A very happy new year and a warm
welcome back in spite of these cold January days. A special welcome to those
parents and students who have joined Pathways school Noida in this
semester.
We are also happy to welcome
in our community the five new members of staff who have joined. As always it is
a delight to have the school buzzing with our students who almost uniformly
have said how happy they are to be back in school. A reminder that the late start continues through January: we will revert to usual timings from 3rd
February.
Barely has the semester begun
before different parts of the school are plunged into activity. In the
secondary school, Student Council elections are as always creating enormous
excitement. Nominated students were interviewed by myself along with the staff coordinators
and the Principals and we were impressed with the clarity and idealism of the
candidates and their enthusiasm for contributing to the school.
Campaigning
went to a whole different level with interesting posters and slogans, and the
elections themselves provided excitement and heartbreak. I am convinced that
the new council will contribute splendidly but also that they will learn the
challenges and demands which leadership brings.
Details of the winners are seen
below.
Elections have provided a teaching moment for thinking about democratic
processes – a timely theme in the light of recent political trends in the NCR
and the positions of the Aam Aadmi Party.
Thailand Community Service Trip
A group of Form 11 students have left on a community service
trip to northern Thailand where they will interact with students from two Thai
schools, learn about the needs of the community and gain an understanding of
the Buddhist culture of that country.
Form 3 introduces the IB to
parents
Two students from Form 3 made a
presentation on their unit of enquiry on Organisations to a group of admiring
adults visiting the school to understand the IB curriculum.
Diva Chhabra & Dhriti Bhattacharya It was admirable to see how clearly and
confidently even our young students are able to explain
complex ideas, summarise their research and assessment to demonstrate their
understanding.
IB Reviews
IB Reviews
Primary school teachers are busy
preparing for the next IB authorization visit in mid-February. Our visitors,
one from the International School in Dhaka and the other from the International
School Singapore, will visit us in mid-February. Meanwhile our Diploma
programme is beginning the mandatory 5 year review done by the IB. In middle
school we have been confirmed as an MYP candidate school by the IB and our
teachers are working towards planning for this. Each of these lengthy and
detailed processes is designed to ensure that we retain the high standards
which the IB requires.
Jharokha : A call to
technical-minded parents
Our academic fair Jharokha: A
Window On Learning has an interesting feature this year. We are setting up
science-based construction challenges for students and inviting parents who
have an interest in this area to mentor teams of students. I will be writing
with more details shortly.
Hosting the Model UN at Pathways
In the first week of February we
will be hosting our Model UN for students from Form 7 - 9. This year we will
host teams from across the country and are happy to welcome students from
international schools in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore in addition to schools
across the NCR. It promises to be an exciting event.
Dr. Shalini Advani
School Director
