From the Principal’s Desk

October 2020

Greetings on Rajyotsava

Highlights of the month:

• Virtual Indus Day • Virtual Art Exhibition • Start-up School progress • Star Awards • DP Innovation Day • Virtual 3 Way Conferences

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The key to success in these turbulent times is to adapt, change and embrace challenges that comes our way and that is what we endeavor to do at Indus. Indus prepares its students for all challenges and the first ever Virtual Indus Day stands testimony for this. In a heartening endeavor, the students of MYP and DP came together to produce a cultural extravaganza of dance, drama, and music. The students put up a spectacular performance which was engaging, entertaining and left an impact on the audience. The event was graced by our CEO and Managing Director of the , Lt. Gen. Arjun Ray (Retd.), Mrs. Pritam Benjamin, our founder Principal, Mr. Sandeep Chabbra, Principal of Indus International School, , Mrs. Nuwaira Pasha, Principal of Indus International School, and Dr. Praseedha Sreekumar, Principal of Indus Altum International School, Belgaum.

The programme commenced with the melodious rendition of the invocation song titled ‘Where the Mind is without Fear’ followed by the beautifully synchronized invocation dance. The piano rendition by our gifted pianists absolutely mesmerized and enthralled the listeners.

No school annual cultural event is complete without a skit and the brilliant enactment of Fritz Karinthy’s “Refund” a satire on the present-day education system, effectively brought out the contradictions in life with hilarious precision, pinpointing the absurdity of communication. The play was directed by the students of Grade 12.

The message conveyed through the skit was subtly balanced by the Indus Orchestra which recreated a repertoire of some of the finest compositions ranging from some of the most difficult composers which left the audience enthralled and in awe of our young musicians. The array of events which included dance, music and a magic show gave the audience a peek into the zeal and hard work that the students had put in along with their teachers to produce an entertaining evening. I congratulate every participant who made this first ever virtual Indus Day a scintillating success. A few glimpses from the evening are attached in Appendix 1.

Virtual Art Exhibition 2020: Indus has one of the strongest Art Departments in and the virtual world did not change anything. The Virtual Art Exhibition 2020 was inaugurated in a grandiose manner and the art pieces celebrated the theme of ‘Gratitude’. In these testing and unreliable times, each art piece was a demonstration of positivity and I take immense pride in congratulating both the students and teachers for their commendable feat. Please enjoy the exhibition using the link below: https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/en/exhibition/2672925/art-exhibition-2020

In his insightful address, the CEO & Managing Director of the Indus Trust, Lt. Gen. Arjun Ray deliberated on the need for ‘Change Leaders’ who are open to adaptive thinking. He observed that this new operative environment would be marked by innovative competencies which will require everyone to be start-up ready. In his powerful and relevant speech, Gen. Ray insisted that to be successful, we should reskill and reinvent and be willing to take risks and welcome failure. He warned that with increasing uncertainty in all walks of life, the only panacea would be to train and condition young minds to be adaptive thinkers.

Start-up School: The students at the Start-up School started their curriculum on 5th October. The Start-up School curriculum has been designed with much care ensuring students enjoy learning within an enriching and supportive environment, yet at the same time succeed in their IB curriculum.

The curriculum drawn up for the students focusses on the development of life, leadership, business, and technological competencies and is set within a 40:20:40 framework. The first 40% includes experiential and collaborative learning avenues, 20% deals with mentoring, coaching, feedback, and assessment and the remaining 40% includes self-directed learning which refers to guiding students on how to think, learn and unlearn.

PYP:

Students of Grade 1 to 5 had intense discussions with the PYP Counsellor, Dr Khaiser on topics such as digital footprint, cyberbullying, and online safety tips. Students of Grade 1 had an interaction with Dr Khaiser on the Happiness Quotient and were guided with positive thinking habits to build happiness through the seeds of love, respect, and peace. It was encouraging to see their response as they promised to practise gratitude and maintain a reflective journal.

Ms. Rasika Prashant, Founder of Soulfull cereal bites conducted a very interactive session with the Grade 2 on healthy eating and a citizen’s responsibility towards farmers, especially during the pandemic.

MYP:

The month of October began with Parent-Teacher meetings, which gave all stakeholders an opportunity to have a dialogue about the aspects of academics and whole education. Indus believes in maintaining continuous communication with parents and the 3-Way Conference enabled teachers to provide constructive feedback on the academic performance.

Star Awards: Star awards are given as a recognition to students who have showcased excellence in academics, whole education, and community service. Gold Star awards were given to students who have gone beyond the realms of academics and whole education. They have taken their Tikkun Olam to a phase of culmination. We are proud to announce that Sriya Chintalapalli of Grade 11 won the Red Star after having won the Gold Star for four consecutive years. The list of Gold Star awardees is attached in Appendix 2. The Blue Star and Green Star awards were also announced.

DP:

For the first time since the inception of Indus, predicted grades were released to students in the company of their parents. It was a well-received endeavor and a practice that Indus will continue in the years to come. Grade 12 also had their 3-Way Conference after their RCA examinations where plans to help improve the student’s grades were discussed.

Virtual Innovation Day: Grade 11 celebrated their first virtual Innovation Day on 14th October, where they enthusiastically showcased their experimentation ideas, research papers and Tikkun Olam. Students of Grade 11 also had the 3-Way Conference conducted on 9th and 10th October to discuss their academic performance and receive valuable feedback for improvement.

Placements:

With Early Action and Early Decision deadlines around the corner, the College Counselling Department has been working diligently to review students’ essays and applications. To ensure absolute accuracy, students reviewed their consolidated Grade 11 year-end reports, as well as Grade 12 predicted grades. Informational college webinars continue to be held, most recently with UC Berkeley, Northeastern, and Rice. Grade 11 students and parents have begun meeting with counsellors and a college planning workshop is planned to be held in the next few weeks.

In closing, I want to thank you for supporting our students as we work together to provide a well-rounded education.

Regards, Sarojini Rao Principal Indus International School, Bangalore

Dates for Your Diary: November 2020 DATE EVENT 1st November Kannada Rajyotsava - Holiday 3rd – 6th November G9 Group 1 Leadership Camp 9th – 12th November PYP 3 Way Conference 12th November Children’s Day celebrations 13th – 15th November Diwali - Holiday 17th – 20th November G9 Group 2 Leadership Camp

Appendix 1: A few glimpses from the Virtual Indus Day

Appendix 2: Gold Star Award winners for 2019-20

Grade 9:

1. Anaya Jethanandani 2. Natasha Jaichandra 3. Jayant Saini

Grade 10:

1. Hezal Gulati 2. Mohammed Sami Khan 3. Sahaat Poddar 4. Kanishk Guptha

Grade 11:

1. Navya Agarwal 2. Sriya Chintalapalli (Red Star Award) 3. Tanvi Nanda 4. Shradha Desai