Talk Show on Governments by Parents

As part of our UOI topic, Governments, my class- VB organized a talk show on why Governments are needed. In this talk, we invited parents to explain about different forms of Government like Monarchy, Democracy, Dictatorship and Communism. The countries that were discussed in this session were The United States of America and India. Aspects like the set-up by the Government, who controls the Government, and a lot of trivia related to Governments in these two countries were covered. This talk was in the form of a Q&A session where parents answered various questions posed by us, the students. These questions touched various aspects of Governmental systems like:

1.       What is the need for a Government?
2.       Why can there not be only one Government for the whole world?
3.       How would we compare the US Government system with the Indian Government system?
4.       Can the Government misuse its power?
After this session we have the answers to most of our blanks about the Government. Using these answers, we will cover the whole system of governance.
We also learnt new interesting facts like:
1.       The US Constitution was drafted in 1789 making the US the world’s oldest modern democracy.
2.       The Indian Government is more of a centralized system while the US is more of a decentralized Government system.
3.       The Indian Constitution was drafted by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and was adopted on the 26^th of January, 1950 (and hence we celebrate that day as Republic Day).
4.       In the US, the President  is the head of the government while in India it is the Prime Minister.
Other interesting trivia that we learnt through the talk show were:
1.       The Freedom Tower in the US is 1,776 feet tall signifying the year of the US independence.
2.       John Hancock signed the US Declaration of Independence.
3.       We have 26 High Courts in India for the 29 states.
4.       Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the first President of independent India.
5.       Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Home Minister of India, was instrumental in uniting the princely states of India.
This was a very informative session and so, I think we should have more such sessions. -Ratnam VB

 

PYP Exhibition Orientation for Grade V

The PYP Exhibition is where students showcase their learning from throughout the year. The students of Grade V had an orientation on Monday, the 25^th of August, preparing them for the PYP Exhibition. In this orientation, we learnt how we can overcome obstacles on our own and how we can collaborate with our team members and work toward a successful exhibition.

As part of the orientation, we were shown a video of a boy who built his own arcade using cardboard boxes. He pursued his goal and never gave up. We were inspired and many of my classmates and I now try to work as a team to fulfill our goal of being committed to our studies. We showed the same dedication in completing the tasks given to us during the orientation. This was a first step towards building teamwork.

We had fun exercises like developing a Venn Diagram where we compared our UOI topics and the PYP Exhibition. After doing this exercise, we realized that the PYP Exhibition is a culmination of our learning from the UOI topics.

Our teacher’s tips for the exhibition before the orientation were very valuable in helping us understand what is required from us. I look forward to the exhibition! - Ratnam VB

Newton campus to USA

"No matter how practical or logical the world gets, we will be humans as long as we feel for others"-
In connection with our on-going unit “Celebrations”, students of pp2F celebrated Nia’s Father Birthday, though Skype from Newton campus to USA on 7^th August. The class connected and wished him with birthday songs. We would like to thank Mr and Mrs Shubra Gaurav for making our day wonderful and enlightened.
Sharing  the feedback from PP2F parents in connection with Skype session.
Dear Ma'am,
I would like to Thank you for giving us the amazing opportunity to interact with the kids today. It started off as ,what seemed to me, a jovial mention by Nia but it was you and Shireen Ma'am, who recognized that her childish idea has merit and can be used for learning. 
It was heartwarming to spend time with children. The cleanup time, circle time, prayer, rhymes, music and kid's naughtiness transported me , as well, to my childhood. Mom talking to kids about the birthday celebrations would not have been possible without your help. You immediately came to my rescue by initiating conversation when I appeared to fall short of ideas.  This extraordinary ability  keeps children engaged in all circumstances is a distinguishing and salute worthy quality in you teachers.
Thank you so much Ma'am for your efforts to enable the interaction between us and the students. I wish I could have spent more time in the class, but office commitments had to be taken care and I had to limit the time.
This session today was a learning opportunity for me on how to prepare better for any interaction with students. Your presence and help made it a memorable experience. Ma'am, I look forward to spending more time with the class again as paraprofessional whenever the program starts. I would also love to be part of more such class activities as and when any opportunity appears.
Thanks again to you and Shireen Ma'am for giving us the amazing opportunity.

                                                                          Thanks, Shubra Gaurav (Mother of Nia PP2F)

Tangrams, "seven pieces of cleverness"

Students of grade 1F were introduced to Tangrams where they were taught about the Chinese puzzle consisting of seven flat shapes, called tans, which are put together to form different patterns.

Later they made their own patterns using 7 different shapes, same activity was followed in Math lab and Ict lab where learners were actively involved and clear about the concept.

 

Home work is fun

Students on grade1 F presented their homework on their ongoing 
Unit - Emergencies, where they made collage's of emergency situations which they have seen in newspapers and magazines. This activity helped them to Inquire and  to understand the different emergencies facing by the people around us and they could also differentiate the Natural and the Man-made emergency situations. 

CISCO English Workshop in OIS Newton Campus

The CISCO workshop for English teachers was conducted in the Newton Campus on 26^th August, 2014. The workshop was conducted by Ms. Nagamani, Head of Faculty. The participants included teachers from the Bachupally, Vizag and Bangalore Campuses. The workshop began with introductions and an icebreaker activity.
The workshop was very informative to teachers and was a reinforcement of what they were doing in their classes. The workshop was very helpful and will definitely benefit teachers to tackle important aspects of the setting of question papers and the marking scheme.  The workshop has given teachers so much insight into making English interesting as well as informative.
The session was very interactive and stimulating with teachers pitching in with their comments and opinions. The workshop covered all aspects of effective teaching and sufficient time was allotted for mock grading of test papers. The tips that teachers learned from the workshop will contribute to making English interesting. The workshop made us think about innovative ways of making English fun and the worksheets that Ms. Nagamani shared will come in handy to the teachers of the CIE segment. The discussions were helpful and it showcased new methods in improving the English skills of students.
The workshop was outstanding and Ms. Nagamani was very well organised and the information provided was thought through carefully to ensure that all classes of the CIE segment were included and delivered flawlessly. Thank you Ms. Nagamani for the wonderful learning experience. It was enriching and will help teachers improve the student’s English speaking and writing skills.

 

 

 

Chairman’s Cup Grade 10 – August 2014

The Chairman’s Cup for grade 10 was conducted on the 28^th August. The topic that was assigned for the debate was “Should teaching English be abolished in India”. The students came up with interesting arguments for and against the topic. What was evident in the debate was the amount of research that went into the topic. The participants spoke about how only 6% of Indians are fluent in English and how ironical it was that the debate was being conducted in English.
The participants came up with some convincing opinions about why English should be the second language and not the primary language of instruction. It was interesting to see how passionate they were about the debate topic and exceeded the allotted time of debate. They quoted examples of China and Japan, both economic giants in the world with English as a second language. They stressed the need for learning English but at the same time not to forget their native language and culture and to give it equal importance.
The first place went to Rajat and Swetha of class 10H. The second place was awarded to Selena and Anusha of 10J. The third place was awarded to Greeshma and Yasaswini of 10G. Greeshma of 10G was awarded the best speaker prize in the debate. - Reflections by Ms. Sunanda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                               

 

 

 

 

PYP Exhibition Orientation: My Reflection

The PYP Exhibition looks like a lot of fun. Since I have come to Grade 5,I am excited about doing the PYP Exhibition. I have already started bringing newspaper articles related to issues I would like to work on.
On 25 September , we had an orientation on PYP Exhibition by Our teachers. It mainly focussed on the the importance of collaboration, cooperation, role of students and the 5 Essential elements of PYP. At first we watched a video on Caine’s Arcade. We tried to find the similarities and differences between Caine and us. We watched another video on the theme nothing is impossible and that we should not give up. I really motivated us a lot. I liked how our teachers were pausing the video in between and asking us questions. It really made us think better. We also made a Venn diagram on our PYP Exhibition topic and our UOI topic.
I am very excited and looking forward to the day when we finalize the theme for our exhibition.
Ashritha Chebiyam
5K

Talk show in 5K

We had a Talk show by parents in our class. It was related to our current unit of inquiry, Government. We had 3 parents as guests, Ms. Sirisha, Ms. Suneetha and Ms. Lakshmi. They were representing India, United Kingdom and United States respectively. We asked many questions and it helped us a lot to know a lot in learning about the similarities and differences in these governments. Now we know that governments are not same for different countries. Some have multi party system while others have dual party system. Some have the President as its head while others have the Queen as the head of the country. It was an exciting learning experience for all of us. I hope we have more Talk shows in the future. It makes learning fun!
Sameeka Reddy

 

Vocabulary building

Learners of Grade 1G were engrossed during the vocabulary building activity. The strategy “SAY-BUILD-WRITE-READ” helped the children to use the words they learnt properly to frame a meaningful sentence. All the children showed lot of zeal during this activity.

Importance of Suryanamaskara in Yoga

Surya namaskara is a combined process of yoga asanas and pranayama. Before students take up the practice of asanas and pranayama, the spine, body and muscles should acquire some flexibility.
The beginners should start with two rounds of suryanamaskaras and increase gradually according to one’s capacity. The practice of Suryanamaskar reduces abdominal fat, brings flexibility to the spine and limbs and also increases the breathing capacity. 
Oakridge students start learning this asana in Grade 3 and they practice them in every Yoga class. Each student performs all 12 steps of Suryanamaskar very confidently. This learning will definitely make them lifelong practitioners.

 

A Fun filled way of learning History

Through this activity, I learnt that when we work together, the work gets completed faster and more beautifully. It also developed our social skills. We also had a revision because ma’am had already taught us this. We never had a recap with so much fun.               - Maitreyi Dixit, VI-B
We thought the activity was interesting because it cleared our doubts on history and ancient civilizations. It was fun matching the words. The activity is real fun. I think it is a fun way to learn. I really enjoyed a lot.    - Sarojini, VI- B
I had a lot of fun in doing the activity. I got to know a lot about Sumer. This also helped us to know and work with different people. We thank you Ma’am for such a wonderful and fun filled activity. -Aashi Agarwal, VI-B                                                                     
My reflection on History match was real fun to do and to acquire more knowledge and even my group was a good group to work together. It was really tricky to match the given things.              - Tanvi, VI-B

Sthiram Sukham Asanam

Patanjali, the father of yoga mentioned asana is nothing but being stable and comfortable in a posture in his Patanjali yoga sutras.
Our students of various grades  have learnt Padmasana (lotus pose) and showcased their stability in their yoga class.
Padmasana is useful for  controlling  of the mind and to develop memory power and concentration. This sitting posture strengthens the spine, tones up the nervous system.

Oakridge Stood Top in the Treasure Fest Inter School Competition

Oakridge international school newton campus is the over all championship in the Treasure Fest inter school  swimming competition held at newton campus.

Treasure Fest Inter School Swimming Final Results (Points)

S.N0	SCHOOL NAME	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE	POINTS	PLACE
1	OAKRIDGE INTERNATIONAL NEWTON	24	11	5	163	1ST
2	OAKRIDGE INTERNATIONAL EINSTEIN	9	8	5	79	2ND
3	DPS KHAJAGUDA	7	11	3	74	3RD
4	SREE NIDHI INTERNATIONAL	3	6	16	65	4TH
5	DPS NACHARAM	4	9	9	65	4TH
6	INDUS INTERNATIONAL	7	6	1	55	5TH
7	DRS INTERNATIONAL	3	1	8	34	6TH
8	INDUS UNIVERSAL	-	6	4	26	7TH
9	AGA KHAN	-	1	4	11	8TH
10	MERIDIAN BANJARA HILLS	3	1	-	18	9TH
11	SANCTA MARIA	1	-	-	5	10TH

 POINTS CRITERIA

GOLD – 5

SILVER – 3

BRONZE - 2