Sports Day for Grade 1
“Talent wins games, but team - work and intelligence wins championships”.
Sports Day for Grade 1 was organized on March 05, 2019. Mr. Shivalingesh K.K and Mrs. Parul Arora, our esteemed parents were the guests of honour who graced the occasion. The programme began with a welcome speech by the Head of Primary School, Ms. Soniya Mawani and the programme was declared open by our guests of honour. To set the spirit of sportsmanship soaring, students from grade 1 lit the torch, representing strength and grit giving the day a head start.
Multiple activities were conducted through the day involving students enhancing their sportsmanship and parents who re-lived their school memories.
GRADE 2 SPORTS DAY
The much awaited Annual Sports Day for Grade 2 was held on March 01, 2019 with great zeal and excitement. The Head of Primary School, Ms. Soniya Mawani welcomed the guest of honour, our esteemed parent Ms. Vinita Juneja and the august gathering. The theme this year was ‘Transport’. The event began with the torch relay. Students performed Aerobics drill mesmerizing the audience with their energetic performances. Once the races began, the air was filled with cheer and encouragement for the young athletes. Fun time with fathers participating in a flat race with their children and mothers participating in a tug- of- war between the houses added to the enjoyment.
Athletic Meet - Primary
The glory of sports comes from dedication, determination and desire. As the wise say “In the dust of defeat as well as the laurels of victory there is glory to be found if one has done his best.” We celebrate participation much before we celebrate a victory or mourn defeat.
The balmy day at Shiv Nadar school started with the “Athletic meet 2019” for Grade III, IV and V and non - competitive events for Grade I & II. A torch, which is a symbol of knowledge that dispels darkness, was lit by our Primary School Head, Ms. Priya Nanda who then declared the meet open. The young council members and house representatives from the four houses- Lion House, Tiger House, Leopard house and Panther house carried the torch around the field and pledged to imbibe the true spirit of sportsmanship. The students of Grade III, IV and V ran across the field in different races to reach the target line. Every race brought loud cheers from their peers for their friends as well as their houses to motivate and encourage them. The individual events were followed by Gymnastics display which demonstrated concentration, flexibility and balance that is required to perform with grace and agility. It highlighted the importance and need of teamwork to grow and excel together.
Students of grade I, II participated in different themed races including my creation, getting ready for the party, go green, hurdle race and puzzle race. This was followed by a display of a martial arts drill by the students of Grade II that left the audience mesmerized, the students of Grade I participated in different themed races including packing the bags, toothpick ballista, hungry frogs, hoop- scotch and obstacle race. The event culminated on a high note for everyone.
Sports Day-Pre Primary
The 5th Annual Sports Day at Shiv Nadar school was nothing short of a grand affair. Our pre-primary stars shined through the event as they displayed various skills they had learnt through the academic year. Apart from this they also performed a drill which was well coordinated and energetic. Keeping in mind the age group of our pre-primary children, there were no races planned. The motive was not to show who was the fastest but to show that all of them can perform the skills independently and at their own pace. Some of the skills around which the activities were planned include full body balance, major muscle coordination, awareness of both sides of the body, hand –eye coordination, hand and leg coordination and palmer grip!
Surge of the Wildcats- Pre-Primary Sports Day 2018-19
Sports, in the true spirit, is conducted to foster friendship, solidarity, fair play and to promote healthy life styles.At Shiv Nadar School we gather the children and emphasize that the purpose of the game is to have fun, develop their skills and enjoy being together in a disciplined way
The Sports meet was declared open by the Pre-Primary Head, Ms. Sumita Malik. There was a drill presentation by the children followed by different races . The parents of both the forms also participated in races, reliving their childhood days.
Fitzania 19-20
Fitness is not just how we feel, it is a mindset, that’s how we came up with our Grade 2 Sports Day theme ‘Fitzania’ for the session 2019-20.
Sports rejuvenates the heart, mind and body of everyone involved in it. At Shiv Nadar School, sports is an integral part of the curriculum and we believe that physical activity through games and sports is essential for the overall development of each child. As it is rightly said, physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of a creative and dynamic intellectual activity.
Ms. Soniya Mawani, the Head of Primary Years declared the meet open and welcomed the guests of honour, Jaideep Sethi an avid squash player and Ishika Chaudhary, a budding basketballer. Both are alumni of Shiv Nadar School, Noida and were equally enthusiastic to encourage and motivate their young friends. The guests shared their sports journey at school and how they continue to include it in their daily routine and follow it passionately.
Our wildcats from Panther and Leopard house stunned the audience with their exuberant performance while the Tigers and Lions left us in awe of their zesty presentation. The loud cheering from the parents echoed the entire premise and the never ending applause ignited the spirit of sportsmanship in all our wildcats.
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
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.
Safeguarding our Mental Health in Covid times - Webinar Series
Shiv Nadar School, Faridabad hosted the first of its 3-Series Webinar on _Safeguarding Mental Health in Covid Times_ on the 4th of June, 2020.
The first episode of the webianr was held for the parents of our students ranging from grades 7-10.
Our three panelists- Mrs. Anju Wal (Principal, SNS-F), Mrs. Mamta Sharma (Parent partner, Mental Health Coach), and Ms. Manisha Massey (Senior School Counsellor, SNS-F), with Mrs. Geetika Jatta as the moderator, answered pre-received questions thematized under "Academics, Behavioral, and Emotional" aspects, as well as live questions that we received during the 90 minutes of the webinar."
The panellists spoke about accepting and adapting to the the new normal.
The new realities of working from home, temporary unemployment, online-schooling of children, and lack of physical contact with other family members, friends and colleagues take time to get used to. Adapting to lifestyle changes such as these, and managing the fear of contracting the virus and worry about people close to us who are particularly vulnerable, are challenging for all of us.
They spoke about the important that a routine at home both on weekdays and weekend. Mrs. Anju Wal stressed on the fact we need to mind shift to know what is in our control - Exercise our circle of influence. Children our observing us 24x7, hence Role modeling as parents is important. It is important that we acknowledge the feelings but not mandatory to provide solutions. Talking to the children about facts of Corona virus is good but we should make sure that it is not only talking the virus- It should be controlled information. For our mind to relax, it is vital that we should cut off from screen at least two hours to prior to bed time. A very interesting activity was shared by our counsellor called - Jar of Activity.
These activity jars are packed full of simple, easy to prepare ideas to help kids make their own choices, direct their own play and keep them busy.
The webinar focused on few strategies to deal to mental well-being. Our purpose is to stay connected while distanced.
Summer Project - Co-Scholastic
This summer, when so many of our students found themselves trying to adjust to new realities brought by these trying times, the Co Scholastic Arts team of Shiv Nadar School, Faridabad, mindful of these challenges, worked towards letting the arts find new ways to permeate children's lives.
The team felt like this was the right time to effectively articulate the value of arts in as many ways as possible for our children.
The Music, Visual Arts, Theater and Dance department worked towards enabling and inspiring children by designing various Workshop - based modules for engaging children in summer vacation, so that creativity, beauty and goodness could be fostered and children find their expression. Several online sessions were conducted, children from Grades 3 to 10 came up with initiatives and displayed a great sense of immersion through their beautiful renditions in various Aha baskets. Some projects culminated into performances, while some are still ongoing and seamlessly mixed with their regular learning.
Teaching children on an online platform provided us with connecting with them in a whole new context. Children learnt to derive creative solutions to the challenges posed by the online platforms, learnt some new tricks and got artistically stimulated and productively occupied.
Arts truly proved to be a fundamental component to children's health and well-being this summer of 2020.
Links attached.
BHARATANATYAM NATRAJA (AHA! 3 - 5) : https://youtu.be/1L6D7r4Lyig
KATHAK - SHIV THANDAV–(AHA! GRADE 9): https://youtu.be/gTNcus8V4kc
PAITNING SUMMER PROJECT (AHA! 6 to 8) : https://youtu.be/0hoGx7SVQ1M
I WON'T GIVE UP - WESTERN MUSIC (AHA! GRADES 3 TO 5) : https://youtu.be/gHo1jVzLHqY
LOVE ME LIKE YOU DO - WESTERN MUSIC (AHA! GRADES 6 TO 8): https://youtu.be/Iet6Tjf0OlU
INDIAN MUSIC PROJECT - SWARGEET RAAG BILAWAL (AHA! GRADES 3 TO 5): https://youtu.be/9db2yiHKnnk
PAINTING PROJECT :https://youtu.be/bgBQIyz4h9I