Scholastic ibn-e-Umar

July 28, 2023
 
Respected Parents and Students, Assalaam-u-Alaikum WRWB:
Alhamdulillah, with His Grace and Mercy, on behalf of the teachers and administration, I would like to warmly welcome our students to the new academic year. Hopefully, the summer break was refreshing and rejuvenating for all of us, and we are now ready for another (rigorous) academic year.
Classes for the academic year 2023-24 (except Grades 5A, 8A, 9A, 10A, 11A) will start on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, inShaAllah.  The school timing as per norm are as follows:
Pre-Nursery
7:40 am - 10 am (first two weeks)
7:40 am - 11 am (third week)
7:40 am – 12:00 (4nd week onward)
Nursery & KG
7:40 am – 12:40 pm  
Grades 1-7
7:40 am – 2:00 pm  
Hifz students
7:40 am – 3:00 pm (2:00 pm on Saturday)
O-Levels and IGCSE
As per class schedule
 
Our current timetable will always be posted on our website. Please get your children to prepare their bags accordingly. This will lessen their load.
https://www.scholastic.edu.pk/junior-school/timetables/
All students will be off at 12:05 pm on Fridays.  Also, Gate Close time will be 7:50 am.  However, please do note that our morning assembly is an integral part of our Tarbiyah program, thus it is crucial for all students to be in school premises before 7:40 am.
Punctuality is a very basic part of our Deen and most of the commandments ordained by Islam (Namaz, Hajj, Fasting, etc) emphasize heavily upon it.  Also, punctuality and time orientation are a major hallmark of almost all people who have done well in this life.  Hence, our children’s learning to value time is an important part of their Tarbiat.  If the child is dropped off after 7:40 am he/she will have to stand at the back during assembly and marked late. After 7:50 am gate will be closed, and remain closed till 8:25 am.  After 8:25 am students with extraordinary circumstances will be let in with an application from parents/guardian only.  Similarly, although O-Levels and IGCSE will follow their class schedule; they will not be allowed to enter a class after the class has started.
 
Given the heavy rains, our construction project for new classrooms has been delayed. Classes for Grade 5A, O-Levels, and our new IGCSE (Grade 8 and 9) program, will start a week later, on August 7, 2023, inShaAllah.
We are pleased to announce that Boys Section is also introducing easier Arabic for students struggling with the language.
School textbooks (https://www.scholastic.edu.pk/admissions-info/booklist/), stationery, and school uniform (https://www.scholastic.edu.pk/admissions-info/uniform/) are available from ‘Staples’ at the Main Boulevard, Garden Town (042 3594 1011-2).  Uniform Abayas for girls are available at ‘Irtafa Abayas’ (0322-4427535) and can be obtained on three days' order.
Alhamdulillah, we are also introducing Blended Learning into the major subjects in Grades 6 and 7.  We are hopeful that use of this technology will be expanded to all of Junior school next year.  Blended Learning will reinforce our shift to the Flipped Classroom Model, as a teaching pedagogy. As a reminder for our parents, in the ‘Flipped Classroom’ students learn by reading or watching pre-recorded content on their own before the class, and the class itself is used for ‘deeper discussion’ and ‘practice’.  This change in teaching pedagogy (method) has resulted in (as also mentioned in the literature) greater involvement, motivation, and ownership of the learning process among the students. Consequently, the parents’ involvement in the learning process will decrease (due to greater motivation of the student).  However, parents will have to ensure an environment at home where the student can spend more time reading or learning from on-line material. Parents must also ensure that students spend at least an hour at home every day in physical activities (sports etc.) to counterbalance the ill-effects of increased screen time. We plan to have a parent workshop on Blended Learning in August inShaAllah.
We hope and pray that this academic year will be exciting and fruitful for all of us; and that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala will protect us (as well as the rest of our Ummat) from all sorts of trials and tribulations, in the new academic year as well as in the future.  Looking forward to your cooperation in the Tarbiyat of our children,

Sincerely yours,
Arif Iqbal Rana,
Director, Scholastic, Ibne Umar Campus