Students of Grade 1 on their journey to explore!

Students of Grade 1 started their first unit of Inquiry –The little minds very quickly got engrossed into exploring space, solar system, planets, stars and more. To gauge their prior knowledge teachers came up with beautiful thought provoking “cover puzzle “as the puzzle was being unravelled the little ones came up with their understanding of the universe.

A few stunning responses were “I think it’s the space”, “to me it looks like a fire ball”. Some hilarious ones were” it’s a wolf with hair on it” and a few minds which thought really hard had it bang on “It’s a Solar system”.

Overall, it was an enjoyable session which could lead to a wonderful Inquiry about our planet Earth which humans continue to explore. Keep looking for more exciting anecdotes from the little explorers of Grade 1 and for now a few pictures.

 

Creative alumnos

Children of grade 2 & 3 are excited and enthusiastic to be back to their Spanish class.

They were engrossed in making a smart name card and introduce themselves to their friends in Spanish.

 

PP1 – Phased Induction

Oakridge Newton Campus had conducted Phased Induction program for PP1 on 19th, 20th and 23th of June 2014. The induction process is a simple method that encourages the children to gradually gain confidence in their new environment. Parents were invited to come and spend a short time with their child getting accustomed to teachers and a new environment for a period of one hour to two. The hour was packed with rhymes, introduction of children by parents along with some interesting portrait about their children.
They enjoyed various activities which interest the children like iPad, music/dance, art, craft and also enjoyed the puppet show done by teachers. Throughout the induction program both the parents and children involved themselves and participated actively.

An Orientation program was conducted on the final day for parents where they were made aware of the school culture, communication and interaction. Dr. Nazia, School doctor addresses the gathering about personal hygiene and precautions taken for the little ones.

Thus a three day induction program was successfully completed keeping the objective of minimizing the anxiety in both the parent and child and creating the familiar ambience.

Parent Reflections:

·        I had a really nice time spent in the class and got aware of the activities that would go on in the PYP and happy that my kid is in safe hands. –(Parent of Deekshitha)

·        Very structured program and the class environment has been very good. On day 3 my daughter was running into the class, leaving us behind. I’m sure she would love the learning in PP1 – (Parent of Shreyanshi)

·        Wonderful start. Thanks for involving parents. Looking forward to the entire year with lots of learning together.- (Parent of Indira Nayak)

·        Very well organized. Teachers made all efforts to make kids and parents comfortable. Teachers are taking really good care of the kids. –(Parent of Himansi)

·       It was excellent just enjoyed a lot, felt the confidence that my child will be an outstanding person. The faculty is excellent and very sweet. The ambience is amazing and the way of teaching is just awesome! - (Parent of Dhruvi Agarwal)

·        Helped me feel secure that Anjana will be looked after well. That this is a home away from home. – (Parent of Anjana)

·        Excellent work done by management and teachers. – (Parent of Reyaan Aditya)

·        Felt very good spending 3 days in school with our little ones. Good to see that the teachers are very active and are mixing well with the children. – (Parent of P. Rishith Reddy)

·        I left my daughter crying, but when I get back after 2 hours she was all smiling. Thank you Sailaja mam and Olive mam -(Parent of Tanishka).

·        I am so glad my child is into such a wonderful environment. Kudos to you mam, Thank you so much. - (Parent of Janvi).

 

First Day Endeavours

Students crossed the threshold of Second grade with lots of enthusiasm and excitement. Each student took the honour of calling themselves a proud second grader. Few had mixed emotions but at the end the fact was that they have stepped into Grade Two. It was a stimulating moment for the kids as they were discovering their new classroom, a sigh of respite when they found their old friend in their classroom. Then the time came when they had to leave the hands of their parents and embrace the hands of the teacher.
The day took off with the morning assembly where the kids evoked God’s blessings for their journey in grade two. Through an old time practice through a circle time the class room culture began. Not so exciting but jittery part of the day had come. It was the intro time. The kids introduced themselves in a unique way possible, expressed their feelings on entering Grade 2.
The day went by. The students were apprehensive to know what was in store for them through the day. The students and the teacher, together framed few essential agreements for the smooth transition of the class, then the students came to a conclusion on the classroom routines. At the latter part of the day the students presented their holiday H.W which was done by them during the vacation. The students were engrossed into the activities which were structured by the class teacher. Then it was their lunch time and the student’s pallets were all set to taste the School lunch. Then at the hall the students interacted and had a delightful fellowship together.
So the finally the day had to come to an end, where the students took home a very creative piece which was done by the students themselves, which said “I’m Proud to be a SECOND GRADER”.

Field Trip – Alliance Française

On June 17th, 2014, the students of grade 10^th, studying French as a second language, visited the Alliance Française in Banjara Hills from 10 A.M. to 1 P.M. All the students were excited about the entire trip, and were just waiting to reach the venue.
As soon as we reached the venue, we made our way up to the Bibliotheque (library); we were welcomed by a teacher who showed us around. There were many French books in the library which were meant for beginners to experts in French language. A TV was also perched on the wall, where one could watch the French Channel-TV5.
In the Library, for making it easier for people to distinguish between books, there were some green and yellow colored labels at the spine of the book which meant that it was an English book. We were given a few minutes to roam through the library and read whatever we wished.
After some a small quiz was held about a few French words and their pronunciations. With that being done, all of us proceeded to the small little cafeteria and had a light snack.  We all gorged on delicious French cuisine like Croissants.
After the small break, all of us headed to the third floor, excited about the presentations that were going to come our way. The presentation began with Emilie, a young French lady coming from Strasbourg. She told us about France and where she is from; the different highlights of the beautiful country.
Then, we watched a short film showcasing the beautiful assortment of the fast, urban French city life and the quiet, country lifestyle. We had a small quiz on the film, and the presentation moved on forward with two small speeches by Ms. Manisha and Ms. Vasudha. Ms. Manisha talked about different examinations (Delf Junior) that can help improve our French while Ms. Vasudha spoke about pursuing higher education in France.
We also had a little chat with Mr. Jean Manuel, the Director of Alliance Française. He spoke about Alliance Française, giving us a little history about it. He also discussed about France is playing in FIFA which made the students more interested than ever in the presentation.
We had a little conversation with Emilie, knowing a few things about her. All of us were glum when it was time to leave. On the way back, I could hear everyone talking excitedly about how the trip was amazing and educational at the same time. In the bus, we were all discussing animatedly what more we would like to ask and know about France if we get another chance to visit Alliance Française again, it was like a door of questions had opened up for all of us with this visit of ours, which we hoped would get cleared up during our next trip.

Field Trip – Alliance Française

On the morning of 18^th June, 2014, the Language II French students of Grade 9 were taken to an institute called Alliance Française as a field trip. Alliance Française is a non-profit organization which teaches the French language. It is located in Banjara Hills, Road Number 3.
When we reached the place, we were taken to a library. There were books of various sorts in the library – novels, magazines, comics and many others. All of this were either written or translated in French. These books were open for us to read. They were sorted into levels according to the use of the literature and language of French. We also had a short pronunciation and vocabulary test by a person working there.
After spending some time in the library exploring books and reading them, we were taken to eat some of the famous French cuisine dishes. There were many dishes kept there and we could buy them.
Next, we were taken to an auditorium where we were given a presentation on France – the cities, famous monuments and known games. We had a fun interacting session with the presenters and the director who spoke to us about their motive of starting Alliance Française.
Overall, we had a really good time there – it was informative, fun and interactive. We got to know a lot and our knowledge about France increased. I hope we keep visiting such places to gain even more knowledge.

Senior School, Newton Campus Celebrates World Music Day

World Music Day is all about appreciating music and inspiring individuals to join in the celebration. World Music Day is celebrated on 21 June throughout the world and is also known as Fête de la Musique in France, the place where it originated.
Senior School of Oakridge International School, Newton Campus celebrated World Music Day on Friday 20 June 2014 from 2:00 pm to 3:20 pm. The occasion was graced by our dear Principal Capt. Rohit Sen Bajaj and Vice Principal Ms Hema Chennupaty.We had a wide range of performances both from students and staff members - Khwabon ke Parindey by Vibhawri, Fly Piano solo by  Ankit, Carnatic Song  by Nikhila, Switchfoot  by Shahbaaz & Meghna, Keyboard solo by Driti, Lonely by  Rhea, Payal and Vihawri, Sham by Ujjwal & Shoham , Halleluiah by  Rhea,Titanium & clarity by the school Choir to name a few.
On request, Mr Samuel, IBDP coordinator sang “Stand by me” by Ben E King which was very much appreciated by the audience. The highlight of the day was the grand finale wherein the entire audience joined the CCEP staff to the nostalgic tunes of Yadon ki Baraat. At Oakridge we help build global citizens by providing opportunities for the students to bond with each other and then we believe that the best way to do this is to provide them with a platform to showcase their talents on different occasions.

Building a community of International Leaders

It is our pleasure to announce that three of our students from Newton campus Nikhil Jain, Payal Nagpal and Nitya Raju will be a part of the Student Global Leadership program at Punahou in Honolulu, USA. The program’s objective is to engage students in team-developed community service projects, addressing worldwide issues such as the environment, economics and globalization. Students participate in workshops, discussions and field trips that help them develop social-action projects suitable for their home cities — and the collaborative style of leadership needed to carry them out.

Schools participating in this two week program are from China, Denmark, England, Jordan, Japan, Korea and the United States. Oakridge International School Newton campus is the only school from India taking part in this program.

The program is scheduled in the last week of July. The group will be accompanied by Ms.Usha Kannamadegu from the Newton campus. We wish them success in their project and an excellent learning experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sharing Time!!!

There was a fun filled learning session on 13^th June for the activity teacher’s. It was conducted by Ms.  Sangita Karan T.L CSI unit.   Various issues which lead to students’ lack of interest in the class were discussed.  Strategies, games and energizers were shared and demonstrated which will prove very effective to bring back students’ attention and focus.

The session also covered   teacher student relationship, Class routines and feedback routines to be followed in class. Teachers played games like seven up and dumb charades.  These games are like strategies to bring back a child’s attention back to the lesson.

 

First Day In Grade V

As the school reopened after the hot summers, Grade V students were all enthusiastic to get back to school. The day was spent as the students got to know their teachers in Grade V as well as made new buddies.
 Students were involved in various activities such as circle time, snow ball activity and the day ended with exit card. The highlight of the day was smooth settling down of the students in the morning and swift dispersal at the end of the day.
The students showed their commitment towards inculcating the school culture.

What is drama, but life with the dull bits cut out

Drama Department conducted 2 hours Theatre workshop for the Teachers on 10^th June 2014. It was for the first time Teachers have experienced something like this.  Teachers had loads of fun moments and yes of course, lots of learning also. They experienced different emotions, feelings through different games in which they got a chance to express themselves in different ways. They have created picture story and enacted their story as well.  They have learnt about IMPROVISATION in which they were supposed to enact spontaneously without any planning. They have shown their creativity using an artifact in different ways.  They have also learnt about Problem solving through skits, which they can use in their classes also.  On the whole it was a fantastic experience for the Drama Teachers also as they also have learned many things while conducting this workshop.  The teachers who were part of this workshop have learnt many Drama skills which they can carry forward to their classes too.  At the end of the workshop there was a surprise performance by the Drama Teachers. The response from the teachers was overwhelming.  They have thoroughly enjoyed the drama workshop.  According to many teachers they didn’t realize how 2 hours have passed so quickly and also learnt something more about their own.