Our mission is :To
nur ure leaders through primary greatness
Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. - Dr Se uss , “O h, the pla ces you 'll go”
Issue
03
April 2016
The class of 2016 will always be special in many ways. You will be the first batch to graduate from Fountainhead School. You will always be “THE SENIORS” who were never juniors to any other batch. Sportscrazy as you were, you made and broke many traditions at Fountainhead. You guys are a bunch of some serious, serious talent. You have writers, actors, singers, orators, dancers and of course sportspersons (Ultimate, athletics, karate, football, basketball etc) amongst you. This has ensured that your batch has rocked every sports day and every occasion where you could perform and let your hair down. I hope I have taught you a few things, but you definitely taught me as well. For example, I learnt how one can perform a street play with elan and style in the middle of the streets (like
we did in Grade 6), I learnt how to dance like no one’s watching. I learnt how one can fool the school system and policies (the number of times you all fell sick during certain Group B classes) and I learnt many jokes and catchphrases from Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai and Khichdi (from your umpteen Xbox performances.) I learnt tales of true friendship from you and I learnt to be courageous and to care for a cause from you. Class of 2016, you will be missed… Yeah yeah, this class of 2016 is the senior most batch and will always remain so in the history of Fountainhead. Other batches might do far better academically, and might outshine them in arts or sports, but no one can take away from you that you are the first graduates at Fountainhead. That’s why we shall sing glories to this first batch for as long as Fountainhead exists (take this with a pinch of salt, people)! I enjoyed teaching you the business unit when you were in PYP, and then as a proxy teacher for Physics in Grade 10. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching & learning TOK with you in the last two years (note to the editor - if I may use this forum to emotionally influence all of you to write excellent TOK essays and make me proud, then please allow me to do so). I am proud of who you are today, irrespective of what you might achieve by worldly standards in the future. Despite being the senior most batch for more than 7 years, you didn't let it go to your head, well, at least not completely. You didn’t throw your weight around as much you could have (or you secretly wished to.) You were mostly sincere, and behaved rather well - perhaps the result of being looked up to by students and teachers throughout your schooling here. I am excited to know how your life pans out, or more importantly, what wonderful things you do with your life. I hope you have learned to believe in yourself, to trust yourself, and that we have helped you become leaders with primary greatness, individuals who are not just competent, but also have great character. I wish you all the best for your life ahead and I hope that you will keep in touch with us at Fountainhead! Vardan Kabra - (Head of School) This article was written for the DP yearbook - Message from the HoS Ankita Diwekar Kabra - Deputy Head of School &*Primary School Principal
Editor in Chief : Tahera Kinkhabwala | Sub-editors : Ritu Khanna, Shalini Fudhnawala
Designed by : Aneri Desai | Photographs by : Hitesh Surti
I want to linger, a little longer... When I got the mail of article submission for the newsletter, it just struck me that this would the last such mail I would receive, for my daughter Vedanshi would soon be stepping out of the portals of school which had sheltered, groomed and nurtured her, through her growing years. The years gone by flashed across my mind's eyes - the numerous visits to Vardan sir's office (to reassure myself that I was making the right decision to enroll her in a new school with an ideology which was so different from that of the other schools); seeing her get up each morning, excited to go school every day (a totally new phenomenon); the friendly teachers (who knew each and every child inside-out); the numerous parent-teacher meetings and workshops; creative melas; the list is endless! Along with the students, we parents could also see an upward curve in our personal growth as we were continuously exposed to new-age parenting styles. I would not say that these years were all rosy. We, as parents of the first batch, felt at times that our children bore the brunt of experimentation of policies and teaching methods and there was a lot of tension over their academic performance, but all those moments of trepidation and anxiety fades when I take the whole package into consideration. I see a leader in place of a follower; a confident, smart girl in place of a girl who felt an underachiever just because she was not good with numbers; a child who is friendly with not only her peers, but also the teachers and support staff; I see a whole grade of students whose moral values are totally grounded in their being, the school ethos making them responsible and aware citizens. Yes- ' Nurturing leaders through primary greatness ' - Fountainhead - you have lived by your mission statement - and kudos to the entire FS team - past and present. Not only the students, but also the parents of the batch of 2016, will miss being a part of this vibrant atmosphere! Madhushree Changoiwala - (Parent of Vedanshi Changoiwala, Grade 12 - Sangfroid)
A trip down memory lane... From what I’ve encountered, sometimes you learn something electrifying from some places you never would have expected, friends in people you despised, turning mature and wise at a young age, but most importantly a family that went from 6 members to 36. If you’d told me when I joined Fountainhead, 5 years ago, that my batch: the batch of 2016 would have achieved what it has today, I wouldn’t have believed you. It is almost hilarious the way we’ve evolved into better versions of ourselves. We may be moving out of school, but we’ve left our imprints. We’re moving out with a collection of ever-lasting memories and a resume full of skills. Being the first batch, we always used this to our advantage. Sometimes we did feel like specimens being experimented upon but I think it was worth it. Frankly we’ve NEVER appreciated being scolded with “You’re the senior-most, younger grades look up to you” Teachers, it never works. We realized a little late that marks matter quite a lot, but then we did the next best thing, extended our deadlines, even the “HARD sacrosanct” ones. I want to take this opportunity (and many more after our results) to thank you. We admit we’re a little annoying at times (most times), but you’ve never left us, always supported us, laughed with us and ran after us. Let’s just admit it we always broke
Celebrating CAS
The first batch of Grade 12 (2016 graduates) have consummated their CAS programme. Students, over a period of 18 months have worked on different projects and activities in all the 3 strands (Creativity, Activity, Service). The students worked on various projects where they had to investigate, plan and take action. It involved a lot of planning and collaboration with not just our school, but also with other schools and a wider community. Students showed commitment, developed critical thinking, learnt problem-solving, and improvised on their decisionmaking skills, while they worked on their projects. They worked on different fascinating consequential projects in different areas like the “Hunger Banquet”, for creating awareness against hunger, “Monsoon Beach Run” for health and fitness and the Anti Bullying Session, which they conducted with the primary year students. They additionally took up some challenging projects like Organizing the FS MUN (Model United Nations), the Ultimate Frisbee tournament, where they invited teams from other cities, and took up the challenge to clean our city.
rules, and you knew that. However, we’re indebted to you. Your love, care and unwavering faith in us is a part of who we are. I remember the feeling of being absolutely carefree in the 7th and 8th grade when we studied not subjects but life itself. From the infamous life classes to Stephen Covey’s 7-Habits homeroom sessions. Even though our dedication wasn’t diligent, our understanding was clear. Now, when we no longer have the time to be carefree we can only reminisce about those days. These last two years have been hectic, and eye-opening. We have changed. We’re still figuring whether its for the best or not. I think we’re ready to face the world and excel its set of challenges, just this time, we wouldn't be doing it for the IBDP’s requirements but for passion, dedication and values. (And money). We’ve been there for each other, and looking back, at the end of my school-life, I’ve learnt that this is all that actually matters i.e. being there for each other. We’re going to miss the school, the tasty food, the long ride here, the school trips and tournaments, hanging out in the library and the feeling of security. We’re also going to miss relying on our teachers for everything and ruling over our juniors. Time and again we’re going to look back and admit to ourselves, how we wish we were back in school. You’ll miss us too and as they say, the first child is always the most precious one. Shreya Thummar - Student (Grade 12 - Sangfroid) It was not just a great learning experience for each student, but also a task for their advisors. The follow-ups, the pampering, the consequences and, of course, if all else failed...the threats. :) Even the students agreed that it was a great opportunity for them to develop new skills which they always thought about but never endeavored to attempt due to the academic rigour. CAS gave them the opportunity to come out of their comfort zone, develop new skills and try different activities for themselves. For many students, it did make a lot of difference in their personal statements while applying to different universities. Universities, both national and /international, recruit students who are not just proficient at academics but also those who have contributed to the society and worked in different cultural and sport fields. CAS is a fabulous platform which provides our students the opportunity of doing something for themselves, for the community, for others and a way to say, WE CARE... IT’S OUR WORLD :) Way to go Grade 12 and all the best for a fabulous future. Falguni Jariwala - (CAS Coordinator)
Things end.. But memories last forever… - Kumar Milan “Somebody once told me that this is the place where everything’s better and everything’s safe”and Fountainhead has certainly been that place for us. Our statements like “we will look back on these days” have become cliches but it holds true. We will always look back on these days… days when we fought with each other to the days when we stood as ONE! The days when we used to sit on the floors in the corridor and just talk, when we used to sing songs out loud in classes. And of course no one will forget the times when we used to link each other with various names (often idiotic ones), play pranks, brainstormed more on the code names for a teacher than the TOK essay and bragged about how IB tortures us and how hard-working we are (we surely are because we are the seniors and the first batch! . We have experienced it all, and we have done it TOGETHER! Initially, everything was simple and sorted. Until we were introduced to the 4000 word Extended Essay, SAT, 1600 word TOK essay, Internal Assessments, college applications...and the list went on and on. But then again, this list did not become a barrier for us to create unforgettable memories, enough to last for a lifetime. It just feels like it was yesterday that we set our feet on this campus, and now it's already time for us to leave. It is extremely difficult to seep in the thought of leaving this school, these friends, these teachers and this liberal environment in just 18 days- but to grow, we need to accept the change. To look at this from a positive side and make ourselves happier, we often talk about our reunion, 10 years down the line. Imagining the way we would look, behave, act, one’s financial status and growth, but then eventually back to recalling the past-Fountainhead memories. Alas, we end up thinking that life is quite unpredictable, let’s focus and enjoy the present gift, of today! Everyday we ask each other which college we would get into, having that bit of hope that maybe we will find a familiar face around. The insecurity of leaving the cozy environment of the school walls and that, we will have to adjust and share ourselves with NEW people. When we step into the real world, we are surely going to look back and thank this school, as a whole, for making us so strong and for gathering patience to stand to one’s nonsensical rant, the hues and the cries. Probably, this article might not be able to describe our feelings and gratitude towards everyone who has made us what we are, but through this we want to thank every teacher, every support-staff member and every friend who has helped us grow into better human beings. Each one of us are different yet completely amazing. We have different qualities, but over the years we have learnt to compliment each other. There are students in this batch who are going to turn out to be artists, athletes, dancers, psychologists, mathematicians, entrepreneurs and so on…and all of us are are going to take on the world someday! The words in this excerpt are surely way too less to express. We will part with promises to keep in touch- some will, some won’t. But we know each one of you will hold a place in our hearts, this is a whole different family we belong to. Our Fountainhead family! Something that is imbibed in us- every fight, every smile, every hug and that extra mile. We will miss everything about this place and we want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for being a part of this AWESOME (understatement) journey of ours. Love you all to the core and you all will surely be missed!
* One tree hill
Anoushka Jariwala - Student (Grade 12 - Equanimity) Vedanshi Changoiwala - Student (Grade 12 - Sangfroid)
FSMUN Opening Ceremony : The second edition of the Fountainhead School Model United Nations started off on a high note. The splendid opening ceremony included an introduction of all the committees with their agendas and chairs, a thought-provoking speech by the Head of School, Mr. Vardan Kabra, a foot-tapping band performance and finally, after a short speech, the FSMUN 2.0 was declared ‘open’ by the Secretary General, Aashna Jain. All the chairs were greeted with a cheer by the enthusiastic delegates as they stood up and awkwardly waved in a haste. The HoS made some shocking, eyebrow-raising statements in his speech which made everyone listen with ears wide open. He explained the reasons behind his statements, spoke about being citizens of the 21st century and how MUNs equip the delegates on the skills required. A band performance by ‘The Renaissance’ had everyone in the audience nodding their heads to the beat and got them to groove. The Secretary General spoke about current affairs and how, in this day and age, MUNs are more important than ever.
Social : The venue of the much awaited social of the FSMUN 2.0 was lit up with fairy lights with sweaty, masked delegates dancing to the loud music pumping through the Atrium. The OC ( Organizing Committee) had done a fantastic job in setting up the event, thinking of every little detail. The masquerade party saw the delegates sporting a range of glittery, elaborate masks perched precariously on top of their noses. The photo-booth gave the delegates an opportunity to smile wide, make idiotic faces and fool around with props; because the delegates NEVER do that in the committee. Kudos to the Organising Committee; the food served at the social was the highlight of the night. The menu had so much cheese incorporated, they could not go wrong even if they tried. Everyone stuffed their faces with food, with the queues refusing to shorten. The delegates and the OC danced exuberantly again after dinner, making the most of the night.
United Nations Security Council: UNSC The United Nations Security Council’s agenda was ‘The Boko Haram Terror In Nigeria’. The overlyenthusiastic delegates initially wanted to negotiate with the terrorist group itself but they seemed to have come to their senses under the influence of the swaggy chair Aaryaman Trivedi and sensible vice-chair Riya Shah. The crisis in UNSC saw the King of Nigeria and Boko Haram in cahoots, which triggered intense debate and powerful discussion as the countries felt betrayed by Nigeria.
Human Rights Council: HRC The Human Rights Council’s agenda was ‘safeguarding civilians in conflict zones from flesh exploitation, with emphasis on ISIS’s sex slaves’. With the committee sessions being slow, chair Shaan Rathod and vice-chair Avit Mehta guided the delegates towards a healthy discussion, picking up pace gradually. The delegates of HRC went through TWO crises, one in which tourists in Jordan were kidnapped by ISIS and made sex slaves. The other crisis saw a French soldier in Syria being sexually harassed by an American soldier. With the oversized room that the committee was provided with, there was a lot of room for debate.
Disarmament and International Security Council: DISEC The agenda of the Disarmament and International Security Council was ‘international norms to eliminate state-sponsored terrorism’. The chair Samir Devnani and vice-chair Priyanka Jagadeesan were the ones driving the committee forward as a lot of important countries’ delegates were a no show. The crisis in DISEC had Russia sponsoring the Taliban in Pakistan. It caused an uproar as chairs of other committees also made an appearance to help carry it out. Fiery discussion and debate ensued.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime: UNODC The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime had the agenda ‘the global fight against organised crime with specific focus on the recruitment of child soldiers.’ The committee was enthusiastically chaired by Harsh Thakkar and vice-chaired by Vanshika Agarwal. The crisis in UNODC had a raft full of Syrian refugees bombed by a child suicide bomber. The delegates went off on a tangent and started discussing surveillance and aid, forgetting completely about the child soldiers.
World Health Organisation: WHO The World Health Organisation had the agenda ‘enhancing the quality of subsidised healthcare’ which had the delegates discussing health care and funding in depth both in developed as well as underdeveloped countries. The WHO, under the guidance of chair Vinay Shah and vice-chair Tanvi Sunil, was the tamest of all the committees. Discussions and debates were carried out smoothly, with minimal hindrances. The crisis in WHO was the rapid spread of a newly discovered disease, which had quite a perverted name, in Europe and North Africa.
Economic and Social Council: ECOSOC The Economic and Social Council’s agenda was ‘international framework for imposing austerity measures on developed debt ridden countries’, which was quite a complex agenda and one which required a fair amount of research; but the delegates did not seem to have done their homework. The chair Akanksha Singh and vice-chair Aakash Lalchandani tried their hardest to initiate the discussion and debate with an accelerated timeline crisis, but the delegates’ lack of research and knowledge about the topic at hand seemed to make the committee go slower than ever.
CLOSING CEREMONY: The closing ceremony honored all the people whose hard work made FSMUN 2.0 the success that it was. The chairs who came all the way to Fountainhead School were thanked, awards were handed out to the delegates and OC members were honored with certificates. A brilliant short film, put together by the photography team, was premiered which caused a laughing riot in the Hippodrome. The FSMUN 2.0 in all, was a sparkling success.
PICK UP A FLAG!: This year, the OC set up a stall during meal breaks which sold adorable flags with MUN-related pickup lines which the delegates could buy and have them anonymously sent to fellow delegates. These flags provided comic-relief during intense committee sessions when they were delivered. The OC members made the affair seem quite scandalous, ‘ooh’-ing and ‘aah’-ing with every flag delivered. Pahini Kapadia - Student (Grade 12 - Sangfroid)
THE ANGST OF A FAT GUY Being obese or overweight or simply ‘fat’ entails carrying around so much more than just the extra kilos. Every fat kid has been teased about his or her weight at some point of time. Being called fatso or motu or jaadiya is often taken in good humor. Who wants to be a spoil sport? But it does hurt. Have a heart people! Growing up brings its own set of problems. While the hep crowd is into the latest trends, the heavy weights try to hide under loose, baggy clothing. But it really doesn’t help. Poor self-image leads to very difficult interaction with the opposite sex. That’s why you often see the whales paired together in colleges. Birds of blubber flock together. Adult obese men are among the jolliest people you come across. Is it nature’s gift or is it just an attempt to disguise a more deep seated insecurity? It’s not that they have not tried to lose weight. There is no diet and no exercise regimen which they have not tried. But nothing seems to work. No matter how active they are, the image of the fat
My vision of a new civilization Everyone has a vision, me too. I want to make my own civilization. I want to start the world again….No matter how long it takes. My world's name would be Eco. Everyone would be eco-friendly. There would be no pollution in the air as well as in any man's mind. Everyone would have positive thoughts and positive reactions. Everyone would be healthy and clean. There would be no garbage on the roads and in the water. The surroundings would be lovely in the atmosphere as well as in the human mind. There would be no fear of any kind in anybody's mind. Everyone would be literate. There would be peace and prosperity everywhere. In my world there would be no discrimination on any basis. The people of my world would not be egoistic. I strongly believe in my vision and assume that even God wants the same and so will help me make this new world. If you also want this change in the world put in a little effort and make a new civilization.
guy is mostly that of a lazy, lethargic person. The amount of unsolicited advice you get to exercise or workout is unbelievable. Mind your own business folks! Buying clothes is another pain. Forget about fashion, finding and fitting into basic clothes is a nightmare. And who are the idiots who make XXL and XXXL size clothes in ‘slim fit’’? I mean, what’s the idea of sending an already troubled person on another guilt trip? And buying clothes online? Just forget about it! But all said and done we are remarkably thick skinned. We mostly don’t care two hoots for what others think. Move along people. We are happy enough as we are. Rishi Grover (Parent of Nidhi Grover, Grade 6 - Contemplate & Shubhi Grover, Grade 2 - Think)
Which places I want to visit and why ? There are many places I want to visit but one I really desire to visit is South America; it is the home of Amazon river which is 6,400 kms long. It is also the home of Angel Falls which is 979 metres above sea level. It also contains one of the extinct volcanoes that is Acoungau. I would also like to visit China to see The Great Wall Of China. I want to visit Italy too as it is the home of the Colosseum. I want to visit the U.S. as it has the Statue Of Liberty which was gifted by France to America when they became friends. I would like to see the Opera House which is in Australia as I have heard it is very beautiful and stylish. I would also like to see The Lighthouse which is in Alexandria because my mother told it is fully covered with lights. I would like to visit Giza as it is the home of the Great Pyramid Of Giza. I want to go to Rhodes which contains Colossus. I would like to go to Olympia as it has the Statue Of Zeus. I would surely like to visit Ephesus to view the ‘Temple Of Artemis’. I would also like to visit Halicarnassus to see the Mausoleum. Desires never end but the best is always told at last, the country in which I live in, India, where there is the Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar and Red Fort, these are also on my list. Siddhesh Bisani Student (Grade 4 - Mettle)
Jishnu Mehra - Student (Grade 4 - Courage)
What do I want to be when I grow up ... I want to be a scientist "A Senior Scientist", because I want to be knowledgeable. I want to do experiments. I really want to invent a "Flying car" specially designed for kids. This flying big white car will have four doors and two wings. It will be an open car and it will not have any kind of roof. Salt water will be used as a fuel for this car. So, it will be energy efficient and environmentally friendly. But why do I want to invent this car? When I was a kid, I thought, what if I could touch the sun, stars and clouds........Is it possible? How can I reduce pollution and save the environment? I want to make the children happy with this big white flying car. I wish they will enjoy this ‘Flying Safari’. They will be able to touch and feel the blue sky, hot sun, sparkling stars, soft clouds and the whole galaxy. They will also be able to see the landscapes of clean and green pollution free Earth. Finally, I would love to see cute big smiles on kids faces. I wish, my new invention will save fuel and environment . Diya Patel - Student (Grade 3 - Inspire)
One civilization I want to go back to If I had a chance to go back to a civilization I would have to time travel. I would go to the faraway lands of Mesopotamia. I would visit the lands of ziggurats and devour the delicacies of those times. I would want to try the food they cooked, that would give me a taste of different cuisines of those times. I would visit their land and get enchanted by the fancy jewellery worn by the men of those times. I would love to go to war and fight for the safety of my land. I would participate in their sports activities and teach them sports of our times. I would click photos with them and talk about their bravery and valour on return. I would learn skills used by them and of course the different languages that they spoke. I would get a chance to bring the lost treasures of knowledge and riches that have been lost with passing times. I would get a chance to worship their gods and maybe have a look at them. I would make a lot of friends and learn about their culture, art and architecture. I would convince a few of them to come back to our times so that I would have new friends with me all the time. It would be an exciting experience for sure!
Mohammed Bandookwala - Student (Grade 5 - Conglomerate) Helped by Mother
Well, umm, good question. There are a lot of civilizations I want to go back to, but the most fascinating civilization I find, is the Roman civilization. As I know, Rome was the biggest empire in the world. When we talk about their food, I can only say one thing, just very healthy. Some beans, greens and a piece of chicken used to be their main course and fresh fruit as their dessert. Yum, fresh fruit mmmm. I would visit the whole Mediterranean Sea by sitting in the ship which used to be their mode of transportation. I would live in an urban house and spend the whole night in the broken but monumental Colosseum. Yoohoo…. what fun!! I would get a chance to wear the ancient garment Toga, which was made of wool and worn over a tunic! I would go to see a Gladiator match and that would be so entertaining! Well, some very famous sculptures and artworks were found in the Roman Civilization. The sculptures were made of you know what? Bronze…, Terracotta. Their mosaic art was not a waste. It was brilliant! If I would be bored, then I would go see plays, dramas which used to be good enough to make people laugh and cry. Education was from 7 years to 12 years but I don’t need to worry because I am a literate! I would like to meet Julius Caesar, the most generous and the greatest dictator of all time. Ha! Wish I could see the Roman Civilization…. Mohak Agrawal - Student (Grade 6 - Conjecture)
One civilization I would like to go back to is “The Great Roman Civilization”which was in the period between 250 to 400.AD. I would like to go back to the Roman civilian period because the Roman period witnessed a major change in human history, and it’s the period where the people thought of innovation! It’s the period where one of our favourite thing was invented, a place where children cry to go and parents strictly resist. It is the dazzling “restaurant”! Yes everybody, the restaurant was made around 300.AD.,in the Empire’s Palace. I would surely like to go back in time and see those ancient restaurants! Also I think we are bored of our old horrible bathtubs, and because of this issue the Romans invented the “hot spring”. My dream is to swim in those ancient springs like fishes! To continue further, I would have liked to see the first “Great Samnite War” during 343-341.BC. This fight that happened years ago had a very peaceful end as the Romans won against “Campanians”. Also, I would like to share a funny havoc of the calendar problems. I found it interesting and wanted to see it live because the problems were huge. According to this calendar, Easter and Christmas fell on the same day. But then, “Julius Caesar” who made the calendar somehow right was still going wrong somewhere (as he was following the lunar calendar.) It was told that according to his calendar, for the next 1,500 years it would show a major difference, then finally Luigi Lilio made the calendar right. Moreover, this civilization had discovered a very popular and the mother of languages, “Latin”. Also to say, this civilization had conquered 54 countries. I also wanted to go back to the Roman civilization because it promoted “art and culture”. They were interested in the arts, they had sculptures, paintings and mosaic work which dated back almost to the 1st century BC. The Romans had spread their abilities for curing and also medicines after they conquered a large area. So, this is why I would like to go back to the “Roman Civilization”. Akshat Shah - Student (Grade 4 - Mettle) Reference: My Big Book of Knowledge, Wikipedia
My Summer Vacation In my summer vacation I went to the United States Of America, which is also called the USA. I went to New-York, Buffalo, Miami, Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco. We took a cruise where I did swimming and enjoyed the jacuzzi too. I saw the Statue Of Liberty, Empire State Building and some museums. In Orlando, I went to Disneyland, a water park called Aquatica and to Harry Potter’s world. In San Francisco, I went to the Golden Bridge and visited a museum. In Buffalo, we visited the Niagara Falls. I had a lot of fun there. USA is a very beautiful place and I loved it. I went there with my family and friends. This was my first trip to the USA. In United States Of America, there are 2 wonders out of the 7 wonders of the world that is the Statue Of Liberty and the Niagara Falls. We explored many new places. I saw many different cultured people in this country. Jiah Ranka - Student (Grade 2 - Ponder)
The Role of the teacher in the 21st century From “Sage on the stage” to “Meddler in the middle” The role of teacher has undergone a sea of change. Earlier the teacher was perceived as a “Sage on the stage”. Gradually, the image of the teacher has changed to “A guide on the side”. Now in the present scenario, the teacher has been looked upon as “Meddler in the middle”. However, while stating the changes in the role of a teacher, I’m not undermining the significance of the learner in the entire teaching / learning process. Learners are and will remain the core of the entire process but one cannot undermine the role of teachers in the present century as individuals who role model the entire process of teaching and learning. The teachers should lead from the front and actively scaffold and intervene in the students’ learning experiences. The same can be done in different ways like scaffolding the students at appropriate times and providing a model / sample of an unfamiliar task. The 21st century teacher will no longer be known as the facilitator who facilitates the learning process but a meddler who is constantly exhibiting, circulating and mentoring the class, when needed. Further the teacher should also encourage students to continue to achieve newer heights and try for something which otherwise would seem challenging. Additionally the teacher should also role model the problem solving approach, by developing a panoramic view and in-depth understanding of the issue under consideration. The teacher should exhibit a balanced approach while solving problems so as to transfer the same approach to the students. The above mentioned role of the teacher is not as easy and straightforward as it seems to be. There are complex issues related to the teaching and learning process, like how to ensure differentiated instruction, how to ensure timely completion of syllabus with adequate focus on skills attainment and most importantly where to draw the line so as to ensure that the role of the teacher is confined to being a meddler only and does not appear to overshadow the entire teaching and learning process. I will end this article by saying that “the learner is and will remain the core of learning” however the teacher’s role needs a major shift in the 21st century.
Abhinav Awasthi - (DP Coordinator) * Bibliography : Love, D. (2014) The Meddler-In-The-Middle: Putting the teacher back center stage. Available at: https://digiteacher.wordpress.com/2014/05/13/the-meddler-in-the-middle-puttingthe-teacher-back-centre-stage/ (Accessed: 23 February 2016).
Sunny Beach Beaches are places Where you can have a GALA time!!! All that surfing and sunbathing Isn’t that amazing? You need energy to play Beach volley ball And building sandcastles For playing in the water, Family time Resting underneath umbrellas… Better than watching cinderella, I have gone and now is your turn Go and have your GALA time!!! Do not miss it this vacation… Aashna Desai (Grade 5 - Conglomerate)
A journey-in unison
Mariyam Baxamusa - (Assistant PYP Coordinator)
My Dear Friend You make me feel so special Your honest words, Your loving caress, Your intent gaze, Your pure heart, Your playful attitude All of these Bring out the child in me. I want to be reckless, I want to explore the unknown, I want to live for the moment, I want to be carefree and bold, I want to... Relive my life all over again With you.. My Dear Friend.
laughingcolours.com
Friendship, it's such a quaint idea, it has so many varied interpretations and yet it can be defined by one word‘connection’- the deep connection which we share with our friends. When you are with friends you may be at the pinnacle of your individuality or you may be one with the crowd, it hardly matters. You do most of the things because that’s what your friends do and you have no opinion whatsoever, but, what matters is that you matter to them and they, to you. With friends you can be cent percent predictable or totally unpredictable and yet in both the cases it would be the most sensible thing to do. You can share all your wisdom which is horrendous or very wise with unbridled arrogance, you would either get zealous hoots or angry kicks, but you would find equal satisfaction in receiving both. Argument, is one of those things which has neither use nor charm and yet arguing with friends could be the most charming and favourable use of time you ever had. Friendship entails all the paradoxes and upholds them true to the tried test of time… Make friends..Make life worth living...Dedicated to all my loving friends.
Vision for Senior School I believe that the ability to learn, reflect on the learning and to apply it in real life context is what education is all about. The Senior school years play a crucial role in preparing the students to become responsible adults. These years lay a foundation to work towards a bright future through all the teenage upheaval. Amongst the dilemma of neither being a child nor an adult, adolescents struggle to sculpt their identity. The challenge is to build character as well as competence (as stated in our mission statement) in students so that they are prepared to face the real world. Fountainhead is on its way to do all the required groundwork to be able to support learners when they step out of the school and discover newer horizons. With the arrival of the next academic year, Grade 7 will be following the Middle Years Program; Grades 8, 9 and 10, the IGCSE and Grades 11 and 12, the Diploma Program. With the IGCSE, we are doing quite well in all the aspects - trained faculties, successful curriculum execution and good results. (However), we are still restrained by the curriculum requirements of the IGCSE, which compels us to limit our teaching to the prescribed textbooks. The timelines and the curriculum (content to be covered) demand, leaves very little scope to engage students in hands on learning and give them opportunities to demonstrate real life application of what is learnt. The MYP will allow for student initiated inquiry and action. The MYP will also allow time for arts and design (which is problem solving with regards to product design and digital design and a combination of both) which is not offered in the IGCSE to everyone. This is what makes the move to MYP more exciting and rewarding. Students will take ownership of their learning and it will be self directed with teacher support. MYP will also help us build a strong foundation for the DP program, which most of our students will be doing eventually. We will surely get more opportunities for experiential learning with the advent of the MYP. Fountainhead School is authorised to offer the IBDP program and we are in the second year of implementation. We have taken all necessary steps to make the program successful in the long run. Acquiring qualified faculty and training them to be competent to teach the varied subject groups, are the major challenges of the DP Program. We are aiming at building a robust team of teachers over the years who are both skilled and trained to deliver effectively. To ensure this, we have professional development plans in place for our teachers, so that they are constantly updated about the IB curriculum and teaching pedagogy. We also aim at providing all the necessary support to our students to ensure that the subjects chosen by them in DP are aligned with their career choices. We also intend to increase the subjects offered and tweak the subject combinations to be able to fulfill the requirements of a majority of the students in the coming years. Along with this, we have a team of career counsellors (in school as well as a tie-up with an external career counsellor). They set up panel discussions with experts / professionals across fields, provide support in the summer training programs, plan for apprenticeships, student exchange programs etc. We also provide for one on one counselling with students and parents to ensure that the subject selection for the IGCSE and DP is aligned with the career choice of the student. The counsellors brace the entire process of helping students choose appropriate universities and sending applications for the same. We intend to strengthen these processes and systems in the long run. We are also looking at alternatives for students who (might) find the DP challenging, an issue that has been addressed in greater detail in the article by Mr. Vardan Kabra. Nurturing and developing both character and competence or holistic growth of students, is the heart of education at Fountainhead. By holistic education, we mean not only in terms of academics, but also building
skills in arts and sports. Arts Special and Physical Sports offer a variety of options to students, to choose and pursue an artform and a sport of their interest. Various field trips and educational trips are planned throughout the year, which give students opportunities to develop their social skills. These trips are integrated with the curriculum in most cases, thereby providing opportunity for experiential learning. We also focus on addressing teen issues, problems with regard to body image, self esteem, relationships, sexulaity, addictions (technology, substance abuse) etc. which our students are battling with, on a day to day basis. Life classes and mentoring sessions are planned through the year to address all the abovementioned issues effectively. We also have a team of wellbeing counsellors who empower teachers in dealing with students’ emotions on a day to day basis. We intend to strengthen our programs to address emotional intelligence in all our students, which includes identifying your emotions, expressing them in the right way, anger management etc. Time and again, we have also attempted to address these issues with the parents during PTMs and PTCs. To be able to do this effectively, we are also planning to (conduct) one day workshops (annually), where we intend to get the communication flowing between the parents and students. A similar workshop format was held recently with few Grade 10 students and parents this year as a pilot, and we received affirmative responses. Such forums open up a channel for discussing many issues such as choice of careers, usage of gadgets, relationship with siblings etc, which enable both the student and parent to be on the same page. They also help in identifying many paradigms through which parents operate and help in improving the quality of relationship in the long run. Parenting is always work in progress, and every step taken to introspect or appraising oneself is worth the effort. We look forward to active participation by parents in our efforts to help them bridge the gap and move towards effective parenting. Teaching and learning at Fountainhead is learner centric. Teachers facilitate learning effectively (teachers are trained to be like a guide on the side and not a sage on the stage). It is contextualised and modified as per the need of the learner. Within the constraints of the timetable, we are struggling to manage remedial classes for students across subjects in senior school. But we have been doing remedials consistently especially for mathematics during the playtime slot. We have worked towards providing some support to ESL learners as well. Remediation is something that we would want to work on in the future. We aim to provide maximum support to our students within school, so that they do not have to depend on additional external support. This has been an ongoing challenge for the whole school, and we will find a way forward. With the MYP, we are hoping there will be more scope for differentiation within the class and flexibility in curriculum to meet the needs of all learners. Students as well as teachers are lifelong learners. Teachers are required to be acquainted with the current developments around the world and the impact of the same. Keeping oneself updated with Innovations in teaching, technology innovation and professional development is ongoing and mandatory for all teachers across subject groups. Our teachers connect with other teachers across the globe through various platforms. Collaborative learning is encouraged. Focus is not only on “knowledge” but its application to real life situations, and development of the required skills for the same. Having the right teaching practices in place will ultimately lead to improved students’ results.
The senior school already has a culture of openness, transparency, awareness and reliability. Students as independent learners who take responsibility for their learning. Student leadership has played a crucial role in various inter-school/inter-house arts, literary and sports events. Our students have participated in MUNs organised by a various other schools and brought laurels to our schools. Thereafter, the trained MUNners have successfully organised Fountainhead School Model United Nations, which has been well received by the participants in our region over the past two years. Besides this, our DP students have conducted various events inside and outside school for spreading awareness for breast cancer and similar other causes. We intend to continue to provide many such opportunities for our learners in the future where they can develop and demonstrate leadership in
organising and managing such events. The Student Judicial Committee - student's voice, which helps reach amicable solutions to difference of opinion about school policies or expectations from students. We aim for our students to be Internationally Minded individuals and exercise freedom with responsibility. I envision a future where Fountainhead School will be at the forefront to create leaders with an innovative ability, entrepreneurial zeal, integrity, intelligence, competence and above all character. And I am hoping that together all of us, parents, students and the Fountainhead team can make this happen!
Bhumika Parmar - (Vice-Principal Senior School)
Are we hooked by the social media??? I remember the days when in contact numbers we used to write PP (per procurationem- the nearest contact number, but not self owned) numbers and also remember the long queues outside the STD shop after 9 pm. just to call our kin and cousins . Social networking was not very popular those days. But today it has become OXYGEN for us. I see a lot of advantages of it, but beware it’s an addiction. No matter whether the phone pings or not, we still glance at it several times in between our work. It’s getting hard to control. We just browse unnecessary things on the internet, and in turn it hampers the productivity. The eagerness of meeting our acquaintances has vanished, days are gone when we used to plan coffees, dinners and get-togethers as we have become busy in updating the status and letting others know “Today I am not feeling good”. C'mon that’s not going to help. We are becoming social media slaves. It’s taking toll on our physical and mental health. We are becoming dependent on others reaction to our status. Why? Overuse of social networking is leading us almost with no real conversations. Considering the case of children, to my surprise, the longer the friend list, the popular the child is. Whether they know them or not is a secondary issue. This can be dangerous. Parents should monitor their children for the time they spend on social networking. Make sure that they don’t share their personal information. Give them confidence that they can share everything with them. Let the child use the computer in a common room where there’s traffic. I don’t deny to the fact that social networking is a great platform in terms of keeping in touch with family and friends living abroad and also for learning new things by joining groups. But let not the weakness of inability to control social networking rule their childhood. Let us help them avoid becoming victims of this virtual world. As a parent we can be their best guide. Let’s be with them.
Anita Singh - (Parent of Siddharth Singh, Grade 6 - Excogitate)
A BETTER MEMORY: (Last seen at ( still thinking) ) Social media..microblogging..trending..viral..hashtag.. Emojis.. Some of the new words entering our list of vocabulary in the last couple of years... There is absolutely no living in denial about the goodness of social media.. Be it the way we got reconnected with our friends through FaceBook ..the pleasure of chats on Whatsapp groups.. The fab forums like quora..the tapping of talent through IBIBO ..Pinterest..Tumblr..the list is inexhaustible. Something which sounded once like a fib of imagination, castles in air.. Came into being by the works of tech-giants and some brilliant brains. But as much food is kept on the buffet table, not all has to be consumed..here too we are supposed to make our choices.. and refrain from gadget gluttony. Someone had played with the words "I'm using Whatsapp " and turned it into "Whatsapp is using me!! Amusing!! Not amusing are the sights one often sees around, thanks to social media. - people at social gatherings checking their phones incessantly instead of bonding with the live person in front of them! Ardent cell fans.. err.. Cellphone users in a multiplex put a strain on our retina and brain, to no ends.. People sending wishes over social media, but fail to respond and express in person...somehow in the virtual world we have lost the civility we expect from each other in the real world. The world is shrinking indeed, for now it comes packed in a 6 by 5 inch cluster of metal and plastic. Like a bedtime ritual and morning newspaper, we don't miss on checking updates..or do we? In the quest of this "being updated " we miss our dates with our near and dear ones.. Often if not always.. It happens in continuum..not all of a sudden..a loss of dialogue rather than a chat which lacks eye contact, gestures and the real feel.. “Aankho hi aankho mein Ishaara ho Gaya” .. Excuse me for getting nostalgic . These are wondrous platforms..the power of social media is harnessed time and time again by leaders to promote causes (remember Abki baar..), spread awareness, giving momentum to social drives. You name it and we've had it. From RAGA to NAMO to LOL, we have mastered the art of abbreviation... And mind you, vowels are listed in the endangered list now;)
Jokes apart it's time to shift gears... Detoxify...go off net socially for a certain period.. A friend did so and I felt wow! What an idea Sirji!! And detoxify is an apt verb to describe it. On gatherings, night-outs and meets, lay down rules...no one has to pick their gadgets (T & C apply). Yet not a thing will work wonders as will work the will and self awareness to refrain in moderation. A little ironical it is, that an ad on social media taught me "disconnect to connect". Rinki Agarwal - (Parent of Shiven Agarwal, Grade 4 - Fortitude)
HOW NEW DIGITAL MEDIA INFLUENCES / AFFECTS YOUR LEARNING? It is rightly said that ‘Change Is Constant’. We see changes all around us. But the obvious and prominent change is in the digital world. It has made the world a global village by making life easy and things accessible. But as we know, there are benefits and ill effects to everything, similarly, new digital media can be both, a useful servant as well as a dangerous master. Our Grade 5 students who have the ownership to their Chromebooks are highly influenced and affected by this new digital media. Their unit ‘How we organize ourselves”, talked about the same. So let’s hear from our students what they have to say about the influence of the new digital media on their lives. “New digital media affected my learning, it helped me improve my vocabulary, grammar, sentence fluency mathematical skills, etc. It also helped me complete my homework, clear my doubts and even for my research-work”. [Jiaa Bhatia] “New Digital Media is more interactive. It helps me get information, share my views and projects with my teachers and friends from anywhere in the world. It helps me study at my own pace and time”. [Arsh Shiliwala] “New digital media provides many sites to the learners in order to gain information. Old methods of procuring information from the books is time consuming, whereas getting information using new digital media is just a click away. So new digital media has made studies more handy and interesting”. [Ananya Khurana] “Talking about how new digital media affects my learning always makes me talk about its negative points. Let me start with my chromebook. As soon as I open my chromebook I feel as if someone has hypnotised me and is telling me to have fun instead of checking the blog or studying. It’s telling me to listen to songs and chat with my friends and of course I always get hypnotised and so lately, I am worried about my studies”. [Shomya Dubey] “It lowers our concentration on studies eg. online games, online shopping, videos, etc. The games are very attractive but excess of it ruins our eyesight. It has videos, the content of which is not appropriate for us to watch. It can be misused by others as anybody can edit our pictures or hack our account. So, we need to be more cautious while being online and while using new digital media”. [Swara Sojitra] Chandni Gandhi - HRT (Grade 5 - Reciprocity)
Digital technology a boon or bane
How new digital media and technology has influenced teaching
Is digital technology taking over teaching? It is debatable indeed, but it carries its own limits, While there is also some opposition to it But how can one deny that it’s a hit, Let me tell you, ‘Technology doesn’t change anything.’ It provides enriched opportunities to learn and grow, Not exclusively for teachers but for every heart and soul, With vivacious exploration, students draw the details they want to know. Proceeding further, I accept, students are immersed in technology They are readily taking on this new mythology. But did anyone try to find, ‘What’s trending in their classroom?’ Collaboration, Communication, and Creativity are on boom. Integrating technology into the classroom, isn’t it good? It accommodates students learning with a diverse range of needs Doubtlessly, it also helps teachers cope with the pedagogical challenges, Even when it appears we can’t sustain the damages. Going further, just play your part as a digital parent, And simply do not worry about the technology that is inherent, The truth that is indeed transparent. In fact it provides a scope of lot of transformation that is apparent. Therefore, be productive producers and consumers of technology, Which is a strengthening economically strong knowledge based society, Undeniably, it supports the education system in India, Remember our prime minister saying, ‘Make India a Digital India.’ Ritu Chopra - HRT (Grade 5 - Consortium )
The teaching and learning environment has definitely changed in school settings. In the age of new digital media / technology, the educational experience in the classroom has become more engaging, challenging, significant and relevant. Teachers are trained through various workshops so that they are updated with the changes in the educational scenario around the world. Teachers need to utilize a variety of teaching tools where students’ interest level is maintained. As this generation is tech savvy right from birth, ( Oh yes! Thanks to the rhymes in your mobile phones and ipads) they adapt to this change easily. Through computer presentations created by students using Powerpoint, Powtoon, Prezi, watching educational videos on Youtube, using Google Classroom for assignments, to interacting with other students from different countries through Skype, who are studying the same unit; technology plays an important role making students confident and competent with the outside world. Whilst technology has made abundance of information available with a click of a finger, it becomes all the more imperative to filter and analyse the same load of information for the teacher as well as the student. So, unless technology is used judiciously, it may affect little in terms of "Education Enhancement". Himani Desai - HRT (Grade 5 - Synergy)
Inspiration is such a beautiful word! It brings to mind bright, happy sunshine with golden rays of hope and positivity. We all need inspiration, we all look for inspiration around us and when we meet someone who inspires us, that person becomes a “guru” for us The sanskrit word “guru” means from darkness to light. The syllable ‘gu’ means darkness, the syllable ‘ru’, he who dispels them, because of the power to dispel darkness, the guru is thus named*. Similarly, an inspiring person shows us the sunshine and silver lining when dark clouds are looming over our mind. I do not necessarily mean that a person has to be down the dumps to get inspired. Sometimes, the routine and monotony of life gets to us and when we meet an interesting personality, we are inspired. I have been thinking about this for a while, and I thought I could write about 3 people who recently inspired me A senior school teacher had invited a friend of hers called Tenzin Tsundue to speak to senior school students at FS in the month of December. Tenzin is a Tibetan activist and a poet. He is actively involved in Tibet’s freedom movement (Rangzen). He has been imprisoned a few times for his activism. As luck would have it, I had the fortune to interact with him. He spoke so passionately about his mission in life (Free Tibet), how he wears a red bandana all the time to protest against the Chinese occupation of Tibet, how he dared to climb onto the 14th floor of Oberoi Towers in Mumbai and hoisted the Tibetan flag and the subsequent litigation he faced. He recited poetry with such depth that I was moved to tears. Meeting a person like Tenzin reminded me of the diversity of the world we live in. Here is a person who grew up in South India, studied in Mumbai and now lives in Dharamshala to pursue his mission. In fact, even the students who interacted with him, thought he was terrific and wanted more time with him. My second inspiration for December was Shaheen Mistri. For those who are unfamiliar with her story, Shaheen is the CEO of Teach for India. She has had a privileged childhood studying in foreign countries and was moved by the sight of poverty when she was in India on vacation visiting her grandparents. She chose to stay back and started Akanksha, an after school program for underprivileged children. Shaheen’s presence is electrifying. She had some very simple messages for all of us and the one that struck a chord with me
was “ to be authentic”. I just need to be who I am and do a lot of small things with great love and passion and the big things will just take care of themselves. When I feel overwhelmed with work, I remind myself of her message. Shaheen also interacted with students of Grade 3 and a few teachers and they were all mesmerized and charged by her sessions. My third inspiration came from Michelle Chawla who runs a school called “Tamarind Tree” in a chickoo orchard located in a small village on the outskirts of Dahanu town. This school caters to the Warli tribe. I was amazed to see that the tribal children there spoke pretty good English, comfortably used laptops and could email and video conference confidently. This school has a small team of 7-8 teachers catering to 150 children. Michelle and her husband Hemant, have also done some significant work in documenting the oral history of the Warli tribe. They also run a farming program to help city kids learn the crop cycle of rice. It’s so encouraging to see some groundbreaking work happening in education. I keep dreaming about some fantastic things but, life gives me a reality check every now and then to bring me back to earth. But meeting such passionate and committed people to whatever causes they believe in, again fuels in me a sense of possibility to pursue ambitious and audacious dreams!
Ankita Diwekar Kabra (Deputy Head of School & Primary School Principal) * Advayataraka Upanishad, Verse 16[22][23]
Boredom is a blessing as well as a curse In an ocean, the waves keep coming non-stop, it doesn't get bored! Birds sing the same song, every morning, all their life, they don’t get bored! It is only human beings that get bored! ‘Oh! Once again the same thing.” And the reason why do you get bored is because of your memory.You remember whatever you have done before and so you get bored. Memory works both as a hinderance as well as an assistance to human brains. It is because you get bored that you feel the need to look for something different, something new, and that is how creativity comes up; you look for the ultimate. Otherwise, you would have remained like an animal doing the same thing every day. But, you can’t do it because you have the memory not to repeat it and get bored! Exclusively there are two different paths which boredom leads you to..Blessing which leads to wisdom curse which leads to frustration and depression.
Boredom as a blessing- Because you get bored, you move on, you look forward, you become a seeker and you move higher. Moreover, when you are bored, you, can’t enjoy, and when you can’t enjoy it leads to frustration and when that builds up,you wake up..break free and start with a new quest. You move ahead and look at life, which makes you aware of your inner-self which is fresh all the time! The SELF is ever new!! In fact when you get bored with the ephemeral, the surface, you go deep into the self. At the same time, boredom is also a curse because it doesn’t allow you to stabilize yourself at one place. Hence your mind keeps jumping from one place to another.You are never satisfied. Concluding it in a nutshell, BOREDOM is both a curse and a blessing: a blessing as it takes you away from the monotonous life in the pursuit of something different and, Curse as it doesn’t let you stabilize your life and you are always on go. Rashi Dhenia - Student (Grade 10 - Quintessence)
Go Green Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! “The earth is what we all have in common.” This quote by Wendell Berry, makes me feel responsible towards ‘OUR EARTH.’ As it is rightly said, “Every right implies a responsibility, every opportunity, an obligation, every possession, a duty.” (John D. Rockefeller). We all have a right on the earth as it’s ours, and as it’s ours, we also have responsibilities and along with them a certain set of duties. Grade 1 learners showcased their responsibilities towards the environment through small but valuable deeds. They started off by understanding the different kind of wastes, which helped the students realize the need for managing the waste. They learnt different ways to manage the waste by reducing, reusing and recycling. Students had hands on experience to understand the concepts of reuse and recycle, by focusing on wastes like food and paper. They made their own table mats and hand made paper from used chart papers and old newspapers. This was done through VA integration. Here, they experienced the joy of reusing and recycling the waste, and its positive impact on the environment.
Apart from this, they also took initiatives for managing waste by making table mats, handmade papers, pen stands, pouches etc. using the “best out of waste” policy. They wrote stories on waste management and also tried reducing the wastage of electricity, food, plastic and water by using the apt amount and also by spreading awareness. To maximize the positive impact on the environment, Grade 1 students organized an “Awareness campaign.” Students performed a street play, and started a flash mob. In addition to Fountainhead, this act was presented in a school at Kunkni, at VR Mall, and at U-turn. Their task was to enlighten more and more number of people with their knowledge. This unit turned out to be a great success as our young learners reflected well and emerged into responsible citizens. Riya Parikh Bothra - HRT (Grade 1 - Concord)
Students also connected this to the attitude, Empathy, when they were shown the data on food wastage at school and the number of children that wasted food could have fed.. They showed great enthusiasm to recycle the waste food by making a “Magic Gamla.”
DIGITAL PORTFOLIO
Seesaw empowers teachers to capture students' learning with photos and videos of their work, or by adding digital creations. Everything is organized in one place and is accessible to parents from any device. Student work can be shared with classmates, parents, or published in a class blog. Seesaw gives students a real audience for their work and offers parents a personalized window into their child's learning. Implementation of SEESAW in Grade 2 Under the TDT 'WHO WE ARE', students inquired into the unit, “Games can enhance understanding about us.” This unit was majorly integrated with PE, where the learners were given opportunities to learn about themselves through games. SEESAW worked as a boon for us as we were able to capture the pictures as well as videos and share them with the parents. Parents stay connected and appreciate the work by liking /commenting on the posts. Seesaw also provides a calendar view which provides us with the information of the number of documents uploaded on a particular date. It also helps us monitor the progress made by a child over a period of time. Since our UOIs are transdisciplinary, single subject teachers were also added to the class created by the Homeroom teachers, so that they can also upload pictures/videos of the inquiry happening in their classes. Teachers can control the viewership, as well as the feedback options such as likes and comments. After receiving an overwhelming response from the parents, we thought of using Seesaw to demonstrate the students’ journey of learning Language and Math along with the UOI. We added students images/videos that showcased their Math and Language skill development. These pictures/videos are organised into subject specific folders which makes it easy for the parents to view their child's progress-subjectwise. The major benefit of Seesaw is that parents need not wait for the SLC or Open House, in order to discuss their child's progress. They get immediate access to their child's learning and a guidance where they need to work with their child. Seesaw is easily accessible on all the gadgets. So let’s see-saw with Seesaw. Shruti Patel - HRT (Grade 2 - Explore)
Reference: http://www.marketwired.com/pressrelease/seesaw-the-learning-journalgives-parents-personalized-windowinto-their-childs-school-1985926.htm
Football @ FS This year, both the PYP and the MY Fountainhead School football teams, had a busy schedule. The teams participated in a number of events and gave a good account of themselves at each competition. I am very proud of them all. Throughout the year the footballers participated in many official and open competitions and here are the results of the events. 72 students were selected and approximately 45 students participated in the games. ŸIn 6 competitions we stood 1st (Under-17 girls Subroto Cup, U-12 Tapti Valley Cup, U-15 FS cup, Above 16 Khel Mahakumbh, U-17 FS cup boys, U-17 FS cup girls) Ÿ ŸIn 3 competitions we stood 2nd (U-17, girls state level Subroto Cup, U-13 FS cup, U-17 FS cup girls) Ÿ ŸIn 3 competitions we stood 3rd (U-14 Subroto Cup, U-16 Khel Mahakumbh, U-13 Khel Mahakumbh)
It has been a great journey with these athletes and it goes without saying that we are in a position to continue this trend for many more years to come, but on the flip side, we also stand to lose a few of our senior school athletes as they will be graduating this year. We would like to thank and honour them for paving the way for our next generation. Anwer Hans - (PYP PE Teacher & Football coach)
Get updated before you get outdated! This year as a pilot project, Jr. KG along with Grade 2 took up the initiative to have online student portfolios. We wondered, that if we are able to successfully maintain the online daily diary through Nucleus, term-wise reporting through email and the PTC’s through Google Hangouts, then why not online portfolios? These portfolios which both the students and the teachers strenuously work to compile throughout the year should be valued. Moving into the 21st century, this initiative of keeping portfolios online helps to reduce paper wastage. This tool keeps the parents updated about what their child is learning or his/her achievements on an ongoing basis. The tool is user friendly and is available on most platforms. Just like we are updated about our friends on social media platforms like Facebook or Whatsapp, we get updates on our child’s progress through the Seesaw app. Benefits of online portfolio ŸWe can record the child’s video during a learning engagement and upload it. ŸWe also have the option to take pictures or put up illustrations made by the students. ŸVoice recordings can also be put up so that the student can reflect on their understanding about what they have learnt during a particular
learning engagement. ŸThe portfolios are live, so no waiting for the PTC! ŸThe portfolios are customised to be viewed only by the child’s parents. ŸParents can also express their views through likes and comments. ŸThe portfolio is always a click away! So let's get updated before we get outdated as the days of bulky portfolios and photocopying worksheets are over! Welcome Seesaw! Suchi Dakoria - HRT (Jr.KG - Indigo) Anupama Khedkar - HRT (Jr.KG - Yellow)
Jobs fill your pocket. Adventures fill your soul! - Jaime Lyn Beatty Helen Keller once said, "Life's a daring adventure or nothing!" Believe it or not it's true! People spend their lives in filling their pockets and soul is empty till they lay on the death bed unconscious! I believe that you must take chances when you're young so that you can tell stories to your grandchildren when you're old. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Dream as if you were to live forever and live as if you were to die today." Live each and every moment as it's your last one. If you love trekking, go ahead, join the group and experience the beauty of nature. Well, just remember that travel while you're young and able. Don't worry about the money because experience will always be far more valuable than money will ever be. People worry and save money for the future and have no fun in the present and don't realize the fact that no amount of guilt can change the past and no amount of worry can change the future. One day when you'll reach the end of the rope you'll be grateful for the wonderful experiences life gave you. It's not necessary to be rich monetarily it's far more necessary to be rich with memories. While you will fight the
The place I want to visit There are many beautiful, amazing and historical places in the world. But I would like to visit the moon because since childhood it’s been my dream. When I saw the moon for the first time, it’s miraculous beauty touched my heart. I had always raised my hand and tried to touch the moon but I was not able to do so. As I grew up my passion got stronger and now I have decided that I will go to the moon and fulfill my wish...my dream. If it would be my good fortune to be on the moon what a great feeling it would be to feel weightless, the reason being the gravitational pull on the moon is only one- sixth, that of the earth!!!!! How would I frisk about lightly. I certainly would like to see how high I can jump and how fast I can run on the moon. I know this is wishful thinking. It would be awesome to land the spacecraft there and to see the earth from a distance and look at the earth hanging in the black sky. I always think if the moon looks so shiny from a distance, then how would it look from nearby when I will be there. As Neil Armstrong set his footprints on the moon, I would like to do the same. Another reason to visit the moon is to explore the possibility for a new home for humans. I know it is not easy to go on the moon or even survive on the moon because neither there is air nor water. I know, I have to earn lots of money and do a lot of hard work to visit my dream place- The Moon.
Arya Vachhani - Student (Grade 4 - Freedom)
पेड़ जब म खुश होती ,पेड़ का च बनाती , पेड़ देता मुझे फल , जससे होती म सफल मेरा है एक गावँ पेड़ देता मुझे छावं , मने सुनाई एक क वता , अब आप भी लखो एक क वता | Parisha Thakkar - Student (Grade 3 - Imbue)
last days of your life you will be contented and satisfied for what you've done for yourself by spending the bucks that once filled your pocket but at the same time your soul was filled with the memories which will forever stay in your heart! Sometimes I even pity humans to not be able to migrate just as the birds do. Every time you travel, you will make remarkable memories which you will be obsessed throughout your life. Fifteen years from now, I will remember how I had whined like a baby to be allowed to climb the tree in Mexico. Twenty-five years from now, I will miss how I forced my dad to let me skydive though I wasn't eighteen. Thirty-five years from now, I will look back and remember how I hated to be in the picture and how I was forced to put on my fake smile. Forty-five years from now, I will look back and laugh remembering the moment when I craved for an ice-cream at Cold Stone. Finally, I just want to say: Live as it's your last! CARPE DIEM! Priyanka Tulsiani - Student (Grade 8 - Verve)
My dream places One day I woke up in my soft bed and in front of my eyes was a painting of an unknown man hanging on my wall. I got curious to know about this man. I started searching for him and after three months I found him. I started following him everywhere he went. I went to Agra behind him where I took a look at the beautiful white Taj Mahal. Then he went to Delhi where I followed him from the famous India Gate, to the brilliant Red Fort and to the beautiful Jama Masjid too. Then he took a flight and went straight to Paris, where he got busy with his business work and so I visited the tall and beautiful Eiffel Tower. I followed him for 6 months to all the wonderful places Berlin, Australia, Egypt, Europe and London. I enjoyed a lot over there. Then, following him I reached Las Vegas, where I played in a well managed big Casino and enjoyed the wonderfully decorated city. Then, I heard the sound of my alarm clock ringing - Tring Tring - Tring – Tring. Suddenly I woke up. Oh! This all was a dream, but, in my dream I visited all the famous and nice places I always wanted to visit and I really do wish that my this amazing dream would come true someday.
Neeti Poddar - Student (Grade - 4 - Mettle)
कु ा
नदी
मेरा कु ा है मोटा , रात को ब त है रोता , खाता है वो ह ी, ठं डी म पहनता है च ी |
नदी का िकनारा , होता है ारा , सबसे सं ुदर लगता ह,ै जब सूरज नदी म डू बता है |
Jeevisha Mudit Surana - Student (Grade 3 - Illustrate)
Jiyaa Dinesh Parchwani - Student (Grade 3 - Illustrate)
माँ मेरी माँ ारी ारी , मेरी माँ ारी ारी , मेरी माँ बड़ी सायानी , मेरी माँ प रयो ं क रानी , मेरी माँ के क बनाती , मेरी माँ सबको खलाती | Yashna Sheth - Student (Grade 3 - Innovate)
Interschool sports @ FS Fountainhead school organizes Inter school sports events each year. Our school strongly believes that Sports and Physical Education are necessary components of human development, good health, and companionship simultaneously promoting the spirit of friendly competition. The main purpose behind organizing these competitions is to give students a platform to play different sports with fairness and healthy competitive level. Another objective is to promote sports across schools in Surat. It also gives an opportunity to students to identify their strengths & weaknesses and teaches them to cope with challenges. Plus points Ÿ We received positive responses from all the schools whom we invited. Ÿ We were appreciated for our hospitality and efforts put in for the tournaments. Ÿ All the departments ( PE Team, Transport, Administration and the support staff) worked exceptionally hard to ensure that these events were successful. Ÿ This time Fountainhead took the initiative to introduce a couple of new sports like Yoga & Table Tennis, for the Interschool competitions, and we got positive feedback for the same.
Our Interschool Football competition was excellent and well organized. We had received the, equipment, buses, food and assistance in a timely fashion. The event unfolded without any problems and culminated in a victory for our Mighty FS. I would like to add that the organization and preparation was chaired and directed by the departments of FS with great care and professionalism. Keep up the good effort and let's do it again...FS PRIDE..! Kalpesh Patel - (PYP PE Football coach) Approximately, 80 students participated in the Table Tennis competition. Coaches and officials appreciated Fountainhead School for being punctual. Top seeded players of Gujarat participated in the event. Overall the tournament went off well. Mahmood Surti & Zulkif Jelani - (PYP PE Table tennis coaches) The Yoga competition was organized for the first time at FS and was a great experience for the participants. There were 14 schools and 98 participants for the competition. The event went off smoothly. Akhil Gujarati - (PYP PE Yoga coach)
Challenges The only difficulty we faced this time was that we received double the participants as compared to the previous year. The biggest challenge we faced was sticking to the planned schedule, but nevertheless, it all went off very well. Asif Patel - (PYP PE Roller Skating Coach) Teacher’s feedback The Interschool Athletics Competition was organized by Fountainhead School in which around 15 schools and 700 participants took part. This time the event was for the age group, under 10 and 12. The event was a great success as many young and energetic participants could be seen geared up on the field, with the passion to win. The event started and ended on time. Due to which the participants didn’t have to wait. The FS boys stood 1st and the FS girls stood 2nd in both the categories of under 10 & 12. Oomer Badat - (PYP PE Athletics coach)
How I wish!
So I would like to dedicate this poem to all the children out there.
When I read the email that our editorial team was collecting articles for the next newsletter, I thought of giving it a try... So I decided to write about what makes me gear up every morning. Well it’s nothing new, but to be with children. Yes my EY students, “the small wonders” whom I meet 5 days a week and who are with me from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm.
Child’s Play I am free as a bird, to fly as I please; free to laugh, tickle and giggle, free to tease; I swirl as gently as the cool, light summer breeze; My touch is as soft as a newborn lamb’s fleece; I am the page of history, that has yet no crease; The clean face of mankind without grime or grease…
The way they talk, the way they share a piece of their life with me everyday, the moments when they are very happy or sad, even the moments when they end up calling me “maa” or “mumma” and the way they shy out after. It gives me immense joy and satisfaction when I see them growing like free birds - independent, confident, enthusiastic, energetic and enjoying their colorful journey of learning, which was not the same with me and many of you out there. But I don’t regret it as I too had my little share of that carefree life and so do you, right!
‘...Oh, to never grow up, to never have to pay any dues or fees; To never be stopped by a doctor from eating butter or cheese; To never experience hatred, to never snap or snatch or seize; To never have to fight for anything other than peace; To never be caught in the clutches of misery, fighting for release; To never let this joy in living, this happiness decrease; Oh, to always be free as a bird, to fly as I please... Poet unknown. Anita Sibi - HRT (Sr.KG - Kindle)
COINCIDENCES Einstein once joked that coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous. However, he believed that ‘God does not play dice with the Universe’. For ages, men have attributed coincidences to God. When we hold something in our thoughts, then coincidence leads us in that direction[1], which sounds much like Shahrukh’s dialogue from ‘Om Shanti Om’! Some opine that coincidences are not accidents but signals from the universe which guide us toward our true destiny[2,3]. Rationalists say that ‘fortune favors the brave’ and that ‘the eyes see what the mind knows’. They do not believe in chance or luck. Maybe once is happenstance, twice is coincidence but thrice is enemy action”[4]. Recent characters like Buffy too, do not believe in coincidences [5]. Coincidences are ‘spiritual puns’[6]. and when men cannot come to a consensus, they turn to the Scriptures. The word coincidence is used only once in the New Testament. What appears to us as random chance is in fact overseen by a sovereign God[7]. Jesus said that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without our Father’s notice[8]. God states “I am God and I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come [9]. The Holy Koran unequivocally states that “Nothing is coincidence and there is Allah’s wisdom behind everything. In the Bhagavad Gita too, Lord Krishna tells us that it’s our thought process that governs our destiny of life. It’s just the fruits of our karma that make us lucky or unlucky. The holy Scriptures seem to agree upon the fact that there is no coincidence, but that everything is pre-ordained. But the last word goes to ‘The Doctor’, who most practically says that "Never ignore a coincidence. Unless you're busy, in which case, always ignore a coincidence”[10] Dr. Rishi Grover - Parent Bibliography & References : 1. Richard Bach | 2. Deepak Chopra; “The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire” | 3. Friedrich Schiller | 4. Ian Fleming; Goldfinger | 5. Buffy, The Vampire Slayer; Faith, Hope & Tricks; American TV Series | 6. G.K. Chesterton| 7. Luke 12:7; The New Testament | 8. Matthew 10:29; The New Testament | 9. Isaiah 46:9–11; The New Testament 10. Doctor Who; The Pandorica Opens (2010); BBC TV Series
Football, my loving sport I have been playing football since I was 7. I first played in defence but now I am one of the best goalkeepers in Grade 5 and this became possible because of my sir. I am proud to say that my favourite coach is, Mr.Anwer. I learnt all the tricks and trades of the game from him, and I am a good player only because of him. Let me tell you a few details about my favorite sport. The sport of soccer (called football in most parts of the world) is considered to be the world's most popular sport. In soccer there are two teams of eleven players each and one goalkeeper. It is played in almost every country. The main football tournament is called FIFA (It was last played in 2014 in Brazil. Germany won the title.) The goalkeeper is the lucky one because he can use his hands whereas the rest of the players can only use their feet. The footballers wear their team jersey and they also wear shin guards stockings and cleats. The goalkeeper wears cleats and he wears gloves for safety and for better grip. Anuj Chhaparia ‘The best goalkeeper in Grade 5’ - Student (Grade 5 - Conglomerate)
Shalini Fudhnawala - (Content Editor)
Mary Gerad
A workshop on Chittara Tribal painting was conducted at Fountainhead from 4th8th April, 2016, under the guidance of renowned artist Mr.Ishwar Naik (From Karnataka). A few teachers and students actively participated to learn this art-form.
Shalini Fudhnawala
SPICMACAY
SAIBSA SAIBSA stands for South Asia International Baccalaureate Schools Association. The SAIBSA aims at fostering a sense of IB school community in the South Asia region by providing a collaborative network of professional support, keeping in mind the aims and objectives of the IB, support in promoting the IB programmes in the region and work in cooperation with the IB Asia- Pacific Regional Office, Singapore. Every year SAIBSA hosts Job alike events for all the three programmes PYP, MYP & DP. Fountainhead teachers have always been attending the SAIBSA job alike sessions as participants which focuses on sharing best practices of different IB schools. This year, around 21 schools registered for SAIBSA with 310 members attending the event. Three members from the Fountainhead family got the opportunity to facilitate a session at SAIBSA. Abhinav Awasthi ( DP Coordinator) took a session on “Business management”, Somnath Mitra ( PYP Music teacher) took a session on “Music integration in the PYP” and I , Sanjana Amarnani ( PYP coordinator) took a session on “Differentiated teaching and learning practices”. This is what we felt while presenting at SAIBSA;
Taking a session on “Differentiated teaching and learning practices” at SAIBSA was an experience in itself. Sharing best practices with many IB schools from different states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu was like having a potluck of ideas and strategies implemented by different schools. It was a highly satisfying experience which made me realize that Ankita’s and Vardan’s guidance and coaching has brought us here.
Sanjana Amarnani - (PYP Coordinator)
SAIBSA represents a diverse community of IB practitioners. It was an honour to facilitate for the Business Management Session at the DP SAIBSA held at RBK International Academy, Mumbai. SAIBSA brings home the point that we all are life long learners and we as a community of educators, we continue to grow through the learning and the sharing. SAIBSA is indeed an incredible platform for sharing teaching ideas. I personally felt that there is a need to share resources and ideas as IB teaching is a lifelong journey and the experience for the same can be enriched through collaboration and guidance. To conclude this brief reflection on SAIBSA, I would like to state that SAIBSA depicts the phrase "Learning is life". Abhinav Awasthi - DP Coordinator
My journey as a teacher started few years ago, but as a member of the IB community for the last three years the entire meaning and existence of my profession changed. I realized that teaching was more than just delivering content from a book. My experience as a facilitator at the SAIBSA Job Alike Session on ‘Music and Technology’ was overwhelming. A lot of new ideas regarding the inclusion of music into the PYP curriculum as integration with other subject areas, best teaching learning practices and so on were focused on. It also made me realize that by sharing these things with others, I was actually gaining more clarity and confidence about the things that I have been doing all these years. This platform also gave me a wonderful opportunity to meet other IB teachers from different schools in India. Overall it was an enriching professional development experience for me through sharing and collaboration. Somnath Mitra - PYP Music teacher
MY CUSTOM MADE UNIFORM Uniform means not changing, remaining the same. Keeping this aspect in mind, I am designing my own school uniform. As we are in the technological age, my uniform would also be along those lines. Salient features of my uniform would be: ŸLightweight ŸComfortable ŸConvertible (from full sleeves to half sleeves and from pants to shorts) ŸShoes which can turn into crocs with a click of a finger. ŸA band which reminds us about our various classes, schedules and deadlines for assignments. ŸThe bag would be such in which I could carry all the books and the Chromebook. It would absorb all the weight and students would not feel the
burden. ŸT-shirts for different houses, for example, a white T-shirt with black stripes on the backside, which would display the student's’ name, preferred number as well as the house name. During winters, it will turn into full sleeves and an inner thermal would come out. This t-shirt would be reversible and in the monsoon if we reverse it, it would act as a raincoat. ŸShorts would be same for all, that is black dry fit shorts with the school logo on it. In winters these shorts would turn into pants. I hope that in the future some big company buys my idea and implements it, thus making students’ life easier. Sidhaant Fudhanawala - Student (Grade 6 - Enlighten)
If I Were A Scientist If I were a scientist, I would invent things to make my life easier and more fun. I hate getting up early in the morning. I feel sleepy the whole day. I wish I had a bed which would complete my rest. No matter how little I slept, it would give me rest equal to eight hours! Or maybe a gadget to brush my teeth, comb my hair and drink my milk, while I slept a few minutes more. And there are some vegetables which I really don’t like. I want to make a chemical which will convert all yucky food into gulab jamuns. Then my Mom would never have to force me to eat. Talking of yummy foods, a machine which keeps serving endless ice cream would be a really great idea. Homework is sometimes such a boring task. I wish I could make a robot which would do my homework for me. Maybe even attending school for me....... Someday I may even make a duplicate of myself. While I play and have fun, my poor duplicate will be doing my homework and helping with the housework. And I will also make a machine which will write articles for the news magazine while I am playing downstairs like I am doing now. Shubhi Grover - Student (Grade 2 - Think ) Helped by my father
If I were to become a scientist then I will research about places and about stars. I will research more about earth and develop programs which help uncover facts about our planet. I will design machines which make life easier for poor men. I will make machines which give money to poor people and they too will become rich. I will research about life before human existence. I am curious to know how the Earth looked when it was new and beautiful. I will design machines which do not leave people lonely and give them friends to play with. I will design a problem solving machine which resolves issues that people have. I will design a machine which takes in dirty air and reduces air pollution. I will design a solar powered robotic vacuum cleaner which sucks in all the garbage making the roads clean and litter free. I want to become a scientist who brings back the lost glory of Earth and brings happiness and smiles on faces of people. Shees Bandookwala - Student (Grade 3 - Ideate) Helped by my Mother
I am a small kid. Sometimes I wonder what I want to become when I grow up. A doctor, sportsperson or businessman. But my wish is to become a scientist. If I become a scientist I will invent a Time Machine. It will be very helpful to everyone in many ways. The Time Machine would have lots of benefits such as: ŸIf I am absent at school and miss my studies, I can go back in time with the help of the time machine and can cover my studies. ŸIf somethings is lost, it could be found with the help of the time machine. ŸPolice can solve a lot of crime with the help of the time machine as they can go back in time and see the act of crime. ŸMany of us would not have seen their ancestors like grandfather or great grandfather, so with the help of the time machine we can go in the past and meet them. ŸWe can see any of our favourite event (in case we’ve missed it) for eg. some match (sports) by going back in time and enjoy it live. I have decided to become a scientist and help my country. Dhruv Hemnani - Student (Grade 3 - Initiate) Helped by my Mother
I Have A Dream I have a dream. Not to run the world or to make a fairy pixie turn my rags into a gorgeous frilled attire. Nor do I want to become a superhero, fly through the fire wearing a cape. I have a dream to see something. Something that every eye is inclined to see. Something that is farfetched yet possible. Something that is a cinch if only, worked for together. This world needs it gravely. If not today, tomorrow, but it needs a change. A change that is going to save us from vanishing and getting wrecked. I have a dream to see this world just like a green ball with blue stripes running up and down dividing the animal kingdom naturally. I want to see this planet like a bowl of cereals. All of us, floating gleefully in the ocean of pure air, absorbing the crispness of it and letting ourselves soak in it. We would absolutely not mind then, to roam around without scarves or masks tied over our faces. I just feel guilty about the fact that we are no longer the the part of the so-called “Green Blue Planet”. We should be ashamed of ourselves for the muck that we have created around us. By harming the environment, we have not only harmed nature and its inhabitants but in a way, we have destroyed our healthy lives too. Pollution, impure water, unhealthy lifestyles and unfriendly behaviour is, in turn, going to be slammed on us one day. Even though the effects aren’t that evident or causing a wreckage till yet, deep down there is a bubbling lava being stirred. And when it erupts, no one will be able to survive it and spending money will not help either. So, until we are on the sunny side, we have to hold our hands together and unite as a planet and do our best to help it regain the loss. I have a dream to see the elegance of mother nature “nurse and nurture” us and feel it’s very presence draped around me, just like it was in the start of all this evolution. The scenic landscapes, the rushing rivers and the harmonious creatures. I have a dream. Samashti Patel - Student (Grade 9 - Eureka)
Experience of teaching Language in the Middle Years Let me paint a little picture of my journey at Fountainhead for the academic year 2015-16.Though it may sound like an exaggeration, but this journey can certainly be described as an ‘empowering experience’. I would like to start by introducing myself, “I teach English Language and Literature in the Middle Years.” I started-off by teaching Grade 9 and as the year progressed I switched to Grades 7 and 8. This exchange of teaching responsibilities made me stretch my limits and also made me aware if I can adapt myself. Well, I can say I did both and I succeeded. This year I taught both Language and Literature, I taught ‘Article writing’ in Grade 9 and I am currently teaching Shakespeare in Grade 8 and the novel, ‘Wonder’ in Grade 7. The exciting part of teaching Middle Graders is the methods and, ideas by which I connect to their intellects, how I channelise their excitement and their restless spirit, and yet achieve the learning outcomes.
writing with some assistance. This was followed by each of them writing their own articles using these rules. The articles they wrote were displayed in the class with pride. Grade 8 students were introduced to Shakespeare, which is considered to be tough to teach as the writer uses Old English, very different from the English we speak today. To make the text engaging for students, a multi-sensory approach was applied which immediately made these young learners Shakespeare fans. They not only look forward to reading but also to analyse the text with enthusiasm. Grade 7 is also thoroughly immersed in their reader, ‘Wonder’ by R.J. Palacio. They were introduced to this heart-touching story of a young boy who has a deformed face and head. A guest lecture given by a renowned pediatrician, Dr.Manish Jain, who also happens to be a parent of a Grade 7 student, sparked the curiosity and sensitized them towards accepting and connecting with the main character of this tale to their own lives. To sum up, I would like to say that teaching literature and language in Middle School is daunting at times. Nevertheless, this journey is surely leading me to both personal and professional growth.
My favourite part is planning the lesson in such a way that it instantly grabs their attention and helps to make real life connections. For example-while teaching ‘Article writing’ to Grade 9, students were given a variety of magazines to read; and after reading the articles they themselves arrived at the rules of article Shivani Chaddha - Mentor Teacher (Grade 8 - Vivacity)
Harry Potter Fever!!! I woke up in the morning, Covered in blankets still desiring some more time to sleep, I stepped out of my bed and.. Ugh! the bitterly cold floor gave me unexpected goose bumps! Covering my hands by making a cross on my chest, I went to the window to see most breathtaking and magnificent scene ever, The roofs of houses, the peak of mountains, the trees’ delicate branches, the surface of roads, all were lathered with crystal white snow. Covering myself with fluffy coat, I tiptoed myself to the front door, Cool breeze blew through my hair, making it wave like a flag. My legs disappeared in snow, I felt like in North pole, as I saw the snow melt on my arms and forming into droplets falling down by sliding onto my elbow. I lay down on the snow, and looked, the snow glide from the blue sky on my body. The essence of winter morning.. Sarah Modi - Student (Grade 6 - Contemplate)
My mother and cousin love to read Harry Potter books. I feel they have a Harry Potter f e v e r. M u g g l e s , H o g w a r t s , Wi z a rd s , Broomsticks, Magic Wands, Spell Books and so many more words they keep on saying. She would point my pencil towards me and say some spell as if it was a magic wand. Calling all of us as characters of the book... our house sounds like a magical world. And I am so amazed with it that I wonder when will I get to read this magic series. Aashvi Dalmia - Student (Grade 2 - Ponder)
My Dad Thank You Dad For Everything You Did No matter where I go. No matter where I come from. I always get peace by holding my dad's arm. I'm always fine when i'm with my dad. I love him because he does what I say If there are 100s of ways to tell how much I love him, I would just tell him that I always get support in my dad's feelings THANK YOU DAD FOR EVERYTHING
Sanchi Khanna - Student (Grade 2 - Explore) Helped by my Mother
In the name of art Imagine yourself walking through a meadow and huge flower fields. You bend over and pluck out a flower. A plain white daisy. That flower, that plain white daisy, is her. There she is, with millions around her, exactly like her, except they're not. You know how people say that when we pluck out flowers, we kill them, that they are silently screaming except we can't hear them? That we're too oblivious to their hints? That, is also her. Begging for her life. Screaming at you to stop, but you don't, do you? You let her suffer, let her take the pain, because to you her pain is beauty, her screams are music. And everyday, she used to sit there, lost between millions, blending in, before you walk over and pluck her out. She's in agony, she's in pain and she has nowhere, no one. She's bleeding and you're smiling, singing, humming. You say pain is art, she disagrees. You say she is art, she disagrees. Because real art comes from where it counts, the soul. And it wasn't art when you tore her art, fiber by fiber, all of her petals going down with your 'he loves me, he loves me not'. It wasn't art when you made her scream, torturing her fragile little mind that had already been trampled on by a million others. It wasn't art when you enjoyed her screams, putting on your tape recorder and saving the sound for yourself. But it was art when she stopped screaming, when she stood still and she absorbed your pain, your doubt, your confusion. It was art when she let you take her, when she let you decide, when she withheld the pain, when she accepted things that you never did. It was art when she wiped her own tears and cleaned her own mess.
Home She's like the wind, unpredictable, flowing and never stopping. She'll travel, she'll fly and she'll soar through cities looking for someone to love. She will surprise you in the best ways possible. But, don't you dare mess with her, because she is fierce. She will desert you on days that you need her the most, and will watch you suffer from a distance as she flows away. She'll dance, she'll sing, she'll ruffle your hair, but nothing, nothing you do will ever gain her forgiveness. Spin your globe and look for her. You won't find her. Talk to her and ask her about her home. She won't say a word. Try to push her, get her to talk. And you'll be greeted with silence. Because you know, and she knows, that she just doesn't belong. That every time she walks out of the door with her bags she is searching for a home. For somewhere to belong. But it is no mystery. She is lost. She is lost in the middle of nowhere, suffocating, unable to speak. You may refuse to admit it, but you know that her home, her place, her planet, is not the kind that you find in maps. Because that girl lives in a universe made up of nothing but dreams, love and hushed words that no one dares to utter. Her home isn't a place. It is a person. Her. She is her own home. Her own safe haven. Her own fire. Some may call it vain, some may call it psychotic, but she knew the secret, and she knew that it took more than people could understand, to be made up entirely of yourself and yourself only. Ananya Jain - Student (Grade 7- Idea)
The Sacred Ruby I held my breath as I tiptoed through the weirdly textured trees. I had already collected the second last gem, The Cursed Emerald. Now place for the last one, The Sacred Ruby. It was a long time before I realized I was holding my breath. I released my breath with a sigh. Oops! I woke up the obstacles! There was a loud, groaning creak. I sighed again. Gathering up all my courage, I called out loud, "Ready for an adventure." As though appreciating me, it made another loud groan and there came a swinging axe. I dodged and grabbed it. I turned around swiftly and accidentally chomped a tree. The hollow trunk revealed what I was waiting for - THE SACRED RUBY! My hand was just an inch above the stone when a booming voice said, " NOT YET, THERE ARE MORE TESTS LEFT." "Umm, okay," I replied. Then suddenly the ground began to shake and fire illuminated every where! I quickly took the ruby and threw it in the fire. I knew it was a fake fire. As the ruby absorbed the flames, it simultaneously sprayed carbon dioxide everywhere. I certainly had to sprint deep inside the dark woods to get some fresh air. I realized, I was rising high in the air towards the Sun; which in turn transformed into a pure red ruby. I grabbed it and placed it in my golden locket . " Congratulations!! You have become the master of PROPHECY OF THE ANCIENT GEMS!" mom exclaimed behind me. I stretched and plugged out my hi - tech video game and hugged mom. After all she’s the one who bought me this marvelous gadget. It’s late, I need to sleep now, time for an adventurous dream. Bonne nuit. Surya Agarwal - Student (Grade 4 - Freedom)
चाँद चाँद खेलता रोशनी से , रौशनी खेलती चाँद से , दोनों मिलकर खेलते है , पक्के दोस्त बन जाते है | Mahek Susheel Banthia - Student (Grade 3 - Ideate)
नाना मेरे नाना , जब भी आना , खाना खाकर जाना , मेरे नाना जब भी आना , वापिस लौटकर आना | Dhruv Arjun Hemnani - Student (Grade 3 - Illustrate)
ं भाषा के “ बद लए िहदी
त अपना नज रया ”
आजकल अं ेजी भाषा के अ धका धक योग और इसके वसा यक भाषा होने के कारण ं भाषा अपनी पहचान और अ ं िहदी को खोने लगी है| ऐसे माहौल म नई पीढ़ी के मन म िहदी भाषा के त च और मह को बनाए रखना एक चुनौतीपूण काय है लेिकन आप खदु सो चए ं का मह न समझे तो कै सा लगेगा ?आज िहदी ं वलु होती िक भारत म रहकर भी हम िहदी ं से बढ़ती इस तरह क दरी नजर आ रही है | िहदी ू से ब ो ं को छोटी (इ),बड़ी (ई), छोटा ं ब त (उ),बड़ा (ऊ) म फक करना बड़ा मु ल सा हो गया है आज ब े समझते है िक िहदी ं म ही बोलते है, बातचीत करते है और सनेमा भी देखते है | जब िहदी ं ोिंक हम िहदी ं म पढ़ने और लखने क बारी आती है तो इतनी मु ल आ खर ो ं ? पहले हम हर जगह िहदी आसान है
Bi rt hd a ys a r e a l way s fu n On my birthday that is 16th February, I turned 7 years old. I happily woke up early and got ready for school wearing my colorful clothes. I felt very special. Everyone who met me at the school wished me happy birthday. In the evening I had my party at Funky Monkey at VR Mall. Almost all my school friends came and were very happy to play in Funky Monkey. We played for an hour and then had our food. They were very happy to see my Frozen-theme cake and they even applied cake cream on my face. Everyone got me lots of gifts and I opened them all at night. But before that, I finished my unfinished homework for the next day. I was very happy the whole day. Nyassha Fudhnawala - Student (Grade 1 - Truth)
लखे ए लेख और पो र देखते थे और उ पढ़ते भी थे। जो आज वलु हो रहा है | ं ं अं ेजी भाषा का भाव आज इस कदर बढ़ गया है िक घर म छोटा ब ा जब कलकल ल टल ार क क वता सुनाता है,तो अ भभावक का सीना गव से फू ल जाता है। यह अ ी बात ं को भी मह दया है िक हमने अं ेजी भाषा को अपना लया है पर ु ये भी ज री है िक िहदी ं भाषा के लए IB Board जो अपने व ा थयो ं को जाए | ा आप जानते है िक िहदी International Mindedness बनाने के लए ो ािहत करता है I उ ोनंे भी IB / DP ं को एक मु म िहदी ान देते ए क ा 12 तक इसे चुना है और उसे चकर बनाने के लए और सखाने के लए नई प तयो ं के साथ तकनीको ं का भी योग िकया जा रहा है | फर भी
Helped by my Mother
गम गम आई गम आई , सबके हाथ म पं खे लाई , गम आई गम आई , सबके तन पे पसीना लाई , गम आई गम आई , सबको आइस म याद िदलाई ‘ गम आई गम आई , पीला-पीला सूरज लाई | Aanya Zaveri - Student (Grade 3 - Inspire)
आजकल ब ो ं और बड़ो दोनो ं म िह ी भाषा का ान बातचीत तक समट गया है। वशेषतौर पर यवुाओ ं के बीच तो िह ी जैसे गुम सी होती जा रही है। ं को व म नई पहचान दलाई है इस लए इस भाषा को जानने और भारतीय सनेमा ने िहदी
झं डा
ं िहदी
सीखने म उ ोनंे भी दलच ी दखाई है और उसे सीखने म व के लोग भी दलच ी दखाने
रंगीला झं डा हमारा , तीन रंगो ं का रंगीला झं डा , चारो तरफ घूमता रहता , हमारे देश को ऊँ चा करता |
दो ो ं दो ान , ं का ान , मलेगा तु िहदी बढ़ेगा मान , और स ान |
लगे है तो हम पीछे ो ं रहे ? ं के त अपना नज रया बदलकर उसम च बढ़ाए | तो आओ आज से हम िहदी Shabnam Malek and Shikha Dhupia (Language Team)
clic5 in+p` ; 0k phl
Advait Atul Goyal - Student (Grade 3 - Illustrate)
Divisha Sachin Narang - Student (Grade 3 - Illuminate)
Video Description ; An initiative
ं ब. म वेश लेने से पहले व ाथ से अपे ा क जाती है िक उसके पास आई.बी. ड ोमा िहदी श ो ं क पं ूजी हो तािक वह नदशो ं को समझ सके तथा सामा ो ं के उ र दे सके | छा को आधारभतू सं रचनाओ ं का भी ान हो जैसे नए श ो ं का नमाण करना, सरल वा , म वा का योग करना आ द| व ाथ को चकर तथा मनोरंजना क ढंग से इस यो कै से बनाया ं वभाग ने इस बार क ा सातवी एवं आठवी जाए, इसी बात को ान म रख कर व ालय के िहदी के पा म म चल च वणन अथात् Video Description को ान दया | िकसी अथवा त का बारीक से अवलोकन कर, उस अवलोकन को मौ खक प से धारा वाह अ भ करना कोई आसान काम नही,ं जसका आज के इस अ ाधु नक यगु म बड़ा ही मह है | फर चाहे वो सामा जक, ापा रक अथवा राजनै तक, मानव जीवन का कोई भी े हो| यहाँ जो अपनी बात को आकषक व भावशाली ढंग से तु कर पाता है, उसके सफल होने क सं भावनाएं कई गुना बढ़ जाती है | स ग त व ध म व ा थयो ं को अपनी इ ानस ु ार २ से ३ मनट तक के िक ी ं तीन व डयो का चयन करना था जनका श को ारा मा होना आव क रखा गया | तुीकरण के समय मौन चल च का छा ो ं ारा यं क भाषा म वणन करते ए ख़ास कर न पाच ँ ब ओ ु ं को ान रखना अपे त था ोिंक ेक बदं ु के लए दो अक ं नधा रत थे | ं श ावली का उपयोग १. िहदी २. शु उ ारण ३. भाषा का वाह एवं वराम ४.
व भाषा का ताल-मेल
५.
ता तथा
ता |
प ायो गक र पर िकया गया यह काय वा व म अपने-आप म अनोखा एवं फलदायक रहा | व ा थयो ं ने आनं दपूवक ग त व ध के ेय को ा िकया |
व ा थयो ं के अनभ ु व: “मझ ु े यह ग त व ध ब त पस आई । इस ग त व ध म ब त कु छ नया था। यह हमारे लए कु छ अलग था । मझ ु े लोगो ं के सामने वी डयो का अपनी भाषा म वणन करने म मजा आया” - ेया दबेु (क ा 7 ‘IDEA ) “ हमने इस साल वी डयो ा ा करना सीखा । वी डयो वणन का वा वक मतलब है, ो ं को अपने श ो ं म समझाना । उसम दए गए ो ं को पूरी कहानी से जोड़ना होता है | यह काय करने म ब त कु छ नया सीखने को भी मला ” - का तके य अगरवाल (क ा 7 ‘ACUITY ) “म सोच रहा था िक इस म मझ ु े ा सीखने को मलेगा, पर ु जब मने श क के कहे अनस ु ार िकया, तब समझ म आया िक इस ग त व ध से मझ ु े न का उतार-चढ़ाव, वाह, घटना म, और हाव-भाव जैसे कौशल सीखने मलगे”| - ओम सवानी (क ा 8 ‘VERVE) ं श क, एम.वाय / डी.पी. पु क जोशी - िहदी
LEARNING TO ACCEPT Accepting Defeat! - Accepting not being perfect!, Accepting the world as it is! I think the biggest lesson I've learnt in the last year is that everything will not go according to our wishes. Sometimes the things we dread are most likely to turn to reality, and we are left with no choice but to accept them. When my father passed away - I just could not accept it, even the last half and hour, his hand was in my hand and I kept praying that somehow a miracle would happen and he would be alright. I just couldn't let him go. It was only after a few days that I started to learn to accept this new FACT of my life - the fact that I'll never see him again. At last I had to accept the defeat against nature and circumstance and eventually that made me realise the transitory nature of life and appreciate the present moment, and this taught me to try to live fully in it. When I injured my ankle and was bedridden for a month, I learnt to be patient with the healing process. In this world of instant messaging, the tendons and bones still take their own sweet time to heal, and you've no choice but to accept the circumstance, support the internal healing process and wait calmly while it's happening. In turn, I learnt to appreciate the importance of each and every muscle, bone, tendon and nerve - even each cell of my body! And how amazingly they function as a team to give us a life we so easily take for granted. Another thing that I have always struggled with as a kid, teenager and as an adult, is to be OKAY with the ordinary. It's in my nature to strive for the best in whatever I do. I just cannot accept "not putting in the best" whether it's for myself, or for other people. As a designer or a mother or be it any other role, I think, I've always tried to do the best I could and nothing less than that . I get super irritated when my craftsmen goof up a design I've given, or when my children make silly mistakes in their work! But now I question what's
the definition of THE BEST. Anyway? I realise that you can do your best but the results are not in your hands, also each person’s parameter of “their best” is different, and you can't gauge their efforts with your own stupid little scale! Sometimes we have no choice but to accept a little imperfection in order to finish the work on time, or to keep the team happy, productive and enthusiastic! As they say, you have to lose a few battles, to win the war! Hence, with this acceptance I am learning to not remain bothered all the time and have fun doing what I'm doing - in fact in the end, that has helped me get better results - Although - the perfection freak that I am - I'm still learning this one ! ;)
Another huge lesson I'm learning everyday is to first accept the world as it is. I think it's the most difficult part. Many a times we live in our own fantasy world and wish the circumstances were different. Many a times we don't understand how people can be so mean, or rude, or so unreasonable! But now I realize that someone might have considered me mean, rude or unreasonable ! So I'm learning to accept that at this point in time - this is how it is and I've got no choice but to accept it. I can work on making it better but I can have absolutely no say in the outcome! Hence, its pointless to worry about. All I'd like to say in the end is that, “What's meant to happen will happen.” Our job is to do the best in our own capacity and leave the rest to UPPARWALA!!;) Sonali Sheth (Parent of Yashna Sheth, Grade 3 - Innovate & Yashvi Sheth, Grade 3 - Inspire)
Sports: As important as Academics? This debate can be termed as a ‘Classic’ now; however, it pops up every now and then, when a successful sportsperson brings it to the fore. In the early days with limited choice in sports where one could develop a career, the tilt was more towards academics and rightly so. However, with successful athletes in sports like cricket, tennis, badminton, wrestling etc. the horizon of having sports as a career has expanded. Sports, considered as a recreational activity by many parents, struggles due to lack of recognition at the grass root levels i.e. in schools. Even today, many schools lay emphasis on academics rather than on sports. A small example being, a kid is planning to secure an admission in a new school and as per the process, all documents are provided following which an aptitude test is taken. However, I am yet to hear or see whether a school checks on how well the kid can kick a football or how fast can they bowl a ball? To make this worse, a student good in academics and average in sports has a better chance of securing a good job than a person who is good at sports and average in academics. We, as parents know that sports incorporates characteristics like patience, teamwork, self-confidence etc. which are difficult to learn from books. However, the above facts clearly drive home the point that even today academics are more important than sports. The positive thing to note is that many schools have made sports a compulsory activity in their curriculum. The balance between sports and academics is difficult to achieve, however, I am sure that with the right support and guidance we can provide a platform whereby the students can prove their sporting prowess.
LEADERSHIP
Finally, I would like to congratulate all the children who participated in Khel Mahakumbh and similar sporting events. You have made your parents and the school very proud. Neville Desai - (Parent of Kayaan, Grade 2 - Dream & Mehaan, Nursery - Sky) “Leadership is the capacity to change your hopes, vision into reality, SO DARE TO LEAD”, these lines were rightly conveyed by Warren.G. Bennis. This pretty much throws the light of awareness on my mind blowing experience about a public speaking opportunity I recently landed upon. This opportunity was a platform for me where I transformed my nervousness into confidence. Speaking in front of 800 people, was not my cup of tea, but eventually my level of confidence raised. And now things have changed in my life. I overcame my stage fear and felt more confident while delivering the speech. This change has helped me raise my point of view. Anchoring, skits, leading and working as a team, and speaking in front of so many people has helped me become a confident leader. This is the change that I have witnessed after my participation.So, as truly said, nothing is impossible. A true leader is the one who will work hard to pursue his dream and change his dream into reality. Everything you work hard on, delivers positive results. Sanya Jariwala - Student (Grade 7 - Insight)
A Life Class with Parents At Fountainhead, the welfare of our students is a central part of all our strategies and plans for the future. A part of teaching Senior School students involves not only being a teacher but also being a patient listener to all their trials and turbulences. These growing years are crucial in developing and shaping a sound character. There are times when during these adolescent years, children come closer to their friends and an unsaid distance is created between the children and their parents. In an effort to understand and bridge this gap, we took a step by conducting a collective Life Class for parents and students. The aim of this class was to create a platform where the students and parents can discuss issues like “comparison between siblings and with other students”, “parenting paradigms”, “high expectations from both parents as well as students”. The issues may be serious, however, the atmosphere was filled with smiles, sharing memories and understanding the importance of some essential words within a relationship, “thank you”, “sorry” and “please”. We conducted a series of activities where the parents and students worked as a team to make an effort to understand each other’s perspective and desires. In one such activity, the student-parent team was given a prop (hourglass, globe, soft toy, laughing Buddha) and they were asked to talk about their relation through that prop. In another activity, students and parents were separately given a questionnaire that had questions like “What is your teen’s favourite
kind of music”(for parents) and “Where did your parents first meet?”(for students). The atmosphere was electric with competition and excitement, however the idea was not to score the highest, but to know each other well. The focus of the above activities was to convey that there are numerous things which we do not know about each other and correspondingly there are numerous ways to spend quality time. We also discussed various case studies based on “curfew hours”, and “comparison between siblings”. By now the ice had broken and there was a lively discussion, where parents shared their experiences and learnt from each other that there is no definite parenting style and no absolute answer to the ever changing problems. Constant communication is the best possible solution. The day came to an end with “Three-legged” race. Here the families had to synergize with each other to win. Synergy in the true sense of the word meant understanding each other’s speed and completing the journey. Abandonment at any difficult stage should never be an option. We hope to conduct similar workshops in the future, so as to ensure that we create happy memories for our children as they grow into responsible caring adults. Vagisha Shrivastava - Mentor Teacher (Grade 10 - Herald)
Fountainhead School Science Fair 2015-16 “Imagination encircles the world Once we know our limits, we tend to go beyond them…” - Albert Einstein Science Fair is a platform provided by the school for the students to exhibit their scientific skills and innovative ideas. Here the contestants presented their working or static models /projects and displayed them in school. It allowed them to compete in science and technology activities as they got familiar with the scientific tools and equipment and applied their learning to create something new or exhibit their learning practically. These fairs do have a purpose/ theme and intend to help students demonstrate their concepts and theories at the school level initially. Through such events we tend to develop a scientific approach to create some new devices, which give students immense pleasure and satisfaction. But they should have a lust for knowledge and power. The purpose of organising this event was to induce scientific ideas. The presentation given by the students had following content: ŸStating a Hypothesis ŸIdentifying Variables - Independent,
Dependent and Controlled ŸObservations ŸData Collection ŸExperimental result and its analysis ŸConclusion ŸSafety Measures
This intends to teach students scientific methods and give them scientific exposure.
It was an excellent event where collaborative work was observed, and it was considered as their Internal Assessment. Science lovers enjoyed it the most. Its importance is inexpressible for the young budding scientists and curious learners. In a way, we are helping young entrepreneurs to evolve out of such science fairs. Science is the systematic classification of experiences (George Henry Lewes) Similarly, this event was full of fun, excitement and loads of learning. It helped to inculcate inclination towards modern technology and adopt a scientific approach towards day to day activities.The scientific investigations made by our students did not aim at an immediate result, but their ideas could help them create something new. We, as teachers have laid a foundation or shown them a path towards the future. The models made by our students fascinated the visitors, other students and teachers as well. When the fair ended,we were enriched with science based information. It helped us to develop new ways to look at life. “Great scientific minds are shaped early by unforgettable experiences…….and some miracle moments” (Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam)
Rakhee Nahar - Mentor Teacher (Grade 10 - Quintessence)
The ocean
TEACHER
Deep in the ocean’s depth , where nothing assures to life or death the feelings in those flashbacks , sometimes blue, sometimes black keeping ourselves in existence , with literally no assistance Deep inside when a new world came alive My heart seemed to revive the colors so bright inside , to accept all the negative they denied . making wishes for good , forever in expectations it stood But slowly they fade as time passes , Never the same through ages.
A teacher’s day is not so easy, Worksheets and research and P.T.M she meets. You don’t know what the teacher’s suffering, You just need to show her love & care.
Hetvi Savaliya - Student (Grade 7 - Acuity)
Saniya Panjwani - Student (Grade 6 - Enlighten)
A teacher is someone who loves her students, ready to teach them all about NEWTON! Math and Science and English and History, Without a teacher all would be a mystery.
From nature camps to night outs, she helps us till the light’s out! Sometimes she scolds, at times she jokes, Her motherly love is all that I know!
Jumping the Queue When my family migrated to India in 2009 from the UK, we felt incredibly happy to be in a country where we could culturally integrate without any effort. The richness and pageantry of Indian culture cannot be compared to a single country like the UK, but only with the vast canvas of Europe in its entirety. However, we found some aspects of the cultural nuances and behavioral patterns of people in India difficult to absorb. One of them is the irritating habit of ‘jumping the queue’.6 In Britain, it is almost blasphemous to break a line. In India, it almost seemed a norm. Once, I was standing at a baggage check-in counter for a domestic flight. I saw an elderly Indian gentleman who ignored us, and walked straight up to the counter. He banged his ticket on the counter and was about to pick up his baggage for check-in, when a German man, walked up to the Indian gentleman and tapped him on his shoulder.
The Indian gentleman shrugged his shoulders, and said, “It’s alright”. He ignored the German man, and tried to pick up his luggage again. The German man turned to the counter clerk and said, “If you check in this man before the rest of us, I’ll make a formal complaint in writing. None of you have any respect for other people’s time. That’s why you keep breaking queues.” That in a nutshell summed up the entire problem of why people break lines. When someone jumps a line, they don’t value the time of others who have stood before them as much as they value their own time. This points to a very selfish nature that does not serve true character building and leadership in society. I hope that students at Fountainhead can practice this quality of respecting other people’s time and observe the rules of human dignity that will allow them to become true leaders of society. Often, it is the small things that have a big impact.
“Do you think you have a special right or God-given privilege, that allows you to ignore all of us and walk straight up to be served?” he Ramesh Kallidai - (Parent of Neel Kallidai, Grade 9 - Eureka) asked the Indian gentleman in an angry voice.
Oh! How much I love music "Tomorrow we are going for your music class admission" my mother said. I was dreaming how my teacher would be, how my friends would be, what would I learn and how my class would look like. The next day in the shining sun I got ready and went for my music class admission with my mom. As I entered the class, I got fascinated by the Tanpura, the Tabla....the Harmonium .....I simply loved the music which was flowing everywhere . I wanted to be a part of this beautiful world. My mom got my admission confirmed there . Today, music has become my passion. I sing very beautifully now and love music. I hope to reach the sky one day and make my parents proud .
Akshita Goyal - Student (Grade 3 - Initiate)
Cultural Literacy in Learning Systems. ऐसी बiनी बो लये, मन का आपा खोय | औरन को शीतल करै, आपौ शीतल होय || िह ी अथ – मन के अहंकार को मटाकर, ऐसे मीठे और न वचन बोलो, जससे दसरे ु लोग सुखी हो ं और यं भी सुखी हो | So if I say that the above mentioned Doha of Kabir can be integrated with the World War in Individuals & Societies, then what would be your thought process ? You might be amazed, isn't it? Well that's exactly what the Humanities Teachers felt when we attended the workshop “Skill Fest” in Ahmedabad, organised by Sudhir Khodke ( Ahmedabad Management Association ) where 18 leading trainers from all over India came to show us the path where Eastern Wisdom can be interconnected and subject content can be made more captivating. The learning experience was based on Kabir baani and Swami Vivekanand, from whom we learnt compassion, mutual respect and the non violent ways of communication and interdependence. This workshop really helped the teachers raise the level of harmony and coexistence of different perspectives in school and how to engage authentically in the challenges in the society today. India is a country whose culture and heritage is several millennia old. So it indeed is a felicitous opportunity to talk about different events through our Great Heroes and Personalities who have given out so much not only to India but to the world platform. Similarly, we may teach Economics through Chanakya’s Arthashastra or the Indian Constitution through Dr. B R Ambedkar, likewise many subjects and aspects of life can be elucidated to students through our cultural literacy which is so magnificent and ample. Hina Hakim - (Mentor Teacher - Grade 8 - Zest) ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’, says Robert Frost in one of his famous poems, which also happens to be one of my personal favorites. Why can’t we hold on to things we love, we cherish? Change is inevitable they say but this change leaves an indelible mark on the one who has to change. Why can’t things always be the way they are?
CHANGES MAKETH A MAN!
Our Creator surely likes drama… He has given us variety in all things we see, do or feel ! He wanted us to be busy surrounded by these plethora of emotions…. Hence we see that nothing is permanent! Day changes to night and winter changes to summer in no time. But ultimately it is this drive that keeps us going. The experiences that we have in life change us. Now whether this change is for good or bad depends on the path we choose. So, what if, there was no change? Imagine leaves being green all round the year or having a full moon on all nights! I think we would not be left with any wonderment. Living beings are curious by nature and a state of permanency would mar our basic nature. So, what exactly is change and why is it important? I think change is important because it helps you grow, it evolves you. We change with every passing day and every changing season. God has woven emotions so beautifully into our system to bring about this change within us. Life would have been boring and colorless without change. The cycle of life keeps moving with these emotions and mood swings. Does that mean that we have emotions so that we understand change? Maybe yes…. maybe not!! So what are emotions then?? Emotions are those ventilators which ease out our life. Emotions are the lenses through which we see the world everyday and that’s the reason why things do not look same everyday. The beauty of a rose that I admire on a joyful day may go unnoticed when I am gloomy and I may completely ignore my best friend’s feelings in a fit of anger. The world moves with us and we move with the world, the only thing that changes is our inner self, along with the experiences that we gather in this cycle of change which shapes us. We grow the most when we are in pain. Pain tests our strengths to the highest echelons. Pain gives a new perspective to our thinking. In the moments of loneliness, that usually accompany pain, one starts introspecting. I think using this time wisely can open new doors for us. We all experience pain. Pain for little things and pain for bigger issues. But this pain changes us. It changes us for better and forever sometimes. So while life keeps moving and changes continue…. Let’s celebrate the change! And as Frost puts it in one more of his poems: The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, Lulua Bandookwala And miles to go before I sleep, (Grade 6 - Resource Teacher) And miles to go before I sleep.
How new digital media and technology has influenced teaching
The teaching and learning environment has definitely changed in school settings. In the age of new digital media and technology, the educational experience in the classroom has become more engaging, challenging, significant and relevant. Teachers are trained through various workshops so that they are updated with the changes in the educational scenario around the world. Teachers need to utilize a variety of teaching tools where students’ interest level is maintained. As this generation is tech savvy right from birth, ( Oh yes! Thanks to the rhymes in your mobile phones and ipads) they adapt to this change easily. Through computer presentations created by students using Powerpoint, Powtoon, Prezi, watching educational videos on Youtube, using Google Classroom for assignments, to interacting with other students from different countries through Skype, who are studying the same unit; technology plays an important role in making students confident and competent with the outside world. Whilst technology has made abundance of information available with a click of a button, it becomes all the more imperative to filter and analyse the same load of information for the teacher as well as the student. So, unless technology is used judiciously, it may affect little in terms of "Education Enhancement". Himani Desai - HRT (Grade 5 - Synergy)
If I were a scientist I would invent a SWISHY SORBIE... Necessity is the mother of invention, what all invented so far did not come in a day’s work... a simple sharpener, a wheel, a car...etc are the inventions we do not appreciate every day but use everyday just like that... I also play sometimes a pretend game and imagine myself as a knowledgeable scientist busy in mixing and making a super magical invention. I would make a lot of efforts to invent a magical substance; I will mix dry leaves, teeth of a wild bear, juices of a lot of fruits, vegetables, magical ash and branches of ten trees and a secret ingredient. The colour of it would be pink. I imagine myself solving the pains and problems of the world. In my imaginations I invent a slime substance which with its miraculous and tremendous powers, would absorb the most frightening problem of warming of the earth...as told by my mother...its global warming...by which the atmosphere of earth is getting warm, the ice on glaciers is melting and one day our great Himalayas too will melt away. So my invention named by me a SWISHY SORBIEE.. would absorb all the fights with my friends, destructions by bomb blasts, pains of the poor children and my not-so-favourite food. My swishy sorbie will absorb the busy moments of two busy bees of my life...my mom n my HRT Shruti maam and both will feel relaxed. On demand I will solve the problems of my friends and let my magical invention absorb every problem that would come on the way. My super duper swishy sorbie will charge itself by a lot of magnets which my father had gifted me. It will glow more and more after absorbing tens of thousands of problems every day. My invention will make me popular and the whole world would know me as a great scientist. Aashi Sinha - Student (Grade 2 - Explore) Helped by parent
Be Honest
Why do people lie? Maybe because they are scared that others will know the truth and make fun of you. But why lie in the first place, you can tell the truth and have the courage to face the consequence of what you have done wrong. By telling the truth, you are becoming more principled and are inculcating integrity within you. Let me give you an example, suppose you get late for your school because you woke up late but you lie to your teacher that you were not feeling well and came with a driver. Here, if you would have told the teacher the truth, she would not have punished, beaten, scolded you instead she would have advised you to sleep a bit early. Also, nobody will like to be friends with a liar. And if you think you will lie and not be caught then remember you are leader of yourself and be responsible towards your learning. If you lie, the knowledge you gained from the learning is of no use as once your impression goes down in people’s eyes, you won't be able to answer yourself too, then your being good at studies or sport won’t help you regain your impression. Ways to be honest Ÿ Don’t mind what others will think, just be confident and speak out the truth. Ÿ Don’t compare yourself with someone else, sometimes we lie to make ourselves seem bigger and better than we really are. Ÿ Avoid the kind of behaviour that makes you feel guilty. Ÿ Accept the consequence and face them confidently.
Heily Chhatiawala - Student (Grade 6 - Conjecture) * Bibliography : http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Honest {only for ways to be honest}
Honest is something we must be Honest is something we must be.Truth is something we must find.There is a huge difference. It is important to say truth because of one lie you have to speak many lies. It is important to speak the truth so it will help you in future, but lies will never help you in future. If you speak one lie you have to face one problem so if you speak many lies, you will face many problems. Do not be afraid to speak truth, be more afraid to not speak it. Never swallow truth, just spit it out. If you are honest, your results will be very good so do not cheat. If you want appreciation, you have to speak the truth. If you want to get respect from others you have to speak truth. If you will tell the truth to everyone, everyone will think that you are trustworthy. A half-truth is a whole lie. You can make friends easily but by telling the truth you can make a strong bond with your friends so that they always be with you but if you will not be loyal with your friends so your friends will leave you one day because of your disloyal behavior.Truth will always lead you to a better life. Truth is a rainbow on a stormy day. Every single culture we see or we know teaches us honesty. Gita,Quran,Bible and every other holy books are examples that every culture is made to teach us to be honest. Plant new truths as a way to root out old lies. Krishna Madhogaria - Student (Grade 4 - Freedom)
If I were MOM or DAD for a day There are many of us who want to become mom or dad for a day or two and out of those one of them is me. If I had a chance to become a mom, I would cook food, would go to office like my mom and dad and then take some rest. I would also go to kitty parties and functions and all the events where our mom and dad go. When I have kids, I will take them to play in the park, and in the mall for shopping. I will bring them educational things so that they can learn, will send them to activities and will help them with studies. I would also feel what our mom and dad feel when we shout at them for their small mistakes. I would do everything for my mom and dad and never forget them because I LOVE them. One day when I have children like my mom has me I will understand everything. Thank you mom and dad. Kshiti Thummar - Student (Grade 3 - Initiate)
THE SCHOOL THE SCHOOL WHERE KNOWLEDGE GOES WILD. THE SCHOOL WHERE SOME FEW FEEL DELINQUENTS THRIVE THE SCHOOL THAT SOME DESPISE, IS THE SAME SCHOOL THAT I CHERISH THE SCHOOL WHERE6 I LEARN VAST AMOUNTS OF KNOWLEDGE SCHOOL OF MY HOPES. THE SCHOOL I WISH NEVER TO AVOID. ALTHOUGH THIS SCHOOL LEAVES ME SLEEP DEPRIVED THE SCHOOL WHERE IDEAS COME ALIVE, IS THE PLACE I LEARN THE BEST THE SCHOOL WITH A FREEDOM OF SPEECH SCHOOL OF MY DREAMS THE SCHOOL WHERE VIBRANT FACES DON'T GO UNNOTICED. THE SCHOOL WHERE SMILES LIFT PEOPLE UP. THE SCHOOL THAT FORCES YOU TO COMMUNICATE IS THE BEST WAY TO MAKE FRIENDS THE SCHOOL WITH SO MANY DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES SCHOOL OF MY BEING THE SCHOOL THAT RECEIVES NO CREDIT THE SCHOOL THAT IS ONE OF A KIND, IS WHAT MAKES THE SCHOOL ITSELF SPECIAL THE SCHOOL, WHICH IS MY HEAVEN SCHOOL OF PRIVILEGE AND ADVENTURE Pearl Sojitra - Student(Grade 6 - Enlighten) Helped by my Mother
I love to grow. Sometimes I think when I grow up and become a mom, I would love my kids. I would be responsible for my family and all the household work. I would take care of my family and help my children do their homework. I would cook yummy food for my family and would go out with my children to the garden. I would take active participation in their school activities. I also think if I would be a father then I would go to the office driving a car and earn money for me and my family. On holidays, I would play with my children, go to watch movies and have lots of fun. We all would go out together. I will take my family to the beach, farmhouse, and other such places where we all can enjoy our time together. We would all have lots of fun. We would also go out to different places during our vacations so that we can know about many places and explore new destinations.. Yana Beladia - Student (Grade 2 - Ponder)
Air we breathe to live (or die) When I was told to write an article, I was preparing for my trinity examinations and the topic for the same was "Odd and Even rule" imposed in Delhi and other rational measures to be taken for controlling air pollution. During the preparation, I had promised myself to create awareness amongst people to control air pollution. So what better opportunity would I get than writing in my own school's newsletter. So here I go....... People are suffering a lot due to air pollution and we all have to unitedly work against this menace. People are becoming more and more affluent and drifting away from walking, cycling, public transportation, etc. So, where exactly is the problem? The problem is not technology, it's us. We lack the courage to bring the change. So let's promise ourselves and our future generations a more breathable environment. We all are aware about the steps to be taken, like walking, cycling, using more public transport, using eco friendly cars, car pooling, etc. Carpooling is one measure which I am glad my school is already promoting. Cab sharing is also an important way and we can do it by installing and using appropriate apps like OLA. We should be planting more and more trees as they remove particulate matter, carbon dioxide and absorb noise. We should avoid use of cheap, old and inefficient vehicles and leaded fuels. Humans have evolved as they adapt. It's in our basic nature. So either we fight pollution or continue to die a slow and painful death everyday. The choice is ours. Yug Shah - Student (Grade 4 - Freedom) Helped by my mother Reference: Quora https://www.quora.com/Delhi-Road-Rationing-January-2016/Is-the-oddeven-car-policy-by-the-Delhi-government-practical (Help from mother)
Lets Talk GEOGRAPHY “Geography is an earthly subject, but a heavenly science.” - Edmund Burke Geography is not limited to rote memorization of facts but it has to do with inquiries and problem solving. So what exactly is Geography? It is an integrative discipline that brings together the physical and human dimensions of the world in the study of people, places, and environments. With this in mind, we commenced our new unit, “Where We Are In Place & Time” and the Central Idea: The Earth's physical geography has an impact on human interactions and settlements. Before laying the foundation, prior knowledge was checked with various tuning in activities - A nature walk (morning and noon) followed by a discussion about the difference they felt considering the time of the day. Furthermore, learners were asked to explore the globe, where they reflected their understanding through a KWL chart (knows, wants to know, learned). In addition to that, there were displays of pictures of different landforms and water bodies (gallery walk) and the learners reflected their views through the I see, I think and I wonder chart. Learners independently inquired into the physical features which include different landforms and water bodies. Their enthusiasm was evident during the flip-book activity and clay modelling, where they confidently recorded their understanding on the Line of Inquiry (LOI)- variability of physical geography around the world. Maps and globes were kept across Grade 3 to create a conducive environment to enhance their understanding. Google Earth was explored to understand the orientation of the Earth - zones, climate, weather and mapping skills. To know the relationship between locations and settlements - the third LOI case study on Surat & Greenland was taken up, where the learners understood the reasons of human settlement and its impact. Throughout the unit, students used organizers/ books/ articles for the enduring understanding of the unit. A few “ I Wonder” questions : “Has the Earth always looked the same?” “I wonder how many landforms there are?” “ Are landforms everywhere?” “Why aren’t people in Antarctica upside down?” “When did they find out that the world is round?” · Through this process, they developed an understanding of important concepts, acquired essential skills and knowledge, developed
particular attitudes and also learned to take responsible actions. Finally, this unit was wrapped up by the students who had taken action to create their own research booklet on their chosen country, incorporating all the details. This transdisciplinary theme provided students an opportunity to learn about all the aspects of the Earth’s physical geography and its interdependence on other factors.
Yogita Advani - HRT (Grade 3 - Inspire) Reference: author, Robert E. Gabler, James F. Petersen, L. Michael .Physical Geography
MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY While the world celebrated the International Mother Language Day on 21st Feb 2016, at Fountainhead School it has been a year long affair. An IB school with its affiliation towards teaching and learning in the English language, the mother language nonetheless has always been awarded due respect, dignity and the love it deserves. In a country with 22 regional languages it has surely been a daunting task to identify one language to bind us together, and yet at the same time preserving and nurturing each of these 22 languages in our homes and schools .
But India as a nation has gone beyond the diversity of language, religion, creed and gender, and has matured itself into a nation where we accept only a one single fact that we are one nation. This endeavor by Fountainhead School to identify and respect the different mother tongues of its students and teachers, is really commendable, especially when during the entire year the focus is on learning of the English language. During these mother language sessions, a variety of activities such as read alouds, language related games, video watching, role plays and learning of alphabets have been conducted in various mother language groups to reaffirm that the mother tongue still holds the status it deserves in our lives. “A wise woman once said to me that there are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these she said is roots, the other, wings”. ~William Hodding Carter (1907–1972) And finally, putting it in perspective, mother language is the root that gives our children their identity, serves as the invisible umbilical cord that binds them to their family and culture. The English language is the wings that will guide and help them to soar towards their dreams… Prasmi PR - Team Leader (Grade 4)
“CHILDREN MUST BE TAUGHT HOW TO THINK NOT WHAT TO THINK ” - MARGARET MEAD.
“MATHEMATICS is Everything” or “Everything is MATHEMATICS” means the same. If at all Mathematics is not everything, the subject has a relation to everything of our life! Learners find Math to be a difficult subject as they cannot visualise and connect it with the real world. Hence, conventional teaching in mathematics does not help, contextual teaching methods need to be adopted when constructive learning of concepts is desirable. “We join hands collaboratively to make Math learning fun and interesting through differentiation using all possible tools." -FS Math Team Mission. The Math team at FS strives to come up with various ideas to make Math learning effective and interesting for the students. To develop a mathematical outlook in the learners, the Math Team at FS organized many events and activities providing a platform to the learners where they can showcase their understanding. NUMBERNAGAR - (The FS Math Lab) consists of resources like - Mudras, Mathematics story wall, Nagar map, Pythagorean Canopy, Time Tree, Pizza Clock, Fractional Clock, Cubes, Pi Pillar and various math manipulative etc. which help students to understand the subject by visualizing its numerous components . During the Math Science Trivia conducted for senior school, learners faced subtle and virtual problems related to Math & Science which helped us in testing their analytical skills, proficiency, aptitude and an affinity towards the subject. To celebrate the glory of the Great Indian Mathematician Shri Srinivasa Ramanujan, on his birthday, MATH DAY was commemorated on 22nd December,2015 in the school. The senior school students participated in different events like Math & Technology (presentation making on Math concepts), Math in Nature (poster making on Pattern and Functions that they see in nature), Math models (model making to demonstrate different Math concepts), Math is fun (tricky math games) Walk & Talk (Character dress-up based on the theme of Great Mathematicians and their contributions to the society). Mathematics is also an integral part in the TOK (Theory of Knowledge) subject. On Math day, in groups of three, Grade 11 students presented TOK links through well structured arguments.The learners creatively showcased the presence of Math in everyday life by addressing several real life situations and examples, active participation was encouraged to build confidence towards better performance in Math. MATHATHON was a speed Math test which demanded instant thinking that helped us check the learner’s retention of knowledge when they were asked to solve Math quizzes within the set time. The X-BOX performance by the students on the Mathematics related concepts gave them a chance to demonstrate their understanding in an innovative way. The school’s Math team has also opened up the Virtual Math Club on Google+ where students and all associates of FS can have fun, share knowledge/ problems / ideas and come together to make the subject more interesting, meaningful and friendly. Through various hands on activities, we aim to change the phobia for Math to philia for Math.
Margi Barot - (MY Math facilitator & Mentor Teacher of Grade 9 - Serendipity) Ranjeet Dutta - (SS Math facilitator & Mentor Teacher of Grade 12 - Sangfroid) Urvi Shah - (MY Math facilitator & Mentor Teacher of Grade 7 - Idea)
A change I want to see in India is... India is praised for its recent developments and I appreciate it all the same, but, I feel there still are certain issues that are needed to be taken care of by both the government and the people of India. One of those important issues that affects a common man’s daily life is the sanitation and hygiene maintained within public lavatories in India. Almost nowhere can one find a proper and clean toilet to use. Almost every time, one thinks twice before stepping in and sometimes decides just not to go. In most places there are no or very few public toilets available altogether. Public toilets available in villages or towns, are not maintained by the people thinking that it is entirely the government’s responsibility to keep them clean and hygienic. Thus, most toilets are dirty and unusable. This also spreads diseases leading to unhealthy living conditions. These thoughts that ‘The Government ‘ should be responsible for the maintenance are quite incorrect...we the ones who use them are responsible. The government can facilitate us with toilets with good sanitation which are hygienic but, to maintain them is our job. We must realize that it is a public property and should take care and not spoil it. Only we can make India better. We can always start today and make a better tomorrow for India…
Nidhi Grover - Student (Grade 6 - Contemplate)
SAVE TREES Trees are gifts of nature, But what will happen to them in future? The rate at which they are cut down, It seems there won't be any trees around. Why do people cut trees? What will they gain from this? Only lack of oxygen and food, It may cause floods and drought too. Come on friends, plant more trees, And bring about life and greenery. Thank you Lord, for such a beautiful gift of nature. But will they survive in the coming future?
Muskan Arya - Student (Grade 4 - Fortitude)
Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Once upon a time; there lived a princess with fair skin and blue eyes named Snow White. Her stepmother was pretty, but very jealous. She daily asked her ‘Magic mirror ‘Who was the most beautiful? The mirror replied, “You” Your Majesty. But once it so happened that the mirror replied, “It’s Snow White”. She asked her huntsman to kill Snow White and bring her heart. The huntsman showed pity on Snow White and told her to run away in the jungle as her stepmother wanted to kill her. While she was moving in the jungle at night when she met Prince Charming. When she woke up in the morning she saw a small cottage. She peeped in and saw 7 empty plates and 7 tiny beds. She prepared a good meal and slept. When the owners, the 7 dwarfs returned, they saw their meal ready on the table and a completely clean cottage. They saw SnowWhite and heard her story. After hearing her out, the dwarfs let Snow White stay in their cottage. Just then, Prince Charming came there and proposed marriage to Snow White. The cruel stepmother asked her magic mirror, “Who was the most beautiful?” Magic mirror replied, ‘Snow White in her wedding’. The cruel stepmother went to their wedding in a disguise. Prince Charming asked her, “Who are you?” She replied, “I am here to give you blessings. Prince Charming told her that everyone who wants to give us blessings needs to step up on this magic iron belly. As soon as she stood up on the magic iron belly, she started melting. She tried to run away, but the 7 dwarfs surrounded her and didn't let her go. Prince Charming was sure that cruel stepmother would come disguised. His magic iron belly worked. That was the end of the cruel stepmother. Snow White, Prince Charming, and the 7 dwarfs lived happily ever after. Bhavya Bhattar - Student (Grade 3 - Ideate)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Version 2.0
Helped by my mother
Once there lived a princess named Snow White and she was very beautiful. She loved to sing songs in her garden. One day, when she was walking in her garden, she saw the seven dwarfs. They had forgotten the way to their house. The princess went to them and said, " If you want to stay in my castle, you may stay." So the dwarfs said, "Okay, we will stay in your castle." After three weeks, a cruel witch came to their palace and took the cutest dwarf 'Happy' with her. The witch said, "I am taking you because your princess looks more beautiful than me. I want your princess, I want to kill her, I will leave you only if you bring her to me." But when the dwarf went to Snow White he couldn't abduct her as he fell in love with her and they both got married. Snow White, Happy and all the other dwarfs went and fought with the wicked witch and killed her. Then one of the other dwarfs told Snow White, " Now we will always stay with both of you !” So Snow White, Happy and all the other six dwarfs lived happily together, ever after!
The Gift Of Books Books are the treasure of knowledge, and love sparkling for them deep till my heart's edge, Words and phrases long cherished in my mind, But treasures and pleasures of each book a unique kind. Just with a book, Travelling to places we do not know, To the times of James Cook, Or lands of characters whose noses are replaced with hooks. Some books are informative, And some teach us how to be creative. Some are talking about ancient history, and some filled with exciting suspense and mystery. Words and sentences framed with imagination, And some meant just for recreation. Books may leave us with our heads shaking in disbelief, Or our mouths giving out sighs of relief. Books are certainly a treasure, A truly great source of pleasure!! Nidhi Grover - Student (Grade 6 - Contemplate)
Yashna Sheth - Student (Grade 3 - Innovate)
HONESTY...YES! LIE...NO Honesty is the best policy, people say the world should be true, they do pray, Being truthful is the main thing be true to the world, they will make you a king, Never in your life, attempt to lie be it a mistake or a crime, When you lie, others don't know but the one who knows is god, There's an old saying, people say to hide a lie, you need to lie all the way, A lie in your life, creates darkness but honesty in your life, welcomes brightness, Honesty, makes you respectful in others point of view, Honesty, makes people proud the ones who love you, Always speak the truth even if your voice shakes, So, be honest all time, all day or else for a lie, you must pay... Stuti Virani - Student (Grade 6 - Excogitate)
FUTURE STARS IN THE MAKING…
The importance of skill development will make competent youth. – Narendra Modi.
Fountainhead School believes in an all-round development of the students. The skill of fine arts or the performing arts is equally important as the mainstream education. Any form of art is connected to creativity, emotions and presentations. The ultimate aim of our system should be to develop well-rounded adults, from the youngsters we have in our classroom. The virtues of arts will result in building good character in students. The art forms to which the young students are exposed, will build a positive attitude and aptitude towards a good life. We find that many busy professionals spare time for their beloved art. It not only helps them meditate but also strengthens their inner self. Our school believes in developing these skills along with academics. In the art segment, we offer Art Special (AS) Classes from Grades 3 to 10. Throughout the year, students develop their skills and showcase their talent in “Kala Utsav” at the end of the year. This year too, students performed in “Kala Utsav”with great enthusiasm. During the event, the music students created a melodious environment through their varied performances. There were different musical performances in various segments like solo, group vocals, playing in the band, keyboard, and tabla. Student sang a Sufi song, “Hoshiyar Rehna”, a classical song, “Shraavan Mahino”. The band performed on “Thousand years” by Christina Perri and “Demons” by Imagine Dragons to name a few. Dance students’ performances were full of energy. Bharatanatyam students performed a ‘Lord Ganesh Stuti’. In the fusion music segment they presented a contemporary classical dance and mesmerising dance forms like hip-hop, contemporary and jazz followed back to back. Drama students were full on in ‘nautanki’ mood. They performed on classical and western forms of drama that is on ‘Romeo Juliet’, ‘A Doll’s House’, ‘The Caucasian Chalk Circle’, ‘Flying Elephant’ and many more. The students in Visual Art classes learned Tangram- a puzzle of seven pieces, underwater drawing, clay making, collage making, comic books, folk art making, and creating collages by using natural material and also learnt about the elements and principles of Visual Art. At Kala Utsav, an art gallery was organized where students showcased their creative pieces. A new segment catering to the ‘Culinary skills’ was introduced this year. The little chefs learned different recipes like Potato Cheese Omelet, Suji toast, Pinacolada, Corn chaat, different salads and many more mouthwatering dishes. In Kala Utsav, their stall was worth a visit. For the Makers Program, students were free to select their own project and they came up with ‘Working Models’. Some students of ‘Makers’ made a car with the given resources! As an artist and educator, I always enjoy this journey of art. This innovative learning not only sharpens students’ skills but also refreshes our learning. It’s quite a gratifying experience for a teacher when the students showcase their performances. Such events bring out the latent talent of the students and an atmosphere of creativity is created. It was a ‘first’ for many of them. The idea of exploring this world of wonder was coming to being. Rucha Kapadia - (Drama Teacher - Arts Team)
Importance of Goal Setting When I speak on this topic, not only do I take pride in vouching of the fruitful result it has rendered me but, I also guarantee that in no way can you or your child fail if you rigorously work on 2-3 mutually agreed upon goals. I was a struggling mom for a long time and was clueless on how to go ahead with my five year old daughter’s academic goals. The first PTC I attended in her senior kindergarten class was the time I took charge of her learning, big time. The goals that I set for her were carefully framed unlike the previous year. Then came the time to implement the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time bound) goals. Both I and the teacher wanted her reading and speaking skills to improve. At FS, you will find most of the teachers stressing upon the same. So we agreed upon 2-3 concrete to-dos. A daily read aloud session both by me and my daughter gave our morale a boost. We started reading together and soon we were independent readers. Not only were we reading and comprehending, we started making sentences and learning the spellings. All of this I did in the name of achieving the set goal at school. This became our daily exercise and we enjoyed doing it together. My child and I felt a great sense of fulfillment and achievement when we actually accomplished our set goal. Even though, reading, writing and learning is a continuous process, we did achieve a certain milestone and are determined to achieve many more.
Swapnil B John - (Parent of Stasha B John, Senior KG - Dazzle)
Artists at Work Vedant Malpani_Grade 1 - Trust
Swara Patel_Grade 1 - Concord
Veer Relia_Grade 1 - Hope
Atharva Dalal_Grade 1 - Concord
Arjun Malhotra_ Grade 1 - Amity
Mishty Shah_Grade 1 - Hope
Arjun Malhotra_ Grade 1 - Amity
Ipshita Pansari_Grade 1 - Amity These pieces have been supported by parents / teachers.