Silver Fiesta - 2020
Films depict raw emotions and often show our daily lives, through a cinematic lens. Movies have helped us all escape from our daily lives when we need to and thus films are an indispensable part of our lives.
Three students of our school, Arshia Jaitli, Arnav Sachdeva and Rehat Kaur participated in GD Goenka World School's ‘Silver Fiesta - 2020’, a film critiquing competition, a way to look at movies with one’s own perspective.The event was held on 30th May 2020. The motive was not to criticize, but to understand better the perspective of filmmakers and film critics and develop a sense of direction towards the art of movie-making.Keeping in mind the lockdown and online format, the event attracted 8 schools. 9 teams including the host school team enthusiastically participated in the event. The judges appreciated the hard work of the teams and based on the set criteria declared the winners. Our students did us proud by bagging the third position in the competition. Our Principal, Mrs Anju Wal, met the children virtually and congratulated the students. She also had a coversation about their experience and learnings from the competition.
From the Principal's Desk
When we closed school in March, we had a reasonable belief, like many others that we will return to our physical building in June sometime. That has not happened but what has happened is a tremendous amount of upskilling and relearning by all educators in the system.
The Shiv Nadar School leadership has met more frequently than ever before to take stock of the situation and strengthen our collective vision to ensure that the Standard and Quality of Shiv Nadar School Education will remain uncompromised.
This one hiccup year in the legacy of our school, is just that, a hiccup.
I promise you that we are here to re imagine school education, even before Covid-19, and build tenacious, robust children, with lifelong learning skills, adaptability, emotional resilience and a combativeness that will stand the test of time.
To find the synergy between technology, curriculum and pedagogy has been our key area of focus in these past weeks. Much of the training has centred around striking that harmony in teaching online.
As we progress ahead, I would like you to notice the connected learning thread that we weave across different subjects so our children can make real time connections, make meaning of the body of knowledge and process concepts, experiences, online discussions and more.
Our People, Our Strength
Turbulent times test the bedrock of relationships. I would like to share with you that in our institution each one works doggedly with an unflinching assurance that their jobs are safe.
No one has been dismissed or sent away on half salary, leave without pay and such like, which is the trend of the times at present. We are flowing against the tide because to flow with it, is radically against our values and ethics.
On Another Note
The entire Faridabad team raised money to provide dry rations to our 130 strong support staff, the bhaiyyas, didis, conductors, guards, janitors and more. I attach a few pictures in case you missed seeing them. We plan to support them for the next 3 months, each one of those families and then see how to raise more money to take it till the end of the year for sure.
We are the World
I hope you enjoyed the symphony of over a 100 children, teachers and parents singing the iconic song together. In case you haven't heard this in house production of Faridabad School, its time you did. It will fill you up with surging optimism and love.
Hiring for Talent
I have inducted more than 20 teachers in the Faridabad team, in the recent weeks, all talented, competent and aligned to our philosophy. This trend to hire is clearly different, you would agree. But we believe that great teachers make great learners. And we will make no compromise to continue to provide the cutting edge education to our children in these unprecedented times.
Technology
The Institution has made massive investment in upgrading the technological frontiers of the school. Veracross, is one example of the same. This deep and incredible learning Management System is now embedded across grades 1 to 10. It will soon be populated in Early Years too. The pathway to understand and use it will be steady and staggered and we will keep you informed of the continued progress and availability of new functions.
Webinar on Mental Health and Wellbeing of Parents
We launched our first in the series of the said webinar on Thursday,4th June. Parents of grades 7 to 10 were the invitees and we addressed several questions on how to cope with the stress, children's whimsical behaviour, family and work pressures and such like. The panellists comprised, Manisha Massey, our senior school counsellor, Mamta Sharma, our parent and certified psychologist, and myself.
Or next is in the series is round the bend and we will let you know of the date and the year group. Our plan is to cover all age groups and offer this opportunity to all parents.
Assessments in Middle School
We conducted our first marked assessments with the novel use of technology for grades 6 to 10 before the summer break. The children did us proud. I believe when we assume the best intentions of people they rise to their best. Our children conducted themselves with honesty and sincerity to do the tests remotely. My gratitude to all the parents too who were our co invigilators in this process.
My Conversations with You
I have met almost 500 parents in the last 2 weeks. It was wonderful for me to see you and converse with you. I do hope that you felt equally good to connect and hear what we are doing and thinking. I certainly will meet all our parents in the days to come. It is my fortune to see the tremendous attendance for our conversations. Let’s keep it going.
Online Classes Resume Today (15h June)
As we stand at the intersection of uncertainty and strong resolve, we are luminously clear that a shut school building will not shut out the learning of our children. If anything, it will only incrementally raise it to adapt to phenomenal change, increase the reservoir of empathy and compassion in their hearts and embrace reimagined processes, skills and knowledge.
Enjoy the Experience. Feel free to connect with me to share your thoughts.
Stay Safe Stay healthy and Stay Indoors as we fight this together.
Best Regards
Anju Wal
Principal
Shiv Nadar School
Faridabad
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Learning Styles Assessment and Social Emotional Resilience
The department of SEN+Counselling organized a session for Scholastic Teachers from Pre-Primary to the Senior School, on the topic titled LASER- Learning Styles Assessment and Social Emotional Resilience for Teachers on Monday, 13th January,2020. The facilitator for this session is Dr. Sakshi Mehrotra.
Dr. Mehrotra has worked on a short training for teachers and mentors for building emotional intelligence and linguistic capabilities to understand learning styles in children. Dr. Mehrotra is a professor of psychology, a counselling psychologist, a Certified NLP Practitioner, and a member of the American Psychological Association, and conducts various workshops with schools and universities, corporate organizations, and professional psychologists.
Given our annual theme of building resilience and our focus on SEE learning across the school, this training seminar session was extremely beneficial for us as educators, and for our school.
EFL Session - Technology & You- Generation Entrepreneur – Be the change maker!
We initiated our 3rd Topic of Education for Life-& Technology & You ( session 2) on , 31st Oct 2019. The session was based on Generation Entrepreneur wherein we talked about understanding the power of envisioning future and an individual's role in crafting the future, be it education, medicine, astronomy or defence. The possibilities of mind is endless when people don the hat of builders/change makers through the use of ever-changing technology. The session was curated and conducted by Mr Kumar Gaurav, who is a parent of our school and also works as Director of Technology & Digital, Publicis Sapient.
Sharing a glimpse of the same.
Swiss Innovation Camp
The Swiss Innovation Camp was a 7 day camp where 4 students accompanied by a teacher travelled to Geneva, Switzerland from 13th - 19th October 2019. The camp aimed to immerse the children in the scientific innovation brewing in Geneva, which is the innovation hub of Switzerland. The Camp included workshops at CERN as well as other leading Swiss research centres. The aim of the program was to build an understanding of the Swiss Innovation Ecosystem and what makes it successful. The workshops gave the students the opportunity to experience different scientific innovation centres, interact with leading scientists involved in cutting edge research, and get a glimpse of what a career in science looks like. It also aimed to inspire children towards design thinking and research.
The main attraction of the workshop was the visit to CERN, the largest experiment in the world that aims to answer the big questions of life - ‘Where did we come from?’ , ‘What are we made of?’ and ‘Where are we going?’. Students visited CERN and learnt about its history, mission and sociology by interacting with a Physicist. They also discussed experimental tools, innovation and impact. Students visited one of the 4 particle detectors at the Large Hadron Collider - CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) in France. They went 100 meters below ground level to see the particle detector at arm’s length. The students participated in a team activity at the Globe of Innovation at CERN where they learnt many facts about CERN and particle physics in the process of completing a team challenge.
The students experienced a guided tour to the United Nations Headquarters, where they learnt about the history and functioning of the headquarters. They even witnessed a live United Nations session from the gallery. The students were made familiar with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals which are a part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by 193 Member States at the UN General Assembly Summit in September 2015. They then participated in a UN SDG challenge where they had to use technology to come with a design to contribute to one or more of the UN SDGs in teams.
The students participated in a competitive Robotics and Coding workshop where they learnt how to program a robot to perform the stipulated task, in teams of two.
The students visited the first IB school ever - Ecolint, and witnessed the marvel of the progressive educational system. They participated in a STEAM Project at their STEAM lab, where they created an ECG machine with the materials available. They also learnt to create designs using a Wiacom.
The students visited the Biopark - the Biotechnology Innovation centre in Geneva. There, they were introduced to advances in the field of Biotechnology and the use of technology to support healthcare. For example, the students saw a small implantable device that can be be used to monitor the occurrence and frequency of Epilepsy in patients, helping in proper management of the disease. The students were introduced to the Blue Brain Project which is in the process of mapping the brain functioning with all its complexities, which will allow a better understanding of the functioning of the brain.
Biomotion workshop attempted to explain the laws of physics by using live demonstrations. Learning was enjoyable and interactive for the students.
Apart from the many workshops, the students participated in a Treasure Hunt where the students went out in teams to solve the clues, exploring the prominent places through Geneva in the process.
A days trip to Chamonix, France was the highlight of the trip. The group went for a hike with a guide in a small French Village amidst breathtaking landscapes. They also went atop a mountain via a cable car and explored the French Alps.
The trip saw cultural immersion in food and Swiss mannerisms. Our children got to learn the Swiss values of punctuality, cleanliness, and courtesy. New friendships with students of other schools in the group were formed. Students got a chance to be responsible and independent. It was a truly enriching experience for the students.
Book Launch - ‘Being Gandhi’ by Paro Anand
Harper Collins in collaboration with Shiv Nadar School, Faridabad launched eminent children’s author, Paro Anand’s book ‘Being Gandhi’ on 22nd October 2019.
‘Being Gandhi’ is extra relevant in today’s times, when the entire world is celebrating 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of nation.
It was a riot of colours to see students dressed in different uniforms of DPS Greater Faridabad, Manaskriti, Aravali and DAV Public School.Shiv Nadar School,and Vidsan Chatterhouse.
The book launch was launched in the presence of the Author, Ms. Paro Anand and Shiv Nadar School, Faridabad Principal, Ms. Anju Wal.
Our principal,Anju ma'am presented her a painting made by one of our students, as a token of appreciation.
The author's introduction was given by Avni Thapliyal and Krish Jain, after which the author had an interactive session with the students.
Ms. Anand’s reading of the first chapter made the launch extremely interactive and it filled the hall with laughter.The students were very impressed with the relevance of Gandhi in today’s world.
The interactive session become further interactive with the question answers session with the author. The students’ questions ranged from asking the author questions about her reasons for switching from fiction to real history to asking about why she chose to be an author. The plethora of questions kept the students and the author thoroughly engaged.
The author then gave copies of signed books to the students who were interested to buy the book.
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Literary Week Grades 2 to 5
Shiv Nadar School, Faridabad observed Literary Week with an array of activites through the week from 16th September to 20th September, 2019. Literary Week is observed each year to ignite and fuel interest in reading, creative writing, etc.
Grade 2
Grade 2, this year, explored a world of fairy tales, fables and folk tales. Besides being entertained, the children were exposed to a variety of different characters. Shattering the conventions, these little ones also wrote their own creative stories and poems and illustrated them beautifully.
The Literary Week was culminated with a ‘Cosplay’, where our little ones came in dressed as their favourite character. The performance was grand and lively with few handmade props for some vivacious characters. The corridor was filled with smiling faces and laughter, and, saw many characters come to life!
Grade 3
Celebrating Comics
Grade 3 celebrated the Literary Week by exploring a new yet familiar genre of literary writing: Comics. Tied with the chapter Florence Nightingale, the students explored the form of comics beyond the text. A discussion on the relevance of comics in today's age sparked the conversation among peers - the responses ranged from comic as an easy to read medium of taking in information to its versatility as visual art. The children made their own comics illustrating stories about their pet, the latest supervillain Thanos and some even explored Panchtantra-esque themes. Well-illustrated and drafted, the comics were presented on the day of culmination in a learning walk among grades. Peer-learning was evidenced as children spoke to each other about panels, gutters, speech bubbles. The excitement in the air was palpable as our little authors and illustrators proudly presented their work.
Grade 4
"The principles of true art is not to portray, but to evoke”
The crescendo was reached of the truly inspirational literary week where grade 4 exhibited the art of storytelling and grade 5 presented their poems. Throughout these 7 days, our children delved deep into the literary masterpieces- Kaabuliwala by Rabindranath Tagore (Grade 4) and The Chimney Sweepers by William Blake (Grade 5).
The culmination started with an exhilarating storytelling session by the students of grade 4. It was a matter of joy to witness our 10-year-old children perform! They spoke fluently, with appropriate tone, intonation and voice modulation! All the characters came alive...the hunter, the grandma, Red Riding Hood, the wizard!
Right after the performance, the poem gallery was inaugurated where the students presented the drafts through which the final bound book of poetry was brought together, piece by piece, after several drafts. After all, the journey was as important as the destination! The bound book of poems written by Grade 5 was presented to Ms. Wal. It will be available in the library soon.
Grade 5
Literary week was celebrated with great fervor and enthusiasm from 16 th to 20 th September. Grade 5 chose the theme of ‘poetry’ to kindle the love of poetry in young minds. The journey began with the understanding of ‘Chimney sweeper’, a poem by William Blake. Thereafter they composed poems on social issues. After a couple of drafts, the final poems were compiled into a poem book. Principal, ShivNadar School Faridabad, Ms. Anju Wal, inaugurated the poem book in the ‘poem café’ organized to culminate the literary week.
INTER HOUSE FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT: 2019
INTER HOUSE FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT: 2019
Our students presented exemplary performances and team spirit during the Inter-House Football competition held from 9th July 2019 – 15th July 2019.
On Day 1- (9th July 2019)
The First match was played amongst Lion House and Tiger House; Lion the house won 3 -1.
The Second match was played amongst Leopard House and Panther House; the match was a Draw 1-1.
On Day 2 – (10th July 2019)
The First match was played amongst Lion House and Leopard House; Lion house won 4 – 0.
The Second match was played amongst Tiger House and Panther House; the match was a Draw 2 – 2.
On Day 3 – (11th July 2019)
The First match was played amongst Lion House and Panther House; Lion house won 5 – 0.
The Second match was played amongst Tiger House and Leopard House; Tiger House won 3 – 0.
The Final was played between Lion House and Tiger House on 15th July 2019. Lion House came out as champions and won the match 4 – 2.
WALK THE TALK
Chef Bhasin started the session with showcasing an interesting video about cooking techniques which are used in the Hotel Industry to create different cuisines and food shapes. He introduced children with the fact that Everything about a professional kitchen (even an educational one) is easily 100 times more intense than your home kitchen. Knives are sharper, stoves are hotter, space is tighter, and everything moves at a sprintlike pace. Even simple tasks like turning on a stove are much more difficult, and you'll be expected to figure everything out very quickly.
Post the video introduction, he briefly talked about Hotel Management and different streams it offers. He shared his journey, experiences, challenges and various opportunities that came his way of becoming an Executive Chef. He talked about the role & responsibilities one needs to take up to survive in Hotel and Tourism Industry and also mentioned about one clear Rule - ‘Customers First’ Chef Bhasin referred himself as a chef who gives emotions to the ingredients to reach the heart through the stomach. He motioned that "Visual appeal and presentation is key to a cuisine and a concept's success as we do eat with our eyes and first impressions are everlasting," He talked about cross culture culinary experience with some real life example to relate with our students.
The icing on the cake was the live demo where he prepared ‘Watermelon and Feta Salad’ for our audience.
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Joy of Sharing
The Joy of Sharing has a very special reason attached to it for us. Our founder Mr.Shiv Nadar's birthday falls on 14th July. Each year, all three schools organize a Fundraiser event.
Grades Nursery to 9 students not just participate but also create, innovate and plan how they can raise maximum funds to support a philanthropic initiative in the city.
In the past we have donated our proceedings to Prakash Deep Trust, SOS school, our own guard who lost her husband and was in financial dire straits. My deepest gratitude to you for supporting the initiative and donating generously to the cause.
The children across grades are busily engaged in creating unique artifacts, paintings, pottery and best out of waste products to sell to you to raise the funds. Many parents have volunteered to put up stalls and sell their creations to contribute substantially.
This year we will be supporting 2 charities-The Earth Saviours Foundation- Gurgaon/ Faridabad Road and SOS Hermann Gmeiner School, Faridabad.
Our Pre-Primary started the day on a joyous note by sharing gift hampers with Didis which included the items that children brought for them. They also made and served tang to the support staff. It was a token of appreciation for the work they do in the school.
Throughout the week children enthusiastically made bookmarks, paper bags and paper bowls reusing newspaper and paper, and bird feeders out of earthen clay for the fund raising event that was held on 19th July 2019. Our young entrepreneurs displayed their marketing skills, and promoted their merchandise with ebullience and vigour. The week came to an end in a jiffy but the values that our children have gained from ‘The joy of sharing week’ will always be a part of them.
The Joy of Sharing began with the ‘Circle Time’ in the primary school where students discussed how to be ethical, respectful, happy and purposeful citizens of society.
Grade 1
Children made beautiful diaries and planted saplings which were put on sale for parents on culmination. They were introduced to values like Kindness, Appreciation, Forgiveness, Helping and Sharing.
Grade 2
The week commenced with the teacher reinstating ‘Why is Joy of Sharing celebrated?’ The students spoke about values like kindness, forgiveness, compassion and empathy. Celebrating the spirit of “Joy of sharing” the children made beautiful craft items using waste material. With great precision the young minds turned the waste materials into beautiful craft items like diaries, tic tac toe, table mats, coasters, lamps and pen holders to name a few.
The children of grade 3 volunteered to make envelopes, multi-organizers and pen-stands out of waste material. From plastic bottles, disposable plates, newspapers and ice-cream sticks to old crayons, students found creative ways to use waste material to create every-day items. The children enthusiastically worked in teams and rejoiced in craft work.
The children of Grade 4 were engaged in making small bags from old jeans or sari’s. They also made natural scrub from coffee and oats. Children were really excited to do the same.
Grade 5 children made different styles of dreamcatchers and wall hangings.They also discussed the need to carry out Fundraising. They also discussed about how they would do it.
The students of the middle school celebrated the JOS by starting the kindness wall where they thanked their friends, mentors and Head of School for their support and encouragement.
The Joy of Sharing culmination saw the students showcasing their marketing and sales skills in convincing the guests to buy the Knick knacks to raise funds. Grade 9 children were engaged in washing cars of the parents.
Co-scholastic department:
School Band Performances:
Western Music had put up a paid band show for Joy of Sharing. Our school band which consists of 5 members played 3 band songs and each song was about 5 mins each in one show. School band had 5 shows on that day. Songs that they chose were very inspirational, rocking and very groovy. A large crowd of parents showed up and thoroughly enjoyed the performances.
Shadow Play:
For Joy of Sharing 2019, Aha Theatre basket of grades 3-4 presented a 7 minute long shadow play - adaptation of the children’s story ‘The Magic Paintbrush’ on 3rd Floor, Theatre Room, North Block. The original plan of doing three shows at one hour intervals, changed due to a bigger footfall of parents and students and the play was performed seven times. This was partly due to the play itself and also, partly, due to the excellent work done by a team of seventh and eighth graders who were handling promotion and ticketing. In total fifty eight parents attended the performance and the whole show went off smoothly.
Musical Instruments Curatorial Presentation:
Aha 7-9 students presented a Lec-Dem on Indian Musical Instruments. The event took place on the 3rd floor Library and kept running in a loop. A range of different instruments like wind, string and percussion instruments were displayed and talked about. Harmonium, Shruti Box, Swar-mandal, Tabla, Pakhawaj, Dholak, Sitar, Tanpura were some of the instruments in the presentation. The historical, social and musical significance of each instrument was thrown light upon. The engineering and making of each instrument was also explained. Concepts of musical notes were demonstrated with full fervor. For music students it was an educational drill that they thoroughly enjoyed. A large number of parents turned up and felt that it was a very nurturing experience overall.
Art and Craft Exhibition cum Sale:
The Art department showcased art and craft creations by Aha Painting, Aha Pottery and Aha Art and Craft students of Grades 3-4, 5-6 and 7-9 on the Ground Floor dispersal area of the North Block. Apart from the rich collection of paintings, pottery and craft items already created by them in their Aha classes, students of different age groups came together to create artifacts like terracotta toys, Warli folders, handmade bags, crafted and recycled bottles as plant holders and show-pieces during the JOS week. The willingness to start from where a peer left, to work with dedication and collaboration were some of the highlights in the learning and contribution by students. The overall theme was organic, re-cycled and handmade. A large number of artifacts were sold to generate a significant amount for the JOS cause.
Sports: Sports department orgainsed Table Table, Squash and Badminton for parents on the culmination day.
This year, few parents put up stalls like cakes and muffins, candles, best from waste, homemade soap, artifactes, peronalised gift cards among others.
It was indeed a fun filled and memorable week for the students. The purpose is to instill the values of gratitude, sharing and expereince the joy of giving.
A glimpse is attached in the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noVjaxJ0xsA
