IB World International School for the World of Tomorrow - DRS

The students of DRS International School celebrated United Nations’ Day on its formation day the 24th October by organizing a special assembly. It was a day to come together; focus our energies on the goals that bind the world together and the work taken up by it in various countries. A speech by the students of Grade XI-B highlighted the aims of Sustainable Development Goals and objectives of the UN. UN flag along with 17 posters displayed the aim and targets of each goal. The chart displays made these goals stand out clearly and distinctly and also inspired the assembly to take small individual steps towards these universal goals.

Taking on the World!

Our IB PYP students at DRSIS observed Social Science Week from 27th August to 1st September 2018 with each day being an opportunity to reflect on various topics ranging from role-plays on Indian ‘Freedom Fighters’, action-songs on ‘Listen to Water’, ‘Planet Earth, ‘Continents and Oceans’ etc. Students also presented their inquiries of different themes through dances on a range of ideas such as ‘Physical Divisions of India’ etc to create awareness and culminate cultural sensitivity among one and all in a fun-filled way. The students got an opportunity to engage in myriad activities that helped them to enjoy exploring emerging concerns in social science.

Inspire, Engage, Act!

AISEC’s Youth Speak Forum is certainly one of the most leading platforms for young people and their ideas today, inspiring engagement and action by nurturing diverse perspectives and insights into actionable outcomes about pressing issues that concern the world at large.

A team of students from DRS International School participated in the Youth Speak Forum 2018 organized by AISEC at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, on 30th September 2018. With speakers who belong to various fields of expertise and are pioneering breakthroughs in different areas, the crux of the forum’s agenda was to encourage students to engage and collaboratively discuss the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and our collective progress towards this. Our students learned more about a spectrum of ideas including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Design Thinking and Business Start-Ups.

As a diverse cross-sector and multi-generational space, the forum was a unique and inspiring platform for our students to learn from a range of thinkers and their ideas.

Playnomics & More!

Faculty from the Indian School of Business & Finance (ISBF), Delhi, visited DRS International School yet again, to conduct a workshop for the students of Grade XII (CBSE & IBDP). Being an institution that is affiliated to the London School of Economics (LSE), ISBF offers undergraduate programs for Economics, Business Management, Finance and Accounting.

Led by Ms Navni Kothari, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, the workshop helped students to apply the concepts of management and finance in an interactive and competitive game format that untapped the power of real-world scenarios. Students used the format of the workshop to develop their practical understanding of concepts such as strategy, negotiation, comparative advantage, basis for trade and gains from trade. Games such as ‘Bake-off’, for example, challenged students to make rapid investment decisions and rely on their knowledge and business instincts.

The workshop certainly helped our students develop their engagement with business management, economics and other disciplines in the commerce stream while nurturing their collaboration and problem-solving skills.

Hundred Days Happier!

Every day at our International Kindergarten is a day of joy and discovery! Our little ones of the International Kindergarten celebrated their 100th day at school this academic year in a grand way with a special assembly and a range of hands-on activities that help build number sense. The tiny tots celebrated the day with indoor and outdoor games that involved the number 100, using pegboards, cones and more! The games were followed by a group formation of the number ‘100’. The little ones also made special palm printed posters that explored how ‘100 Fingers Can Create Magic’ and an emoticon activity that called for a ‘100 Smiles’. They also enjoyed fun activities that developed their fine motor skills such as coloring and decorating the number ‘100’ to mark and make this day a memorable one.

Service Above All!

The spirit of service is the essence of the Interact Club at DRS International School, and discussions on ways to realize the motto of the club, ‘Service Above All’ was the highlight of the Installation Ceremony of the club for the year 2018-19. Held on the 23rd of September, 2018, the ceremony was attended by prominent Rotarians in the city besides members of the school management. The event saw the outgoing president of the DRSIS Interact Club, Mast. Arvind Kacham present a report on the activities of the club in 2017-18, followed by installation of the new office-bearers by the dignitaries present.

RTN. Uday Pilani, President, Rotary Club Hyderabad Deccan spoke at length about the significance of service. He also flagged off the new Skill Development initiative by RCHD, after which Mast. Kiran Jadhav, the newly elected President of the Interact Club shared his action plan for 2018-19. The solemn ceremony ended on a positive note with a meeting led by the Rotarians to orient the newly elected office bearers on the scope for service-oriented activities.

The Power of Collaboration!

The Programme Community of the IB Diploma Programme is a vast network of facilitators who understand that collaboration is the key to professional development. On the 29th of September, 2018, SAIBSA or the South Asian International Baccalaureate Schools’ Association, conducted their annual Job-Alike Session for the South Zone at Oakridge International School, Hyderabad.

The session was an opportunity for faculty and school leaders from across IB World Schools to get together to share good teaching practices, teaching ideas, their expertise, and explore issues/challenges relevant to the country or region and to share strategies and solutions. Mr. Ramesh and Ms. Ranjitha, Mathematics facilitators, Ms. Poonam, Psychology facilitator, and Ms. Ferzine, Theory of Knowledge facilitator, all attended the Job-Alike Session while Mr. Nagaraju, our Librarian also facilitated a session for other IBDP Librarians.

The plenary session which included the unpacking of the EE Criteria by Mr. Kaiser Dopaishi, President, SAIBSA, was followed by breakaway sessions in which facilitators discussed curriculum changes, Approaches to Teaching & Learning, and IA criteria, among other points of discussion. The Job-Alike session certainly helped facilitators understand different approaches to their respective subject areas and share their own.

Full-Court!

Our IB PYP students participated enthusiastically in the Inter-School Basketball Tournament for boys and girls conducted as part of the 8th IB PYP Hyderabad Network Sports Fest on the 26th and 27th of September, 2018 at Oakridge, Gachibowli. Despite their young age, our participants played with commendable skill and ability and enjoyed the opportunity to represent their school and take their love for the game to the next level. 

Hot-wheels!

Our young skating prodigies made us proud at the Roller-Skating Open Championship conducted by the United Skating Coaches of Telangana State on the 29th and 30th of September, 2018. The Championship was conducted at the Indira Park Skating Rink, Hyderabad and had the best talent in the state represent their schools. Ishitraiy, Rudra and Shriyan represented DRS International School at the championship and showcased their skill and finesse with confidence.

Thinking Classrooms!

Student’s learning is greatly influenced by the pedagogical techniques facilitators use to provoke and stimulate their thinking. Our Vice Principal, Mr. Rudolf Noronha, attended a two-day Cambridge Enrichment Workshop on Metacognition on the 24th and 25th of September, 2018 as part of the Agile Leadership Conference 2018, organized by TAISI in Mumbai.

The workshop focused on how teachers can use powerful techniques such as effective classroom talk and the metacognitive approaches can enhance student learning and drive student discussions. The workshop leader, Ms. Helen Rees-Bidder, shed light on strategies to encourage learners to think deeply and independently, while also supporting assessment for learning.

Tech-Teach!

DRS International School recently organized the Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts [MIEE] Summit on 22nd September 2018. About 14 schools joined the MIEE program dedicated to supporting educators in our journey towards using technology effectively in the classroom. The summit introduced us to the innovative tools and technology that enable us to embrace next-generation interactive teaching techniques.

The summit was led by Ms. Meenakshi Oberoi, an MIEE Expert from Microsoft Educators Community who is an active facilitator and has been collaborating with schools to impart training. The program helped us educators explore the different apps that are in-built in the Microsoft outlook365 account and understand the ease with which they can be used in online /offline modes, in classroom or off-campus.

We found the applications were definitely more appealing and user-friendly than the Microsoft Office Suite. Ms. Oberoi walked us through a few apps that could be used on a regular basis by the teachers. We were engaged in creating forms, survey for PT meet, Power-Point Presentations, newsletters and were amazed by the ease in which these tasks could be made simpler and faster with these tools. The most useful application by far, was one we could use to create quizzes, homework, and assessments that could be formative in nature and instantly graded, ultimately improving student outcomes. As part of a digital learning community, the training helped enhance our pedagogical approaches in the classroom. Overall it was a very refreshing enriching summit that helped us become more connected, tech-savvy and innovative educators.

-Ms Archana Reddy, IBDP Facilitator