home & school connect

HOME & SCHOOL CONNECT First Edition: June to October 2020

Page 2

Welcome to the first Edition of Home and school connect Oct – 2020…

As we draw curtains to the end of a semester our focus as always been to ensure that…

Every child, every day is finding a way to feel connected,

Every child, every day is being challenged by new learnings and experiences,

And every child, every day knows they have a champion they can turn to.


Page 3

St. Paul’s English School is a co-educational Institution founded in the year 1983. The school, which is

cosmopolitan in its approach, believes in inculcating the spirit of secularism and a liberal outlook among

the children. Our vision is to be a premier professionally managed institution that provides an

environment which nurtures excellence, holistic growth and prepares students for a knowledge society

and a global economy by developing life-long learning skills.

The School is part of the Presidency Group of Institutions, which is a chain of schools that caters to

learning both in the ICSE as well as CBSE streams. It is 37 years since we have been contributing to

the field of education and the Presidency Group has been deemed as one of the prestigious organization

in Bangalore.

1. Toppers in ICSE and ISC Board Examination 2019-20……………………………………………….

2. The New Normal Online Classes and Assessments…………………………………………………..

3. Awards………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4. New Initiatives……………………………………………………………………………………………..

5. Events and Celebrations………………………………………………………………………………….

6. Virtual Competitions……………………………………………………………………………………….

7. Glimpses from Kindergarten……………………………………………………………………………..

8. A Peep into Primary Events……………………………………………………………………………...

9. Virtual Field Trips…………………………………………………………………………………………

10. Special Assemblies……………………………………………………………………………………….

11. Webinars attended by Teachers’………………………………………………………………………..

12. Thank You Note…………………………………………………………………………………………...


Page 4

The year 2020 has challenged staff and students to find a new normal for learning, connected us in new

ways and required our champions to champion from afar. Normal is such a simple word and it is our

goal at Paul’s to not only find our new normal, but to use this time as a learning experience that will

forever impact the learning environment of St. Paul’s. Every week there are new types of learning

experiences teachers are piloting and much of what is learned will continue to be used in the future.

“PATIENCE, PERSISTENCE AND PERSPIRATION make an unbeatable combination for success-

Napolean Hill

The students and teachers at Paul’s diligently followed the 3P’s and worked hard for their boards, while

the Principal worked on the strategies for success. The outcome was seen in the exceptional results. All

123 ICSE students secured distinction, with 70% of the students achieving above 90%. The School

Average stands at 92.04%. The school achieved 129 centums - 13 in English, 7 in Maths, 7 in Chemistry,

17 in Biology, 25 in History, 17 in Geography, 10 in Hindi, 11 in P.E. and 18 in Computer Science. In the

ICSE Examinations Akshaj J Aithal topped among the ICSE students, securing 99% (with 5 centums),

followed by Ayathi and Sneha Upahdyay, both of whom secured 98.6%. In ISC Samhita

Chandrashekhar topped among the ISC students, securing 96%. Sanjani B Rao secured 95.5%, while

Niharika PV secured 94%.

The Management, staff, students and parents congratulate the toppers and wish them the best in their

future endeavours.

AKSHAJ AITHAL

99%

SNEHA UPAHDYAY

98.6%

AYATHI

98.6%

SAMHITHA CHANDRASHEKAR

96.25%

SANJANI B RAO

95.75%

V NANDHAKISHORE

95.25 %


Page 5

“When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such

a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet

ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back.” – Paulo Coelho.

The school started with online classes from April 2020 through Microsoft Teams. The classes initially

began for the high school students and moved on to

the primary and Kindergarten. By June all classes

went Online.

Microsoft teams is a unified communication and

collaboration platform that combines a classroom

experience and file storage. It has various features

that are meticulously utilized by our school to bring out

the best during online classes. Some of these features

include the calendar, assignments, and One Note, a

digital notebook for students.

Teachers were orientated , trained and facilitated on the usage of this platform for online teaching .To

enhance the learning experience, they further explored the new platform and made use of other

accessory applications that include the following:

Exam.net -a tool that helps teachers to carry out digital

exams to assess students on what they have learnt.

Kahoot - a colourful application for teachers and students

alike; it enables teachers to make classes more

interactive and fun with quizzes of different sorts. Students

learn something new while enjoying the process. It

promotes healthy competition and encourages mass

participation. Quizziz –another application software that

the teachers use to test how well the students have

understood their concepts. Here, students can move through the questions at their own pace.

Formative assessments were conducted using Microsoft Forms and Google forms. These forms allow

for multiple-choice questions, written responses, and can be used to test the dates of major events. On

some occasions, students made presentations about topics they have knowledge about. This made

sessions more interactive. While making presentations, students not only learnt about the subject but

also became well versed about the topics.

https://everydaypower.com/paulo-coelho-quotes/


Page 6

Ms. Prabeena Srijith - HOD Mathematics Department and Ms. Namrata Dekate – HOD Computer

Science Department were chosen as a recipient for the Best Teacher Award given by IIHM.

Founded in 1994, International Institute of Hotel Management is a part of the IndiSmart Group, a large

conglomerate that operates the IndiSmart Hotels and offers a wide range of services in the field of

Hospitality Management Education Training & Consultancy in India and the South East Asia. IIHM

continued this year, with the teacher award given virtually .They had initiated this award 4 years back.

The best teacher is chosen and awarded based on a survey conducted by the Palash Foundation of

Delhi Schools.

This year Principal Ms.Susan Roy chose Ms.Prabeena and Ms.Namratha for the award appreciating

them for their hard work, dedication and passion for teaching.

This unique yet noble initiative was the brian child of our Principal Ms. Susan Roy and completely

supported by the computer department Ms. Namratha.

The design and incorporation of all the applications

were done by the computer department with assistance

provided by the grade 12 students Abhay Kashyap,

Shashank Reddy and Sumukh.

The inaugural was virtual and was inaugurated by our

Director

of Schools Ms. Nafeesa Tanveer, who is a great source

of inspiration and motivation to the Presidency schools.

This was followed by a briefing on all the sections the

library possessed- The Blog, News Corner, Story books

and the resource corner.

Teachers and students shared their experiences on

exploring the site.


Page 7

We thank the management for the unstinted support they provide to the team while the team explores

the new and innovative ways of learning.

The year 2020 indeed has been difficult for us all, but that hasn’t stopped the Paulite community from

having a holistic school life, and Vibrance-2020

proves this statement. Vibrance 2020 was St Paul’s

very first virtual fest. This extravaganza was held

from the 17th to the 28th of August in the platform

Microsoft Teams for Paulites from grade 4 to grade

12. There were 6 exciting events for Paulites and

the sole motive was to find and enrich new talent

among our Paulites, imparting healthy competition

among the students. This year over 700 students

overall participated, enthusiastically.

Unlike the usual spell bee, The Reverse Gear spell bee event

conducted for the 4th and 5th grades compelled the participants

to make use of their memory and presence of mind. With an

unconventional approach towards spelling, the participants were

asked to spell the words from right to left. That is in the reverse

order, in the prelims. The finals included a round of regular spell

bee, one round of reverse spell bee and one surprise round of

spell and define which was revealed on the spot to the finalists.

Wheel of Fortune was a game all about luck. This event was packed with suspense and participants

from grade 6 and grade 7 had to guess words and

phrases provided to them. A simple template was used

to make the game interactive; the participants were

given clues, asked to guess letters and were allowed to

interrupt the host if they knew what the entire puzzle

was. The preliminary round was held on 19th August,

2020. A total of four puzzles were laid for all the groups.

For the final round, the participants with the highest

score were chosen from each group. With 8 puzzles

this time around, the level of difficulty was much higher

but ensured an enthusiastic participation from all the finalists.


Page 8

The Qriosity quiz was conducted for the young quizzers and bright minds of our school. When the quiz

was first announced to the school an incredible

response was received from the students of grade 8

and 9.

The enthusiastic participants went through vigorous

rounds and levels before the selected few could make

their way to the finals. The questions that were asked

in the quiz made the participants think on their feet

and spark their inquisitive nature. The agenda of the

quiz was to promote and initiate thinking out of

the box.

War of Words was the debate event for grade 10 and 11. This event had 18 participants and 6 of them

advanced to the final round. We had the privilege to invite two

of our alumni as our judges: Pavanaj R Hariharan, and Sagar

Krishnan K (Former Head Boy). We had exciting and thought

provoking topics which were to be discussed over the course

of the event. The topic for the preliminary round was

“Democracy is only possible if there is a responsible press”.

The first topic in the finals is “Government funding for a space

program in an impoverished economy is justified”. The

second round of the finals was in a turncoat debate format.

Therefore each of the 6 finalists were given a different topic. The event was intense and exciting with

speeches and rebuttals which caught the attention of the audience. In conclusion, the event was indeed

a war of words.

The event Techtonic was an online coding event held from grades 5 to 12. Students were allowed to

show case their talent in the world of coding. The first

round was the elimination round followed by semi-

finals and finals. Students were given questions and

were judged on the bases of creative, relevance to

the topic, number of errors and the maximum use of

the concept. In the final round there was quizzing and

viva. 10 finalists were selected out of whom the

winners were selected. The programming languages

used were: Scratch (For grades 5 and 6), HTML

(For grades 7 & 8), Java (For grades 9 and 10)

and Python or C++ (For Grades 11 & 12)


Page 9

Nero’s Challenge is the first gaming event held at St Paul’s. The game played was Call of Duty Mobile.

We also had the immense help and support from one of

our alumni: V Nandakishore. Around 21 teams of 5

players each faced off in a single elimination bracket

format of the game. The game modes played were:

Frontline (For prelims) and Search and Destroy (For

semi-finals and Finals) The top 4 teams advanced to the

semi-finals and the top 2 advanced to the finals following

which the winning team was chosen after a10 round

match. The semi-finals and the finals were livestreamed

in YouTube and this was open to a public audience. We saw over 100 spectators over the course of the

final round. This event was exciting, fun and overall a huge success!

Though the pandemic tried to take away most of our school frolics, the cabinet was invested with their

badges on a virtual platform! Everything, from the

nominations to the ceremony itself, was done on this

platform in a creative and awe-inspiring way.

This year, the electoral procedure was as follows:

The election framework is set, and the nominations

are called for.

The logo with the tag-line is to be mailed to the

principal

Candidates are assessed and the voting process is

decided

Nominees canvas live or through pre-recorded videos

Pre-Electoral mentoring session and the rules for the elections and voting are set

Panel Interview and Emotional Quotient tests are undertaken to analyze creativity, critical thinking,

confidence, and clarity

The Results were declared on the following weightage - 50% score allotted by the number of votes, 25%

by the EQ, and 25% by the Panel Interview

The Investiture Ceremony, entitled "A Whole New World", took place on July 8th, again on a virtual

platform. The Ceremony itself seemed to be a motivation to sustain hope and courage through this

uncertain time.


Page 10

The chief guest of the Ceremony, Mr. Giri Balasubramanium, popularly known as 'Pickbrain',

encouraged the young leaders with a story. His words "The greatness of a leader is when his presence

is felt by his absence" served as a reminder as to how

important a leader is in the time of adversities. Our

Principal, Mrs. Susan Roy, gave a thought-provoking

message. "A leader is best when people barely know

he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they

will all say 'We did it ourselves!'" She also emphasized

the need of adapting to changes and adjusting to a

'new normal'. The Investiture Ceremony was thus, a

new beginning, a hope for the future, and the parting

of the curtains to "A Whole New World"!

St. Paul’s English School celebrated the 74th Independence Day programme on a virtual mode. The

programme began with a warm welcome by our Vice

Principal, Ms. Deepa Gopal. This was followed with an

all faith prayer and song invoking the blessings of the

Almighty.

After a formal welcome by Misha, the school Vice

Captain, Sanjani performed a classical dance to the

song ‘Vande Mataram’. Principal Susan Roy’s message

on ‘Samarpan’ followed by the song extracted from the

sounds of Isha was the highlight of the days programme.

The song was dedicated to all the health care workers who selflessly work to save lives.The meaning of

the word Freedom was shared by Yassir, the school Vice Captain. Misha expressed her patriotism

through a Kathak dance and she danced to the song Main Rahoon Ya Na Rahoon, Bharat Yeh Rahna

Chahiyae’.

The significance of the flag, the importance of the day and the singing of the National Anthem added

fervor to the programme which indeed made all feel blessed for being born an Indian; a programme that

will remain etched in the memories of those who watched it.


Page 11

The auspicious day began with a devotional Sufi dance performance by the students of grade 8, 9 and

10 . After the formal welcome address which was delivered

by the school associate head girl Hemashree, the school

toppers in the ICSE and ISC board examination were

felicitated. Akshaj Aithal, the Topper in the ICSE board

examination thanked the teaching fraternity for their constant

support, motivation and guidance.

This was followed by the felicitation of the teachers whose

hard work was one of the reasons behind the success of the

students.

The online warriors were thanked by the Principal Susan

Ma’am for their hard work and dedication. Arwa the school

captain narrated a poem written by her as a tribute to the teachers. The turn was for the school choir to

thank the teachers and they did so with a melodious song’ Thu Meri Teacher’. Anisha , the school head

girl captivated the audience with her ballet performance. The choir then took over the stage and rendered

a song with a strong message ‘Hum Har Nahin Manege’. The day’s celebrations concluded with a prayer

for the teachers, for their families’ wellbeing and good health by our beloved Principal Ma’am…

There are victories of the soul and spirit. Sometimes, even if you lose, you win.

The first Virtual competition to be conducted for the students were by

the English Department. After planning the competitions the students

of grade 6 to 10 were informed and were given sufficient time to

prepare. The preliminary round were conducted which was followed

by finals. The various competitions planned were as follows:

It was interesting to note that the parents welcomed this activity and

students were ready to perform with great enthusiasm.

Grade Competition

Grade 6 Puzzle

Grade 7 Poetry writing and recitation

Grade 8 Jingle Writing

Grade 8, 9 and 10 Mock Ted Talk

Picture Caption

Twist A Tale

Script and Direct a Play


Page 12

With Prayoga- Science exhibition planned for the month of July, it was disappointment for the students

and teachers as the same could not be conducted as per plan, but nevertheless, the department planned

competitions in all the three subjects across all the grades starting from grade 6. It was interesting to

note that almost the whole class participated in the competition.

Grade Physics Chemistry Biology

Grade 6 Pick and Speak My Creative Lab Pasting Leaves

Grade 7 Model Making Word Search Making Creative Charts

Grade 8 Connecting Picture Activity Creative Writing Pick and Speak

Grade 9 Linking Concepts Let’s Experiment Drawing of Plant cell

Grade 10 Doodling

Math is always fun and if it in the form of competitions, it is exciting

and motivating. Students of grade 6 to 8 were given time and topic to

prepare and the competitions were conducted during the math

periods.

Come August and students recall the struggle for Independence,

all the assemblies were based on Independence struggle and at

this time of the year, the social studies department conducts

competitions and this year too they had competitions , but the only

difference was, all of them were virtual.

Grade Physics

Grade 6 Math Quiz

Grade 7 Just a minute

Grade 8 Digital Painting

Grade Competition

Grade 1 & 2 Incredible Indians

Grade 3 Creative representation of National Symbols

Grade 4 Historical Monuments

Grade 5 Ancient jewellery- Antique Work

Grade 6 Greeting card

Grade 7 Role Play- Slogans by Freedom fighters

Grade 8 Landscapes of India


Page 13

September 14th is observed as Hindi Divas across the country to commemorate the birthday of Munshi

Premchand the famous author, and it was during this month, the classes

had special assemblies and also conducted competitions across grades 3

to 10.

Grade Competition

Grade 3 Recitation

Grade 4

Grade 5 Story Telling

Grade 6

Grade 7 Presentations- Pandemic /Indo china border disputes

Grade 8 Poster Making

Grade 9 Virtual Skit- Novel

Grade 10

As the children are not attending school the parents were asked to

read stories written by Eric Carle, an enchanting children’s story-

books author and illustrator. Assistance was provided to some

parents who do not have access to the internet by lending out some

of our school library books, so that their children could read the books

and do an activity.

On 25th June, the birthday of Eric Carle, the KG parents were

requested to read one book written or illustrated by Eric Carle. The

parents had to get their child do an activity on the book that they had

read. The children enjoyed this first activity of the academic year.

The event, “Little chef” was conducted for the K2 children on July 18th, 2020. The parents were

requested to engage their child in an enjoyable activity and motivate them

to help their children in making a delicious and exciting food as an integral

part of their diet. Cooking with children has many benefits. They learn and

practice some basic math concepts and build language skills. The

experience of cooking food can help them build their self-confidence, lay

the foundation for healthy eating habits and encourages family bonding.

Videos made by our teachers on how to sprout lentils, and on cooking in

our pantry were shared with the parents. Parents sent us photos and short

videos of your their child’s activity.


Page 14

The Kg teacher spoke about this event ‘Dancing your way Away’ and the benefits of dance, on July

25th, 2020 during HRP/ Circle Time, for A few minutes.

We all know that music and dancing are fun activities. Children

love to move around and make noise. Dance can help children

develop learning skills. It also has many benefits. It improves

physical health, enhances emotional development, encourages

socialization, creativity and enhances cognitive development.

This online session was a treat to watch as some of our parents

too danced away with their children.

The PreK Mothers were in for a big surprise when

suddenly they received an invite to attend a session

prepared specially for them. This event Mom and Me

is a Child-Mother event and was held virtually on 25th

July 2020. The teachers started off by welcoming all

the mothers and their children. A short video was

shown where a ‘Mother’ protects her young one from

the rain; it brought tears to the eyes of most of our

mothers. The activity that followed, kept both mother

and child engaged. They were asked to choose a theme and do a painting/drawing together. For

example one mother drew a mother duck and the child drew a baby duck. They shared their drawings

with all as they went sketching and painting away. Then one teacher shared a beautiful poem and the

mothers were very touched on hearing the words of this beautiful poem. The event ended with a song

and the teachers told the fathers to click pictures of the mothers and their children completing their

painting and sketching.

The event Dad and Me took place on 25th July. The K1 teachers had

sent an invite to the ‘fathers’ well in advance as we wanted all of them

to participate in this event. All our ‘Dads’ attended virtually and took

part enthusiastically, along with their child.

The teachers had beautiful quotes, videos and poems on their screens

which sent out a message of how important Fathers are to children and

of how fondly the children love their fathers. The Quizzes, Games, Art

and Craft work organized by the teachers were enjoyed by all the Dads.

There was laughter and enjoyment right through the event which ended

with the children hugging their fathers and the fathers reciprocating in

the same way. Mothers were requested to post pictures of the end result of the art and craft work done

by the dads with their children.


Page 15

The K1 and K2 children were given prior information to get ready for the virtual field trip with their caps,

goggles, some packed snack and their water bottles; so

as to make them get the ‘feel’ of a real field trip.

There was a lot of excitement amongst the children.

They were all set for their virtual field trip as they

boarded their virtual bus singing "The wheels of the bus

goes round and round..." along with their friends. They

had a ‘stopover’ at Channapatna for breakfast, where the

children virtually shared their snacks with their friends

and teachers.

The beauty of the Mysore Palace both interior as well as exterior was admired by the children. They

were given further information about the famous

“Dussehra Celebration and Jamboo Savari”. They

loved the sight of the illuminated palace.

The visit to the Mysore Zoo was very amusing and

exciting for the children. They were in glee at the sight

of all the animals and birds.

The virtual fieldtrip to the Mysore Palace and the Zoo

was a great way to engage the children despite the

pandemic. The children were engrossed through the

trip. It was a much-welcomed break from the usual routine as well as a good learning experience which

our children enjoyed thoroughly.

The stars of PreK went on their first Field Trip ever. So

the teachers tried to make it as real as possible for

these tiny tots. They ‘boarded’ the school bus, sang

rhymes on the way and they were excited to see

Lalbagh and spend the entire morning there. After

sitting on the ‘hillock’ and enjoying their breakfast, they

were taken around and finally enjoyed the ‘flower

show’. They were super excited to see all the different

trees, flowers, birds and the lake. They wore their

caps, goggles and carried their backpacks all along. It

was a fun morning for them.

The teachers prepared well for this Virtual Field Trip, giving the children a breathtakingly fresh

adventure. All the children enjoyed doing the review.


Page 16

The PreK activity was based on the story 'Scribbles and Ink'. Scribbles and

Ink are a cat and a mouse, one of which likes to draw, the other to paint.

They argue about who's the best, and that argument takes the form of them

first trolling each other with threatening drawings/paintings, then chasing

each other splattering paint and pencil lines all over the page. Finally, they

work together on their versions of 'well-known works of art'....... Based on this

story, the PreK teachers did an activity that brought out the 'artistic' talent of

all the children. They loved the story and the virtual session was

very interactive. The children enjoyed doing their ‘work of art’ and shared

their work with their classmates and teachers.

Science is not about memorizing; it is about thinking creatively. We need to help our children think and

be inquisitive, from a very young age. The more questions

they ask, the more they will learn and find interest in

Science. The K1 and K2 teachers organised a virtual activity

- Engage, Experiment and Explore on 23rd and 26th

September. With the help of slides, the teachers spoke about

scientists and inventors. They gave live demos of different

experiments. The children too followed the instructions and

did the experiments with their teachers. Some children

dressed as scientists and wore goggles and the white coat.....

The parents uploaded lovely videos and photos of children doing different experiments.

The PEY KG Team was sure they wanted to make this day a

special and memorable one for our Great Grand Parents and

Grand Parents. The preparations began a whole month earlier

and we sent the ‘Save the Date’ card to all the parents a week

before the event; the actual

Invite was sent to the

grandparents a few days

before the event. Teachers

collated photos of the children

with their grandparents a few days before the event. Teachers also

collected a note written by the children on their grandparents. Our

Great Grand Parents and Grandparents joined in virtually for the event,

which was held on Saturday, 19th September 2020. Some joined from


Page 17

Mysore, Belgaum, Maharashtra, Delhi, Bihar……… All were very excited with some going virtual for the

first time in their lives. Grandparents and grandchildren wore colour coordinated outfits; some dressed

in retro style. PPT presentations on the photos and messages sent in by the children and messages

from our teachers, video songs, games such as ‘Antakshri with a Difference’, bonding activities, a special

dance performance by our very own dance teacher, a quiz session – all these items formed part of the

programme for this event. There was a display of beautiful cards, made especially by the children for

their grandparents. Participation was overwhelming and the grandparents gave beautiful

speeches/messages about how important they were made to feel and how privileged they were to have

their grandchildren studying in this prestigious school. It was an emotional moment for all of us to hear

them speak; and they thanked us profusely. A Big Thank You to all our parents for their support and for

bringing our great grandparents and grandparents on, for this virtual-multilingual celebration.

Usually we hear that the teachers and parents read to their

children…..but how important is it for an older sibling or

friend to read to a younger child?

The teachers spoke to the parents about the importance of

choosing an older child to read to our younger

children. These were some of the points covered:

The older child will be like a role model and hence an

inspiration who the younger child may want to

emulate. A child who has been read to will want to learn to read herself/himself............. It’s a change for

the child because it may always be the parents or teachers who may be reading to them. The child may

be further motivated to read.......

As an older child is reading, this child may choose a book that is at a slightly higher level for the child

being read to, so this too is very helpful in terms of vocabulary

and he/she may have more to learn from this read aloud

session

When an older child reads, he/she is like a coach or a friend,

who, a younger/quieter child might be comfortable with and

may open up to him/her about the book…….. and start

speaking….. The older children were really excited to read

online to the children. Some dressed in the character of the

story and some used props …….. Most of them prepared

really well. The younger ones were very thrilled to hear a story read by an older child…… It was a good

experience for all and the teachers tried to make it as interactive as possible.


Page 18

This festival was celebrated at all three levels and the children enjoyed

seeing videos and Krishna’s tricks related to this festival. The children were

dressed as Krishnas, Radhas and Gopis. The activities done by the parents

and children brought out the real significance of this festival.

Our 74th Independence Day was celebrated by the children of Presidency

Early Years with a lot of enthusiasm and excellent participation. It was a

treat to see all the children dressed in one of the colors of the flag. The

teachers made small presentations, held quizzes and did craft and painting

activities where every child took part. It was touching to see all the children

and parents stand at attention and sing the National Anthem with their

teachers, while the Prime Minister hoisted the flag. Other patriotic songs

were also sung and it was a delight to see our children speak on various

national leaders and freedom fighters of the state and the nation.

In continuation with our theme, Caring for our Environment, we sent a video

to our children on ‘How Paper Is Made’ explaining how we will need to cut

more trees if we waste paper; hence we need to recycle paper and save trees. On this Independence

Day, we encouraged the parents to assist their children, to plant a sapling.

Ganesha the elephant-headed God is a very popular God in Hinduism.

One child described him as ‘a chubby little deity who is one of her

favourite God’s’.

The children were dressed in ethnic wear and were all ready for the virtual

celebration that was held on 19th August. The teachers showed one-

minute videos on ‘The Story of Ganesha’. The children had an interactive

session and were very excited to speak. All the teachers organized an

activity of making Ganesha’s, and his favourite foods- modak and ladoos.

They did these activities online using clay and wheat flour dough mixed

with natural colours; the photos taken were all of the Ganeshas made

online.

It was an interesting and exciting virtual celebration.


Page 19

Onam, a harvest festival, is basically a celebration to commemorate the ‘homecoming’ of King Mahabali

to Kerala. Intricatel decorated Pookalam, ambrosial Onasadya,

breath taking Snake Boat Race and exotic Kathakali dance are

some of the most remarkable features of this festival, celebrated

predominantly in Kerala.

The teachers prepared slides and showed short videos depicting

these celebrations and the story of King Mahabali was narrated.

The children and the teachers were dressed in their traditional

best. The highlight of the event, were the children’ drawings and

craft activities depicting the different Pookalam designs using paper flowers

Dussehra an important festival, is celebrated with pomp and gaiety all over the country. The teachers

had a beautiful virtual celebration starting with the explanation of how Dussehra is celebrated differently

in different parts of India. They explained the different foods eaten during this festival and explained

about Navratri. The children made dandiyas and masks and danced away to the peppy music. All had

a blast and it was a good way to start the vacation.

Every student of grade 1 ardently participated in the Theme Exhibition that was conducted virtually

where they exhibited models and charts on the topics learnt

in various subjects like Lar, Math, EVS, Hindi and Kannada.

Topics were assigned to them by their class teachers.

In LAR, students demonstrated their understanding of the

subject through topics like Nouns, One and Many, Articles,

Diagraphs etc. In the Subject Math they showcased their

presentation through topics like Place Value, Relative

Comparison, Odd and Even Numbers and increasing and

decreasing order. In Science, they presented on introducing

self, others in my World, Celebrating Together, My body and

its Organs and Our Food. Subjects Hindi and Kannada saw the students’ present pictorial presentation

of fruits and Swar. Students showed great eagerness in participating and presenting their exhibits and

were confident in sharing their learning.


Page 20

Theme exhibition was planned virtually where all the students were divided

into 5 groups according to subjects Lar, Math, EVS, Hindi and Kannada.

The topics chosen were based on the concepts learnt in Semester I and

the students had to depict them in the form of a chart or model. It was a

great pleasure and we felt privileged seeing students talk on the subject

which they had selected. Models and charts showed the hidden talent of

every child and their understanding of the concepts.

Presenting information to others is motivating for students and can make learning better. The respective

teachers of grade – 3 facilitated the students on what to make and

how to present the information which included dance, recital and

dramatic enactment. Students demonstrated their learning with

either a performance or presentation. The knowledge assimilated

by the students was expounded through performances and

displays. All the participants for the role-play were well-prepared

and dressed up as different characters from the Novel- The

Charlotte’s Web.

They delivered their dialogues effortlessly and with confidence. The students recited poems of Eleanor

Farjeon and Christina Rossetti with great zeal and presented the best of their talents and abilities.

Students steered the event by their exceptional presentations displaying their oratory skills in Hindi and

Kannada with the given topics.

Classical dance forms like Bharatanatyam and Yakshagana performed by the students depicting

different states were splendid and colourful. To comprehend the concept of patterns, students made

colourful imprints by creating different shapes and ardently participated in the brain teasing tussle and

quizzes. Students enthusiastically participated in making models of nests and Indian monuments like

Taj Mahal, Charminar and India Gate, creatively.

The activity not just enhances and discovers the skills of the students, but it also creates a strong bond

between the students. Together with children we teachers shared a joyous day and prolific

achievement…...

The programme started with a school Prayer followed with a small note on the birthday of Dr. A.P.J

Abdul Kalam. Culmination Day was a platform for students to

showcase their learning of the topics covered in the first quarter.

This enabled them to synthesize on their ideas and build on the

concepts of what they have learnt.

The students were allotted the theme for a subject.

Students choosing Language Arts, enacted on the characters from

the Novel Matilda. In Hindi and Kannada, they narrated stories with


Page 21

a moral .In Mathematics, it was about Math in Nature or Math in wonders of the

world .In Social studies, students had to showcase their learning through a

debate on internet -in favour and against. For General science they made

posters on pollution and global warming.

The activity enabled them to have an increased retention of the concept and

made learning deeper. Overall, they presented themselves well and it was an

active learning for all the students.

Activities and competitions are a part of learning in Paul’s and learning

virtually did not stop the teachers and students in conducting or

participating in activities and competitions. The students of grade 1 to 4

participated in the literary competitions organized by the teachers based

on various topics. It was interesting to note that the complete class

participated in the competitions virtually.

Grade Competition Details

Grade 1 Describe the

picture

A picture related to what they have learnt in LAR was displayed on the

computer screen. The Teachers showed each student a different

picture. He/she was asked to speak about the displayed object and to

share whatever they knew about it with the class. The winners were

chosen on the following parameters: Pronunciation &

Fluency/Confidence/Relevance to the topic/picture.

Grade 2 Create a story The teacher initiated the first few lines of a story/ situation and the

students were asked to complete the story on the spot with the help of

the initiated sentences and also give a suitable moral to the story. The

students were judged according to their creativity, fluency and time.

Grade 3 Elocution Students were asked to choose any topic from the choices given. Every

participant was given precisely 2 minutes to speak on the prepared topic.

It was indeed astounding to see how beautifully the students had put

their thoughts, insights, humour and delivered the speech which was

fluent, articulate and erudite.

Grade 4 Poetry Recitation “Beauty is the realm of poetry’. Recitation is one of the important and

effective modes of learning a language and appreciating a piece of

literature. Students enthusiastically participated in the competition as

they got an opportunity to exhibit their talent and confidence. Students

were judged on the parameters like confidence, voice modulation,

memorization and overall presentation.


Page 22

Field trips are a way of enhancing classroom learning by making real world connections. The

main objective of conducting a field trip for students is to

reinforce experiential and contextual learning .Virtual field

trips allow us to take our students where the bus can’t.

Students can make connections with locations, concepts or

people through the power of virtual field trips. During the HRP

and the first period, Students were taken on a virtual trip to

the renowned flower show at Ooty - botanical gardens and

the Madras Regiment in Coonoor, which is one of the

oldest infantry regiments of the Indian Army. Respective

class teachers gave a brief description and interesting facts

about the places they would be visiting. Students were

thrilled to watch the special flower show gallery in different

colours of nature. They also watched a grand parade

where the army recruits swear in to dedicate their lives to

the nation, after a rigorous training at the army base. After

exploring the virtual trip, students write about their

experience, describing the place of the visit and the

interesting things they learnt in their virtual visit.

Also, students keenly observed the parade done by the

Army recruits, an informative and interesting trip indeed.


Page 23

Students watched a short film series shot by IMERSE Team on Hampi. They took a stroll at different

spots and re-lived the greatness associated with this forgotten kingdom and its people. After a short

introduction of the place Hampi as a village and a temple

town in Karnataka and one of the most historically rich

places, the teacher went on to explain its historical

importance and its legacy. As per statistics of the year

2014, Hampi is said to be the most searched place of

Karnataka, online. People who visit Hampi are mostly

people who love history and architecture. It is no surprise

that Hampi is such a famous place for tourists who visit

from all over the globe. Students enjoyed the virtual field

trip.

‘Celebrating biodiversity' - a concern that is both urgent and existential

World environment Day is celebrated to create awareness on

environmental issues and give positive actions. This year Nature has

sent a strong message through this Pandemic the damage our

species has wrought to our Nature.

Having altered 75 per cent of the Earth’s ice-free surface and

destroying 420 million hectares of forest, for agriculture and

urbanization and also being the

main cause for one million species

to face near extinction, we have

not stopped. Our demands from

Nature are increasing day by day. This Pandemic is a warning sign

that the degradation of nature is threatening our health, peace and

prosperity. We humans should realize our mistakes and address the

existing concerns about the environment in order to keep it of utmost

quality. It should be clean, safe and secure for the healthy life of all

humans, plants and animals. By adopting few activities we can easily

diminish the bad impacts currently happening in the environment.

Starting with the cabinet taking a pledge on saving the environment, the event was observed virtually

with students involved in making posters, writing slogans, essays and many more. The first virtual quiz

on environment was conducted for grade 9 students and Principal Ma’am took the students of grade 10

on a virtual tour of the rainforest and explained the importance of forest and its depleting status now.

The day was dedicated to saving Nature and our future.


Page 24

To mark this occasion a special assembly was

conducted for the students of grade 1 to 5. The

teachers discussed the major role of oceans in

everyday life, this was followed by students sharing

their views on ways to conserve and protect oceans

from being polluted. A video on

“World oceans day”

(https://youtu.be/uoOVomWRGYs) to raise

awareness of the importance of caring for our oceans was shown. It was an interesting and an

informative session.

The focus was on the theme for this year – ‘Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family’

During the HRP period, the class teacher spoke a few lines about the

history of yoga, importance of yoga, yoga in India and how the

knowledge of yoga was passed on to us and about how sage

Patanjali’s book Yoga sutra is the basis of modern yoga. The class

teacher also explained the importance of International Yoga Day, since

when the International Yoga Day came into existence and the theme

of year 2020, which is “Yoga at Home and yoga with family”.

The students were also made aware of the type of clothes to be worn

while performing the asanas. The students were guided by the class

teacher to perform asanas. Asanas were performed by the students

namely Om chanting, Padahastasana, basic Pranayam techniques,

Surya Namaskar and other simple asanas. Students enjoyed performing yoga and the experience of

conducting virtual Yoga sessions was interesting and challenging for teachers.

The Global Tiger Day 2020 slogan was ‘Their Survival is in Our Hands’.

Global Tiger Day, often called International Tiger Day, is an annual

celebration to raise awareness for tiger conservation. It was created in

2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit.

The students of grade 1 and 2 virtually observed this day creating

awareness in their own ways. Some had their faces painted and the

others made masks and mimed the animals sound. The teachers

provided facts on the dwindling numbers of the Cat family and the reason

for the same. The little ones pledged that they would not use products

made of the animal skin and do their best to save this species.


Page 25

The day began with patriotic feelings when the teachers recalled the

heroes of the Kargil War. Incidents, experiences and the names of

armed forces who lost their lives during this war was discussed and

students were shown a video as remembrance. The video was the

song sung by the Students of Paul’s during the year of the war and had

left timeworn memory in the minds of the juniors. Recalling the

sacrifices made by the soldiers, students bowed and placed their

salutes at the feet of these Heroes.

The young Paulite’s remembered Dr APJ Abdul Kalam popularly

known as the Missile Man of India on his 5th death anniversary. He

was a great humanitarian and a visionary who served as the 11th

President of India from 2002 to 2007, taught students and achieved

milestones as a scientist. In his words to students of this country he

had said, ‘Speak 5 lines to YOURSELF every morning- I am the best,

I can do it, God is always with us .I am a winner and today is my day’.

This has been a great motivation for the students to do their best.

The students enthusiastically involved themselves in creating a virtual

rally online, holding the quotes said by Dr. Kalam. It was indeed a day

to remember the great leader and visionary. The Young Paulite’s join

the Country in Saluting the People’s President.

After the regular school prayer and the thought, the Hindi sections

from middle school celebrated the Great Authors Birthday.

The Hindi department teachers – Ms. Urusa, Dr. Aarti and Ms.

Anjana spoke to the students about the Author and his

contributions to the growth of the language. This was followed by

presentation by the students on Munshiji. It was a very informative

assembly for the students.


Page 26

Come August and it’s time for festivals and celebrations. The

students of grade 1 to 4 were excited as they had planned for

Krishna Janmashtami celebrations online. Many students dressed

up as Lord Krishna and girls as Radha. They spoke about the

celebration in their houses. The class teacher showed a video on

the life history of Lord Krishna and his naughty acts as a little boy.

A few students also narrated passages from Bhagvath Gita. It was

a colourful assembly.

On this day teachers and students remembered the contributions of Mahatma Gandhi as one of the

greatest men in the history of India. They were made aware of how he

gave shape and character to India's freedom struggle. He sacrificed his

own life for the sake of his country. The respect that he earned for

himself despite leading a simple lifestyle is much appreciable.

Students discussed how Mahatma Gandhi played a pivotal role in the

freedom struggle of India. His nonviolent ways and peaceful methods

were the foundation for gaining independence from the British. Gandhi

took his time to grow and develop his techniques to ensure that his

actions made an impact. The students acknowledged that how the cry

of complete independence was raised and after much sacrifices and

efforts, India gained its independence on the 15th August, 1947

because of the efforts of Mahatma Gandhi.

Celebrating festivals is an integral part of learning. Through such

celebrations, students not only learn the significance behind the

festival, but they also learn to embrace other traditions and culture

just like they do with their own. Celebrations bring the school

community together building a close bond between the children.

Keeping up to this tradition, the festival of Dussehra was celebrated

virtually by our primary children today. Children came dressed in

ethnic clothes and showcased their talents by performing online.

Students also enjoyed the drawing competition for which the theme

was “Dusherra Celebration”. Teachers also shared some valuable

information about the festival thus enhancing their learning.


Page 27

1st May 2020 Teacher what is your Future?- By Dr. Giri Balasubramanyam

5th May 2020 Strategies for engaging children by- Dr. Kala Mohan

9th May 2020 Security for Educators – Mr.Sai Sushanth (Cyber Law Expert )

8th May 2020 E- Learning in times of Global Pandemic- by Goyal Brothers

Prakashan

Dr. Asher .R. Jesudoss-presenter / Workshop moderator- Divya

Anand.

14th May 2020 Importance of Learning Environment for Students /Speaker - Dr.

Kamala Mukunda

16th May 2020 The power of questioning – Dr. Bala Subramanian( former director

CBSE

6th June 2020

Future schools – Over Coming the challenge beyond

Host- Gitanjali Gandhiok (Assistant vice president –development

Ashoka University)

21st June 2020 Right to learn/ Organised by- TWEET STORM

23rd June 2020 Tea with Teachers: Organised by- COAE- INTERNATIONAL

5th September 2020

Webinar by SHIV KHERA -Organised By-Kriti Groups

Cope with Current Crisis/ Prepare for success and win/ Motivate

yourself and others.

12th September 2020 What works best in Science Teaching?

Organised by- sir John Holman Past-(President of Royal Society of

Chemistry) in collaboration with IISER- (Indian Institute of Science

and educational Research).

26th September 2020 Webinar on Making an Impact with Online Teaching.

Organised by- Dell Aarambh. Ms. Madiha Ahmed

(Virtual Mentor at US based Mc Ferrin centre for entrepreneurship

at UK based global thinkers Forum, at Canada based skills for

change, Expert at German based DO school).

It’s hard to believe but we have finished our first semester with this new mode of teaching and learning.

Our students have been working hard at home to try their best in this “new normal”. We are excited that

Second Semester has started and we look to have a safe and successful season. Nothing is more

important than the health and safety of our students, staff and families. We pray for the safety and good

health for all our students and their families. When we work together we can ensure the safety of

everyone in our school community.

We appreciate your flexibility and support as always!

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy!

Documents

home & school connect