The Adventure Begins!

An orientation program was held today at DRSIS for all the parents of the students who are participating in the Nilshi Adventure Trip to Nilshi, Maharashtra (outskirts of Mumbai and Pune) during the Dussehra break from 28th September to 2nd October 2017. The session was organized by the tour operators, Wandering Bee Holidays and really built up the students’ eagerness to get going deep into the heart of nature!

Apart from making their Dusshera vacations a memorable one, the primary objective of this trip is to develop a sense of adventure, love for nature, building team-spirit, etc.

The chief guide of the Nilshi Adventure trip Mr Raghavendra Prasad began the session with an introduction to his organization, followed by the objectives of conducting such trips, besides sharing pictures of the adventure & camping sites of Karjat Valley, Lonavala, Kandala, Panchgani, Imagica, Waters Hedge, Lohagarh Fort etc in his presentation to help everyone gear up for the adventure awaiting them.

The participants were excited to learn more about their place of stay right in the midst of nature and were thrilled at the prospect of enjoying its peaceful and serene surroundings by living in glass houses, mini-dorms and tents with clay-tiled canopies on top away from this bustling city.

The string of adventure activities planned for our campers from day break till dusk, include mountaineering, sight-seeing, rapelling, trekking, river-crossing, zip-lining, bamboo-rafting, archery and activities like spider-web, magical waves, etc which are all designed to boost our students’ stamina, endurance and self-management skills.

Important instructions for the campers and guidelines for the parents including the tour itinerary, flight details of both the onward and return journeys, what to pack, do’s and don’t’s etc were also discussed at length. The safety and security aspects of the students were also ensured to their beloved ones. Parents and students welcomed the opportunity to clarify their doubts and prepare themselves well.

Speak up!

The IB PYP Wing conducted Inter-House Poetry-Recitation Competition for Grades I & II and Just A Minute (JAM) Session for Grades III to V. Both competition revolved around themes relating to how we Share our Planet, and had our budding eco-warriors speak up for conservation and more!

The students of Grades I & II inspired the audience to take action by reciting poems such ‘Conserve Water Every Day’, ‘I will Save the Earth’, ‘Water, Water Everywhere’, ‘Earth is Our Home’, ‘Drops of Water’, etc. They chose topics that reflected their Unit of Inquiry on ‘Environment’. The participants were judged on the basis of their preparation, organization, presence of mind, eye contact, content and voice modulation.

On the other hand, the JAM session had students compete in ‘a minute to win it’. Students from across Grades III to V spoke on the spot on themes such as ‘Unity in Diversity’, ‘Save the Environment’, ‘Ethnic Expressions’, ‘Effects of Pollution’, ‘Continents’, ‘Endangered Animals’, ‘Religion’, etc. The students were able to think on their feet and spontaneously articulate their thoughts in a very clear and persuasive way, by connecting the themes to their real-world experiences through field trips as well as the inquiries they had undertaken.

The Wonders of Weather

Students of IB PYP Grade V visited the Meteorological Centre, Begumpet to inquire and learn about factors affecting climate and how the weather forecast is recorded.

The prime responsibility of the Indian Weather Department is observing the meteorological movements. Mr. Sudhir Kumar, one of the staff present, interacted with our students and explained the process of recording the temperatures. He even showed them the equipment used to record the temperature.

Fine-Dining!

Our IK-I students visited ‘Thinespo’, a restaurant in Kompally, Hyderabad as part of their Inquiry on ‘Manners and Etiquettes’.The children were eager for the opportunity to translate their inquiry into action.

It fascinating to see our children demonstrating impressive self management skills and social skills at such a tender age. The trip saw them actively make make links to ‘healthy’ food and habits. Our little learners made sure they used hand-sanitizers and wore their apron before sitting down for an unforgettable meal and experience. They rapidly made connections to the table etiquettes and manners they had explored and applied the same.

This experience will indeed help our tiny tots go further with their learning in the ongoing inquiry.

A Day of Love!

Grandparents play a vital role in the life of every child. DRSIS took time to felicitate and honour the grandparents of our students and celebrate these bonds that transcend generations in a fun way!

It was a special day for all those who attended the programme and witnessed the several heart warming moments that students of Grades IK to V strove hard through practise to perfect.

The event started with the felicitation of the guest for the day, Ms Shashikala Ji and Ms Sunitha Agarwal, with a token of the school’s gratitude and love. This was followed by the recitation of a poem by one of our students, on ‘Grandpa & Grandma-Hold Me a Little Longer’ which expressed the bond grand children share with their grandparents.

Later, our tiny tots from International Kindergarten dressed in colorful attire and danced for their doting grandmas and grandpas to the song ‘I Like to Move it’.While the Grade I students danced to the tune of ‘Nani teri morni’, Grade 2 students sang a melodious song about how grand children are always excited to visit their grandparents house. Grade 3 presented a song which paid tribute to grandparents’ love and their importance in our life. Grade IV students presented an energetic rendition of ‘Nukkad Natika’ to show their affection towards Dada-Dadi, Nana-Nani and to cheer them up they also presented some hindi chukuleys. Grade V students performed a flash mob of retro melodies.

The fun games and group activities organized for the grandparents was a wonderful way of increasing overall family and community involvement, encouraging greater understanding across generations, building closer bonds between them, affirming the value of children and older adults, and giving them a platform to spend some quality time together.

Everyone seemed truly happy and the grandparents absolutely adored the idea of celebrating Grandparents’ Day as they were deeply touched by their little ones’ participation and love.

Hindi Diwas

The IB PYP students from Grade I to V organized a unique program in order to celebrate the National Language Day – ‘Hindi Diwas’ at DRS International School. The students celebrated with great fervour by observing a special assembly with lots of recreational activities.

To show their appreciation towards the national language, Grade I & II recited poems in Hindi on ‘Community Helpers’ and ‘Nature’ respectively and spoke on the importance of the language in the contemporary society.

Going ahead with the celebrations, Grade III presented a dance praising Hindi language which helped students explore their knowledge of the language with different hues and flavors. Grade IV even did a ‘Nukkad Natika’ on the song ‘Hum Hindustani’ to promote National Integration and unity in diversity and as well as to highlight the importance of Hindi in our country.

To throw light on the rich history of this language, Grade V recited the doheys of Kabir Das, hindi chutkule and performed a skit by depcting the story of ‘Krishna Deva Raya and Tenali Raman the form of a skit that enthralled the entire audience.

Learning about Learning!

Here at DRS, we believe that professional development for our facilitators has the power to drive all learning in school. Ms Annabelle Villamarin and Ms Preeti, both IB Workshop Leaders from the Asia-Pacific region, conducted workshops on the 8th and 9th of September 2017, for our IB PYP Facilitators on ‘Concept-Based Learning’ and ‘Making the PYP Happen’ respectively.

These workshops were an excellent opportunity for our facilitators, to revisit their knowledge of the written, taught and assessed curricula in PYP. Both homeroom facilitators and specialist teachers made the most of the workshop.

The workshop by Ms Villamarin, centered around untapping the power of concepts to drive inquiries and conceptual understanding through a variety of exercises and learning engagements to stimulate the facilitators. The workshop by Ms Preeti, on the other hand, focussed on revisiting the foundational elements and nuances of the curriculum in a hands-on manner.

Scotland Calls!

The University of St. Andrews, Scotland, which has a 600 year old heritage, is one of the finest institutions world-wide for higher education. The students of IBDP 1, IBDP 2 and grade XII interacted with Prof. Kurien Joseph. During the session, he explained the educational system at St. Andrews, the diversity available in the form of nationalities, sports, subject choices, clubs, extra-curricular activities and the traditions that are being followed since its establishment. This particular interaction was a great learning experience for the students.

Most importantly, the students gained great clarity by understanding the opportunities to learn interdisciplinarily and identify fields of interest for better individual & professional growth. This particular interaction was a great learning experience for the students.

Community Connect!

We are very glad to share that IBDP-1 students had visited the Government school, Dhulapally on 21st August, 2017 as a part of their CAS programme. They made a presentation on ‘Awareness of Seasonal Diseases’.

Our students were also involved in tutoring Grade V students about drawing and inspired them to draw pictures on the theme ‘Environment Protection’.

They even taught origami in a session with the kids. Besides all this, they conducted Kho-Kho and Kabbadi games for these kids and finally took part in community service i.e serving lunch during their mid-day meal programme.

Social Scientists

The IB PYP Social Science week 2017 is being observed at DRSIS from the beginning of the 2nd to 7th September 2017 whereby a myriad of theme based assembly activities are being carried out by the PYP students of Grades I to V. Day 1 began with a song presentation on ‘Importance of Water’ and ‘Conservation of Water’ relating to their topic, ‘Natural Resources’ and ‘Taking Action on Saving Earth’ by Grade I Daisy and Daffodil respectively. Grade II presented a song on ‘Save the Earth’. The aim was to not only create awareness among the students about Earth’s environment, but also to sensitise them to the grave problems of the water crisis and its consequences in India and around the world. They shared their ideas on saving water through a song and showcased the importance of going green today for a better tomorrow.

Grades III Daisy and Daffodil gave a presentation on ‘Greetings Around the World’. They spoke about the importance of greetings and how people greet in different countries. The presentation was indeed very entertaining and comprehensive as each one of them presented the greeting styles through beautiful demonstrations.

Grades IV Daisy and Daffodil presented the song on ‘What a Wonderful World’ as they learned about the different states of India and their unity in diversity. They appreciated the diversity of nature and living beings through the song. The students had an exciting experience learning more about India’s heritage and culture.

This was then followed by a dance on ‘Unity in Diversity’ by Grade V students to show the diversity of India and to express their understanding of the theme –‘Where We Are in Place and Time’. They represented the traditional dresses and celebrations of different states of India through the song ‘I am Just Like You’.

The enthusiastic participation of the students in depicting the current social issues was indeed a great platform for learning. The students had an enriching and enjoyable experience.

Teachers' Day

Teachers’ Day was celebrated at DRS International School with great fervor. The Student body, who had been preparing for the grand day for more than a week, organised a special programme dedicated to their teachers to honor and appreciate their special contributions towards education. They heartily welcomed all the teachers and thanked them for their selfless service.

The senior students commenced the assembly by drawing everyone’s attention to the significant role teachers play in their students’ lives. After the school song and the news, Abhinav and Kaushal from IBDP 2 and Grade 12 belted out a few popular songs.

The stunning dance performance by the Rose Group mesmerized everyone with their graceful moves and made the viewers sit back and enjoy the performance. Thereafter, retro songs were sung by the students for their teachers to enjoy. Soon after, former students of the batch of 2016-17 were honoured for securing admissions in universities abroad for their higher education and were wished every success.

The secondary boys gave the day a fun twist with a musical on ‘Students’ Life- Before, During and After Exams’. The audience were in splits of laughter and thoroughly enjoyed their humorous performance. The senior secondary students from Grade 12 and IBDP 2 set the stage on fire with their captivating dance performances. The programme concluded with a note of gratitude from the teaching community.

The staff versus students cricket and throwball matches that followed were a treat to watch. The students were, no doubt, surprised by their teachers’ sportsmanship and athletic skills. The matches, special lunch and the informal get together organized for teachers that followed, were thoroughly enjoyed by all. It was a truly memorable day as the teachers basked in the love they received from their students!