The Tiger, 9th December, 2022
Head of School Message
Dear Stonehill Community,
With one week to go before our winter holiday break, I’d like to extend festive holiday greetings to you all. These last seventeen weeks have quickly come and gone, and our students have been hard at work exploring and learning that will prepare them for future challenges and opportunities.
Our P8 students are celebrating their PYPX Exhibition. They have been distinctively utilising their skills to research, unpacking areas of interest, and presenting amazing discoveries! We hope our parents, students, and faculty are able to join our students to celebrate their work.
I want to take this opportunity to thank our active PTA, who have worked so hard in planning community events that have finally brought our Stonehill community together. The events have been diverse, well-organised, and a great deal of fun. Look out for more events in the next semester.
For all our departing families, your presence within our community will be missed. Stonehill is grateful for your time with us and we wish you the very best in your new journey.
Our Christmas Break is here and I’d like to wish you all safe travels. I hope you all come back refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to learn! I look forward to seeing you back on the 9th of January 2023!
Dr.Brian Brumsickle
Head of School
Whole School News
Winter Coffee Morning
Last week, our PTA organised a festive Winter Coffee Morning. There were exciting stalls set up with a variety of products, from Christmas decor to food items. Our parents and learners spent a happy and festive time together. A big thank you to our PTA!
We are proud to share that Embassy REIT has undertaken the construction of a Pre University college at Rajanukunte, that will benefit over 410 students. Embassy will donate a brand new school building in association with Bangalore North Round Table 25. This is Embassy Group's 19th school infrastructure project under its CSR initiatives.
To mark the start of the project, a bhumi pooja was held at the site which was graced by Honorable Mr SR Vishwanath, MLA and Mr Jitu Virwani, CMD, Embassy Group along with senior officials of the PU Board.
Primary School
Learning is what we do…
A few years ago I was the chair of the PYP Committee. We were a group of IB PYP educators from across the world who met once a year in an IB Office to discuss the PYP curriculum, its growth and to develop and highlight the next steps.
During one meeting in Singapore we spent an entire day discussing the word “rigour”. What does it mean in a constructivist context? Why do we believe the IB PYP is more rigorous than other curricula and how is it expressed through learning rather than more conservative/behaviouristic measures? Our differing perspectives clearly expressed our constructivist philosophy.
For me, watching the P6 children provoke understanding from their parents during their ‘Who We Are' morning expressed my understanding of rigour - children who understand what they are doing, how they are doing it AND MORE IMPORTANTLY why they are doing it. And, if I could add one more…they have an idea of what comes next. That is rigour - that is learning.
Rigour is transferring learning to another context and having the confidence to give it a go, stumble, get up and give it another go. That is rigour - that is learning.
Being articulate about a mathematical equation and how you got an answer is SO MUCH MORE important than the correct answer - spending time to really evaluate your process is SO MUCH MORE important than completing the list of equations quickly. That is rigour - that is learning.
Spending time with others to solve social problems - utilising the skills covered in Personal and Social Education. Changing behaviour in order to be a better learner. Wanting to think of others, empathise and be principled. That is rigour - that is learning.
On the day of our PYP Exhibition (where our P8’s show and explain their learning journey based on a Sustainable Development Goal) with each and every grade well and truly entrenched in their current unit of inquiry, I can categorically state - “Learning is what we do”.
Karen Crooke
Primary School Principal
PYP Coordinator
The PYP Exhibition
In the past few weeks you might have heard about the PYP Exhibition on multiple occasions. Our P8 learners have been hard at work inquiring into how global citizens look for opportunities to put empathy into action. They collaborated and conducted in-depth inquiries into real-life issues and opportunities that were important to them.
The key purposes of the exhibition are:
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for learners to engage in an in-depth, collaborative inquiry
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to provide learners with an opportunity to demonstrate agency and responsibility for their learning
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to provide learners with an opportunity to demonstrate the attributes of the learner profile in authentic contexts
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to provide learners with an opportunity to explore multiple perspectives
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to provide an authentic process for learners to monitor, document and present their learning
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to provide learners with an opportunity to synthesise and apply their learning
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for learners to take meaningful and sustainable action as a result of their learning
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to unite the learners, teachers and other members of the learning community in a collaborative experience
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to provide an authentic context for learners to reflect on their PYP education
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to support the well-being of learners by celebrating their transition to the next stages of their education
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to provide an authentic task for the community to evaluate its implementation of the PYP
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to provide learners with an opportunity to engage with the broader learning community and celebrate their achievements
The PYP Exhibition Journey
The PYP Exhibition is a journey that is built across the Primary School. We carefully build on the students’ skills (research, thinking, communication, social and self-management), their ability to create powerful questions, analyse data and work collaboratively gradually year by year. It is our hope that by the time the children get to P8 they have acquired a variety of approaches to learning to think critically and creatively, plan together in a team, have the confidence to test and challenge their thinking, acknowledge and recognise the work of others, work effectively to a deadline, take meaningful action and plan to share their journey. At all times the learners know that the journey itself is as much a part of their celebration as the end result.
Zita Joyce
PYP Coordinator
PYP Counsellor
Helpful Hints for Parents to Support Children’s Well-Being During the Break
Winter break is almost here and it is probably something we’ve all been waiting for. With a good three weeks of holidays, it is a great time to ensure you are intentional about supporting your child’s well-being. Here are some ways to go about it:
Spend quality time with your child
With the kids at home, you are inevitably going to have them around you all the time. Make sure to make that time worthwhile. Find out what they’d like to do with you/give them a few choices. Try not to be on your phone when spending this designated time with your child. This helps them know that you value your together-time.
Have fun
Routines are great and are essential even on holiday! But make time for some fun. Try not to let the holidays pass by without doing fun things as a family. It helps children know you care about them and it also helps you learn new things about your child, paving the way for building a better relationship with them.
Read together
Apart from the fact that it is a great bonding activity, and that there are so many wonderful books out there to spark their imagination and creativity, it helps support children’s cognitive development. It also enables them to learn new skills and attitudes, and is a great way for them to learn that reading is not necessarily only associated with school or “studying”.
Host play dates
It would be great for children to hone their social skills despite not being at school. Why not host play dates for them and their buddy/buddies? This gives you an opportunity to observe how your child plays and interacts with their peers. It also gives you an opportunity to socialise with the other parents.
Prepare them for their return to school
A three week break is wonderful but for some children it also comes with the trepidation of going back to school, back to “the routine”. Easing them into it is highly recommended. Have conversations about school that are open and easy. Get your child to reflect on what they enjoy about school and their learning. Help them find things to look forward to when they get back!
On that note, Happy Holidays!
Neeti Sarkar
PYP Counsellor
Primary News
A VISIT TO THE VISVESVARAYA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MUSEUM
In P5 we have been learning about different explorations. As part of our inquiry into the unit, we recently visited the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum.
INTERACTIVE SESSION WITH TOM RITCHIE
PYP Hindi
नमस्ते !
In Hindi, we have been working within the Transdisciplinary theme, “Who We Are”, “How We Express Ourselves” and “How We Organise Ourselves”.
We started our year with ‘Who We Are’ and ‘How We Express Ourselves’ where we learnt to introduce ourselves, express our likes and dislikes, talk about our emotions and understand our peers' preferences and feelings. These conversations help in getting to know each other and developing communication skills.
The learners spoke about themselves, asked questions to their peers and shared their experiences. These discussions helped the students to build connections, foster strong relationships and establish a comfortable environment for learning.
Under ‘How We Organise Ourselves’, the learners discussed and implemented classroom discipline, created personal goals and discussed means to achieving them. There were many conversations and discussions about the challenges they faced and how to overcome them. The students learnt songs, played games and familiarised themselves with the people in our community and their contribution towards a smooth working system.
Guest Speaker on World Disability Day
The 3rd of December is celebrated as World Disability Day and on this occasion the M1-M4 students and the P6-P8 student had the honour and privilege to meet Mr Vikram Agnihotri, a leader, a believer, a sports enthusiast (footballer, swimmer, racer), a successful entrepreneur, a motivational speaker, an aero modeller and a go-getter! He launched his book ‘Look Ma, No Hands!’ and signed a few autographs for our students. We thanked him for inspiring us to embrace life with gratitude.
Secondary School
All areas of the campus are buzzing!
Over the past few weeks, it feels as though there is something going on everywhere I look on campus. Let me take you on a quick tour…
Our new library hosted author, Vikram Agnihotri, on Friday 2nd December. Mr. Vikram spoke passionately to the M1-M4 students about his life and work, and hopefully inspired some of them to become writers.
Over in the STEM Building, Ms. Maitreyee and Ms. Greta ran parent sessions on MYP Science and Maths on Monday 28th November. These two subject areas are often the most difficult to understand for parents who come from other educational backgrounds, as the IB has specific objectives and assessment criteria. The objective is always to develop conceptual understanding and skills as well as the required subject knowledge.
Over the field in the MPH, Stonehill hosted our first two High School Basketball games against local rivals, CIS, on Thursday 1st December. The High School girls were able to dominate their game, while the boys also delighted the large crowd with an overtime victory. We also ran our Tiger Trail cross-country event all over the campus on Thursday 8th December, which was used to raise money for Reach Lives, an organisation that many of our CAS and MYP Service projects have been engaged with this year.
Up in the Drama Room, our D1 and D2 students have been performing their productions as part of their DP Theatre course. The students were able to schedule three performances on Thursday and Friday this week. There were also MYP Drama performances during the previous week, and preparations for our Secondary School Drama Production in March continue on a weekly basis.
The Secondary Hall hosted our first ever PTA Winter Coffee Morning, an event that was very well received by students, parents, and teachers. And on Saturday 3rd December, at Embassy Blvd, our Student Council was able to organise and run the first Stonehill winter dance in three years.
Finally, over the Bay of Bengal, our Under 15s and High School Boys and Girls football teams participated in the BISP football tournament in Phuket, Thailand. Despite the tough level of competition, all of our teams enjoyed some successes with the High School Girls team making the semi-finals of their tournament.
Secondary News
Secondary Science
‘Observation is a passive science, experimentation an active science.’ The latter part of the statement certainly seems to hold true for all our M1 to D2 science students.
The M1 Unit on Ecology allowed students to plan a Service Activity that supported conservation projects in the Western Ghats. The students studied different factors that created conflict in the Western Ghats. Presentations were made to educate the P7 - D2 classes.
The students made food from their host country which they priced and sold. They raised over 70,000 rupees which will go to three organisations selected by them.
The M2 students focused on local and global issues related to farming practices, food production in different countries and the Digestive system.
The students grew plants over the last three months. The plants are finally flowering and bearing fruit.
As the term came to a close, so did the unit on Heat and Temperature for M3 where the students explored how ‘Patterns of change can create new products and lead to new consequences’. Their exploration of the impact of science led to global warming and climate change as consequences.
This led students into looking at different structures around the globe, with specific reference to polar, continental, temperate, tropical, and dry climates. They were engaged in researching the structures and observing the correlation between the way the houses are built and the climatic conditions of the place. It was interesting to observe them draw connections with ‘Individuals and Societies (I&S) and talk about the disasters these places face and how people keep their homes warm or cool depending on the climate.
The excitement of the hands-on STEM project of making model houses to protect people from the impacts of convection currents and radiation from the Sun had the students totally engaged in their learning. A few students reflected that they never connected the structures with climate before and were amazed by the outcome of their learning. A few of them wondered whether all new products produced are really solutions to the existing problem or did they pave the way for new problems.
The M4 Chemistry students have been exploring the bonding and structure of substances and how different substances are used for different purposes.
They worked with different everyday materials like wax, sand, copper sheet, sugar, salt, etc. They tested and observed the physical properties of these materials to draw their own inferences and conclusions. The discussion that followed was intense with connecting concepts in the unit.
Swarnalatha Ravoori, MYP Science, MYP & DP Chemistry
The M4 Physics students are learning about Force and Energy. They have learnt about how Energy can be used to do various jobs. They also learnt about balanced and unbalanced forces and Newton’s Laws of Motion. At Stonehill, we encourage our students to gain hands-on experience and conduct several activities to enhance their understanding.
One such activity we did recently was making an air-pressure rocket and launching it. The students were asked to design a rocket from recycled cardboard paper. Their objective was to find a relationship, if any, between the mass of the rocket in relation to the distance it travelled whilst controlling other variables such as pressure and wind resistance. All of the students managed to overcome a few hurdles and were able to launch the rockets.
The M5 Physics students are studying "Electromagnetism". The students gained knowledge on how electricity functions and how it relates to magnetism. They created infographics to demonstrate their comprehension of how the earth's magnetic field affects the planet.
They built an electrical circuit and leant its uses. They conducted a thorough analysis on the variables influencing circuit resistance and its global applicability. Additionally, the students acted as engineers and attempted to convince people to purchase an electrostatic air purifier that was created by their company.
The M5 Chemistry students inquired into ‘interactions with a system leads to new products’ in the Electrochemistry unit. They were experimenting with electrolysis when many students had an ‘eureka’ moment, connecting it with electroplating, gold plating, etc.
The D1 Physics students have just completed a unit on Mechanics. They observed and analysed the motion of a simple pendulum as a part of this unit. They are learning about Thermal Physics. The students are investigating the effect of pressure on the volume of real gas. The students, who have already studied some related concepts in their chemistry classes have attempted to display their critical thinking as they make connections between the concepts learnt in the two subjects.
Secondary Design
The M1 students created isometric sketches to provide a visual representation of table organisers they intended to create. They created a timeline prior to the start of the process in order to organise themselves and manage their resources. They are creating their product brilliantly using the hand tools in the woodworking lab.
They are simultaneously reflecting on their plan and journey. In preparation for their next unit, the students have started to explore micro:bit chips. They will code on these chips to develop projects.
The M3 students are coding their final website using HTML and CSS programming languages. Every student has a unique idea to share. As they create their website, they reflect and edit their plan. The need for the changes are recorded by them in their Design process journal. The reflections will allow students to understand why design is an iterative process.
Siyeon's Logo Design Screen Recording
The M4 Digital Design students working on their final automation projects. Every learner is coming up with their own ideation and implementation. After learning about sensors our enthusiastic learners worked on Maker blocks and Vex robotics. Different types of robots were designed including a robot to work on roads under construction and on construction sites. The robots are completely remote controlled, which reduces the risk of humans being injured. The robot has lane sensors and uses an ultrasonic sensor to find the distance between the sensor and any objects on the road. This allows the user to control the robot from a distance.
The D1 Computer Science students completed their mid-term review after understanding system fundamentals and computer organisation. They are working on enhancing their coding skills using Java. They have started working on their Internal Assessment by looking for a problem scenario where they can provide a proper software solution.
M4 and M5 students win at ECHELON
Our passionate and energetic M4 and M5 students participated in ECHELON, an event organised by Bangalore International School on November 19th, 2022 to demonstrate their design skills. We are elated to share that the M5 students won the first prize in the Treasure Hunt and Escape Room rounds. Our M4 designers won first and third place in product creation from eWaste.
The students developed wonderful products like the desk separator/organiser using waste CPU, pen stands using waste keyboards, room lamps using waste speakers and tripod stands, and jewellery using the capacitor, transistor, and keyboard keys.
The D1 Design Technology students have just completed a mini lamp project. The students created a prototype leading to the development of an anglepoise lamp. Here is a glimpse of their work.
Boarding News
It has certainly been an action-packed fortnight at Stonehill Boarding and that’s how we like it!
On the 25th of November, thirty nine secondary students accompanied by four boarding staff enjoyed an excursion to Mysore. They visited the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Mysore Palace, Zoo and Chamundi Hills. This was followed by a sumptuous lunch at Southern Regent Hotel and a stop over at KFC for dinner.
As Trisha, M4, said, ‘This trip was truly one to remember with the luxurious bus ride to make our journey comfortable, the places that were chosen for us to visit were all sites that most of us had never seen. Each place was truly special in its own way. We were astounded by the beauty of the Mysore Palace and the breathtaking view of Mysore from the Chamundi Hills.”
The Stonehill United Team organised the ‘Capture the Flag’ game for the Stonehill Government School students.
It was a joy to see the children thoroughly enjoying their time on our campus.
To help everyone get into the festive mood, our boarding leaders are spreading Christmas cheer by making cards and decorating the boarding houses.
To help everyone get into the festive mood, our boarding leaders are spreading Christmas cheer by making cards and decorating the boarding houses. Everyone is excited about the upcoming Boarding Christmas Dinner on the 13th of December.
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful winter break!
I look forward to 2023 and the good times that it will bring!
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