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Great design comes from interaction, conflict, argument, competition and debate.

Competition provides motivation to achieve a goal; to demonstrate determination, creativity and perseverance to overcome challenges and to understand that hard work and commitment leads to a greater chance of success.

Competition gears up an individual’s innovative skills, hones them and puts them to use.

Badri High School is a proud advocate of a National Level competition, Such contests are very essential in the cognitive development of students contextually and provides a clear picture as to where they stand at the district and National Level.

Students of Badri High School participated in the 3rd National Science Contest which was held on 23rd NOV 2017. 6 Students of Class VI participated at the FOOBAR level and 18 students of Class VII participated at the TROFF level.

The results of GSEA is as follows:

A weekend well spent brings ahead a week of content.
Being teachers, all of us, look forward to the weekend. These days are significant for teachers because they help them gear up for the challenges that are in store for the upcoming week. Here, at BHS, the teachers envisage the vitality of professional development above anything else. Intrinsically motivated, they were jubilant to converge on a Saturday morning, dated 27th of January for a workshop entitled “Project Based Learning- Facilitating autonomous learning”, which was conducted by the BHS Project Based Learning team, which comprises of four teachers, trained formerly in this contemporary emerging pedagogy.
Participants were piqued when they set their feet in the Hifz room. Each one was excited to discover the innards of the PBL package, the team was ready to offer, as the workshop was publicized in an appealing way with the help of flyers, posters, and a video message.
At the onset of the workshop, the visionary Principal of BHS, Janab Shk. Hashim Bhai Saifuddin, intoned the Imani perspective of teaching and learning which served as a catalyst for the rest of the learning process. Participants of the workshop were briefed about the theoretical content that gave birth to the pedagogy. Theories such as Maslow`s Hierarchy of needs and Individual differences were assimilated.
Use of online tools in the classroom and its consequences were discussed and practically demonstrated in the workshop. The participants of the workshop were acquainted with various new strategies such as Socratic Circle and Think-Pair-Share during the course of the three hour workshop. Design thinking was also discussed and displayed.
Albert Einstein declared experience to be the only source of gaining knowledge. Subsequent to the thought, PBL team led the participants hitch the roller coaster of events that took them to the preparation of a board game. The objective was to create a board game that is interactive and mesmeric. Every group had to prepare a prototype for their idea and present it. Each game was supposed to be designed with a USP- Unique Selling Point.
The rendition part of the prototype board game was enjoyed by everyone. At the end, the participants were rigorously thanked by the team. Certificates for attending the workshop were given. The conductors of the workshop, Miss Zenab Mohammad, Mr. Ibrahim Shabbir, Miss Rashida Adnan, and Miss Rashida Mohammad, were also awarded with certificates and appraisal in terms of persuasive remarks from the colleagues.

The children of Badri High School, Classes III, IV and V attended the 13th Karachi International Book Fair at the Expo Center, Karachi on Friday, 8th December during school hours.
The children were amazed and excited to see the number and assortment of books displayed in English, Urdu and other languages in the 3 halls of the Expo Center.

They were guided by their class teachers and the librarian in purchasing the books.

The students were delighted to receive gifts from stalls like calenders, books and stationery.

It was a memorable trip for the children and played a crucial part in inculcating the love and worth of books in these young readers.

Class IX visited SCINOSA Day Home which is a school for children with special needs. The children were eager to learn more practical aspects of Special education after reading a lesson about Helen Keller, which is a part of their syllabus.

When children reached the school, they were amazed to see the purpose-built infrastructure. The teachers of SCINOSA greeted the group warmly. The tour started with a little discussion about the purpose of the visit. One of the students, Sakina Shabbir of Class IX A promptly replied that they wanted to learn more about people who have more challenging lives than them.

Firstly, the group was taken to academic classes where students, out of their curiosity, asked a number of questions. The teacher satisfied the students by briefing them about the individualized curriculum and planning for each child that they do. The time table for each day was also shared with the students. Then, the students were taken to rooms serving different purposes. These rooms include a speech therapy room where certified speech therapists were working with some children in order to make their speech clearer. There was another room which was specifically made to improve the motor skills of these special children.

Students were surprised to see special children making show pieces, frames and other things out of newspaper in the recycling room. Khaddar room was another jolt to the students where they saw a senior special student working expertly with the khaddar machine, making cloth. All were rendered speechless. In the arts and crafts room, some special children were busy with embroidery while some were engrossed in khaatli work. Then came the turn of the fine arts room where master pieces made by the special children were on display. Our students were tongue-tied. The teacher of SCINOSA showed the students a mural which was painted by the special children.

There were rooms for teaching cane work, jewelry making, bead work, and wood work. Students were surprised to see each room packed with special learners. One of the students inquired about the reason of teaching these skills to special children, to which, the teacher replied that they believe in facilitating each child of the school to become a functioning member of the society. These skills support the children in advocating for themselves in all practical life settings.

Students were also taken to a gym where special children are encouraged to do physical activity in order to regulate their weight. A special child, in the gym, greeted each student individually. This was the way he showed his excitement upon seeing visitors. Another special child, Zain, pointed to the watch reminding his coach that it was time for milk. These children are provided with milk and other healthy food, according to their individual diet plan made by the school. Students were also taken to hydrotherapy room where luke warm water is used as a remedy to soothe and relax special children.

Culinary art is also a part of their need based curriculum. Rida, who was busy practicing how to make tea, along with another child, who was making an omelet, demonstrated to the students their particular method. Grooming class was the last spot of the school where special girls were taught how to take care of themselves. In the end, students of BHS thanked the vice principal of SCINOSA Day, who specially came in the lunch room to meet them. The Principal talked about the initiative that the school has taken. The students asked her a bunch of questions, which she answered.

This was indeed a special trip. A major objective of this trip was to encourage students to show empathy towards children with special needs. They were deeply moved after the trip. This trip was an attempt to open up a new window to the students as Sydney Harris has rightly said that the whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.

Exam time is stressful. With so much to memorize and learn, students tend to get confused and end up writing something totally different from what they are supposed to. So to help the students write appropriately and score well, an interactive session was conducted on ” How to study” by Sir Amjad Ayub and “How to attempt an exam paper” by Ms Rashida Adnan. The session was targeted towards class 6,7 and 8 grade students.

The 30 min session started off with Sir Amjad giving each student a paper with a few questions on the student himself to be answered. He kept saying read the instructions but the students started the paper in the race to complete first. After the initial commotion a girl finally figured out that as per the given instructions they only had to answer Q 5 and 6. Immediately the students caught their mistakes.

Sir explained that students need to study for at least 2 hours maximum without any disturbances and then they need to take a break. But the break has to be anything but sleeping such as sports, jogging, strolling, mind games to relax the mind. But the most important thing is that the students must create a proper place and environment to study and not sit on the bed.

The second part of session was on how to attempt the exam paper which dealt with 3 key points. The first part dealt with pre- paper preparation, the stationary requirements, writing boards, admit cards but most importantly to be stress free.

Then in the second part reading the paper; marking easy, manageable and tough initials to save time, marking the key words in the questions like solve, explain, factorize were explained.

Thirdly, the talk dealt with how to manage time wisely. The facilitator explained that 10 to 15 minutes should be allotted to reading the whole paper; give answers to the point as required and to attempt the questions you know well first to boost confidence.

The session ended on the point that once you give your paper don’t go out and discuss with anyone as it increases the stress and you are not able to prepare well for the next paper. So let bygones be bygones. The students left rejuvenated and in a positive frame of mind to handle the imminent midterm exams. Good luck students!

The air was filled with the sounds of the lilting rendition of Qasaid and Naat e Rasool SAW as the students of Badri High School gathered in the assembly for Milad u Nabi SAW celebrations. The remarkable voices of the Class 9 students led by Taha Murtaza enchanted the assembled spectators. Class 8 boys, never to be left behind, also recited a soulful Naat as well as ‘Ai Allah na Dai’ in remembrance of the 52^nd Dai al Mutlaq Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA whose Urus Mubarak will be held on the 16^th of Rabi ul Awal. It was enjoyable to see an enactment by Class 6B students based on Rasulallah’s SAW Hadith on how back biting (Gheebat) should be avoided and how it leads to an unhealthy social environment.

The day came to an apt end as the Primary teachers prepared a delicious Kalamra for the entire school and invited all the students and staff to partake from the delectable Rabi ul Awal speciality which is a wholesome dessert made from rice, sugar and yogurt.

It was a working Saturday at BHS and the students made the most of it with aninteractive session on ‘How to Change your Study Tactics’ conducted by a senior Science teacher of the Secondary Section,Sir Amjad Ayub. Sir Amjad has been part of the group of teachers from Badri High School who has actively participated in the ‘Badal Do’ sessions. His initiative to conduct a session springs from the philosophy of bringing about change within ourselves.

As the midterm exams loom and the pressure on the senior students mounts, Sir Amjad aptly demonstrated how much time a student should spend on studies and what study tactics to adopt. He emphasized upon the importance of time and also on strategies to make optimum use of one’s time. He shared success stories and videos of people who have brought about a change in their lifestyle to become more successful.

The students were motivated by the 40 minute session and left feeling rejuvenated. Lessons in time management and working effectively using ones available resources are skills which are developed at a young age but will aid these students for the rest of their

lives.

Over 60 students participated in the Winter Poetry Festival held at Badri High School this Friday morning. The early winter chill heightened the electrifying atmosphere as the students of Class 9 and 10 introduced the Secondary section pupils to classic English language literary giants like Wordsworth, Frost, Shakespeare, Poe, Tennyson, Keats as well as orators like Martin Luther King and contemporary writers like Maya Angelou and Dorothy Parker.

Each poet was introduced and the students also threw light upon the inspiration or muse behind that particular piece of poetry or prose. This was followed by an expressive rendering of the poet’s work. It was mesmerizing to behold young students bring to life masterpieces like Keats ‘Endymion’, Service’s thought provoking ‘A Grain of Sand’ and Tennyson’s ‘All Things must Die.’

The English elocution was followed by the Urdu elocution rendered by the young orators of class 6, 7 and 8. The poetry selected by the students was a delightful blend of philosophy and humour. The English and Urdu language teachers had spent weeks helping the students select the right piece and then training them.

The audience was enthralled and the two hours sped by. The event was judged by the Head of the Montessori Section Ms. Tasneem Hashim as well as Ms. Habiba, a senior Urdu teacher of the Primary Section.

The highlight of the event was the surprise presence of Janab Naeem Bhai Sahib who was able to hear a few of the students reciting poetry and was impressed with their flair and confidence.

Certificates were awarded to the jubilant winners by Janab Naeem Bhaisaheb and Shaikh Hashim bhai, Principal of BHS. The students walked away with pride at their achievement, the experience of a lifetime, the life-long skill of oration and love for languages.

English Elocution Results

Urdu Elocution results

Many parents find it difficult to get their little ones to eat vegetables. Had they come to school today, they would have been pleasantly surprised to see their children asking for second and third helpings of the vegetable soup!

During circle time, the children were shown all the ingredients of the soup and the teacher explained which ingredients will be put in the pot to cook and which will be left aside as garnishing. As the soup was cooking, a delightful smell wafted through the whole school and the children could hardly wait for the soup to be ready.

The Juniors drew and coloured in their soup bowls while the Seniors also had the ingredients listed down in their paper.

It was without any doubt, a most delicious end to the theme of Fruits and Vegetables.

The Montessori Juniors set up a ‘Flower Shop’ today as part of their dramatic play experience.

The flower shop boasted of a vibrant display of flowers neatly organized according to colour with the cash counter at one end and a bouquet service at the other, where you could get your flowers tied with a lovely ribbon or arranged into a flower pot. Special delivery was made on the tricycle to nearby areas like the library and office.

The children used coloured pencils to make out the slips. How important they felt as they chose the correct pencil and wrote down the number of flowers required! The air of excitement, the children’s involvement and their obvious pleasure in the activity was a delight to see.

We thank our valued ‘customers’ (students and teachers) as they all helped to make this activity a success.

We wish a  very happy birthday to Ms. Fatema’s mother. We hope she likes the special flower bouquet from the Juniors’ Flower Shop.

Dramatic Play involves acting out real-world situations and taking on the roles of different characters. It is an integral part of the developmental learning process as it gives children an opportunity to apply learned skills and develop new skills in the process.

The students of classes 4 A & B have learnt about ” The Environmental Pollution & It’s Effects On Marine Life” in Science and Social Studies. To implement their learning, they went to the sea shore, and set an example as ” Badrian, The Change Makers” by cleaning a part of the beach and kept a message of their learning in the form of posters there, for other visitors.

25 students from Class 6 and 7 of Badri High School participated in the Third National Science Contest organized by GSEA—Global System for Educational Assessment.  The aim of this national level contest was to expose the students to a test which would spark their curiosity and help challenge them to think out of the box.

The 90 minute test taken in school premises encouraged critical thinking with speed and accuracy. Honing these life skills is certainly the prime objective of every educational institute and this is the reason Badri High School encourages participation in such competitive ventures.

Sir Ibrahim Shabbir, the Science teacher, had been working with the participants since the last two weeks to increase their General Knowledge of Scientific concepts and prepare them to appear in the test which follows the pattern of international standard tests.

The students of Class 7 and 10 (General Group) enjoyed the winter chill as they left for a field trip to the State Bank Museum on Tuesday 21^st November 2017 after a grueling spree of monthly tests.

Located in a stately building on I I Chundrigar Road, the students accompanied by their Social Studies and Economics teachers saw the history of coins, paper currency and stamps as well as the first ATM machine. They were amazed by exclusive historic items on exhibit like the first portrait of Quaid e Azam on paper money, the first published notes and Quaid e Azam’s expense and accounts ledger. The students learnt about the function of economy starting from the barter system. They were shown how a sorting and counting machines operate and also viewed interesting documentaries on coin minting in Pakistan. In the end they were refreshed by a vibrant display of Sadeqain’s paintings.

It was a memorable learning experience and proved to be quality time spent with teachers and peers.

Despite being a Saturday,  11^thNovember 2017 was alive with energy at Badri High School as the teachers gathered for an in-house workshop to be conducted by Ms. Rumlah Selmi, on the topic of ‘Raising Well-Rounded and Confident Children’.  The course facilitator, founder of the company Camaraderie, is also an author of a book on relationships as well as a trainer.

The one and a half hour workshop dealt with the pressures children deal with in school and in their lives and how we, as facilitators, should empathize with these children and play our part in relieving their stress.

Ms. Selmi also gave time to the teachers after the session for one-on-one advice regarding handling today’s children’s effectively and compassionately. This was followed by a thoroughly enjoyable hour-long session on Mind Math by the facilitators of Robotics Lab which encouraged being alert and being attuned to thinking on your feet.

On Friday, 10^th November 2017, the veteran educationist, Sir Sadiq Merchant, was invited to BHS to share his tips on how to effectively prepare the senior students for the Board Exams. Sir Sadiq in his engaging and flamboyant style, briefed the Secondary staff, who teach Grade 9 and 10, about the changes in the manner of attempting Board papers, effective revision techniques and paper making formats. It was a treat to listen to him sum up his 27-year experience in one hour and left the staff yearning for more.

Such in-house sessions are aimed to help keep the facilitators abreast of fresh researches and techniques and proves that teachers are learners for life.

“Teaching without learning is just talking’-K. Patricia Cross