The Weekly Bulletin of

Stonehill International SchoolVolume 6, Issue 88

25 January 2018

FEATURED STORIES

Grade 10 & 12 Students Win at Oakridge International School Codefest

Sachin & Mr. Mehrotra

IMPORTANT DATES: JANUARY

25th

PYP SEMESTER ONE REPORTS

ISSUED

26th

SCHOOL CLOSED FOR REPUBLIC

DAY HOLIDAY

31st

MYP ARTS SHOWCASE

FEBRUARY

1st

ISACI MIDDLE SCHOOL

BASKETBALL & FOOTBALL

TOURNAMENT

2nd

PYP STUDENT-LED

CONFERENCES

2nd

PYP ART EXHIBITION

CONTENTS

01/ FEATURED STORIES

08/ WHOLE SCHOOL NEWS

08/ PRIMARY NEWS

11/ SECONDARY NEWS

HIGHLIGHTS Grade 10 & 12 Students Win

at Oakridge International

School Codefest

Recruitment for 2018 – 2019

Faculty

News From P7

MYP Arts Showcase

THE

TIGER

Two of our Secondary students, Shashank (Grade 12) and Sachin (Grade 10), participated in the

Oakridge International School tech fest Oak Codefest over the past weekend. Participating as a team

of two in the Hackathon event, Sachin and Shashank took Second Place winning prize money of INR

15, 000. We are very proud of both of them for this achievement. Here is what Sachin has to say

about their experience.

Narendra Mehrotra

Secondary Principal

A hackathon or a codeathon is an event where teams of

developers get together to come up with solutions to

problems. These solutions involve robots, machine learning

algorithms, mobile and web apps – the possibilities are

endless. For the most part, there is only one constraint,

time. We experienced this first hand at the Oak Codefest

last weekend.

Oakridge International School organised Bangalore’s first overnight school hackathon on the 20th and

21st of January. Oak Codefest was a lot of fun. It kicked off at 8:00am on Saturday and went on

until 10:00am the next day.

Every single one of the 16 teams that were selected to participate in the event created incredible

products ranging from a drone to check the purity of water in lakes in Bangalore, to a bot that predicts

long-term climate changes.

Shashank and I built an Android application to help students learn foreign languages more easily. It

was a lot of hard work to make the app completely functional in just 24 hours, but we worked

together and made it happen.

In the end, Stonehill finished in the second place. Overall, Oak Codefest was a fulfilling and rewarding

experience, and we look forward to, as well as encourage everybody to attend such events, even if

you are new to programming. It serves as a very useful learning platform.

Sachin – M5

WHOLE SCHOOL NEWS

Recruitment for 2018 – 2019 Faculty

Transition is a part of life in internationals schools, and as many of our international families come

and go, so to do our international teachers. One of the most important jobs for leaders in international

schools is the recruitment of high quality teaching staff to replace the teachers who are moving on.

We know that excellent teachers are a school’s most valuable asset so we devote a great deal of

time to getting this right.

Over the past couple of weeks Narendra Mehrotra and I have been attending international teacher

recruitment fairs in Bangkok and London. We interviewed well over 60 teachers during the fairs. I am

delighted to announce that we have been able to recruit some very talented and experienced

international educators for the 2018-19 academic year. I would now like to take this opportunity to

introduce you to all of the teachers who have now accepted positions at Stonehill next year.

Kassandra Rieck will be joining us as the Whole School

English as an Additional Language (EAL) Coordinator. She is

Australian and is currently working as the Head of EAL at an

International School in South Korea. Kassandra is an

experienced MYP and DP teacher who has previously taught

at schools in China, Japan and Australia.

Huixian He will be joining our Additional Language

Department as a Whole-School Mandarin Teacher. Huixian is

from China. She is an experienced MYP and DP Teacher who

has previously worked at international schools in Cambodia,

Myanmar and the Philippines. She is currently studying in

Finland for a Masters in Education and Globalisation.

Heather Thomson will be joining Stonehill as the new PYP

Music Teacher. Heather is from Canada. She is a qualified

and experienced PYP teacher currently working at an

international school in Beirut. She also has extensive

experience teaching music in Canada in a variety of

educational contexts.

Honor Dargan will be joining the Early Years teaching team.

Honor is an experienced Early Childhood teacher from the UK.

Honor has previously taught in the UK, Japan and Singapore.

She is currently the Assistant Head of Infants at an internatio

nal school in Bahrain.

Karen Crooke will be joining Stonehill as the new Primary

Principal. She is currently the Primary Principal at an

international school in Mozambique. She is an IBEN PYP

Workshop Leader, School Evaluator and Consultant. She has

also served as the Chair of the IB PYP Committee. Karen is

from Australia and has previously worked in Indonesia,

Germany, Tanzania, China and Thailand.

Srini Kandaawamy will be joining us from an International

School in Ethiopia. Prior to working in Addis Ababa, Srini

taught MYP Humanities and DP Geography at an International

School in Mozambique. Srini is originally from Bangalore and

is a site-based coordinator for the IB Pamoja online DP course.

Andrew Clark will be joining us from an International School

in Kazakhstan. He is an Australian with over twenty years of

experience in a range of teaching and educational leadership

roles. Andrew has a Masters Degree in Education specialising

in the IB PYP and he has been responsible for leading the PYP

Exhibition in his current school. Gardening and football

coaching are additional skills he will bring to his new role as

P8 Teacher at Stonehill.

Khris Carre will also be joining us from an International School

in Kazakhstan. Originally from Mauritius, Khris is an

Australian citizen with over twenty years experience teaching

across the primary age range. She is an Early Years specialist

who has also taught French for a number of years. Khris will

be joining us in P3 as a Class Teacher.

Joshua Morris will be joining us from an International School

in Thailand. Josh has a wide range of international experience

teaching humanities across the Secondary age-range. He is

originally from the UK and has held pastoral leadership roles

in addition to having DP, A-Level and IGCSE experience. He

has coached a number of football teams and is a qualified

tennis coach.

Jack Zhao will be joining our Additional Languages

Department as a Whole School Mandarin Teacher. Jack is an

experienced international teacher from Canada. He has taught

previously at international schools in Thailand, the Philippines

and China. In addition to Mandarin teaching, Jack has also

taught Mathematics, Music and Learning Support. He can

coach football, volleyball, badminton and ultimate frisbee.

Dorothée Chareyron will be joining our Additional Languages

Department as a French and Spanish Teacher. Dorothée is an

experienced MYP/DP Language teacher. She is originally from

France, and has taught at international schools in China,

Turkey and Hong Kong. Dorothée is able to coach basketball,

cross country running and fitness activities.

Jenni Willoughby-Browne will be joining us from a school in

the UK as an MYP/DP Language and Literature Teacher. She

is an experienced international teacher who has worked in

Germany, China and the Philippines. Jenni is a DP language

and Literature Examiner for the IB.

John Willoughby-Browne will be joining us as a Secondary

EAL Teacher. He is an experienced IB educator, currently

working in the UK. John has worked at international schools

in China, Italy, Germany and the Philippines. He is able to

coach rugby, football and track and field events.

We are continuing to recruit for a few more positions, but we are now in an excellent position for

this point in the school year. We are confident that we will be fully staffed with a highly skilled,

talented and experienced group of international teachers for the start of the 2018 – 19 academic

year.

Simon McCloskey

Deputy Head of School & Primary Principal

PRIMARY NEWS

Student-led Conferences

Our Student-led Conferences take place on Friday, 2nd February. The conferences give children an

opportunity to share their learning with parents. Please make sure that you have signed-up for your

conference with the online sign-up sent out this week.

The conferences are scheduled at 15 minute intervals. Please note that the scheduled time indicates

the goal-setting meeting time with your child's Class Teacher. Conferences will take at least one hour

to complete if you visit all learning areas with your child.

Please Contact Ms Nijika if you have any problems with the online booking system

(primary.secretary@stonehill.in). Please note that the Primary School will be closed on this day and

that students should attend conferences in school uniform.

Communication in the Primary School

In the Primary School at Stonehill, we try very hard to build positive, clear lines of communication

with parents. We always respond to specific questions or concerns quickly and with supporting

information. If you feel that this is not the case, please contact the Primary Principal directly

(simon.mccloskey@stonehill.in). Please note that we view the following as detrimental to effective,

constructive communication:

● Use of parent forums such as WhatsApp groups, Facebook Groups or email circulars designed to

discuss teacher performance or collect and share opinions or unofficial information (which is very

often inaccurate).

● Parents who take on the role of ‘Group Representative’ to lobby or campaign for various issues

(please come and discuss your concerns with us directly).

● Asking Class Parents or members of the PTA to collect or communicate parental concerns (this is

not their role - please contact us directly).

In the Primary School, we always strive to communicate with parents in a timely, clear and consistent

manner. It is very helpful if parents communicate specific feedback, concerns or suggestions to us

directly. Information from parents communicated to us in the correct way is a helpful and necessary

part of school improvement. We all want to ensure that children are safe, happy, supported and

successful at school. Please help us to achieve this by following the guidelines above. Your support

is very much appreciated.

Important Upcoming Primary Dates

Friday 2nd February - Student-led Conferences (Primary School Closed)

Friday 2nd February - PYP Art Exhibition in the Primary Hall

Wednesday 7th February - P7 Outdoor Education Residential Camp

Saturday 10th February - PTA International Food fair

Tuesday 20th February - Round Two ASAs begin

Wednesday 21st February - Inter-House Swimming Gala

Monday 26th February - Book Week begins

Friday 2nd March - School Closed for Accreditation Self-Study Day

Simon McCloskey

Deputy Head of School & Primary Principal

News from P7

In P7 we have been inquiring into how living things depend on each other and the environment in

which they live. In groups students have been researching different ecosystems to learn about the

animals and plants that live there. Students have researched food chains, animal classification and

animal adaptions to further their knowledge. They are also learning about the human impact on

different ecosystems and are considering who is responsible for them in the future.

Students are creating dioramas and writing accompanying reports to show their understanding.

Neel, Isla & Arthur created this rainforest diorama.

Did you know that rainforests are one of the most diverse ecosystems on earth?

Miya, Gabriel, Jihwan & Miyuki made a marine life diorama.

There are many different habitats in marine ecosystems such as mangroves, coral reefs and the

seabed.

The Arctic Tundra by Ruby, Pin & Saki

You might be surprised to learn that the arctic tundra is a desert. There isn't very much rain and the

trees are spread out a lot. The summer only lasts six to eight weeks.

The Savannah by Richard, Emily & Eva

Wildebeest, zebras and buffalo migrate across the plains.

Nithish, Thomas & Susanna have created these desert dioramas.

There is not much rain in the desert so living things have to find their water supply in different places.

Some animals can carry water and fat in their bodies for survival.

The Tundra by Patrick, Lasse and Parker

The Tundra is really cold and makes it difficult for most plants to grow, especially during the winter

months. Some animals migrate to find food and some others hibernate.

Savannah diorama by Alexander, Akshat and Abhir

The grasslands attract a lot of tourists for safari as this is the place people can and enjoy watching

animals in the wild.

Freshwater diorama by Lotta, Rimi and Isla

Fresh water is important for most living beings on Earth. It is our responsibility to take care of all

freshwater sources and life in them.

Desert diorama by Yanis, Juhwan and Milo

Deserts are dry and very hot. Cactus grows in the desert. Camels can live without water for many

days and are comfortable living in a desert.

Marine life by Lena, Julia and Navya

Overfishing and dumping garbage has caused a lot of marine life to die.

The rainforest by Lauryn and Falak

As the name suggests, there is plenty of rain in the rainforests. The rainforest is populated with

insects, reptiles, amphibians and mammals.

We will be focusing on the UN global goals 14 (life below water) and 14 (life on land) to consider

who is responsible for protecting these ecosystems.

Ms. Amanda McCloskey & Ms. Moushumi Gupta

P7 Class Teachers

SECONDARY NEWS

Semester One Reports

Our Semester One Reports, for students in M1 to D1, will be issued on Friday, 9th February 2018.

These are full written reports for each subject and cover the work students have been doing for the

entire semester.

Workshop with PASSHE & AICUP Members

Following the establishment of a partnership between Stonehill and the Pennsylvania State System

of Higher Education (PASSHE) and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of

Pennsylvania (AICUP), we had members of both organisations visit Stonehill on Wednesday, 24th

January. Dr. Daniel Green (York College of Pennsylvania), Director Marc Vallone (La Salle University)

and Dr. Judy Gay (Community College of Philadelphia) conducted workshops for M4 – D1 students,

parents and teachers. PASSHE and AICUP, together, represent over 100 public and private

universities, including the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania.

MYP Arts Showcase

The MYP Visual Art and Music show case will take place on Wednesday, 31 January 2018 from

12.00 noon to 3.00 pm. All parents are cordially invited to this event.

ISACI Middle School Sports Festival

ISACI Middle School Sports Festival will take place from 1st – 3rd February. All parents are cordially

invited to watch these games to show support for our students. Thank you to the PHE department

and Ms. Kerstin Bender, Whole School Sports Coordinator, for organising this event.

Staff Professional Development

Friday, 2nd March, is a Professional Development day for teachers. Therefore, the school will be closed

on 2nd March for all students. In addition, IB regional workshops will be taking place at the school

from 2nd – 4th March. School will re-open on Monday, 5th March for all students.

Trips Week

Trips week will take place from 11th/12th to 16th February 2018. The final information session for the

parents will take place on Thursday, 1 February 2018 from 13.45 to 15.00 in the MPH.

The D2 practice examinations will commence on 9 February and end on 16 February 2018.

Issues or Concerns Regarding Your Child/Children

If your son/daughter has any problems at school, please contact (by email) their Homeroom Teacher

or the relevant Subject Teacher directly in the first instance, and then the Head of Department or

appropriate Coordinator (MYP or DP) if required. Please do not call on their personal mobile number

at home or during class time.

Early Leave and Late Return after School Holidays

There are several parents who are booking tickets and then informing the school that their child will

miss school due to flights. This is not acceptable and will be treated as unauthorised absence.

Parents are NOT encouraged to withdraw children during term-time for vacations. Parents are also

asked not to ‘leave early’ or ‘return late’ in order to extend scheduled school holidays. In cases where

students will miss routine classes because of voluntary absence, the school does not provide extra

work for them to take on vacation.

The school is sometimes asked to ‘authorise’ absences during school time for family vacations or

other trips. It is not the school’s policy to do so.

Warm regards,

Narendra Mehrotra

Secondary Principal

narendra.mehrotra@stonehill.in

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 info@stonehill.in Head Nurse Ms Charlette Macdonald