The Weekly Bulletin of Stonehill International School Volume 5, Issue 59
17 March 2017
FEATURED STORIES
IBDP Art Exhibition
D2 Visual Art Student with Ms. Ranmali\
IMPORTANT DATES: MARCH
20th - 24th PRIMARY STUDENT COUNCIL
PRIDE WEEK
24th – 25th
GREASE THE MUSICAL
29th
SCHOOL CLOSED FOR UGADI
HOLIDAY
31st
PRIMARY MUSIC CONCERT
CONTENTS
01/ FEATURED STORIES
04/ WHOLESCHOOL NEWS
06/ PRIMARY NEWS
16/ SECONDARY NEWS
20/ SPORTS NEWS
21/ PTA NEWS
HIGHLIGHTS IBDP Art Exhibition
End of Round II ECAs
Primary Pride Week
Learning in P2
M5 Personal Project
Exhibition
Holi Celebrations in the
Secondary School
PTA Updates
THE
TIGER
This year seven students from the graduating class of 2017 exhibited their art work at the
Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath on March 14th and 15th. Each artist had a theme and the themes
were diverse and mostly related to contemporary issues. Anna’s was “In a better world”, Eva’s
theme was “Unity” and Harish’s theme was “Cultural identity”. Olivia’s ideas centred around the
individuality of the experience of childhood, womanhood, and intimacy within romantic as well as
platonic relationships.
Rajalakshmi wanted viewers to be aware of the origin, process and post-effects of war
and depression, and Urvi felt that in today’s world people are far too busy to enjoy the quality of
life. Therefore she wanted the viewers to understand that it is critical to stop and value the infinite
number of symbols and patterns, as they enhances the way we look at things, and Venkat wanted
the viewers to be aware that rapid urbanisation and the impact of it in India has taken its top spot
during the last decade. One can easily observe nature being converted into urban landscapes and
deforestation is continually expanding from one area to the other.
Two large galleries were full
of very unique and colourful
art works covering a range of
genre and techniques. The
techniques included water
colour and acrylic paintings,
drawings, fibre art,
calligraphy, installations,
video, photography,
sculpture, illustration and
mixed media pieces. The
students engaged in
extensive research and this
exhibition was a culmination
of two years of hard work.
The exhibition drew large
crowds including students
from other schools.
Congratulations to our team of artists!
Your parents, well-wishers, the students and the school staff are indeed very proud of your
achievements. We thank everyone who came to support our student artists.
Ms. Ranmali Hapugalle
HoD Arts & Design
WHOLE SCHOOL NEWS
End of Round II ECAs
Please note that the last day for Round II of ECAs is on Thursday, 23rd March. I will be sending
more information on Round III of ECAs, shortly.
Mr. Melvin Kumar
Events Manager & ECA Coordinator
PRIMARY NEWS
Primary Pride Week
The Primary Student Council are excited to introduce the first ever Primary Pride Week. This
initiative has been created by the Primary Student Council to support one of their shared goals, to
promote friendships and community events in the Primary School.
Monday 20th March: Pyjama day
What: Students can wear pyjamas or comfortable clothes.
Why: To have fun and feel comfortable
.
Tuesday 21st March: Crazy Hair day
What: Creating your own crazy hairstyle or you can wear a wig.
Why: To feel comfortable with who you are.
Wednesday 22nd March: Twins day
What: Two or more people can dress the same.
Why: To celebrate the things that we have in common.
Thursday 23rd March: Personality day
What: For this day students can show their personality through what they wear.
Why: To celebrate being different and unique.
Friday 24th March: Tiger day
What: Show your tiger colours and support the school.
Why: To celebrate being part of the school.
We’re excited and looking forward to this special week in the Primary School.
Primary Student Council
Important Upcoming Primary Dates
Monday 20th March - Primary Pride Week (Student Council Spirit Week)
Thursday 23rd March Parent Workshop. Speaking & Listening. First steps in Literacy.
Monday 27th March CIS/NEASC Evaluators in School for one week
Wednesday 29th March - Ugadi Holiday (School Closed)
Friday 31st March - PYP Music Concert at 8:00am
Friday 31st March - Half Day (all buses depart at 12:40pm)
Tuesday 4th April - PYP Cross Country Run
Friday 7th April - Mid-Semester Two Reports issued
Learning in P2
Over the past several weeks the P2 children have been inquiring into stories. They have learned that
stories can be created and shared using a variety of media. The children have been working hard to
re-tell some familiar stories using role-play, puppets, movement and dance.
The Student-led Conferences were a big success in P2. The children were excited to become the
teachers and share their learning activities with their families.
Mr. David Gostelow
P2 Class Teacher
EAL in the PYP
During their unit of inquiry studies, the P4 students investigated how communities create systems
to meet their energy needs. They saw how electricity is made at power stations and renewable
energy locations, how it is delivered to our homes and what appliances use electricity in the home.
To showcase what they have learned, the students made a house, a power station and electricity
pylons for the wires and created electrical appliances to place inside the home. These props form
the focus for them to talk about what they have learned
Aske and Casper apply the finishing painting touches to the house
Inside the house is a TV, a refrigerator, a mobile phone and a fan. All need electricity to make them work.
Mizuki is making a TV from an old chocolate box
The P5 EAL students have had a very creative time with their unit of inquiry in which they
investigated that the arts are a form of expression to communicate and entertain. All the P5
students staged a fantastic performance of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ and the EAL students had a
great time helping to make the props used in the play. The EAL students have had fun making
shadow puppets to use in their very own shadow puppet play.
Mai, Yusei and Karlijn help to build a beanstalk that has grown all the way from the ground to the clouds.
Yusei and Ayaho stuff newspaper into the giant’s arms
The children have had a great time creating their own shadow puppets and will stage performances for the P1
and P2 students over the coming weeks
The P7 students have been investigating migration as part of their studies with the current unit of
inquiry. In this project they are pretending that they are a refugee fleeing the conflict in Syria.
Using their ipads, they seek photos from the internet and create a ‘documentary’ of their journey
across the Mediterranean Sea to their new home in Europe.
Mr. Jeffery Wildman
PYP EAL Teacher
Book Week in Primary School
Students in the Primary School had a busy week enjoying lots of exciting activities during Book
Week. Below you can read about some of the activities that took place during the week.
Musical Books - Early years and lower primary grades got to play Musical Books in the Library during Book
Week.
DEAR - (Drop Everything and Read) where students had to “drop” what they were doing and pick up a book
instead to “read”.
Extreme Reading - To enter this competition, students sent a picture of themselves reading their favourite
book in a strange, unusual or exciting location.
Mystery Reader - A big thank you to the mystery readers in the MYP/DP who read to the primary children. A
first time initiative, it was quite a favourite with the primary students.
Read to the Head - Children were given a choice to read to one of the Heads or Principals.
Book Fair - The Primary Hall was transformed into a children's mobile book shop from Monday to Thursday.
Book Nook - A reading area was set up outside the Primary Office and children were encouraged to use the
cosy corner to enjoy listening to stories read by their teachers during break time.
Book Quiz - All classes attempted a Book Quiz to win books as prizes.
Guess how many books in our Library! - Children had to estimate the number of book titles in our Primary
Library, for which the closest guess won a prize.
Visiting Author - Jane De Suza, a leading author came in during Book Week and led two sessions with the
Primary grades that were undiluted fun.
Her first session with P3 - P5 was a dramatized version of her book The Party in the Sky, where the children
volunteered to act out the crazy version of the planets in the solar system. The children were enthralled
throughout and it was a very interactive hour.
The next session was with P6 - P8. This was an activity based on her best-selling SuperZero series. After an
initial warm-up where all the children threw themselves enthusiastically into imagining super powers for
themselves, Jane read from the first SuperZero book.
Buddy Reading - Homeroom teachers arranged buddy reading sessions throughout the week.
Book Swap - Students brought in books which they had read to swap with other books they could choose
from the Book Swap Shop.
Book Character Parade
The highlight of the week was on Friday where students and staff arrived dressed in a book
character costume. Children came to school excited to show off their costumes. I am sure you’ll
agree that everyone looked fantastic! A band then led us from the Cafeteria to the Primary Hall for
our Book Week Assembly.
The Book Week led to a productive week of reading, leaving children to talk about great books,
characters and authors. We hope that children learnt that books empower us, entertain us, educate
us and bring us closer to others!
Ms. Lamiya Bharmal
Primary Librarian & Information Literacy Teacher
SECONDARY NEWS
Personal Project Exhibition
The M5 Personal Project Exhibition was held on Thursday, 9th March. It was fantastic to see so
many parents, visitors, students and staff enjoying the projects done by our students.
DP Subject Options Information Session
The Personal Project Exhibition was followed by the DP Subject Options Information session for all
M5 parents and students in the Drama room from. It was an extremely useful session, and was
attended by over 30 parents and students.
Holi Celebrations
Holi, the Indian festival of colours, was celebrated by the Secondary students and staff on
Monday, 13th March. Dry organic colours were used, as students and staff celebrated with much
gusto! Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the festival.
Francophonie Day
The International Francophonie Day is being celebrated at Stonehill today. Organised very well by
the Language Acquisition department, there was enthusiastic participation from French students of
Stonehill and Trio World School. More details to follow next week.
IBDP Art Exhibition
The IBDP Art Exhibition by our D2 students was presented at the Chitrakala Parishath on Tuesday,
14th March. The opening ceremony witnessed a huge number of parents, staff and students
admiring an outstanding exhibition from our students. Thank you to all our D2 Visual Arts students
and Ms. Ranmali for a magnificent show.
Early School Closure on 31st March
Please note that on Friday, 31st March there will be an early closure for all students due to
CIS/NEASC workshop for the teachers. The buses will leave at 12:40pm after students had their
lunch
Kind regards,
Narendra Mehrotra
Secondary Principal
Personal Project Exhibition: A Culmination of Learning.
March brings an onset of the period of a short spring season in India. Along with it brings a myriad
of celebrations, right from the colour festival of Holi to various harvest festivals across India. March
also brought festivities to M5 batch of 2017. On 9th March we celebrated the culmination of
personal project through an exhibition.
The MYP personal project is a student-centred and age-appropriate practical exploration in which
students consolidate their learning throughout the programme. This long-term project is designed as
an independent learning experience of approximately 25 hours. The personal project formally
assesses students’ ATL skills for self-management, research, communication, critical and creative
thinking, and collaboration. The personal project encourages students to practise and strengthen
their ATL skills, to connect classroom learning engagements with personal experience, and to
develop their own interests for lifelong learning.
The exhibition was lauded by the school community and had visitors from across the school.
Students worked on projects like a voice operating housing system, a remote controlled car that can
be used for surveillance. While we had these tech projects exploring the nature of scientific and
technical innovation, we also had projects exploring the various dimensions of the essential
question “What it means to be a human?” From posters fighting against substance addiction to
documentaries around body language and gymnastics, from books exploring various aspects of
human psyche to a design of a sustainable house,we had it all. Students came up models of high
tech car exhibitions to braclets promotion equality and fraternity.
While some students created their own computer systems, we also had students creating
awareness about human rights, ranging from students using poetry as a strong tool to express their
inner voice, to students creating ways to save the coral reefs. This variety did nothing but assure us
that students can do wonders when they are driven by their interests. Supervisors have started
grading the projects and in the next two weeks, we go through the process of Internal
Standardization to settle on the final grades. The projects and the grades will be sent to IBO for
final grading. Students addressed the personal project objectives through documenting the process
they followed, the product or outcome they created and the report they made explaining what they
have done and learned. Students documented their thinking, research process and development of
their initial ideas by developing an outline of a challenging but manageable goal.
The 2 hours of fun, learning, gusto and smiles made this event a huge success. A big
congratulations to M5 student and heartfelt gratitude to the school community and families for
extending all the support.
Mr. Jitendra Pandey
MYP & Personal Project Coordinator
Celebrating the Indian Festival of Colours
Holi was celebrated in the secondary school on Monday, 13th March. Two DP students, Sayed and
Vaishnavi, gave a brief introduction to the festival which heralds the Spring season and why it is
celebrated in India. Then Ms. Manpreet, DP Coordinator, added further information to its
background story which is steeped in Indian mythology. The message was clear and simple – good
triumphs over evil, and the riot of colours is symbolic of this victory.
The students then played with organic colours, splashing each other with them amidst music and
dance. The air wore a festive look with students and teachers wishing each other a “Happy Holi” in
the traditional way, by applying a dash of colour on each other! It was a fabulous experience for all
students.
Ms. Preethi Menon
English Teacher
DP Options Information Session
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is an academically challenging programme
widely regarded as the best university preparation available to 16 ‐ 18 year olds. The two year
programme culminates in a series of external examinations that lead to the International
Baccalaureate Diploma. This qualification is widely accepted and, most importantly, highly regarded
by universities throughout the world. An information evening was held on Thursday, 9th March to
share information about the structure and requirements of the IB Diploma Programme and its many
advantages.
The Stonehill IB Diploma subject offerings were also presented, along with information regarding
options possible, and their impact on college applications in the future. In addition, information on
possible alternatives to the IB Diploma Programme available at Stonehill, together with the Diploma
admissions requirements and Stonehill graduation requirements were also discussed.
There was a representative teacher available from each subject group to talk with parents regarding
course specifics and advice. Additionally, two of our D2 students also spoke about their IB journey
and its expectations. The options form needs to be submitted to the DP Coordinator by 21st March.
Here’s to the beginning of a new journey! I’m very excited to welcome students to the Diploma
journey. We welcome you to get in touch with us should you have more questions.
Ms. Manpreet Kaur
DP Coordinator
SPORTS NEWS
PTA NEWS
Important PTA Dates
28th of March - Morning Star Ashram Visit
22nd of April - Stonehill PTA Charity Gala
Glamour and Glitz at the Ritz….The 2017 Charity Gala is 22nd of April!
Stonehill International School PTA is thrilled to invite you to an evening of "Glamour and Glitz at the
Ritz". Come celebrate with delicious food crafted by Michelin-Starred Anupam Banerjee, drinks,
music, dancing, auctions, raffle, games and even a surprise or two!
All funds raised will go to support Stonehill's adopted charities; The Stonehill Government School,
Morning Star Ashram and the Iksha Foundation.
The event will start at 6:30pm with welcome drinks followed by the evening's program and then
ending by 12:00am. There will be an auction, so please remember that we will NOT be accepting
Credit or Debit Cards. We Will accept Cheques made in favour of "Stonehill Education Foundation -
PTA " and/or Cash.
Invitations are going out next week and will be placed in the backpacks of your youngest child.
Please be on the lookout for a message from your Class Rep as to what day to expect them.
If you wish to be seated with your friends, please email Events: [email protected] or
*** Note that tables will only seat 8 people maximum***
If you wish to book a room at the Ritz for the night, the following rates apply:
All rooms must be booked by 15th, April 2017.
Please drop your payment, along with the tear-off RSVP portion of your invitation, to Nijika at the
PYP Administration Office on or before 12th, April 2017.
We're looking forward to your presence at this year's PTA Charity Gala. It won't be the same
without you!
Morning Star Ashram Visit
Don’t forget, the PTA will be hosting a visit to Morning Star Ashram on 28th of March. This will be
a time to drop off food, drop off Summer Angel Gifts, and meet some of the children. Please plan to
attend.
Summer is coming, get your Stonehill Tees and Hats now!
The PTA is selling a great variety of Stonehill athletic wear in all sizes. Show your Tiger support!
Please email Sal if you are interested in purchasing items. She can be available during drop off (7:30
am) and pick up time (3:00 to 4:00pm) if your child wants to try them on for size. Sal’s email
address is: [email protected]
Questions or Comments for the PTA?
If you have any questions, comments, or feedback for the Stonehill PTA, please drop us an email
We look forward to hearing from you!
Best regards,
PTA Communications
Stonehill International School
Tarahunise Post Jala Hobli Contacting the School: Bangalore North 562157 India Admissions Ms. Rishika Ganapathy T + 91 8043418300 Primary School Ms. Nijika Bhardwaj + 91 8043418318 Secondary School Ms. Saathi Vinay M + 91 9008307684 Transport Mr. Rahul. I E [email protected] Head Nurse Ms Charlette Macdonald