ENRICHMENT CURRICULUM

Sports

We offer a well-structured sports programme in partnership with Sportz Village (formerly known as KOOH Sports), an international sports education organisation. Professionally trained coaches deliver age appropriate structured curriculum mapped to Cambridge Physical Education curriculum framework. The objective is to invoke real interest in sports through a wide variety of activities and games and specialised training in iCricket, Football, Lawn Tennis, Badminton, Volleyball and Basketball. We also offer optional after school sports programme from Monday to Thursday, 3:00-4:00pm for students of ages 6-14 years. School transport is not provided for the after school programme.

Duke of Edinburgh’s international award (DOFE)

We complement the rigour of our academic programme with wider learning experiences through the internationally recognised Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award for young people over 13.5 years. Our school is a licensed Youth Engagement Society (YES) centre with International Award for Young People (IAYP) which offers the Award in India. The Award also provides an excellent platform to encourage students to participate in Community Service. Students have the opportunity to apply for age-appropriate level of the Award – Bronze/ Silver/ Gold – and in the process gain valuable experience in 4 specific areas: Physical recreation; Skills; Community Service; Adventurous Journey. For Gold level students have to complete a Residential Project in addition to participating in these four areas. Our teachers have been trained by IAYP as Award Leaders to support students in their pursuit of the Award. From 2020-21, it will be mandatory for Grade 8 students to apply for the Bronze level of the Award at the minimum.

Student council

Sancta Maria Student Council is the voice of the student community. We firmly believe that every student’s opinions and ideas need to be heard, valued and responded to as they can provide  fresh and different perspectives. The Student Council consists of representatives across the divisions including the Primary division. The members of the Council are elected at the beginning of the academic year. While some Council members are appointed for a period of two years, some positions are for an annual term. The Student Council is the friendly yet professional bridge between students and teaching community and suggests changes for the improvement of the school at large. The Council also takes on important responsibilities for key events and plays a significant role in working groups within the school.

Saturday academy

Saturday Academy is our unique programme which aims to provide immersive experience in the following areas:

• Sports: Basketball, Volleyball, Badminton, Football, Tennis
• Fitness: Yoga, Pilates
• Performing arts: Musical instruments (guitar, violin, keyboard), World Music, Dance, Theatre
• Visual arts: Sketching & Painting, Sculpture, Pottery
• Technology: Photography, Robotics

From 2020-21, Saturday Academy will be delivered as a structured paid programme over 20 Saturdays in the year. Students will be able to choose 3 activities from the above options, each in a different category preferably and will have the option to change the activity after 10 sessions. Each session will be of one hour duration and over the complete duration of the Saturday Academy, every participant will have participated in 60 sessions, covering 3-6 areas of special interest. Students who come by bus on other days will be able to use the bus for Saturday Academy and morning snacks  and lunch will be provided by the school. Saturday Academy timings will be 8.30am to 12.30pm. 

Mindspark

Mindspark Math is AI powered adaptive learning programme in mathematics developed by Educational Initiatives and reviewed by researchers at Harvard, MIT and Stanford. The assessments adapt to each student’s individual learning pace and adjust questions to answer patterns. We offer Mindspark to students in Grades 3-8. Mindspark adapts itself to every student’s learning level and progressively questions students for a particular concept. If the student responds correctly, the following question is slightly difficult compared to the previous one which enables the student to self-learn the concept gradually and thoroughly.

However, if the student’s answer is incorrect, Mindspark offers a step by step explanation and then begins questioning further from that level onwards, encouraging students to think and respond at every step. (Source: https://www.mindspark.in/maths) 

Mykensho 

‘Kensho’ means ‘the first glimpse of enlightenment’ in Japanese. mykensho is a unique career development solution designed to help students know who they are, decipher the complex world of work and their place in it, develop themselves, set goals and achieve them. It aims to teach them to take responsibility, make well informed decisions, adapt to change and be resilient, have the confidence to do what they are passionate about. We are collaborating with Global Education Solutions to implement mykensho for Grade 7 students as a pilot programme. Following the outcomes of the pilot, we intend to open it for Grades 6 to 8 from 2020-21. It will be an optional programme and students will be able to participate in the sessions during Activity Lesson or Saturday Academy. These students will be able to articulate their interests, accomplishments, skills and discover occupations that are suitable to them at the end of the modules planned for them. They will also be able to identify an issue they care about and how they can contribute to society in their own way.

Events and celebrations

From Indian and international festivals to World Days and thematic assemblies, our students enthusiastically participate in a range of events and celebrations spread across the year. We welcome parents and grandparents to school to join us for special assemblies and events. Sleepover in School (also known as Night Out) is one of the most awaited annual events where students from Grade 4 onwards have a camp-like experience within the safety of the school. Annual Days, Sports Day, Graduation and Step-up Ceremony are some of the other key events of the school which bring together the entire school community in a spirit of celebration and collaboration. 

Clubs

Clubs are an integral part of our extended curriculum. Through club activities thrice in a week, students get the opportunity to participate and develop their interests and passions in a range of areas including Model United Nations, Literature Appreciation, Debating, Board Games, Community Service, Music, Dance, Theatre, Environment Conservation, etc. Most of these clubs are managed by students themselves with teachers as guides or observers. Students are encouraged to choose any one club for a term and move to a different club in the new term to get an exposure to a variety of club activities. At the end of each term, clubs are expected to showcase what they have done throughout the term.

Student counselling

We firmly believe that students need in-house support for their emotional, psychological and varied learning needs as well as for making critical decisions related to choice of subjects in high School, future education and careers. We have full time School Counsellors with expertise in these areas. We have a qualified College and Career Counsellor and are in the process of developing other teachers in this area so that students have access to wider resources within the school. We also work in close partnership with Sheldon Brown, an independent College Consultant who provides consultancy support to students especially for US University admissions.