The Weekly Bulletin of

Stonehill International School Volume 7, Issue 115

5th October 2018

FEATURED STORIES

ISTA Drama Festival in New Delhi

On the morning of September 26th, we set off, an intrepid band of nineteen students, and two clipboard bearing teachers. With students from M1 up to M3, we were a diverse group representing numerous nationalities between us. Yet, all of us shared the same desires – to go to new places, meet new people, be inspired by the influences around us, share our creative energy, and collaborate on making something to be truly proud of.

CONTENTS  

01/FEATURED STORIES 

04/MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF THE SCHOOL 

05/WHOLE SCHOOL NEWS 

06/PRIMARY NEWS 

08/SECONDARY NEWS 

13/INTRODUCING… 

14/SPORTS NEWS 

15/PTA NEWS 

THE TIGER IMPORTANT DATES

OCTOBER 6th - 12th - CIS/NEASC & IB EVALUATION VISIT 16th - PYP & MYP INTER-HOUSE FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT 18th & 19th - SCHOOL CLOSED FOR DUSSEHRA HOLIDAY 23rd - 26th - P8 FIELD TRIP 25th - MYP PARENT WORKSHOP - ASSESSMENT IN THE MYP 26th - DP PARENT WORKSHOP - HOW TO BEST SUPPORT YOUR CHILD  

The ISTA festival started on Thursday morning and Stonehill’s students entered into the challenges put to them with great gusto. In initial whole group warm ups our students shone with enthusiasm and during an afternoon visit to the crafts museum, they proved themselves to be both keen observers of culture, as well as confident improvisers; the impromptu marriage performance in front of the Marriage Column confirmed the latter!

Over the following three days, our students learnt a broad range of theatrical techniques taught by renowned theatre artists. From puppetry to dance, ensemble to lifts, they persevered and applied these skills to their growing final performance. The festival also allowed our students to form friendships with students of other participating schools.

On the final day, the audience poured into the theatre and the lights rose to reveal the fruits of the activities of the previous three days. Our students exceeded all expectations. Sitting in the audience, I was struck by how confident and in-character our students appeared on stage. All of them performed with a charm and a swagger that spoke of how comfortable they all felt in their own skin. Teachers from other schools remarked how visible this self-esteem was in our students and were eager to know what caused it. I was proud to tell them that we have a community at Stonehill where all our students are encouraged and supported to be authentically themselves.

Over the course of the festival I watched our students working, joking, and celebrating with children from many different schools and cultures and came to a surprising realisation. It is not solely our beautiful green campus, or the teachers and parents that support them, that frees our students. Rather, it is our students themselves who allow each other to be free and to feel positive about who they are and who they wish to be. To see this same characteristic being extended so openly and completely to students they had met only days before, filled me with pride.

To open the performance, each school was asked to create a ‘promotional’ chant. After a heated debate the group settled on – ‘We are Tigers we exist! SIS first on the list!’

Upon hearing this, I couldn’t help but feel that ‘we exist’ was perhaps too meek a statement of self-aggrandisement. The students subsequently decided to choose ‘we persist!’ instead; also, an admirable quality. Yet, when watching them all on stage boldly and confidently hitting their marks and enthusiastically revelling in the process as they did it, I wish they had kept the original line. Their work was a glorious statement of existence of each of them as wonderful, caring, creative, young people – and that’s an existence well worth shouting about!

Mr. Jonathan Sanger MYP Drama Teacher

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

School Evaluation Visit

Next week we will have 11 School Evaluation Visitors arriving from eight different countries on campus. The visitors will be at school for a Synchronised Evaluation Visit. This is a process which happens every five years. The International Baccalaureate (IB) Evaluation takes place to ensure that the standards and practices of the IB programmes (PYP, MYP and DP) are being maintained. Accreditation with CIS and NEASC show that a school has achieved high standards of professional performance in international education and has a commitment to continuous improvement. In particular, the award of accreditation shows that the school: is devoted to its mission and vision for students has thought deeply about the services it offers to students, family and community invests the time and resources for validation from globally-recognised accreditation authorities focuses on the quality of teaching, student learning, as well as student safeguarding and well-being is committed to the development of the students’ global citizenship has a suitable philosophy of education suitable for its’ students promises only what it can deliver is open to regular evaluation by its own school community and peer evaluators constantly seeks improvement in all areas of the school and plans strategically for the future.

During the week, the Evaluation Visitors will observe lessons and interview governors, teachers, students, support staff and members of our PTA. Following the visit, they will submit their reports and recommendations to each organisation. The outcome of the visit is usually communicated to the school within 6-8 weeks. Increased Security Please note that we have now added entrance doors at each end of the academic block. The doors will be open for parents during drop-off and pick-up times. When lessons are in session, during the school day, the doors will be closed and manned by security guards. To enter the learning areas, visitors will need to register their attendance at the reception area next to the main gate. We have introduced this measure to ensure that we can account for all persons on site in the event of an emergency. Have a good weekend. Best regards, Simon McCloskey Head of School

WHOLE SCHOOL NEWS

Diwali at Stonehill The annual PTA Diwali Mela that is celebrated by all students, parents, staff and friends of the school is scheduled for Wednesday, 31st October from 1:10 pm – 2:45 pm. One of India’s biggest festivals, Diwali is celebrated to honour the return of Lord Rama (a Hindu god) from his fourteen-year exile. Like most Hindu mythology, the story of Diwali has a number of other stories associated to it. During the festival, it is traditional to buy new ethnic attire as it symbolises ushering in the new year with prosperity. On this day, students, parents and staff are encouraged to wear traditional/ethnic Indian clothes. Typical Indian attire for children is – salwar kameez, or lehenga/ghagra choli for girls, and kurta with pyjama for boys. This kind of traditional attire can be bought in most clothing stores in both malls and your local markets. Here are a few images for your reference.

We invite you to join us for this celebration in your ethnic Indian best! Ms. Raji VK Host Culture and Hindi Teacher

PRIMARY NEWS Hello Everyone, I have reproduced a short article from the The Hindu newspaper below; it is on wearing seat-belts. There is concern amongst the Primary staff that students are travelling to school without seat-belts in place. All Stonehill bus children are required to wear their seatbelt as a condition to ride the bus. We want all children to be safe on their drive to school. PLEASE help us to encourage your child/children to ride safely.

Wear a Belt Even if you are in the Rear Seat

The City traffic police are all set to begin a campaign advocating wearing of safety belts by occupants of the rear seat in four-wheelers. This comes in the wake of Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan’s observation that his late colleague Gopinath Munde, who died in a car accident in New Delhi recently, could have been saved had he been wearing the seat belt. Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) B Dayananda told The Hindu that they had always been advising four-wheeler occupants to use wear safety belts in the rear seat as well for a safe journey. “Now, we will initiate an awareness campaign in the regard,” he said. Though the law mandates car manufacturers to provide safety belts even for rear seats, wearing of seat belts is compulsory only for the driver and the person in the adjacent seat. The city traffic police initiated a campaign to implement the seat belt rule in 2013. A total of 1,68,687 cases were booked against violators in 2013. In 2014, 98,266 cases had been registered till May end. Mr Dayananda said that there was nearly 90 per cent compliance in the city. However, the penalty for violation is a meagre Rs. 100 and there are no stringent provisions to penalise repeat offenders. Piyush Tewari of Save Life Foundation, a non-governmental organisation working for road safety, told The Hindu that it was high time wearing seat belts in rear seats of cars is made compulsory. He said that in many accidents, passengers in the rear seat turn into heavy weight projectiles during a collision and pose a danger to those seated in the front seat as well. He said that the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 is outdated and needs a drastic overhaul, as it has not caught up with present-day challenges. The law was introduced before the country went in for economic liberalisation in the early ‘90s and saw only a minor amendment in 2001. Meanwhile, in a statement, Dr Harsh Vardhan has said, “Research in the UK has shown that wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger car occupants by 45 per cent, and risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 per cent. For those riding in the rear of vans and sport-utility vehicles (SUVs), rear seat belts are 73 percent better at preventing fatalities. Also, children are likely to be buckled 92 per cent of the time when adults in the car use seat belts, as opposed to 72 percent of the time when adults are not using them.” Karen Crooke Primary Principal

Mid-Autumn Festival

Eating Mooncakes and Drinking Green Tea

The Mid-autumn festival, or Moon Festival, is one of the most important traditional festivals in China. Each year, the eighth Full Moon falls on a different date. This year it fell on Monday, 24th September. The moon on this day is the roundest and brightest in the year. The term ‘Round’ always symbolises reunion and completeness in Chinese culture. It is also associated with a very beautiful and sad story called “Chang-E ben yue” (Chang-E flies to the Moon).

Watching Story of Chang-E flies to the Moon

Our PYP students celebrated this festival and experienced the cultural context of Chinese traditions in class on this day. They watched the story of “Chang-E ben yue”, studied the Chinese characters and elements of the story and worked as a team to make posters of this story. Besides learning the lessons around this festival, students also had the chance to taste mooncakes, which Ms. Lisa brought all the way from Singapore. Students were happy to taste these mooncakes that were served along with traditional Chinese green tea. Now, our PYP Chinese students are looking forward to more festive events!

Working together to make posters of the Moon Festival Story

Ms. Huixian He Chinese Teacher

SECONDARY NEWS

ISTA Drama Festival Nineteen students from M1, M2 and M3 travelled to New Delhi for the ISTA Drama Festival from 25-28 September. Our students attended a variety of workshops over a period of three days and learnt a broad range of theatrical techniques from renowned theatre artists. It was an outstanding learning experience for our students. Thank you to Ms. Ranmali and Mr. Jonathan for organising and chaperoning our students.

ISACI Boys Basketball Our ten-member senior boys Basketball Team left for Pune on Wednesday to take part in the ISACI tournament hosted by the Mercedes Benz International School, Pune. Thank you to Mr. Karan and Mr. Avinash for chaperoning the team

ISACI Senior Girls Football at Stonehill

Stonehill is hosting the ISACI Senior Girls’ Soccer Tournament on Friday, 5th and Saturday, 6th October with teams from Mercedes Benz International School, Pune; The International School of Hyderabad; and The British School, New Delhi participating.

Thank you to Ms. Vandana D’Cruz, our Whole School Sports Coordinator, for organising this event. You are cordially invited to come to watch the matches and cheer for the teams.

MYP Parent Workshop

On Thursday, 4th October Mr. Jitendra Pandey, MYP Coordinator, held a presentation that introduced the MYP for our new parents. The interactive session was very informative for the fifteen parents who attended the session.

Late or Absent If your son/daughter is absent or late, please send an email to the Secondary Secretary with a copy to the homeroom teacher by 7:30am. Email: secondary.secretary@stonehill.in Or tanuja.arora@stonehill.in Telephone: 080-4341-8300 Ext. 8511 (Ms. Tanuja Arora)

Dussehra Break The school will be closed for the Dussehra holidays from Thursday, 18th to Sunday, 21st October. I hope you are able to enjoy the Dussehra festivities in this region of India.

Professional Development Day for Staff On Monday, 22nd October, there is a Professional Development day for staff. The school will be closed on that day for all students – regular classes will commence on Tuesday, 23rd October for all students. Have a good weekend. Best regards, Narendra Mehrotra Secondary Principal secondaryprincipal@stonehill.in

News from Individuals and Societies (IAS) Department

M4 History students started the year investigating the impact of trade and exchange. They focused on both the positive and negative impacts of such trade with an in-depth study of the Spice and Silk routes. The students worked in groups to create a centre spread for the magazine ‘Innovate’ that is putting together a feature article on the development of trade, aid and exchange through history, with a particular focus on the development of the spice and silk trades. Their illustrated information board explains the key developments in either the silk or the spice trade through time. They worked in groups of four and worked on addressing the following questions, which was then presented to class. 1. How did the trade route develop? 2. What were some of the key locations on this trade route? 3. What type of aid and exchanges resulted from this trade route? 4. What were the benefits? Did it lead to any cultural exchange or improved cooperation between

countries? 5. What were the drawbacks? Were there any examples of exploitation and conflict? M3 students have been studying aspects of democracy in their IAS classes. They have had a spirited, formal class debates on the benefits/drawbacks of a monarchy, thereby, consolidating their public speaking and collaborative research skills. To try and bring the topic alive and give opportunities for students to integrate technology into their learning, they are currently making documentaries and podcasts on a specific aspect of democracy from the Civil Rights Movement to the Fall of the Berlin Wall.

The photos above show one of the documentaries made by M3A. In this, they are trying to recreate democracy in Ancient Greece to help them consider the advantages and disadvantages of direct democracy. Ms. Narayani Saberi & Mr. Joshua Morris HoD Individuals and Societies & IAS Teacher

Practical Applications of Highest Common Factor and Lowest Common Multiple

To understand the concepts of Highest Common Factor (HCF) and Lowest common Multiple (LCM), students in both M1 classes tried their skills in a board game. This collaborative activity not only made them enjoy board games such as ‘Snakes and Ladders’, but also helped them enhance their conceptual understanding of HCF and LCM.

During this activity, students helped each other to solve problems. Students were asked to play multiple rounds so that every team could win at least one game. Mr. Ramaiah VVA HoD Mathematics

Science in the Secondary School The start of the year has been an important time for Ms. Aditi’s MYP class as M1 students adapt to Science in the Secondary School. They have been exploring the unit on Ecology and what it means to be living. Students also enacted food chains, thereby depicting the cycle of eating and being eaten, that exists in an ecosystem.

The M2s have been busy learning about the structure and functions of important organs like the lungs and heart. Classes are rife with presentations and results of students researching components of blood and investigations on blood pressure. One of the activities had students attempting to construct a working model of the lungs with the materials that they were provided.

M3 students have been implementing visible thinking routines such as think-puzzle-explore to understand the concepts of electricity, conductors and insulators. As a part of developing two of the most important ATL skills, communication and research, M3 students presented their work on the effects of static electricity by choosing topics like lightning and electric shocks.

M4A and M4B presented information on important biomolecules to P5 and P7 students. They eloquently explained to their young audience the importance of biomolecules in our body and in balanced diet. Biology Teacher Ms. Bindu says, “The interactive session was fun for our M4 students, who had the opportunity to present to a much younger audience than they are accustomed to.”

In their Physics classes, M5 students created their own models to explain the relationship between electric current and voltage, sparking their creativity.

Ms. Maitreyee Banerjee HoD Science

INTRODUCING… Each week we will feature a Stonehill Teacher in our weekly bulletin. This week we interviewed Whole School Language B Teacher, Huixian He. Name Huixian He (何惠贤) Qualification and certifications Master of Arts (Education), Teaching Certificate. What do you teach at Stonehill? Chinese (Whole School) Where are you from and where else have you lived? I’m originally from Xiamen City in the Fujian Province of China. Before coming to Stonehill, I lived in Finland, Myanmar, Cambodia, Philippines and Vietnam. What inspired you to become a teacher? My love for children and my passion for different cultures and learning about the different parts of the world have been my biggest inspiration. What is your educational philosophy? I believe every child is special and unique. Therefore, they have individual needs to be met. In my opinion, my role as a teacher is to assist every child’s development and foster their curiosity. I also aim to create a friendly and safe classroom environment for my students to enjoy learning. What made you choose Stonehill? The richness of Indian culture and the beautiful campus of Stonehill. What is the best part of your job? Having my students start talking Chinese to me! What are your hobbies and interests? Hiking, drawing, playing violin, reading, swimming and Yoga. What is your favourite book? The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho What is your favourite music? Classical Music – Guitar/Cello/Violin

SPORTS NEWS We are pleased to announce that the swimming pool is now open. All class swimming lessons will continue from Monday 8th October. Next week, we will be introducing a Friday morning swimming training session. This session is for confident swimmers in P6 – D2. The training times are at 6:45am - 7:30am. Please contact amanda.mccloskey@stonehill.in if your child is interested in joining these extra swimming sessions. Ms. Amanda McCloskey P.E. Teacher

PTA NEWS

Bluefoot Tours Presentation

A big thanks to all the parents who attended last week's PTA Parent Coffee Morning and the presentation by Ms. Kaveri Singhji of Bluefoot Tours! Our next Coffee Morning will be held in January.

Tiger Gear and Merchandise If you would like to purchase Tiger gear and Tiger merchandise, we ask that you please contact our Sport's Coordinator Kirin Singh before attempting to collect it from the Administration Building. You can get in touch with Kirin at singh.kirin@gmail.com Have a great weekend, Team PTA

Stonehill International School

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