Victory always starts in the head. It's a state of mind. It then spreads with such radiance and such affirmations that destiny can do nothing but obey. --- Douchan Gersi

The OUTSTANDING CBSE BOARD RESULTS clinched by the CLASS OF 2009-2010 …has been a watershed moment in R.N.Podar School’s string of successful results year after year, wherein sterling performances by both the Xth and XII batches have done the school immensely proud.

The future is a rainbow of beautiful tomorrows when you hold a dream in your heart! 

From time to time the school has been conducting various orientation programmes to educate parents about ongoing changes in the system of assessment/evaluation as proposed by the CBSE Board. Parents of Class X students were invited to one such session on March 13, 2010 wherein doubts regarding CCE were addressed with a great degree of clarity. This proved especially important as the new batch of Class X had begun Classes from 8th March 2010 and they would be the first batch that would not be answering Board exams at the end of their academic year.

Replacement of marks with Grading System in Std. 10...implications for parents and students.

This article was published in ‘The Times of India -Mumbai Mirror’ on

March 15, 2010 heralded the beginning of a new academic session for Class XII students. Year 2010-2011 would be marked by serious preparations for the Board exams along with some exciting moments provided in the form of festivities during the closing session of LIFE SKILLS ACTIVITIES held exclusively for the benefit of grade XI students.

Life is what you make of it. As educators we consider it our responsibility to guide students to navigate the choppy waters of life so that they learn to make the most of life’s blessings and in the process make a difference to society.

The period from 12^th April to 1^st May was an immensely fulfilling one for Senior Secondary boys and girls, during which they participated in a plethora of activities ranging from the exceedingly popular Indian Premier League (IPL) Quiz Contest, cookery session, sports quiz, Junior Achievers Business Sessions and a host of interactive programmes dealing with the finer aspects of grooming, etiquette and personality development which was conducted by experts from the International Finishing Academy. School Vice Principal Ms. Sunita George took an engaging session on decision making. Writing a good Statement-Of-Purpose is an art that requires a degree of perfection. This skill was engendered by the school career counsellors in one of the sessions.

Ad making, brand equity, talent show, group work, skit presentation, graffiti, product designing, tattoo art, creative expression etc. proved to be a mini fest of sorts on the final day which was open to Class XII participants. Certificates of merit were awarded to the contest winners.

Not to be outdone, tenth standard students had an enjoyable time creating websites, designing colourful pots, in addition to learning the art of stress management through meditation and Tibetan Yoga from Ms. Razia Patel.

‘The desire to help is of little value unless it is accompanied by informed and keen action or first aid.’ This was the aim of First Aid training imparted to the youngsters by Dr. Deepak Dalvi. Students were taught basics such as handling minor cuts, scrapes and even burns. They were told about emergency action to be taken in case of serious situations e.g. a heart attack. At the end of it all a questionnaire was provided to assess learning that had occurred.

‘Conquer your fears and have the time of your life’; these words were held true in every respect when Grade XI students embarked on a fun learning experience in an adventure camp organised by iDiscoveri-an organisation that has for over a decade been giving young people the experience of adventure education programmes. The days between April 5th and 9th proved to be a unique learning experience in the lap of nature with special focus on developing confidence, building character and personality through teamwork and self discipline. Activities such as rock climbing, rappelling, river rafting that were conducted in the picturesque surroundings of Lonavala gave the youth a taste of the outdoors, especially when boys made tents their sleeping abode and girls giggled inside dormitories.

Taking cue from the latest entrant into the gamut of courses offered by CBSE, we at R.N.Podar School are proud of having introduced a new course at the plus two level- ‘Media Studies’ which has been offered as an alternative stream in the new academic session (2010-11) for CLASS XI specifically. The rationale behind the course has been stated as follows:

“Communication is universal to all human beings and is central to our lives. In fact it regulates and shapes all human behaviour. Therefore it is important to have clear understanding of the concept of communication first and then gradually students will be introduced to the concepts of mass communication and mass media .This course looks at the basic nature and characteristics of communication, types of communication, process of communication, and introduction to the various forms of media. The course will also deal with the various roles mass media play in the society.”

Fostering a Shared Vision for the 21^st Century Education System

May 28th & 29th 2010 were witness to a meeting of educational minds at R.N.Podar School campus. It was a momentous occasion wherein Principals and Academic Heads from Podar Group of Schools assembled to collaborate, ideate, share and forge new paradigms in education. The reason being the radical reforms that have occurred in the Indian education sector have provided educationists with an opportunity to create history. Dr. Pawan Podar, Trustee Podar Group was a special invitee to the conference. With his invaluable suggestions and solutions to key areas of discussion, he skilfully steered the meeting several notches high in terms of quality and creativity.

In the opening session conducted by School Principal Ms. Avnita Bir, the urgency for collaboration and enquiry were highlighted through a presentation titled, ‘WE THINK”. ‘Education today and tomorrow’ was a hard hitting eye opener for all, as it moved the discussion towards self analysis and reflection. Further sessions conducted by Vice Principal Ms. Sunita George gave a practical approach to strategic decision making. The analysis of case studies provided valuable solutions to day to day administrative issues. Core areas of discussion ranged from diverse topics such as; goal setting and fine tuning, conflict resolution, the ethical dilemma, lesson planning & innovative lesson delivery. Sessions on ‘Program of Work for Formative and Summative assessments ….. The path towards CCE. How CCE improves academic performance and reduces failures in classes’, very effectively dismissed misconceptions and brought clarity on the subject.

At the end of it all this wonderful conference served a variety of purposes for people with purpose.