Be Your Own Hero F tprints Nurturing Global Citizens GIIS ... · GIIS BALESTIER YEARBOOK...

Nurturing Global Citizens

F tprints

ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES

First significant foray into the Book of Records

1613

Awards galore for Green initiatives

Be Your Own Hero...

GIIS

BA

LES

TIE

R C

AM

PU

S, S

ING

AP

OR

E | Year 2013–2014

GIIS BALESTIER YEARBOOK 2013–2014

“Global Indian International School” name/logo is a registered trademark of Global Schools Foundation in Singapore and other countries and used under license. Unless expressly authorized by Global Schools Foundation, use of its name and logo is strictly prohibited and Global Schools Foundation will take whatever legal action necessary to prevent misuse.

Copyright Global Schools Foundation 2014

All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright may be reproduced or transmitted or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, broadcasting or by any other information storage and retrieval system without written permission of Global Schools Foundation, Singapore. Any person who does any unauthorized act in this relation to this publication may be liable to criminal and or civil prosecution for damages under the laws of Singapore and will referred to the relevant authorities of the Singapore Courts, in accordance with the Singapore laws.

Global Indian International School | CPE Reg No: 200912349N | Validity: 25 Feb 2011 to 24 Feb 2015

ADVISOR Ms Sheela Karia

LITERARY EDITORS Ms Rekha Rachel Varghese Ms Srividya Thyagarajan

PHOTOGRAPHS Ms Sangitaa Singh

Ms Chitra Venkatesh

GIIS COMMUNICATIONS Ms Parul Trivedi-Shah

Ms Moshumi Banerjee

DESIGNER Mr Jiang Ling Johnny

Global Schools Foundation (Worldwide) 2014

PRESIDIUM OF PATRONS Prof MGK Menon Dr Karan Singh Mr N R Narayana Murthy Dr Hari N Harilela Mr Basdeo Panday

FOUNDING PRESIDENT Late Dr L M Singhvi

FOUNDING PATRON Late Dr Abid Hussain

CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT Dr Justice C S Dharmadhikari

CO-FOUNDER AND VICE PRESIDENT Mr Chandu Borde

VICE PRESIDENT Mr Inderjit Singh (MP)

CO-FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN Mr Atul Temurnikar

COO AND REGIONAL DIRECTOR- Mr Kamal Gupta MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

DEPUTY CEO Mr Kaustubh Bodhankar

GOVERNING BOARD Mr Subodh Gore Mr Maneesh Tripathi Mr Sudan Wargantiwar

ADVISORY BOARD – INTERNATIONAL Sir J K Chande Dr F C Kohli Mr Arjun Malhotra Ms Shabana Azmi Mr Ashok Soota Dr Vasant Gowariker Ms Nandini Prasad

ADVISORY BOARD – JAPAN Mr Aftab Seth Mr Masahiko Kaji

ADVISORY BOARD – SINGAPORE Mr Boon Yoon Chiang Mr Karan Singh Thakral Ms Kirtida Mekani

ADVISORY BOARD – INDIA Mr R Sundar Lt Gen (Retd) Sudhir Sharma

ADVISORY BOARD – THAILAND H E Mr Prapat Panyachartrak

ADVISORY BOARD – VIETNAM Mr N Kumar

ADVISORY BOARD – MALAYSIA Tan Sri Mohd Hussin Bin Abd Hamid (Chairman) Dato’ Sri Abdul Hamidy Abdul Hafiz Datuk Lean Meng Seong Mr Ralph Marshal Dr Denison Jayasooria

ADVISORY BOARD – ACADEMICS Mr Laurie Ince Prof Marmar Mukhopadhyay Dr M P Chhaya Prof Mukul Asher

Editorial Team

Messages

Teachers’ Speak

Annual Report

Students’ Creative Sphere

Photo Finish

02

04

07

33

59

Contents

4 FOOTPRINTS | GIIS Balestier Campus

GIIS has continued to ensure higher success for each graduating batch of students with an established system

of more than 10 years. Our teachers have provided an excellent example of mentoring each child and instilling the right values as well as attitude in our students. The school’s academic processes combined with the Global School Nine Gems model, provides the right factors for the overall development of each child. Whether our students have a flair for Speech & Drama, Robotics, Contemporary dance, Creative writing or Sports, their talent is effectively honed

In 2012, GIIS has gained recognition

once again from the highly reputable Indian Merchants’ Chamber (IMC) Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality Award for GIIS Balestier Campus as well as the prestigious Golden Peacock Innovative Product/ Service Award, 2012 awarded by Institute of Directors, India. The awards are in acknowledgement of outstanding academic and co-curricular initiatives undertaken at GIIS to contribute towards the progress of our students.

We look forward to the next academic year with higher goals for the achievements of our students. The new initiatives undertaken at GIIS are aimed at the holistic development of each child at GIIS.

GIIS students have consistently achieved high scores in competitive board exams, drawing attention to the

outstanding academic standards established across the three campuses in Singapore. The strong academic foundation at GIIS has resulted in a larger number of students appearing for competitive Olympiad and UNSW exams in Mathematics, Science, Cyber and English.

GIIS schools in Singapore have also remained at the forefront in implementing quality and education initiatives such as Teacher & Student Quality Circles and Safety Audits. There are 146 Quality Circles across all the three GIIS campuses in Singapore. It is interesting to note that GIIS campuses integrate the best aspects from Quality Circles presentations in the school’s policy and practices.

The environmental and green initiatives of GIIS campuses in Singapore have acclaimed national recognition. GIIS Queenstown and Balestier campuses have won the highest category ‘Lotus Award’ while the East Coast campus has won Community in Bloom and

Green School awards by Singapore Environment Council.

Synchronising steps with changes happening globally, GIIS has reinforced the concept of holistic education to empower the next generation. The Global School Nine Gems Model takes students’ creativity beyond academics and empowers them with skills for holistic development.

GIIS has intensified training in merit sports over the last few years and it has raised the level of skills and team play in all sports, equipping students with confidence.

GIIS campuses in Singapore have received recognition for their exemplary academic programme by winning the Golden Peacock Innovative Product/ Service Award, 2012 awarded by Institute of Directors, India. GIIS Balestier Campus has been awarded the IMC RB National Quality Award, 2012.

The awards reflect the successful implementation of new initiatives at GIIS and we are pleased to note that the biggest beneficiaries of these initiatives – our students –carry forward the legacy of academic achievements year after year.

Atul TemurnikarChairman & Co-founder

Global Schools Foundation

Rajiv VasudevaCountry Director (Singapore)

GIIS

Message

FOOTPRINTS | GIIS Balestier Campus 5

As GIIS Balestier Campus steps into the sixth year of inception, we feel proud and humbled to have won the largest number

of International and National Awards for Educational Excellence. The Campus has been awarded the following awards this year:

• Golden Peacock Innovative Product/Service Award 2013 (Recognized for innovative approach to education delivery and business excellence practices)

• Friend of Singa Gold Ward in 2013 from Singapore Kindness Movement. The award recognizes and encourages students who have gone the extra mile in extending a helping hand to others or displaying inspiring acts of kindness

• Asia Pacific Quality Organization Award (APQO) 2013 for World Class Educational Organisation

The Campus has grown in strength, shaping learners into happy global citizens which we have been able to measure using the Happiness Index as a unique measuring tool. The Global Montessori Plus Programme and the CBSE –International curricula offered at GIIS Balestier Campus and the robust Nine Gems Model form the basis of all learning modules, using Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation as assessment techniques along with structured formative and summative patterns.

The introduction of Class 6 in 2013-14 at the Campus highlights the competency level of the teaching faculty, the rigours of which we met ably and successfully. GIIS Balestier Campus has been in the forefront in contributing significantly to green initiatives be it water conservation, energy and paper conservation, nurturing a herbal garden or greening the campus. The relentless green initiatives at the campus are a result of lead taken by faculty members and students from all levels. For its untiring and persevering

efforts the campus has been awarded:

• Golden Peacock Eco Innovation Award 2013 (Recognised for taking an emphatic step for creating an ecological footprint has garnered GIIS Balestier Campus the Golden Peacock Eco-Innovation Award for its eco project, ‘Green Loos’, by the Institute of Directors (IOD))

• LOO Award by Restroom Association-2013 (Recognised for contribution to help Singapore achieve a world standard of restroom cleanliness)

• LOTUS Award for 2nd time by Singapore National Council - 2012 and 2013 (Recognised for Innovative environmental projects and participation in an external activities to promote Singapore’s sustainability)

• Daisy Award by Singapore National Council – 2013 (Recognised for Green Initiatives in Pre School)

• Gold Award for 3R by Singapore National Council – 2013 (Recognised for 3R activities and programmes at School)

• Merit Award in Sembawang Shipyard Project ‘Green Wave Environmental Care Competition 2013’

• Entered ‘Singapore Book of Records for Largest Collage made of Bread Tags

Always facilitating and touching the lives of the students is the versatile and trained team of faculty and staff who endeavour to continuously to upgrade their skills and methodology through training modules and workshops conducted by experts. GIIS Balestier Campus is guided in its pursuit of being the most sought after Primary school in Singapore, as envisioned by Chairman and Co- Founder, Mr Atul Temurnikar.

Our Country Director Mr Rajiv Vasudeva has been the pillar of strength and

Sheela KariaPrincipal

GIIS Balestier Campus

guidance always encouraging us to achieve the next level of excellence.

The quest for educational excellence at GIIS Balestier Campus has been led by Mr B G Shenoy , Director of Excellence at the Global Centre for Education Excellence who has continued to guide us in this journey of excellence.

The first ever e- edition of Footprints stands testimony to our endeavours towards environment concerns. The edition will give you a kaleidoscopic view of achievements of the GIIS Balestier Campus as we journey into another exciting year.


Teachers’ SpeakTeachers’ Speak

An Environmental vision for GIIS Balestierby Arathi Sekhar

At GIIS Balestier Campus young children learn about the environment by interacting with it. The entire concept of environment education is based on constructivism, experimental learning through real life experience to construct and conditionalise knowledge. The Eco garden, a dream come true, along with the terrace and hanging gardens provide every member of GIIS with a blissful experience with nature. Environmental education does not advocate a particular viewpoint or course of action. Rather, environmental education teaches

individuals how to weigh various sides of an issue through critical thinking and it enhances one’s problem-solving and decision-making skills. My six years of experience at GIIS has made me believe that Environmental education is based on life experiences and should begin during the very early years of life. Such experiences play a critical role in shaping lifelong attitudes, values, and patterns of behaviour toward natural environments.

Environmental Education at GIIS Balestier Campus uses academic-based service learning programs to educate

young people about the environmental consequences of their choices, teaches them to improve the environment in which they live, and increases their interest in environmental sciences and issues. Through decades of planning and cultivation, Singapore has earned the name of Garden City. In line with the country’s vision to transform Singapore “From garden city to city in a garden”, GIIS Balestier Campus has adopted various green techniques to contribute in the achievement of this vision.


Familyby Sneha D’souza

Where Life begins…and Love never ends…Family. This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the International Year of the Family and in keeping with this a series of family-oriented events and activities have been planned in Singapore for 2014.

With modernisation and a fast- paced life , the essence of family as the most important unit of our community needs strengthening. Parents today are burdened with demands from society, work and sometime children. Children on the other hand have been thrown into a world of competition and high expectations in terms of achievements in various fields. This causes a lot of anxiety, frustrations and heartbreaks. The strength of the family lies in its values and its ability to absorb every situation with fortitude. This is only possible if parents treat their children with unconditional love and support; giving each other the confidence that, no matter what, the family always sticks together.

Nurture yourselfby Shylaja Raman

Self awareness-knowing your abilities, your talents and how you deal with people and react to them is a skill in itself. The more you discover about yourself, you become a better YOU. Like the grocer who puts a price tag on his products, we write our own price tags and grossly under estimate our value. Why do you think so, is it because we focus on our weakness rather than strengths? We need to self reflect and attach our real value. To begin with have a sense of self worth and self love. This of course, means a positive and healthy personal respect not a narcissistic, egocentric, selfish love. Take steps that lead to make a profound difference in how you perceive yourself. Laugh at your handicaps, there is no perfect person, everybody has flaws, just don’t allow your

handicaps to become permanent barriers. Failures need not result in negative patterns as they are as natural as life itself, if you haven’t failed, you haven’t started. Find someone who needs your help and offer whatever talents you have, this will boost your self esteem, take on a

Unconditional love is loving your kids and your spouse for who they are, not for what they do. When the children have this confidence they will always look inwards to the family for support in times of crisis, rather than looking outside. Making time for each other, listening to the accounts of the day, sharing the little joys and sorrows are some ways to have a happy family. Children today are caught up in a materialistic world where i-pads and X-box take over after-dinner conversations. Though these indulgences cannot be denied, the family must make time for each other and find ways to have fun together, be it through games, family outings or just dinner together. The need is to realize the importance of spending quality time with each other and to foster a sense of belonging, dependency and love.Being a family means you are a part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life.

creative challenge which not only builds self confidence it does wonder to your self esteem. Learn the importance of accepting compliments graciously. It is also equally vital to become comfortable with criticism. The comment we find offensive is merely a genuine expression of friendship to help us improve. As the adage says “you are what you eat” also applies to the mind, “you are what you think”. Starting now, make a commitment that you will spend time to creatively activate your mind and unleash the power within you that can give your life a new dimension. You do not need to be smarter than you are or have a different personality. All you need to do to achieve your greatest goal is use what you have got exceptionally well. Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it. So wake up and write it right.


Teachers’ Speak

The Miraculous Yatra to Kailash Manas by Himangi Choudury

The voyage to Mt Kailash-located in the Himalayas was miraculous indeed and I would like to share this experience with you. In 2006, I started having some difficulty in walking. I consulted the best doctors in India and later in Singapore, but there was no medicine, no cure for this ailment. So I learnt the Part- 1 Basic course in yoga ( Sudarshan Kriya) in 2010 in the hope that my legs would get better and I would be able to walk at ease. The daily practice of Sudarshan Kriya and the knowledge gained from the classes, gradually, but steadily and definitely changed my outlook towards life. Physically, there has been no improvement in my legs, but I’m still able to work in school and move ahead in life. I’ve gained so much of spiritual strength and courage that I can easily ignore my physical condition! This is the reason that in spite of this impairment, I was able to go to Kailash Manas in June 2013 with a group of friends. I had heard that the 3- day expedition around Mt Kailash was an arduous and most difficult trek, but my heart said that I should do it.

Each day we travelled 10-12 hrs by bus but miraculously I didn’t have motion sickness. As we scaled new heights and reached higher altitudes, the air got thinner, but the practice of Sudarshan kriya had expanded and strengthened my lungs, so I had no difficulty in breathing. The sight of the milky white streams flowing down the green mountains in Kodari , the vast open lands and majestic mountains in Tibet, the divine Mt Kailash clothed in white and the serene blue waters of Lake Mansarovar was blissful and fulfilling. It was heavenly! Surprisingly, the sun was shining brightly over our

heads and the air was absolutely still, so all of us took a dip in the waters of Lake Mansarovar. The travel on the pony around the slopes was very comfortable. And throughout the 2 weeks of journey, I was showered with lots of love and care. My friends would hold my hand and help me walk, carry my bag, serve me food and support me at all times, in every way. Now I am back in the normal routine life with its ups and downs, but the experience of my voyage to Kailash Manas is so fulfilling that it will remain etched in my memory always.

Annual Report...

Annual Report


SPOTLIGHT: GIIS BALESTIER IN 2013-14Driven by a passion to develop every student in a holistic and balanced way, GIIS Balestier implemented several measures that espoused the joy of learning.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES

Broad Curriculum

Global Montessori Plus (GMP) Programme for Kindergarten GIIS fosters an age-appropriate progressive learning environment. This unique program works on the multiple intelligences of the child. GMP focuses through a myriad of structured activities and is child centric where learning is a delight.

CBSE- iIt aims to promote critical and creative thinking skills, effective communication skills, interpersonal and collaborative skills. As a result, Parents can identify the correlation of Intelligences and Critical thinking skills in their child’s learning. Class 6 was introduced amidst great expectations from April 2013. Respective teachers were briefed on their roles and responsibilities from time to time to ensure a smooth transition and functioning of the same. The school has taken a step forward in bringing Classes 4 and 6 under the umberella of CBSE-i curriculum. The CBSE-i curriculum aims to design the educational content and methodologies more responsive to global needs by integrating life skills, creative and critical thinking skills, thereby offering a perfect balance between traditional and progressive approaches to teaching.

Analytical Thinking

WizkidThe ‘Wizkid’ programme nudges the children to think out of the box and shores up their critical thinking, logical and analytical skills. Activities challenge the children to apply Higher Order Thinking skills to solve them.

MathemagicMathemagic stokes the numerical abilities of the children apart from fuelling their interest in real world applications of Mathematics. Students learn to apply their prior knowledge and improve their problem- solving skills which will empower them link those skills to real life situations.

Character education

Campaigns, ethics and hygiene Weekly assembly presentations by Primary students have become an important medium to convey monthly campaigns to promote moral values. The campaigns are aligned with the ethics, health and hygiene curriculum for a month. Eat Healthy Be Healthy, Reading Maketh a Man, Better Safe than Sorry are a few examples of such campaigns held during the academic year.

i-care and v-careThe i-care and v-care programmes are designed for the students of Kindergarten with a view to generat awareness about the environment and groom the students to take care and responsibility towards it.

Development of soft skills

Colour days Theme presentations and Assembly for the students of kindergartenColour days are observed at month-ends when students of kindergarten dress up and undertake activities to reflect the colour introduced during the month. Every class gets opportunities to do Theme Presentations with the help of creative props and pictures. Assemblies highlight monthly campaigns to inculcate good habits. All such activities harness public speaking skills.


Show and Tell The Show and Tell sessions have been extended to the second language apart from English. Through these sessions, children gain confidence and fluency in the language, building up their vocabulary and language skills. After allocation of a topic, students get geared up to speak on that topic and make an impact on the audience. Through these sessions, children gain fluency to converse which is the first step to developing love for a language.

Impactful Assemblies Important events and festivals are marked by special assemblies by individual classes. Interesting skits, dazzling dances, foot tapping music and informative videos add vibrancy to the assemblies. The exercise builds team work and portrays diverse talents in children and exposes them to stage management within given time frame.

Circle time Circle time is a very special time when kindergarten teachers and children connect and begin the day together. It is a half an hour session in the morning which includes activities like prayers, rhymes, National Anthems, sharing news, morning exercises, songs, discussions, show and tell and other activities related to the curriculum. This session is vital, as through these interactive activities, the students of kindergarten settle down at school for the rest of the day.

Experiential learning

Montessori, Math and Science LaboratoriesMontessori labs for Kindergarten, Math and Science labs for Primary school allow students to explore and learn with the equipments. Apart from providing a different ambience to learning, the labs are effective in imparting concepts that are more readily grasped with hands-on learning.

Eco-gardenThe school’s eco cradle houses four different sections namely Butterfly Garden, which provides students with endless fun and fascination; The Fruits and Veggies plot, where students grow and nurture a startling array of vegetables and fruits; The Herb and spice garden, which is home to traditional plants; and the Do It Yourself (DIY) section where students have the opportunity to plant and experiment with their own flora and fauna. The eco-garden provides awareness to environmental issues amongst students and staff and inculcates love for nature aimed with creative activities.

Toy roomThe delightful learning environment in the toy room sharpens all key senses of the kindergarten students in every way. There is no shortage of fun in this room as children tinker with educational toys and learn in their own way at their own pace.

Extended Home ActivitiesExtended activities are spelled out for children to connect the learning in school with the real world scenario. Concepts are understood better in this manner apart from forging a closer alliance with parents.

MIMIO LabThe use of MIMIO labs is a means to enhance the teaching process at Primary levels.

Annual exhibitions

Transcending Boundaries‘Theme based approach to Learning to enhance Multiple Intelligences of children’ under the Global Montessori Plus Programme is showcased in this annual exhibition for Kindergarten. Different learning styles were explored in depth so that the predominant intelligences of a child are tapped by the teacher, for learning to take place at its best.

CBSE-iThe implementation of the school’s academic modules that reflect the various themes prescribed under the CBSE-i curriculum is showcased in this exhibition that is open to all. The visitors get a peek into the myriad of inquiry-based and integrated activities that take the rote out of learning and move away from stereotypic classrooms. Children exhibit their understanding of the themes with interesting presentations, thought-provoking demonstrations and creative written and artwork.

Annual Report


Self-improvement Programmes

Bridge ProgrammeStudents who need assistance in coping with Second language are given support through Bridge Programme after school hours weekly. This provides support to both parent and student to close any learning gaps.

Personal Development Goals and Academic Improvement PlanThis is a process wherein students take steps to do a self-retrospection to analyse and identify their own areas of personal strengths and weaknesses as well as decipher self-improvement plans. Under the guidance of their teachers, the plan is put in action and implemented within a specified time frame.

Reaching out to Parents

Parents’ Orientation ProgrammesThe ‘Meet and Greet’ session provides a fine platform for teachers to brief parents’ on the schools learning modules. A strong rapport is struck so that parents are assured of a supportive and caring environment at school.

Curriculum Familiarization MorningParents get first-hand experience of the different teaching techniques, Montessori display and presentations, teaching aids and class activity displays at the Curriculum Familiarisation Morning. Various class presentations are also organised for the parents and other visitors to familiarise with the curriculum.

Parent Teacher MeetingsKeeping in mind that parents are partners in education. Parent Teacher Meetings are held at regular intervals for all classes at GIIS Balestier Campus. Teachers highlight the observations for each child with parents apart from offering useful tips that will prime be helpful for students for future.

Awareness sessionsUnder the initiative of the Student Support Department, the Counsellor, Ms Sharmila Khandkar, conducted interactive parenting session like “Social and Emotional Competence” to bring up socially competent and positive children. The talk gave the parents an understanding of the unique characteristics of the new generation, their mental make-up, and their experience base while growing up. The focus is also on the strategies to develop working relationship with children.


GIIS Balestier Campus Quiz

The cornerstone for the initiation of the GIIS Balestier Campus Quiz programme is to promote general knowledge among our young, vibrant little minds and inculcate cultural, social and global awareness in them. With a range of questions sent at the beginning of each month through emails, children are coaxed to find answers to them. Answers to the questions are sent in consecutive weeks so that children can come prepared for a quiz conducted in class on the last day of the month to share the answers.

NEW INITIATIVES DURING 2013-2014

First significant foray into the Book of Records

In commemoration of Singapore’s 48th National Day, GIIS Balestier Campus unveiled Singapore’s largest display of bread

tags. The display titled Recycled Creation: Art meets French Language depicted the national and cultural symbols of Singapore and France. It was made using approximately 13,000 plastic bread tags, which were collected by students over a period of four months, and re-used to give shape to the display. The display has been created with the objective of instilling appreciation for French language among students, and reflecting the multilingual and multicultural environment in Singapore.

E-Recycle Drive

In the current digital world, disposing electronic waste in every household has become a huge challenge. To counter that problem, the school came up with the solution of inviting the parents to send cast away electronic items which were collected and sent to the recycling agencies.

Observation of Energy hour:

The first working day of every month has been set aside as days when all classrooms run without air conditioners and lights, provided there is adequate day light in the classroom. This initiative has been taken to educate the students on saving energy and do their bit towards energy conservation. Less energy consumption is likely to result in less heat ejected into the outdoor environment ensuring cooler temperature for all.

Hanging gardens with in house water drip system

A unique self-designed water drip system has transformed the gardening scenario in the school. The simplicity of the design coupled with optimum utilisation of water with the least human intervention has made it quite a unique Drip System.

Bountiful harvest in the Eco-garden:

The sustained initiatives to maintain the school’s eco-garden is seeing the fruits of labour. Garden patches being diligently looked after by staff and students have an excellent variety of fruits and vegetables. Once a week, each class takes up duties to tend to the plants in every possible way. In this manner, teachers and students get actively engaged in gardening apart from getting a hands-on learning experience.

Annual Report


Save the drop Competition:

GIIS Balestier Campus in collaboration with PUB, organised the ‘Save the Drop’ Art Competition on July 24, 2013, to take conservation efforts beyond the campus. The competition was open to all Primary level students in Singapore for poster-making and bin design. The inaugural ‘Save the Drop’ Art Competition saw participants from the sister campuses and Marsiling Primary School, design posters and bins based on themes of water conservation. This contest was another step in strengthening GIIS’ environmental commitments.

Raising the bar on Academic Model and Nurturing Happiness Index

GIIS Balestier campus’s uniqueness lies in its dynamic curriculum and ambience. The syllabus is periodically reviewed and reframed to ensure that every child’s need is addressed. Diverse modes of learning is emphasised with greater focus on nurturing key skills and core competencies such as critical and analytical thinking. A structured mapping of learning outcomes with learning objectives is bound to create a strong base for the teaching-learning cycle. The school’s motto, ‘Learning a delight’ is being measured through Happiness Index. Since it is the first of its kind, it is considered for benchmarking studies among other GIIS schools. The annual survey conducted for all stakeholders of the campus showed an overall 12% increase in the Happiness index. Further measures will be taken to strengthen this index so that a culture of care is established amidst the students to maintain a happier and friendlier climate in the school.

Facilitate more learning and sharing platforms for staff

In the new educational paradigm, teachers play an important role to stimulate and serve as role models. Dexterity to deliver the lessons so as to connect the student’s strengths, interests and needs in an engaging way is the newest challenge for all teachers. The teaching faculty at GIIS Balestier Campus gets exposure to a variety of interesting and inspiring workshops to shape different ideas, get a fresh insight into learning and focus on holistic education that balances academic results with moral development in children.

Explore different ways to tap the potential of students

The school will give more room to nurture creativity and harness the soft skills of students in a big way so as to equip them for future challenges. In house and external events in the form of debates, international writing competitions, story telling, oratory and such other skills will take centre stage and open up opportunities, perspectives and a whole new world of possibilities. The objective is

Sports enhancement through interschool tournaments

Sports connects all. Reaching out to other schools through sports is one of the aims of encouraging students to take part in interschool tournaments. Numerous opportunities will be provided for developing the potential of the students in different spheres of sports. The medium of sports will build resilience and team work as well as promote our universal values.

PATH FORWARD 2014-2015

to showcase the diverse talents of children of all ages.

Commitment to environmental sustainability

Prestigious Environmental Awards that have come our way are a testament to the school’s exemplary approach in green programmes. The school will continue to nurture and enhance our existing projects while new measures will be rolled out so that the school takes active lead in environmental issues and spread the eco message to the community at large.


AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

Individual Accomplishments

GIIS Balestier Campus student’s online champThe World Education Games is an annual global online challenge to get all students (4-18 years old) excited about learning, and to give the top students in all schools an opportunity to see how they rank against the best in the world. Over 2 million students from around the world and 8500 from Singapore competed against each other online in the subject areas of English, Mathematics and Science. Agasthya Sai Shyam Nair of Class 1 was placed 1st in Mathematics, 2nd in English and 2nd in Science in Singapore in the 7 years and under category. Three silver medals and a special certificate were presented to him at the school assembly by Ms Melanie Waugh, Regional Manager, 3P Learning, Singapore.

Scaling New HeightsNamrata Venkatesh, of Class 4 from GIIS Balestier Campus, has notched the International rank ONE in the 3rd International English Olympiad Examination conducted by the Science Olympiad Foundation, India. In recognition of her stellar performance, she was felicitated at the Award Function in New Delhi,India. Namrata’s extraordinary achievement serves as an inspiration to all.

The Dancing QueenWith enviable style and groovy moves, Sunishka Sriram of Class 1 clinched 9 awards under various categories at the 17th World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) held in Hollywood, California USA. The competition featured cream of the crop talent from over forty countries worldwide.

Creativity sparked at the Sony Creative Science AwardOjas Vaidya of Class 1 won the Merit Award, along with SGD100 worth of Sony vouchers, under the Scizkid Category for his interesting toy entitled ‘Catapult Basketball’ at the Sony Creative Science Award. Teachers received the ‘Diamond Award’ for mentoring and inspiring the students.

School’s Accomplishments

Gold Award from Singapore Kindness Movement (SINGA)The school was the proud recipient of the Gold Award at the ‘Friend of Singa Awards Ceremony 2013’ for motivating the children to exercise innate kindness to all. The theme for the school project initiated by Singapore Kindness Movement has been ‘There is always time to make someone’s day’. The student ambassadors, along with their teachers, chose the acronym ‘SMILE’ (Surely Making Individuals Life Enriched). Messages promoting kindness and graciousness were conveyed during School Assemby every week. Activities organized for the children included poster making, art competition and felicitation of transport and housekeeping staff of the school on their birthdays. Tokens of appreciation were handed out to the housekeeping staff at the nearby shopping mall in a bid to take the message outside the school. The project ‘SMILE’ has nudged the children towards a gracious society.

Annual Report


Awards galore for Green initiativesTaking an emphatic step for creating an ecological footprint has garnered GIIS

Balestier Campus the Golden Peacock Eco-Innovation Award for its eco project, ‘Green Loos’, by the Institute of Directors (IOD).Bringing laurels to our school were the Restrooms that steered the children towards a hygienic lifestyle. As a continuing measure to HAPPY Rest Room project, all “Green Loos” have been enhanced to Learning rooms that can impart important information on the various themes created. In order to educate the children on anti-littering and the correct techniques of hand washing for hygiene and conservation of water, ‘nature themed’ eye catching panels were painstakingly created by conscientious staff, parents and students of the school thus igniting the passion in students to care for the environment. Staff who were associated with the maintenance of clean restrooms has been duly felicitated from time to time. As a continuing measure, all “Green Loos” have been enhanced to Learning rooms that can impart important information on the various themes created. This project has enabled to sensitise the children to the environment around them while keeping their bodies and minds active. The Loo Award stands as a testimony to this sustainable initiative.

GIIS Balestier also clinched the prestigious Lotus Award, the Daisy Award and the Gold Award for 3R beating 300 entries each for the above awards. It is notable that the school has received the Lotus award for the second time for having worked on various environment projects to understand, respect and value natural resources. The Daisy award is specially awarded to Kindergarten students who have shown that they are no less in making a difference to the world’s green heritage. For its commitment to adopting 3Rs as a way of life, the school was bestowed the Gold Award for 3R.

Global School Awards 2013Global School Awards 2013 was an exclusive felicitation ceremony to honour the exceptional accomplishments of our students in academics, sports and co-curricular activities while staff and faculty were awarded for their commitment and service to the organization.

Recipients of Student Awards for ‘Sports Excellence’ and ‘Co-curricular Excellence’

Recipient Award

Sathwik Chiluveru

Abhinav Chiluveru

Prithvi Narayan

Harshalya Pandey

Surabhi Bansal

Justice C S Dharmadhikari GIIS Award for Co-Curricular Excellence

Shruthika Senthil Annapooraneeswari Palani Poorva Joshi

Chandu Borde Award for Sports

Suniksha Sriram Special Commendation in Performing Arts


Recipients of Teacher Awards

GIIS Ambassador GIIS Extra Mile Award GIIS Star Award GIIS Long Service Award

Ms Sujata Tilak Ms Savitha Harshavardhan Rao

Ms Reena Gupta Ms Arathi Sekhar

Ms Anita Narayan Ms Louella Peres Ms Anbalagan Srivalli Ms Shobha Shankar

Ms Aditi Bandyopadhyay Ms Srividya Thyagarajan Ms Rashmi Maheshwari Mr Md Hassan Bin Sayed Mohd Siran

Ms Sneha D’souza Ms Shilpi Malhotra Ms Rekha Rachel Varghese Mr Sanjeev Saxena

- Ms Jaya Harish Mehta - Ms Savitha Harshvardhan Rao

- Ms Suganthi Angelin Mary - Ms Shah Neela Navinchandra

- Mr Karuna Sharma - Ms Shanoo Bhatt

- Mr Mohammed Hassan - Ms Shanthigodu Sadhana Tholpady

- Ms Shilpi Malhotra

- Ms Sriram Srividya

GIIS Green Champ Award

GIIS Innovator Award GIIS Super Star Award

Ms Arathi Sekhar Ms Gunjeet Kaur Ms Arathi Sekhar

Ms Padmarani Srivatsan Mr Manoj Radhakrishnan Nair

Ms Padmarani Srivatsan

Academics

•MayanWasu•SowmiyaThirumeni

1st Prize in GIIS Spell-O- Well

•SanshraySaxsena,KushBorkar,PrithviNarayana,Sindhu Sri Muddam, Simantak Dabhade, (Gold medalists)•SiaKarkhanis,LaboniBorkar,AyushJayaKrishnan,Debstutya Pande, Mukund Rangaraj Neel. (Silver medalists)•MadhavMenon,PratyushBansal,AaravRajesh,ShaveenGajaananan, Madhav Pramodh. (Bronze medalists)

13th National Cyber Olympiad

•EthanMendonca,PratyushBansal,PrithviNarayan,DevanshShah, Ashwin Annadurai, Jawad Shakeel (Gold medalists)•SudarshanGopal,AbhinayaAnnadurai,PadhyeAryanAmit, Akshat Jain, Soumyaditya Choudhuri (Silver medalists)•VishalPrakash,VenougobalTarun,MeghaPusti,AdrijaMazumdar, Harsh Saple (Bronze medalists)

6th SOF International Math Olympiad

Appreciation for Upright BehaviourEach month the Primary classes which displayed best orderliness are identified and acknowledged with the ‘Neat and Tidy Class’, ‘Most well-behaved class’ and ‘Most orderly class’. Such recognitions do have a strong impact in motivating the recipients and the audience.

Students’ Achievements in 2013-2014


Annual Report

Academics

•BharatLath,SudharshanaGopal,Kush Borkar, Prithvi Narayan, Aditya Deshpande, Rishikesh Samant (Gold medalists)•JeenalAgrawal,GargBatra,PratyushBansal,ManonitaPradeep Mukherjee, Simantak Dabhade, Aman Saswat Sahoo (Silver medalists)•BhavikaGupta,ArryaNimbalkar,LaboniBorkar,PurvaKumbhar, Devansh Shah, Akashdeep Bhattacherjee (Bronze medalists)

16th National Science Olympiad

•OmKrishna,AbhinayaAnnadurai,AmritaVenkatesh,Simantak Dabhade, Surabhi Bansal (Gold medalists)•SanajanaRao,ParijatBhattcharjee,SindhuSriMuddam,Mayam Wasu, Nayan Lath. (Silver medalists)•ThamodaHaputhanthri,LamboniBorkar,AyushJayaKrishnan, Riddhi Dewan, Madhav Pramodh (Bronze medalists)

3rd International English Olympiad

•IshitaGuptaandGarvSharma Second Prize in GIIS HiQ Interschool Quiz competition

•AnanyaNarendraNath(6A)•SurabhiBansal(6A)•RishikeshSamant(6A)•PratyushBansal(3B)

Merit Award of S$500 in the Green Wave Environment Competition 2013

Fine Arts and Performing Arts

•NikitaShanbhagGolden Voice Award for the sub-junior category at Global Indian stars 2013

Winners of GIIS Jhankaar Dance Competition 2013

Solo Folk •NishithaMujeebRahiman(First)Rithika Sreekanth (Third)Solo contemporary•AbhinavChiluveru

Group contemporary:(Third Postion)Tanvi Vasanth BhatGarv SharmaSainath AnanthalingamMeera SalilShruti Mathavan Riya RaoAyush BhatnagarHarshita Arun KumarTanay SureshPrithvi NarayanSub Senior Category (Classes 5-8)

Solo Classical •SurabhiBansal(Second)Solo contemporary:•AnushaSingh(Third)

Group Folk(Third Position)Prisha SharmaAdrija MazumdarAmitaPrabhuSurabhi Bansal Ananya Narendranath


Winners of GIIS Jhankaar Dance Competition 2013

Solo Folk•SudeepBhargavan(First)•AkshataCModak(Third)

Mega Final WinnersJunior: Nishitha Mujeeb RahimanSubjunior: Sudeep Bhargavan

Group Contemporary(Second Position)Sathwik ChiluveruArnav BhandariSayyam Hitesh KumarAniya JainVishal SelvamaniRuchira KarjeeThea PrakashTasha AbrahamAadya NairShubhadha Viswanandla

Literary Festival 2013

First placeMallika Mohanty - StorytellingAnushka Sharda - Hindi SpeechAadhi Senthil Kumar - Tamil SpeechSurya Sinha – French Poetry

Second PlaceDebstutya Pande – Hindi PoetrySt Logesh – Tamil Poetry Tanisha Anand – French Poetry

Real World Convention 2013


Annual Report

Real World Convention2013

Transformation Turncoat•SurabhiBansal–ThirdPlaceFashion Show•Category1A-SecondPlace

Annika D’souzaAmeya DeshpandeSwetha RajShourya MishraAyushiTamang

•Category1B-ThirdPlaceVedhika NambiarSrishti SudharsanSiya SharmaMadhav MenonShruti UpadhyeSuniksha Sriram

Essay Writing Competition•RahulPiratla–ThirdPlace•PratoshMenon–ConsolationPrize

Art competition•ArryaNimbalkar-ConsolationPrize

Quality Circle – Second Place•EarthBuddies–NicoleBout,AvikamMangla,SagarikaMazumder, Luvay Dahodwala and Aishwarya Anand•CheckonDecks–V.Prithvi,MeenakshiJyothi,SruthiVenkatesh, Ananya Narendranath, George Shery Ponodath

Classes 1 and 2Kashmira Pandit Rao – Third positionSrishti Sudharsan– First positionSharanya Menon –Second PositionClasses 3 to 6Eashwar Balasubramanian– Third PositionAbhinav Chiluveru – First PositionAdvik Unni– Second Position

Weave – a- tale competition

Sports

Arya Bhatia Runner Up in GIIS Badminton Open under 11

Aadit SheliladityaSudeepNeilAyushVashuDhananjayAvinash

OKTO cup Second place out of 80 participating teams included a trophy, medals and $500 cheque

Shruthika SenthilAnapooraneshwariNadia SiddiquiSuvathikaAarshiSurabhi ThanmayiMansiNehaAnagha

Gold Trophy Winners at the Badminton ACSIS Under 11 Girls Tournament (Division 1)


Location Description

Singapore Orchid Garden

Class Nursery had nature fun and appreciation of the flora and fauna at the Singapore Orchid Garden

Jacob Balla Children’s Park

Nursery and Kindergarten 1 enjoyed nature trails and appreciated the need for conservation of water at the Jacob Balla Children’s Park

Gardens by the Bay

Kindergarten 2 had the pleasure of visualising the creation of a City in a Garden at the Gardens by the Bay

Newater Plant

Classes Kindergarten 1 and 2 appreciated the need for conservation of water while Classes 1 and 2 set up an apparatus for purification of water through a rain garden workshop with recycled plastic cups

Hort’s Park Classes 1 and 2 had a taste of outdoor gardening amidst fresh air and green landscape

Singapore Science centre

Classes 3 to 5 experienced the scientific journey to arouse the curiosity of the students who became tinkering thinkers with the displayed science materials

Lower Selatar Reservoir

Classes 3 to 6 undertook a walk down the history of the Lower Seletar past and the present, the water cycle and journey of water; a hands-on experience of testing the quality of water for observation

Sengkang Floating Wetland

Classes 3,4,5 and 6 students admired the diversity of nature during a nature walk along a floating broad walk

Harsh Saple, Praket,Raeya, Yash, ReyanshJaitra, Darsh, Ananth

Bronze Trophy Winners at the ACSIS Badminton Under 11 Boys Tournament (Division 2)

Harshalya, DevstutyaArya, EvanshDhruv G, Dhruv K, Aditya

Bronze Trophy Winners at the ACSIS Badminton Under 11 Boys Tournament (Division 1)

Aadit, Shieladitya, NeilVashu, Udheep, VishnuKrish, Kavish

Gold Trophy Winners at the ACSIS Soccer Under 10 Football Tournament

ACTIVE LEARNING

Field Trips


Annual Report

Outdoor CampSixty two students of Classes 4, 5 and 6 stepped out for some fun at a two-day overnight outdoor Adventure Camp specially organised for them by the school in partnership with High Achievers at Sarimbun Scouts Camp. The camp rolled out several attractive activities which were as diverse as Rock Wall Challenge, orienteering, team and initiative games, flag creation to stoke the adventurous streak in children. Campfires brought the children closer to nature apart from harnessing team spirit. Important life skills imparted to the adventure enthusiasts opened their eyes to another dimension of

Summer Fiesta 2013 A holiday workshop during the summer vacation witnessed participants learning lino-cut, block printing, anikinetics, funk asia dance, ultimate frisbee, speed tag, sculpting with wires and mosaic art. The last of the camp day was marked by an exhibition of children’s artwork and dance performances learnt during the camp for the parents.

PARENTS AS PARTNERS

Coffee Morning with the PrincipalThe Principal hosts Coffee Morning for the parents of different classes on scheduled days all through the academic year to gather feedback as well as receive valuable inputs for the coming year.

Parent Engagement ProgramAs part of the Parent Engagement program, many parents who are accomplished in their fields share their expertise with the students on the scheduled days. Every such program gives an opportunity to the students to raise pertinent questions and exchange views so that they gain an insight into the workings of the real world. In this manner, students can be inspired to chalk out a career in that field.

Reading Moms ProgramParent volunteers lend a helping hand in strengthening the reading skills of

life. By providing ample opportunities to exercise self-discipline and be self-reliant, the camp set out to prove that outdoor life is not only exciting but also engaging.

Safety tips to fight CybercrimeHow do we tackle cybercrime —an ongoing challenge faced worldwide. In a bid to educate the students on internet safety, a team of policemen from a Neighbourhood Police Centre visited the school to offer important guidelines on cybercrime. The session was an eye opener in many ways.

the students of Class 1 in English and Hindi by participating in this program.

Strengthening Family bondsMothers’ Day saw the spirit of Motherhood being celebrated with great enthusiasm. A hilarious skit and a song and video presentation dedicated to all mothers overwhelmed many in the audience. Mothers flocked to participate in various events designed to express adoration for their children. The children made Hand print wall hangings, cards, Bag tags, Bookmarks, Heart shaped booklets and wrote acrostic poems as a token of their love for their mothers.


NINE GEMS MODEL

Fathers’ Day saw fathers and their children participating in a line of fun-packed activity like Salad Decoration competition, sporty fun, gift wrapping with one hand, and a Paper Dance. A special assembly had children parading as ‘fathers’ to spell out their affection for their children. Tokens of love exclusively designed for fathers were taken back home by all kindergarten students. A special poem dedicated to fathers was recited by the Primary school children while fathers took turns in penning spontaneous poetry verses that expressed their love for their children.

The Nine Gems model at GIIS is an integrated holistic approach to learning, balancing academics and experience, mental and physical development, fine arts and performing arts, language skills and creativity, personality development, ethics and entrepreneurship. The model facilitates all round development in every GIIS student, helping them reach their full potential while achieving desired academic laurels. Our school strives to embrace this model by implementing the necessary activities.

Clubs and Hobbies

Extracurricular and Co-curricular ActivitiesA broad spectrum of extra-curricular and co-curricular activities enables the children to pursue activities of their own choice. Diverse abilities and interests are spotted and nurtured under the expert guidance of specialised coaches and trainers within the school time table. Learning beyond classrooms is vital, and provides an added advantage to develop and hone specific skill sets in a wide range of activities. The Cultural Activities and Sports Training Programme (CAST) is a not-for-profit initiative of the school-imparts training to students in arts, cultural activities and sports. The school provides dedicated sports fields and rooms for different activities. ECA and CCA presentations are also held at the end of the academic year to display the activities learnt over the course of the year.

Creativity Development

Challenging HiQ Quiz competition Student of Classes 4 and 5 from all three GIIS campuses in Singapore came together to test their knowledge in diverse topics ranging from literature to current affairs. The closely-contested competition enthralled the audience all along. The quiz intended to pique the students’ interest in current affairs beyond their pursuit of academic excellence.

Breaking the boredom with Holiday Enrichment ProgrammeScience and Math came alive at the two days Illuminating Minds (Science Workshop) and the Leap Ahead (Math Workshop) for all levels when participants designed their own rooms and whipped up cakes with materials of specific measurements; solved brain wracking logical puzzles and tangram pieces, broke down complex problems with Vedic math and much more. The activities allowed the students to experience the joy of discovery.


Annual Report

Personality Development

Enchanting storytellers at Weave-a-tale competition Eloquent story tellers grabbed the attention of the spectators with their refreshing tales at the much awaited GIIS Weave-a-tale competition. Participants from GIIS Queenstown Campus, GIIS East Coast Campus and GIIS Balestier Campus, narrated expressive stories that were packed with essential values. Props and costumes added lustre to the event. Radiating charm and brimming with confidence, every participant stole the show in their own way.

Sports Excellence

Grand win at the ACSIS Badminton U-11 Girls (Division 1) League The school’s Girls Badminton Team cruised to victory at all the three matches, each played against UWC Dover, UWC East and GIIS East Coast Campus at the ACSIS Badminton League matches. The accumulated points at the end of the tournament secured them the top position to clinch the gold trophy.

Well-deserved Gold Award at the ACSIS Football U-10 TournamentThe U-10 Football team from GIIS Balestier Campus emerged as winners to grab the coveted Gold trophy at the ACSIS U-10 tournament after a round of wins against teams from other international schools from Singapore like National Public School International, Singapore, Nexus International School, Tanglin Trust, Stamford American International School. GIIS Balestier Campus beat GIIS East Coast Campus in the finals to secure the Gold trophy.

Hard earned Second Place at OKTO soccer cupOkto Cup is okto’s first ever futsal competition for children aged 7 to 10 years old and 10 to 12 years old. Over 3000 kids participated at the biggest football competition. After battling in the game with the opponents in several grueling rounds, GIIS Balestier Campus secured second place in the finals.

The Girl with a Fencing FetishPoorva Joshi made headlines in the U-12 Indian National Fencing Championships held at Nashik, Maharashtra. The junior fencer, who represented the state of Delhi, fought her way to a bronze medal (the Foils Championships). Poorva was also ranked #1 fencer of the state of Delhi based on overall points.

Feisty fight at the ACSIS Badminton U-11 Boys (Division 2) LeagueThe U-11 Boys Badminton Team put up a brave fight against their opponents from NPS, OFS and UWC (Dover) at the ACSIS Badminton League tournament. Their two wins from the three matches placed them in the third position to win the bronze trophy.

Notching the Bronze at the ACSIS Badminton U-11 Boys (Division 1) LeagueWinning two out of three matches played against UWC Dover, UWC East and GIIS East Coast Campus at the ACSIS Badminton League( Division 1) tournament positioned the U-11 Boys Team in the third place to grab the Bronze trophy.


SkydivingPoorva Joshi, took part in the Neo-freestyle kid’s category in the World championship of Indoor Skydiving competing against participants from Singapore, Dubai and Australia and secured the seventh place in the overall world ranking. She also attempted a new category Guinness World record for the most number of children inside wind tunnel, with 13 children flying hand-in-hand. Poorva was the only Indian participant in the entire World Championship draw.

Sports Day Parents and students were transported to the world of sporting activities on the Sports Day organised by GIIS Balestier Campus. Following a welcome speech by the Principal, the Guest of Honour, Mr R Sasikumar, Group Managing Director and Red Card Group declared the Sports Meet open. Amidst the sporting events which saw students cruising to victory, the school’s annual fund raising initiative lured parents to participate in the event ‘Dance to Fitness’, an energetic group Aerobics Dance. The beneficiary of the event was the Make a Wish Foundation, a non-profit organization, which raises funds for fulfilling the wishes of children across the world with terminal illness. Parents who went out of their way to create dazzling thorans from waste materials were duly honoured. Winners of track events, team events and games were felicitated by distinguished dignitaries.

Extended Sports Training ProgrammeBadminton and Soccer are the sports in which students undergo extended training at the campus. Students shortlisted on the basis of their sports aptitude are further trained by professional coaches.

Fun and Frolic at KindergartenThe annual ‘Fun and Frolic’ event for the the student of the kindergarten at GIIS Balestier Campus was back with more thrills. The students had loads of fun playing several games that were specifically organised just for them.


Annual Report

Fine Arts and Performing Arts

GIIS Jhankaar Excitement reached fever pitch when passionate dancers set the stage on fire in dazzling costumes, swaying to music that is typical of contemporary, folk and classical dances at the GIIS Jhankaar 2013. The event drew participation from GIIS campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. GIIS Balestier campus students notched wins in different categories with their sizzling performances that displayed synchrony and grace to perfection.

Global Indian Stars 2013The event saw best of the singing talents across schools in Singapore pitted against one another. The musical performances wowed the audience from start to finish. Online voting for the final participants determined the winners of the event.

Annual Day Glitz True to the theme, ‘Colours of the Rainbow’, the stage lit up with dazzling dances to pulsating beats, sweet singing and stunning skits, all combined with a good measure of creativity and hard work. Proud parents thoroughly enjoyed being pampered by their children who displayed class and confidence in every performance. The Grand finale fittingly capped the show when the prefectorial team unraveled the school’s core values and the tag line ‘Learning a delight’ on stage to the shower of booming party poppers.

Kindergarten Fancy DressFancy Dress presentation witnessed students of kindergarten walking the ramp with poise in spectacular costumes. Children demonstrated oratory skills along the way. The event brought a smile on the faces of our tiny tots.

Puppets with a Message A puppet show themed ‘Respect and Discipline at school’ was put up by the Kindergarten teachers for all students. Puppets, being fun and entertaining, absorbed the attention of the children and conveyed the message adroitly. The show’s success was proved when children became motivated to demonstrate

respect and discipline at all times.

Kindergarten Talent Show WeekThe Talent Show Week was a platform for the kindergarten students to showcase their inherent talents. Children from Nursery to Kindergarten 2 came dressed in a variety of costumes to recite their favourite poems and stories along with props and sing their favourite songs. Performances like magic show, dances, poem recitation and shloka chanting gave a platform for multi-talented students.


Additional and Foreign Languages

GIIS Spell O Well Generating interest in spellings among students was the prime motive behind the much-awaited inter-school Spell O Well contest. Students from GIIS Balestier Campus spelled their way to the top spot with an impressive score. The event served to inculcate mental discipline and resilience in young spellers mastering difficult words.

Celebrating Literary WeekThe annual ‘Literary Week Festival’ was organised by GIIS East Coast Campus to explore the linguistic talent of the students. The festival offered a window of opportunity to gifted orators who harbour a love for languages. Students of GIIS Balestier Campus clinched 7 prizes under the various categories during the event.

Ethics and Discipline

Mahatma Gandhi’s unwavering values and strong conviction have not lost steam in today’s world. The school paid a stirring tribute to this great leader on the occasion of his birthday, India’s Independence Day and Martyr’s Day. On the occasion of Gandhiji’s birthday, various age- appropriate activities were planned to engage the children across all levels. Students from kindergarten and lower primary watched the life story of Gandhiji unfold before them in an audio visual presentation. Discussion of real life situations nudged the students to step into Gandhiji’s shoes and come up with their own solutions. Quizzes and artwork revolving around this legend, worked as magic on the students. An oratory competition for Classes 4 to 6 titled ‘Has Gandhiji’s dream of a free India come true?’ morphed into airing personal views with a show of confidence and poise. Last but not the least, a special assembly presentation captured the indomitable spirit of Gandhiji.

Timeless favourite songs of Mahatma rendered by the school choir reverberated in the assembly hall, creating the perfect ambience for remembering this remarkable leader.Martyrs’ Day paid a stirring tribute to those legendary heroes whose countless heroic acts for a noble cause made a profound impact in history. Students dressed as Mahatma Gandhi, as well as several other great martyrs presented a visual spectacle. in authentic costumes. The courage of each leader and their unwavering ideals and mission spelled out by the students evoked admiration.


Annual Report

Patriotic songs and dance performance, video clippings of renowned martyrs and last living moments of Mahatma Gandhiji and an eloquent narration of Mangal Pandey’s sacrifice for India’s freedom struggle, enthralled the spectators.During his visit, Dr Justice C S Dharmadhikari, the beloved Co-Founder and President of Global Schools Foundation opened up a candid exchange of views with teachers on the ideal learning environment for students to blossom and flourish. The life and principles of the legendary Mahatma Gandhi as showcased in the Visual Learning Centre formed the anchor of discussions between our visitor and selected students. Tribute to Nelson Mandela, a legend who represented universal peace, flowed freely from the hearts of the students of GIIS Balestier campus on the occasion of his 95th birthday. All students indulged in producing ingenious artwork and soul-stirring poetry. Undying values like ‘peace’ and ‘truth’ were firmly ingrained in the young minds at the end of this fruitful activity.

World Outside

1. COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND INTEGRATION PROGRAMMES

Donate Blood, Save Lives In collaboration with the Singapore Red Cross, GIIS Balestier Campus organised a blood donation drive during which parents, teachers, staff, the Manager of Whampoa RC and many residents of Jalan Rajah showed up to donate blood. As a means of preparation, students of class 6 and the teachers had an opportunity to interact with Mr Jeremy of Red Cross a week prior to the camp for important pointers. Students acted as ambassadors by passing the information to their family and friends. The school’s efforts were rewarded when willing donors did their bit in saving lives.

Book Donation Drive Old and discarded books came into focus at the Book donation drive organised by GIIS Balestier Campus during August. This outreach programme was in collaboration with SAPESI (South Africa Primary Education Support Initiative), a NPO (Non Profit Organization) based in South Africa and supported by the South African Department of Education and Sony Corporation in a bid to improve literacy levels.

Recycle DriveAs part of our endeavour to be environmentally friendly, the Greenville team of the school, in a joint effort with NEA, arranged the Recycle drive to accept all kinds of recyclable items accumulated at home. Designated bins were placed outside the school reception to be collected finally by the NEA from the campus.

Mid-Autumn Community ProjectSunny Hills, with the support from Raffles Singapore, invited GIIS students to participate in the Mid-Autumn Community Project, showcasing the creative diversity in school today. Some of the students crafted dazzling lanterns which were part of the display in the exhibition. The event promoted the spirit of bonding, celebrating and cultivating relationships and togetherness, while conveying the true meaning of Mid-Autumn Festival.

Community Outreach Initiative by Parent Support Group (PSG)In a three-day successful drive, the school’s PSG undertook efforts to collect old Annual Day costumes of the children for donating them to Salvation Army, for the sake of the less fortunate children.

Cancer Awareness TalkAn informative cancer awareness talk was conducted in the school premises for Classes 4 to 6 by Mr Firdaus from the Mastereign Enrichment Group. The talk doled out important information surrounding cancer.


2. LEARNING AVENUES 3. GREEN CRUSADE

The Learning Journey with Boonlay Garden Primary SchoolExchange of best practices with Singapore MOE schools has become a regular feature at the GIIS Balestier Campus. The Principal, Vice Principal and various Heads of Department from the Boon Lay Garden Primary School paid a visit to the campus to share existing practices tailored to meet the needs of every student. Accompanied by school staff, the visitors took an extensive tour around the campus to get a glimpse of the learning ambience in the school. An Audio Visual presentation by the Principal on the school’s pedagogy was impactful. In the presence of GIIS Singapore Country Head, Mr Rajiv Vasudeva, and teachers, the visitors also got an insight into the execution of academic programmes and integration of students. GIIS looks forward to more such collaborations in future.

Embracing Technology as a Learning ToolA wonderful opportunity to experience latest technologies like video conferencing adds a new sparkle to the learning environment. Blogging was initiated and became the point of discussion between students of Class 5 and their counterparts in GIIS Bangalore Campus. Exchanging views and posting strong comments and information on the impact of social media in Singapore and other countries made for an enriching learning experience. Strategies and activities for Waste Management were part of another discussion.

Valuable Workshops for Professional Development of TeachersThe renowned GIG Education Centre conducted a motivating two-day workshop at GIIS Queenstown Campus for all teachers. Contrasting methods of delivery that involve and support the learners, teaching through games and a whole range of topics were covered in depth, much to the satisfaction of all. A two-day workshop for teachers under Ms. Kate Cartwright, Principal and Chief

Executive of Innovative Education Group, provided useful tips to be implemented in a classroom scenario. It provided an opportunity for teachers to draw lessons from the interactive session that can come in handy in their profession. A half a day workshop by Ms. Sherin Dhotivala on her journey to educational excellence was an eye opening session for all teachers. Her down-to-earth talk involved important strategies and attitude for achieving educational excellence.

Workshops at NSC to Encourage Innovative ToysIn a bid to encourage greater novelty in designing toys for the Sony Creative Science Award 2014, the National Science Centre conducted Technical Workshop wherein the audience was persuaded to inject novelty in their creation of toys. Demonstrations helped to stretch the imagination of the audience.

Fire DrillsSafety comes first. With that notion in mind, the school organized the fire drill exercises in the presence of Civil Defence Officers. An explanation by the officers on handling fire equipment and the transport for this purpose ignited interest among the spectators. Awareness talks for students and teachers

Visits by Personnel from External Governmental agencies like the Health Boards, Neighbourhood Police Post, Fire stations, NEA, PUB and AVA have contributed to the general awareness of the environment amidst students.

Observation of Earth DayA grand assembly raised awareness on conservation of Earth loud and clear. Lifestyle changing ideas like designing amazing magazine holders from cereal boxes and useful coin wallets from milk cartons were shared in front of the school during assembly. A delightful movie reinforced the need for protecting our species from extinction.

Terrarium workshopGIIS Balestier Campus, along with Singapore Environmental council, organised a Terrarium Workshop for students of Classes 5 and 6. Discarded glass bottles found at home became gardens to house plants under this novel concept of terrarium. Children learnt the concept of terrarium, its benefits, and their self-regulating eco-systems while building their own terrarium.


Annual Report

Rain Garden workshopAs an effort to conserve and to learn more about Singapore water ways, the Kindergarten teachers and co-teachers attended the workshop on ‘Mini Rain Garden’ at the Newater Visitor Centre. The participants had hands on experience to make a mini rain garden using recycled bottles and straws. The information was further shared with the children who undertook a similar experiment under the guidance of their teachers.

Collaborative work with Public Utilities Board, SingaporeThe GIIS Greenville team, in collaboration with PUB, explained the use of thimbles in reducing the wastage of water for which 50 water saving kits were distributed to the parents and staff of the school at the Water Conservation booth set up at the school campus. In collaboration with NEA bins were placed at the campus for two weeks to collect e-recyclables from.

A Carnival that made a differenceThe Green carnival held at school took the spotlight when messages promoting food safety, crime prevention and dengue prevention by representatives from the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore, Singapore Police Force, National Environment Agency, Health Promotion Board and the National Parks Board enlightened the children on environmental issues close to our hearts. It is heartwarming that the collaboration has moved from 3 Monitoring agencies to 5 agencies. With a flurry of activities like informative talks, hilarious skits and play booths, there was no shortage of fun and frolic in the event. The carnival ensured that every child took home memories with souvenirs and brochures to remind them of their role in building a safe and clean community.

Clean and Green CarnivalStudents of Class 6 participated enthusiastically in ‘The Central Singapore Clean & Green Carnival’ jointly organised by the National Environment Agency and the Central Singapore Community Development Council at City Square Mall. In a show of spirit, the participants conducted an Eco Workshop for the visitors wherein they threw light on transformation of recycled materials into useful products through demonstrations. The workshop was appreciated by the organisers and carnival visitors. It was a great experiential learning opportunity for students who savoured every moment. The recycled products were later distributed to the residents of Whampoah RC for use.

Kindergarteners Take the Plunge in RecyclingThe school’s Greenville team conducted a Tetra Pak recycle drive for the kindergarten students. A talk on the recycle drive enabled the children to learn about recycling, its benefits and the materials used in making a packaging like Tetra Pak from paper board, polyethylene and aluminum apart from techniques of recycling. Later the children had hands on experience on how to recycle Tetra Pak.


Creative Cover ContestThe Creative Cover contest was organised as a creative venture to encourage the practice of the three Rs - Recycle, Reuse and Reduce - among our students. Each student had to compile and bind sheets of unused paper from old books. He or she then had to use recyclable materials, commonly found in households, to design a unique cover page for the notebook. Sembawang Shipyard

Project Every year, Sembawang shipyard encourages students across all

4. ONGOING PROJECTS WITH EXTERNAL AGENCIES

Challenge 20/20 ProjectIn collaboration with NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools), students of Classes 3, 4 and 5 undertook an Exchange Programme with American schools to study Global Issues relating to Environment. As a continuing trend, this year, Global Infectious Diseases was the subject of study by the students with their counterparts in Renbrook School Connecticut United States, Westgate Elementary School Illinois United States, Dunlap Grade School, IL, USA and St. Margaret’s Episcopal School CA, USA.

schools in Singapore to submit projects that are developed through innovative ideas, processes and equipment for the betterment of the environment. It is commendable that the school has been awarded Merit Award of S$500 in the Green Wave Environment Competition 2013 for designing the Drip Irrigation System for potted plants.

Entrepreneurship and Leadership Development

Giving Room for Creativity at GIIS Real World Challenges Convention GIIS Real World Challenges Convention on the theme ‘Sustaining Creativity’ held numerous avenues to encourage students to exercise their unique talent and imagination. Sharing the platform along with GIIS East Coast Campus and GIIS Queenstown Campus was Yuva Bharathi International School. The convention brought together young minds to compete in various competitions such as Quality Circle presentations, Turn Coat, Essay

Writing, Art Competition ( pre-held event) and the Fashion Show which was tagged as ‘fashion with a difference’. The event showcased the students’ oratory skills, presentation skills and also helped them learn more about problem solving and time management.

Quality CirclesTo strive towards educational excellence, problems that necessitate enduring solutions were undertaken as projects by students of Class 5 for Quality Circles. This year, two problems were identified namely ‘Wastage of resources like paper and water in the school’ and ‘Storage and tripping hazards’. To fix the problem, the school generated awareness among teachers, staff and students. Awareness talks, regular checks, posters at key areas, green carnivals and recycle drives were organized to bring in a behavioral change. By adopting various life style changing initiatives on organisational and personal levels, the desired objectives were met. The projects won the Second Prize at the Real World Convention.

Nurturing Leadership Skills-Investiture CeremonyThe Investiture Ceremony of elected Office Bearers was a momentous day for the whole school. Parents of office-bearers came up on stage, one by one, to invest their children with sashes and badges, along with the Principal who also conducted the Oath taking ceremony. The students pledged to be role models for the school and to fulfill their duties to the best of their abilities, coming to understand the responsibilities that come with the office.


Annual Report

School Council Members for the Year 2013-2014Head boy: Prithvi Vijay Kumar (Class 6C)Head Girl: Surabhi Bansal ( Class 6A)Sports Captain: Harshalya Pandey (Class 6B)Asst. Sports Captain: Annapooraneeswari Palani (Class 5D)

Hibiscus HouseHouse Captain: Madhav Pramod (Class 6C)Asst. House Captain: Sagarika Majumdar (Class 5B)Prefects:1. Ananya Narendranath(Class 6A) 2. Devansh Shah (Class 5A)Orchid HouseHouse Captain: Shruthi Venkatesh (Class 6C)Asst. House Captain: Neha Ravi

(Class 5D)Prefects:1. Siddhanth Ansh Jain (Class 6C)2. Dhruv Kaushik (Class 5C)Sunflower HouseHouse Captain: Shloka Srivastava (Class 6A)Asst. House captain: Aadit Sheth (Class 5C)Prefects:1. Sayyam Doshi (Class 6B)2. Nicole Bout (Class 5C)Chrysanthemum HouseHouse Captain: Sahil Samel (Class 6C)Asst. House captain: Arya Bhatia (Class 5A)Prefects:1. Roshini Dutt 6C2. Devastutya Pandey 5A

The prefectorial team holds discussions to review their duties and responsibilities. This way, each member is able to discharge his or her duty efficiently apart from lending support to one another. Inclusion of Class 5 into the Prefectorial Body has lead to nurturing leadership grooming from a very young age. These elected representatives are exposed to different prefectorial duties for gaining a fruitful experience.GIIS Dare to Achieve‘GIIS Dare to Achieve- Leaders For Tomorrow’ is an annual programme that was envisioned to bring out the latent leadership skills of the students. Qualities of effective leaders are discussed in a meaningful and practical way.

EXTERNAL EXAMS

Primary students get a yearly opportunity to assess their performances in the following external examinations:

UNSW 2013The areas of assessments were Computer Skills, English, Mathematics, Science and Writing. GIIS students have achieved High Distinction Certificates (awarded to top 1%) Distinction Certificates (awarded to next 10%) and Credits certificates (awarded to next 25%).

OLYMPIADS 2013Assessments are conducted annually by the Science Olympiad Foundation. The subjects assessed are Computer Science, Science, Math and English for which students were awarded medals, certificates and subscription DVDs for their performances.

Impressive results at the first level of the Olympiads have enabled 61 students (16th NSO), 39 students (7th IMO) and 20 students (13th NCO) to qualify for the Second level.

The SEF Oratory Competition, 2014 The SEF Oratory Competition , 2014 was held on Saturday, March 8, 2014 at Bukit View Primary School. It was jointly organized by SEF, Scholastic Environment Fund, and Bukit View Primary School. The theme for this year’s competition was ‘Water Management and Conservation in the Age of Climate Change’. The students talked about the climate change the world is facing today, and presented their ideas creatively on how to conserve water in today’s world. It was a good platform for GIIS students to interact with students of other schools. In the Group Category, GIIS Balestier Campus bagged a silver award and two bronze awards, while in the individual category, all the three students of GIISBalestier Campus bagged Silver award. The participating schools were NPS International, Singapore Yuva Bharati International, Raffles Girls Primary School, Northland Primary School, New Town Primary School, Bukit View Primary School.


CELEBRATIONS

Bastille DayStudents who have opted for French as Second and Third language celebrated the French National Day with great zeal and fervour. The children enjoyed a presentation on Bastille Day, a quiz conducted on fun facts about France, and a musical story. They also learnt French songs and participated in French folk dances.

Rakshabandhan Rakshabandhan celebrations, organized by the Hindu Centre, underscored the importance of brother-sister ties. The students enthusiastically participated in art competition and dance performances during the event.

Singapore’s 48th National Day Singapore’s 48th National day was marked by an apt assembly

presentation that traced the origin of Singapore’s roots, replete with costume. The celebrations ended with the hoisting of Singapore National flag and rendition of the national anthem.

Hari RayaHari Raya bazaar was fun-packed affair. Be it devising exhilarating games at games stalls or whipping up sumptuous food at food stalls, students from Classes 5 and 6 took part in the bazaar. Enjoying their role as entrepreneurs, the students deftly took charge of their stalls independently and exhibited attention-grabbing banners in their stalls to entice the visitors. Games stalls witnessed long snaking queues of enthusiastic gamers. A wide spectrum of games tailored

to different age groups, ensured that there was never a dull moment. The celebrations opened the eyes to the tradition behind the festival through an assembly presentation. Kindergarten students designed Hari Raya greeting cards for their family members. Children enjoyed and and learnt to respect festivities in their community and beyond.

Teachers’ DayTeachers’ Day saluted the spirit in teachers through a skit and dance performance during the morning assembly. Be it the age-old tradition of imparting knowledge in gurukulam or by modern technology in today’s world, the importance of teachers have not diminished – this message rang loud and clear at the end of the presentation. Tokens of love in the form of handmade bookmarks were presented to every teacher by students.

India’s 67th Independence DayIndia’s 67th Independence Day conveyed the message, ‘Unity in diversity’ with a captivating musical presentation. The essence of religious harmony for a peaceful co-existence could not have been any clearer. Following the musical presentation was an energetic music and dance number by students of the Tamil Language department and by students who performed at the Indian High Commission. The Principal, unfurled the National flag of India and concluded the celebration with the National Anthem.


Annual Report

Salad DaySalad Day was organised by GIIS Balestier Campus to campaign ‘Eat Healthy, Be Healthy’ lifestyle. The children brought a fruit or a vegetable from home and whipped up colourful salads of all combinations, with beans, sprouted in class. They ate the prepared dishes with gusto and also offered to the housekeeping staff in school.

Diwali MelaDiwali Mela was organised at the campus with pomp and show. By lighting the auspicious lamp, Mr. C.T. Chang, the Chairman of the Rajah Community Centre and Mr. Benjamin of Whampoah Community Centre inaugurated the bazaar. Students from MeeToh Primary School experienced the joy of bursting firecrackers and touring the campus to soak in the festive ambience. Visitors who thronged the mela discovered fun, food and excitement at every corner. Business was brisk in all stalls. A string of eye popping fringe activities and family contests revved up the mela. Every activity succeeded in injecting a dash of fun into the mela.

Children’s DayChildren’s Day was a barrel of fun for all the students at GIIS Balestier Campus. Latest songs and dance performances by teachers and students during the morning assembly swept the audience off their feet.

Diwali Celebrations Diwali celebrations encouraged the students to plan, script and execute a special assembly on Diwali. The presentation portrayed Diwali celebration through the eyes of people living in different states of India. Students also communicated with their peers, the importance of sharing joy with the under privileged during the festive season. With the stage all decked up with lamps and decorations, the morning assembly was a tantalizing treat for the audience from start to finish.

Christmas DayChristmas mood was captured to the hilt by radiant faces, eye-catching dresses, and the stage decked to the nines with a glittering Christmas tree. A dance performance by the Performing Arts Dance group was witnessed by the students of the kindergarten and primary students in rapt attention. A video on the birth of Jesus Christ brought cheers. All elements special to Christmas from timeless carols to joyful dances lifted the spirits of every child.

Republic DayRepublic Day’s special assembly on “Incredible India” witnessed a walk down the memory lane to trace India’s glorious past. Great accomplishments in many fields over the years were highlighted. Patriotic spirit was evident in a dance performance to the beats of an evergreen patriotic song. A collective responsibility on the youth to build India’s future was the concluding message to the audience. A medley of songs that was performed by the school choir at the Indian embassy was appreciated by all.

Lunar New YearThe Year of the Horse was welcomed with great fanfare. Staff and students dressed in vibrant red, set the mood for the celebrations. Overwhelming the children across all levels was the all-time favourite Lion dance performed by an external Chinese band which also gave a glimpse of the Chinese customs and tradition. The colorful stage decorations complemented the beautifully choreographed dances and the audio visual presentations added significance to the use of the animals for each year in the Chinese Calendar.

https://picasaweb.google.com/114328090211993859033?gsessionid=_CSS9b_x4JlXEv4zIXuobA

Please Scan here for addtional photo

Students’Creative Sphere

Student’ Creative Sphere


How Peter learned – Time is precious?Aaryan Suresh V, Class 1COnce upon a time there was a boy called Peter. He always watched TV. He neverstudied. He never listened to his mother who told him to study. One day he took an exam. He failed in the exam while all his friends got good grades. He felt ashamed and sad. That day he told his mother, “I will not watch TV any more, I will only study.” Mother said, “You can watch all your favourite TV shows but daily you have to learn your lessons also.” Peter started to learn his lessons daily and also enjoyed watching TV and playing. Peter passed next exam with good grades. His teacher said, “Great Job Peter!” His mother bought a new toy for him and said, “Time is precious. You have to give time for all the activities and not for one alone”. Peter was very happy.

A Shadow Theatre PresentationJiya Jikku, Class 3COn one of our many adventures in the classroom, we dived into the world of Shadow Theatre. We wrote the screenplay for the play that we named as “The Fantastical Adventure”. W

Date post:	12-Feb-2021
Category:	Documents
Upload:	others
View:	15 times
Download:	0 times

Be Your Own Hero F tprints Nurturing Global Citizens GIIS ... · GIIS BALESTIER YEARBOOK...

Documents