news letter october-december 2020...expedition 2020-21 (grades 7-9) with online classes in the...
TRANSCRIPT
1
How strange it is! That December and this December. Then and Now.
At both points, we have only looked forward to a glorious new year, as
if the nightmare we lived through was just a bad dream.
Last year at this time we were jubilant- in oblivion of the invisible
universal terminator and this year we are hopeful- of slaying the
slaughterer with vaccine. Of course, a lot of water has gone under the
bridge- that December and this December.
The year gone by has taught us many different lessons. We have made
many new discoveries about ourselves- we are not what we were- we
are a lot more resilient, adaptable and enlightened.
To know how different, it was for our school and students, please read
on….
National Public School, Koramangala
News Letter October-December 2020
2
Achievements
CLASS OF 2020 UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS- Update (As on date)
Name University
1. Abhay K Iyengar PES University, Banashankari Main Campus
(CS)
2. Abhiram Nitin National Law School of India University
(NLSIU), Bangalore
3. Advaith Suresh IIT Bombay
4. Ananya Varshney St John’s Medical College, Bangalore (SJMC)
5. Ann Kurian PES University
6. Anushka P Nair BITS Pilani KK Birla Goa Campus
7. Aryaman Lath BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
8. Akshath Vadapalli Shiv Nadar University
9. Dhruv Gopal BITS Hyderabad
10. Hansel P Shah KLE - USM
11. Hita Juneja SRM University, Chennai
12. Ishita Bharadwaj RV College of Engineering
13. Ishaan Ghosh Azim Premji University
14. Janhavi Oke
Bowring Lady Curzon Medical College and
Research Institute
15. Prachi Goyal Lady Shriram College
16. Raunak Prasant IIT, Madras
17. Ridhi Mehra University of Washington- Seattle
18. Rohit Paul BITS Hyderabad
19. Shreya Chauhan Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences
20. Snehal Deep VIT - Vellore
21. Sanjana Bansal PES University
22. Sankalp Kundu IIT Madras, Programming and Data Science
23. Shadan Hussain BITS Pilani, Computer Science
24. Vaishali S NIT Karnataka
25. Vidushi Bhartari IIT, Madras
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Inter School
Compettitions
NPS-INR
NPS-INR organized a
math centric fest, Mathtrix
from 17th to 20th
November 2020 virtually
on Zoom. Some of the
events conducted were:
(i) SEG-FAULT: A game
of logic, skills and unique
thinking. It was an
opportunity for coders to
innovate real world
solutions in a COVID-era
Hackathon.
Pranjal Srivastava of
Grade 11A, Pradyun
Goel of 11B and Ansh
Grover of 11B stood
second in the event.
(ii) ABSTRACTION:
This event highlighted
out- of -the -box ideas and
artistic skill to solve
puzzles by applying their
creativity.
Aathira Sunil of 12A and
Sanat Kuruganti of 12A
secured third place in
this event.
(iii) DESOLATE
PLANET: This event
challenged the decision -
making, biological and
mathematical skills,
strategizing the creation of
a new biosphere. It was a
quiz round of biology and
mathematics.
Our children, Jason
Gomez of 12A,
Visweswara Krishna of
12B and Shashank
Jayant of 12B have done
us proud by winning the
first prize in this event.
NPS-HSR
NPS-HSR conducted
Odyssey-an inter school
virtual fest on 13th
November 2020 virtually,
using Microsoft Teams.
Odyssey offered a chance
to showcase varied skills
in a plethora of events
ranging from acapella and
art to music and fashion.
Our children won3rd prize
in Mythos (literary event)
and Terpsichore (dance
event).
Winners were Sara
Thomas of 10 A and
Ishaan Kale of 11 A.
Major Events
Teachers’ Day
Love finds its way and so
does gratitude. This
Teachers’ Day was unlike
previous years.
The sweet roses, the
beautiful handmade cards,
the shine of eyes filled
with love, the thunderous
chanting of “Happy
Teachers” Day and the
eagerly awaited live
performances in the
auditorium just couldn’t
be. But Love finds its way
and so does gratitude.
Students of Grade 12
went live on YouTube
with a heart-warming
potpourri of all that they
knew their teachers love
and look forward to,
whether it was old
Bollywood melodies and
dances, Shiamak Davar
inspired energetic dance
sequences, soft lilting
instrumental music, self-
composed poetry, or
lovely messages.
What made it so
emotionally rewarding
was that the children
transcended all obstacles
put down by the lockdown
and found their way to
bring cheer and smile to
their beloved teachers’
faces.
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Children’s Day
Like every other event of
this academic year,
Children’s Day was
celebrated in an
unprecendented manner.
Though the students
couldn’t bring the roof
down cheering the
teachers’ performances,
the teachers surely let
down their hair and
delivered an outstanding
show.
It began with a speech by
the Principal, whose
words urged us to find
where our core beliefs and
morals lie and what we
want to be as people.
This was followed by an
action packed ensemble of
dance and music executed
in superlative finesse.
From a graceful classical
dance to a foot tapping
bollywood number, a
mellifluous medley of
songs in various
vernacular languages to a
soothing rendition of a
popular song.
Each and every
performance made us wish
we were in the auditorium
in school to experience the
adrenaline rush and
thunderous applause that
refuses to ebb for a long
time.
The amount of effort the
teachers had put in to give
us a phenomenal
Children’s Day by getting
out of their comfort zones
and taking out time from
their busy schedules to
learn steps and lyrics and
edit the videos to
perfection is truly
something every student,
especially the students of
Grade 12 will cherish
forever. Children’s Day
truly puts into perspective
how talented and
accomplished our teachers
are beyond academics.
-Nidhi Pramod, 12 B
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Senior School Interhouse Events
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Senior School
Interhouse Events
2020 quoted as ‘the worst
year ever’ has brought in
with it many
unprecedented events, but
this couldn’t stop the
students of NPS KRM
from conducting and
competing in the
interhouse events of the
academic year 2020-21.
NPS Koramangala senior
wing vied for top positions
in assorted events which
were conducted in the past
month.
Despite the huge physical
to virtual shift, the Student
Council proceeded with
the events flawlessly and
the students showed full
participation, not letting
the current scenario
become a hindrance to
them.
The Drama Club
conducted the Standup
Comedy and the
Impersonation event
where the students
portrayed their theatrical
skills.
This year, the Eco Club
came up with an
innovative idea of
connecting Environmental
Awareness with
Advertising and
Communication skills.
Each team was given an
endangered species for a
topic, and they had to
design a leaflet
surrounding the animal, a
Spotify playlist supporting
the topic, along with a 6-7-
minute podcast to engage
listeners and spread
awareness about the
endangered species. All
participants excelled in the
event and showcased the
true podcasters within
them!
In the event ‘A Classic
Twist’, the participants
had to recreate a movie
scene if it took place in the
ongoing pandemic.
‘Ataraxis’ event by Art
Club allowed the
participants to unleash
their creative side by
preparing an abstract art
piece representing what
they feel about inner peace
or music.
The Literary Quiz event
tested the partipants’
knowledge of authors,
tongue twisters, riddles
and more while the Rap
Battle allowed
participants from each
house to compose and
perform a rap based on a
cartoon character (Homer
Simpson, Sponge Bob,
Peppa Pig, Garfield).
The Cyber Club
conducted the ‘Coding’
and ‘Gaming’ event where
the teams battled it out
Round Robin style on
Krunker.
The Online Quiz event
was a very close
competition with marginal
point differences.
The Science and Math
Clubs worked together to
organize the Interhouse
Murder Mystery event.
Teams of four from every
house had an hour and a
half to solve clues and
puzzles based on logic,
math and science to
discover the murderers of
an eminent scientist, and
safeguard his research.
For the Dance event, each
house was given a famous
personality that the world
lost in 2020.
Teams were required to
depict their life and
achievements through a
short dance video. The
exemplary dance
performances mesmerized
the audience.
The Music Club
conducted the Indian
Classical Music event,
where the participants
were judged on their pitch
and technique.
This year, in addition to all
the other events we had an
interhouse Photography
competition and the
participants delivered
above and beyond
everyone’s expectations
with spectacular
photographs.
STAND-UP COMEDY:
1. Pioneers
2. Explorers
3. Voyagers
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IMPERSONATIONS:
1. Pioneers
2. Explorers
3. Voyagers
CAMPAIGN (Eco club)
First Place - Explorers
Second Place - Voyagers
Third Place – Challengers
CLASSIC TWIST (Art
club)
First Place - Voyagers
Second Place - Pioneers
Third Place – Challengers
ATARAXIS (Art Club):
First Place – Explorers
Second Place - Pioneers
Third Place – Challengers
RAP BATTLE:
First Place - Voyagers
Second Place -
Challengers
Third Place – Explorers
LITERARY QUIZ:
First Place - Explorers
Second Place - Voyagers
Third Place – Pioneers
CODING EVENT:
First Place -Voyagers
Second Place - Explorers
Third Place – Pioneers
GAMING EVENT
(Cyber club):
First Place - Challengers
Second Place -Explorers
Third Place –Voyagers
QUIZ EVENT (Quiz
club):
First Place - Pioneers
Second Place -Explorers
Third Place – Voyagers
MURDER MYSTERY:
First Place - Voyagers
Second Place -
Challengers
Third Place –Pioneers
DANCE EVENT:
First Place - Pioneers
Second Place -
Challengers
Third Place – Explorers
INDIAN CLASSICAL
MUSIC EVENT-
First Place -Voyagers
Second Place – Pioneers
PHOTOGRAPHY
EVENT (Editorial
club)-
First Place - Explorers
Second Place - Voyagers
Third Place – Challengers
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Art event - ATARAXIS
Topic- How Music Makes Me Feel
The prize-winning creations are here.
First Prize- Explorers -
Maitreyi Verma-9A
Second Prize- Pioneers- Arya Dilip 11 A
Third Prize- Challengers- Tanushi Lath 12B
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Interhouse MUN:
The Interhouse MUN was
conducted on 31st October
2020 and had three
committees – the Cabinet
of Magical Affairs, the
World Health
Organisation and Security
Council.
Delegates had to take up
the mantles of their
respective
Nations/Fictional
characters and represent
them with as much dignity
and authenticity as
possible - presenting
arguments on their behalf,
promoting their interests
and ultimately reaching
peaceful resolutions. All
committees observed
well-informed debates,
passionate arguments and
innovative solutions.
The delegates’ composure
during press sessions,
their ability to think on
their feet and their
response to global crises
decided the ultimate
winners.
First Place - Pioneers
Second Place -
Challengers
Third Place –Voyagers
Interhouse Sports
Covid 19 just couldn’t
downplay the spirit of
NPS KRM sportspersons.
Our teams came up with
interesting sports events,
In the online chess event,
players faced off in a time-
controlled game of 10
minutes and no increment.
In the sports quiz, each
participant had to answer a
set of questions with the
help of their general
knowledge of various
sports. The e sports event
consisted of the popular
mobile game ‘Cod
Mobile’, where each team
played in a knock out
tournament. Besides these
there were competitions
like Skipping, Push-ups,
Basketball and Football.
SPORTS QUIZ:
First Place - Pioneers
Second Place -
Challengers
Third Place – Explorers
CHESS BOYS:
First Place - Voyagers
Second Place -
Challengers
CHESS GIRLS:
First Place - Challengers
Second Place – Explorers
COD MOBILE:
First Place - Pioneers
Second Place – Voyagers
SKIPPING-BOYS
First Place - Voyagers
Second Place -
Challengers
Third Place – Challengers
SKIPPING-GIRLS
First Place - Explorers
Second Place - Explorers
Third Place – Challengers
PUSH-UP-BOYS
First Place - Voyagers
Second Place - Voyagers
Third Place – Challengers
PUSH-UP-GIRLS
First Place - Explorers
Second Place - Explorers
Third Place – Challengers
BASKETBALL-BOYS
First Place - Challengers
Second Place - Voyagers
Third Place – Explorers
BASKETBALL-GIRLS
First Place - Explorers
Second Place -
Challengers
Third Place –Voyagers
FOOTBALL BOYS
First Place - Voyagers
Second Place -
Challengers
Third Place –Voyagers
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FOOTBALL GIRLS
First Place - Explorers
Second Place - Explorers
Third Place – Challengers
KHOJ-An
Expedition 2020-21
(Grades 7-9)
With online classes in the
pandemic year 2020-21,
the triennial Science
project- KHOJ is tweaked
to suit the ‘new normal’. It
is inspired from Googles
time project- Genius
Hour. The idea is to direct
students to research
regularly for a fixed time
on a topic of their choice.
The objective is to build
the students research
prowess and unleash their
passion.
The idea was shared with
the students through a
presentation. The 5 steps
involving
i) Explore one’s passion
ii) Propose a topic, after
careful thought
iii) Research on the given
topic
iv) Create a 3minute
video on the topic chosen
v) Present the video in
front of an audience and
answer queries
The students are guided
through some steps to
research, keeping in mind
the first-time researchers.
For example, skimming
and scanning information
by going through different
search engines and
checking the authenticity
of the information and
taking down notes.
(Plagiarism to be avoided
at all costs). Skills that
would help them in the
future.
The students are keeping
track of the research
regularly in a journal,
enabling them to take
ownership of their
learning, move
systematically, ensuring
constant learning and
engagement. At the end of
the learning, a research
paper will be submitted
along with a video.
Ms. Aparna Dinesh led
students through an
activity to identify their
area of interest and narrow
it down. This activity
involved listing activities
they follow closely and
linking it with their
strengths.
Several questions were put
forth to check out and
select the topic to be
chosen for research.
A subject expert to be
identified, to help the
learners and give a
personal touch in the
virtual world.
A timeline was shared to
help in planning the
progress of Khoj an
Expedition, so learners
could be guided through
it. During the presentation
by teachers, children
discussed the problems
they could face and
brought forth suitable
solutions.
A feedback was collected
from the children after the
Khoj presentation. It
revealed that children
were excited to work on
their passions and the
activities conducted,
helped in choosing their
topic.
Gr7-9 is all set researching
on their chosen topic, after
having given the proposal
to their Class teachers and
Associate teacher.
They will work on their
project in December and
create the short video. The
video and research paper
will be submitted in
January 2021.
Set of videos will be
presented to an audience
in February.
Quintana 2020
The Entrepreneurship
Project was introduced in
our school by our Director, Dr. Bindu Hari
nine years ago, and with
every passing year we
have witnessed more
creative, inspiring and
innovative products.
Every year the students of
Grade 6, work with great
energy and zeal to make
the Market Day a big
success.
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This year we have put a
slight twist to our same old
Market Day.
The students will not be
making the products but
instead will think of a
unique and innovative
product, make a business
pitch presentation on the
product and then pitch
their idea.
There will also be a
knowledgeable and skilful
Mentor from Grade 11
allotted to every group to
handhold the projects
initiated by the Grade 6
students.
The students of grade 6
will think of a product, a
group of selected teachers
will look into the ideas and
put the students in groups,
make a presentation using
any tech tool, practice the
lines/Prepare for the Pitch,
advertise the product with
the help of a
video/poster/pamphlet etc
and lastly, pitch the
product before the judges
in the month of February.
As young entrepreneurs,
the students will not only
hone the techniques of
modern business but also
put to use their natural
talents in different fields
such as -mathematical
skill, language skill,
technological skill and
teamwork skill.
At the end of the game, the
students will gain some
valuable experience in
starting, managing and
growing a successful
business venture.
Constitution Day
Constitution Day was
celebrated on 26th
November 2020. The
students read aloud the
Preamble of the Indian
Constitution there by
pledging to uphold the
values embedded in the
Preamble.
The students were also
made aware of the
significance of this special
day by their respective
history teachers during the
course of the week.
Finally, the students of
grade 6-10 attempted a
quiz on M S Forms
prepared by Advik Kabra
of 10C, Secretary Quiz
Club.
This quiz engaged the
students in building their
awareness and
understanding of the
Preamble and the Indian
Constitution.
1M1B
The Future Leaders
Programme conducted a
very special Facebook live
chat with their 10
Unstoppable Young
Leaders who are taking
Covid 19 head on. Among
the 10 Unstoppable Young
Leader was our student
Riya Nagar from grade
10.
18th to 26th September was
celebrated as the Global
Goals Week in line with
the UN General Assembly
meeting.
A series of exciting Live
events were lined up for
the students as part of the
week to #ACT4SDGs
showcasing the young
leaders who were acting
on the SDGs.
The live chats of the week
focused on Climate Action
related topics like
Responsible
Consumption, Future of
Food, Water Safety and
Future of Fashion. Among
other speakers there were
Ria Raghu and Pranav
Goyal of grade 10 in
project Future of Food and
Responsible Consumption
respectively. The
discussion of the youth
leaders captured a lot of
attention online.
Career Counselling
On 22nd December 2020 a
career counselling session
with Mr. Shiv Dewan,
founder of One Step Up
Education, was organised
for the students for Grade
10. Mr Dewan made the
students aware of various
traditional as well as
modern courses of studies
and careers available for
children as they cross
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Grade 10. Through his
interesting talk which was
laden with numerous live
examples and anecdotes,
he sparked students’
curiosity and set them on
to do introspection about
their own strengths to
choose the subjects just
right for themselves.
KHOJ 2020- NPS
KRM Interschool
Fest
On December 22nd, the
National Mathematics
Day, NPS Koramangala
held its very first online
school fest. The fest, with
6 events, 13 participant
schools and over 80
contestants was an
outstanding success.
All the events challenged
their participants to think
out of the box and ignite
the flame of curiosity
lying dormant within
them. The winners for the
event Strategy, conducted
by Nikita Kiran of 11B
and Pranjal Srivastava of
11A were Yuv Verdia and
Omkar Bajaj of NPS HSR
and the close runner ups
were Debosmita and Atul
Nadig of NCFE.
Epistimi, the Coding
event organised by Ishaan
Kale of 11A and Saarang
S of 11B was a tough
competition which was
won by Kaushik G Iyer of
DPS East followed by
Mrinal Jain of NPS HSR.
Ingenium, the Arcade
game with an intellectual
twist created by Shubhi
Agarwal of 11B and
Ishani Karmakar of 11B
was won by Parth Jaju of
NPSI, Chennai and not far
behind was Yash Mathur
of NPS INR.
Chain Reaction, the
event formulated by
Pranav Sanghi of 11B and
Kedhar Krishnan of 11B
was one which definitely
had the participants
wiping the sweat off their
brow, was won by
Tarunyaa Sivakumar from
NPSI, Singapore and in a
close second place was
Aadyot Bhardwaj from
NPS INR.
In Exypnos, a Treasure
Hunt filled with enigmas
and puzzles, created by
Aditya Aiyer of 11B and
Abraham Paul of 11B, the
team comprising H Ram
and Yashas Chandra
Vatsyayan of NPS INR
emerged victorious
followed by Aryan Soni
and Eshaan Jakhmola of
NPSI Singapore.
In Khoj’s stimulating
Commerce Fest, Criza
held by Sanjana Sudeep of
11A and Prithvi Bapna of
11A and judged by the
esteemed Nisha Nambiar
and Manoj Shanbhag, the
team comprising
Abhimanyu Pant and Adit
Bansal of NPSI, Chennai
took home the first place
while Abhishek Balaji and
Pradyumna Shyama
Prasad of NPSI Singapore
bagged the second place.
All the participants,
organisers, event heads
and volunteers put their
best foot forward and
made huge contributions
to the overall success of
KHOJ 2020.
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Primary School
Book week 2020-21
“So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install, A lovely bookshelf on the wall, then fill the shelves with lots of
books.” --Roald Dahl
It’s that time of the year
when the primary has its
Annual Book Week, the
online sessions being no
deterrent.
October 5th to 9th saw the
students of primary plunge
headlong into the
festivities of Book week:
Cosplay, Reading
Together, Author Visit,
Puppet Storytelling,
Poster Making, Buddy
Reading, Book Marks and
Creative Writing. Phew!
The list is quite long.
Grade 1 saw the little ones
participate
enthusiastically in cosplay
of their favourite fairy tale
characters that comprised
Cinderella, Avengers,
Amelia Jane, Robin Hood
and Harry Potter. They
made book marks too.
Grades 1 and 2 were
introduced to the origin of
Jataka tales and
Panchatantra and students
of Grade 5 treated them to
a storytelling session
through buddy reading.
Grade 2 wrote about their
favourite book and made
handmade puppets which
they used to relate to the
stories.
Grade 3 ran the horses of
their imagination wild and
wrote about a strange
machine they found in
their uncle’s attic. Grade 4
had Ms. Trina Roy
engaging them in an
interactive session on the
components of a story.
The exuberant Grade 4
wrote prompt-based
stories. They were also
introduced to the annual
Spin-a- tale, scheduled
towards the end of next
semester, by their English
teachers.
Grade 5 had Ms. Anitha
Murthy acquaint them
with the concept of
‘Haiku’, the Japanese
version of short poems.
Children enthusiastically
took part in Cosplay
dressed as a wide range of
characters from
Maleficent, Pirates,
Captain America, Mary
Poppins, Vikram & Betal,
Worst Witch and Harry
Potter.
While Grades 1 and 2
were treated to extra
reading in the form of
Jataka tales, Grades 3 and
4 had Fantastic Mr. Fox
uploaded in the content
library.
What made for the most
fun part was the ‘Reading
Together’. Every day for
the entire week. a time slot
was allotted during the
snack break where the
students and teachers alike
got to read their favourite
book while munching
snacks.
A school that reads
together definitely grows
and learns together!
Ishita Nayak 5A
Pranjal Agarwal 5A
Rashmika Devanapalli 5A
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Gia Goyal 3B
1A Book Week Reading in unusual Places
Himanshi Yadav 3B
Disha Shah 3B
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Ananya Mehrotra as Pink Crayon- 1B
Adhrit Saha as Po (the Panda)-1B
Hridimaan J Medhi as Robin Hood- 1 B
Avishi Goel as Elsa- 1 B
Communal Harmony Week
“Let us embrace the beauty of every
culture and faith to create peace in our
world” Communal Harmony Week was celebrated
from November 23 to 27 with great
enthusiasm and loads of fun filled activities.
Grade 1: Dressed in ethnic finery students
toured through different states of our
country presenting their important facts.
The spirit of oneness was evident through
the celebrations.
Grade 2: Students witnessed a Role Play
by the students of Grade 5, created
slogan/poster on communal harmony and
answered a comprehension passage on the
topic.
Grade 3: The students created a
slogan/poster on communal harmony and
eagerly participated in interactive
discussion on a situational video - why
‘harmony’ is an important element in our
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society. A quiz on communal harmony
added to the fun element.
Grades 4 and 5: While the creative side of
the students came to fore in slogan/poster
making, their writing skills were exhibited
through success stories of communal
harmony during the present times.
Quiz was fun and informative. Role plays
depicting lives of various Communal
Harmony Leaders were presented.
A special assembly on Communal
Harmony was held in all the classes as a
culmination that included a series of pre-
recorded PPT, videos of music, dance and a
short skit. The enthusiasm exhibited by the
students was noteworthy!
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Let there be peace and harmony.
Narayani Bhandari– 3 C
Geetanjali Chidambaram- 3A Grade 4 A students
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Gandhi Jayanthi
Birth Anniversary of Mahatma
Gandhiji was celebrated on October 1st
2020. The day began with a short assembly
in the morning which included the thought
for the day with music / satsang (spiritual
discourse) / meditation. Students listened to
the story of Gandhiji's life and
achievements. They enjoyed playing a
game of "See no evil / hear no evil and
speak no evil". The day’s learning
culminated in a poster making session.
Kira Bhavin Thaker as KasturBa Mohandas Gandhi -1B
Panav Rachh as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi – 1B
Students of Grade 1 A
Mihika Jain
– 1 C
Shreyasi
Mishra – 1 C
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Ananya Mehrotra -1 B
Avishi Goel -1 B
Ethan Adarsh -1 B
Adhrit Saha -1 B
Dentist Talk
On 18th November the
students of Grade 4 had an
opportunity to attend an
online dentist session by
Dr Rupali.
The session reinforced the
learnings of the topic “My
Teeth” and consolidated it
through interaction with
the expert. It covered an
overview of types of teeth
and their uses. The
anatomy of teeth was also
explained by means of a
chart. Importance of oral
hygiene was reiterated
with a demonstration on
good brushing techniques
by the doctor. The session
concluded with an
interactive Q&A round
that covered a wide range
of questions by the
students
.Constitution Day -Constitution Day was
celebrated on 26th
November 2020 with great
gusto by the students of
Grades 1 to 5.
The day started with the
morning assembly where
the salient features of the
constitution were
explained to the students
who read out the Preamble
in the special assemblies.
Various presentations and
quiz were conducted in the
classes as the day ended
with the students listening
Manasvini Rau Grade 5 C
20
to the Prime Minster Shri
Narendra Modi’s speech.
Social Empowerment through
Work Education and Action
(SEWA)
CBSE has introduced the SEWA (Social
Empowerment Work in
Action) programme as one of the 5 core
areas of the CBSE-I syllabus, designed to
raise awareness on addressing real-world
problems and serving the world
community. Activities and initiatives
which develop students emotionally,
ethically, socially and personally are a vital
aspect of school life at NPS. SEWA is
aimed at learning beyond the classrooms,
thereby providing a holistic education.
Grade4&5- Composting
Grade3- Kitchen Garden
Grade2- Growing our own Microgreens
Grade1- Germination and recording the
process
21
Birds- Our Winged
Friends
On 11th December,
students of Grade 5 had an
opportunity to attend a
session on Birds- Our
Winged Friends
conducted by Ms Aparna
Mishra, a social scientist
& History researcher, and
Ms Vidya Murali, an
illustrator and heritage
enthusiast.
The students were taken to
the wonderful world of
birds starting from their
earliest appearance to
habits and habitats. They
touched upon different
dimensions of human and
bird relationship like birds
used by humans as
messengers, gladiators,
entertainers, their
inspiration in
aerodynamics and their
role in fables, literary
works, art and artefacts.
Ornithology - the study of
birds and Salim Ali, the
famous Indian
ornithologist, were also
discussed. Children were
given valuable insights
into bird care and the
lessons that can be learnt
from them.
The presentation was
followed by a quiz on
birds which kept the
students enthralled.
The session concluded
with an interview with
young avid bird watcher,
Advik, who talked about
his passion for bird
watching and shared some
tips and tricks of
identifying birds in their
immediate
neighbourhood, through
bird calls and through
their specific traits.
Overall, it was a great
learning experience for the
students.
Inter-Class
Competitions
Grade 1
“Competition is a good
thing; it forces us to do
our best”- Nancy
Pearcey
The Inter-Class
Competitions for Grade 1
were organized on a
virtual platform from 3rd
November 2020.
Students participated in
various events like
Literary, Cultural and
Quiz with great
enthusiasm.
The participants prepared
zealously to excel in
respective events,
showcasing talent and
skills.
The final round of Inter-
Class competitions was
held from 30th November
to 21st December. While
some of the events were
held live on MS Teams,
for other events, recorded
videos were sent.
The excitement was
evident as they awaited
the results and cheered for
their peers!
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EVENT Name of the
Competition
Exceptional Commendable Creditable
Cultural
Events Indian Folk
Dance
Mahika
Rajvansh- 1C
Ananya
Mehrotra- 1B
Neesa M Anand- 1C
Indian Music Mishti Sangam-
1B
Meghana R
Nambiar – 1A
Aditi Kulkarni - 1C
Western Music Siddharth
Anoop- 1B
Anagha S – 1C Neesa M Anand -
1C
Literary
Events English
Recitation
Siddharth
Anoop- 1B
George Joseph –
1A
Aditi Kulkarni - 1C
Hindi Recitation George Joseph
– 1A
Hridimaan J
Medhi – 1B
Arshita Choubey -
1C
Kannada
Recitation
Anagha S – 1C Mayuri S - 1C Sai Rudransh Sylada
- 1B
Quiz
Events General
Knowledge Quiz
Grade 1A
George Joseph
Kyra Jaiswal
Vihaan Agarwal
Grade 1B
Adrit Saha
Ananya Mehrotra
Ethan Adarsh
Grade 1C
Niraanjan Singh
Tomar
Shreyasi Mishra
Abhijit Chaturvedi
Math Whizz
Grade 1A
Anvi Mittal
George Joseph
Neelanjana
Lakshmi J
Grade 1B
Panav Rach
Hridhiman J
Medhi
Ananya Mehrotra
Grade 1C
Aishi Jaluka
Niraanjan Singh
Tomar
Pradyun Prasanna
Spell Bee
Grade 1A
Anvi Mittal
Meghana R
Nambiar
Sumeet Singh
Grade 1B
Aarth
Chakraborthy
Ethan Adarsh
Sai Rudransh
Sylada
Grade 1C
Niraanjan Singh
Tomar
Saanvi Dwivedy
Shreyasi Mishra
Early Learning- Kindergarten
Gandhi Jayanti
Kindergarten 1 and 2 celebrated Gandhi
Jayanti on 2nd October 2020. Through an
engaging PowerPoint the teacher explained
the importance of celebrating Gandhi
Jayanti. India’s non-violence independence
movement by Mahatma Gandhi was
narrated to the children. Gandhiji’s values
of truth, non-violence, harmony, morality
and simplicity were shared with the
children. They made poster/collage of
anything that they associated with Mahatma
Gandhi.
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Culmination of ‘Weather and
Seasons’
KG 2 had culmination of EVS topic
‘Weather and Seasons’ on 10th October.
The children made four placards on the
main seasons in India- Spring, Summer,
Monsoon and Winter. The teachers enacted
and depicted different seasons by wearing
clothes specific to the seasons and quizzed
the children, who answered by showing
their placards. The children and teachers
enthusiastically participated in this
engaging activity.
Class party
The last day of Term 1 was indeed a fun day
for the children of KG. The teachers
arranged a class party for them with games
and dance. Needless to say, all children
were extremely excited. The parents were
asked to keep party snacks and some juice
for them in advance. The children were
happy and couldn’t help wanting more. It
was indeed a task for the teachers to ask
them to log off from their first virtual class
party.
Grandparents Day
Grandparents are a delightful blend of
laughter, caring deeds, wonderful stories,
wisdom and unconditional love. KG2
celebrated the Grandparents Day on
November 7th 2020 to show how valuable
grandparents are and to make them feel
special.
The event started off with a movie of the
children spending their time with their
grandparents. Our Principal, Ms. Jyotsna
Nair, addressed the grandparents and spoke
about how integral they are in our lives and
shared some beautiful quotes. The children
welcomed their grandparents and made
them feel very special, sharing their
sentiments for them. The events lined up for
the day included songs and stories from the
grandparents, dance performances by the
children and games for the grandparents.
The coordinator then addressed the
grandparents and thanked them for being a
part of their grandchildren’s’ life.
Grandparents thoroughly enjoyed the
program and felt very touched that a day in
their honour was organized by the school.
Book Week
Kindergarten celebrated their ‘Book Week’
from 9th to 13th November 2020.
The parents and children were made aware
of the benefits of reading.
It was a fun filled week of celebration
focusing on children’s books, spell bee,
reading and word/ story building games.
The children regaled in the activities that
were planned for the week. They
enthusiastically took part in the ‘Dress-up
Day’ where they had to dress up as their
favourite story book characters. This event
allowed the children to contribute and talk
about some of their favourite stories and
characters. Children watched and
participated in the ‘Puppet Show’
demonstrated by the teachers.
The highlight of the ‘Book Week’ was the
story telling sessions by Mr Prateek Dhruva
and Ms Sanjana Kapur- professionals from
Amar Chitra Katha, who entertained the
children with their stories and ended the
session with a quiz.
Diwali Celebrations
The children came dressed in traditional
clothes on the 13th of November. They were
shown a short movie on why Diwali is
celebrated.
Ms. Neha Bharadwaj and Ms. Puja Bhalla,
special educators from Chennai,
mesmerized everyone with their melodious
songs, which was a delightful experience.
24
Children’s Day
Children’s day was celebrated on 18th
November.
The children were made aware that 14th
November is celebrated every year in India
to commemorate the birthday of Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru, our first Prime Minister,
fondly known as Chacha Nehru by children.
Children’s day celebration began with a
prayer. Various activities and events were
organized and performed by teachers. Love
was the theme of the day.
The much-awaited movie ‘The NPS Little
Brigade’ was also released on this day.
Parents, children and teachers watched the
movie together.
This was a special Covid awareness
programme, visualized by our Director and
brought to life by our tiny tots.
The children thoroughly enjoyed the movie
and the performance by the teachers. They
had a fun filled morning.
How we Travel
As a culmination of the EVS topic
‘Transport’, a Show and Tell was organised
on 28th of November.
The tiny tots were each given two minutes
to talk about their favourite vehicle and
share facts about topics like the modes and
means of transport, people associated with
various means of transport and safety rules
to be followed while travelling.
The children spoke very confidently. Some
of the children were dressed like pilot while
the parents were dressed up as co-pilot.
They had wonderful props to support their
topic.
It was a joint effort of our little ones and our
dear parents.
‘Every Drop Counts’
As a culmination of the EVS topic ‘Water’,
a variety of activities were conducted for
KG 2 on 5th December 2020.
Confidently answering the questions in the
Quiz, they described the importance of
water conservation. They could distinguish
the objects that float or sink through an
experiment. Taking part in a water relay
and making words from the slogan
’Conserve Water’ was fun. There was a
surprise online quiz for parents too, who
participated with enthusiasm.
Christmas Party
Keeping up the Christmas spirit alive,
Kindergarten teachers hosted a fun filled
Christmas party for the students on 21st and
22nd December.
The children were made aware that
Christmas is all about showcasing kindness,
affection and happiness.
The day was made exciting by organizing
fun filled Christmas games. Children were
shown a movie on Santa and the birth of
Jesus Christ. Keeping the Christmas cheer
in mind, the children, the parents and the
teachers were all dressed in Christmas
colours.
The event concluded with a captivating
performance by Ms. Neha Bharadwaj and
Ms. Puja Bhalla who sang Christmas carols
for the children.
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Early Learning- Montessori
The month of November started with the
sweet smell of flowers, the array of colours,
the aroma of sweets and the lighted diyas
bringing the hope and spirit of Diwali alive.
We celebrated Diwali with our little one’s
by sharing stories of victory of good over
evil, playing games, making origami diyas
and decorating them.
‘When you are happy and you know it, be
like a child’- that is exactly what the
teachers did by performing dance and
puppet show that brought out the flavour of
the season. The session rounded with
games, video show and virtual potluck
which enthralled and enhanced the spirit of
Children’s Day.
Once upon a time….in the Montessori
kingdom a jungle came alive.
A story telling session by Amar Chitra
Katha created a vivid and realistic setting
taking the children into the mysterious
world of natural wilderness.
In this ever-challenging time, it is
paramount that one is resilient. A parent
workshop on ‘Building emotional
resilience in young children’ was
conducted by the Montessori Co-
ordinators.
The objective of this session was to create
an awareness of the need to help children
identify the emotions they undergo and
discuss how they can start laying the
foundation for emotional resilience in their
children.
26
Making origami diyas (Seniors)
Making origami diyas (Juniors)
Games played during Children’s Day Celebration
Story telling session by Amar Chitra Katha
27
The month of December
brings with it a feeling of
joy and celebration,
especially for our tiny tots.
Children enjoyed singing
Christmas carols and
doing a variety of
Christmas related craft,
drawing and colouring.
The Seniors & Juniors
also had an opportunity to
showcase their oratory
skills during the Show &
Tell sessions.
PTM sessions were
conducted during the first
two weeks of December
and the parents were given
some tips based on the
needs of the students.
The parents were highly
appreciative of the quality
of learning that their
children have gained
during these challenging
times.
On 21st December, a
whole class Christmas
party was scheduled.
Children came dressed in
Christmas colours.
They watched a video,
sang, danced & played
games. It was truly a time
for fun & frolic.
On 22nd December, Inkle
Weave Educational
Training Services
conducted a carol singing
session.
Ms. Neha and Ms. Puja
brought the Christmas
cheer.
It was a musical end to the
year that has been a
learning journey for all.
Teacher Speak
A Passing
Thought…
There is nothing
permanent except
change. - Heraclitus
The paradox entailed in
Heraclitus’ words of
wisdom had bemused me
in my younger days but
the unfolding of life over
the years has taught me to
embrace this tenet
wholeheartedly. Change is
the only reality in nature
and man must adapt to the
constantly flowing waters
of life in order to grow and
survive. The ever-shifting
grounds consistently
truncate normalcy but
acceptance of
impermanence alone
makes man sense the
deeper beauty of life’s
significance.
One such moment, when
the teacher community
experienced the
wrenching away of the
ground beneath their feet,
was the sudden lockdown
imposed in the month of
March due to the ensuing
Corona virus pandemic
worldwide. The lockdown
was indeed a bolt from the
blue and teachers across
the country had to shift
gears quickly to adapt to
the new scenario.
Learning the tight rope of
using technology quickly
and adeptly for the on-line
classes was a humongous
challenge for each teacher.
The use of technology had
been a bare minimum in
the teaching-learning
process, but from then on,
it had to take centre stage.
Although initially
unnerved, the teachers
from NPS Koramangala
decided to take the
challenge head on. The
willingness to learn, the
days of rigorous training
imparted by the school
during the summer break,
28
collaborative help from
colleagues in and across
departments, sincere and
patient answers to our
seemingly ignorant
questions from the
Principal and co-
ordinators ultimately did
the trick. We progressed
from baby steps to
confident strides to engage
our students in full-
fledged on-line teaching
from the month of June. I
must also acknowledge
that all our students who
are indeed technologically
savvier also played their
role to help and encourage
us to cross the unknown
hurdles that we
encountered umpteen
number of times during
the live classes.
It has now been a journey
of seven months of
teaching on-line. Looking
back, from the start till
now, I cannot help but
recollect my thoughts at
this juncture. I realize that
the teaching learning
process is never going to
be the same again after it
has leap frogged from
traditional teaching to a
techno based one. This sea
change will continue to
affect and surely better the
system. Moreover, this
stop-off has taught me
life’s important lessons of
resilience, adaptability,
overcoming fear, to be
open to life-long learning,
consistent practice in
order to excel and indeed
positive team work. I
personally have grown
manifold in this short span
of time.
I would like to conclude
with Michael Jordan’s
words-
“If you run into a wall,
don’t turn around and give
up. Figure out how to
climb it, go through it, or
work around it.”
By Deepa Janardhanan
HOD- History and Civics
department.
Student
contributions
Female Lives Matter!
Empowered women
constitute the most potent
force that can transform
the world. Yet, women are
discriminated against,
even before their birth in
the form of female
foeticide and after birth as
female infanticide. Even
later in life, women are
subjected to blatant
discrimination and abuse
and aren’t given fair
opportunities or
recognition. Hence, they
end up being unable to
contribute to their full
potential.
This begs the question-
why? The main reason is
the patriarchal mindset
that persists in society,
which confines women to
their homes and keeps
them busy performing
their ‘motherly duties’.
Such expectations cause
women to not be in
contention for jobs or drop
out of promising careers
early.
How do we set this right?
Firstly, we need
affirmative action for
better representation of
women in important areas
such as the legislature,
judiciary and law
enforcing bodies. After
all, ‘ceteris paribus’, or all
things being equal, a
woman can do as well as a
man! We should also
provide career support for
women through critical
phases in their lives that
take place while they are
working.
The situation of women is
improving gradually with
the efforts of responsible
governments,
corporations, NGOs and
the UN but we have miles
to go. The World
Economic Forum says that
at the current rate of
progress, it will take 108
years to close the gender
29
gap. Think of all the girls
and women you know-
many of them may never
be treated on par with men
in their entire lifetime.
There is so much that
empowered women can
do! We have shining
examples like Marie
Curie, Indra Nooyi, Oprah
Winfrey and many more
who have excelled in their
respective fields. Even in
the face of the biggest
pandemic that has hit us in
the past 100 years,
COVID-19, countries and
states led by women such
as Germany by Angela
Merkel, New Zealand by
Jacinda Ardern and the
state of Kerala by KK
Shailaja have been doing
better than the ones led by
their male counterparts.
It is clear from the above
examples that women can
reach the pinnacle of
success when given the
appropriate platform.
Thus, it is imperative that
we expedite the process of
women empowerment so
that we can enjoy its
benefits to society at large.
Swati Nair, 10 C
Never Give Up
When you’re about to
stop
And say,” Hey, I can’t do
this anymore
I feel gloomy and I’m
about to drop
My palms are sweaty and
my legs are sore”
Even if your stomach is
throbbing with pain
Even if your mind is
telling you to catch some
Zs
Get up and race to the
end of the lane
Kick up, get up and fight
the beast
Endure the agony and
break the chains
Wipe the sweat off and
push no matter what
Tell yourself that you can,
that your mind is wrong
Because the quitters are
the ones who rot
The winners are the ones
who are remembered all
along
Anirudd Archak, 8B
Student Art work
Avni Kansal- 8C
Maitrayee Kundu – 7A
Sohum Joshi – 6C
The biggest takeaway from year
2020 is, live life as it comes;
neither dwelling in the past nor
worrying about the future.
In the words of Ralph Marston-
Seek to live in harmony with the
rhythm and flow of life. Live life
as it comes, and it will come to
you in great abundance.
30
With this thought we take our leave and wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year- 2021.
Compiled by – Ms. Geeta Kathait, and Ms. Prathima with inputs from students and teachers. Designed by Ms. Jijy George and Ms. Anupama Rao.