Welcome Letter (Academic Year 2021-22)

Dear Parents,

A year ago I had not thought that I would still be writing to you about beginning the year online – but the situation has given us no other choice. So let me begin by welcoming you all back to the school year – and a specially warm welcome to our new parents.

SCHOOL OPENING:

School will begin on Thursday 22nd at 8.30 am – online for the moment. We will await government notifications about the physical opening of the school and update you when we have information on this. For your information, our two sister schools in Haryana have opened physically as allowed by that state.

Having lived through a terrifying time in April and May – one which left almost no family untouched – whenever we open it will be with the same individual choice as earlier: school will be hybrid with an online and physical option. It will be up to individual families to decide on the balance between the very real developmental advantages of being in school allowing interacting with friends, and choosing to keep children protected at home.

While we are online, school will be from 8.30 am -3.15 pm in secondary school and 8.30 am - 2.35 pm in primary. One focus continues to be on limiting screen time particularly in primary school and at every level there are some asynchronous lessons and breaks between lessons to allow for this. The last lesson has a flexible schedule to enable teachers to meet small groups, assist individual students who are struggling or provide focused attention. We are aware of the potential learning gaps which some students may have with a year of online learning, and are working on addressing these. On Thursdays school ends at 2.25 pm as usual to enable staff workshops and meetings.

SCHOOL SUCCESSES

Meanwhile for all its challenges, the past year was marked by multiple successes for the school. I have already shared our excellent IB DP results and university placements. We have also had outstanding reports from both NEASC and CIS. For new parents, as international accrediting agencies for school excellence, NEASC focuses more on student learning and CIS more on school structures and systems. I am sharing below some of the highlights of each report.

NEASC

learners at PSN are articulate and aware of their responsibilities towards the broader community and beyond. They were confident while describing their roles as learners and displayed a high level of discipline and commitment towards learning.
There has clearly been a great deal of development of learners' social and emotional well-being across the Primary and Secondary Schools, and there is a desire to provide opportunities for learners to develop and use higher-order skills
Design thinking is encouraged and practiced by the community of learners at PSN
Cultural diversity is strongly embraced by the PSN community, and students are encouraged to learn from and about each other. Parents expressed the fact that through the process of becoming a PSN student, their children had gained a great deal of confidence, resilience, and curiosity toward the many cultural facets they were encountering.
Learners at PSN are confident in taking part in lesson activities and comfortable in sharing their perspectives and ideas. Teachers create a nurturing learning environment for learners, and an element of care and respect is evident. Learners at PSN are encouraged to be risk takers.
The school Owners/governors, members of leadership, and management team are the cornerstone of the school's Mission, Vision, and definition of learning.
Pathways School Noida has effectively created an environment in which everyone feels a sense of community. Teachers, students, and parents have all emphasized their sense of value and worth. Everyone has the freedom to contribute. Teachers feel confident and safe in sharing their ideas and opinions. Students eagerly voice their concerns and suggestions, knowing that they will be heard and that the school will respond to their needs. They understand that their opinions matter. Parents are also free to meet with teachers, Department Heads, and the Leadership Team whenever they face issues.

CIS

The CIS report gives ratings: Does not meet/ Meets/ Exceeds. These are stated below as areas of commendation for the school:

The respective roles and responsibilities of governance and ownership, and leadership and management, are suitably defined EXCEEDs
The Head of the School is empowered to be the educational leader of the school, implementing the mission EXCEEDS
The Proprietors/ Governors ensure there are educational and financial plans to support the school's viability & mission EXCEEDS
Governance is constituted to enable the school to have a clear and appropriate sense of direction and continuity EXCEEDS
The working relationship between the Proprietors/ Governors and the Head of School is established to sustain high morale, positive professional relationships, and a conducive climate for teaching, learning, and student's well- being. EXCEEDS
The school environment is characterised by openness, fairness, trust, and mutual respect to support students' learning and well-being, listen to their views EXCEEDS
The school provides health care and health education to support students' well-being and enhance access to learning opportunities. EXCEEDS

Recommendations:Both CIS & NEASC recommendations focus on strengthening our documentation processes, rather than substantive changes. These include:

Ensure that there is a scaffolded, vertically aligned global citizenship curriculum, in order to ensure continuity in student's intercultural learning and international understanding, and to reflect the excellent practices already in place
Review the technology plan to include protocols and supporting documentation for the analysis of student data to support students in their learning
Devise means by which to measure students’ engagement in online learning, to ensure the effectiveness of the technology applications supporting learning and teaching
University counselling services develop a process to evaluate its effectiveness to further support students
Further strengthen interdisciplinary learning in secondary school
Expand the use of e-portfolios and student reflection.

We have begun work on the suggested areas.

FOR PARENTS TO THINK ABOUT

Finally, I would like to share with you two useful bits of parenting advice which I read and you may find it interesting to think about.

The first is by Dr. Bhooshan Shukla, GenWise Mentor Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and is useful for parents with children of any age:

"Children expect & need love. But all they get is praise"
This is a profound statement on modern parenting. Children want parents to be a part of their life and validate it. They need parental presence in their mental life to feel complete. But early on many children realise that parental attention is gained by reporting or discussing achievements. Praise is accepted and sought as a substitute for genuine love.
Unconditional love is a myth. It cannot exist in reality. So what does love look like in real life ? Genuine attention, interest and trust (that child is capable of solving things after some struggle) in the child is real manifestation of love.
Children raised on praise become good workers. They aim to please their superiors and get promotions. But they go through life feeling an emptiness inside. They don't know what to do with that emptiness so they fill it with socially praised achievements and somehow search for happiness in success.

In other words, while it is good to encourage your child, do not jump to simply praise them. It is more valuable to listen, discuss and encourage them to think even of failure as a means to learn better.

The second piece of advice I would like to share is particularly for parents of adolescents. It is from the Stapoo blog and is entitled: “Why teenagers are drawn towards online friends”. It provides a balanced and empathetic perspective on teenagers use of the online space, based in an understanding of teens, their interests and vulnerabilities. Here is the link: https://stapoo.in/3986-2/

Let me end by wishing you a safe and healthy year ahead. As always I look forward to all your support in the school’s activities – virtual or physical.

With warm regards,
Dr. Shalini Advani
School Director

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