5 December 2016

From the Director's Desk

Learning from Others
This weekend saw us host an inspiring initiative at Pathways School Noida.

The Swatchability run with 2,500 participants was held to mark the Day of Disability. Led by the iconic Major DP Singh, India’s first blade runner the event underlined the lesson that almost every handicap can be surmounted with a strong spirit and determination. Many participants were amputees with prosthetic limbs or in wheelchairs and their zest for life was a wonderful lesson for our students and parents who participated.

A couple of weeks ago we were delighted to host the celebrated nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar who spoke on healthy eating, breaking many myths and emphaszing the importance of natural and local food. Despite school being closed due to high pollution the event saw a packed room of parents, staff and students.

And finally primary school teachers were the audience for the celebrated theatre director and writer, Feisal Alkazi who spoke to us about Rabindranath Tagore on who he has written a book for teachers, leading an experiential writing session to convey his thoughts and inspiration.



Sharing and Giving
It is great to see the community spirit which characterises Pathways School Noida in the buzz of activity around the Christmas Carnival. All the food is home cooked and all parents are invited, so I do hope to see you there. Students across the school are planning games stalls as fund raisers. The proceeds of the carnival go to three charities chosen by the students of the Interact club. Students decided they will work to raise funds for the orphanage  Sai Bal Sansar, for Cansupport (many children have family members with Cancer and feel an emotive bond) and for SPCA (which this group of students feel strongly about).  The amount they hope to raise is 2.5 to 3 lacs. However the main thrust of the event remains community building – and the generosity both of spirit and financial is an amazing characteristic of our parent community.

On Friday 16th we have our annual Day of Sharing which focuses on the contributions and talents of the support staff.  There is a talent show of support staff members with our children as audience. This is designed to create a connection between students and these vital members of our school community. The show is followed by a langar lunch which is served by students of the senior school and is eaten together.


Making a Mark
We are proud of the successes of a number of our students and I would like to congratulate:

Shubhi Raghav of Grade 11 for her published poetry anthology  'The Golden Despair'


Kavya Gandhi of Grade 11 for entering the Badminton Nationals

Three middle school students – Vanshika Goel, Prachi Sharma, Samarth Modi who participated in the final round of the World Scholars Cup in Yale.  They won a silver medal in the debate, competing against 700 teams from around the world. Vanshika also won an individual gold and a silver medal for being in the top 200 scholars.


Our students will be participating in the CIS 4th Annual Interschool Golf Tournament, to Canadian International School 


Sharing Student Learning
Across the school in different ways students are sharing their learning progress and goals with parents. The Student Led conferences involve reflection, careful planning and some tension. It is always surprising to see how nervous students are as they plan what to share with their parents. The learning process is invaluable because the most effective way of students improving is when they identify their own areas of development – more effective than being told what to do by adults.

In contrast there is pride and excitement in our youngest students from Pre Nursery to Grade 1 who have Class Showcase events where they sing, recite or present their learning to parents.

Student Council
Ten days of lead up, campaigning, posters, speeches and politicking culminated in the secondary school student council elections.

Between the elected and the nominated positions, I am happy to report that we have a very good council in place who will I am sure, take up the baton of leadership. It is an important feature of the culture of Pathways to encourage student leadership and voice and the year ahead promises to be interesting.         

New Student Council 17-18
President Anya Lauria


And finally….
All good wishes to all of you for the festive season.  I hope you have a happy and safe family time together. We look forward to seeing all our students back in school on 12th January.  Please note that presence on this day is an expectation of all children. If for an exceptional and unavoidable reason your child will not be in school on that day, leave must be applied for in advance, from the Principal.


    As always, for the month of January, school will begin at 9.30 am.

Dr. Shalini Advani
School Director