Newsletter

Issue

FS MUN Introduction : After three months of planning, the rst Fountainhead School Model United Nations commenced with a marvelous but short opening ceremony. There were speeches by the Deputy Director General, Shreya Thummar, Secretary General, Yash Lekhwani and Head of School, Vardan Kabra. In their speeches, the purpose of the United Nations and leadership was talked about. The Chairs and Vice-chairs of the committees were introduced to the delegates with awkward hand waves. All the delegates from Surat and beyond were excited about the MUN and the socials.

United Nations Security Council: The agenda of the UNSC was: The Prevention of Terrorism and Ethnic Segregation in the Levant Region; chaired by Aashna Jain. The chair was encouraging and enthusiastic, determined to keep the committee alive with fruitful discussions. The crisis introduced representatives of the ISIS to the committee which resulted in a whole lot of negotiation and fun.

United Nations Ofce on Drugs and Crime: The UNODC was chaired by Shanay Desai and vice-chaired by Aaditya Mapaara. The agenda of the UNODC was: The Measures to Combat International Narco Terrorism Operations and Organisations. The committee, although a bit slow initially, quickly picked up a pace that led to heated debates. This committee was the quickest to come up with a resolution, thanks to the capable Chair.

03

APRIL 2015

P.1

FS MUN

P.2

Change is Constant

P.3

Playing for Team India | Body Image

P.4

Lifelong Learner | Alien Visitors

P.5

The Beginning of a New Journey!

P.6

MYP at Fountainhead School?

Perhaps! | Hindi ki Maatraa | Titali | Ped Bachao

P.7

Writing - A Skill | Stand by Me

P.8

Is it the Beginning..

P.9

Subroto Cup

P.10 'The Race to Nowhere.... | Students are my Inspiration P.11 International Mindedness | Student’s Alliance of Knowledge P.12 What makes me Smile | There I was P.13 That Dark, Scary New Moon Night | Swachh Bharat | If you want to Cultivate... | Library P.14 Character building in children is importance... | Design for Change P.15 Catering differentiation is... | Acts of Kindness P.16 Why are we educating our children? | ‘MAKERSPACE’ - A Growing Idea in FS P.17 Do you truly know yourself??? | With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility - (Voltaire)

World Health Organisation: The agenda of the WHO was: The Reproductive and Maternal Health in LDCs (Least Developed Countries). The committee was chaired by Aarushi Agarwal and vice-chaired by Priyanka Jagaedesan. It was a small committee of 12 delegates (which soon became 9 delegates), as a result, each delegate got an ample amount of time to speak, debate and negotiate.

P.18 First ever at FS: Student Faculty | Exchange Programme

Human Rights Council: The HRC was chaired by Aaryaman Trivedi and vice-chaired by Shaan Rathod. The agenda of the HRC was: LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) Rights. The HRC was a lively committee with a lot of conicting views and opinions which led to quite a few strong debates and some confusion. The HRC crisis was hilarious

P.21 Creativity, Action & Service

P.19 Innovative ways of teaching and learning math | If I could change one thing it would be P.20 Big Brother | Child Labour | Enlighten | Teacher, It’s not an excuse….! | Chitra | Prakruti

P.22 Beauty Of Open Space | Stronger Thumbs and Weaker Legs P.23 Peace | Terrorism P.24 Artists at work Designed by Khushbu Thakur & Anjali Khurana

Our mission is :To

nur ure leaders through primary greatness

Photographs by Hitesh Surti

Editor in chief : Tahera Kinkhabwala | Sub-editor : Ritu Khanna Editorial Team : Chandni Patel, Chetan Mehta, Lulua Bandookwala, Pinky Chawla, Prasmi PR, Shivani Chaddha, Smruti Chaudhari, Subhalaxmi Iyer

as well as scandalous - presidents of two countries (Afghanistan and the United States of America) found in a relationship - which resulted in the delegates having passionate, uproarious and exuberant discussions.

Economical and Social Council : The agenda for the ECOSOC was: Assisting Sustainable Development in LDC's (Least Developed Countries) through International Trade and Aid. The ECOSOC was chaired by Samir Devnani and vice-chaired by Mahima Kania. The committee was conducted formally, with serious debates and discussions in which all the delegates were equally involved. There were however, some eyebrowraising remarks made by the delegates during the crisis, which included mentions of a Nuclear World War III. Special Political and Decolonisation: The General Assembly for SPECPOL, was chaired by Neil Shroff and vice-chaired by Riya Shah. The agenda of SPECPOL was: Combating Terrorism in Africa. The chair was upbeat and enthusiastic and kept the committee alive with debates and discussions. The chair was so enthusiastic that the delegates had trouble understanding his fast paced attempts at communication. The crisis of SPECPOL included an impromptu video shot during a break, featuring the Vicechair of HRC (Human Resource Committee, Deputy Director General and the OC (Organizing Committee) Head of Transport.

Social: The venue for the social was a sight to behold. Fairy lights twinkling around columns, laser beams and disco lights ashing on the dance oor with the schools’ DJ Dryfruit, blasting music which had everyone tapping their feet. The dance oor slowly started getting packed and soon enough, everyone was dancing and jumping to the beat in sync. The photo booth of the FS MUN was popular as everyone put on the crazy props arranged by the OC and posed for pictures with their friends. The food, which was mouthwatering, was quickly devoured by the hungry delegates, the EB (Executive Board) and the OC (Organising Committee). Kudos to the OC for organising such a splendid night and MUN, and making sure nothing went wrong during the committee sessions.

Anecdotes from the two days.

Ÿ

“We are not here for the experience. We are here to win!” - a rst-timer.

Ÿ

“We want to provide AID to the world!” - Delegate of Russia in WHO.

Ÿ

“Djkghrjzdv jsefghjvu skjfhcnrkj!” - Chair of SPECPOL, because he spoke so fast.

Ÿ

“Who would treat ‘emergency’ pregnancies without female doctors?” - Delegate in WHO.

Written by: Pahini Kapadia (Grade 11 - Sapience)

Ÿ

“We want a world war three!” - Delegate of France in ECOSOC.

Compiled by: Aashna Jain (Grade 10 - Herald) Shreya Thummar (Grade 11 - Sapience)

Photographs by: Ami Patel & Krunal Gajera (Grade 11 - Versatility) | Pranjal Bhansali (Grade 10 - Harbinger) | Yug Italiya (Grade 9 - Serendipity)

CHANGE IS CONSTANT !

This time I promptly volunteered for writing an article for the newsletter. Maybe I wanted to write something which hasn’t really happened since a long time. When I sat down to think about what to write, random thoughts crossed my mind. So many things have happened this year, so many new learning’s and so many changes. Yes, change is constant! At Fountainhead, we all believe we are lifelong learners ready to learn, unlearn and adopt new changes.

The ISW (In school workshops) are always a great opportunity for our professional development. This year, the self study process for the IB Evaluation visit, opened new doors of learning for all of us. Being IB facilitators, we were able to introspect the areas where we excel and the areas we still needed to work upon.

Right from the collaborative planning to curriculum design, integration and assessments. We have added in so many areas.

P.2

At FS, we focus on developing the Learner Prole (LP) attributes not only in our students but also in our teachers. It was an AHA moment for the Sr.Kg teachers when our little wonders self reected on the learner prole.They were able to do it so authentically with a really clear understanding. When they were asked to connect any LP attributes with their parents, they did it so honestly, it was a surprise for the parents as well! Apart from this we’ve also set up a Learner Prole /attitudes board and an action board where we display how our learners demonstrate their LP attributes/attitudes or actions taken. Even the parents contribute to this when they write reection notes.

We were already doing so many things, with a clearer understanding and connection with the IB practices. Personally I feel it’s always a great feeling to learn something and implement it too. I’m always ready for a positive change and if the change leads to growth, it’s always welcomed. ….isn’t it?

Nandini Aswani - HRT (Sr.KG - Dazzle)

I have in the past publicized my interest in the sport known as, Ultimate (Frisbee). My passion for sports even now is well known in school and it is very much a result of my childhood ambition... to become a sportsperson of some repute. I can now claim that I have at least achieved part of that goal as an adult!

This year, I represented Team India at the World Championship of Beach Ultimate 2015 (www.WCBU2015.org), held in Dubai from 8th 13th March. Over 25 countries were represented with more than 1000 players in this tournament, which is held every 4 years. While Ultimate on grass is the more popular and older version of the game, Beach Ultimate has also picked up in the last 15-20 years. In India, Chennai is the hot spot for the beach version!

India had teams in three divisions, the Open mixed, Open and the Open Masters division, which is for those above 33 years of age. The Open Masters, is the division which I played in with 14 other teammates from Chennai, Bangalore, Goa and Singapore! As it is a fairly new sport in India, there are very few players in the 33+ age group; so it was relatively easy to get selected for the team.

There were 8 countries in our division (in order of the nal ranking): USA, Canada, Philippines, Great Britain, Germany, France, India and Currier Islands ( a ctional island nation, that now plays as an Ultimate team). We won two matches out of 10, both against Currier Islands, but came close to an upset in three other games - notably against France, Philippines and Germany. Of course we were up against the best teams in the world - one of my teammates

commented that Team India at WCBU was like Afghanistan in the Cricket World Cup! These teams had many players who have been playing 10-15 years or more, whereas most of us have just 4-5 years experience. More importantly, most of them have had rigorous training on skills, strategy, speed and stamina and of course there’s a much bigger pool of players. For e.g. France had a selection process for the Open Masters team from a pool of 50, whereas we barely had 18 applications for the 15 spots.

Despite not winning much, the tournament was a fantastic experience to play against and learn from some of the best teams in the world. Being the spirited game that Ultimate is, the atmosphere was both competitive and friendly. Teams would regularly get together after the match for a spirit circle, and give feedback to each other or give out gifts. But during the matches, the points were intense with high athleticism as well as smart play on display.

Finally, the great thing is that Ultimate in India is a new and growing sport, and that means a lot of opportunities to play a big role in the sport as players in the near future! In fact, one of the Surat boys from the Jumbish team that we coach, has been selected from about 6070 players to represent India in the World Ultimate Championship to be held in London in July this year! On that note, Fountainhead is also arranging for the rst Indian national Under 19 tournament in June - girls and boys together on the same team! So lots to look forward to for budding Ultimate players.

Vardan Kabra - Head of School

BODY IMAGE How many times have you looked in the mirror and have pointed out every aw in your body?

How many times have you thought that you weren’t good enough because you were too fat or because you didn’t have muscles?

How many times have you gone through magazines of those perfect looking actresses and models and have wished that you looked like them?

How many times have you dressed differently or acted differently just to t in with everyone else and to make “friends”?

Why do we let others decide what is best for us? Why do we try to look like those magazine models even though we know that most of it is photoshopped? Why do we let the society tell us who we

are? Why do we let a mirror decide if we are good enough?

Perfect (n.) a nonexistent thing that people try to live up to or nd in someone or something. (Reference: http://www.urbandictionary.com/dene.php?term=perfect) Looks do not dene you, you cannot let anyone label you if you do not want them to. Just because you are a bit overweight compared to other people of your age does not make you any different from them. Just because you are skinny instead of muscular does not change who you are inside. Stop comparing yourself with everyone else because in the end, you are going to get judged no matter what. Look in the mirror with a smile because perfect does not exist. No one can tell you who you are or the way you look because to me, you are as perfect as it gets.

Ananya Jain - Student (Grade 6 - Excogitate)

P.3

As this newsletter nds its way in your hands, it will be the end of the academic year and a beginning of a new one for all of us as we will start a process of reection and review of our curriculum and other pedagogical practices. This academic year has been a very happening one (on a separate note, which year hasn't been?) but there have been many rsts for us- the rst FSMUN (Model United Nations), the rst student exchange program with Sreenidhi School, Hyderabad, the rst year where our entry age admissions saw more applicants than seats, our rst “Open Days at Fountainhead School” (OD@FS) learning sessions and our rst PYP evaluation visit.

This newsletter will be carrying articles on all these topics so let me use this space to talk about continuous professional development.

During our OD@FS session, I was posed a question, “Have you changed the teaching methods at your school?”. This can sometimes be a tricky question because I have experienced that people tend to judge you when you change your mind often. But I take inspiration from Anne of Green Gables, who said that only the strong have the courage to change their mind. So yes, we have changed our minds, we have evolved our methods of teaching, we have done away with some previous methods and as education and education technology continues to evolve at breakneck speed, we are trying to keep up with the changes to attempt to deliver what is truly a world class education for the 21st century.

One way to keep up with the changes is through continuous professional development (CPD). I read somewhere once that every year, one should aim to add a new achievement/ accomplishment/ learning in their CV. I found this quite powerful and personally, it inspired me to learn and achieve a lot of things in the past many years. Last year, my achievement was to be awarded the Global Teacher Accreditation by the British Council. I am happy to share that I was amongst 13 teachers who received a commendation for excellent work from amongst 115 teachers / educationists all over India who

ARNopmER NGssiLE LIFEnuoLO us Profe onal Devel ent Conti

received this award. A little bit about my project: I did a small piece of action research to see if writing skills of students could be improved through following the writer’s workshop model. The results have been encouraging and we will continue to use the writer’s workshop framework for writing instruction in the school.

This year, 3 more teachers from FS are pursuing the Global Teacher Accreditation from the British Council. 2 teachers completed the Certicate in Primary English Language teaching from the British Council. Shehla attended a curriculum mapping workshop with the British Council while Juhi, Ravi and Mary attended a workshop to teach curriculum subjects using Music and Drama. Vardan and Bhumika attended a Middle Years Programme (MYP) introductory workshop to understand and do a feasibility study on implementing the MYP while Shalini and Somnath attended the Arts in the PYP workshop in Mumbai. Reema and Nihar are now certied by the Google Teacher Academy. The list goes on and on. The point is that at Fountainhead School, continuous professional development is the name of the game.

The best part is that learning something new need not be an expensive proposition either. Mass Open Online Courses (MOOC) which are free, allow you to sign up for courses from some of the world’s best universities. Twitter is emerging to be one of the most powerful platforms to connect to educators across the globe. The world is truly shrinking and today teachers at FS are equipped to learn and connect with the world wide network of educators to keep upgrading their knowledge and skills, while delivering cutting edge education in their classrooms in the only IB school in the world’s 4th fastest growing city (without good air connectivity.. but well, thats another story :)

Ankita Diwekar Kabra - Primary School Principal

ALIEN VISITORS

One night, when I heard a thud, I woke up and saw a huge spaceship standing a little away from our house. Then some strange looking people came out of it.

Three eyes, three hands, one nostril, pink skin! They looked very odd and did not look from Earth. They looked like they came from some other Planet Then I realized, they were ALIENS! They were reading each other's mind and communicating with each other in sign language, They were wearing machines on their body and they spoke like a machine too. When I asked them, from where they came, they just smiled.

I think they were feeling very different on our planet, they were looking at trees and owers with surprise.

They could also y a little ! They did not eat anything, they just ate air! At rst I was very scared of them, but when they bowed down, I became friends with them. When they heard me speaking words, they were curious to learn them So I taught them a few words like Thank you, Sorry and Please! They learnt it with lot of enthusiasm In the morning they wanted to explore my city, so I took them to the garden, the mall and the Science Centre. They loved my city! They gave me a beautiful pendant with a pink stone. Then we became best friends. I also made a card for them! When it was time for them to go, I felt sad, but they waved me good bye and left in their spaceship.

I miss my alien friends! I wish I could see their planet too!

P.4

Yashvi Sheth - Student (Grade 2 - Ponder)

The beginning of a new journey!

At Fountainhead School, we believe that the PYP journey will never end. The evaluation visit is yet another beginning of a new journey.

The end results always prove that the process is purposeful for the school. It was exciting to reect on our inquiry journey through the self-study process and the evaluation visit and see how far we have come as a school in our understanding and practice.

On 10th, 11th and 12th of February 2015, a team of experienced IB Primary Programme educators conducted an evaluation visit in order to observe and compare practices at our school with the IB standards. The visitors were Ms. Adilakshmi Chantalapati, Head of curriculum development - Oakridge International Schools and Mr. Sanjay Prabhakaran, PYP Coordinator - Indus International School.

The big picture for the PYP self-study was “What do we want to nd out?” with regards to the IB standards. Ÿ

Philosophy - Promote International Mindedness, PYP programme and school connection.

Ÿ

Organisation - Leadership and Structure; Do we have the resources to support?

Ÿ

Curriculum - Collaborative Planning; Written Curriculum, i.e.

Program of Inquiry, grade level planning, single-subject planning, scope and sequence, etc.; Teaching and Learning; Assessments.

Each standard was reviewed in detail and was self-evaluated. This process was conducted over a 12 -15 month period.

Collecting evidence of our ndings was another important aspect of the self-study process. The big idea here was “How will they know the practices followed in school?” Some examples of evidence to support our ndings wereŸ

Action Plan chart - action plans are in place to take the school forward

Ÿ

Progress made with respect to the recommendations given after the authorization

Ÿ

Various displays across grades/school - Action wall, learner prole, students’ work, students’ inquiries, etc.

Ÿ

Classroom visits and walk through.

Ÿ

Planning documents and reports

Ÿ

Scrutiny of other documents (Assessments, class schedules, minutes of the meeting, etc.)

During the preparation for the visit, the visitors had read through the 90 page Evaluation Questionnaire that we had lled during the selfstudy process. During the visit, they met different groups from our school community, teachers, students, pedagogical leadership team, governing body and parents. They walked around and took part in the daily life at Fountainhead School including classroom visits, playtime and lunchtime. They enjoyed the school tour and also a fabulous PYP assembly conducted by the Grade 5 students.

It was a very intense 3-day visit. The visiting team found students express pride in their school and value FS as a caring environment.

They were awed by the openness and respectful communication between teachers, students and staff at our school. Teachers were praised for their dedication and desire to improve and develop their teaching practices. Last but not the least, the evaluators were very impressed with the parent’s positive attitude and involvement at Fountainhead School. They pointed out that the school has developed since the authorization in 2010. They also commented that the school had undergone the self-study process very seriously and had rightly identied the areas where it needs to work on.

The evaluation process was, of course, challenging, but extremely fruitful for the school. The process kept us on track as we reected and analyzed each practice under all the standards. During the selfstudy, we could identify our struggle areas and have incorporated those into our action plan to consolidate and improve our practices.

At Fountainhead School, we looked at this visit as a supporting one as we learned and received guidance from experienced IB professionals. This learning journey will help us improve our practices.

The nal evaluation report will be made by the visiting team in collaboration with the Regional Head Ofce in Singapore. The report will be sent to us in about 4 - 6 weeks time after the visit. The report will include the ndings of the visiting team, commendations, recommendations based on the standards and practices, for further growth. These results will help guide our implementation of the PYP. The evaluation visit was also a validation of what our school has accomplished since the authorization as a PYP school in 2010. This was only possible through the dedication of our staff and the strong support of our parents.

Zahabiyah Shaikhmahmood - PYP Coordinator P.5

The PYP is not a static programme; the practices under which we plan and conduct the teaching and learning require constant change and evolution.

MYP at Fountainhead School? Perhaps!

Change is inevitable, progress is optional - Tony Robbins Recently we attended the introductory workshop for the IB Middle Years Program (MYP) in Mumbai. The MYP has been revamped from 2014 and in its new avatar we found the program to be a lot more exciting than it was previously, as it: Ÿ Ÿ

Ÿ

Ÿ

Ÿ

Encourages holistic learning Allows students to transcend learning beyond subjects, to make connections of their learning to life, to be able to develop skills that will help in their careers ahead Offered subject groups are balanced and encourage learning across disciplines. For e.g. physical & health education, the arts and design are all compulsory.

Less focus on pure exams and scores as MYP assessments focus on conceptual understanding and global contexts and giving feedback to students regularly for their improvement.

The MYP framework will allow school to decide the content which is age appropriate, interesting, engaging and challenging.

The continuum from the PYP to the MYP to the DP is also likely to be a smoother transition for the students.

Importantly, the new MYP also offers optional e-assessments to overcome the issue of a lack of certicate at the end of 10th Grade.

With the CBSE also making the tenth boards exams optional, this should make the MYP fully acceptable across India as a qualication for the 10th. In fact it’s already accepted in many cities in India, including Mumbai for quite some time. Outside of India the recognition presents no problems.

Currently, we are offering the IGCSE program in Grades 9 and 10, which is challenging for learners. But it forces students and teachers to focus on grades and on completing the curriculum within a prescribed time frame. With MYP in picture, we will be able to focus on experiential and inter-disciplinary learning and eventually nurture passion for learning in our students.

Implementing the MYP Program will also open new learning avenues for the teachers as well.

We are planning to do a pilot with 1 or 2 subject areas from June 2015 and then if we like the initial results, then in consultation with parents and staff, we intend to start proper implementation from the 2016 session. We will keep you posted!

Bhumika Parmar - MY Coordinator & Vardan Kabra - Head of School

rnk’e fe btt*tt btt*tt... ओ btt*tt, btt*tt... | ं क gtt*tt | इतनी उलझन सी ये िहदी काम तो ब त आती है ये btt*tt,

P.6

ततली

लेिकन याद करते-करते, घूम जाता है ये माथा | अ ा पका कहती िक, btt*tt म तुम िकतने लापरवाह हो | पर म कै से क ँ , माँ मझ ु े नही ं आती है btt*tt.... |

ततली रानी, ततली रानी कौन देश से आई हो, रंग बरंगे सु र कपड़े, िकस दकान ु से लाई हो | फु ल फु ल पर घूमा करती, सबके मन को भाती हो |

Yashashvi Dalmia Student (Grade 6 - Evolve)

Swarada Gadre Student (Grade 6 - Progress)

पेड़ बचाओ ं पेड़ बचाओ, ह रयाली बढ़ाओ , खु शयाँ लाओ, दःख ु ाओ| ु भल अपने पयावरण को न करो दखी, ु ं इससे मलेगी सबको जदगी सुखी | पेड़ िक यह भली जान, इसे काटकर न करो अपमान| िकतनी मलती हम मदद, जनक िक ह हम आदत | पेड़ बचाओ, ह रयाली बढ़ाओ , खु शयाँ लाओ, दःख ु ाओ| ु भल Hetvi Savaliya Student (Grade 6 - Progress)

Wrg - A ski

“Wrg mns srg. It's pt   hum cdn  wt  s gs - ghts, i, opns”.

- Paulo Coelho We all know that writing is a very important communication skill and it is a skill that can be acquired. A child learns a language by listening to it, speaking, reading & writing. This holds true as we all have learned our mother tongue in the same manner.

It is very unfortunate when a child is forced to write irrespective of the fact that he or she has not got enough exposure to listening, speaking & reading. Writing follows if these skills are in place. This doesn’t mean that writing comes spontaneously or automatically; it is the skill that needs to be taught explicitly.

Honestly, reecting back to my school days, I don’t remember learning the art of writing. All I do recall is that I used to learn a number of essays before the examination with a prayer and the expectation that of all the essays I have memorized, one will certainly come with the options provided. I used to be highly disappointed if the options turned out to be anything other than the ones that I had learned. Had I been taught to write following a process, I would have not faltered in my writing endeavors.

This year we implemented a writer’s workshop model across the primary grades. I chanced to get a few sessions for Grades 1 & 2 along with Pinky Chawla & Shehla Dar (Team Leaders-Grades 1 & 2). This model focused on teaching students how to write explicitly following modeled writing, shared writing, guided writing & and individual writing. The students also followed the 6 traits of writing - Ideas, Organization, Word choice, Voice, Conventions & Sentence uency.

At this age level, as a rst step, the students express their ideas by illustrating them using BME (Beginning, Middle & End). It is in the next step that they compose their original sentences that match their illustrations.

Looking at the original pieces of the students, however small they may be, makes my day.

Sanjana Amarnani - Assistant PYP Coordinator

Stand By ME...

This song, written by Ben King, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, came to my mind when our art students performed in Rendezvous during the recent arts festival “Kala Utsav”.

When the night has come and the land is dark and the moon, is the only light we’ll see no, I won’t be afraid oh, I won’t be afraid just as long as you stand, stand by me….

“Why this song?” - I asked myself… and I got the answer when I looked out at the audience.

The seating area was almost empty…a few parents…a few teachers and a lot of performers waiting for their turn, hoping, ‘we’ll break the stage, we’ll get more people out there, more applause’ but they didn’t.

It was not, the art teachers, saying ‘stand by me’ to the audience, but the students, who were singing this to their parents, in the audience…. STAND BY ME I have always, not just felt, but also believed that there is no performance without an audience. I mean there are props which are important, such as stage, lights, curtains, instruments, artworks and everything all performances are built upon, but... it is the audience that makes the artists feel alive and are their true inspirations, just to be there, to feel the performance, criticize, appreciate, cheer, witness, and to see through which form the artist wants to express his/her feelings.

Anyway, even with a minimal audience, the artists did great. They performed with passion.

Ranging from the classic “Hayvandan” to children’s comedy “The poor sour lime”; from traditional Indian classical Bharatanatyam dance to National and International folk dances, the basic drum-guitar and tabla patterns to different grade level band performances. And not to forget the magnicently colourful visual arts exhibitions.

Juhi Parekh - Arts Teacher

P.7

Overall, “Kala Utsav” this time was really a “Mahotsav” for all of us - the artists, the teachers and for those who attended and appreciated it.

IS IT THE BEGINNING..

It seems like yesterday, when after the vacation in May, amidst the hustling and bustling in the new class; one thing, everybody wanted to know…

What was it? was it the curriculum they were curious about, or was it the BIG event of Grade 6 that was making them shout !

This big event is nothing but the PYP exhibition. Rightly described by Lulula Bandookwala as, ”Unknown journey into the known lands”, it is just that. With this thought in mind, our planning started long back. We, as teachers, tried our best to come up with activities for learners, which would set the mood and prepare them for this journey.

Finally, the long wait was over and we started with the exhibition unit on 19th February, 2015. The excitement and eagerness of the students was inscribed on their faces. We started with a presentation to give them an overview of the exhibition. The key takeaway was that the onus lies on them, with the entire school staff and parents to help them whenever required. They also understood the importance of the Learner Proles and the 5 Essential Elements of the PYP.

To reiterate, the importance of the Learner Proles and Essential Elements, few other activities were also taken up. The Y-chart Attitude reection helped students understand how different attitudes would ‘look like, feel like and sound like’. Students came up with wonderful responses. Some said co-operation would sound like- “Eureka”!, others said respect will feel like peaceful and so on and so forth. Each response forced others to think about the attitude in a way they had never been done before. Through the “concentric circle” activity, students appreciated each other using LPs demonstrated by them.

To check students understanding about the Exhibition, Simon Sinek's “Golden Circle”, was taken up. It had 3 questions- WHY (What is the purpose of exhibition?), HOW (What is the process or steps by which it will be realized?) and WHAT (What will be the outcome of their efforts?). The students had to answer each of these questions on separate post-its followed by sharing their thoughts and this helped them in getting a better idea about the exhibition. “Throw it all in the mix’ was yet another activity which helped them brainstorm and come up with whatever they have learnt till now and can be used by them during the exhibition.

After brieng the students about the different aspects of the exhibition, the importance of Learner Proles, Essential Elements and the importance of being organized, it was time to sensitize them to the world around them. This was done by showing them a documentary by Yann Arthus-Bertrand ‘HOME’,.

Together with vivid images and beautiful narration, the lm talks about the earth, right from its inception i.e. how it has evolved and changed over time.

The students were also shown a few exhibition videos, of their own school as well as that of other schools. They also had a scavenger hunt to explore the FS PYP Exhibition web site. With curiosity at the paramount, this whole week was full of activities and questions. The students were eager to be grouped. They chose topics and embarked on this journey on their own.

However, one thought I nd myself stuck with is - “Is this the beginning?” Maybe, as I delve deeper into it, I’ll get the answer.

Dipti Singhal - HRT (Grade 6 - Progress)

P.8

SUBROTO CUP

This is the third year in which Fountainhead School took part in the Subroto cup girls football tournament. Beginning level (District level) for Subroto cup is inter-school. Alchemy School was the organizer for the Inter School tournament and four teams took part in this contest.

In the nal match, we defeated Alchemy School by 4-0 and our team qualied for the Inter District Subroto cup.

Inter District is the second level (state level) of Subroto cup and this tournament was held in Himmatnagar, Bhiloda. 32 teams participated in this competition. We defeated Ahmedabad Sabarkantha, Chotaudhaipur and Patan. In the nal match, we defeated Banaskatha in the penalty shootout by a 5-3 and thus qualied for the International Subroto cup.

The Indian Air Force organizes the Subroto Cup Football Tournament (International level). We went to Delhi for the tournament. Brazil, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar were also a part of this tournament. Unfortunately, we could not play against them as they were not in our group (there were 8 groups in Under-17 girls competition). In the rst match we defeated Delhi (AFBBS) by 6-0, in the second match we defeated Uttarakhand by 5-0 and in the third match we were defeated by Nagaland.

Footballers open their hearts I won’t tell you what the footballers at Fountainhead School have achieved this year; I will let them express their feelings! Here are a few comments from some of the regular football players express their experiences after achieving new heights. A footballer achieves ve titles in two months in different age category, (U-15 and U-17 LP Savani cup, U-15 U Dream cup, U-17 Boy and U17 Girls FH cup) FH team’s centre forward Abhishek Shah says, "Fountainhead has laid out numerous opportunities for my exposure to football, to such an extent that a football warrior has risen inside my heart. Never had I competed in so many back-to-back tournaments since I stepped into the glory of the Fountainhead Soccer team. I have personally learned a lot about the game and have built bonds with friends that I never see fading away. Continuously having so many opportunities lined up, gives me incentive to work hard in terms of tness and overall game skills. Lastly, when you are lifting that trophy high up in the air, you know all your efforts have been paid off. FS Soccer <3.”

This year we had an addition to our team, Sneh Chauhan, Basketball player turned Football player, plays right-back for the team. Sneh says,"Football, a game to be played with a technique and a game that unites everybody. A game where sides often dominate each other physically. For me, it's the ultimate source to rejuvenate my mind and soul and a way to let my emotions ow. This year I joined this magnicent sport with an aim to develop my physical skills and to achieve all the glory I could. I played the rst tournament of my life by participating in the Rush Football Cup, and the tournament turned out to be electrifying. It helped me to achieve my rst silverware of this year. After this, we successfully defended what was rightfully ours The FS Cup. Winning this and collecting the medal and trophy was an honour.

Krunal Gajera, Center-Back who has been playing for Fountainhead since the past ve years, sheds some light on the journey of the football team.

23rd Feb, 2013, when we rst won a tournament, away or on home ground, accomplishing team goals became a lot easier. I, along with my team, feel proud to have a coach like Anwer Sir. Ever since he became our coach, winning trophies for us has become as easy as scoring goals.

P.9

IB-Liga helped us to realize the importance of coordination in football. Due to lack of practice, there was 'zero' coordination between us. We practised and developed ourselves well enough to proceed to the nals of Rush Soccer Club Tournament and win the FS cup again. Now, when we look at ourselves during the IB Liga, we can see ourselves in a better position than before.

That moment when you hold your gold medal, and you don't know how anything so small could be so precious, and you see the smile on your coach's face, you know that you couldn't love anything more in the whole world.

Anay Sanghvi: I played numerous tournaments this year which included the IB-Liga, Rush Soccer League, L.P Savani Cup, Udream league and last but not the least, the FS cup. We got numerous achievements in following tournaments. Additionally, it was fun to play as a senior in the U-15 category. I hope that my football journey goes the same way next year as it went this year.

Kabir Kabaria: Last year was disappointing for our team. IB Liga did not go as expected, however in the last few months we have worked hard. We began this year by securing the second place in the Rush Football Tournament.

For the past two years, we have been the champions of Fountainhead School Cup (FS Cup). We won third time in a row, including this year. I missed two penalties in the semi-nals. It was a moment of embarrassment, but my teammates encouraged me to learn from the mistakes and not mourn. In the nals, I scored in the penalties. It is a satisfactory achievement for our FS dream team (that's what we call it). Our hard work and cooperation led to what every member of the team wanted - not to give away the trophy, and we didn't.

Sapan Desai: I have been playing football from the past 4 years. It feels amazing winning a cup for the 3rd time. In the last tournament (LP Savani Cup) I was given responsibility to take the 3rd penalty and I missed it. My heart was broken after that penalty and after a few days I initiated to improve on my kicking for the FS Cup. Again penalties in nals! Score 0-0. I was under pressure when I was given the 3rd penalty. The 3rd penalty in a penalty shootout is a crucial penalty of the game. The crowd behind me cheering!! FHS!! FHS!!

Sapan!! Sapan!! And the moment, when I scored the penalty was one of the best moments in my life. From #Wewontgiveitback to #Wedidntgiveitback. The trophy was ours again!

Achievements of Khushi Shah Khushi Shah started playing football ve years ago. Since then, she has achieved many stars. She can play at any position in the game.

She likes to play different types of sports like Basketball, Volleyball, Athletics and Frisbee.

Achievements: In 2012 she was selected for the U-15 Gujarat State team. In 2013 she was selected as the team captain for the U-14 Gujarat State team, and she also played the Subroto International Cup in 2014. The school team qualied for the Subroto International Cup. She was selected for the U-17 Gujarat state team and has also participated in the national school game as a team captain.

Anwer Hans - Football Coach

T Race  Now  Spts

Students Are My Inspiration

There’s a dilemma for every child and their parents to decide which sport one is good at, which one to pursue and which one to drop. A question which confuses many professional athletes at one point of their life, which they overcome successfully.

truly said by Elisabeth I would like to start with a quote on teaching a teacher, you never have Rohm “You never stop learning. If you stop being a student”. ing because I have my I , being a teacher have never stopped learn ation. I would like to inspir st bigge my students. My students are they talk, they care, way the by ed inspir get elaborate it by saying, I re themselves explo to risk the take they s, thing they love, they learn nt which took place and much more. I would like to share one incide to school as students in the classroom, I was unwell but had come class on that particular had their assessments. Every child in my , no arguments and day, behaved so well, no ghts, no complaints the assessments, of they were so “caring” that after the completion I have shared this rest. they forced me to go to the sick bay and take of the learner aware are l incident because the learners of our schoo good thing the but EY’s, the proles as they have been taught since . They other the or way some in it is that they are trying to implement my ed enter they day rst very the have been my inspiration from I day, rst the On . heart my enter to class, which acted as a medium nts. stude these with life my of day rst was so nervous as it was the from a banking eld It made me more nervous because I had come but not students. mers custo and gers mana where I had to deal with welcome them with a I stood at the door with the welcome card to ll I be able to manage smile on my face, but kept wondering...“Wi I saw them coming them?, How will they react, etc. Suddenly, and a smile before towards me and every child gave me a hug increased my hugs entering the class. I felt so relaxed and their became “my nts”, condence level. From that day, “the stude students”. one where both the The ideal teacher-student relationship is t to new ideas and adap and teacher and the student learn is a relationship of there where g reasoning. It is beautiful sharin students. Just as and er teach i.e sides giving and taking from both you spend wandering a tour guide can’t make you enjoy the time be the force that is around the scenery, a teacher alone can’t ideal relationship, both responsible for the student’s learning. In an much as possible at all the teacher and the student need to gain as important thing to be times. Obviously, the knowledge is the most be a level of satisfaction gained, but along with that, there needs to . Teachers can be the or accomplishment along with enjoyment have created a bond best friends of students and vice-versa if they tiful quote said by beau a between them. I would like to end with out the best in bring to how Charles Kuralt, “Good teachers know g that, “My sayin quote e abov the students”. I would like to add to me”. in students know how to bring best Mitali Shah - HRT (Grade 4 - Tenacity)

A child learns and plays many games during their childhood, and he/she may be doing great in more than one. But it is very important for every parent to nd out which sport their child is passionate about and which sport they are good at. There’s a difference between the two, ’Like’ and ‘Best’. Talking about myself, I love and adore football, but I am not best at it. I am best at table tennis.

Many parents want their children to become the master of all sports, which is not possible in today’s competitive world. Parents switch sports for their children year after year, thinking that he/she has mastered it and now it’s time to learn a new sport. Sometimes even a child does it, not knowing how good and talented he/she is in a particular sport. I trained two students in table tennis, whom I embarked on coaching from the very basic. Both blossomed well and I set a few targets for them to qualify for their school’s team, to nish basics in a particular time and then advancing further. Both did well and qualied for the school team. One student left after a year, saying that his dad wanted him to learn Lawn Tennis. The next year he switched to cricket. But the other one, who concentrated on table tennis, played 3 nationals, many state level tournaments and also represented the university.

The point is, when you enrol your child in one sport, you have a goal and vision that your child will learn the game and improve his tness along with performing well at various levels. The same way a coach sets his goals and mission for that child, wanting his/her apprentice to achieve as much as possible. After knowing the child’s talent, the coach trains him/her further, expecting the student to perform at the maximum level. But many students change their activity midway or at the end of the term, leaving the coach’s goals and visions shattered, along with the students’ raw talents.

Do not misinterpret me; I am not against multiple sports. Actually it's good for a child’s overall growth. At a young age, they don't know what they are best at. So it's better to explore more sports and make him/her aware of different games and their advantages.

My point is, not to DROP a sport midway. You can make them play different sports, along with the one they are good at. There was a time when one could play multiple sports and advance till national or international level. It was in the 60s,70s and 80s, when there wasn’t much competition in sports. With the increasing popularity of sports, competition got tougher, and now it's almost impossible to survive as a multiple sports person.

Then again, there are exceptions, like the cricketer A.B. De Villiers, whose achievements are as follows:Ÿ He was shortlisted for South Africa's junior national hockey team. Ÿ He made it to the shortlist of South Africa's junior national football team. Ÿ He was the captain of South Africa's junior national rugby team. Ÿ He holds six South African school swimming records. Ÿ He holds the record for the 100m dash in South Africa's junior athletics. Ÿ He was a member of South Africa's junior Davis Cup tennis team. Ÿ He was South Africa's U-19 national badminton champion.

Ÿ Ÿ

He has a golf handicap of scratch or zero, which means he is a player whose average score for a round of golf is par or better.

He is a recipient of the prestigious national medal from the Late Nelson Mandela for a science project.

Though multi- talented, eventually A.B De Villiers chose one sport.

I’ll wrap this up by stating that before changing a sport, ask your child about the sports he likes and the one he thinks he is best at. Do consult the coach too, he might have noticed the exceptional talent in your child which he/she is still unaware of. And then think... Do you want your child to be “Jack of all trades, master of none?”, or would you want to see him/her achieving a lot in a sport in which he/she is best at? The ball is in your court!

Zulkif Jelani - PE Coach resource:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AB_de_Villiers

P.6 P.10

International Mindedness “International-mindedness isn’t something that can be taught in discrete lessons, it’s a ‘frame of mind’ and as such needs time to develop”, says Steven Mark, Educational Director of the International Primary Curriculum. Today across the globe, we have many international schools, but what being internationally minded is, is still a question. Though there is no common denition for it, in simple terms, international mindedness can be dened as moving from something which is local to something which is global. When our learners will develop an understanding not only about themselves but also about other people, countries and cultures, we can say that they are global citizens.

If we look at the IBO mission statement - “The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect...”(taken from Making the PYP happen), we can clearly see that developing international mindedness means to develop the attributes of learner prole. For our ve year old, being internationally minded would be to demonstrate the learner prole “Caring” by helping his friend when he falls, but for older ones it might mean to care for the environment by disposal of waste responsibly or to know about human commonality. So here, the teacher needs to interpret the attributes of the learner prole, in a manner appropriate to the age and development of students.

Heres how we did it in Grade 2 with our young learners. They were asked to read the IBO mission statement and how the attributes of the learner prole connected to it. Followed by a discussion on our school mission statement "To nurture leaders through primary greatness", which was taken along with the difference between primary and secondary greatness and how the school mission statement is connected with the IB mission statement. The students came up with a fascinating list, reecting on "How they are Internationally Minded".

Pinky Shah - HRT (Grade 2 - Dream) & Shehla Shaikh - Team Leader (Grade 2)

Wa s

hi

ng

to

n,

U.

S.A

tle ’t s ce t ea e S n n , g ool e a i d d ll le Sch u t A hi c w S o rts e n th B K wi f o ation b

or

la ol

C

It’s a matter of great pride to share with you Grade 3’s collaboration with The Bertschi School in Seattle. The purpose of this collaboration was to know more about our country.

It was integrated with our unit: ‘Where we are in place and time.’ Were we looked at ‘Climate’. The students at Bertschi were doing a case study on India. They recorded a video, through which they took us on a tour of their school and also introduced themselves. They also sent letters to our students through courier; where they inquired about the likes and dislikes of our students. They also talked about their hobbies and gave insights of their city. They were keenly interested in getting more insights about India. They wanted to know the climate of the region, various reasons for human settlements in India and much more.

Our students excitedly and desperately waited for the video to be recorded and later shared it with the Bertschi School students, where they introduced themselves and took them on a tour of their school. Our students enthusiastically responded to their letters. They were anxious to know when they would receive the letters from their penpals. They were eagerly waiting for their reply and kept inquiring till they received it.

They were innovative and original in their ideas and thoughts while responding to the letters.

On the basis of their research work about the case study of India, the Bertschi students exchanged PowerPoint presentations with our students. They demonstrated the learner prole “Open-minded” by asking our students to comment on their research work as well. Our students proactively participated and enhanced their communication skills during this process. All in all, it was an inspiring experience which is still continued.

Poonam Sharma - HRT (Grade 3 - Initiate) & Suruchi Arora - HRT (Grade 3 - Illuminate)

P.11

WHAT MAKES ME SMILE ?

My mother makes me smile. She is the best person I have ever seen. I love her a lot. She is going to have a baby. I am very excited about the baby. Whenever, I cry she makes me feel happy. When I want anything she gives me that. The baby is the most precious gift which she is going to give me. There are many reasons for it, but I am going to tell you some of the reasons. Do you want to listen to it ? Now, let me tell you. She held my nger and made me walk, she understood me when I could not talk. She always helped me in times of need.

She always made me smile sometimes with her love and sometimes with toys. Whatever I do right or wrong she always forgives me. For me, she works hard. I always respect her. Whatever problem I have, she gives me solution. I think she is the world for me. She always tells me to read but write more, to listen but think more, to play but study more, to eat but chew more, to cry but laugh more, to sleep but work more, to punish but reward more, to hate but love more, to order but obey more, to quarrel but love more and to take but give more. I will remember these tips of life forever and this will help me to live a healthy and happy life. She helps me in a lot of things. She teaches me that we should thank God for each and everything. My mother teaches me how to share, how to care, how to keep an open mind in life, she also teaches me how to make hard work fun and how to take a stand for what I believe. The real meaning of mother is : M - MAKES me happy O - OXYGEN of my life T - Trains us H - Fill our world with HAPPINESS E - has positive ENERGY R - always READY to help me

There are many things in this world which makes us feel sad, but if we decide and choose to be happy, nobody can stop us. Let me share with you, some of the things that light up my face and bring a smile on it.

When I reach school by bus in the morning, I feel very happy to see my friends as they bring a smile on my face. I really enjoy Visual Arts period and Language period for drawing and writing .

I feel so nice when I win the drawing competitions. Drawing is my favourite activity and I like to draw anytime when I'm bored.

When I feel tired I like to watch Taarak Mehta serial, or some nice video on my granny’s and Dada's iPads and that instantly makes me smile.

I like to play a lot. I laugh a lot when I play Shake and Shampoo with my friends and cousins. I also like to play Tennis. When I won the tennis tournament I felt very happy.I also feel good, when my friend is in trouble and I help her.

When I dress up in a colourful ghaghra choli and play Dandiya and Garba, I feel excited. When my Granny gives me perfumes and I wear them I feel very happy to smell them.

When my mom gives me a precious gift like a Barbie bookstand, I love it.

I love the warm feeling when she hugs me. That makes me smile.

Anushka Agarwal Student (Grade 2 - Dream)

Sometimes I also feel happy when I just take a breath of fresh air , "Thandi hawaa" in open air!!

Yashna Sheth - Student (Grade 2 - Discover)

There I was There I was, standing on the podium, with all the spotlights on me and the whole crowd of around ten thousand people hooting and cheering for me! Thirty two countries participated in the event; including the country which I was representing; India. All the thirty two ags raised high in the air including India’s ag. It was a moment of pride for all the Indians as well as me but, most importantly for my coach who had made me so capable!

Even though I was standing with all the spotlights on, proud audience, ashlights all around and a cheque worth two lakhs rupees in my hand, something bothered me a lot and I could not enjoy the fame. It felt as if I was missing someone and that I did not deserve this fame alone. After frantically scanning through the crowd I saw my coach, whose head held high in pride and showed a thumbs up to me as he saw me watching him. I think that was probably the rst time when I could sense his happiness which was so evident on his face.

After a few seconds I could not resist anymore and ran down the podium and held his hand and brought him on the stage. We both could not stop, just burst out in tears in front of the crowd. The moment seemed so much like a dream but at the same time it was so realistic. This was because, since the time I joined Karate, my aim was to win the International Tournament, And it came true!

News channels had already aired my win on television and interviews of my parents, friends and teammates were being conducted. When the camera spotted us, we could not describe how we felt in mere words. However, after being insisted by the media people, I had to share how it felt to be an International tournament champion. I just rewound the match in my memory and then put them in words with emotions owing out and then I could not stop. Then, my coach took over and explained how he felt during the whole process starting from the day I joined his academy till the moment of my win. He went numb after my victory, and so did I. After I walked out of the stadium I had a few people come running towards me, requesting me for my autograph and also a picture with them.

With a bit of hesitation, I agreed, and as they went I remembered how desperate I became every time I used to meet any world champion. All my friends started calling me up, all my relatives were wishing me and then my parents hugged me so tight, as if we were meeting for the rst time. Both of them also had tears and could not express their feelings but I knew how they felt.

Even though it was time for a celebration, I asked for some time out from all of them and went to one of my favourite places. Since the tournament was held in Mumbai, I preferred going to Marine Drive to give myself some time alone and analysed my match, because this tournament was not the end. I still have a long way to go. After spending some time with myself, I decided to call all my teammates, my coach and parents to Marine Drive to celebrate. We all enjoyed each and every moment of the tournament and the celebrations. The memories of the event are very fresh and I will always cherish those moments spent with my whole team, especially after my unexpected, amazing win.

Vedanshi Changoiwala - Student (Grade 11 - Sapience)

P.12

That Dark, Scary New Moon Night On that dark and scary day of new moon, I was alone in the spooky room, It was really dark, And a freedom mark, For witches, vampires, ghosts and for all evil creatures, Even for the evil bats, And black cats, It was the day of celebration, For the evil creatures' nations, I was really scared, If I had slept, I might have had a really bad nightmare, I would have never thought of sleeping, If I slept, I would be peeping into the evil and scary dreams, Outside the world of dreams, This world makes me feel about The dark and bitter chocolate cream, It was a black sky, I wish I could fly, And catch the sky, And run away, And find a way, To stay away, This was truly impossible, But I knew crying was possible, I wanted someone to say good night, And sleep with me in a bright light, But I knew, No danger could touch me, Because I was blest, And it was a thing of, One day and, One night, And I knew everything will be alright!!!

Simran Lekhwani - Student (Grade 6 - Evolve)

Me and my mom, went for a stroll, I kicked the empty can which went roll roll roll.....

I jumped side to side on empty packs of chips and junk, Came the sound crunch crunch crunch.

Called out my stomach, growled from within, I am empty and hungry, I need something to munch in .

My mum being mum, bought me a packet of biscuits and a mango drink.

Munching and sipping we walked on, smiling with our lips pink..

In a while, the growl settled and I burped, While we enjoyed the sight of the birds that chirped...

We looked here and there, Turned back but saw it nowhere...

We walked through the trees and many passersby carrying the trash, Oh! That man, and from his mouth came the red color splash..

Worried and bound, we walked for a minute, then another ve, Came that car dumping the chocolate wrappers and zoomed happily for a drive.

After walking for another ten.

We nally found one, surrounded by bees, ies and peeing men.

The smell was bad, I went mad, My head went for a spin as I went near that dustbin.

Not much that I could do, I want to help, do you have a clue??

Raising a "Swachh Bharat", is a national issue Need more and more dustbins to throw that tissue .....

Brinda Laddha - Student (Grade 5 - Conglomerate)

IF YOU WANT TO CULTIVATE...

P.13

Cultivate manners, If you want to dress...

Dress yourself with sympathy, If you want to kill...

Kill your bad intentions, If you want to leave...

Leave sinning, If you want to love ...

Love books, If you want to see...

See yourself as you are, If you want to wear..

Wear goodness, If you want to win...

Win ambitions, If you want to speak..

Speak the truth, If you want to be good...

Be good to others.

Library filled with books, about famous personalities and cooks, I want to read each of them, even if its about a flowers stem, different authors and their stories, make me remember my memories, they are so unique and creative, you will also find books for your native, take one, just sit and read, don't care about the speed, make books your best friend, the relationship never ends, library is where you'll find peace, day by day your interest will increase!

Yukta Luthria - Parent (Grade 1 - Amity)

Maitry Gothi- Student (Grade 6 - Progress)

Character building in children is important...

1

While I was watching a Hindi movie, I came across a good dialogue, “Jo dekha wo hi sikha”. That is the “mantra” when we talk about character building of our children. Our children will learn only what we do and not what we ask them to do.

Intelligence, talent, sports, studies, success are all important but most of all it is character and morality that counts. In a child’s tender age, whatever programmes of values are installed will turn out to be the software of their lifetime which cannot be formatted. The image of their character is stored in their minds knowingly or unknowingly and they will be like us one day.

Strong character is the key to success. It is essential for successful business, marriage, family life and social life. If we observe successful people and their life stories, we will observe that a majority of them have a very strong character. With all the other aspects of life, let us give special importance to character building by giving our children a chance to read good books, reading to them from Panchtantra, Mahabharata, Ramayana and other moral texts, giving them quality time with family, explaining fair policy in life and the value of truth, giving them guidance on controlling anger, making them tough enough to face all kind of challenges, inculcating in them the quality of being Sthitaprajna (remaining calm in all situations) and teaching them to respect all. The basic character of a person will give him/ her good friends and path to live accordingly.

Anant Agrawal - Parent (Grade 7 - Vision)

Character is simply a habit long continued. I learnt this from my grandpa " sow a thought, reap an act , sow an act, reap a habit, sow a habit, reap a character, sow a character, reap a destiny."

(-Ralph Waldo Emerson) Character building is one of life’s continued work.. D.L. Moody, an American evangelist, says, character is what you are in the dark. What we do when we are alone tells a lot about who we are. What television serials we watch, which sites we surf, what makes us sad, happy ,angry or mad!

Everyday we are faced with a thousands of decisions of either doing the right or the wrong thing. If you lie just a little bit you can cut this corner... if you cheat just a little bit you can pass this test. These temptations would want us to take the wrong path that would give us a short time success but it is not honourable before God. Character is the base of our soul, the morning of our lives and even though we may have a long list of accomplishments in life but without integrity, it really doesn't matter. If we don't have good character, it undermines all the other things that we do.

We follow trafc rules only when the police are around. We speak in English only when the teacher is in class...We do this because of fear of being caught. When we start to do the right things even when no one knows, then, that would be that day when we are one step closer to becoming good human beings. Following a role model is easy, but when we give back something to the society, it would mean being a role model ourselves. To be a man or a woman of good character should be at the top of our list.

Shamsah S Panjwani - Parent (Grade 5 - Conglomerate)

DESIGN FOR CHANGE DESIGN FOR CHANGE gives children an opportunity to express their own ideas for a better world and put them into action.The future which we desire - equal rights to education, a country free from child labour and a country where no children sleep hungry.

We, the children, are the future of the world. If you don’t take care of them you have no future. We learnt through the Design for Change Challenge that “I CAN” are the two most powerful words a person can believe in. We not only learnt ‘I can” but also “We Can”. Teamwork is most important in your life, whether it is something small like campaigning or changing the world. You meet new people and you should know how to deal with them politely.

So, what did DFC teach us? It asked us to do four very simple things: Feel, Imagine, Do and Share.We had a lot of fun doing this and contributing to our great India is always delightful. It also connects us to our mission statement which is “To nature leaders through primary greatness. ”DFC is the best example for our statement. It helps us think about the future and think outside the box too. We found a creative way to eradicate this issue. We went to the main economy hub of the Surat Textile Market. As we were good at drama, we also went to VR Mall and performed an act on child labour and I, Bhavya Jain not being good at delivering speech was chosen as the anchor (How can my life be better!?). It was a fruitful journey with some ups and downs but nevertheless, we were successful in the end.

People started calling the number 1098 which made a difference.

Bhavya Jain - Student (Grade 7 - Vision)

P.14

2

Catering to different ation s an art "Every student can learn, just not on the same day or the same way," - George Evans A basic law of the natural world is that each person is unique. So, no two learners have the same strengths, weaknesses, prociency levels and prior knowledge.The necessity of differentiation is to make the learners in charge of their own learning. Each learner needs to have an individual learning lane to master a new skill.

What is differentiation?

Differentiation means addressing each child’s individual needs.

Differentiation is the procedure by which educators provide differentiated instruction, content, method, manipulative, learning, engagement, learning environment, or the assessment to accommodate various learning styles of learners. This methodology leads towards an effective understanding and provides successful learning.

Need of differentiation No two learners in a classroom are same with equal prior knowledge, aptitudes and desires. Here the need for differentiation emerges which caters different readiness levels, learning styles and/or language prociency within a solitary class. Differentiation is the key to serving the requirements of every learner in the class. Differentiation energizes an ardent learner to discover a deeper level of understanding while at the same time it helps to achieve grade-level academic goals and to assist lower level students or students with learning disabilities.

How do we cater to differentiation in our class?

We always focus on how students prefer to discover, learn and express themselves in a differentiated way. During the planning stage, we plan differentiated assessments as per a learner’s need by giving them a variety of assessment tasks. We use differentiated instructions(simple commands and mother tongue support as and when require, which add value to the learning) during class execution and in group discussions.

We check the prior knowledge of each learner to compact the learning engagement and teach only what they don't know. We also consider different learning styles of learners like visual, auditory and kinesthetic and then provide suitable learning engagements through learning centers. The learning engagements always differ from hard to medium to easy which vary in length or amount of the task.

To evaluate their learning, keeping in mind the same learning objective for all, we provide them the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding with multiple options like writing a piece, p r e s e n t a t i o n , p e r f o r m i n g d r a m a / r o l e p l a y, c r e a t i n g a story/poem/artifacts or visual representation.

We additionally make arrangements to inspire and employ intellectually gifted learners in challenging tasks and how to scaffold curriculum to support lower level learners in their spare time by ller engagements/worksheets.

Benets of differentiation Now days differentiated instruction is an appealing thought in the education eld. As teachers, we must address the needs of each student in our classroom. A genuine differentiated instructional model increases potential of every child. It also provides the best end result of a totally individualized learning plan for all learners in the class.

Challenges of differentiation Catering differentiation is an art. Planning differentiation is a truly difcult task for teachers. To unlearn the knowledge of teaching style which has been there in our education system for ages, to cater every learner the same manner. To recognize and meet the need of each and every child requires extra efforts and skills.

Managing time and resources are also a big challenge in front of every teacher who believes in differentiated teaching.

How to create an idealistic environment to give equivalent learning engagements which support different learning styles, keeping in mind the same learning objective.

How to rate the students keeping in mind given differentiated instructions and assessment?

How to make learners understand that everyone is getting according to individual needs so no one feels being unapproachable.

One cannot deny that the plethora of differentiation becomes a daunting assignment for any teacher; nevertheless it gives immense satisfaction and pleasure from within which can not be put it into words.

Niyanta Desai - HRT (Grade 1 - Peace)

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differentiated_instruction & http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/what-differentiated-instruction

Acts of Kindness...

It’s not important to earn money and to be rich in life but rather, it is to more important be happy and make people happy. By showing generosity towards people it brings contentment to the person’s heart, it brings a feeling of acceptance to the person. People who are a bit self-centered and think only about themselves are not proactive enough to help people and bring happiness to their lives. Every time someone does an act of

P.15

kindness it inuences that person in doing an act of kindness to another person and every time this happens, a chain of kindness forms and slowly and gradually the whole world will be helping each other.

was really happy. I was just walking past the buildings and was opening the wrapper of the chocolate when a beggar went past. I really wanted to eat my chocolate but by seeing the face of the beggar, I gave him the chocolate as he actually deserved the chocolate. I could easily buy the chocolate as I had money but the beggar didn’t.

It also happened with me where there was a really old man who was not able to cross the road. So I wondered, how will an old man cross the road? Then I realized that I should So I can conclude that, just by my act of help the man who was stuck. When I took him kindness, I made 3 people happy. One of the across the road, he was so happy as if he had quote said by Dalai Lama is “ My religion is passed his exams with ying colors! Just after very simple, it is KINDNESS”. So BE HAPPY I helped him cross the road, he gave me a AND MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY. chocolate. Oh my God! A Ferrero Rocher! I Divij Sanjanwala - Student (Grade 8 - Zest)

Why are we educating our children?

Why are we educating our children?

Our children, whichever board they are in or whichever school they are in, seem to be under the constant pressure of performing well in, if not school exams, their board exams. And we, as parents and teachers, expect them to ace in their academics.

My question, however, is, why do we want them to excel? What is our objective behind seeking admission in schools? Don’t our children learn a lot when they do not go to school?

Are they not sensitive to the environment, to the people around them? Do they not learn to communicate without school? Do they not learn a language all on their own by observing us, imitating us? These are a few questions that Raish Maniar poses in his Gujarati bestseller, ‘Why are we educating our children?’ (Ahmedabad: R R Sheth Publications, 2013) Most of what we wish our children could do are achieved in their initial formative years, when we don’t really indulge in teaching them anything. Nevertheless, as parents and teachers, when our focus shifts to curriculum and knowledge which is more compartmentalized, we tend to dampen the curiosity and motivation to learn that our children are born with.

What do we do then? Well, we might want to guide our children but allow them the freedom to explore, innovate and create. Though bound by syllabus, encouraging them to think beyond its perimeter and make connections with real-life could be of great help; instead of concentrating on the results. Systematization of instruction is important but not to the extent that our children lose their willingness to learn. It should help them think, research and analyse.

These ideas presented in the text prompted me think deeper on the topic. I looked up on the internet to nd this: http://www.bctf.ca/uploadedFiles/Public/Issues/21C L/WhyDoWeEducateFeb26.pdf

Smruti Choudhry - French & TOK Facilitator

‘MAKERSPACE’ - A Growing Idea in FS...

We have 16 students who attend regular sessions at ‘SHED – A Makerspace’ on Saturdays. A concept that was started by Siddhant Shah in the Basement of KG House. We are also planning to ‘create’ a ‘Makerspace’ at FS. Now, let’s understand - What is Makerspace ?

Dening makerspace can be somewhat difcult due to the differences among spaces and activities, but the emphasis is on ‘Creating with Technology’. STEM education (science, technology, engineering, math) has been quick to embrace these spaces and technologies, but it is important to stress that makerspaces are not for STEM activities only. It is about ‘creating creative people’. It is about teaching the ‘next generation’ to think for themselves, to think creatively, and to look for do-it-yourself solutions before running off to the store. In short, a makerspace is a place where people come together to create with technology.

For example: As one of the introductory session at ‘SHED’, students made a ‘cooler’ out of small icebox, computer fan and some jute sheets. While using/learning skills of electronics, cutting with hand saw and jigsaw drill, power drill, etc.

P.16

In developed countries this idea is catching up very fast and many public libraries have been used to create such spaces for people.

Also, as ‘Makerspace’ requires lots of work with hardware/tools like wrenches, pliers, power drill, soldering, saw, etc. It’s a place for all people - which is the only way to keep it vibrant and sustainable.

People sharing their skills and making new things - coming up with new ideas based on their new skills, making something even better/unique and so on… that’s the cycle.

Many times I hear discussions like - “Kids nowadays don’t play as we used to”. Well, I see ‘Makerspace’ as a playground for the ‘Next Generation’, which is and will be an extremely essential part for their ‘learning’.

Nihar Parmar - Activities & Lab Incharge ‘Denition' is taken from: http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2012/12/what-is-a-makerspace-creativity-in-the-library.html

Do you truly know yourself???

I’m a girl in Grade 6 and I know myself, that’s my biggest strength. I don’t take out negatives from others but take their positives as my challenges and try to improve. Everyone says that “These are my enemies, those are my enemies”, but I don’t think that someone can become your enemy until you yourself are your own enemy.

We always try competing with others, but in that case we forget our own strengths. We should rst beat our record and then try to become someone else’s enemy. We don’t believe in ourselves and that’s why we lose not from others but from ourselves. If you’re not honest towards yourself then how can you even expect others to show integrity towards you?

I always say, “I am not getting older but I’m growing”. There is no limit to learn. I am a leader for myself and a follower of myself. I, myself am ideal for myself.

I don’t want to be great but I want to be successful. I want a day when I don’t knock the door of my success but success itself knocks my door. I often lose faith in myself. So whenever my belief in myself gets low, I always say - Millions of people are born then why am I born? I am born because God will be expecting something from me which is not possible by millions.

I know, if I cheat myself I wouldn’t be able to see myself in the mirror. I always look at myself in the mirror and try to gure out the negatives in me and always appreciate the positives in me. I wish that all my negatives may change into my positives.

Whenever I’m lonely, I talk with my soul and I always say that I have a fear of tomorrow. My soul always replies that forget the past but don’t forget the lessons you learned from it. Don’t worry about the future because if you do good, seek good and be good you will have a good future ahead. I say “ What about the present ?’’ It says that present is a gift which you’re getting and don’t live it without creating memories, experiencing different things, learning lessons. Because the minute you get sad, you lose 60 seconds of happiness. I forgive not because I’m weak but because I’ve been strong for too long. Even so that I can live my life with peace, joy and happiness. I know my capabilities and I

don’t compare them with others because each one is different. Stop paying sympathy to your heart and live the life you’ve got because you have only one chance to do what you want cause you cannot predict what your tomorrow could be. I don’t judge people till I truly know them. Different people have different compromises and sacrices. I don’t let people pull me in their storms but I pull them into my peace. I can’t point at anyone until and unless my own hands are clean. People follow someone but I don’t because I have my own identity and I love to be myself. No-one knows me better than I. My ‘funda’ is to seek happiness from sadness and never regret what I’ve done.

Everyone says that you should be a Knife (a leader) but I don’t think so because a knife always hurts someone with its sharpness. I‘d rather prefer to be a spoon because it gives support to others.

The actual meaning of knowing yourself and life is to live it and trust everyone. Because gold is doubted for its purity not iron. As I said that if we try to become others, we may lose a superhero buried in us. We think that we are weak and we can’t do anything but if we decide then no power can stop us. We can touch the sky without wings. I don’t think that I’m everything, I don’t even think that I’m nothing, I just think that I’m someone who can achieve anything. I only get motivated from my actions. I am someone who knows the meaning of life, has faith in myself and that’s my biggest strength which no-one can steal from me. I ‘m not perfect but I try to discover perfectness in every moment. I feel the moment and live the perfectness in it. Today at this point of time, I’m proud of myself and even my weaknesses are trying to change into my strength .

I have to bring a change that I want to see in myself and I’m the good that I will surely seek from myself. I don’t say that he is good or I’m good but we both are good for different purposes. I am different and I know what makes me different. My motto is - it’s better to be hated for what I am then to be loved for what I’m not. I hope after this you all would be inuenced and you know the amazing and crazy you which only some people know. Let your grows become your glows even when nobody knows !!!

Arya Shah - Student (Grade 6 - Progress)

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility - (Voltaire) What is power ? Power is having knowledge. We all know the famous line “Knowledge is Power” When we are educated, we have knowledge.

When we have knowledge , we have power .

Today, I will talk about my ideas about what the word “Power” is all about. The world needs heroes. There is much more to a hero than supernatural powers. A hero is the one with great power but also with great responsibility. A hero is someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom. Power is not limited to superheroes like Spiderman or Superman. Power is simply the ability to do things and responsibility is taking charge of those actions. I have power - You have power - We all have power. But with power we have responsibilities too. Though we all have different powers and different responsibilities. We are responsible for all that which is in our capacity.

You dont need to be a grown up to be responsible, age never matters. At whatever age you are, you will have some power and with that power you will have responsibilities too! We have the ability to speak and because of this ability we have to take charge of what, when and where we speak. For e.g Narendra Modi. It was his dream to become the Prime Minister of India. So, after he became the Prime Minister, it was not only the power that he got, but responsibilities as well. Now he is the most powerful person in the country, but the responsibilities he has are much more than the power he has, he is answerable for all his actions. He is responsible for all the decisions taken by his government. A small mistake or negligence can be fatal for the whole country. Like the steps he has taken against corruption and black money, if they backre it will affect the entire country’s economy .

Thus, more power brings greater responsibility too.

So to conclude, when we have knowledge, we have power and when we have power, we have responsibility.

Anushka Thakkar - Student (Grade 6 - Excogitate) P.17

We at Fountainhead always nd new and intriguing ways to help our students get maximum exposure to innovative ways of learning. With this purpose in mind, we recently organized our rst National Student Faculty Exchange Program.

Student exchanges are intended to increase the participants' understanding of and tolerance to other cultures as well as improving their language skills and broadening their social horizons.

8 students from Grade 5 accompanied by the Asst. PYP Coordinator Ms. Sanjana Amarnani and Grade 5 HRT Ms. Suparna Khadepaw visited Hyderabad and spent 3 days understanding the new school and culture and in the same way those students will come here and experience FS and Surat.

Our students had a wonderful time staying with the host families. They could actually experience the PYP in action and demonstrate all their learning in various ways through assembly presentations, classroom visits and even after school during sight seeing and roaming around the beautiful city of Hyderabad.

They are all now awaiting their friends…..to continue their journey ahead.

First ever at FS:

STUDENT FACULTY EXCHANGE PROGRAMME Here are the students’ reections of their journey….

Soham Agarwal: An exchange program is very helpful and worth experiencing. The programme was arranged between Fountainhead and Sreenidhi International School, an IB school in Hyderabad similar to our school but…their way of teaching was a bit different. We learnt many new things and got to know how to speak numbers till hundred in Telugu while we taught them Gujarati.

We all got a chance to grasp the rich, ancient culture, beliefs and values.

Kahan Choksi : Our journey was superb & we were super responsible too. We had to take care of ourselves, our luggage & boarding passes too.

We took care of national resources throughout all the phases whether visiting or touring, or lodging or boarding...

Hiya Marfatia : Oh…we met a lovely family. We met them with a lot of chivalry. They were so warm, caring and sharing. We made new friends.

Prachet Sinha : At Sreenidhi International School we made friends that were cool. And they explained to us about the entire school. We had to exchange our learnings only in English. Because our Telugu was hard. They escorted us through Golconda Fort & Birla planetarium. The Hyderabadis were just amazing.

Jessica Ardeshana : We enjoyed eating their delicious food. Hot

steaming idlis….too good. Crispy dosas, with assorted chutney. Hyderabadi biryani….very yummy. The crunchy biscuits of Karachi bakery Hmm... the taste makes my mouth watery Ansh Modi : The Golconda Fort is Hyderabad’s biggest tourist attraction. Why??? Why??? You can ask me. 7 huge walls surrounding the palace. Isn’t it an interesting aspect of civilization?

They communicated across rooms, across height, across walls. Without telephones or walkies or mobile phones. How is that possible? It rattled my brain, I was going to fall. The gemstone market, the advanced water system. It made my mind boggle How??? When??? Who???

Questions...questions..questions They tickled my nervous system Viha Shah : Right in the heart of city stands the enigmatic Charminar. Only 2 minarets are visible instead of chaar. Even if you view from any angle baar-baar.

Come one come all at the attractive chudi bazar if you don’t bargain well here. You are bound to lose Hazaar.

Heily Chatiawala : The city of Hyderabad was so well organized that it was difcult to recognize which is the old city and which is the new part. One very quaint and pretty one highly hi-tech and on a zooming spree. shiny pearls and google chromes. That’s Hyderabad the city of domes

Mariyam Baxamusa - Team Leader (Grade 5) Suparna Khadepaw - HRT (Grade 5 - Conglomerate) & Exchange students - (Grade 5) P.18

Innovative ways of teaching and learning math Humans experience an incessant evolutionary process resulting in anatomically modern humans, who are indeed well informed, knowledgeable and do possess a high intelligent quotient. The same analogy can be applied when it comes to learning mathematics as a discipline. Mathematics is considered a tool which best describes and analyses the situation around and thus becomes the basis for problemsolving. Rather than delivering mathematics as a body of knowledge consisting of only facts, gures and complex equations, it is indeed essential to evolve one's knowledge in mathematics.

To achieve the above purpose we do follow the mathematics cycle explicitly, the cycle consists of the following stages: Constructing meaning: Each and every learner has some prior knowledge of the key concepts which hold signicance in the upcoming unit. Thus, it is essential to assess them by providing opportunities in varied forms. One way is preparing a set of provoking questions which then leads to discussions amongst the group members or equipping them with manipulatives to explore the concepts. The concept of attainment is one of the most appropriate and signicant strategy used widely to assess the prior understanding and facilitating learners to conclude their learning, and we use this extensively in the middle years. We truly follow the learners’ constructivist approach; not only for verifying their prior knowledge, but also in developing one's knowledge by eventually building upon new knowledge.

ABSOLUTE FUNCTION

Simulation techniques are one of the powerful tools which serve the purpose for constructing meaning. Simulation techniques are specically used when we need to identify any cause and effect relationship between an input and an output of any particular function for e.g when dealing with complex functions there are number of parameters affecting the nal output or the end result. In order to determine the impact of these parameters in isolation, various simulation sites are being resorted to. There are many simulation sites, but the one which we use frequently is: Geo Zebra Link: http://www.geogebra.org/ Transferring Meaning into symbols: After reafrming their learning, before introducing the technical terms, it is always advisable to make them interpret the literal meaning. Rather than using complex mathematical vocabulary, we need to provide opportunities to the learners to demonstrate their literal meaning in terms of their own symbols or expressions. Finally, we can introduce the technicalities of the unit in place.

ABSOLUTE FUNCTION

QUADRATIC FUNCTION

This entire process can be summarised as traversing through different abstract layers to ensure conceptual clarity.

Here is the evidence of the literal meaning interpreted by a learner in the form of a written description accompanied by the graph:

MATH MODELS

Applying with understanding: Learners need to demonstrate their learning by applying their knowledge wherever essential or more specically at the time of critical problem-solving. We need to provide opportunities to the learners to demonstrate their learning. Keeping this in mind, we celebrated 22nd December 2014 as National Mathematics Day, when learners exhibited their mathematical knowledge in the form of models, charts, demonstrations, board games, etc.

Kinjal Morakhia - MY Math Teacher & HRT (Grade 10 - Harbinger) Krishna Shethji - MY/DP Math Teacher & HRT (Grade 11 - Sapience)

MATH MODELS

IF I COULD CHANGE ONE THING IT WOULD BE: If I could change one thing that would be Darkness to Brightness. Darkness is devil, darkness is pollution and darkness is illiteracy. Brightness is like a ray of light which will turn the Darkness into an angel, eco-friendly and literacy.

Darkness is hidden in one’s life; it can be anything, darkness can be a fear but a person who is dark from inner soul is a devil. When we pollute, we turn the mother nature dark from its beautiful surface with greenery to the surface of waste. People who are not educated seem to get darker to the society which is educate; this can be called discrimination against uneducated people of the society.

I want this to be changed because dark is always gloomy and always haunts me. When I see poor, uneducated people I feel grief in my heart, when I see places with lot of garbage or a person who is mean I feel sorrow.

Brightness is hope which everyone has of goodness to society which turns a person from devil to angel. When we initiate to put the garbage in the dustbin, we are being eco-friendly by not polluting mother nature. People who are educated, they are fair with the society by knowing what is right. This is why I want to replace every dark thing into bright.

Devanshi Madhogaria - Student (Grade 4 - Mettle) P.19

Child Labour

Big Brother

Hands scraped, foot peeled, spines scratched, their scars never healed. sack on bodies, threads in han ds, they all work in faraway land s.

Stitching carpets, carrying mud , are they bound to live in a bud ?

A brother is the one, the sister’s heart, who has won.

A brother's love, is a special gift from Above, se, A brother is not a friend you choo . lose you see to s he never want smile on your face, He is one person who can bring a y phase. ever your in he will support you When a sad time approaches, what ages. a brother will stand up, no matter bond, ng stro a e shar Brother and sisters just like a magic wand.

I am proud you are my brother, and now there is nothing to bother. , The brother's tenderness and care air. h fres the lls happiness in can count on, A brother is the one on whom I gone. be will lems prob rs the siste have shared, Together, spectacular moments we pared. he is a brother who cannot be com We cried and had witless ghts, ts. we together have seen amazing sigh heart, my in ain rem ys alwa will you A brother like t. apar be r and from my life, you'll neve Aarushi Bhansali - Student (Grade

6 - Contemplate)

Teacher, It’s not an excuse….!

I am telling you teacher, it is not an excuse, My dog ate my H.W, that’s very true !

It snatched the paper from my hand , and ate it in one big gulp!

Yes, it’s true. My dog ate my H.W! I have a parakeet, who likes to y, It can y higher than an eagle.

It’s not an excuse…….

It ew away with my H.W, thats very true!

I am telling you ma’am, it is not an excu se.

It’s because of my deadly piranha, It’s really true!

It stared at me constantly telling through it’s eyes…

Dare you do the H.W or I will eat you in one big bite!

Oh my dear! I feel so sorry for you, said the teacher.

But it seems to me, your house is lled with creative creatures.

Aahana Roy - Student (Grade 3 - Innovate)

P.20

Scars on face, blisters all aro und will their hopes ever be found?

They’re used to their everyd ay cuts, working hard, living in huts.

They dream to study,and to feel soft oor trying to open, their hopes’ door.

Lets take action, make a cha nge.

Lets help them in full range!! !!!

Anusha Mittal - Student (Grade

6 - Excogitate)

Enlighten Enlighten is an impressive class In which everyone will pass ‘Cause they shine as glass Boys and Girls are together one otherwise they are all alone We all co-operate and synergize So that our work is better and nice We all our an amazing team And we shine a lot in the beam Competence is our duty And we make it our beauty.

My crazy classroom is really very insane...

The condition of my classmates is hard to explain Enlighten is a class which shines as a glass.

Sanjanaa Shah - Student (Grade 6 - Enlighten)

rat*t | देखो मेरा च , और उसके रंग , कर ख दे ं इन दोनो को तुम रह जाओगे दंग | ा| देखो मेरा च , लगा ना तु े अ , ोगे शायद से तुम नही ं मान िक म ँ एक ब ा | | मे देखो रा च और उसके रंग इस बार तुम हो जाओगे. पूरी तरह से तं ग| ा| इस बार मेरा च , है ब त बूर | ा र पू या धा चाहे देखो आ ाल | करता ँ ना म, ब त सारा कम ाल | धम है ा लेिकन कभी-कभी हो जात Tanay Tayal lighten) (G Student rade 6 - En

vt{f]r;t कृ त से भरपूर ये दु नया,ँ भगवान ने सजाई, इ सं भालने के लए, हम धरती पर भेज ा| उ ा हमने ा िकया, कर दया काम तमा म| दु नयाँ को बदल डाला, िकया नया अ व ार | भर दया हमने ये जहा,ँ ब गं और बं गलो से | अब मु ल है, दखना कोई कृ त का नशा न| आओ आओ हमारे साथ, बनाए वही दु नयाँ , अब देर ना करो, न करो इसको गं दा | बं द करो ये भेजा लगाना, ब गं और बं ग लो पर, शु करो कृ त अ भयान पेड़ पौधे लगाने का | Harshitha Khemka Student (Grade 6 - Evo

lve)

CAS : Creativity, Activity & Service

while painting the walls, teaching the students and seeing the condition of the salt pan workers.

CAS (Creativity, Activity and Service), is one of the core requirement for the IB Diploma Programme.

It is a platform for students to develop a balanced life, along with the rigour of academics, take risk, challenge on-self and give something back to the society.

All in all, CAS is a lot of learning, introspecting, and thinking. It’s a chance for the students to look at an idea, which at rst might be just a dream, but, it gives them the power to turn those dreams and hopes into reality.

Barkha Bhambhani & Tahera Kinkhabwala (CAS Advisors)

This year was a learning experience not only for the students but also for me as a CAS coordinator. I saw students emerging as leaders.

The rst time experience of CAS was equally intriguing and demanding for CAS advisors as well. It made us not just understand the process, the criteria and learning outcomes; but also made us push ourselves to come up with different ways of helping and guiding the students. The students had variety of experiences ranging from struggling to plan for interesting activities to having a sense of fulllment after an activity was successfully completed. A few smart moves could be seen when the students decided to include the components of CAS in the activities that they had planned otherwise.

Chetan Mehta (CAS Advisor)

Anything is possible for these students: CAS encourages them to take challenges, be risk takers, overcome their fear, work collaboratively and develop life skills and a sense of social responsibility.

This year, our students participated in many meaningful activities.

Right from painting walls of different municipal schools (Dharampur, Raigadh), educating underprivileged children, taking care of cows, building an amphitheater, learning kabbadi from rural students and developing a website, to planning and organizing major events like the FS MUN, Bal Mela, Marathon, organizing a music concert, and the inter school and inter-house sports events.

Gavier Lake: A few of our DP students joined hands with Nature Club and volunteered for the wetland protection at Gavier Lake. The lake contains plants like Hyacinth and reeds which block the sunlight from reaching the aquatic plants under the water, and often killing the aquatic creatures.

At rst the students were quite reluctant to go inside the water to clean up. The water was dirty and covered with Hyacinth. They accepted it as a challenge, and tried to remove as much of the unwanted plants as possible. Of course, they had fun and enjoyed getting wet and muddy. Some students decided to take this up as a long term project.

CAS is experiential learning, which is learning by doing and reecting upon different activities. Reection is the key element of CAS. I am sure my students will also agree on this:). Life will continue and students will move on but few unforgettable experiences will stay with us and them for a life time.

Falguni Jariwala (CAS Co-ordinator) The idea of working with the Grade 11 students itself was very exciting. We looked forward to our CAS sessions with them. The students were full of enthusiasm and zest for the rst session. It went off great, with an introduction to CAS. But we could see the excitement fading away when the students were told to go through the CAS handbook.

Initiating and reading a book! That too with instructions! Tasks like these are something the students run away from. We, the advisors had to make sure that the students were aware of all the learning outcomes.

The students were excited to kick off with the CAS activities; they even showed perseverance and commitment to complete it. But, then came the mammoth task, lling up the activity proposal form, Kidblog and the reection form. Students love to do hands on activities and they do not hesitate to share their learning and knowledge to the under privileged. Putting their learning down as a reection, was a bit daunting for them, but they soon got a hang of it.

Their eagerness was also very evident during the trip to Dharampur , Raigadh and LRK (Little Rann of Kutch). Most of them got emotional P.21

MBR (Monsoon Beach Run)- Run to enjoy : We are very proud of ourselves as the whole event was planned by us which was further initiated after more members and volunteers joined in. The event was totally based on teamwork, with other members and everyone was very committed towards their assigned work.

Vedanshi Changoiwala - Grade 11 Sapience Our trip to Dharampur was an amazing experience. With hard work and perseverance, we had completed enough work to see a smile on the students’ faces of the underprivileged school, when we rst reached Dharampur. I had absolutely no idea how the students were able to study in this kind of environment i.e. with blank walls and nothing creative. That’s where we were given the task to work together and collaborate with each other and paint the walls of the school and make it creative enough so that the students enjoy studying in the class..

Dhrsaj Mashruwala - Grade 11 Sapience Bal Mela Education is just not about gaining knowledge but also about giving and sharing knowledge.

Sapan Desai - Grade 11 Versatility Indelible trip to Raigad!

There was a lot of hard work that was required to nish these activities. Initially, we thought these activities (building dam and amphitheater) wouldn’t be fun but it actually turned out to be the opposite. If given a chance again, I would want to relive the experience of this trip again. And most importantly I am inspired to do such activities and go on such trips again.

Anoushka Jariwala - Grade 11 Versatility Surat Ultimate Open ’14 Experienced players, who had been to lots of tourneys, said that this was, I quote, “The most cost-efcient, smoothly organized tournament, in India.” Especially, because this was organized by the students, I learnt a lot of things, the one I’ll remember forever is that, No person will make a great business who wants to do it all her/himself and get all the credit.

Shreya Thummar - Grade 11 Sapience

Beauty Of Open Space

Owen in his book “Tales from Open Space” helps us to understand the Open Spaces at a group level. Open spaces give people the option of creating their own space and time.

As I complete my rst month at Fountainhead School, I am reminded of a book I read a few years back, titled "Tales from Open Space”, by Harrison Owen.

“Whoever comes is the right people," "Whatever happens is the only thing that could have;" "Whenever it starts is the right time” and "When it's over it's over."

The above statements explains the beauty of “Open Space” in just a few words. As I revisit my journey with this book, this newsletter is an attempt to connect the concept of open spaces with my experience and observation here at Fountainhead. I understand Open spaces at two levels. Ÿ Ÿ

“Open Spaces” at an individual level and “Open Spaces” at group level.

Open Spaces at an individual level (student, teacher, etc. individually) is a tool to discover the talent/capability in us. At Fountainhead, there exists an environment that has no xed structure or design, hence students have the freedom to carve their own ideas. When they are empowered to think what they want to and do not have boundaries to conne to, the creativity in them comes to the surface.

With this, I understand that Open Spaces encourage creativity and free thinking. As creativity abhors vacuum- there is a constant conict with the self when in a state of Open Space. This conict with the self helps to break our inhibitions, for the mind and body will not settle till the search is over.

Open space discussions are referred to as largely leaderless and formless meetings. Leaders here can be the facilitators of the school.

This implies that in a classroom environment, once the facilitator is assured that the group discussion has manoeuvred in the right direction, the leader (facilitator) takes the back seat. For Open space experiences to be successful – no one can take charge of it; the facilitator is absent despite being present.

This led me to dene the Facilitator’s role: Create and hold space and time This also means that not structuring the Open Space discussions is in itself “the structure” of these discussions. Once the facilitator is assured that the group is moving in the right direction, he/she just orchestrates the ow.

Open spaces at a group level also create a sense of community.

When a group of students/teachers forget about any boundaries or structure, they are able to discuss freely and without any inhibitions. There is a very thin line between discussion and chaos but the outcome of these discussions is extremely creative; hence chaos is referred to as a potent creative force by the Author.

Hence, Open spaces help us to break our inhibitions; being comfortable with the self and exploring the self. In this manner, Open spaces help us in the process of introspection.

Conclusively, it seems that open spaces may be quite intriguing and mesmerizing to get lured into. However, it is all worth it if we are open to the outcome.

The Open Space Technology- (OST) as explained by the author Harrison

Chandni Patel - Trainee Teacher

Stronger Thumbs and Weaker Legs “Active parents produce active children, inactive parents produce inactive children” Reference: /www.parentingtimes.ca/inactivity-poor-diet-a-dangerous-trend-among-youth/

I do agree that children play lot of games like football, cricket, wrestling, etc. but unfortunately all that happens virtually on i-pads and play stations. According to a survey, 6 hours is the average time a child is in front of the screen. This is really taking a toll on their health.

A very hectic academic schedule and the race to cope with that, has made lifestyles tedious. Sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits has worsened the situation. Our generation, who used to survive more on natural food is much healthier than the present generation, with a shorter life span.

Children are fond of junk food which is actually full of bad carbohydrates and chemicals. Because of the chemicals in the food; children are getting sexually matured at a much younger age. It is affecting them psychologically, and as a result children are becoming more aggressive and also obesity is increasing at an alarming rate and dental health is getting poorer. Children fall prey to depression and risk of heart problems, at the same time teenagers try to blindly follow their idols on TV, imitating their wafer thin gures and risk

P.22

suffering from bulimia and anorexia.

The scenario must change; rstly parents should restrict the time in front of screens and encourage them for physical activity and should be made an integral part of a child’s lifestyle, they should involve themselves in physical activity and inculcate this in their children also, that will help to reduce the stress levels, aggression, cardiovascular risk, depression and will help to perform better everywhere.

But as a parent we have to be the path makers, the onus of changing the behavior falls on us, we should lead by example. I am very happy that Fountainhead is motivating their children and teachers for tness; they believe that children who are active in sports perform better and elicit behavior problems than their peers.

Getting up being active and eating better is a societal change that is long overdue.

Anita Singh Parent (Grade 5 - Conglomerate) Reebok Fitness Trainer

E C A E P

Everyone wants peace; a tired mother of two who has just returned from work and has started preparing her family’s dinner, an African child soldier who balances a gun as tall as himself on his shoulder, even the President of the United States of America.

However everyone has a different idea of what peace is.

‘War for Peace’ is an oxymoron, poetically pleasing, but practically disastrous. We kill, pillage, massacre to prove that our denition of this abstract noun is correct – when this, the concept of a physical war for an abstract idea, in itself, is incorrect.

The United Nations states in its charter that it works “to maintain international peace and security”, to “suppress breaches of peace” and “strengthen universal peace”.

However, the UN acts hypocritically when it comes to peacekeeping. The UN Peacekeeping Force is, ironically enough, a fancy name given to an amalgamation of soldiers of different nationalities. These troops are sent to regions that need ‘peacekeeping’, for example Haiti, a country who in recent history has been victim to oods, disease and political unrest. The mission of the Peacekeeping Force in Haiti was, to an extent, successful in stabilising the situation. However, the Haitian government did not have any control over the troops, who were accused of starting a cholera epidemic that claimed over several thousand lives. Additionally, several cases of rape and sexual assault by the ‘Peacekeeping’ force against local women were reported.

A question to the UN – is this peace?

There have been uncountable wars in the name of God and religion since the beginning of time. The Christianisation of the Roman Empire caused mass destruction of buildings, monuments, cities and lives.

Today, in a world where all humans are (supposedly) free to practice any religion that they want in peace, there are religion fuelled wars in Nigeria, Israel, Kashmir, Syria, Iraq and other regions.

Is violence really how one can get closer to God? The same God who is believed to be benevolent to the good, and merciless to the bad? According to the Prophet Muhammad, an ideal society is ‘Dar es Salaam’, which literally translates to ‘house of peace’. The Quran says “Hurt no one, so that no one may hurt you.” Yet, Jihad claims thousands of innocent lives each year. It steals people’s futures, creates political, social and economic distress.

Christianity peaches that peace is a form of being free from anxiety, yet wars in Nigeria, Sudan and Uganda breed anxiety like mosquitoes in the Indian monsoon. Religion preaches peace, but its uncanny interpretation causes hostility to prevail.

Wars cannot be fought for peace, in the same way that chain smoking cannot prevent lung cancer. Peace will come only when everyone accepts that this word cannot possibly have a single denition when several billion people perceive it differently.

Peace will come only when everyone accepts that ultimately, we all need to work towards the eradication of hostility from the lives of everyone in the world.

All war does in disgure the idea of the road to peace until the masses start thinking of peace as the sound of gunshots on cold nights and muddy trenches littered with bodies of a defeated cause.

Aashna Jain - Student (Grade 10 - Herald)

P.23

M S I R O R R E T Terrorism, terrorism It isn’t an act of heroism Islam is a religion of peace community disowns you, your number is too few.

Terrorism has creeped all across the world Screams, Fights, Violence, death has all curled.

The thought of terrorism scares me all around dreadful sights i can see.

The effects of terrorism are miseries and sorrows, I am not sure what will happen tomorrow.

Terrorism, terrorism, terrorism Please kindly stop it Peace, Peace, Peace kindly welcome it.

Mufaddal Shaikhmahmood Student (Grade 5 - Conglomerate)

Artists at work

Aahan Tuteja - Grade 1 Hope

Kaya Bhatia - Grade 1 Truth

Nitin Agrawal - Grade 1 Peace

Ekansh Jindal - Grade 1 Peace

Hiba Begawala - Grade 1 Trust

Hitarth Diwan - Grade1 Truth

Vishrut Desai - Grade 1 Truth

Saumya Patel - Grade 1 Hope

Nishtha Sarda - Grade 1 Trust

Neil Luthria - Grade 1 Amity

Sanchi Khanna - Grade 1 Amity

Shaurya Singhvi - Grade 1 Peace