On this Dussehra, as we celebrate valour, courage, and victory of good over evil, we wish we will triumph over corona and our fight against corona will be successful. The students up to Grade 1 came dressed in traditional colourful clothes to celebrate this event. Some of the activities were toran making, paper crumpling, and activities depicting victory over today’s major evil ‘corona’. The little ones had a fantastic time and enjoyed the celebration thoroughly.

Bastille Day is the French National Day, which is celebrated on 14 July each year In France. Bastille Day memorializes the unity of the French people and celebrations are held throughout France on this day. The students of Grade 1 and 2 learnt about various famous monuments of France like the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Sacré Coeur, Arc de Triomphe etc. They also recited the French nursery rhyme ‘Frère Jacques’ and ‘La Famille Doigt’ in Grades 3, 4 and 5 the Teacher took the students on a virtual tour to Paris where they saw various monuments like the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Sacré Coeur etc. The students of Grade 3 played an ‘I spy’ game based on fruits and vegetables and had a quiz on the facts about France while grade 4 and 5 students spoke about the specialities, rich culture, festivals and cuisine of France. They too explored interesting facts about France. All in all a fun-filled French week at MBIS.

The students of the Primary section have created beautiful dioramas as a part of their summer activity programme. They were given the option of reading any book and creating a diorama- a scene with three-dimensional figures, in miniature to depict any event from the story. The creation of dioramas pinpoint a moment of learning and show deeper levels of understanding in students.

During the first two weeks of July, the students of Jr KG did a Pizza activity and Ice-cream Cone activity on numbers and number values. They also did a Balloon activity on alphabets. Our Sr KG students did the Fun With Letters activity on Tuesday, 13th July 2021.

“The little things?

The little moments?

They aren’t little.”- John Kabat-Zinn

Empowering the Nursery students to share their favourites with their teacher.

MBIS celebrates French Week, and this year we choose to weave our week-long French fun activities under the theme of Games. The IBDP students took the lead to roll out the French week activities, as we envisaged that “learning will be fun when teachers will be peers”.

One of the many boons of today’s technologically advanced world is that it has turned the world into one close-knit global community; hence, it is imperative that today’s youth is groomed into being a Global Community.  The students of grades 9 at MBIS were given a unique opportunity to interact with Japanese students through a Japanese School Exchange Program. The session was held on Wednesday, 28th July 2021 where the students of MBIS taught some words in our national language to the students of Japan and Indonesia as well as learnt some Japanese vocabulary from them. Isn’t it incredible how learning is no longer bound to only a certain perimeter?

Students of Grade 6 and 7 celebrated the French week from 26th July 2021 to 30th July 2021. During this week they did various activities in the French class. Grade 7 learnt a French song, they played quizzes about France and they also heard famous English songs in the French language. Students of Grade 6 spoke in French about their favourite food. They also showed their love for France and the french language using their art skills.

MBIS students of grade 12 participated in the 7th Annual Psychology – Sociology Seminar “Towards an Equal World”. This seminar was held online on Saturday, July 24th, 2021. The theme of this conference was “Body Neutrality” which was explored through a psychological and sociological lens. The various activities of the seminar touched upon the diverse influence of capitalism, social media, gender norms, culture, race and nutrition on the “ideal body type”. This event was entirely student-run and was extremely engaging and informative.

The establishment of a Student Council gives students an opportunity to acquire the sort of communication, planning and organisational skills which will be beneficial for them in their future. We had our virtual elections and selections at Mainadevi Bajaj International School on 30th July 2021 for the Student Council.

The Film & Theatre Acting Workshop for students was hosted by MBIS on 3th & 4th of July 2021 in collaboration with Actor Prepares, the most preferred acting institute for aspiring actors in India and across the globe established by international actors, Mr Anupam Kher. The workshop not only helped kids to become better performers but also helped them develop a confident personality, become better public speakers by improving their communication skills and get rid of their stage fear. Students learnt to become more expressive and social thereby developing an overall unique personality and being more prepared for their future.

On the 24th & 25th of July, MBIS hosted a coding workshop to orient the students to intermediate coding skills which would serve as a springboard for students interested in working in the STEM field. The program led by Robokart introduced the students to the world of coding. Students explored the fundamentals and worked on a hands-on coding activity to better understand what coding is all about. The workshop included learning how with AI one could code their arcade games or even design a space explorer.

Curriculum Morning for Nursery to Grade 12 was held on Saturday 3rd July 2021. This session helped the parents to understand the various learning methods, approaches, activities and assessment methods that students will be experiencing throughout the Academic Session 2021 – 2022. This was followed by the PTA elections. A Parent Grade Representative from each grade was elected.

The pillars of MBIS- its teachers – who are working relentlessly towards making online classes a fruitful journey for both the students and themselves had a teacher enrichment workshop on Friday 2nd July’21. This workshop enabled the teachers to understand that to accomplish the needs of the new normal-online classes they have to enhance their teaching skills and get things done out and beyond the box. It was reiterated in the workshop that the teachers must take responsibility for the development and growth of character and values, along with the academic growth of every child in the school. The workshop spelt out the importance of having a child-centred approach to teaching.

Ms Farzana Dohadwala conducted a teacher enrichment program on ‘Olympics – Teachable moments’ on Tuesday, 3rd August 2021, She enlightened the teachers on how they can inculcate the current Tokyo Olympics in their teaching routine. She emphasized the value of sportsmanship that can help students to do better in each facet of their lives. Ms Farzana gave examples of multiple worksheets that the teachers can prepare in order to help their students learn with exposure to practicality and the current happenings. Multiple quizzes were shown to help students enhance their knowledge and be well equipped with what has been happening around them. Co-curricular subjects like Art, Music and PE will further expose students to these games with cheering songs, artwork, and exercises.

On 15th August every year, we celebrate our Independence Day. This year too we celebrate our 75th Independence Day with mixed feelings. The feeling of joy and happiness as we won medals at the Olympic games and with heartache as we miss our loved ones due to the pandemic.

To celebrate Independence Day at MBIS the tiny tots of our pre-primary and the students of the primary section had a virtual fun-filled day on the 13th of August. The sacrifices of our freedom fighters were remembered and the teachers reiterated that the students always need to value and respect the freedom that they enjoy today. Nursery students did palm painting using tricolour, Jr. KG students made the Indian flag with quilling while Sr. KG made a tricolour badge using the fan folding technique. The different states of India were depicted by the students of Grade 1, whereas the students of Grade 2 came dressed as ‘Freedom Fighters’ and spoke a few sentences about them.

Grade 3 had a poem recitation competition where students recited poems on our motherland India. The students of Grades 4 and 5 could choose between elocution and declamation. It was a proud moment for us to hear their speeches based on: ‘What freedom means to me as a nine or a ten-year-old, India of my dreams and My favourite freedom fighter. Truly, patriotism is instilled at a tender age. All students were dressed in tricolour clothes.

Throughout the week the primary students enjoyed ‘Cooking without Fire’ making the tricolour Choco balls, tricolour fruit salad decoration’ and tricolour wheel sandwiches; activities that reminded us of our tricolour flag. To conclude our students’ thoughts and wishes are echoed in Shahid Bhagat Singh’s quote” May the sun in his course, visit no land more free, more happy, more lovely than this country.”

Winners of the poem and elocution competition held on 13th August’21

A new journey for Student Council members to carry on the legacy and create new opportunities at MBIS, a space that stands tall to the virtues of our Founder. The Investiture ceremony marks the dawn of a new era, that will be met with challenges and opportunities, that explore leadership and introspective qualities among its council members and that of the students.

Pitter-Patter-Day was celebrated by the Pre-Primary section on Friday the 20th of August’21.

I hear raindrops… I see raindrops
Oh, don’t you? Oh, don’t you?
Pitter Patter raindrops… Pitter-patter raindrops
Oh! What fun! Oh! What fun!

With the rains outside their window, the little ones in the Pre-Primary section had a FUNtanstic day inside their homes. Their happiness knew no bounds as they enjoyed storytelling, sang, danced, and did activities related to the rainy season like making paper boats and umbrellas. W(h)AT-ER- DAY it was; with the students enjoying a little splish-splash water play and bubble bath that ended with eating boiled or roasted corn salad and drinking hot chocolate milk.

Mainadevi Bajaj International School in collaboration with Tijo’s Dance Academy organized a Bollyhop Dance Workshop for students of varied age groups. Hip-hop dancing encompasses many different street styles, all offering a great way of working out the body through fun and rhythmic exercise. The workshop started with a thorough warm-up, and then shifted to strengthening the core muscles necessary for body control and proper technique. Later in class, the children were introduced to the latest hip-hop moves, followed by lots of choreography to develop the expressive abilities of the dancers. Overall it was a fun, stylish and ‘hip’ dance workshop.

The students of Grade 9 of MBIS, were given a varied set of novels to select from, as part of their Summer Slides. Post-reading the book, the student had to pick up a scene from the novel that resonated the most to express their thoughts and understanding of the novel through a presentation of their diorama, a 3-dimensional model.

‘Small changes occur in systems and may not make a huge difference. But when these changes tip the equilibrium over a threshold, this is known as tipping points.’ Tipping point activity was conducted on 23rd August 2021 to explain the concept of ‘carrying capacity’ and ‘threshold value’ in IBDP Year 1 -Environmental systems and societies class, using a pile of clothes.

The students of Grade 7 of MBIS were given a list of 5 books. They had to select two from the list and read it during their summer break. They made a diorama which is a learning tool to help show a student’s understanding of a certain subject matter.

On Friday 27th August ’21, the teacher enrichment program echoed the Cambridge attributes earlier demonstrated by Ms Farzana by way of activities corroborated by teachers in their online classes. The teachers recalled the Cambridge attributes: Reflective, Responsible, Innovative, Confident, Engaged and presented activities that reiterated how these attributes were being instilled in the students.

Janmashtami is also known as Gokulashtami was celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm by the students across the Pre-Primary section at MBIS on Monday 30th August 2021. Counted amongst one of the important festivals of the Hindus, Janmashtami celebrates the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna. Little Lord Krishna is often depicted wearing a crown, carrying a flute, and up to tricks stealing butter from high-hung pots. Nursery and Junior KG students dressed up as Radhas and Krishnas enjoyed making crowns and flutes, whereas the Senior KG students dressed in festive clothes were thrilled designing the small pots. All in all the little Radhas and Krishnas had a fun-filled day doing the activities and listening to stories about Krishna told by their teachers.

The students of Grade 8 of MBIS were given a list of 5 books. They had to select two from the list and read it during their summer break. After having read the books, a 3-dimensional diorama of an important scene from any one of the books was to be constructed. The diorama served as an extension of the creativity of students to illustrate the knowledge of the novel using a 3-D model to aid their presentation.

The students of Mainadevi Bajaj International School, came together to celebrate and display their patriotism towards their Country, by showcasing their talents. The awe-inspiring performance by the students marked the success of the event and culminated into a grand celebration of our 75th Year of independent India. The celebration began with Vande Mataram, to pay homage to the freedom we bask in, followed by a motivational speech by Guest of Honour Major General Mr Ajay Chaturvedi, truly an inspiration to have an insight shared by Major General as it gives a cutting edge to the actual struggle taken on the war front to protect India and its citizens. Pacing ahead, the students of MBIS, showcased a plethora of events. A medley by Grade 8, Skit written and performed by IBDP1 students, Poetry Recitation by an IBDP2 student and an expression in the form of speech, of what freedom and independence mean to our young minds was displayed by our students in English, Hindi and Marathi. The students worked relentlessly to uphold the essence of the day and that further promoted the sense of unity amongst the students, while extending the scope for their creativity to be part of the celebration. In spite of the celebration being held online, the unity of the students, parents and teachers evoked a unique sense of patriotism among the audience.

“Creativity doesn’t wait for the perfect moment. It fashions its own perfect moment out of ordinary  ones.” – Bruce Garrabrandt

The students of MBIS Grade 8 were introduced to the concept of ‘Scientific Article’ Writing in Hindi Class. Since this style of writing involves research hints, the students were asked to come up with innovative ideas to present a “Health Awareness Drive” via their articles. This activity tapped on the creative and innovative skills of the student and they came up with an idea for an awareness drive to eliminate mosquitoes to ensure the safety of people’s health within their community. The innovation and interesting point in the activity were to not send mosquito repellent but rather incorporate the repellent mixture into the ink that is used to print newspapers, as they are a medium of contact for most households. This scientific procedure was the premise for their activity. As much as it developed the student’s language skills it also enhanced students to think out of the box to help their community.

The students of Grade 6 of MBIS were given a list of 5 books from which they had to select two and read them during their summer break. After having read the books, a 3-dimensional diorama of an important scene from anyone the book was to be recreated/constructed. Several of the objects students made in the diorama reflected an exceptional degree of student’s creativity and the presentation was done enthusiastically.

Aristotle rightly said, “For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.”

Implementing this the students of MBIS from  Grade 8 had shown tremendous enthusiasm in understanding the concept of “density” with the help of the day to day essentials like honey, water and oil. Watch Vihaan doing density activity on our YouTube channel. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/fnb5qrdOJDo

The Middle School and IGCSE Coordinator Ms Padma Rao facilitated MISA (Members of International Schools Association) for IGCSE Economics. Over 80 teachers from all over Maharashtra had participated in this event.

Nursery: AOI-Grandparents narrated stories to our little learners.

Junior KG: Literacy-Learning letters through Ice Cream activity.

Senior KG: Numeracy-Introduction to number name three though clay moulding activity.

NOT ALL superheroes wear CAPES…At MBIS they TEACH!!!

Teachers’ Day Celebration was a grand affair at MBIS this year. On 3rd September the student-council members put up a Fanta fabulous online virtual show for all teachers that included a skit, a dance, and a Bollywood game which was thoroughly enjoyed by the entire staff. The celebration continued onto the next day where a lavish lunch was organized by the management for the teachers at Sigri Global –Malad–west. The teachers and staff had a fun-filled day

Students of MBIS had fun during the yoga warm-up session and explored the different names of emotions. They acted out emotions as they went on a mood walk and enjoyed freeze dancing while holding the yoga poses.

To commemorate the birthday of Major Dhyan Chand, National Sports Day is celebrated every year on 29th August 2021. During the PE sessions, students were engaged through PPT, quizzes, and exercises based on sports and general knowledge based on Major Dhyan Chand and his Achievements.

At MBIS we have instituted the Master Class Series of Guest Lecture Talks to expose our students to real-world applications of theories/concepts they learn in the classroom. On Thursday, 9th September 2021 we invited Mr Prashanth Swaminathan (Partner, Woodstock) to deliver a talk on Demystifying Digital Assets (Cryptocurrencies). The talk delved into various aspects of Cryptocurrencies – from why they were created, mining, fluctuations, Web 2.0 to 3.0, Crypto Exchanges to the Future of cryptocurrencies. Our students enjoyed the talk and it helped in clearing a lot of myths/doubts they had about digital assets.

Painting has the power to engage you, reduce stress, give happiness and peace of mind. Lord Ganesh is known as the God of wealth, science, knowledge, wisdom, and prosperity. Lord Ganesh’s paintings are considered auspicious and are believed to keep away negative vibes or energy. In MBIS, learners used visual characteristics like lines, colours, value, shape, and texture in the paintings of Lord Ganesh.

Go-green Lord Ganesha’s program was conducted virtually at MBIS with the idea of celebrating Ganesha Chaturthi in an eco-friendly manner. The students had performed cultural activities to create awareness of the importance of protecting our environment by avoiding the chemical-based colours used in the making of idols of Lord Ganesha. The students of Grade 7 have also made organic Ganesha idols with wheat flour dough and clay. They thoroughly enjoyed the hands-on activity.

Hindi Diwas was celebrated with great gusto and heartiness on 15th September’21 at MBIS in the Primary Section. It was our privilege to have Ms Kalindi Badola, as our Guest of Honour and to name a few of her talents, are a renowned RJ (who has worked with AIR FM, Radio Mirchi & Big FM) news anchor, national lever debater, and a short story writer. Ms Kalindi Badola addressed the students with the importance of knowing and learning the Hindi Language. The students of Grades 2 to 5 were fortunate enough to hear Ms Kalindi narrate such beautiful and exciting stories in Hindi with such fantastic voice modulation that kept the students glued to their seats. Apart from this, to portray the significance of the Hindi language the students of Grades 1 and 2 dressed up as fruits and vegetables according to the Hindi letters allotted to them and spoke a few words in Hindi about them. The students of Grade 3 narrated short 2 minute Hindi stories, whereas the students of Grades 4 and 5 played the game: ‘Fun Time is Hindi Time.’ All in all a day that provided the much-needed laughter and amusement that was greatly awaited by all.

It is rightly said that “Learning is the product of the activity of learners.” – John Holt

Ms Farzana Dohadwalla conducted a Teachers Enrichment Program on Saturday, 18th Sep’21 to enunciate the importance of having active learners in a class.

Hindi Diwas ‘Aahwahaan’ was celebrated at MBIS with great enthusiasm. The Constituent Assembly of India had espoused Hindi as India’s official language, on 14th September 1949 and Hindi Divas is a commemoration of this event. Hindi is also the fourth most spoken language in the world after English, Spanish, and Mandarin. Dr Bhawana Kunwar, a renowned writer and editor of Australianchal Hindi e-magazine graced the occasion. Some of the highlighting activities of the event were Nara gaayan, Doha Gayan, Nritya Prastuti, Kavi Sammelan, and Natya prastuti’. This celebration helped students to explore their Hindi language knowledge with different hues and flavours.

“Peace begins with a smile. Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”— Mother Teresa

The International Day of Peace was established by the United Nations General Assembly for strengthening the standards of peace. Since 1981, September 21 has been observed as the International Day of Peace also known as World Peace Day around the world. At MBIS, the students of the Pre-Primary and Primary section celebrated the International Day of Peace on Tuesday, September 21. We began the day smiling at each other. This entire week had been designed to discuss various aspects of peace culminating in an activity that symbolizes peace. It was a great joy to hearten year olds utter these words as they discussed what peace personally meant to them: harmony, adjustment, friendship, freedom from disturbance, no discrimination, no racism, no wars, no fighting, etc. We were also proud to hear that to have peace in our surroundings one needs to be respectful, polite, understanding, and show empathy towards one another. The most beautiful thought by one of them was that to have peace everywhere we had to first have peace within ourselves.

So we concluded our Peace Week with this quote “If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.”— Thich Nhat Hanh

To make teaching fun and effective for the students, MBIS  has collaborated with Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) to bring together a storytelling workshop on “Valiant Women — Defenders of the Nation”, the stories of seven women (Jhalkari Bai, Kanaklata Barua, Aruna Asaf Ali, Usha Mehta, Durgabai Deshmukh, Sarojini Naidu, and Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit) who dedicated their lives to the struggle for India’s independence. Students were enthused with the story of Usha Mehta who is an inspiration for generations to come. Amar Chitra Katha has been telling stories for over 53 years and has always been a ‘route to your roots’.

Storytelling has always been one of the most enriching forms of creating impact in the minds of readers and listeners alike. We at MBIS understand the power of stories and their impact on young minds. The storytelling session was a hit as it created a far greater impression on kids than the usual preaching ever does, simultaneously engaging various parts of the mind like the cognitive, the creative, and the emotional.

International Day of Peace is celebrated all over the world to appreciate the efforts of those who have worked hard to eliminate conflicts and wars and promote peace. To commemorate World Peace Day, the students of MBIS explored their inner peace by coming together at a common assembly and showcased their Peace Treaties through a series of presentations and talks across all Grades. They presented their ideas through posters, videos, speeches, and presentations.

Some of the topics covered were: To resolve conflicts, Vocal for local, Health care is a human right, International cooperation, Sustainable global economy. They all emphasized the fact that to recover from a devastating pandemic like Covid -19, we need to understand the significance of economic, social, political, and environmental harmony and establish a more equitable society because “Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”

During the last week of September, the students of the Pre-Primary and Primary section literally had a ball. Yes! It was the first ‘Fun with a Ball’ activity week. Different activities like Transfer ball on lap, Collect ball with knees all collection, Basketball and Football dribbling, Juggling ball on knees, Blindfold dribbling, etc. We smiled, we laughed and we definitely worked up a sweat! The kids thoroughly enjoyed the activities and successfully completed the task.

On 4th September 2021, Ms Padma Rao attended the launch of Amar Chitra Katha’s new book ‘Valiant Women – Defenders of the Nation’. She participated in a Special History Quiz for Teachers across India representing their schools.

On 9 September 2021, Kudilal Govidram Seksaria Sarvodaya celebrated Hindi Diwas Week and organized Inter School Poetry Recitation. Yajat Sharma, MBIS student of Grade 8 participated and recited patriotic poems in the Interschool Poetry Competition with full enthusiasm and received a participation certificate.

Ganesh Chaturthi, celebrated annually to mark the birth of Lord Ganesha, was celebrated from 6th – 8th September in the Pre-Primary and Primary section at MBIS. The little ones from the Nursery and Junior KG made Ganpati with paper cut-outs while students from Senior KG made no-fire chocolate modaks during their online classes. In the Primary Section creating a creative Ganpati with natural clay or non-toxic modelling clay was the order of the day.

Nursery – AOI: All About me Activity and Literacy – Learning Letter H

Junior KG –  Numeracy: Number activity

Senior KG – AOI Activity: Happy tooth and sad tooth activity held on 9th September ’21

Grade 2: Science – Students of Grade 2 did a craft activity on the life cycle of birds.

Grade 3: AOI – Students of Grade 3 were taken back into the stone age. They imagined themselves as early humans and made their own stone tools.

We make a living by what we get. We make a life with what we give… Winston Churchill. The Joy of Giving Week was celebrated in the Pre-Primary and Primary section of MBIS from 4th October to 8th October. Apart from the activities that the students did during the art class that depicted the deeds that made them joyful, they also enjoyed singing songs in their music class. But more importantly, were the discussions held during the morning assembly where the students conversed why giving is an important act in each one’s life; the need to continue doing it in our everyday life and not only during the Joy of Giving Week. It was very satisfying to see our students put into practice what they spoke and hopefully they will continue to make this an ‘Art of Living.’