The Tiger, 13th January 2023
Head of School Message
Dear Community,
Happy New Year and welcome back! I hope you all had a restful break and were able to restore and rejuvenate over the course of the winter break.
Please note that Semester 2 begins on the 1st of February 2023.
As we get ready to begin the next Semester, a very notable event that you will not want to miss is our annual PTA International Food Fair. It will take place on the 21st of January from 12 am - 3 pm, on our cricket field. Please come and support this event as all proceeds will go towards helping Stonehill Government School, one of the organisations that our PTA supports.
Whole School News
EcoGram Wins National CSR Times Award
We are proud to announce that EcoGram, managed by Stonehill parent, Myriam Shankar, has won the 9th National CSR Times Award. Funded by Embassy Group, Ecogram is a sustainable and holistic intervention in waste, water and soil management at Bettalasuru Panchayat, spanning ten villages around Stonehill. Our students are lucky to visit this wonderful project and it was a great learning opportunity.
Congratulations to All Our EIRS Riders!
Our students recently participated in the Junior National Equestrian Championship representing Embassy International Riding School (EIRS) in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. They performed brilliantly in their individual and team events. Jaiveer, Grade 8, won 2 golds, 2 silvers, 1 bronze, and the Best Rider trophy in the Children’s 1 Category. Geethika, Grade 10, won 1 silver and 1 bronze. Sresht, Grade 6, and Dishant, Grade 5, won 2 bronzes each. Congratulations to all our winners!
Aanya Excels at Swim Meets!
Aanya, M2, recently participated in two swim events, achieving her personal best in all the events she participated in at the Karnataka State Short Course Meet and finishing in the top 25 at the Singapore Major Games Qualifiers open age group swim meet. Congratulations Aanya!
Stonehill Makeathon 2023
Stonehill International School presents The Stonehill Makeathon 2023, Bangalore's first ever inter-school Design Technology Competition. It is a platform for participants to innovate and bring their ideas to life. The Stonehill Makeathon aims to encourage bright, young minds to employ their creativity, problem-solving, and communication skills. Participants will work in teams to come up with innovative solutions to the world’s most compelling issues.
Students will have an opportunity to not only develop their game-changing ideas but to manufacture their products as well. The event will have three exciting rounds, Sketches, Building the Product, and Presentation. The awards ceremony will take place at the end of the competition.
Primary School
I watched two families playing around the pool over the December/January holiday…
Family one
One parent and one child - played with a series of Lego toys, a pair of goggles and a floating toy. They played a game where they were “warring” on the floaty toy and when the toy fell in the water they watched it fall to the bottom of the pool using the goggles. One of them dove down and collected the toy, and it started all over again. The language was intense, there were sound effects and LOTS OF LAUGHING. Both parent and child were enthralled. It was a joyful sight!
A juxtaposition but very powerful observations. Observations tell stories albeit sometimes not always giving the whole picture, but they allow us insights.
For me, here are some comments and questions that arose during/after my observations:
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The world of play is so important to us as human beings. Play is defined as “systematic exploration, experimentation and discovery - SEED” (Sahlberg and Doyle) Humans play…expect to play…encourage play…
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The oral language levels of four year olds has consistently declined over the last twenty years - is this the reason why? Are phones more important than children? What other factors come into the decline in oral language?
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I recalled an article I had read where children made comments about their parent’s phone usage - things like, “they say they are too busy but they spend a lot of time on their phone”.
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I remembered to check in with Marc Armitage - a play guru who presents incredible podcasts for the community on how to connect and just be with kids…
This vignette allows us to ponder, to reflect and to consider our own behaviours both as parents and as educators and more importantly, to always question our actions, and how we provide children with what they need in order to grow.
With best wishes for a wonderful year,
Karen Crooke
Primary School Principal
PYP Coordinator
The Spirit of Inquiry
Purposeful concept-based inquiry, as the leading pedagogical approach of the Primary Years Programme (PYP) recognizes learners as being actively involved in their own learning and as taking responsibility for their learning. Drawing from the transdisciplinary themes and children’s interests, inquiry is an authentic way for learners to relate to, explore and understand the world around them.
As part of the IB learner profile, children are supported in becoming “inquirers”. Inquiry nurtures curiosity and promotes enthusiasm for life-long learning. Effective inquiry encourages learners to think, challenge, and extend their ideas; it prompts them to reflect and take action. Inquiry is purposeful and meaningful. It incorporates problem solving and supports learners in achieving personal and shared goals. It extends their learning when the exploration of initial curiosity generates new questions and wonderings.
Through the inquiry process, learners move from current understandings to new and deeper understandings. This process involves:
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exploring, wondering and questioning
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experimenting and playing with possibilities
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making connections between previous learning and current learning
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making predictions and acting purposefully to see what happens
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collecting data and reporting findings
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clarifying existing ideas and reappraising perceptions of events
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applying concepts to deepen conceptual understandings
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researching and seeking information
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establishing and testing theories
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solving problems in a variety of ways
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taking and defending a position
PYP Counsellor
Helpful Hints For Keeping Your Child Motivated
A new year is here and with it comes the pressure of making New Year resolutions, which more often than not do not see much follow-through. On the contrary, setting goals is never a bad idea. In fact, it is useful for children too, especially in helping them stay motivated. Here are a few suggestions to help your child stay motivated as we move into the second half of the academic year.
Review and Reset/Set Goals
Spend some quality time with your child and look at the goals they had set at the beginning of the academic year. Encourage them to reflect and share their victories and challenges. Appreciate the effort they’ve put in and let them know that you are proud of their progress. Go on to setting or resetting short-term goals accordingly with them. Make sure the goals they set are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely).
Encourage them to design a roadmap
Setting goals is the first step but it’s just as important to discuss how your child plans on achieving that goal. What resources do they need? Do they require support from you or the teacher? Do they need to spend less time online to make time for their reading, perhaps?
Believe in them
Your child needs to know you are proud of them and their achievements. They also need to know that you see setbacks as a stepping stone to success, and that you believe they have what it takes to meet their goals. Offer labelled praise. Your positivity has a good chance of building up their confidence.
Celebrate!
Be excited about their goals, cheer them on, celebrate even small wins. Remember, the aim is progress and not perfection!
Neeti Sarkar
Primary Counsellor
Primary News
Young Tigers, Big Concepts
People are often curious about what Physical Education (PE) class looks like for our youngest learners at Stonehill International School. Uniquely, in the Primary Years Programme, a PE teacher teaches the same principles and values as a Homeroom teacher, namely the IB Learner Profile, key concepts, and Approaches to Learning. They also apply the same pedagogical approach, one that values inquiry, reflection and action. Essentially, a PE teacher uses a gym with movement and games rather than a classroom instead of the whiteboard. This takes the form of either a collaborative unit in which PE expands on the learning in the classroom to give learners a new perspective or dimension or a stand alone unit which incorporates more traditional PE subject matter. Take for example, the pictures shown below. These collaborative units in P4 and P5 explored the concept of connection through a series of games and activities.
Depending on the activity, the students described their experience of connection as being “happy” in the Hug Tag game, “protective” in the Wolf and Lamb game and “cumbersome” and “slow” in the Amoeba Tag game. Thus, the students expanded their concept of “connection” with three varying experiences. Likewise, the pictures below show a stand-alone unit on sports related motor skills. The learners explored the concepts of form (proper form) and causation (what causes us to improve) through drills, activities and games.
In this unit, the learners gained a real world understanding of form and causation by applying them to improve their sports skills. PE for our youngest students is outwardly recognizable as a Physical Education class in any school setting but beneath it lies a unique PYP focus rooted in the IB learner profile, concepts and skills of the Primary Years Programme.
In this unit, the learners gained a real world understanding of form and causation by applying them to improve their sports skills. PHE for our youngest students is outwardly recognizable as a Physical Education class in any school setting but beneath it lies a unique PYP focus rooted in the IB learner profile, concepts and skills of the Primary Years Programme.
Luke Osborn
Physical Education Teacher
PHE - P6-P8
Christmas and holiday games before the Christmas break were the highlights at the end of the first semester. The learners were exposed to net games, invasion games and holiday games. They had the opportunity to work on various concepts such as teamwork, cooperation, invasion - attack and defence, etc. The learners played basic games like badminton, volleyball, tennis, football, basketball, touch rugby, etc. We talked about being principled, taking risks and being open-minded.
Swimming
Swimming lessons were energetic and focused on swimming techniques and fun aquatic games. Through differentiated learning, the students were able to adopt breathing techniques, buoyancy techniques, freestyle, backstroke techniques and body postures. Swimming lessons also focused on developing endurance. The students also enjoyed water polo and other fun aquatic games.
PYPx
Last month, our P8 learners celebrated their PYPx (PYP Exhibition), the culminating project that reflects their learning journey in Primary School. Our learners had a wonderful opportunity to share their research and actions with the entire Stonehill community, students, and teachers from Neev Academy and the Canadian International School.
This was the culmination of ten hard-working weeks for all of them. Under the Transdisciplinary Themes of Sharing The Planet and How We Organise Ourselves, the learners deepened their understanding on different inquiries like Quality education, poverty, conservation animals, protecting life on land and underwater, equality and LGBTQ+ rights, social media, health and well-being, waste management, sustainable fashion and many more!
Throughout this process, the learners used the design thinking cycle and showcased their learning through Visible Thinking Routines, argumentative and persuasive essays, immersive experiences and dynamic presentations. All of this whilst also connecting with experts and the Stonehill Government School, going on field trips and meeting regularly with their mentors for guidance. It was a complete pleasure to see our community involved during the showcase, as the learners invited everyone to take sustainable action towards these causes.
Secondary School
One of the attractions of Stonehill four years ago for me was the inclusion of ‘confidence’ as one of the school’s values. Every international school refers to developing knowledgeable students who care about others and the world around them, but I’d never seen ‘confidence’ referenced so clearly in a school’s guiding statements.
I think the reason it resonated so powerfully with me was because the moments at school when I’ve been most relieved or pleased as a parent have been those when my children have demonstrated confidence in themselves.
Feedback from teachers that one of them had engaged passionately in a class discussion or been willing to offer suggestions and make mistakes was always particularly heartwarming, as were the more obvious occasions when I saw my daughters performing on stage or representing the school in some way.
These occasions help me believe that regardless of exam results or university placements, my daughters will be able to stand up for themselves and defend their own interests in the future.
Shortly before the winter break, there were a number of events happening at Stonehill that reminded me just how important developing confidence is at Stonehill. On the 8th and 9th of December, we saw our D1 and D2 students performing their drama productions (the D2s had written their play by themselves) in front of audiences. On the 13th of December, we enjoyed the performances of our musicians in the Extended Music Programme recital.
Finally, on the 15th of December, our M5s spoke confidently to all of the visitors to the Secondary Hall during the MYP Personal Project Exhibition. We know that due to the limited scope and resources available for these projects, it’s very difficult for students to come up with products that will have a visible impact on the world in some way. A more realistic objective of the Personal Project, therefore, is for students to reflect on their learning, engage in independent research, and communicate effectively about the process that they have been through. These are all key indicators of the ‘confidence’ that we are trying to promote, and our M5 students rose to the challenge very well during the Exhibition.
Sometimes, we forget that many of our students do not speak English as a native language, and many others are still new to this community. As a teenager in the international school world, It can’t be easy facing audiences of peers and parents; yet, our students continue to sign up for such opportunities and seem to thrive when given the chance. Our teachers continue to find ways to engage all students in the learning experience on a daily basis and, as a school, we will continue to promote opportunities for our students to get involved in confidence-building activities and events beyond the classroom.
Joe Lumsden
Deputy Head of School and Secondary School Principal
Secondary News
PHE
The PHE programme at Stonehill provides students with learning experiences and opportunities that develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to lead a balanced and healthy lifestyle. With our experienced and supportive PHE staff, our fantastic facilities and resources, and the wide variety of sports and physical activities offered, PHE at Stonehill is a highly rewarding and valued subject, which promotes well-being and teaches one to respect the ideas of others, along with important skills such as communication and collaboration.
As we reach the half way point of this school year, we can look back on our achievements so far and look forward to what is still to come. Our students have already completed units on invasion games, movement composition, and health and fitness.
They have recently begun track and field athletics in the lead up to Sports Day on the 9th of February. The units in semester two include a second, shorter invasion games unit focused on indoor sports such as basketball and handball, a striking and fielding unit, which includes softball and cricket, and finally net games, involving sports such as badminton and volleyball. By the end of the year, every class in M1-M5 will have also completed a unit on swimming.
Physical performance is an important part of our PHE programme and our curriculum is designed to allow students to revisit a range of sports and physical activities each year. This approach helps students to continually improve their physical abilities, skills and confidence across many different sports and activities. It also allows students to build upon prior learning, deepen their understanding and application of rules, tactics and strategies as they get older, and to evaluate and reflect on their learning.
Apart from physical performance, there are three other areas of focus in our PHE curriculum; knowing and understanding, planning for performance and reflecting and improving performance. Together these four criteria help guide our planning and assessments in PHE.
Our focus intentionally broadens as students progress through each grade. In M1-M3, personal and skill development are given a greater focus and we introduce concepts related to health and wellbeing. As students progress into high school, they continue to practice and develop their skills and understanding whilst taking on greater responsibility for designing, planning and leading some activities, bringing creativity and flexible thinking to manage activities and overcome challenges.
Our PHE programme also encourages students to be responsible citizens by creating opportunities for meaningful exchanges and action in the local community. On the 8th of December, we held our secondary cross-country event, the Tiger Trail, a fund-raising event with donations going to Reach Lives, a non-profit organisation helping orphans and other vulnerable children in Bangalore. All donations from the event are being used to buy essential rations and supplies to feed children in foster homes supported by Reach Lives.
Helping Your Child Cope With Exam Stress
Exam time can be a challenging time for your child as they make preparations and prioritise tasks to ensure their success. It is important for parents and caregivers to create a supportive environment for their children during this time to assist students in easing their stress. Watch for signs of stress that may include but are not limited to students worrying a lot, not sleeping well, loss of appetite, negative moods or irritability, and/or headaches/fatigue.
Use these helpful tips below to help take some of the pressure off your child.
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Be Flexible: As your child is focused on their studies, do not put unnecessary stress on daily household chores and activities. Exam time won’t last forever and any added pressure will make this time even more difficult.
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Provide a Balanced Diet: Avoid foods with high caffeine, sugar and fat contents. Encourage your child to make healthy food choices that include foods from all parts of the food pyramid.
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Ensure they get enough sleep: Sleep is a vital part of your child’s development and ability to cope with exam stress. Teenagers require on average 8-10 hours of sleep per night. Set a nighttime routine to help your child wind down and not spend the night cramming in last minute studying.
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Talk about their needs: Take time to check in with your child and ask them what they need. Allow them to open up and express what they are feeling and seek help if the stress or anxiety becomes too much.
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Make time for fun: Everyone needs a break from time to time. As your child sets their schedule and prioritises their daily studies, ensure they also take some time to themselves to decompress and enjoy an activity of their choosing.
Amanda Dayal
Whole School Head of Student Support Services
Boarding News
Stonehill United visited Stonehill Government School(SGS) on 10th December 2022 to spread some Christmas cheer.
One of the group members dressed up as Santa Claus and distributed candies and chocolates. This was Santa's first ever visit to SGS and the students were overjoyed. It indeed was a Merry Christmas!
The Boarding Christmas dinner was a really special celebration before the winter holidays. It was lovely to see the boarding leaders and the D1 students getting involved in the decorations. We are blessed with our talented boarders who added much cheer to the lovely evening with their singing. A huge thank you to Arjun and the catering team for the delicious meal and everyone who helped make this possible.
Our two talented riders in the boarding, Geethika, M5, and Jaiveer, M3, represented Embassy International Riding School (EIRS) at the Junior National Equestrian Championship in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. They got an opportunity to compete against other top-level riders from across the country in their respective categories. Jaiveer won two golds, two silvers, one bronze, and the Best Rider trophy in the Children's 1 category. Geethika won one silver in the dressage round and one bronze medal in the show jumping round. Congratulations, and wish you both the very best for another successful year ahead!
Congratulations Jaiveer!
Congratulations Geethika!
The Winter Break was an ideal time for students to rest, recuperate and recharge. It also is an opportunity to re-assess, set new targets and to approach the new year with a clear purpose, focus and energy. Students are happy to be back and have settled in quickly and are back to the normal routine. The M4-D1 students are busy preparing for the first semester exams that are starting next week and the D2 students are busy with their Extended Essay submissions.
I am looking forward to an exciting 2023 as we continue to build on our successes, and create more opportunities for our boarding students to enjoy learning, further developing their talents, interests and skills.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @BoardingSIS to keep up to date with regular news and updates from the boarding houses.
Have a lovely weekend!
Glen Johnson
Head of Boarding
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