World Scholars’ Cup by Vanshika Goel- 9A Prachi Sharma-9B Samarth Modi- 8B

The Tournament of Champions, is an extension of the World

Scholars’ cup, for the select teams that achieved the required score (in the global round in Bangkok). Around 700 scholars form 40 countries were selected, and our team from Pathways was to be one of them.

There were 4 events in all. The challenge was the first event to take place, this required each one of us to answer 120 questions in 60 minutes. The questions were based on subjects like-Music, Art, Literature, Social Sciences and Special Area. The theme for this year’s event was “An Imperfect World”.

The next event debate, was one of the team events, and played a crucial role in our scores as a team, and individually. The event was comprised of 3 debates, with other teams from around the world, in Yale’s Rosenkranz hall. One of the topics we debated on was, “Teachers should follow the principles of wabi sabi. In the debate event, we secured a total of four medals, a silver was received by each of us, for our team debate, and a gold medal was won by Vanshika for debating.

The other events were collaborative writing and scholar’s bowl, each quite competitive and tough.

Since the event was held at Yale University, we were taken around the campus by Yale students, attended a lecture by a Yale professor, a keynote address by a professor from Stanford on Genome Engineering and spent most of our time there. We also went on a day trip to Boston, where we visited and took tours of Ivy League Yale’s infamous “rival” school, Harvard, along with MIT! The trip was cold, but inspirational, where each and every scholar was able to picture themselves in the halls of one of these brilliant universities. On the last day, we went to New York a few hours before our flight, and were able to walk around Times Square, before it was time to head back to India… and warmer weather.

It was amazing interacting with students and teachers from around the world. Our 5 days at Yale, reminded us of just how big our world is, and just how much we can do to positively change it.

Grade 6 Session on Understanding Stem Cells with Doctor Paramjit Dhot by Aanya Sharma Grade 6

In MYP science we are currently inquiring on cells and its

application to real – life.  During the course of our inquiry we encountered stem cell which has become our research topic and how stem cells can be used to cure various diseases. To get the first-hand information which is our primary resource we had a special session with Doctor Paramjit Dhot who serves as a Medical Director of Life Cell International Private Limited. Dr. Dhot is an eminent and renowned Pathologist, Haematologist and Transfusion Medicine Specialist with over 10 years of executive experience. Dr. Dhot also played a prominent role in setting up India’s first Haematopoietic Stem Cell Bank. He specializes in stem cell therapy, blood banking and transfusion medicine and bone marrow transplantation

The topic of the session was Stem Cells and its application.

We were taken through an interactive presentation on stem cells-what is a stem cell, collection of cord blood, storage of stem cell. It came as a big surprise when Dr. Dhot brought out real blood and plasma to show us!

Dr. Dhot told us that the two most important things when preserving stem cells were: the chemical mixed into the plasma is called Dimethyl Sulphoxide (or DMSO for short), and that they cool the stem cells in Liquid Nitrogen until they are -196°C cold. Sounds very scientific and complicated isn’t it? That’s just a bit of the science of it all and it was something we all loved and found so interesting.

This interaction was very helpful and all of us Sixth Graders understood so much more than what a textbook alone could share. I, personally, think that this was a very interesting session, and I would like to thank all the teachers who arranged it and to Doctor Paramjit Dhot for taking time out of his busy schedule to share his learning with us.

Lord Jeffrey Archer’s Book Launch by Rishina Tyagi Gr 11

“He is the only author ever to have been a number one bestseller in fiction eighteen times, four times for short stories and even in non-fiction.” This was the impressive introduction we were given for the renowned writer Jeffrey Archer, whose book launch we attended this week at Sri Ram School, Aravali. We had all come prepared with our research, read up all about his life, his works and his accomplishments; we thought we were prepared for what was to come.

When he walked on stage, he was greeted by the thunderous applause of all the awed students in the audience, and much like them, I couldn’t wait to hear what he would say. Imagine our surprise when his first words were, “India is going to lose the match”. His easygoing nature and casual but passionate tone shattered the British stereotype of formal and lofty behaviour we expected, considering his title of ‘Lord’.

In his speech he talked about his life, how writing had helped him after his financial crisis and how the women in his life, “[his] mother, wife and the former Prime Minister of UK, Margaret Thatcher”, have impacted his life. When asked questions by the students in the audience he elaborated on his style, his relation and inspiration for some characters and other very important things, like who was his favourite character in all of his books!

In the end, he gave a word of caution to all the aspiring writers in the audience, “Only one in a million can become a Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid or Virat Kohli. For every thousand writers, only one book gets published. Hard work and dedication is the key, regardless of talent and age.”

Guest Lecture by famous Nutritionist, Ms.Rujuta Diwekar at Pathways Noida by Ayona Sengupta Gr 12

On the 7th of November, 2016, numerous members of the faculty and student body attended a talk given by the famous nutritionist, Rujuta Diwekar, made famous by stars like Kareena Kapur, Shah Rukh Khan etc. This talk reached out specifically to parents of school-going children, urging them to rethink their choices, both in terms of nutrition and lifestyle. Ms. Diwekar talked of multiple activities that could replace the ones we resort to every day, in an effort to encourage a healthier lifestyle.

The most engaging segment of her talk was perhaps when she threw questions out to the audience, making us question the nutrition we had been resorting to for years. She broke numerous misconceptions that we had about the kind of food children should be eating. Her opening statement immediately took us aback as she declared that parents need not force their children to drink milk. She talked of how the old age adage about milk’s magical properties no longer rings as true as we’ve discovered other sources of calcium. This surprised several parents in the audience and sparked a flurry of queries. Other sections of her talk included tips such as avoiding drinks with high fructose corn syrup and remaining aware of a child’s strength to weight ratio.

As a student, I found her talk enlightening, though her material was aimed at parents. I gained a deeper understanding of the implications of the nutritional choices we make on a daily basis and also developed an appreciation for how ultimately simple yet worthwhile a healthy lifestyle can be.

Children's day Celebration by Ms. Pallavi Dhody and Ms. Pallavi Kukreti

Children have always been the reason for our smiles.  Children’s day was celebrated with much pomp and show at Pathways, Noida.

In Primary school Teachers enthusiastically organized a special assembly for students of Toddlers to Grade 5. Teachers celebrated the day in true spirits with a variety of performances and left no stones unturned to entertain children. The assembly commenced with the soulful song ‘We are the world’, reminding students that they are the future citizens who will be making informed choices to work towards a brighter world. Few teachers sang for them while others danced to the latest Bollywood songs. A thrilling performance by the dance teachers left the students mesmerized.

A surprise party awaited the pre-primary students after the assembly. The little ones enjoyed yummy goodies, enthusiastically danced to their favorite songs and were eagerly playing few games with their teachers. The celebrations made students feel special and reminded that they have people around them to care and nurture them.

In the secondary school too, Children's day was celebrated amidst much fanfare. The day began with Form tutors arranging class parties to the delight of their group. The teachers put up an exhilarating show to engage the students, to share a message of love and encouragement, and to inspire them to explore new possibilities. From dance performances to

skits around classroom scenarios to an acapella rendition, the students thoroughly enjoyed their teachers performing for them, and made for an enthusiastic audience. It proved to be a great learning experience for the teachers as well, many of whom stepped out of their comfort zones to perform on stage, so they could show the children how special, how valued they truly are.

The Open House at Shiv Nadar University by Stephen Abraham Grade 12

The Open House at Shiv Nadar University, was a unique experience not just being the first of the kind for many of us in grade 12, but it was an Open House wherein students got to meet with other students to discuss and learnt he brilliant opportunities that exist not outside the walls of our country, but rather lie in the heart of country. From open discussions to career speeches eloquently spoken by the esteemed professors, to interactive quiz sessions and innovative hands-on experiments in the technologized labs of the university:

we understood that the possibilities for an individual to grow at a university is almost a multitude. I know many of us have dreams that pertain to foreign lands and new territories, however discoveries aren’t limited to risk only but are rather discovered where one is comfortable at home. To me, that is a very important quality to be found; one which resonated with the atmosphere of the Shiv Nadar University.

From the Director's Desk

One month into the school year, I am very pleased to be writing to share my thoughts and give you an overview of what has taken place and what is forthcoming. I also take this opportunity to warmly welcome all the new families who have joined Pathways in this academic year. I hope you have had the opportunity to understand the working of the school through the various Form mornings and orientation sessions.

Rewards and Recognition

A large number of parents attended the Primary and Secondary Awards ceremonies and as you know at Pathways we believe in recognising multiple excellences. There has been recognition for students who did well at the Trinity school music exam (details below) and at open or inter-school sports activities. For the first time, we have launched the Pathways merit scholarship. This year this was given to students from Grade 8 up for academic excellence. It could be extended to other areas as well. We have also begun

Showcasing

Showcase assemblies to recognise secondary school students who have done something unusual beyond school and is worthy of recognition. This must be something they have done of their own initiative and in addition to their regular activity in school. As some of you have remarked, this inspires others to extend themselves in different areas.

However I would like to share with you some of the dilemmas which accompany this. Where there are winners there are inevitably losers. As I have said before, the recognition of success is accompanied by a lack of recognition of others and we would not want this event to make a student feel less special. For this reason we do not intend to extend this to Primary school students where because of the sensitivity of this age group, it is our philosophy that every student must be celebrated for whatever they are good at.

Finally, we have also looked at recognising excellence in academic areas and in exemplary citizenship, more frequently than at the annual academic awards ceremony. This will happen every quarter. And secondary students who have achieved the highest proficiency level at the end of the first semester will be invited along with their parents to coffee with the Directors.

Model UN

We were delighted to host the middle school Model UN, welcoming schools from across the NCR and from around the country. We remain one of the few schools in the country to give middle school students the opportunity to be UN delegates, discussing extremely complex issues. The General Assembly agenda was New Battlegrounds: The Future of Cyber Security and Cyber Warfare, the Security Council debated Transnational Terrorism with Special Focus on ISIS and Boko Haram, the UNHCR on Resettlement and Rehabilitation of refugees and migrants affected by ISIS, the UNDP on Sustainable Development Goals. A special session on the All India Political Parties meet had students taking on the role of individual leaders from parties in India to debate on Adoption and implementation of Uniform Civil Code. Introduced to lobbying, moderated and unmoderated caucuses, crisis situations and the protocols of the UN, students astonished us with the level of their research and understanding of global issues.

Celebrating Korean Thanksgiving

We were delighted to celebrate Chuseok with our Korean families. A number of parents came into school to highlight an awareness of this day with a sweet which was distributed to the whole school. Chuseok,  is one of the three biggest and most important holidays in Korea. Family members from near and far come together to share food and stories and to give thanks to their ancestors. I would like to thank the parents who contributed to our children’s awareness of this

Founders Day Planning

A major highlight of the year for students is Founders Day. This year the event has a strong learning focus creating an awareness which does not necessarily fit into a particular curriculum area. In primary this is on the environment and in secondary it is on Shakespeare since it is his 400th death anniversary. To protect subject areas secondary school rehearsals have been scheduled after school for the first phase and students who for various reasons are unable to devote this additional time will be absorbed into activities and presentations for the Shakespeare carnival and festival that comes before the performance. This is a new feature and promises an exciting opportunity for all students to engage with the world of Shakespeare. It is always a difficult choice between wider learning for all and the needs of the academic programme but as always every student will have some part in our two Founders events.

Safety Systems

As part of our ongoing school improvement process, the school commissioned a professional external group Momentum India to audit our safety infrastructure, system and processes. The school is recognised as having some very strong systems in place already and we are committed to continue to improve in this important area. Once the process is completed it will lead to relevant staff training, upgrade materials and tighten systems as per recommendations.

Upcoming Developments

The school will shortly begin building a new academic block. This will support better facilities and space for the MYP and increase specialist areas like Music rooms, Dance and Drama. I will be writing to you separately regarding this.

This week the school is celebrating Kindness Week: focusing on creating a recognition of the value of spreading caring and understanding. Our children today need to be actively taught about caring for the feelings of others around them and their role in strengthening and encouraging others. A variety of activities have been prepared by the school counsellors in collaboration with the student council.

Finally, I am delighted to share that the school is supporting a very special art exhibition at the India Habitat centre by Amrit Khurana.

Amrit Khurana

Amrit is on the autism spectrum and has been working in the school under the guidance of our art department, especially Mr Anil Goswami. She is a gifted artist, speaking through the images she creates. Her presence in school creates a better understanding in our other students, of the potential giftedness of students with special needs than the best lecture could do. 

Dr. Shalini Advani
School Director

From the Senior School Principal, Mr. Alexander Abraham

We are already 6 weeks into the new term and each day unravels new areas of joy and sharing and learning for all of us as a community. Whenever a new year begins its like starting a whole new chapter of one’s book and while there is a link to the previous chapter which one wrote the previous year yet it is the opportunity to carve out a whole new path for oneself. It is with the same zest and vision that the entire community at Pathways Noida has embarked upon the new academic year and it is really wonderful to see how already so many days and weeks have been filled with new learning.

Over the years our IGCSE and DP results have shown improvement and this is in large measure due to the hard work and commitment of our students and teachers and to the tremendous support we have received from the parent community to help shape our children. In the IBDP, Shaheer Haider topped the batch and the Highest achievers in the IGCSE exams were Anmol Kaul, Aastha Agarwal and Bhavika Hotchandani who all secured 7 A*. Furthermore, our students have secured admissions in New York University, Queens University of Belfast, Parsons Art and Design School (New York), UC Los Angeles, Virginia Tech, Northeastern University, University of Exeter and some Indian Universities where our students have taken admission are as Shristhi School of Design, Ashoka University, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Delhi University etc. Our graduates write into us consistently about how they are finding life in universities abroad so much easier because of their intensive preparation here at school and because of the diverse opportunities at Pathways School Noida. Over the course of the last 6 weeks itself we have seen more than 45 universities visit us and share wonderful career paths for our students.

Over the last month and a half, we have had eventful days where our students have excelled in creative areas as well as academic pursuits.

The secondary awards celebrated the academic successes of our students and the various other recognitions do that over the year. Students were awarded for proficiency and merit awards and overall academic excellence. Besides this there were Special Awards which celebrated our students’ overall contribution to the life here at Pathways and enabled they were able to take their learning beyond the formalized assessments to areas where they would make a difference to the community at large.

Kavya Gandhi

I would also like to share that Kavya Gandhi of Grade 10 has now been ranked No. 1 in Delhi state for Badminton doubles in the Under 19 girls’ category. Also Jahanavi Dutta our School Interact President has been selected as the Zonal Interact Representative for Rotaract Delhi. Two of our students Stephen Abraham of Grade 12 and Ananya Jain of Grade 10 recently participated in applying for a STEM challenge and have been inducted as Young Members of the prestigious New York Academy of Sciences and will be participating in a world-wide STEM training and challenge by the Academy.

Jahanavi Dutta

However, what I see of far greater value and worth are those tangible changes we see in our students from the moment they begin an academic year till it draws to a close. More often than not there is unparalleled joy we as educators have, to see a diffident student turn out to be confident and articulate, a student learns to play a new instrument and leading to a discovery of her varied other interests, another who overcomes typical teenage emotional challenges to become a balanced and committed individual offering comfort and strength to others.

We are extremely proud of our student council and Interact clubs who have been over the last month so active expressing their gratitude to Teachers on September 5th and tying up with Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). Also they had been a Bake Sale and a Foodathon drive to support CANSUPPORT and the Delhi Foodbank. It is remarkable considering that these and other initiatives have been student driven with a motivation of giving back to society and to those who are in need.

We look forward to the exciting months ahead and of teaching and learning not just in a classroom environment but through all our interactions and of building and building towards a stronger and more vibrant community that prepares for our students for life ahead.

Pathways Merit Scholarship 2016

The school is proud to announce the launch of Pathways Merit Scholarships for students of Grade 8 up. These have been awarded based on the overall academic grade for students with MYP points of a minimum of 56 of 63,   IGCSE with a minimum of 5 A*   and DP of 38 points and over. Congratulations to our scholarship winners.

Kyu Dong Cho                                 Grade 11

Aastha Agarwal                                 Grade 10

Bhavika Hotchandani                      Grade 10

Anoushka Nalwa                              Grade 10

Utkarsh Gupta                                  Grade 10

Mantika Singh                                   Grade 10

Ishaan Gupta                                     Grade 9

Yash Gupta                                         Grade 9

Samiksha Gumbhir                          Grade 9

Harveen Anand                                Grade 8

Dev Verma                                         Grade 8

Vanshika Goel                                   Grade 8

Academic Awards Primary School, Mrs. Aruna Jha

Students from grades   2 to 5 have been recognized   for their achievements on 25th  August, 2016. The ceremony commenced with the welcome speech by the new Primary School Presidents, Joel Gaba and Arnav Kansal followed by lighting of the lamp and  a melodious alaap. A song   written by the famous poet, Shri Rabindranath Tagore, was also presented by the primary choir.

The occasion was graced by an esteemed personality, Mr. Manavjit Sandhu, as the chief guest, who   represented the country, in the Rio Olympics 2016, as a member of the Indian shooting contingent.  Students were   motivated by the kind words shared by our school director, Dr. Advani and chief guest, Mr. Manavjit Sandhu,

who reminded the student fraternity and audience to focus more on the process of accomplishing goals rather than winning or losing. The objective of the ceremony was not only to facilitate students who are meritorious, but also motivate those who have been determined to move ahead and try treading challenging paths. The spirit of competition has been visible not only between peers but also by competing with one’s individual abilities by seizing opportunities to progress academically, culturally and in different areas. It was   a proud moment for parents to see their children, receive awards and be recognized for their hard work.

The new student council for the year 2016-17 has also been   appointed. Students in the primary were taken through an experience of a   free and fair process of elections. Each stage of election provided opportunities to develop skills for life and help them emerge as leaders. With great pride they were anointed by the School Director Dr. Shalini Advani and primary school, Principal Mrs. Usha Lamba. The student council took the   oath and pledged to work hard for the student fraternity they represent and promote the values and vision of Pathways School Noida with utmost integrity.

The council took pledge   to build and nurture a community of thinking, compassionate, responsible and balanced   world citizens. The council with pride walked the aisle, holding the respective flags, wearing   badges and feeling responsible. The new student council and their families were congratulated for their new appointments.  It was a moment full of emotions for many parents and teachers who have worked along with the students to mould and groom them, to carve a place for themselves. The ceremony was concluded with parents, teachers and students having tea and interacting with each other.