Blog

2020 has been a tough year but the spirit of positivity and togetherness is what has kept us going forward. We had to take a leap of faith from classroom learning to virtual learning. It was a real task for parents and educators to ensure that children adjust and learn through virtual classes. It’s easy for children to feel disconnected because they’re not physically present with their peers and educators in the classroom, or to not take e-learning seriously because they are at home. To make virtual learning dynamic and interactive just like in the classroom, we designed virtual learning experiences, celebrations and events. We have been doing this successfully in various ways.

Roald Dahl Day

Roald Dahl was a famous British novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter. He also became the most popular writer of children’s books. He is one of our learners’ favourite authors. Stories show us a world full of creativity and pleasure, we at Northstar celebrated Roald Dahl’s stories on 14th of September by having read-alouds, activities, songs and more with learners across the grades.

Science Day

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the former president of India who made our country a missile & nuclear power, was born in Rameshwaram on 15th of October. To commemorate his immense love for science & students, we at Northstar celebrated it as Science Day. The core principle of Science day was to instil in students love & passion for science. We decided to celebrate it by conducting hands-on activities and experiments virtually. It also developed curiosity in learners to correlate the class learning to their daily life activities. Science is exploratory and hands-on for us.

Diwali Celebrations

Diwali is the festival of lights which is celebrated in various regions across India. Also, known by the name of ‘Deepavali’ marks the celebration of togetherness, love & sharing. The name ‘Deepavali’ means an ‘Array of Lights’. To make the students understand the importance of Diwali, The Northstar School had a virtual celebration on 06th Nov 2020. Educators explained the importance of Diwali, the festival spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair. Diwali enlightens our hearts and minds.

Math Day

Mathematics can be fun, challenging, hands on and applicable in real life. To celebrate the spirit of mathematical learning and to explore various mathematical concepts in a creative manner, Math day was celebrated at The Northstar School on 11th of December. Backed by a rigorous planning, our educators successfully conducted a fun-filled celebration of Math that brought forth great participation from learners.

Christmas Celebrations

The spirit of Christmas brings love, joy, hope, light and peace. Christmas is for giving and sharing, for laughter, and coming together with family and friends. It was surely a Christmas to remember at the Northstar School. The essence of Christmas came alive at The Northstar when the students and teachers got together and shared the merriment virtually. The delightful celebrations included various activities.

We thrive to do better with each passing day. Virtual learning has been challenging for the school but the support of our parent community and the presence of our learners keeps us going.

Some have said that wealth is power. But it is equally true that power brings wealth. So what is the relationship between these two objects of desire? To fully understand the dynamics between the two, the topic of “Wealth & Power” was introduced to our learners of grades 5 & 6.

In the launch stage, learners were introduced to the terms ‘Wealth’ & ‘Power’. Wealth, in general terms, is the ability to buy stuff; the ability to obtain what our hearts desire from the marketplace. Power is defined as the ability to make people act the way you want them to. Learners were then acquainted with different types of power which included: Formal Power, Legitimate Power, Expert Power and more. The relation between wealth & power was discussed with the learners. They were asked to relate both the terms.

Deep Dive stage focused on unequal distribution of wealth. Learners explored the history of wealth distribution, reason behind unequal distribution of wealth and impacts of unequal distribution of wealth. Impacts of unequal distribution of wealth includes poverty, corruption, violence of rights, social bias and more. In the assessment part learners were provided with a certain amount of money and the criteria in which the amount was to be bifurcated. Learners had to plan their annual budget based on the sectors provided to them.

Coda included the initiatives taken by the government and different NGO’s to make equitable access to resources and opportunities. Some of the initiatives and schemes taken by the Government to help people below the poverty line were discussed with learners such as: Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), Udaan programme for Girl Students, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna, etc. Learners were assessed by preparing reports for one government scheme given to them. The aim was to let the learners know how as individuals they can help share resources and opportunities with other people.

The Global Pandemic has disrupted lives in so many ways, especially for children. It has become more important than ever for parents to focus on their child's physical and mental wellbeing. With an ever increasing focus on formal learning, it’s more important than ever for parents to see the educational value in Play. Play is an integral part of learning at Northstar. The Northstar School is one of the best designed schools in the world (as featured in many international magazines). We have custom designed play areas and sports grounds that are central to our learning environment. We believe in letting children follow their own interests & when learning is self initiated and self directed, it goes deeper & lasts longer. Co-ordinated play and free play allow peer interactions that are important components of social-emotional learning. Interdisciplinary learning is made relevant and fun through game play, even for older learners. Our sports fields, such as cricket ground, tennis court, swimming pool & more, are our learners' favourite places. Through play, we learn and grow.

The spirit of Christmas brings love, joy, hope, light and peace. Christmas is for giving and sharing, for laughter, and coming together with family and friends. It was surely a Christmas to remember at the Northstar School. The essence of Christmas came alive at The Northstar when the students and teachers got together and shared the merriment virtually. The delightful celebrations included various activities. 

Learners and Educators were all dressed in red & white colour and they also wore a Santa cap. A beautiful Christmas story was shared with the Learners, authentic information behind the Christmas Fest was given and misconceptions were cleared. Learners also had a very insightful interaction on human values. Learners and Educators sang and danced to the tune of different Carols. The celebration did not end here as the learners prepared lovely Christmas artifacts for their home. They also brought cookies to share and made the celebration more loving, caring and fun. Learners were asked to serve cookies to their parents, grand parents, neighbours or house help. Every festival and its celebration gives us the importance of joy of giving. Overall it was a colorful and cheerful celebration.

Mathematics can be fun, challenging, hands on and applicable in real life. To celebrate the spirit of mathematical learning and to explore various mathematical concepts in a creative manner, Math Day was celebrated at The Northstar School on 11th of December.

Backed by a rigorous planning, our educators successfully conducted a fun-filled celebration of Math that brought forth great participation from learners. Learners were seen challenging themselves with the hands on activities. Learners had puzzles, riddles and tricks for them to solve. The excitement was at its peak while the learners and educators alike tried hard to get to the solutions. A discourse on the life and works of the Mathematician S. Ramanujan whose birthday on 22nd December is celebrated as National Math Day enlightened the learners. Other famous Mathematicians like Aryabhatt, Shakuntala Devi & their significant contributions were introduced. It was a fun filled and joyful day of learning.

Everyday consumers make purchase decisions by choosing among large sets of  available products in the aisles of stores. However, we never really think of the origins of a product, the changes it goes through from the production process to its final consumption, the distribution channel it follows, and what influences our buying decisions. With an aim to foster curiosity and an understanding of these questions, our learners of grades 3-4 were introduced to the topic “Life of Products”.

For the Launch stage, the learners were introduced to the terms products/goods, services, customers/consumers, producers, market, price and other related terms. They also learnt how to classify types of products under different categories & analyzed product labels. Learners showed their understanding of the topic through reading, and analyzing the product labels of two distinct product categories through compare and contrast activity,

In the Deep Dive stage, learners explored the topic in detail. Learners explored the changes a product goes through before its final consumption, and how the final product is distributed through various channels before reaching it to them. Learners  also learnt to mark the states on Indian political maps to show the places where products originated and are distributed. Various articles, blogs, and videos were used as mediums to explain the life cycle of a product. Learners had to prepare a report on the production process and the distribution channel of any product of their choice for their assessments.

For the Coda stage, factors affecting the buying behavior/purchase decisions of consumers were discussed. Factors such as; Economic, Personal, Psychological, Cultural & Social were discussed in detail. Dr. Nirav Mandavia, Assistant Professor, School of Management at RK University, interacted with the learners to acquaint and discuss various reasons affecting the purchase decisions of the consumers. It was a very fruitful and an enriching session for our learners. Learners were assessed through mind maps created for two or three products, where they had to identify and analyse different factors that affected their buying decisions. A seed of mindfulness towards buying behaviour was inculcated among the learners.