How to Develop my Child’s Musical Intelligence

The capacity to deeply understand, appreciate and create music is one of the finest abilities we possess as human beings. The amazing thing about this ability is that it is not just innate, but can also be developed throughout the course of an individual’s lifetime. Research suggests that the early years are foundational in developing a child’s flair for music, and some even go as far as to say that foetuses respond to music while still in the womb! Whatever the case, parents can do a lot to nurture their child’s musical ability. Here are some ideas we think you can try out:
1) Exposure to Classical Music
It’s a well-known fact that both western and indian classical music improve focus and cognition among other aspects. Giving your child a taste of classical music, instills in them a deep sense of awareness for rhythm and musical notes. Choose from a selection from maestros like Mozart and Beethoven, as well as from classical music from India, such as masters like Ravi Shanker and Bismillah Khan, among other legends.

2) Music from across Cultures
Different cultures vary in their range of musical techniques, instruments used and notational systems. Choosing music from across cultures broadens your child’s musical repertoire and ultimately, musical intelligence. Djembe beats from Africa, folksongs from Russia, European Gnossiennes and Chinese ‘Guzheng’ music, can help your child develop a unqiue appreciation for music from across borders. Do also experiment your child to explore music from different cultures within India, with a special focus on the ancient music of your particular culture.

3) Musical Games
Musical Games are great for helping children of all ages develop their musical intelligence. Playing games that involve beats, rhythms and singing can develop your child’s ability to identify and eventually create, their own music. Simple games like identifying chords, creating musical patterns, clapping to rhythms and continuing tunes can help your child make the leap from understanding music to creating their own.

4) Playing a Musical Instrument
The best international schools in Hyderabad offer music lessons for children. What sets schools like DRS International School apart is the individual attention and training given to children who play different instruments. We have dedicated studios and teachers for Guitars, Keyboards, Vocal Music etc to give students specialized coaching in the musical instrument they have understaken to learn. You can supplement this at home, by encouraging your child to practise playing the instrument at home, at a specific time everyday.
These tips help your child improve their musical intelligence, ability to read and create their own music and nurtures a life-long love for music overall. Do try them out and watch your little musician blossom.

How to improve my child’s fine motor skills

Fine motor skills are the skills use when we make small movements. These skills generally involve coordination between muscle groups and neurons in the fingers, wrists etc.
Your child's fine motor skill helps him/her to grow more independent, here are some activities which help your child develop fine motor skills.

• Clapping hands

Tiny tots feel great when they clap hands for a little achievement. Clapping helps them in improving the brain and hand coordination. Clapping is an exciting way to learn concepts in math’s like numbers and helps children develop a sense of rhythm, learn besides a flair for music.

• cutting out simple shapes with safety scissors

Let your child cut some stuff like clay dough, straws, strings, cooked noodles with a pair of safety scissors before cutting coarse paper. Cutting shapes out of paper with scissors in a proper way helps them improve their ability to coordinate finger dexterity, hand eye co-ordination.

• Pasting pictures

 Pasting cut out pictures to paper, for example, also develops fun. Take your child’s favorite rhyme and make a storyboard of that particular rhyme. Collect some pictures and assist them to paste these pictures to help them in improving their fine motor skills as well as in recalling rhyme and their plot lines.

• Puzzle arrangement

Tricky puzzles are always challenging and absorb a child’s complete concentration besides putting their thinking skills to test. Take cardboard puzzles and ask the child to arrange the puzzle. This can vastly improve their thinking skills and hand-eye coordination.

• Buttoning and unbuttoning

Little hands are always busy doing some or the other thing and most of all they also love getting ready on their own. Buttoning and unbuttoning of shirts can improve their fine motor skills. First, let them learn how to unbutton as matching buttonholes can be challenging. Demonstrate the process one step after step, encouraging your child to follow suit. Over time, your child will pick up both ability and speed.

• Building blocks tower or stacking

Stacking playing with toys or making a pyramid/tower helps children in developing their fine motor skills and also cognitive development, their ability to identify shapes and colors besides honing hand and eye coordination greatly challenge your child challenge to pick a particular shape or build color pyramid with in a time limit helps in the development of multiple skills. Like time management and self management skills.

• Clothes –line games

Little munchkins always try to learn from you and imitate you. Let them participate in your routine chores at home as this develops bonding. Hanging clothes to dry makes little muscles stronger. Challenge them to hang a single sock of different colors and ask the child to pick the other socks of the same color such activities would encourage the child to learn colors as well as the develop fine motor skills

• Lacing or weaving

Take a cardboard sheet and cut it into a shape of your choice and then punch in holes edges of the shape. Take some lace, add a piece of tape to both edges and teach them how to weave from one hole to another. Lacing activities like this ensure that your child has fun while he or she grows .

Friendly match at St.Peters'! Inter-School Friendly Basketball Match

‘Basketball is a lifelong game. You continue to learn from the game day in and day out, and all along the way, you get better’ -Scottie Pippen.

There’s nothing like a friendly match to liven up a gloomy day! Our residential students participated in a friendly Inter-School Basketball Match against St. Peter’s International Residential School, at their campus. The match saw both teams put their best feet forward, with players combining their passion for the game with the skills and training they have perfected through coaching. Friendly matches like these certain go a long way in fostering a strong sense of community spirit and camaraderie.

Exploring new Territory! Club Meet

Club Meets at DRS International School really push the envelope when it comes to innovation. Our students are always eager to discover what activities and projects their club mentors have in store for them. The second club meet of July saw students innovate with new ideas and new techniques, across the clubs.

Our musicians of the Music Club worked together to create their own composition, while the Cuisine Club carefully put together one of the most delectable desserts- a fruit pudding! Students of the Design and Technology Club, on the other hand, created their own melodies with the software, ‘Audacity’.

The DRSIS Community and Humane Club put finishing touches to their ongoing project of creating rakhi and friendship bands for a noble cause. The Performing Arts Club also made the most of the meet with a refreshing dance collaboration for freestyle dance moves. The Visual Arts Club completed crafting their jute pencil stands, putting passion into both the processs and the product. The MUN Club, likewise, got together to get to know their country a little better, digging up interesting facts and information from the MUN perspective.

Shades of Yellow! ‘Yellow’ Day Celebrations

Every color has its importance, and our facilitators of the International kindergarten encourage children to appreciate each color in new ways. On the  26^th of July, our budding inquirers of the International Kindergarten celebrated Yellow Day with a colourful, day-long celebration.

Yellow is a colour that symbolizes joy and intellectual energy. Our little ones embodied this spirit of energy and exuberance when they took to the stage for their performances. The children of IK I danced joyfully to the music of the ‘Roly Poly’ rhyme, while the kids of IK II wowed everyone with their fun rendition of the  ‘Gummy Bears Dance’. Last but not the least, our tiny tots of IK III danced for ‘Clap your Hands’ and ‘Baby Shark’.

Our students also developed their fine motor skills with preparing their take-aways. IK I students created the ‘Welcome Smiley Emoji’ , while our tots of IK II crafted a yellow, ‘Giraffe’. Not to be outdone, our creative little ones of IK III also showed us their creative side by making yellow chicks and ducks.

Leading our Leaders! Leadership Development Programme

A Leadership Development Programme was held on the 17^th and 18^th of July 2018.The main objective of this two day programme was to support our school leaders in actualizing their own potential as leaders.
Day One of this training saw our leadership team get divided into three groups. The groups were subsequently asked to name their group, give a tagline for the group name and were given an array of activities to help them to get to know each other better. These teams were built for the next two days of the workshop for coordinating various activities.

The workshop started with the team working on defining a leader, though in the true sense of the word, it is challenging to define one, given the myriad shared of leadership. Therefore the various attributes of a good leader were discussed with wonderful anecdotes from the participants being highlighted in the process. The discussions then spilled over to the development of leadership qualities such as leaders being task managers, having the skill for not only managing emotions and rather than being the leaders of people emotions. The need for developing a good EQ (Emotional Quotient), (MQ) Moral Quotient, besides the mere development of IQ was reflected upon.

The participants were made to understand that people skills should be based on two parameters - Character and Competence. The fun activities not only contributed towards building a strong team but also focused on the development of leadership attributes.
Day two the session was a one on one discussion with each participant sharing their experiences and reflecting on their learning from day 1. The spirit was high with participants freely opening up about both good and bad experiences and the trainer (Mr. Nirmal) giving them feedback on ways to deal and tackle with varying circumstances. Positive orientation towards people, communication, giving up on assumptions, dynamism in leadership were few of the discussions that happened across the table.
The day ended on a note of gratitude to the organizers and to each other for making the workshop an open one with everyone being able to benefit from the free expression of thoughts and ideas.

Building our Cambridge Toolkit! IGCSE Workshop

Mrs.Shivani Dhoreliya, our English Facilitator, attended a workshop held for IGCSE English teachers on 20th and 21st July  2018, hosted by the Shri Ram International School, Noida, Delhi. The workshop was essentially held to apprise the teachers of the changes in assessment structure from the year 2020. The 2019 paper pattern was also discussed at length. The various components of the two papers were dissected and the method of correction by the examiners as well as the marking and its criterion were explained to the teachers. The importance of accessing the teacher's hub to stay in touch with changes in the Programme, the significance reading of the examiner's report and the changes in the teacher support format were other things the attendees understood at length. Finally, easier methods for the classroom delivery of concepts was conveyed to teachers through interactive activities.

4 ways changes your child can expect when choosing an international curriculum

The decision to choose an international curriculum can be a life-changing one, for both your child and you. With a whole slew of changes and adjustments in store for your child, there are some changes you can definitely expect when switching from a national curriculum to an international one:

1. A focus on international mindedness

International Mindedness, simply put, is not just a global outlook, but the ability to understand that people with perspectives and contexts very diverse from ours’ can also be right in their own ways. When studying an international curriculum, your child becomes more open-minded and tolerant, given the diversity of perspectives and learning contexts he or she gets to explore.

2. Global exposure and platforms

Schools offering international curricula are often part of wider networks of schools and associations. Right from Model United Nations Conferences, to seminars and competitions for students of varying skill-sets, international schools take participation and representation to the global level. Student experiences and student life in general, is not restricted to the local community alone.

3. Membership of a global community of learners

Students who study an international curriculum experience the benefit of being part of a wider, global community of learners, who diverse in their culture, linguistic and ideological backgrounds. For example, as an IB World School, our students participate in global challenges like #generationIB and #IB50 celebrations that encourage collaboration and interaction between learners from different parts of the globe.

4. The transdisciplinary approach to learning

International curriculum like the International Baccalaureate and the Cambridge Assessments International Education, offer an integrated transdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning that often leads to disciplinary specialization by the end of the schooling years. This means that students of an international curriculum gain both breadth and depth of understanding over the years.

These are some changes you can expect with choosing an international curriculum for your child. These benefits ensure that your child gets a signficant, relevant and challenging education!

Chess Maestros! Inter-house Chess Competition

This year’s Inter-House Chess Competition was organized through a series of matches on the 16^th of July 2018 for the primary wing and the 19^th of July 2018 for senior students.T he students of Galileo, Newton, DaVinci, and Tesla Houses showed their focus, ability to strategize and think ahead through their moves in outstanding ways. Students were divided into four categories- Grades I-II, Grades III-V, Grade VI-VIII and Grades IX-XII to compete according to their skill and levels of training. The huge turnout of participants ensured that the competition was a week-long one with a nail-biting finish on the last day. The students’ ability to calculate, choose appropriate tactics, and making strategic openings and visualize endgames was highly impressive. There’s no doubt that our brand ambassador, Mr  Vishwanath Anand continues to inspire our students.

Launching Careers! Univariety Student Portal and Mobile Application Launch

As part of our career guidance program to assist high school students in further evaluating career paths and options after high school, our school teamed up with Univariety, a Singapore based organization that specializes in the field of career planning and higher education counseling for multiple destination countries including India.   Their well-structured program aims to guide the student and parent starting from Grade X to Grade XII.

The launch of Univariety student portal and the Mobile application was organized on Saturday by the career guidance department in association with Univariety. The students and parents from classes X-XII  attended the orientation session on how to make use of the following services that are accessible on the portal. Students, later on, created their profiles on the portal and started to use them.
The Key Features of the platform are:

• 4 Milestone based customized career counseling plan for every student.
• Access to 26 deep dive research tools.
• Counselor in your Pocket- Career Guidance over a Chat all the days 10 am to 10 pm, just download the Univariety App and Chat with a counselor!
• Psychometric Test detailed Report on the aptitude of the Child.
• Support to finalize on Stream, course, and country where the student wants to study.
• Guidance on preparation of the entrance tests, timelines and back up options.
• Indian and International colleges study options(Finalization of colleges to apply to and creation of backup options)
• Invites for Interactive Webinars with Universities & Experts from around the world
• University Connect & Private Interactions with Universities
• Scholarships & funding options.
• Alumni Guidance– Students get the opportunity to connect with seniors of DRS International School through Alumni Guidance system.

It’s Official! DRSIS SAT Registered Test Center

DRS International School is now a registered SAT test center for students aspiring to study abroad. The SAT is a rigorous and challenging standardized test widely used to secure admissions into universities in the United States. Becoming a SAT center is no easy feat, as a process of quality assurance checks are in place to ensure that only institutions with the highest standards and credibility are registered as SAT centers.

Helping Hands! IBDP –Akshaya Patra –CAS Activity

As part of CAS, we the students of IBDP went to visit a Government school under the scheme of Akshaya Patra on the 17th of July. Akshaya Patra is a non-profit organization, which supplies mid-day meals for various government schools throughout India. During our visit there, we created awareness among the children of the school about health and the importance of having a balanced diet. Additionally, we played games with them and served them lunch.

We also donated books and stationary to all the children before we left. It was a great experience to interact and spend time with them. This visit helped us understand how privileged we are and made us realize that we should be giving back to our society as well.
-Niharika Talasila, IBDP II

Singing for Unity! Inter-House Group Singing Competition

The Primary Wing at DRS International School recently conducted an Inter-House Group Singing Competition on the 20^th of July, 2018 that saw students from Grades I to V team up to express their respect for the nation’s journey of independence through singing, in anticipation of the Independence Day Celebrations. Students put up impressive vocal performances that showcased their passion for music and their flair for pitch, rhythm and expression. While students of Tesla House sang ‘Khuli Khuli in Aankho mein se’, Newton House chose to sing ‘Hum Bache Hindustan Ke’. Galileo House had the audience sway to ’Hum Sab Bharatiya Hey ’ even as  Da Vinci House sang a song about the nation’s development. The competition succeeded in encouraging our students to work together and harness music’s ability to unite people.

5 things you need to know about an inquiry based-curriculum!

As one of the top international schools in AP & Telangana that offer the IB (International Baccalaureate) and Cambridge (CAIE, IGCSE) Curriculum, we understand the parents have lots of questions and doubts about how the inquiry based approach is different in an international school. We have a list of 5 key ideas you definitely need to know about an inquiry based-curriculum:

1. Inquiry is driven by children

Inquiry based curriculum like the IB and CAIE are student-centric, which means they place the learner first. In an inquiry-based classroom children make decisions about what they learn and how they learn through their questions and discoveries. Although facilitators collaborative plan units of inquiry, children’s prior knowledge and their learning goals for themselves give the inquiry its real shape.

2. Inquiry based learning experiences are fuelled by curiosity
   Inquiry channels the child’s natural curiosity and taps its potential to be a powerful motivator for learning. Inquiry based classrooms value children’s questions about the world around them and teachers in such classrooms inquire with children, rather than merely teaching them content. Teachers use artefacts, questions and provocations to drive and guide the inquiry, and facilitates powerful collaboration between students.
   
3. Inquiry based curriculum is transdisciplinary and conceptually driven

While traditional curriculum often focuses on the delivery of content and information, an inquiry-based curriculum like the International Baccalaureate is driven by key concepts that link learning across different disciplines. This helps children focus on powerful big ideas and learn in a natural and authentic way. A concept like change, for example, would help children made broad connections between adaptation, water cycles, and something like a social revolution. Subject-specific concepts, meanwhile add to the depth and rigor of learning and help them ask narrower questions.

4. Inquiry promotes the development of skills
   Activities, questions, assessments and teacher provocations are also designed to promote the development of skills in an inquiry based curriculum. Thinking-skills such as analysis and problem-solving, social skills such as conflict resolution and working as a group, communication skills like writing and presenting are all woven into the curriculum and develop with each inquiry and grade level. Other skills like research skills and self-management skills are also equally given opportunities for growth and development.
5. 
   
6. Inquiry leads to action

Learning is only effective when it translates into action. Inquiry-based learning is truly educational in the sense that it inspires students to take action, by making a difference in their lives or that of others through advocating a cause, sharing their learning or making a lifestyle change inspired what they inquired about. This action-orientedness makes inquiry-based learning truly transformative.

Exploring coordination of body systems! Grade III-Field trip to Health Museum

Grade III students visited the ‘Health Museum’, Nampally to inquire about the functions of body organs as part of their inquiry on ‘coordination of body systems and how they balance its functions’. They explored two sections of the Health Museum including exhibits featuring issues related to health and nutrition. The exhibits helped students go further and make visual connections between their learning and their experiences, and connect to the inquiry better.

Art-attack! Inter-House On the Spot Art competitio

Colour and shape took a million forms at the Inter-House On the Spot Art Competition held on the 18^th of July, 2018. Our students were inspired to express themselves creatively with the themes given to them on the spot. While the junior category was challenged to take their inspiration from the weather, with the theme, ‘A Day in the Rain’, our senior students let their imaginations run wild with the theme ‘World 2050’. The thirty minutes that followed, saw our students experiment with dry mediums and create impressive sketches and illustrations that wowed the judges.

Little Architects!Grade II-Field Trip ‘Tour to Financial City and Whisper Valley’

Our Inquirers of Grade II toured the Financial City and Whisper Valley to inquire about different building structures, their design, materials, and size on the 17^th of July 2018. The field trip was driven by our students’ curiosity, and was provoked by the central idea  of their current inquiry- ‘houses differ according to the place one lives in’. Students applied their thinking skills to analyse why we need shelter. The tour helped them identify and classify different types of homes and residential structures. Students gained insight into different architectural styles and homes that have high value in terms of heritage.

 

4 Activities to Make the Most of a Rainy Day!

The monsoon is here, and we’re guessing your child is probably not thrilled to be indoors. Give the iPad some rest with these handpicked activities that both your child and you will enjoy playing:
1) An Indoor Obstacle Course
If your little one is a bundle of energy and is missing playing at their favourite playground, don’t let the rain dampen their spirits. Design a fun and safe indoor obstacle course for your little one to put their skills to the test. Clear the living room, roll out some rugs, and scatter boxes, buckets and baskets for your child to navigate. To add an extra element of challenge for an older child, throw in a blindfold and give them instructions yourself!
2) Rainy Day Crafts
If your child is artistically inclined, challenge them into creating these photo frames and pen stands that our students of the Visual Arts Club recently created. They also made fun cardboard mazes that your little one can surely give a try!

3) Flameless Cooking Experiments for Kids 
There’s only one thing children can’t resist besides eating a yummy dish- the opportunity to make it themselves. Give your little master chef a corner of the kitchen and let them cook up a storm. There are many easy recipes for flameless cooking that our Cuisine Club has explored this year that can inspire your child and make him or her forget all about gloomy skies and puddles.

4) Create a Family Crest Together
A rainy day is an excellent opportunity to build some family spirit. Round up your family and inspire everyone to give make your family crest a shot. Have some templates for banners and crests ready, and have fun discussing what your family motto can be. Our residential students made family crests for their families and had a blast creating them. It’s a great way to pinpoint what values and ideas your family stands for!

These offbeat ideas will definitely have your children begging for more rainy days. Do try out these rainy day games and family activities and let us know how it goes.

Meeting the Mailman! Field Trip to Head Post office-Grade-I

Our inquirers of Grade I visited the ‘Head Post Office’, at Patny, Secunderabad on the 11^th of June, 2018 as part of their mission to understand the role played by community helpers such as postmen. Students interacted with various employees of the Post Office, including the post-master and several postmen and tried to understand their roles and responsibilities along with the entire process of postal delivery. This visit was a part of the students’ ongoing Inquiry on ‘Community Helpers ‘. Students understood that every occupation has its own importance and responsibility towards the larger community. To help them better understand the mailing process the postman undertakes, students received postcards to mail back home.

Professional Development! Faculty Development IBDP

Lifelong learning is at the heart of our pedagogy at DRSIS. The Faculty Development Programme for our IBDP facilitators after the summer break, began with teachers reflecting on their professional development assignments done in the holidays and this involved much discussion on how to bring more creativity and innovation to our classrooms.

Day 2 of the FDP was completely dedicated to the unpacking of the Extended Essay, with teachers brainstorming on the assessment criteria, RPPF, RRS, and the EE exemplars. Day 3 of the FDP, on the other hand, accounted for discussion of the school policies that included the Academic Honesty, Language and Assessment Policies. Day 4 saw our teachers reflect on how the school’s practices align with the IB Standards and Practices for the Diploma Programme. Finally, on Day 5 our teachers spent time planning and preparing for the upcoming Parent Orientation and to welcome the new DP Batch of 2018-2020.

Getting the Basics Right! Parent Orientation – IBDP

Students’ education is at the centre of all that we do. We share every parent's commitment to the success of their child.  The IB Diploma Programme is an academically challenging and balanced programme of education which requires continuous support and understanding from the teachers and parents. To start the two-year journey and beyond the IBDP staff conducted an orientation session on 23rd June 2018.

The DP staff had been extensively working on planning, reviewing and framing strategies to make this programme a wonderful experience for the students. The orientation was facilitated by the staff members to set expectations as well as address a number of questions the parents had in mind on day 1 of DP.

A Stunning Display! Inter-School Yoga Competition

DRS International School made quite a splash recently in the Inter-School Yoga Competition conducted by Sanskriti School on the 30th of June, 2018 that saw ten schools participate. Aarushi of Grade X and Thanmai of Grade VII represented our school at the competition and made us proud with a stunning display of technical finesse and competitive spirit.

The competition challenged participants to display of one round of Surya Namaskar, followed by the demonstration of Chakrasana, Gand Perudasana, Eka Pada Shirshasana, and Baddha Padmasana by all the participants. While all the participants proved their agility and technique, Aarushi of Grade Xbagged the third place this competition.

The Art of Elocution! Intra-Group Elocution Competition-Residential

Elocution is an art that is difficult to master! Our residential students spoke eloquently at the Intra-Group Elocution Competition held for them on 8^th July 2018. They were given an opportunity to exercise their speaking skills through the intra-group elocution competition. The topics given for each group ranged from creative ones to ones that required them to take sides. The topics for Grades IV -V included topics such as ‘If I were a character in a book, I would be …’,’Things I love about my school’, ‘My favorite thing about summer’, ‘How do rainbows work’, and ‘What could you do without television or video’. Topics for Grade VI-VIII ranged from reflective ones such as  ‘What being compassionate means to me’, ‘If I had three wishes, they would be…’ to out of the box ones such as ’Why do we have dreams when we sleep’, ‘How do animals talk to each other’. The thought-provoking topics for IX-XII were ‘One thing/advice that has changed my life…’’My inspiration is…’,’Make in India vs. Make for India’, ‘If I could change one thing about the world, it would be...’,’What is more important: Doing what’s right or being popular’, and even ones such as ‘Something I have done that I am proud of...”.

Boarders enjoyed speaking on the topics of their choice. They spoke passionately and with conviction. It was educative for the listeners and the participants learned to overcome stage fear, master their flow of thought, and non-verbal communication etc. Overall, the elocution competition was an engaging learning experience for all the students.

Special Assembly on World Population Day!

Special Assembly presentation with musical performance and speech on world population day enlightened the students during morning assembly at DRS International School. On July 11th every year is observed as World Population Day.

Our school observed World Population Day on the 11^th of July with a special morning assembly. The student-led assembly that included speeches and a special quiz highlighted factors that lead to exponential population growth and emphasised the ways in economical disparities and social problems are linked to unchecked population growth.

The main aim of this global event is to raise awareness about family planning. According to the United Nations World Population Day webpage, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the 1968 International Conference on Human Rights, where family planning was, for the first time, globally affirmed to be a human right which continues to be an important event around the world. This day creates a sense of urgency on the need to address the exploding world population, while also spreading awareness about the importance of reproductive health. Our students were keen to learn about how they could create this awareness and make a difference in a populous country such as ours.

Creative Heads ! Club Meet

Our students gave the first club meet a creative twist with their creative projects. While the cuisine club learnt the basics of vegetable carving, the literary club practiced script writing, and the Visual Arts Club made eco-friendly jute pencil stands with the help of cardboard and jute. The Performing Arts Club explored the basic traits of free-style dance. Our students of the Music Club were introduced to the theory of Music and attempted to compose their own composition.

The DRSIS Community and Humane Club designed and created their own rakhi and friendship bands while the Design and Technology club mastered Installing and Uninstall sing software even as the DRS MUN club had fun learning with a  US-themed scavenger hunt. The Club Meet was truly a success in every way.

Are patterns created or discovered? Examining mathematical patterns in a TOK Think-a-thon!

Our DP students enjoyed a collaborative Think-a-thon on the 11^th of July, 2018, in which they integrated their understanding of Mathematics with the tools of TOK! As an international school that prides itself in a culture of collaborative thinking, the Think-a-thon was a perfect platform for our inquirers and thinkers of the Diploma Programme to make their thoughts heard.

Even as our students took sides and justified their positions on whether they thought mathematical patterns like the Fibonacci Sequence and the Golden Ratio, questions such as ‘do patterns exist in the real world?’ and ‘are patterns subjective?’ had everyone think aloud.

Our students dissected their essays, shared artefacts such as sea horses and shells, and presented their research and insight into patterns and their links to other Areas of Knowledge, and the branches of mathematics itself.

The Think-a-thon was truly collaborative and saw our students think on their toes to connect their knowledge of mathematics with larger knowledge issues!