DAY BOARDING: TRANSFORMING THE ORDINARY TO EXTRAORDINARY GEMS New Millenium School has embarked on the Program for Appreciation and Cultivation of Talent (PACT), a now-integral part of the school’s curriculum. It is also the only Indian Curriculum school to do so.
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he most sought-after skills by 2030 as surveyed by the World Economic Council include social, emotional, technological, and higher cognitive skills. Every school and every educator is accountable for making students ‘future ready’, and according to Fatima Martin, Principal, GEMS New Millenium School — Al Khail, it is imperative that the school’s curriculum design provides for ‘future skills’. PACT is conducted three times a week and is available for students in Grades 2 to 11 who are provided an array of activities to enable them to develop the skills of the 21st century — communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. The 30-plus after-school activities are offered at no additional costs, resulting in happy parents and smart students.
EXTENDING THE SCHOOL DAY HAS MANY POSITIVE OUTCOMES:
1. Students are able to focus on mastering a concept, apply it to real life scenarios, and extend their understanding to a wider context. 2. Many schools may seem technologically sound, while they only offer learning through apps and digital tools. Extended learning time allows students to animate, blog, film, programme, simulate, and publish. 3. Students will benefit from the range of co-curricular provisions, strengthening both the left-brain and the right-brain, and balancing the two creates genius. 4. In many homes, both parents are working, and this results in parents depending on caretakers and other service providers to secure their child’s after-school hours. An extended day at school is safe and reliable for students and a great relief for working parents.
ACTIVITIES INCLUDE: Dance — Indian contemporary, dance — western, swimming, table tennis, skating, model united nations, string instrument, football, art, cricket, public speaking, lawn tennis, ballet, graphic design, athletics, basketball, badminton, choir, oil painting, karate, chess, Cisco, keyboard, judo, and financial literacy.
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