PEN NEWSLETTER Fall 2013

PEN Newsletter

Fall 2013

IN THIS ISSUE

Children’s International Film Festival

Page 6

Sufi Night: PEN’s First Annual Charity Dinner

Page 3

Message from the Chief Executive

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the Fall issue of our newsletter!

We have had a busy year so far. This year we organized our first annual fundraising dinner, conducted Summer Teachers’ Training in Lahore, Gujrat and Muzzafargarh and initiated co-curricular activities in partnership with other non-profit organizations.

Our Academic Team has worked diligently to incorporate co-curricular activities in our schools’ curricula. In addition to our focus on academic improvement, we have decided to conduct co-curricular activities in order to foster confidence, and character development among our students. Our aim is to provide a well-rounded education to children of our adopted schools.

We have also decided to focus our energies on early childhood education and development. This is driven by research which suggests that children with strong literacy and arithmetic skills at pre-primary and primary-level perform well in advanced classes and are more likely to stay in school.

As we continue to refine our approach, we are also expanding our reach across the country. We are nearing the adoption process for public schools at Thatta and Badin in Sindh, and Feroze Watwan and Atari in Punjab.

All of this is made possible by the support of our donors and friends.

Sincerely,

Omar Khayyam Sheikh

PEN NEWSLETTER | Fall 2013 2

This year we held teachers' training sessions in Lahore, Gujrat and Muzzafargarh simultaneously. PEN and Government teachers attended the four-weeks training which focused on the following:

Pedagogical skills,

Classroom management,

Child psychology

Enhancing teachers' content knowledge, especially English, Science and Mathematics,

Lesson Planning based on student learning outcomes

Student assessment techniques.

Our Master Trainers come from some of the most prestigious institutions of the country, such as LUMS, Government College University, Ali Institute of Education and the University of Education, Lahore.

May 2, 2013: Teaching performing arts to primary-level students helps to improve student achievement, while also boosting their self-confidence and social skills.

Hence, PEN collaborated with The Little Art to conduct a drama workshop in PEN adopted Government Primary School, Gulab Devi.

Students learnt about the basic elements of a drama, story arc and character development, after which they enacted their own play.

Summer Teachers’

Training

Drama Workshop

Students participating in their school drama (Government Boys Primary School, Gulab Devi)

PEN NEWSLETTER | Fall 2013 3

CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP

Jeet Ke Parho PEN Collaborated with DNA to hold a

Creative Writing Competition for students of its adopted school,

Government Primary School, Keer Kalan.

“Jeet Ke Parhao (JKP)” is the first annual

creative writing competition of Discovering New Artists under “Shauq”, a

program centered around children. “Jeet Ke Parhao‟ primarily aims to instill

writing skills among young Pakistani children and has a cause at the same

time.

DID YOU KNOW?

34% Net increase in student enrolment in PEN adopted schools as a result of PEN’s community mobilization campaign.

6,800 Teacher training hours completed by PEN this year.

April 13, 2013: Our first annual

charity event was a huge success,

largely due to the efforts of PEN Supporters, Friends and Volunteers.

The charity event was called ‘Sufi Night’ featuring a mesmerizing

performance by Mr. Asif Santoo Ali

Khan.

Sufi Night

Mr. Asif Ali Santoo Khan performed Qawali after dinner.

Mr. Omar Khayyam Sheikh addressing the guests

Volunteers from the LUMS Community Service Society.

PEN NEWSLETTER | Fall 2013 4

October 26, 2013: PEN distributed prizes among students, teachers and head teachers who perform well during the academic session. This year we awarded prizes to students of Class V, VIII and X who scored high on their PEC and Board Exams.

The chief guest of the ceremony was Mr. Qazi Khalid Farooq, District Officer (Education). The over-all best-performing school for the academic year 2012-2013

was Government Primary School, Zubaida Park.

Incentives serve as a powerful motivator for students and teachers to enhance student achievement.

June 20, 2013: PEN organized a summer camp in collaboration with Parbat Foundation at the Government Girls High School, Gopal Nagar.

Students participated in co-curricular activities with volunteers from Lahore Grammar School which included art and crafts, public speaking and spoken English.

Parbat Foundation also distributed school bags and served refreshments to the students.

Summer Camp

Incentives Distribution

PEN NEWSLETTER | Fall 2013 5

September 17, 2013: PEN schools participated in the 5th Children's International Film Festival with support from The Little Art.

The film festival showcases movies for children from around the world.

The movies touch upon various social issues and encourage discussion. It's part of our effort to broaden minds and expand horizons of our children away from the classrooms.

More than 600 students from PEN schools attended the event.

Children’s International Film

Festival

PEN NEWSLETTER | Fall 2013 6

November 5, 2013: PEN has instituted

student committees in each of its adopted schools. A final cricket match

between Government Boys Middle

School, Sadhoki and Government Boys Primary School, Sher Shah Colony.

The winner of the tough match was the

Government Boys Middle School,

Sadhoki.

Bridging Barriers

Bridging Barriers is a project that aims to train and prepare underprivileged students for an Olympiad featuring inter-school/inter-NGO competitions. This initiative is a collaborative project between LUMS Community Service Society, DramaLine and PEN.

New Website We have launched a newly re-designed PEN website. It features a lot more information about us and frequent updates on our initiatives. Be sure to check it out and let us know how we can improve it. (www.pen.org.pk)

PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION NETWORK IS A NON-PROFIT COMPANY, REGSITERED WITH SECP UNDER SECTION 42 OF THE COMPANIES ORDINANCE 1984, WITH A MISSION TO PROVIDE QUALITY EDUCATION TO UNDERPRIVILEGED CHILDREN ACROSS PAKISTAN

Head Office: 57 – Tipu Block, New Garden Town, Lahore, Pakistan. Tel: (+92) 42 3584-2554 ; Fax: (+92) 42 3583-7333 Email: info@pen.org.pk ; Website: www.pen.org.pk

Inter-school Sports Competitions

PEN NEWSLETTER Fall 2013