The School Reopens- Renovated and Reconstructed

13th April, 2020

Today we are starting the Online School- the technology driven venture which we would have initiated after few years. But because of the pandemic, we have taken a leap of good number of years for using technology in the teaching-learning process. A lockdown of 21 days has taken us years ahead. I feel we are on the cusp of a new world, a new era- at a turning point in the world history. The schools which had a backup plan are able to seamlessly shift to online learning. The crisis has taught us that there is a need to think of new solutions which can meet the needs of the future. It took a little time in the beginning but today teachers are all set to enter into a new world of virtual school – the school renovated and reconstructed. It will start with the prayer, teachers will take attendance and begin the online school. The time- table is set with academics as well as activity periods in the day’s routine.

Some parents and even teachers are not yet ready to adapt to the new way of teaching. Parents are working from home, there are no helpers for household chores, some parents being in the medical field are busy fighting against the virus, poor internet connectivity, logistic issues and comfort level of children, there are umpteen concerns. But remember, teachers are also facing the similar issues sitting at home, they too have young children, they also might be facing poor internet connectivity or logistic issues of having one laptop for 2/3 people at home. But they are trying their best to make the lessons interesting and interactive for students. It’s a new journey for teachers as well. Mock sessions, demo lessons, online training, mentoring each other, making presentations and assignments, exploring various methods, trials, strengthening internet connectivity and improvising the capacity of the devises are some of the preparations done by the teachers before entering into the reconstructed online school. The entire education system has been transformed.

Teething problems are always faced in the beginning of any new endeavour which can be resolved in the due course of time. This is how learning happens and innovations occur in this world. I am sure that children are going to love the new way of learning. Let’s embrace the changes happily because it will be difficult for the world to go back to the same routines after experiencing the huge transformations.

Ranjna Jangra
Principal


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Let’s learn at home……

Today, we are in the midst of an adverse situation which can be controlled positively only by social distancing, awareness, self control, following precautions to stop COVID-19 spread and being responsible to ourselves, our families, the society and the world at large.
Parents must be finding it difficult to engage children in some productive, creative and safe activities at home when schools, malls, parks and various other public places are shut. So, here are a few engaging and creative ideas to utilise the time productively rather than indulging in social media excessively.

1. Children can help in small household chores like cleaning their rooms, baking muffins, organising their books and study table, assisting you while serving food and/or refilling water bottles.

2. As digital natives, they enjoy more playing games on mobile, spending time on social media and surfing various websites. Make use of their digital comfort and encourage them to learn through the same media. Here are some suggestions for learning at home in the supervision of parents.

2.1 NCERT has several learning portals which can be utilised by the students and parents for learning from home.
– SWAYAM portal is an excellent platform for higher-class students to learn. There are several free online courses which can be done from home.
– E- Patshala is a portal which has all the NCERT text books for classes I to X available online. There are various other learning materials available which can be availed for learning concepts from home.
– NROER Portal is a learning platform for the students of classes I to XII. Parents can help children to make use of this platform for learning various concepts through videos and lectures.

2.2 Other Online Resources
• Udemy
• Khan Academy
• Tinker Lab by Rachelle
• Beast Academy(for Math)
• Discovery Education
• BBC Learning
• Outschool
Scratch (scratch.mit.edu)

2.3 Some Youtube Channels:
• National Geographic Kids
• Freeschool
• The Brain Scoop
• Kids Learning Tube
• Science Maze
• Crash Course Kids

2.4 Here are some websites as potential productive and learning engagements:

• www.classroommagazine.scholastic.com (Scholastic has created a website to learn from home with 20+ days of content)

• www.duolingo.com
(A mobile app and website for learning languages)

• www.theimaginationtree.com
(Creative art and craft ideas for little ones)

• www.britishcouncil.org/school-resources

• BBC Education

• oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home

• Oxford Owl

3. Board games are another fun alternative. Ludo, Catan and Monopoly can teach critical thinking and strategic thinking to children. Playing board games together with family members will also strengthen the bonding among them.

4. Reading books (online or using hard copies) is also advised and has been proven to enhance language skills, vocabulary, knowledge and world awareness.

5. Provide them with basic mechanical tools to tinker with household discarded materials/machines and old toys. Let them explore!

6. A corner on the wall can be painted black at the suitable height for young ones to scribble, draw and write.

7. Read the younger ones a story everyday.

8. Encourage children to collect information about the possible career trajectories they’d like to be part of.

Parents are requested to engage children in learning through various available resources. Children must be encouraged to go beyond textbooks and concentrate on learning fundamentals and concepts.
Use this opportunity to teach children how to remain happy, content and engaged positively in any adverse situation. Visiting malls, spending money on buying unnecessary items and eating out may not be the ways to enjoy life. There are many more effective ways to feel happy and engaged.

Mrs. Ranjna Jangra
Principal


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THE WORLD

Ananya Raghu
8 – A

THE WORLD
It could be anything you admire in,
It could be anything you believe in,
You say you love it as much as you can,
But it’s gone, long before you realized,
THE WORLD HAS LEFT YOU ALONE;
The world is behind the bars,
Sticks and stones can’t break these bars,
But one can never regret that,
The future is in the hands of the present;
Don’t let the future marvel at the glimpse of nature,
Instead, let nature live long.


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Why do we need an education?

Shruti P.

Why do we need an education?

Why do we need an education? This is one question that has been asked to me by many students. In return I ask them why they are in school? The usual answer is to study, to learn, to meet friends, to play games, but very reluctantly almost all of them agree that they are in school because they don’t know what else to do, they have no other choice. When people would ask them what they were doing, they wouldn’t know what to say. So, it is a given that the way we eat, drink and sleep, likewise we go to school period. Now, that one is in a school, better get an education. But what is education? To quote from Wikipedia, “Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits.” When this acquisition happens in school, it is called getting a formal education. Very often we put education and marks in the same bracket. To us getting good grades is synonymous to getting a great education. The fact is both are two different things. Anyone can get good marks if one has the ability to retain what one has learnt and can reproduce it as it is on a paper during examination. People say that life would be great if you score big and get a great education. The truth is none of them can guarantee a good life. Honestly speaking, parents want their wards to score big so that they can brag about their achievement and claim to be good parents. Teachers want their students to score big so that they can market themselves to be a great school. What do marks get you? Good marks get you a good impression. When you go out for an interview, your marks tell the interviewers that you are sincere, hardworking and persistent even before you have met them. Because only intelligence doesn’t get you marks, perseverance does, even if one is a little low on intelligence. The marks you score help you get this impression and first impression must be good! Add to it the confidence, adulation and the sense of worth that you get. Marks give you a high. And then these marks help open the doors to better education for you. They take you to places where you meet like-minded people, share ideas, get to understand yourself better, try to experiment with what you think is right, realize the flaws in your thought, personality and action and most of all prepare yourself for life. Books are the best teachers, so is life but nothing beats a good education. Whether one learns music from the best teacher, the best school or on one’s own it is the number of hours one puts in that make all the difference. Learning from a teacher or in a school will help one identify one’s mistake and work on it and will make the path a bit easy. Learning on one’s own, there’s no one to correct so one makes mistakes after mistakes and then learns but much crucial time is lost in the process. Education makes learning easy. Eiffel Tower was built by Gustave Eiffel’s company, the Statue of Liberty by Bartholdi and Eiffel, Burj Khalifa by Adrian Smith, and Shah Jahan got the Taj Mahal constructed. All well-known buildings bear the name of the one who either commissioned it or is its architect, while the truth is that it was built by the masons and labourers. Education helps you get the name because it gives you the vision to do great things and not follow orders. It is not important who you learn from, but it is important that you learn. Education teaches you to learn. As Shakuntala Devi put it, “Education is not just about going to school and getting a degree. It is about widening your knowledge and absorbing the truth about life.” If one were a seed, education is the soil, water and sunlight that nourishes it, nurtures it and empowers it to not only to grow for itself but also for those around it. I feel one needs an education to change one’s own self into a better person and to change the world around into a better place for everyone. So, go change the world, make a difference and education will help you do it.


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Lost Angel

Angel Keswani
9 – E

Lost Angel

A cute stupid girl, Roaming around the world!
With her crazy friends, with new and latest trends!
Lost in her own thoughts,
Never cares when her life droughts!
That stupid little girl! Going along the life curves,
and does what the heart serves!


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SCHOOL

Vinayaka Lalchandani
10 – B

SCHOOL
Waking up early, leaving for school,
Made myself a hairstyle to look a bit cool,
Go there and study the whole time,
But not in break and that’s just fine!
Writing tests, submitting notes,
Standing for captaincy and it’s coats,
Today a competition, tomorrow a test,
Then a match, and no time to rest!
Completing homework, forgot a bit,
Finding an excuse for not submitting it,
Teacher is absent, substitution announced,
PT lecture requested, then the football bounced!
Living these memories like they’d last,
But school years go by so fast,
That we never realise that it’s almost farewell,
And now board exams as well!
Though no one wishes to leave,
But our teachers do believe,
That we will move on and grow,
And become successful in every way we know!


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Chandrayan 2

Angel Keswani
9 – E

Chandrayan 2
We lost connection, Not courage!
We waited till midnight,
To watch our pride glow.
It would be a boon,
To see the other side of the moon.
Vikram almost reached the moon
But it lost the connection too soon Our excitement broke down
But our honourable Prime minister,
Hold down everyone’s tears.
And now we are still brave
To have ISRO who thought what others didn’t.
We tried our best,
But sadly hope for the next!


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Ganesh Chaturthi

Angel Keswani
9 – E

Ganesh Chaturthi

He’s here, let’s celebrate!
After waiting for a year, he’s back again!
Inviting him by dancing and bands,
The city lights up! Every member of the family,
Lightens up with joy! His entry in the house, makes us feel calm! Forgetting all the worries we just worry of sending him back again!
He lights up our home for days,
But when he returns back to his home,
we wait for an another year
To invite him back again…!


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Reading – cultivate the habit!

Mini Nair

Reading – cultivate the habit!

Reading – cultivate the habit! Recently I came across a cartoon strip where two mothers were sitting on a bench with their kids. One pair had a mobile in their hand while the other had a book. The ‘mobile’ mother was curious to know how the ‘book’ mother could make her child read. It was hilarious but a thought-provoking one. A child always tries to emulate what their parent does. It may be some actions, words or habits. If a parent is always angry, don’t expect the child to be happy and carefree. They also express their emotions through anger. A parent who uses abusive words should not expect that the child will not catch on the words. A child will bring out those words while they have a difference of opinion with anyone. It can be in school, in a family gathering or some other place where it is least expected. Then the parent tries to cover it up by beating up the child in front of people. They don’t realize that it is they who are responsible for such action. I have come across many people who wonder about how much I read. They comment – ‘As soon as I touch a book I feel sleepy’, ‘I cannot read such big books yaar, it’s so boring’, ‘How can you finish such an enormous book so soon??’ And I wonder how? That strip made me realize that it’s my mother who had cultivated the habit of reading in me. And I am passing on this beautiful habit to my daughter. My mother used to be so engrossed in the book that she was reading that we could get away with anything during that time. We could ask for permission for anything and she used to say mmmmmm. And then it was only after she came out of the ‘trance’ of reading that she realizes she had given us a ‘yes’ instead of ‘no’. But jokes apart, if you read, you develop yourself. It is rightly said, ‘a book takes us to different worlds sitting in one place’. Your vocabulary, diction, understanding, and so forth develop when you are in constant touch with books. I was not so fortunate to go to an excellent school where English was cultivated, but my habit of reading helped me a long way in overcoming my shortcomings of English. So parents, develop habits which you will be proud to see in your child. Read or try to inculcate the habit of reading in your child. It takes time, but it is worth that while.


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DARE TO BE DIFFERENT: KINDER, EMPATHETIC -WORLD NEEDS YOU!!!

Mrs Swetha Pai

DARE TO BE DIFFERENT: KINDER, EMPATHETIC -WORLD NEEDS YOU!!!

Well, I ended up taking a book “Wonder” by R.J Palacio. Before I left work read just 5 pages and I was hungry to read more. During my train travel read and kept on doing the same in my rick ride home….. Had a break as my little munchkin was waiting for me. After I played and put her to sleep again ended up reading with a flashlight (an old habit that is too good to let go off) as I was way too captivated to stop…. I shared my excitement with the first class I got on Monday ie 7D and guess what? Most kids were asking for that book to issue I got to know. It is amazing how a book can change your perspective in so many ways and make you more positive again. I realized after reading the book that there is an August (Auggie) around us maybe not the one described in the book. We are all flawed humans with so many defects and at times we are ashamed of it when people judge us with that in mind only, A Charlotte – who wants to do good and never wants to get in no one’s bad books, A Jack Will- who does wrong and tries to right it, A Julian who has no remorse of his wrong doings but later regrets…. All these kids had a story. There was a teacher who inspired them, a head who believed in them, some parents in it who knew what the kid was going through…. My conclusion is if Inclusion of education is to happen then we have to be kinder than necessary…. That is how inclusion can happen…. Like the books says “when ” YOU CAN’T BLEND IN WHEN YOU WERE BORN TO STAND OUT!!!” Why don’t we stand to be kinder, a little more understanding, a little more caring than necessary so humanity doesn’t die off……? I definitely recommend this book to all dealing with children directly or indirectly.


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