OLE to Sursinghdhar - Grade 5
On 21st October students of grade 5 went for an outbound learning trip to Sursinghdhar, Uttrakhand. The peaceful environs of the campsite was a perfect location to explore the beauty of nature. The trip started with the acclimatization trek followed by an array of activities including monkey crawling, double trouble, mowli walking, zip line, rappling and sky ladder. There were many challenging team activities where students were required to go through many obstacles and work as a team. Students learnt the art of survival cooking and first aid. Social games like treasure hunt and bonfire provided enough opportunities for camaraderie. It was an engaging and enriching experience that will forever be etched in the impressionable minds of our students.
EVS Culmination of Grade 5 - Government Systems
Students of grade 5 as a part of their current EVS theme of Government Systems studied about various forms of government and their advantages and disadvantages. As a part of their culmination, a debate competition was held to share their take on the motion - India adopts a Presidential form of government or continue with the Parliamentary form of governance. This also helped them build a global connect and helped them understand the various forms of governance across the world.
Our judging panel included a student, Neeyati Saini of Grade 7 Corbett, Teacher Ms. Yamini and Parent Ms. Nupur Amarnath.
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
VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
An educational trip to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), United States of America was organised by the Shiv Nadar School, in association with Ed Terra edventures. A group of 9 students along with Ms. Nandini Malhotra were a part of the trip. The students were a part of a larger group that had 41 students from two other reputed schools of New Delhi.
The first destination of the Nasa group was Orlando. The visit to the Kennedy Space Centre, Orlando was a life time experience where the team explored the Visitor’s complex, Vehicle Assembly Building, Saturn V Rocket, Space Shuttle Atlantis Complex, Rocket garden and the imax movie. They also had the golden opportunity to visit the NASA hall of fame, closely look at the lunar landing and also undergo a rocket launch simulation at the centre. They had lunch with astronaut Jon McBride, who was part of many space missions like the Challenger, Columbia etc. He shared his journey with the students and kept them entertained with stories. The students asked him their questions.
The students understood the challenges faced by the mission teams and how closely ground-based and space -based teams interact and work together to ensure a mission’s success. The visit to the Cocoa beach and Walmart were replete with loads of fun.
A tour to the Magic Kingdom, Disneyland was cherished by all .Viewing the spectacular fireworks behind the Cinderella Castle was a spellbinding experience.
The thrilling experience at the The Wizardly World of Harry Potter, Island of Adventure at The Universal Studios added a special charm to this trip.
The group took a flight to Buffalo to experience the majestic Niagara falls .The students took the excitement of the famous Maid of the Mist boat ride. It was indeed enchanting to have a view of Niagara Falls in all it’s glory and also understand the history behind the ferry, while waving at the fellow boat from Canada.
The troupe embarked on a road trip to New Jersey and savoured the beauty and majesty of the roads of America.
While taking a city tour of New York, the students also had a chance to visit Columbia university and take a guided tour, understanding the courses, campus and opportunities lying ahead.
The students had an amazing time at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, New York. Visiting Times Square, the World’s most visited place was a unique experience. The group enjoyed the trip to The Statue of Liberty. They also went for a city tour where they saw the Rockefeller Centre, Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge and other famous landmarks of New York .It was a majestic experience to have a 360o aerial view of the New York City from the 102nd floor of One World Observatory. The students also visited the site of 9/11 attacks, the Ground Zero.
This was followed by a road trip they took to Boston, Massachusetts, where they took a city tour, visiting the Quincy market and revisiting the Boston marathon bombing site. They were amazed to know how the city of Boston had reacted and raised money to help the victims. They then visited the prestigious Massachusetts institute of technology and Harvard school, where they also had a chance to take a campus tour of the institutions and also understand the admissions, courses and campus life.
While understanding space travel and rockets, the students also learnt invaluable life lessons like time management, taking care of finances, conflict resolution and making friends on this trip. Overall, it was an enlightening trip.
ART EDUCATION TRIP to MILAN & VIENNA
Culture Fox is an Indo-European organization that curates art immersion programmes in Europe for Indian educational institutions. Shiv Nadar School has been associated with Culture Fox for the last three years and has participated in two tours to Germany and Amsterdam in the past. This year was the first trip to Italy and Austria that was curated specially keeping in mind the interests of the participating students from all three campuses of Shiv Nadar School.
The 8 day long trip covered the cities of Milan in Italy and Vienna in Austria. A total number of 16 students and 4 teachers went on the tour guided by Culture Fox leaders. The entire experience was curated keeping visual arts as the focus, along with some exposure to theatre and music.
Ready to fly…
At 12 midnight when the date changed to May 25, 2019 16 students of three campuses of Shiv Nadar School with 4 chaperones assembled in front of Gate number 5 at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Whilst the students were very enthusiastic, the parents had mixed emotions. The life skill lessons started with their first step in the airport walking towards the check-in counter. It took nearly two hours to pass the security check. At 4:30 am our flight took off and soon we all were asleep on board. We landed in Dubai and waited at the gate for our next flight to Milan. Our instructors Lisa and Carmen welcomed us at the Melpansa airport. By evening, Milan time we checked in at the Hotel.
At a good sleep, we were ready to great anticipation for our first workshop.
MILAN
Day 1, 25th May, 2019: Architecture Day
The trip began on a high note with a sketching tour of the picturesque city of Milan. The local Culture Fox representative in Milan was Ms. Lisa Maria Esposito, who became our leader and guide for the next three days. The first workshop was led by Mr. Federico and Ms. Juliana, who are Argentinian students of Architecture and History currently studying at the university in Milan. Our students learnt about perspectives and gained tangible skills of drawing 3D on 2D. The experience was special as they sat in front of iconic monuments on a beautiful, sunny day and attempted sketching what they were seeing on paper, while being told about the historic significance of the sites. They were taken to the Arco Della Pace and Castello Sforzesco.
It was a great beginning. We enjoyed the first activity at the Arco Della Pace immensely. The day concluded with a walk through the College of Art, Botanical Gardens and some shopping at Via Montenapoleone.
Day 2, 26th May: Fashion Day
Most students were looking forward to exploring fashion in Milan and the day began with the much awaited visit to Armani/Silos Museum. The students learnt a lot about the famous designer as they walked through the museum with an expert telling them about the significance of weaves, fabrics, colours, lights and diverse cultural influences in fashion designing. The guided tour of the museum was followed by lunch and gelatos and the day ended with a walk through Quadrilatero Della Moda or the fashion street, most of which we had seen and experienced the previous day. On this day, we again got to spend some time outside ‘Duomo’, the second largest cathedral after the Vatican.
Day 3, 27th May: Visual Arts Day
The workshop on this day was led by Ms. Silvia Fiani, a Milanese artist, at her quaint, little studio. The students learnt various water colour techniques and were encouraged to express their inner emotions using this medium on paper. We also filled a questionnaire to centralize our thoughts before sketching our inner portrait. The workshop was engaging and gave the opportunity to students to think creatively and paint skillfully. After the workshop, we grabbed snacks at the supermarket, picked up our luggage and headed to the airport with Ms. Carmen Pohl, the Founder of Culture Fox, to catch a flight to Vienna.
VIENNA
Day 4, 28th May: Theatre Day
The first day in Vienna was truly the best day of the entire trip for most of us. The students were introduced to ‘Theatre of the Youth’, the largest theatre for children in Europe. We went to Renaissance Theatre, where we were given a guided tour of the stage specially designed for their ongoing production of Robin Hood. They learnt about stagecraft, projections, props, music, costumes, make-up, wigs and all that goes into making a musical theatre production. The stage tour was followed by a brief description of the storyline of the play. We then watched the entire three hour long production in German with a house full of children of all ages. Even though we did not understand the language, it was easy to follow the story and was very exciting to see all the tricks unravel on stage. The day ended with a lovely meal of juicy burgers and lemonade.
Day 5, 29th May: Photography Day
On our second day in Vienna we went to Metro Kinokulturhaus to see an exhibition of Polaroids taken by German filmmaker and photographer Wim Wenders curated by Filarchiv Austria. Here the students attended a workshop on Polaroid cameras. This was followed by an outdoor mobile photography workshop led by Mr. Rafael Haider. Despite the fact that it was raining and dark outside, the students enjoyed learning about photography from their mentor and walking through the city, taking pictures of beautiful buildings and of each-other on their mobile phones using techniques.
Day 6, 30th May: Music Day
Another exciting day learning about the musical heritage of Vienna! We went to the House of Music, where we were given a guided tour by the museum representative. Each floor of the museum had a different theme and presented knowledge about the history, science and art of music in a very interactive manner. The students were introduced to the great composers of Austria and they playfully learnt scientific facts about sound and music. While the tour guide was very helpful, it felt like we were rushing through each floor. Everyone ended up spending more time in the shop on the top floor than actually engaging in the carefully curated musical activities.
The House of Music was followed by attending an Organ concert in Baroque St. Peter’s church. This was a unique and a very calming experience for most of us. The tall, intricately decorated walls of the church resonated with the sound of the Organ and we were all consumed by the mesmerizing music. The day ended with a visit to the Summer Palace. The rain finally stopped and we could enjoy the breathtaking view of the city of Vienna and take a walk in the royal gardens of this beautiful historical site.
Day 7, 31st May: Visual Arts Day
We visited Kunst Haus Wien designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser on our last morning in Vienna. A unique and colourful building showcasing the works of this artist and environmental activist was a window for us to understand the need for immediate attention to our environment. The guided tour familiarized us with the life and journey of this important Austrian artist and thinker, which was culminated with a brief drawing activity. It was interested to know that Hundertwasser paintings had elements of nature in each painting. This was followed by some shopping and another stopover at the supermarket for picking up snacks for the airport.
Here are some reflections of students about this trip:
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WHAT ARE MY 3 TAKEOVERS FROM THIS TRIP:-
We used to get lunch money or meal money almost everyday and we had to spend it by buying food. Now we were not allowed to buy any aerated drinks, chips, candies etc. that means you were only allowed eat healthy food.so if you buy a sandwich which will cost 2-3 euros you still have 3 euros in which you can buy a bottle of juice which will be a healthy meal.
What I learnt in arts?
1.Photography-i learned a lot in photography.now i know how to properly use a polaroid camera because of the workshop.now i also know that how you can make portraits and reflections in digital photography 2.Visual art(sketching) I learned a new technique called the 2D and 3D perspective. In this technique you can sketch famous monuments and architecture like Arco Della Pace and Castello Sforzesco which we sketched.
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-Siddharth Sood 7 Corbett
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This was my second ‘Culture Fox’ experience. It was a wonderful experience as last time was.(Yuvraaj Chopra – 7 Corbett)
Three Takeaways-
What did you learn in Arts-
What Life skills did you learn?
Would you like to go again for Culture Fox and Why? Yes I would like to go again with Culture Fox as it is a wonderful learning experience outdoors and in a completely different environment from what we are used to. I love the way the programme is structured to enable us to learn yet have fun while learning. In the usual vacations which we take this kind of learning is not possible. This exposure gives a vast experience in a few days and would be very helpful in the future for me also. The kind of exposure we get to various forms of arts is helpful for us to decide what we like and what we would like to pursue. |
Summer Bonanza: Fun under the Sun
What better way to enjoy the last day of school and welcome the Summer break other than having some fun under the sun!! The students of pre-primary had an exciting day participating in the event Summer Bonanza. The highlight of the event was the children in their swimwear, running to wet themselves and play with water, flowing out from the water sprinklers in the middle field.
A day filled with treats started at Breakfast where the children were served sandwiches and macaroni. After they which they all took turns and participated in the different activities that were planned. These included music and dancing, creating a craft, playing with water from the sprinklers, eating ice cream whilst sitting under umbrellas in the summer sun, getting colourful tattoos painted on their hands and finally a movie with pop-corn and lemonade.
Loving hugs, bye byes and off they went home. Not before saying, “I will miss you ma’am. Happy holidays”.
Readers make Leaders!
The students of grades 6-8 had the privilege of meeting Mrs. Subhadra Sen Gupta, a popular author who writes fiction and non-fiction for students and adults alike. We believe that Author on campus is a beautiful learning experience for students that inspire them to imagine, create, and pen dowm their own thoughts.
She regaled the students with stories of Jahanara and Mughals. The students were enthralled with her stories about Mughals and seemed inquisitive to know and explore more.
Her stories about Mughals, peacock throne and the Kohinoor was well received by the students and teachers alike.
The session ended with students thanking the author for an enlightening session and gifting her a painting made by one of the students as a gesture of appreciation.
Education for Life
Education for life (EFL) is one of its kind initiate designed and curated by our CEO Col. Gopalkarunakaran for Grade 9 students which aims at providing exposure and engagement to navigate and succeed in life beyond school.
It is a student centred holistic life skills development program designed for imparting critical life lessons to equip students of grade 9 to be better prepared to enter their adulthood.
Mark Twain once said,” Don’t let schooling interfere with your education”. It is imperative to expand our traditional field of study which may be insufficient for understanding the challenges of working in the real world.
We at Shiv Nadar School believe that apart from the academic excellence our children need knowledge, skill and attitude to face a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) world.
Program Outline:
The Education for Life program will offer topics/themes to students from grades 9 & 11 which are relevant to the present times and are beyond the scope of the curriculum addressed in schools. Themes chosen for this program are scaffold to activate the collective intellectual abilities of the students and will target different skills which will support the dynamic development curve that is seen in students entering adolescence. Below is the list of suggestive topics/themes:
- Post-Independence History of India
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Topic: Post Independence History
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- Effective and Dynamic Communication
- Health and Nutrition, Know your body
- Non-Googleable Questions
Highlights:
- Each theme is broken down to modules, delivered by subject/domain experts and industry veterans
- Program facilitators from Media, Corporates, Professional Development terrain to bridge the divide between school and outside world
- Curriculum curated after thorough analysis of current scenario and needs of the future
- 18 hours of deep engagement per child, spread across 8 months
Beginning of a new journey…
We are delighted to inform you that the Nursery children fared fantastically well on their first day at school. With welcoming warmth and widespread smiles, it didn’t take much time for them to settle in their classes. Singing and swaying, the children were brought closer to begin the day with Circle time. A simple ‘Name game’ was played and shared names to familiarize the children with each other and also with the teacher. This was followed by a hearty breakfast of jam sandwich, pav-bhaji and roohafza milk which they relished and some even asked for a second helping. The highlight of the day was the Puppet Show based on the story- Webster J Duck. They seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed the show and also engaged in creating a craft of a duck based on the story. The also enjoyed playing with cubes, play dough, in the jungle gym and in the sand pit. The first day in the ‘Big School ‘ ended on a happy note.
Our Kindergarteners were happy to be back at school and we were delighted to see all the children well settled in their homerooms. They warmly welcomed their old and new friends and enthusiastically participated in all the activities during the day. As a part of getting to know each other they played 'Name Game', listened to the story of Chrysanthemum and made a craft depicting themselves and as always all of them had a fabulous time playing at the outdoors.
