The Weekly Bulletin of

Stonehill International School Volume 6, Issue 76

15 September 2017

FEATURED STORIES

P5 Make Healthy Choices

The academic year began with the students reflecting on the concepts for our first unit. The unit is based on the transdisciplinary theme, “Who We Are”, the central idea being, “The choices people make affect their health and well-being”. Students have actively participated in the ‘tuning in’ activities that were linked to choices one makes in daily life experiences.

Think-Pair-Share activity about choices we make.

IMPORTANT DATES: SEPTEMBER

15th PYP PARENT-TEACHER-STUDENT CONFERENCES 18th ASAs BEGIN 23rd P6-P8 INVITATIONAL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT 27th – 29th SCHOOL CLOSED FOR DUSSEHRA HOLIDAY

OCTOBER

2nd SCHOOL CLOSED FOR GANDHI JAYANTHI HOLIDAY 5th - 7th ISACI SENIOR TOURNAMENTS IN HYDERABAD & DELHI 6th - 7th BIG BAD BLUE SWIM MEET IN CHENNAI THE LAST WORD: FESTIVAL OF

CONTENTS 01/ FEATURED STORIES 05/ WHOLE SCHOOL NEWS 07/ PRIMARY NEWS 09/ SECONDARY NEWS

HIGHLIGHTS P5 Make Healthy Choices PTA Logo Contest for Students Positive Postcards News from the Individuals and Societies Department

THE TIGER

Students have been learning about health and well-being, how it is important to eat well, exercise and get enough rest. We set up learning centres for the students to engage in and gather more information on various food groups. They were able to sort different foods and also map the nutrients.

Sorting different food items into the corresponding food groups.

Students engaged in researching for information.

Along with the various food groups, students also found out about the various elements that make up the food pyramid and how much of each food group one needs to consume in a day.

This was followed by an inquiry into different aspects of maintaining a healthy lifestyle - based on diet, exercise, hygiene and rest.

Guest Speaker Dr. Mamta speaks to children about oral hygiene.

A visit to the school cafeteria to find out about balanced diet.

A Zumba session to understand the importance of exercise

The students made connections and reflected on their choices. As part of their reflection they recorded their diet, exercise and lifestyle choices. They have learnt that it is important to include all food groups in their meals and live a balanced, healthy and active life. Ms Abira Mukherjee & Ms. Lisa Fernandes P5 Class Teachers

PTA Logo Contest for Students

Current PTA Logo

The Stonehill PTA is holding a contest for a new logo designed by a student. We will have three winners – a Primary School, Secondary School and Grand Prize Winner (awards to be announced). The Grand Prize winner will have their logo displayed at all school events. This contest is ONLY for students; students can submit designs done individually or collaboratively with other students.

Rules for Entry

• Your submission must be on a standard A4 sheet of paper, or in digital format same size • It will need to look clear both as a Thumbnail and full size. • You may only use 4 colours: Navy, Dark Grey, Burgundy, and Orange. • Your logo should be themed around the school and family. • The contest will be open from Sept 18 2017 - Oct 3 2017. • Please return all submissions to your homeroom teacher. The winners will be announced at the Diwali Mela celebration on October 13th. If you have any questions please contact Ms. Elizabeth Simon on easimon2009@gmail.com Best regards, Stonehill PTA

WHOLE SCHOOL NEWS

Important Updates for After School Activities (ASA)

The First Round of ASAs will run from Tuesday, 19th September to Thursday, 7th December. The ASAs are held from 3:00 to 3:50pm on both Tuesdays and Thursdays; and school busses will leave the campus at 4:00pm.

Permanent Gate Passes

• All students who opt out of ASA for Tuesday or Thursday (or both days in some cases), will be issued a permanent gate pass.

• This should be collected from Ms. Nijika (for Primary) and Ms. Sneha (for Secondary) between 3:00 – 3:15pm.

• The gate pass should be handed over to Security at the Main Gate. • All students opting out of ASA should leave the school campus by 3:15pm at the latest. • If a student is unable to leave (due to transport issues) they must go to Ms. Nijika’s Office (for

Primary) or Ms. Sneha’s office (for Secondary) and speak with them. • No student should remain unsupervised on the campus during ASAs.

Temporary Gate Passes

• A temporary gate pass will be issued to students who may have to miss their ASA for unavoidable circumstances.

• In such cases, the parent must notify Ms. Nijika (for Primary), Ms. Sneha (for Secondary) or the student’s Homeroom/Class Teacher of this via email or phone.

• Temporary gate passes will not be issued unless the school has been informed by the parent. • The student must also inform their ASA supervisor if they plan to miss an ASA on a particular

day. Temporary gate passes will not be issued unless the above mentioned points are carried out. Mr. Melvin Kumar ASA Coordinator (asa@stonehill.in)

Calling Anyone Who Has an Interest in Learning String Instruments!

Why Learn String Instruments? Playing an instrument influences the cognitive functions and overall health of a human being. In students, it generates higher test scores and improves their overall academic achievement. In addition to scholastic gains, playing a string instrument develops a number of personal skills and has its own set of advantages. The sounds of string instruments like the Violin, Viola or Cello have a very positive effect on our mental and emotional wellbeing. The vibration of a string touches our subconscious deeply. It therefore provides a wonderful outlet for personal expression. Although the Violin and other string instruments sound phenomenal when played solo, the music created by an ensemble or a group features a depth of artistry that is hard to describe. Additionally, because it’s so much fun to play with other students, it creates plenty of opportunities to enlarge one’s social circle. As you meet other string players and attend practice sessions, group performances become the natural result. You become a team player and you learn how to function successfully in a group, small or large and you learn self-discipline. String instrumental training, therefore, lays a firm foundation for any future endeavours. Do not hesitate to join our in house string instrumental programme – it is never too late to do so! If you are interested, collect the sign up forms from me. Mr. Siby Manuel Violin, Viola & Cello Teacher siby.manuel@stonehill.in

PRIMARY NEWS

Positive Postcards

The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.

As IB learners we strive to be: ● Inquirers ● Knowledgeable ● Thinkers ● Communicators ● Principled ● Open-minded ● Caring ● Risk-takers ● Balanced ● Reflective The PYP Attitudes are a vital focus in the development of positive attitudes towards people, the environment, and learning. They are as follows: ● Appreciation ● Commitment ● Confidence ● Cooperation ● Creativity ● Curiosity ● Empathy ● Enthusiasm ● Independence ● Integrity ● Respect ● Tolerance These PYP Attitudes are meant to be an explicit part of daily learning, modeled by both students and staff. They are woven into daily school life. Students also reflect on the attitudes during learning experiences and assessments. To help celebrate the positive actions of our students we have now introduced Positive Postcards. The Postcards will help us to highlight, model and celebrate the positive attitudes, attributes and actions of our students. The postcards will be connected to the IB Learner Profile and the PYP Attitudes listed above. We will share the Positive Postcards each week on Friday during our Primary Assembly.

Council of International Schools (CIS) Evaluation Visit

From Friday, 23rd September to Tuesday, 26th September I will be away from school to lead a CIS School Evaluation Visit in the Philippines. Anthony Hamblin, the PYP Coordinator, will be leading the Primary School in my absence. Best regards, Simon McCloskey Primary Principal

Upcoming Important Primary Dates

• Monday 18th September - After School Activities (ASAs) begin • Thursday 21st September - World Peace Day • Saturday 23rd September - Invitational Basketball Tournament • Wednesday 27th September - Dussehra Holiday starts

Late or Absent Students

If a student is ill, or is otherwise unexpectedly absent from school, parents are asked to inform the Primary office by 7:40am at the latest, or as soon as possible. If a student is ill for more than a day or two but is able to work at home, the school will endeavour to provide appropriate work for them to do. Please inform the Office via email or phone: Email: primary.secretary@stonehill.in Telephone: 080-4341-8300 (Ext. 8038) Mr. Anthony Hamblin PYP Coordinator

SECONDARY NEWS

Secondary Back-to-School Orientation

The Secondary Back to School Orientation on Saturday was a huge success with over 150 parents attending the event. Parents were extremely appreciative of all the tireless efforts of staff to enhance the learning experience for their children. This was followed by the PTA Barbeque that was extremely well planned and organised with a lot of engaging activities, which were enjoyed thoroughly by everyone.

Parikrma Words & Voices Competition

On Friday, 8th September five MYP students – Evan, Anna, Siya, Neil, and Bhavya successfully participated in the 2017 Parikrma Words & Voices Competition at the British Council. The Stonehill team won First Place for the On-The-Spot Radio Play category and Second Place in the Original Story category. Congratulations and well done! Thank you to Mr. Clint for chaperoning the trip.

Concerns or Issues Regarding Students

If your son/daughter has any problems at school please contact their Homeroom Teacher or the relevant Subject Teacher directly in the first instance, and then the Head of Department or appropriate Coordinator (MYP or DP) if required. Have a good weekend, Narendra Mehrotra Secondary Principal narendra.mehrotra@stonehill.in www.stonehillsecondaryprincipal.blogspot.in

News from the Individuals and Societies (IaS) Department

The Individuals and Societies department have been hard at work, welcoming and introducing students to inquiry based units in different grade levels. Here is a brief look at what students have been up to so far. M1 IaS students have been looking at how art can record stories from history. They began by discovering Cave Art and the purposes for these images. The hunting and gathering life, celebrations and the discovery of new animals are some of the reasons for the paintings that have been discovered on cave walls. The students then created their own cave paintings using rough card and rocks they had collected. The style and content of the art was similar to those studied in class. The M1’s also wrote a story on what the artwork depicted.

M4 and M5 students were introduced to the requirements of e-assessments, and after investigating the requirements for both History and Geography, they were guided to make their subject choice. The M4 Geography students have been busy making board games this week.

Their board games are about a flood event and they have chosen to research different floods from all over the world such as the floods in Chennai in 2015 and Thailand in 2011. Once they are finished with their projects they will have the chance to learn about the different floods by playing the games they made.

Ms. Narayani Saberi HoS Individuals and Societies

The Language Perfect World Championships took place last May and here are the Stonehill results: • 102,973 points earned • 233,812 questions answered • 210th out of 1,302 schools around the world • 311 hours online learning languages • 1st overall in India • 48 awards • 1 Elite Award • 11 Gold Awards • 4 Silver Awards • 14 Bronze Awards • 18 Credit Awards

Mr. Mehrotra handed out the Gold and Elite Certificates

The competition was not only a fantastic opportunity for students to increase their vocabulary base in the language they study, but also to explore new languages on certain occasions. It was a golden avenue to make our school identity known around the world as well. We hope to join the championships again in May 2018 and parents will soon receive a letter to invite them to register for Language Perfect online the cost of USD 20. Mr. François Stalder HoD Whole School Languages

Stonehill International School

Tarahunise Post Jala Hobli Contacting the School: Bangalore North 562157 India Admissions Ms. Rishika Ganapathy T + 91 8043418300 Primary School Ms. Nijika Bhardwaj + 91 8043418318 Secondary School Ms. Saathi Vinay M + 91 9008307684 Transport Mr. Rahul. I E info@stonehill.in Head Nurse Ms Charlette Macdonald