Grade 3- Creating an ideal community

What fun the third graders are up to! You should see them in working mode! Full of zest and energy, putting their creative instincts to the best use। We are onto our third unit of inquiry –How we organize ourselves---Communities----and as a part of enabling enduring understanding we were supposed to design community.

With the help of architect— Snehal Shah and his team of students—Kinjal, Vairagi, Shabbir, Nakul and Ankur----we successfully completed our mission.

It was a 3 day activity—Day one—We went on a city tour to observe the places of work, play, live and places that serve us. And also the general movement pattern in the city. The kids were divided into 4 groups each with a team leader from the architect’s team. They interacted with the kids and help them identify the different places and they even managed to answer the kids non stop volley of questions. It was a day well spent.

Day two—The kids eagerly waited for their team leaders to arrive and kept everything ready for them (arranged themselves according to groups, moved the tables &
benches, kept the art supplies ready).As soon as the team leaders arrived the kids started making templates of various places that they had seen like the temple, hospital, bank, municipal building, parks, super markets, bungalows, high rises, etc. By the end of the day each team had quite a collection of templates.

Day three—Once again the kids were anxious to know what was in store for them and what a welcome the team leaders got with shouts of hurrah and joy! Now each team was given a blank landscape—a cardboard with one thing drawn on it---a river, a lake, a road and a railway line –and they had to plan their city around it .What a time they had selecting the best templates from the ones which they had made. Every now and then the leaders kept on reminding them to choose wisely, to pick a template from each category- a place to live, work, play and places that serve us. Kids sometimes selected their own drawings or rather colorful drawings and left out some important but less attractive ones.
They pasted them around on the cardboard and made roads and greenery around it. Now their ideal city was ready and they were ready to present it.

The kids explained their choices for planning their city in a particular manner and even accepted their mistakes when they were asked about some missing things like a railway station in their city in the oral presentation.

Overall it was quite an enriching experience for the third graders who became little architects for a few days and got first hand experience of hanging out and working with real architects.

The architects of the future are ready and raring to go!!!

Mariyam Baxamusa—Class teacher,Grade 3.

NIGHT OOOO……………..UT !!!!!

NIGHT OOOO……………..UT !!!!!

Yes, that’s exactly what students from Grade 1 to 5 had on the 19th of December.

It all began a week ago when the circular went out to parents regarding the night out. Bold agendas were made, secret plans discussed in whispers, games planned, menus laid out,…….the list is endless. The excitement seemed to grip every one right from the students, teachers, helpers to the admin staff.

Mrs. Pooja and Mahendra Sir had their hands full with planning the various activities, Vishalbhai and others were busy arranging tents to be put up on the grounds.

On Friday the 19th, students arrived with luggage of various types, descriptions and styles and sizes. Suitcases, backpacks, strolleys, duffle bags, packed with clothes, pillows, blankets and vanity pouches. Tugging, pulling, pushing, dragging everything up to the classrooms.

At 3.30pm, sharp, the students rushed to the changing rooms to get into casual clothes and came running to the assembly area armed with bats, raquets, etc……to relax !!!

The activities started at 4pm with the “Lemon & Spoon race” for all grades. Mrs. Falguni & Ms. Sonam, our admin staff took active part along with the students and teachers in the race.
The winners got to keep the lemons !!!

After a snack break, all the students were mixed to form groups for the treasure hunt. For the next one hour the students, using clues to identify locations, ran across the school grounds looking for items assigned to their groups. The clues, prepared by Mr. Vardan, had to be deciphered first by the students to identify the location of the items.

Now, it was time for “Tug – of – War”. After a lot of pulling on either side, some wins and some losses, the game ended.

Tiredness and hunger took over and you could have witnessed the fastest line being formed in the dining area. Chole-puri with rice and halwa was downed by the students and others with full gusto. The younger ones were ready to sleep after dinner, ready to snuggle into their soft blankets after a full day of excitement. But, the night was not yet over!

It was 8.30pm and time for the “Camp Fire”. The campfire was lit in the grounds at the back and every one gathered near it. It was time now for “Word Anthakshari”. The game proceeded briskly, but soon made the students restless. “Star Gazing” too was organized but the clouds played spoilsport hiding the stars from being visible.

Finally it was time to s….l….e….e….p….

Grade 1,2 & 3 slept in their respective classrooms, boys of Grade 4 and all students of Grade 5 slept in tents put up specially in the grounds. Beddings had been arranged and students took great thrill in making their beds.

It was zzzzzzzzz time for those indoors. But for those in tents, the night was still young. After a round of snacking, it was time for some campfire singing and dancing followed by “desi anthakshari”.

At 10.30pm, out of compulsion, the “tenties” had to go to bed. There was laughter, giggling, fighting in the tents, which was punctuated with regular “shoos” from the teachers. Sleep finally took over after a long battle to be awake. A quick peek into the tent revealed that the students had slept wherever there was place. Even if it was uncomfortable, it did not show in their contented faces.

4.30 am dawned with a heavy drizzle, waking some in the tents with a steady sound. These few worked as a wakeup call for the rest and soon all were awake in the tents. The excitement of a new day and the promised morning walk made them make their way to the classrooms to freshen up and change clothes. Their gregarious voices and actions were enough to wake everyone else and soon the entire school was up and ready.

By 6.30 am everyone had assembled at the main gate for a 4 km walk to Kunkni village and back. It was still pitch dark and a few had flashlights to guide the others. The beauty of the day breaking, the sounds of birds and insects and the greenery of the fields unfolding before us was worth all the effort. The walk was invigorating but the return was tiring and the students took off directly to the dining area. After a refreshing drink of cold milk and fruits, it was packing time.

Students scrambled upstairs to pack their bags to board the buses which would take them home. Happy faces once again trudged oversized luggage to the buses, waving goodbyes.

At the end the students were all boarded in to the buses and the teachers and organizers heaved a sigh of relief.

It was indeed a very long day …..and night for everyone !!!!

As experienced by Gowri Murali – Grade 5 Class Teacher.

“I Believe”

“I Believe”

12th December, 2008, was a Friday. This Friday was special for Grade 5 at Fountainhead School. It was time for their summative assessment on “I Believe” and preparations had been going on for a week. Students were preparing to give an oral presentation on a selected topic.

The topic was on RELIGION and each student got one to prepare on, through a draw of lots. The religions covered were Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism. The students gathered information through inputs given by our guest speakers, Mrs. Kavita, Mrs. Zahabiyah and Mrs. Anita, through the internet and the World Books in our school library. Students used a graphic organizer to guide them with their research. Charts were prepared, pictures were printed, prayer recitations, carols and shlokas were recorded and artifacts gathered from various sources. Umaben, Kalpeshbhai and Prakashbhai helped with the arrangements.

Friday was a lovely winter day and the students arrived at the school, filled with enthusiasm। Parents were invited for the presentation scheduled for 11am and they started arriving by 10।45am। Some grandparents had also come to encourage their grandchildren. Students of Grade 4, some teachers and admin staff were also part of the audience. Ms. Sonam, our cameraperson, did not miss a single moment of her shoot. Mrs. Pooja, our sound engineer behind the scene, played the right piece of music on cue. Above all, our judges, Mrs. Vishaka and Mrs. Monica, took time out from their duties to be part of the students’ presentation.

The presentation began and the students started speaking by turn. The students had dressed appropriately according to the religion they were supposed to represent and greeted the audience accordingly. There was pin drop silence when they made their presentations. After the presentation by each student, the judges and audience asked questions to test the knowledge of the students and for gaining information. This kept the students on their toes and also posed as a platform for the students to learn to face challenges. They faced questions for which they did not know the answers to, by saying that they did not know the answer but shall find out and let the person know. After the last student had finished making his presentation, the audience and judges walked around viewing the displays and asking more questions about the displays. The students were competent enough to answer most of the questions.

The response of the audience and the judges was wonderful and they were full of praise for the students and their efforts। Our displays were also viewed by 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Sr. K.G students with full enthusiasm. The students heaved a big sigh of relief when it was all over and the room was empty. We sat down for a heart to heart talk about our feelings, views, comments, etc. about the entire presentation. The students went back home that day with weary feet and tired bodies but with a smile on their lips and happiness in their hearts. Well done, Grade 5!

by Gowri Murali

DRAMA PRESENTATION

DRAMA PRESENTATION
BY GRADE FIVE
Mrs. Gowri Murali

Students of Grade Five gave a drama presentation for their summative assessment on the 21st of October. This summative assessment was for their UOI – Who we are?, titled, “Decisions, Decisions”.

Grade Four along with various teachers and staff members were the audience for this presentation. Mrs. Ankita, Mrs. Priyanka and Mrs. Kavita were the judges for the same.

The drama was titled, “Decisions in the life of Armaan” (does this name ring a bell, oops a heart?)

The narrator was dressed in white and presented the cast. The cast seemed in a terrible hurry to start the play and gave a brief glimpse of themselves.

Lights! Camera! Action!

Then the play started.

The play was divided into different scenarios where the hero Armaan had to take decisions; in school while studying in grade five, grade ten where he has to choose his future course of studies and as an adult when he has to marry a girl of his choice.

The students brought out scenarios that they felt were important from their point of view. There were some goof ups which brought laughter from the audience and turned our actors a bundle of nerves.

A question and answer session followed where students were quizzed on various topics from their UOI. Some questions were answered well while some answered needed clarity.

This drama was scripted by the students themselves and as the judges put it, “For the first attempt, it was well done!” This brought a nervous smile on the cast and they breathed a sigh of relief!

Hats off to Grade Five for a brave attempt!!!!!

(Student cast included: Pahini, Sneh, Shail, Harshil, Khushman, Deval, Shivani & Sumeet).

Interview Session

Students of Grade Five, on 25th September, undertook an interview session of some of our school staff and teachers in connection to their current UOI – Who we are? The Line of Inquiry was, “Decision making process for Individuals”. The experience was enriching and enlightening to the students and me and I would like to share this with all. The students took initiative to prepare the questions, conduct the interview and also submitted a report entirely on their own. The interviews will give you an insight into the personality of our colleagues who participated wholeheartedly, and increasing your respect for them. Some of the interview reports are presented below.


Interview Of Chetan Shah by Pahini


Pahini: What do you think is a decision?
Chetan Sir: Decision is the power of man.

P: Why do you think taking a decision is important?
C: It is important to take a decision because you have to choose what is right or wrong.

P: Name some major decisions you took in life.
C: When I got married, I had to get separated from my parents.

P: What was your aim when you were a student?
C: I wanted to be good in accounts.

P: Was your aim the same when you grew up?
C: Yes.

P: Did you help someone in taking a decision?
C: Yes, a friend for his studies.

P: Did you take any decision in which you were hurt?
C: When I got married, I had to get separated from my parents and that decision hurt me.


VARDAN SIR WAS INTERVIEWD BY SUMEET AND THIS REPORT IS PREPARED BY HARSHIL





SUMEET: WHAT IS YOUR GOAL IN LIFE?
VARDAN SIR: MY GOAL IS TO RUN A SCHOOL .

S: WHAT WERE YOUR IMPORTANT DECISION TAKEN TILL NOW?
V: THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISION TAKEN TILL NOW IS TO START A SCHOOL.

S: TODAY, YOU THINK YOUR DECISION WAS RIGHT?
V: YES, I THINK IT WAS RIGHT.

S: DID PEOPLE AGREE WITH YOUR DECISION?
V: NO, MY FATHER DID NOT AGREE WITH MY DECISION. HE WANTED ME TO DO A JOB.

S: HOW WOULD YOU DECIDE WHAT IS RIGHT AND WHAT IS WRONG?
V: IF I TAKE A RIGHT DECISION THERE ARE MANY ADVANTAGES AND IF I TAKE A WRONG DECISION THERE ARE ONLY FEW ADVANTAGES.

S: DO YOU OFTEN GET CONFUSED WHILE MAKING A DECISION ?
V: YES.

S: WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU MADE A WRONG DECISION?
V: THERE IS A CHANCE TO MAKE A WRONG DECISION TO A CORRECT DECISION.

Interview of Zahabiyah Shaikhmahmood by Sneh Chauhan




Sneh: What do you mean by decision?Zahabiyah:The important choice taken in our life is called decision.
S: Why do you think taking a decision is important?
Z: Decision makes the person proper and it is very useful for our life.
S: What important decision you have taken in your life?
Z: The most important decision I have taken was to go to Bombay for my higher education.
S: What was your first aim in your life?
Z: My aim was to become a pilot.
S: When have you taken this aim in your life?
Z: When I was in 10th grade.
S: Which decision was sad for you?
Z: The decision not to become a pilot was sad for me.


Interview of Umaben by Khushman


On 25th of September I took the interview of Umaben on the topic of decision-making process.
She told that on her point of view decision means making the right choice.
She also told that one of her poor decision was that she had left D.P.S.(Delhi Public School) and come to Fountainhead School without informing the old school.
Her wish was to become a teacher but she couldn’t because her family was poor and could not afford to give her education.

Nature at its very best..!

Nature at its very best..!

Words fall short to describe the experience- trekking through wet decidous forest of Dangs, stretching our physical limits, breathing fresh mountain air, exploring forests, sighting snakes, counting the stars and so on.
I am talking about the trek to Gira Falls, Dangs on the 10th and 11th of October, 2008. Fountainhead School and Fountainhead Preschool staff had a weekend nature camp as a part of their training program.This program was organized by Team Prayas (www.prayas-india.org)
It was both a learning experience as well as fun and adventurous. We started off at 5:30 pm from Surat. On the way we stopped for dinner and finally around 10:00 we reached Kalibhel. Even in the bus, we were assigned one activity by Prayas where in we had four groups and had to find some information on different Flora& Fauna. Later that night, presentations were given by these four groups. Although tired from the journey, the teams unleashed their creativity and came up with lively presentations with poetry and music etc.
Next day we started off early by 6:00 am with morning walk & exercise. It felt great to see the spectacular view and breathe in the fresh morning air.

Our trek started at around 9:00 am. On our way to Gira falls we stopped at various points to explore nature with all our senses. We learnt a lot about Alage, Fungi, mushroom, orchid & diferent other trees like bamboo , Beheda…………. etc. Do you know which is the smallest seed and the biggest seed? Orchid seed which is not even visible with our naked eye is the smallest seed and that of Coconut is the biggest one. We also learnt about and saw lichens ( symbiosis between Algae and Fungi.)
Finally after a long drive,we reached Gira village from where on we had to start our trekking. After walking down 3 km we could finally see the glimpse of breathtaking falls from where in we had to start our adventurous trek down the steep mountains to the spectacular falls. All the staff had great fun under the cool water of Gira falls. The descent was easier than the ascent but more treacherous. It took lots of effort to drag ourselves out of water under the scorching sun.

The toughest part for all of us was to reach the top back from were we started.
After reaching the top we had a great feast of Khichdi, Kadhi & Nimbu Pani. After lunch at around 3:00 pm and resting for a while we played a game of “Web of life” where in we learnt all the living beings, be it a small shrub or a insect or animal or human being, are all woven together in a big web. We as a human being always try to disturb this web with our wrong habits like that of using plastics, wasting water and disturbing the mother nature and Father sun.
Finally at round 5:30 pm we finally pulled our legs to get back to Gira village from where we started. As a small effort from our team ,we collected the plastic garbage lying on the lap of mother nature.


We started back our journey to home with a memorable experience.. The exposure to fresh air and an unhurried pace of life can do wonders for the mental and physical health for all of us.
In short, the trekking was refreshing and everybody is all charged to accept more challenges with a vow to take care and preserve our beautiful nature. We sincerely thanks Prayas Team Environment for taking us to a memorable journey of our life.

Falguni