essence of Eid was beautifully portrayed through dance, music and recitation of poetry by the talented students of the Primary Section. The celebration ended with the National Anthem. The Head of Junior School, Ms. Sumona Karim and Head of Primary Section, Ms. Juliet Gloria Gomes were present for the celebration to encourage the students and to share the joy and merriment. After School Activity Programme (ASP): The ASP Programme of the Primary Section is running in full swing. The students of grades 1-4 are having Art and Craft, Sports, Music, Dance, Aerobics, Karate, Literacy, Drama, Mathematics, Science, C. Sc, French, Hindi, DIY( Do It Yourself) and Cooking club activities on a daily basis. Swimming Classes: Swimming Classes for grades 1 and 2 have started from Sunday, 30 th July, 2017. All the students of grades 1 & 2 are having regular swimming classes in the swimming pool of the Junior Campus. Art and Craft Origami Workshop: On Wednesday, 26 th July, an Art and Craft Origami Workshop was held at the Junior School Auditorium from 8:00 am -8:30 am. The workshop was conducted by Mr. Bharat from an Indian organization Indian Paper Art. The students learned how to use colour papers to make trees, different types of leaves, birds and other decorative items. The students enjoyed the session thoroughly. All the students of grades 1 to 4, teachers, the In charge of Events & Students Orientation Ms. Shalini Agarwalla, Head of Primary Section Ms. Juliet Gomes and Head of Junior School Ms. Sumona Karim were present at the event.

Movie Party: The students of grades 3 and 4 were absolutely thrilled to watch the delightful animation movie Finding Dory on Thursday, 27 th July, 2017, in the Senior School Auditorium. The students were supervised and accompanied by our attentive teachers throughout the movie. The event was an escape from tedium to a fresh start of a new academic year. The students were provided healthy and scrumptious lunch from the Senior School Cafeteria after the movie. It was indeed a memorable day for them. Dance Workshop: A dance workshop called Dancing Feet took place on Saturday 26 th and Sunday 27 th August, 2017, in the Junior School Campus Auditorium. An International Dance Director and Choreographer, Mr. Ivan Shahriar Sohag conducted the workshop. The students of grade 3 and 4 matched their footsteps with the renowned choreographer and danced gleefully to the beat of the music.

Solo Western Music and Dance Competition: One of the most fun-filled events of the month was the Solo Western Music and Dance Competition 2017-18, held on Sunday 27 th and Monday 28 th August, 2017, in the Junior School Campus. All the students from grades 1 to 4 passionately participated in the competition. They flaunted their skills and talent with sheer joy and enthusiasm. Orientation Programme: An Orientation Programme was arranged for the parents of Primary section on Saturday, 19 th August, 2017 from 11:30am-12:30pm in the Junior School Auditorium. Parents of grade- 1 and new parents of grades 2 to 4 were present at the programme. Ms. Madhu Wal, Vice Principal of DPS STS School inaugurated the programme with a welcome speech and brief introductory presentation for the new parents. The Head of Junior School, Ms. Sumona Karim introduced the Heads of the Primary Section. This was followed by an insightful presentation by Ms. Juliet Gloria Gomes, the Head of Primary Section. A motivational video was shown to the parents by the Head of Junior School, Ms. Sumona Karim to explain why parental involvement is so important for their children. After the programme, parents were taken on a tour around the school followed by refreshments in the cafeteria.

Pre-Primary : Eid-Ul-Fitr Celebration: The students of Pre Primary celebrated Eid- Ul- Fitr in their respective classrooms on Monday, 17 th July, 2017. They wore colourful Eid attires, shared food with their peers, related stories and embraced each other wishing Eid Mubarak. They also sang the popular Eid song Ramjaner Oi Rojar Sheshe Elo Khushir Eid and danced to the music. The students also made Eid Cards with the help of their teachers and took them home. Origami Workshop: An Origami workshop, Lets get folding, was organized for the students of Pre Primary on Thursday, 20 th July, 2017. It was indeed an excellent and creative workshop conducted by Mr. Bharat who came all the way from India to entertain and enlighten the teachers and students with some amazing craft work. The children learned to make paper dolls, water lily, lotus, kites, Christmas tree, pigeon, etc.

After School Programme (ASP): The After School Programme commenced on Sunday, 23 rd of July, 2017. This academic year, new programmes such as Speech and Drama, Art and Craft and Hindi were introduced in the Pre Primary Section. Swimming Classes: The students of Pre Primary Section started their regular swimming classes from Sunday, 30th July 2017. Cooking Activity: The children of Nursery were asked to bring ingredients to make lemonade on Thursday, 27 th of July, 2017. The Students actively participated in squeezing and mixing sugar with water. It was a fun filled activity where the students involved themselves actively. The students of Playgroup were asked to bring bread and jam to make sandwiches on Thursday, 3 rd of August, 2017. They made smiley faces on slices of bread with jam with the help of the teachers. On Thursday, 3 rd of August, 2017, the teachers of KG organized a cooking activity. The students made porridge in their respective classrooms and shared with their friends. This activity was designed to promote healthy food habit in students. The students of Pre KG made Banana Milkshake on Thursday, 10 th August, 2017. This was a fun and engaging activity to promote healthy eating habit in students. Craftwork: On Wednesday, 2 nd of August, Pre KG students performed an exciting text-book activity where they created paper collages by tearing colourful papers and pasting them on a shape of a fish. This activity helped them to improve their fine motor skills and their ability to follow instructions. The students also eagerly participated in making paper boats with paper on Thursday 3 rd of August, 2017, under the guidance of their teachers. They portrayed their creative skills and made colourful paper boats.

Orientation Programme : The Orientation Programme of 2017-18 session was arranged for the parents of Pre Primary on Saturday, 19 th August, 2017, with a view to acquaint the parents with our School s ethos, culture, activities and the academic programme. The programme began with a warm welcome address and presentation by our Vice Principal, Ms Madhu Wal. She enlightened the audience with her words of wisdom- giving guidelines on effective parenting, introduction about the School, DPS Society, STS Group and the School systems. After the conclusion of the Vice Principal s presentation, Ms Sumona Karim, Head of Junior School introduced the Heads of the Pre Primary section and presented a video on parenting. The parents were guided to the respective classrooms to be briefed about the curriculum and the rules and regulations of the Pre Primary section by the teachers. School Tour: The students of Nursery learned about the theme My School on Tuesday, 8 th August, 2017. The children were delighted to take a tour around the Junior School Campus. ~~Achievements~~ In April 2017, Amayr Hossain, presently a student of grade 5, received the Rising Star (Star Performer) award from PS 69, an Educational Institution in New York where he attended school for six months. He was awarded with a medal for his achievement by the Principal of the school in presence of all. Amayr s parents have expressed their gratitude to the teachers of DPS STS School Dhaka for supporting and guiding Amayr. Zareef Wayez Ghani from Grade-3, Section-Delta, participated in Aloha International Mathematics Competition on Sunday 16 th of July at the Park Royal Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and achieved 1 st Runner Up position among 400+ participants. Participants from 35 countries all together took part in the competition to solve 70 sums in 5 minutes. We are really proud that Zareef participated in the competition to represent Bangladesh and scored such an outstanding result! Pre Primary Teacher, Ms. Fauzia Zabin has completed her Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education from Vidyanidhi Education Society in Mumbai. Art teacher of Primary Section, Bubly Barna went to Kashmir, India last week to attend an art camp organised by the Fine Arts Department of Jahangirnagar University. She went to the camp to paint landscapes. They visited Gulmerg, Srinagar and Pehelgam. They are looking forward to having an exhibition in Bangladesh soon.

~~Workshops and Trainings~~ Orientation Training Programme for Pre Primary and Primary Teachers: On Sunday 9th July 2017, the first day of the new academic year of 2017-18, an introductory training session was conducted by the Heads of Junior School welcoming all the teachers to the new academic session. The sessions were conducted by Ms. Dushani Rajaratnam and Ms. Juliet Gomes to welcome the respective Pre Primary and the Primary teachers. The basic codes of conduct and the rules and policies of DPS STS School were discussed during the session. Informative presentations were prepared by the facilitators to engage the teachers and keep them updated. The teachers were charged up and ready to face another eventful and challenging academic year. IT Session for New Teachers: An engaging and creative IT session was held on Monday, 10 th July, in Computer Lab-2 of Junior School. The session was conducted by IT Head, Mr. Mostafizur Rahman Mridha. All the new teachers of Junior School attended the session. Operating system, use of different educational software, the use of ERP system and some other important issues were discussed in the session. All the participants got the opportunity to work practically. The trainer demonstrated how large amount of data can be processed and saved. Session with Class Coordinators: The Coordinators of grades 1 to 4 held separate meetings with their Class Teachers in the Junior School Campus on Monday, 10 th July, 2017. They discussed various issues such as classroom ground rules, preparing the soft boards, and various do's and don'ts. It was a fruitful meeting as the Class Teachers were able to have one on one open discussion with their respective Coordinators. Meeting with the Dean of Academics: An informative session was held on Monday 10 th July, 2017, in the main hall of Junior School. This session was conducted by Ms. Shaila Sheikh, the Dean of Academics. All the new teachers of Primary section attended the session. It was an encouraging session to support and promote the highest quality education. The facilitator provided guidance to the new teachers to assure a positive working environment, to collaborate, to maintain a rapport with colleagues, and enco uraged them to work as a part of a team for the DPS STS School. Later, the Dean of Academics, Ms. Shaila Sheikh also arranged another session with the Head of Departments reminding them of all the essential issues related to academics. Session with the Head of Departments: The newly joined subject teachers of the Primary Section had an interactive session with the respective Head of Departments on Monday, 10 th July, 2017 in the Junior School Campus. The HODs provided all kinds of information, aid and support to the new team members and educated them with the necessary code of conduct. Professional Development Training Session by the Head of Junior School: The Head of Junior School, Ms. Sumona Karim conducted a training session with all the teachers of the Junior School on Thursday, 13 th July, 2017, in the Junior School Library. She welcomed all the teachers wholeheartedly and evoked team spirit among us all. The facilitator focused on the basic codes of conduct, professional behavior, office manners, office attire, mutual cooperation and respect in her presentation. Library Rules & Regulations: The Librarian of the Junior School, Md. Wahiduzzaman conducted a session with all the teachers of Junior School on Thursday, 13 th July, 2017. The rules, regulations and policies of the library for both teachers and students were highlighted in the session.

After School Programme Workshop with ASP In-Charges: The ASP In-Charges of grades-1 to 4 Ms. Archana Kumar, Ms. K. Sumaiya, Ms. Shammin Sultana and Ms. Monisha Acharjee conducted a session with the concerned teachers on Thursday, 13 th July, 2017. The new teachers attended the session and came to know about different ASP clubs of Junior School. Many new interesting ASP clubs have been introduced by the ASP In-Charges from this session to attract the students and keep them motivated to come to school. A colorful presentation was prepared by the In-Charges to introduce the teachers to the rules and regulations of the clubs. Co-curricular Workshop: The Incharge of Events & Students Orientation, Ms. Shalini Agarwalla had a session with the Music, Art and Dance Department teachers on Thursday, 13 th July, 2017. She guided the M.A.D (Music, Art & Dance) teachers to plan eventful activities for the current session. The capable teachers of the M.A.D department are now ready to embrace another year with a lot of zeal and fervour. Teachers Training Sessions with the Head of Pre Primary: The Head of Pre-Primary conducted training sessions daily from Sunday, 9 th July to Thursday 13 th July, 2017, on various academic related topics. All the Pre Primary Teachers participated in the sessions. English Language Training Workshop: A training session on English Language was conducted by our very own English Trainer, Ms. Mehjabeen Rashid on Thursday, 27 th July, 2017. The facilitator prepared an interactive session with the teachers of the Pre Primary Section and Primary Section on ways to avoid the common errors and confusions that often arise while communicating in English. In the later part, the teachers were provided with a worksheet to brush up their language skills. Teachers Training Workshop on Writing Official Emails and applications : A training workshop for all the teachers of Pre Primary and Primary section was conducted by Ms. Mehjabeen Rashid on Thursday, 10 th August, 2017, in the Junior School Main Hall. The trainer provided numerous guidelines on writing formal applications and emails, and she also included a hands-on activity session for the teachers. The workshop was fruitful and enlightening for the teachers. Teachers Training Workshop on Classroom Management Skills: Ms. Mehjabeen Rashid conducted an important session on the topic, Classroom Management Skills on Monday, 21 st August, 2017, in the Main Hall of the Junior School Campus. The newly joined teachers in the Pre Primary and Primary Section participated in this training workshop.the teachers were introduced to different methods and strategies to maintain a disciplined and interactive classroom. The trainer helped the teachers to ensure a proper learning environment for the students. THE END