From the Director's Desk

The end of the semester always comes upon a school with a breathless rush. In reviewing and reflecting, everyone in the school whether students or staff can look back with a sense of happiness at all that has been accomplished. While the list of what needs to be done next grows alongside, this is a time for giving and I am happy to reflect on time, effort, money which are donated so generously by so many.

Giving Initiative

The upcoming weekend sees a wonderful initiative by students of Form 9 & 10 to the village of Hazipur. In collaboration with the Eyecare Hospital they have arranged for doctors to run an eye camp with testing of villagers and follow up treatment recommendations. There is a special focus on hygiene with a nukkad natak performed by the students. A new library is being inaugurated equipped with books donated by students.

On Wednesday 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.

The Christmas Carnival on Thursday 17th is a labour of love by parents and students. All the food is home cooked and all parents are invited, so I do hope to see you there. There are games stalls run by students, a

raffle and a special auction of the dresses of Belle from the Founders Day performance of Beauty and the Beast. All proceeds go to the Sai Bal Sansar & Indira Public school. I would like to take this opportunity to give enormous thanks to all those parents who have been working so hard to make this event successful.

Day on Wheels

Primary school students have responded enthusiastically to the Day on Wheels. Dozens of bicycles, scooters, skates and roller blades have been brought in. The walkways were converted to wheel zones with one-way systems. A fringe benefit of this is that children are learning early, the benefits of lane driving, keeping to the left and learning road sense. It is a skill they will use for the rest of their lives.

Student Led Conferences

Across the school from Form 3 – 9, students have been sharing their learning progress and goals with parents. It involves 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.  Thank you to all the parents who so enthusiastically gave your time, listened patiently, supported and sometimes challenged your child. It leads to a lifelong learning.

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.

                                               School Council President Karan Pandanda

                                                          Student Council 2016-17

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 14th 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 from the Principal.

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

Dr. Shalini Advani

School Director

From the Middle School Principal, Mrs. Sunanda Sandhir

Children need to see themselves as responsible, empowered, and able to respond to challenges that come in their way. They need this for their self-esteem, for their lives to have a meaning, and also to learn to handle themselves responsibly. They need, like the rest of us, to feel like they matter.

Therefore while providing students the freedom to make choices, it equally essential to hold them accountable for their mistakes. Teachers play the role of facilitators as they facilitate student’s learning by teaching them to solve problems independently.

Student- led conference is one such event where the students get the opportunity to not only share their learning with their parents, but also reflect on it and thereby set goals. As one student shared “I am not good in communication and I think I need to work on bettering the skill.”

Some of our students got an opportunity to participate at Lancers International School for inter-school competitions and I am happy to share the laurels they brought.

•             Prithviraj Singh Shahani, Tanvi Amrit from form 7, and  Shreya Trikha from form 8 won the first prize in the ‘Parliamentary debate’ .

•             Harveen Anand got the First and Tushar Gupta got the Third Prize in Science Symposium. They both are form 8 students

•             In declamation, Harshita Gupta, Samarth Modi and Rishabh Menon from form 7 won the first, second and third prize respectively.

• Dev Verma and Adit Anand won the third prize in Science model.

It is really amazing to see the opportunities of learning the students get through the world wide web. Ms. Mayura Tiwari provided one such experience to the students of form 6 as a part of their unit on Space. She researched on the internet got in touch with an astronomer from NASA - Mr Louis Mayo who interacted with the students on Skype ! He shared the presentation on “Pluto post New Horizon” and answered many questions that the students asked. A memorable experience indeed!

I am also thankful to our parents community who at different times come in to share their expertise with the students and motivate them.

As form 8 studied Pythagoras theorem and Slope of line in Maths, they had to use their learning to sketch and design a Ramp for for wheel chair keeping safety of handicapped in mind. Mr. Manish Gupta who is an architect, shared this expertise in a workshop with the students. Many students said,”This is one of the best workshop and we learnt so much”.

Everyday is a new experience and wide ranging activities keep us all mentally stimulated and happily engaged. As a result, we continue to grow.

Student Led Conference, 3rd and 4th 2015

The student led conference 2015 was a great experience for

students and teachers. It was away for us to reflect on the progress we have made as Grade 9 IGCSE student. It allowed us to focus on our strength and work on our weakness. Collecting evidence, working on the reflection, putting our thoughts and work to paper. The entire process was a rich learning experience, where everybody put in time and effort to introspect about the concepts learnt and the skills acquired. We got feedback from the teachers that gave us a holistic perspective to set our targets and goals which are realistic and achievable.

The parents were very excited and supportive, listening to our presentation and asking question about the goals, reflections and choice of evidence .SLC provided a very formal platform which parent and student could engage and interact. The whole process allowed me to set direction for my improvement and growth .I have made plans based on the same that will help me to move forward to achieve the goals set

 Inika Prasad, Grade 9

The Parent Teacher Meeting or PTM is an exceedingly common term and occasion familiar to both students and parents. However, the much less common Student Led Conference or SLC has brought its own share of contributions to the Grade 9 parent,

teacher and student community at Pathways School Noida. First, the students of Grade 9 were made aware of the steps that we need to take to assure a fruitful SLC for both us and our parents. We had to choose 4 subjects that we would present in different ways for different reasons, two academic subjects, one creativity subject and one transfer of skill subject. I, Ishaan Gupta chose Math, Physics, Chemistry and English Literature respectively. I reflected on my strengths and weaknesses for each subject, I provided evidence to depict these. Furthermore, I set goals for each subject that resided in a specific time frame with achievable steps. To me it definitely helped me improve my organization skills since the frantic search for sheets to use as evidence is a definite reminder to be more organized in the future. The whole process of reflecting on your studies, works and self as a high school student really put things into perspective for me. It showed me what kind of student I am and what I need to improve on. Also it was definitely an enriching experience sharing and discussing my reflections and evidences with my mother and supervisor.

 Ishaan Gupta,  Grade 9

Parents SLC feedback

 1)           I am very satisfied in the way which SLC   was conducted. Adding anything more would not be of any help. I came with an open mind and absorbed a lot. It was pleasure attending it and a learning moment for me.

Parent of Ishaan Gupta Grade 9

2) Process like SLC improves and boost my child’s level further is most welcomed. We find a huge improvement in my child’s confidence level

Parent of Noah Khair Grade 9

 3) SLC is a good opportunity to understand my child’s goal and performances in the subject. Thank you for such process.

Parent of Sang Jun Lee Grade 9

  

4) Exposure and Participation in events like SLC is one reason why we wanted him to be in an IGCSE /IB school

 Parent of Tunir Mukerjee

Pathways Students in a Skype - A- Thon with VP, Education Microsoft

On 3rd Dec 2015, Anthony Salcito, Vice President of Education for Microsoft Corporation’s Worldwide Public Sector skyped with our students of IGCSE Computer Sciences, as part of a Skype-a-thon in which he travelled billions of virtual miles interacting with students worldwide.

Our theme was Game based learning. The students were super excited and the interaction was memorable and fruitful. Our team introduced our school logo and the culture of our country in a few words following which they discussed game based learning and even gadgets like  surface pro. They discussed their ideas on dynamic web site building  and also world building across continents on Minecraft among other ideas. The Microsoft team tweeted as below:

Here's a tweet by Anthony:

Trophy presented by Habitat for Humanity India to School Director on 30th November 2015, by Bhavika Hotchandani, Gr 10

On the 16th of October, the students of IBDP Form 11 visited a village in Bawana, a slum in North West Delhi. As a part of their CAS program, students painted houses for the less privileged sections of society and therefore, extended their support to the rehabilitated workers living there.

Many people in our country are deprived of housing, which is an essential need for all human beings. The Form 11 activity was in association with Habitat for Humanity, an international organization which contributes to build houses for the less privileged all over the world. Our school donated an amount of Rs. 1.25 lacs for this noble cause.

As a gesture of appreciation for this support extended by Pathways Noida students, Habitat for Humanity India awarded our School Director, Dr. Shalini Advani with a trophy on the 30th of November, 2015. The activity was a fantastic opportunity of experiential learning for our DP students and the students are keenly looking forward to more such opportunities to serve the community, in near future.

Skype a session with Lou Mayo by Siya Sharma Gr 6

In English, we are currently learning about man’s fascination for space. We have learnt and researched about different planets, space, astronauts, etc. We have also learnt about NASA’s contribution in exploring possibilities in space. We were fortunate to have an interactive skype session with Mr. Louis Mayo from NASA on December 3rd. The session was on “Pluto Post New Horizons”.

We asked questions like “Is any life possible on Pluto?” Another question which was asked was “Is it true, that the moon Charon is half the size of Pluto?” He answered all the questions with a lot of patience. 

The session was amazing. Mr. Louis was a lot of fun to talk to. He has researched about the moon Titan of the planet Saturn. He shared a PPT with us about Pluto and also the largest moon of Pluto, Charon. He showed us some beautiful pictures of Pluto, which have never been seen before.

I would like to thank Miss Mayura and Miss Sakshi for organizing this session. Looking forward to more of such sessions in the future, too.

Siya Sharma, 

Grade 1 visit to the Theater Festival 'Dramebaaz', Ms. Monica Garg Form Tutor Gr 1

Stories are a wonderful way of engaging with children and opening their eyes to the world!

As Dr. Suess puts it, “Oh! The places you’ll go!” On 4th Dec, Form 1 got the opportunity to be a part of an exciting experience through ‘The Dramabaaz Storytelling Festival’ which was a unique combination of story-telling through drama, Puppets, music, dance and Paper craft.

Since the start of the day the excitement was in the air as children were all charged up to take a day off from the classroom and enter the world of stories . At the festival they got an opportunity to capture various moments of emotions and expressions from the stories that were showcased.

Children were quite taken up by the first act which was Puppet show of ‘A Naughty Fly’. Then followed a colorful and amazing folk dance performance to which the children were spell bound. Children also witnessed a one act short play titled ‘The Dictionary

Salesman’ performed by brilliant little actors. The festival ended with children being part of puppet making and instrument making workshop and carried back a token of the same. It was a wonderful experience for the entire form 1 students as was evident from their chats on their way to back to school.

Early Years Rhymes Showcase

Pre Nursery

Four months into the academic year, the children of Pre-Nursery were all geared up and ready for their first stage performance. They presented a variety of rhymes in their classrooms for the audience – their mummies and daddies. The children practiced a lot, all the rehearsals paid off and culminated into a wonderful showcase. They all sang beautifully and did the actions associated with the songs. The happiest moment for the parents and teachers was the delight on the faces of the children to sing for their parents. It was commendable to see such little children handle their emotions and deal with the fear of facing an audience.

Candice Rodrigues, Form Tutor PN-B

Nursery

It was great to see beautiful smiles and amazing tunes twinkling in Nursery on Thursday. Our children proudly opened their doors to parents and sang rhymes and songs from different cultures, on various numerals and on their favorite characters like Santa and Bingo. The children were confident and sang songs like  ‘He’s got a red red hat’, ‘if all the raindrops’, Christmas carols, and hindi rhymes with actions. It was a pleasure to see our parents sing along to boost their morale. The children were confident and independent. It was great to see them being happy helpers to their peer group. Last but not the least they were thoroughly delighted and performed like ‘Rockstars’.

Pihu Kapoor, Nursery Coordinator, Form Tutor - Nursery A

KG

Music has been the heart of any kindergarten learning. As the great philosopher Plato rightly put it, “Music gives soul to the universe,

wings to the mind, flight to imagination and life to everything”.

On the 4th Dec. this year, our little kindergarteners put together a musical extravaganza for their parents to showcase their learning through songs. The songs were carefully chosen by the children keeping in mind every aspect of their learning. They sang songs related to their units of inquiry, to learning the phonic sounds, to Math songs and even some peppy Hindi rhymes.

This showcase gave our kindergarteners a wonderful opportunity to not only share their learning, but also helped in building their confidence in presenting before an audience and working together as a team.

The thunderous applause from the parents said it all… Another feather in the cap for our little ones!

Vandana Majumdar, Grade Coordinator – Kindergarten

Form Tutor – KG D

From the Director's Desk

The past couple of weeks have seen a rich array of guest speakers coming in to talk to students. We have been fortunate to have writers and illustrators engaging with students in primary, middle and senior, sharing their expertise, telling stories and expanding horizons.  By drawing in experts we aim to give our students a level and variety of learning which is not possible with their regular teachers.

    Guest speakers combined with Literary Week and the Readathon which draws children into reading for raising funds as well as for pleasure.

 The list of expert visitors is an exciting resource for learning at every level. Early Learners had story telling from Ritu Agarwal and Valentina Trivedi. Primary

students interacted with Sharanya Deepak, author of The Vampire Boy and Satya Narayan Govind, the illustrator and cartoonist who got Grade 5 to create a story through illustration. Middle school students interacted with Lalit Kumar Sharma the illustrator from Campfire graphics and the writer/journalist Vikas Singh who read excerpts from his mythological novel Bhima. Meghna Singh the author of the popular detective series The Casefiles of PI Pojo made Grade 7 into real-life detectives by setting up a crime scene.

   

Senior school students were fortunate to engage with thinkers and writers on the contemporary world. In a scintillating talk Nalin Mehta journalist and political scientist, made them think about how the news is “constructed”, often promoting a particular point of view and driven by commercial requirements. Ajay Chaturvedi a renowned Young Global Leader spoke on entrepreneurship and the skills required to be a successful entrepreneur today. 

Tapan Goel HR Head from Barclays Shared Services discussed banking as a career option and the mindset and approach required. 

 I would like to thank those parents who have suggested guest speakers, some of who were part of the list here.  This is a process which will continue at different times throughout the year so please continue to make suggestions if you know of anyone suitable for a particular age group and we will draw upon them whenever possible.

Sports: Interschool Competitions

There have been a multitude of inter-school sports events hosted by the school, which our students have participated in. In this week there was an inter-school basketball with 10 schools and tennis competition with 8 schools. Overall there were nearly 300 participants. Our basketball team reached the Finals where they were defeated. Shivesh Luthra was awarded Most Promising Player. In the Tennis, Ameya Naik of Form 4 stood in 2nd position.  

Masters Junior Golf Tournament

Students from Form 3 – 6 also participated in the Masters Junior Golf Tournament in Jaipur. Our team stood Second. Ten students from Form 4-6 participated. Anandita Ralli of Form 5 stood First and Sareena Khanna of Form 4 stood Second. Three students won prizes for Nearest to the Pin: Diva Gandhi, Yashasvi Singh & Ekaansh Arora.

Baseball at American Embassy

This week our baseball teams will be going to the tournament at the American Embassy.  This is a special event, played before the US Ambassador and the UN Ambassador. As a special feature, our percussion orchestra has also been invited to perform.

Parent Teams in Expat Cup and Corporate Tournament    

Finally we were delighted to involve some of our golfing parents in an event. Two parents  Mr. Dev Amritesh and Mr. Umesh Dubey played in the Expat Cup at the JP Greens as part of a combined team with the other Pathways schools and a further Mr. Umesh Dubey, Mr. Rajiv Gandhi and Mr. Harry Monné will play in the Corporate Tournament this Sunday. It is a delight when the Pathways team extends to parents as well.

Founders Day

Although Founders Day rehearsals have begun in earnest, academic work has continued. Students in secondary school have been juggling rehearsals with summative tests and teachers in primary have continued to track and record assessments. This has been done by slightly shortening lessons, cancelling clubs and making other adjustments. The learning via performance  - whether it is exposing students to different types of Broadway or West End musicals, singing, dancing and acting – is a most valuable experience. Moreover it teaches children to balance multiple demands.  Some homework and academic learning will continue to be demanded when the school moves to outdoor rehearsals next month.

    

Dr. Shalini Advani

School Director

From the Primary School Principal, Mrs. Usha Lamba

The school has been abuzz with the ‘Literary fortnight’ that has

been conceived for students to explore, enjoy and experience the World of books. One of the best ways for children to read is engaging with books and the book business. We  hope this fortnight kindles their romance with books through the year and through life.

Teachers created wonderful moments in class With ‘sip and read’, ‘musical books’, character dress up day, ’bedtime stories in pajamas’ and ‘hats off to reading.’ We had authors and illustrators invited into school to interact with students for them to get a deeper understanding of book making. Sharanya Deepak, spoke about her book,The Vampire Boy that encouraged them to follow their dreams and overcome their fears. Many students of Form 2 and 3 are already wishing to author books one day.

Form 5 had a session with Mr. Satya Narayan Govind who engaged the students to create a story through illustration. He introduced “Scroodling” a technique that mixes doodling and scribbling. The students’ creativity is at display in the school atrium.

Form 1 enjoyed Julia Donaldson’s stories told by Ritu Aggarwal , a fantastic professional story teller.

Perhaps the most unforgettable visit was by a Story teller, Ms. Valentina Trivedi. All students of Grade 1 were spell-bound as she dramatically narrated a story of a little dragon called Alfie, who liked ice-cream.                                                                                   

To spread the love of books students began to think of donating their favourite books for ‘Daan Utsaav ‘a very noble deed that has been spearheaded by our very own student council.

The book fair is a tremendous success as we see teachers and students engaged in selecting and getting familiar with the latest publications. This is also very popular with the Primary parents.

 You will notice a tremendous display of books read and reviewed by our Primary students pinned on the fencing of the Basket Ball court. The houses are represented by pictures of sports equipment. By end of December the house that reads most gets to celebrate their success!

Apart from having the larger World into the school for student learning during the literary week, we also had an ecstatic Form 1 exploring E2A- an electric car, brought in by a parent who is a dealer of cars. It helped our students of Form 1 who were inquiring on advance transportation systems to take their understanding and inquiry further. There were many questions, wonderings and new learning which emerged through their interaction with the engineer.