A Mathematics Quiz was conducted in all sections of Class 5 during the Mathematics Lessons, by Ms Zahira Ghani. The students had to complete 75 mental math sums in 35 minutes. Students scoring the highest marks within each section of Class 5 qualified to compete in the final competition.

The final of the Class 5 Mathematics Quiz was held on May 30, 2008 amongst all the sections of class V. The Mathematics teacher had designed an interesting quiz format using flash cards and multimedia with some very challenging questions for the students.

The contest comprised five rounds. Round one and two were based on individual performance, while Round 3 was a team round. Every participant of Teams A, B, C and D were asked questions but the students were allowed to consult their team members before answering each question. Round four and five were knockout rounds and carried 50 marks each. Participants who failed to answer the questions were eliminated from the contest. Each child was asked 5 questions in each round. After a very interesting and tough competition the winning students were identified.

During the Prize Distribution Ceremony, Ms John praised the efforts of the students and the winners received prizes.

The winners were:

A General Knowledge Quiz was held during the last week of May in which all sections of Classes 4 to 6 participated. Mrs. Sofia Khan chalked out a well-organized programme of conducting this quiz in each section and gave a criteria sheet to those teachers who conducted these quizzes in their sections.

The result is as follows:

An Urdu Handwriting Competition was held in Classes 4, 5 and 6 from May 19 to 21, 2008. All students were provided a passage, which they were required to write within 15 minutes. The criteria for the selection were as follows:

1. Neatness and legibility
2. Punctuation
3. Spelling
4. Speed (the complete passage had to be written in the prescribed time)

The winners were selected by the Urdu teachers for meeting the prescribed criteria. The best four samples of writing were selected from each class. The winners received prizes and certificates from the Principal, Ms. John, during a special Prize Distribution Ceremony.

The winners were:

In an effort to develop an appreciation for the art of handwriting and to encourage children with well-formed meticulous writing, all Class 4 students took part in a 'Handwriting Competition'. Relevant English teachers selected the three best samples of handwriting from each of the four sections of Class 4. These were reviewed by the Principal, Ms. John who then selected the four winners. The handwriting contest evaluation criteria included neatness and legibility, correctness in punctuation and spelling and speed (the complete passage had to be written in the designated time). All winners were awarded books and certificates by the Principal.

The winners included:

Georges Braque said "Painting is a nail to which I fasten my ideas."

Arts powerfully nurture the ability to think imaginatively and through engagement with the arts, students can better begin lifelong journeys of developing their capabilities and contributing to the world around them. Students have ample opportunity to move away from black and white assumptions and into a spectrum of divergent pedagogy. There is a tremendous power in being able to render the things that the mind can conceive. The simulation powers of a direct visual representation from the mind's eye is irrefutable.

Keeping in perspective the value of a liberal arts education in developing academic excellence, Ms. Zunaira, the Art Teacher for Classes 4 and 5 organized an Art Competition for the eager young artists in her classes. The students were required to paint shapes and village life using any form of medium.

The best artists were selected by the teacher and received prizes and certificates from the Principal, Ms. John.

Class 4

Class 5

Resource Academia hosted an under-13 football tournament from May 7 to May 10, 2008. The tournament matches were played at the Fame Football Club Ground in Model Town , Lahore . Participating teams included Salamat School System, Bloomfield Cardinal School , Divisional Public School (DPS), The Punjab School, Sharif Educational Complex (SEC), American School of International Academics (ASIA) and the hosts, Resource Academia (RA).

The first match between RA and ASIA on May 7, marked the beginning of the tournament. RA's outstanding performance led to a 6 – 0 victory. In the second match of the day, DPS defeated the Punjab School by 1 – 0. In the first of the two matches played on May 8, Salamat defeated SEC by 1 – 0. The second match was the first semi-final played between RA and Bloomfield Cardinal. RA won the match by 1 – 0, and thus qualified for the finals. The second team to qualify for the final was DPS, after defeating Salamat by 1 – 0.

The final match was played on May 11, 2008 between RA and DPS. The match was a thrilling encounter between the two teams that had proven their worth during earlier matches. Towards the conclusion of a nail-biting match, DPS footballers scored their first and only goal of the match, which led them to be the declared winners of the tournament. The match was followed by the presentation ceremony, where Mr. Amir Mahmood, RA's Sports Teacher and the organizer of the tournament invited the Chief Guest and the Principal of Resource Academia, Ms Jamila John, to award trophies and certificates to the winning team and the runners-up.

"Hear ye! Hear ye! On the 18th of April, you shall be awestruck; you shall bemuse yourself with a plethora of spell-binding performances!" Unfortunately, none of that actually happened! The farewell rehearsals started about two weeks before the actual show, with absolutely NO co-operation from the school authorities, we set off to what proved to be an extremely wobbly, topsy-turvy, messed up start.

The main task, which took up most of the time, was deciding what clothes everybody would be wearing. The first couple of days were spent in dismissing the useless ideas that everybody brought in. Interestingly, some people still did not know the dress-code until the day before the Farewell! There was this issue about the O1s being invited because last year, we weren't invited to attend the show. So we OBVIOUSLY didn't want them to attend, either. And so, because of two people, the O1s came, and the O2s started protesting!

With Saad in the lead, and everybody else tagging behind, we basically did whatever we were told to and in the end, it was statistically proven that it was only three people who did most of the work: Saad, me [=p] and Ahsan! This resulted in mass chaos, a clash of opinions and a fight [the one where you have absolutely no contact with the other person] between two people (ahem ahem). Then came Bakhtawer with the amazing backdrop idea, "The girl and the iPod"! Finally, something everybody agreed to, but Bakhtawer ended up having to do all the work herself! The idea for the "infamous" O2-B skit was conceived two days before the show, and we set out to write the script and within a day, it was planned, rehearsed and executed!

Finally, the titles, we expected them to rock the house. And they did. They just reduced it to shambles! I go home on the 17 th of April, see a "Pringles" can on my bed and phone everybody to bring two cans each by the next day [ basically doomsday!] owing to the fact that our brilliant idea for the give-aways was rejected!

Then came the final day, the O-3 entrance was a little late, but, then again, half the hosts for the show arrived later than the guests, much later and we started off forty-five minutes late. Saad and Raza drove everybody crazy, making them laugh like maniacs. These two [plus Ramiq and Ali Khan] literally saved the show! Samreen's song led a few people to believe that she was lip-syncing to the original Rihanna song, while Michael's attempt at Creed's rock mantra made people wish he'd start lip-syncing! The skit, that the O2-Bs had prepared with such zest, ended up offending some of the people it was about, making Saad get up on stage and apologizing! Begum Nawazish Ali/ the three and a half boys show made everybody laugh their heads off! Even the teachers' faces broke out into grins. Saad, Raza and Sarmad [O3] danced brilliantly and turned the whole affair all the more interesting.

Then, there were the titles! Imagine, if your sister from the O3 decides to write the driest titles ever, and you make a hash out of them, what would you do? Unfortunately, all we could do was whine about it! The titles and the soundtracks got all mixed up and turned into a weird affair where the audience started commenting on every single thing, and trust us; it was not all rainbows and butterflies!

'Aur phir, khana khul gaya !' People actually liked the 'desi' touch to the food! The O2s turned the area in front of the stage into a dance floor and some very intelligent beings, very conveniently, went up on stage and started dancing and we were stopped from "shaking it" altogether!

All in all, it was an amazing evening where the hosts enjoyed more than the guests. On the more serious notes, we have a couple of people to thank: Mrs. Humaira, Ms. John and Ms. Saima for bearing with us throughout the rehearsals and staying back after-school for us; the Canteen wala, whose bottles we took without permission [thank you Salah-ud-Din and Nasir]; and of course, the custodian staff who cleaned up the mess we created!

We had a blast hosting the show and performing, and from what we heard, the O3s enjoyed it was well, so yay for us!

Sarah Babar (02)

Resource Academia Middle School held the second Parent-Teacher Conference of the Academic Year 2007 to 2008, on April 12, 2006. Due to persistent requests from parents, meeting timings were extended, therefore, teachers were available to meet parents from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Student test files were handed out to parents to facilitate preparations for the final examinations. The meeting was well-attended and most parents expressed satisfaction with the progress of their children and the efforts by their teachers. Teachers optimally utilized the opportunity to confer about the problems faced by various students regarding academics or conduct. The meeting began and ended promptly according to schedule. Most parents left the meeting motivated and geared up to begin planning their children's preparations for the upcoming final examinations. The final examinations are scheduled to begin on May 26, 2008.

Students of Class 4 had the opportunity to participate in an inter-section debating competition titled ‘Reward is more effective than Punishment'. Eight finalists competed in a formal debating contest on April 11, 2008. Ms. Zareen Tariq and Ms. Ussama Zahra Shah individually coached the students and were the event organizers. Danyal Haider of 01B and Sarah Babar of 02B from Resource Academia Debating Society (RADS) also guided the young debaters. Ms. Huma Farid, Ms. Nadia Azmat and Samreen Zaidi (02) judged the event. The judges were required to evaluate the contestants on their skills in content, expression and confidence. All participants spoke fluently and very self-assuredly. The principal, Ms. John appreciated the speaking skills of all fourth graders and encouraged them to further polish their talent. The declared winners were:

1st position – Armna Khan (4D)
2nd position – Neha Shafqat (4C)
3rd position – Hiba Imtiaz (4B)
Consolation – Khadija Batool (4D)

RADS members, Sarah and Daniyal expressed their appreciation of the efforts and expertise of the students. In a prize-distribution ceremony that followed, the winners received prizes and certificates from Daniyal and Sarah.

Essays are a vital part of any academic program. A well-written, thoughtful essay is a great way to describe, persuade or analyze various issues. Recognizing the use and importance of developing good essay-writing skills among our students, an Essay Writing Competition was held on April 14, 2008 in all sections of Classes 5 and 6 by Ms. Saira Imran and Ms. Huma Farid. The students wrote a 300 word essay on one of the given topics. The English teachers selected the three best essays from each section. Ms Farahnaz Salman and Ms. Andaleeb Nadeem have selected the four best essays out of these, the criterion for which were idea, creativity, format, vocabulary, spelling and handwriting.

The options for topics included:

•  If you had the power to change an event in History, which would you choose to    change and why?
•  The best advice you have ever had.
•  Your prized possession
•  If you had to live a life as an animal, which animal would you prefer to be and    why?
•  What characteristics do you regard as important in a person to choose a friend?
•  Things I want to change in my school

The Parent's Day program was staged at Alhamrah Arts Council on February 28, 2008 by the students of Resource Academia Middle School . They paid a worthy tribute to their parents and reflected a well-rounded learning tradition. Mrs Samina Amer, the Chairperson graced the occasion with her presence.

The program projected the talent and taste of the organizers and the participants simultaneously. There was a variety of colours and a careful blend of mirth and solemnity. The fabulous backdrops and props added splendour to the show.

The amateur artistes displayed confidence along with talent. The performances emanated purpose and entertainment. ‘The Crown of Gold ‘, the opening play projected goodness of heart and various other dramatic presentations were also embedded with a concept. ‘Pied Piper' is a classic story in which the Pied Piper enchants children with music. ‘Beauty is a Beast' had humility as its moral; whereas, ‘Chatpatti Chaat' revealed the harmful effects of unhygienic food. The comedy plays ‘Yester Years' and ‘Listen Up' highlighted in light humour the social problems of casual behavior and hazards of not being attentive. The audiences were further entertained by the ‘Urdu Mushaira' and the tableau ‘Subh-e-Nau' invited deep thought from them. Through the Urdu Mushaira, children mimicked the great laureates so well that it left everybody bemused. The excerpts from famous plays of the 16 th Century playwright Shakespeare touched upon the remembrance of past traditions as well as paid a tribute to the great dramatist and poet, whose talent has contributed a lot to the genre of performing arts!

Alongside the main performances, the fillers successfully captivated the audience's interest. Musab's organ and Rejja Irfan's violin were impressive shows. The comical skits amused the audience well and the mimicry done by the O Levels in the ‘Interview Segment' proved the artistic potential in the students only ready to be discovered and focused in the right direction.

The eloquence by Faizan Imran of the famous poetry of ‘Shikwah and Jawab e Shikwah' was well worth applause. Overall the show was a blend of efficacy and talent of the teachers and students worth appreciation.

Parent-Teacher meetings facilitate interaction between the parents and teachers, who can utilize such opportunities to co-ordinate their efforts, and work towards the betterment of the children. Resource Academia Middle School held the first Parent-Teacher Conference of the Academic Year 2007 - 2008, on January 12, 2007. First-term Assessments results were handed out to parents. Block B came alive with the imaginative and ingenious projects made by students from Classes 4 to 03. The ‘Fine Arts and Crafts' and ‘Projects' Exhibition' brought color and life to the occasion. Students with the best designed projects were proudly standing with their ventures, eager to explain them to the visitors. Wall displays for the various subjects added further colour to the vibrant environment. Students and teachers spared no effort in displaying students' tasks and assignments.

Parents began arriving early, eager to share insights and information about their children, especially each child's individual struggles and achievements. The conference was well-attended by parents and students. Student files, comment sheets, seating plans and report cards for the First Term Assessments were handed out to parents at the front desk, while individual meetings between parents and teachers were conducted in the classrooms. Parents and visitors got an insight into their children's activities at school. The meeting began and ended promptly according to schedule. The efforts of the teachers and students were immensely appreciated. Block B was a lovely sight indeed!

Class 6:
All students of Class 6 had the opportunity to participate in an inter-section debating competition titled ‘Competition is Over-Emphasized Today'. Seven finalists compete