IB PYP Coffee Morning

Coffee Mornings are fun at DRSIS. The IB PYP Coffee Morning held on this Saturday was an excellent opportunity for parents to come along and hear all about the exciting things that are happening at DRSIS as well as learn ways in which to help and encourage learning at home. It was a good opportunity to meet school staff, chat with other parents and learn about a range of different things over a cup of tea and biscuits.

The children presented to the parents what they did in the whole of this inquiry through charts, PPT’s, explained slides on summative assessment and did group activity work on which they were assessed. They described to the parents the stages of Inquiry, how the inquiry goes about, what they have learnt and how did they do the inquiry. The UOI were based on themes like ‘Homes’, ‘Rights and Responsiblities’, Human Body, Tribes etc. They performed skits on cutting trees, traffic rules, maintaining cleanliness, public rights & rules and wrote points under ‘Tea Charts’. Role plays were also done with the help of model presentations, puppet shows, Songs, poems and dances on Gond tribes, Native America and Zulu tribes, Human Body, about cells, tissues, organs and organ systems as part of their Inquiry.

The parents were all happy to see their kids performance and appreciated the Coffee Morning concept. A rubric was made for the parents to grade the children. They were given chance to ask questions during the presentations to know more about the UOI. They also shared experiences and gave suggestions including ways to help the children with their learning and support on a wide range of matters.

DRSMUN 2K17 Newsletter

DRSMUN 2K17: “Its Your World!”

The DRSMUN, after having hosted four successful Conferences, is back with another edition of DRSMUN 2K17 which is now officially open! The first day of the conference began with the opening ceremony which took place at DRS International School attended by 400 delegates- from different places and schools.

Among the chief guests were IPS Officer Dr. Soumya Mishra, Mr Sanjay Agarwal (Director), Ms Pinky Agarwal (Director) and CEO of MDN Edify, Ms Kavitha Jain.

The welcome speech given by Vice Principal Mr Noronha, encouraged the students to participate in the conference with his lines “You hold the promise for tomorrow and it’s your world.”Our Principal, Dr Gaurav Muradia, along with other dignitaries released the DRSMUN2K17 Delegate Hand Book . The Chief Guest, Dr. Soumya Mishra (IPS), the first ever female officer from Odisha, through her motivational speech, shared that the rosary or rudraksh mantra to success is hardwork and knowledge.

Ms Janet Fanaian briefed the students about the next three days and congratulated all the participants that are going to attend one of the most successful student conferences.

Besides a moving invocation dance, the school choir sang for “Unity & Togetherness- to save the world for a better tomorrow”. The School Band struck a chord with some great Instrumental music that set the ambience. A symbolic contemporary dance performance by our senior students conveyed the symbolic message of a world that could only be healed with understanding. The end of the ceremony saw everyone come together for a snapshot to preserve the memory of the conference and Secretary General, Manas hoisting the United Nations flag and declaring the DRSMUN Conference open!

DRSMUN is a great opportunity for students to discuss global issues, develop a culture of collaboration, prepare for their role as global citizens besides acting as a platform to develop their leadership and social skills. Although formal, thankfully, the atmosphere was very cordial as students enjoyed themselves talking to each other, meeting new people and it was evident that the delegates were not only knowledgeable and well-informed but also very keen in analysing and resolving the problems debated through discussion before the session came to ajourn. Overall, the delegates and other dignitaries enjoyed the first day at the conference.

Each of the six committees of DRSMUN, Indian Parliament- LOKSABHA, United Nations Economics & Social Council (ECOSOC), UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), UN Security Council (UNSC), United Nations General Assembly-Cyberwarfare (UNGA), Futuristic Continuous Crisis Committee (FCCC), Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Union of European Associations (UEFA), has one main agenda to be discussed for the 3 days. The topic chosen for each committee is highly relevant to current global concerns and can have direct impact.

CULTURE SHOCK!

Is it possible to really completely understand a culture different from one’s own? Our Grade IX students of the residential wing wrestled with this and questions of prejudice in a session held for them yesterday.

Our students chose props of their choice to enact a tribal ritual assigned to them with specified prompts, while the other group of students were tasked with understanding and reporting the event as ‘National Geographic’ reporters making a mock documentary. With djembe rhythms and improvisation, the exercise helped students understand that cultures different from our own or unfamiliar to us are not ‘inferior’ or ‘under-developed’ in any way and operate with their own norms and codes.

Into The Wild

Our Grade VI students of both the CBSE & the CIE visited the ‘Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad’ to explore first-hand how animals are classified according to their eating habits. The Zoo is the first in India to have animals arranged in Zoological order, in open enclosures. Such open enclosures, as they have a natural ambience, make animals feel at home. Students enriched their knowledge about how eating habits determine classification by finding the answers to their questions through direct observation and inquiry. Students related their existing knowledge acquired during the lesson, ‘Food: Where does it come from?’ to their experiences in the field trip.

The students got the opportunity to observe different several indigenous animals like Asiatic Lions, Royal Bengal Tigers (Yellow & White), Panthers, Indian Rhino, Gaur, Several primates, Bears, Deers, Antelopes, Birds, Reptiles etc. Exotic animals like Giraffe, Iguanas, and Chimpanzee were also a treat to see.

Being one of the first zoos to open a Butterfly Park in the 90s, the students enjoyed spotting different species of butterflies in the Park. Several host plants have been specially planted in this park to attract the Butterflies. Aviaries with recently added birds was definitely an add-on attraction for our curious students as well.

The renovated Aquarium with its large fish tanks had several aquatic species on display. Both fresh water and marine aquatic life were studied closely by our students, who were fascinated by their colours and striations.

Dancing Our Way to Fitness!

As part of a new initiative in the Residential Wing, our hostel students enjoyed a workout of a very different kind in a Zumba dance class held this Saturday!

Part of the Zumba Dance Fitness Programme at DRS, the session with Ms Anukriti saw our kids begin with warm-ups including step-touch and basic arm movements that encouraged lower and upper body co-ordination. They then powered through some High Intensity Merengue, paced with Medium Intensity African rhythms, alternated by High Intensity Reggaeton and some power-packed Bollywood rhythms.

The session saw our students understand how they can infuse music and energy into their workout routines while not compromising on rigour!

Time-Travellers!

The Qutb Shahi dynasty (or Golconda Sultanate) has contributed vastly to the history of Hyderabad with their legendary patronage of arts, architecture and science. On the 26th and 27th of July, our students of Grades VII & VIII ventured out to the Golconda Fort for a field trip into the past! A detailed map of the fort showing the different entrances welcomed the curious students to explore the fort and all its secrets.

The guide at the fort, playfully explained the story and purpose behind each structure as well as the chronological order of the monarchy and the dynastic rule.The students tried to derive a logical sequence of every element of the fort, focusing on some in particular.

The fort of Golconda is well-known for its magical acoustic system and this fascinated the students. The highest point of the fort – the “Bala Hissar”, the palaces, factories, water supply system and the famous “Rahban” cannon, within the fort were all points for interest and discussion for the students. The students returned back to school with an the experience of an inspiring slice of history.