14th June, 2019 Volume 7, Issue 144   

CONTENTS  Featured Story From the Head of School From the Primary Principal  Primary Learning Focus  From the Interim MYP Principal From the Interim DP Principal  Introducing  From the PTA  

  IMPORTANT DATES  June 14th - MYP Drama Production 14th - Primary Semester 2 Reports Published 17th - Secondary Leavers’ Assembly (11:00am-12:00pm) 17th - Secondary Awards Ceremony (2.00 - 3:00pm) 18th - School Closes for Summer Break (12:40 pm) August 16th - Orientation Day for New Students 19th - First Day of School for 2019-2020 Academic Year 22nd - PYP Back to School Evening for Primary Families  

 

  

Featured Story 

 George Orwell’s Animal Farm - A Drama Production by M1 - M3 Students 

 

  

On Thursday, 13th June the M1-M3 drama students awed audiences with their fantastic portrayal of                             George Orwell's classic, 'Animal Farm'.  

 

 

The intense performances, coupled with the fabulous costumes, props and set design spoke volumes                           of the high calibre of the drama programme at Stonehill. After the highly successful 1984 production                               by the M4 students, this production is a testament to the dedication and commitment of Mr. Jonthan                                 Sanger who is providing a world class theatre programme for our Secondary students.  

   

    

Congratulations to the cast and crew and thank you to Mr. Jonathan and Ms. Jennifer for their                                 guidance. What a great ending to an academic year filled with many incredible achievements!  

 

 

 

 

 

From the Head of School  

The End of the Academic Year I first visited Stonehill in 2013. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to be                               involved in the growth, development and improvement of the school since                     that time. It is with mixed feelings that I now say goodbye to Bangalore and                             move on to a new role in South Korea as the Head of Busan International                             School. The Stonehill community is very special and my family and I have all                           thoroughly enjoyed our time at the school. The School Yearbook, going                     home with children today, is testament to a fantastic year with many                       achievements that we can all be proud of. 

 Simon McCloskey 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Governing Council for their support and                               guidance, the staff and faculty who make the school such an exciting and dynamic place to come                                 to work every day, and to the Stonehill families who support our school and all the work that we                                     do. We will miss you all. Have a wonderful, relaxing summer holiday with friends and family! 

Thank You and Goodbye We would like to say a huge thank you to all of the Stonehill Teachers and Teaching Assistants who                                     will be moving on to new adventures in various parts of the world, next academic year. You are all                                     a part of our community and you have all contributed to the development of our school. You will                                   be missed and will be in our thoughts. We wish you all every success with your new roles. 

 

         

Ms Kerstin  Ms. Fabiana  Ms. Sonia  Ms. Suparna  Ms. Bindu 

         

Ms. Amanda  Ms. Moushumi  Ms. Katia  Mr. David  Ms. Carol 

       

Ms. Abira  Mr. Ron  Ms. Neena  Ms. Mary Sunitha  Mr. Josh  

 

 

From the Primary Principal 

 This is our final Tiger contribution for this academic year. We have                       completed an action-packed year of learning - from swimming to                   gymnastics, singing to dramatic performances, with lots of inquiry                 and knowledgeable exercises. We have learned to be more                 responsible, whilst caring for those around us. We have grown in                     confidence having had many opportunities to present in front of our                     classes and our school.   Thank you for all your support over the course of this year. You have                           turned up to support your own children, as well as every child in our                           school. We appreciate you and the effort you have made to grow our                         community. 

 Karen Crooke 

 

Spirited Learners Week  Spirited Learners Week has been lots of             fun. We wore our pyjamas to school on               Monday and were twins on Tuesday. We             took a break on Wednesday, and then we               finished the week with a movie character             on Thursday and tigers on Friday. We             have raised nearly INR 20, 000 for CARE,               the animal rescue NGO. Thank you to             everyone who has supported this event           led by the Students Reps. 

 Student Reps On that note I wish to mention the Student Reps - students who represent their grade in order to                                     bring the students’ voice to what we do in school. There have been some notable contributions this                                 year and we have been very impressed with the growth in skills of this group of children. They have                                     taken on Community Time with a growing commitment. Their confidence has grown exponentially.                         Congratulations to you all!  Have a wonderful summer break. Be safe.  With best wishes,  Karen Crooke Primary Principal   

     

 

 

Primary Learning Focus 

 News from P2 

 

 

The P2 class are currently in their ‘Sharing the Planet’ unit of inquiry. They have been learning about                                   the rights and responsibilities of living things that we share this world with, and how animals are                                 connected to our everyday lives.   

      

They have also researched a variety of animals from around the world, and we have taken the time to                                     explore and observe a range of animals that we share our school community with. We have watched                                 as ants have built their home in our garden and tested what food they like.   Some of our learners have built a home for birds and bats, even a shelter to protect the ants from the                                         rain. We have also watched in wonder as a bird has built a nest for its eggs outside the library! We are                                           learning to appreciate the natural world and the living things we share it with.  Mr. David Gostelow P2 Class Teacher 

 

 

From the Interim MYP Principal 

 

Animal Farm This year our theatre productions surpassed our expectations. Please                 join me in congratulating Mr. Jonathan and the cast and crew of                       George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’. The students portrayed the nuances of                   this complex political satire with aplomb. This production was a                   wonderful end to the year.   Reports  Reports will be available to download on Managebac on Monday,                   17th June by the end of the day. Should you need copies of reports or                             transcripts, please give us a week’s time to process your request.  

 Jitendra Pandey 

Awards Ceremony  The Secondary Awards Ceremony is scheduled for Monday, 17th June at 2.00 pm. The ceremony will                               take place in the Secondary Hall. You would have received an invitation if your child is receiving an                                   award.   Welcoming Joe Lumsden This is my last message as the Interim Middle School Principal. As I sign off from this responsibility, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Mr. Joe Lumsden, the incoming Secondary Principal. I am sure the school will flourish under his able guidance and leadership.   I wish you all a fantastic Summer Break. I hope you have plenty of time to enjoy yourselves with family and friends. To our leaving families, I wish you the very best for your future endeavours. We will miss you.  To our returning families, I look forward to welcoming you in August, refreshed and recharged to taken on another great academic year.  

  Best regards,  Jitendra Pandey Interim MYP Principal 

 

 

 

From the Interim DP Principal 

 

D2 Update D2 students are in the process of getting in touch with their Universities                         and making final travel plans. Now starts the waiting game for the IBDP                         results that will be released on 6th July. Students can access the results                         online through candidates.ibo.org  We wish them the very best!  Goodbyes are not easy. This week was filled with mixed emotions - happy                         that the summer break is just around the corner, but sad that is was time                             to bid farewell to all the leaving students and teachers.  

 Manpreet Kaur 

 

Each one of them will be missed immensely and they will always be a part of the Stonehill                                   community. We encourage all our leaving families and staff to stay in touch and visit us whenever                                 possible. Once a member of the Stonehill community, you stay that way forever!  I wish all our leaving families happiness and success for your future. I hope we see you coming back                                     to visit us if you ever find yourselves in Bangalore again.  To our returning families, enjoy the break with loved ones. I look forward to welcoming you back                                 rejuvenated and ready to take on the new academic year.  Have a great Summer Break!  

  Best wishes,  Manpreet Kaur Interim DP Principal 

 

 

 

Introducing  

Each week we feature a Stonehill Teacher in our weekly                   bulletin. This week we interviewed Secondary Teacher,             Narayani Saberi.  Qualification and certifications:  Master’s in History, Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Law,                 CERTESL.  What do you teach at Stonehill? MYP and DP History and Theory of Knowledge.  Where are you from and where else have you lived? I am a Canadian of Indian origin. I grew up in Delhi, but my                           roots go back to Kerala. I have also lived and worked in Saudi                         Arabia, Canada and Dubai. 

 Narayani Saberi. 

 

What inspired you to become a teacher? I started my career as a Supreme Court lawyer in India, but when I moved to Saudi Arabia I found                                       that teaching was one of the few avenues open to women. I soon discovered that I enjoyed                                 working with young people and was good at what I did. The laughter, warmth and organised                               craziness of a class full of young people from whom you learn something every day, never gets                                 boring!  What is your educational philosophy? To help each student realise their potential and leave school with an innate confidence in                             themselves.  What made you choose Stonehill? I chose Stonehill as it provided me an opportunity to come back and teach in the country I was                                     born in. Other reasons that drew me here was Stonehill’s reputation as an international IB school                               and the fact that it is situated in Bangalore.  What is the best part of your job? The opportunity to try, in my small way, to bring history to life for my students.  What are your hobbies and interests?` I like listening to music, reading and generally lazing around. I hope to find time to learn to play                                     the piano that my son left behind when he left for university!  What is your favourite book? The books I grew up reading and those I read every night to my children – ‘Paddington Bear’, ‘Wind                                     in the Willows’, ‘Franklin the Turtle’, the stories by Dr. Seuss and the ‘Munchwork’ series by Robert                                 Munch!  What is your favourite music? I love listening to music of the 60s, 70s and 80s, Western Classical music and Carnatic music. 

 

 

 

From the PTA 

 Dear Parents,  A heartfelt thanks to all who sent in food for the annual Staff Appreciation Lunch - it was absolutely                                     delicious! Everyone was thrilled. Thank you to the lovely parents who stuck around to help out and                                 volunteered to take on the supervision duties of teachers. We so appreciate your support and of                               course, it is wonderful to have your company.  We hope you all have a fantastic summer break!  Best regards,  Team PTA