About School, In General
Q. How is the administrative setup of the school i.e. how is Mr. Raghavan involved – will he be on the board, as the school is different just because of the idea and vision of Mr. Raghavan. Will he be with the school throughout?
A. The vision is of the founders. The implementation is being guided by Mr.Raghavan. He has begun the journey and will be there with us throughout.
Q. No admission after nursery is a really good concept, will we be able to follow it?
A. We really hope to. It is a difficult decision economically but this is already being done in other schools, because that would be the real way on. So except for minor deviations, where circumstances so warrant it, we would like to stick by it.
Q. Which board you are going to follow in future?
A. At present we have taken a call to align to CBSE until it is possible for something even better and more challenging.
Q. Does your system help children with difficulty in concentration?
A. Many of our programs have built in processes for improving effort in concentration. It is only true that children concentrate easily on things they value most! We need to see eye to eye with the child and not the other way around.
Q. I know the teachers have to attend to all children but this is my kind request to you all to give some special attention to my child. I think he can do better with some special letter.
A. Every child is given the maximum possible attention and more so when we see the child has a need. The child needs to respond and we must have the patience to wait for it.
Q. How do you evaluate the child intellectually, physically, emotionally?
A. Children are observed daily. Every activity is designed for stimulation. Intellect is viewed from responses during reading, math and our ALP; physically with our games, exercises and outdoor activities; emotion with our programs in art, music, dance, drama. All these are built into our daily routines and time will do the rest.
Q. When will we get to know the progress of our child?
A. We are constantly evaluating our efforts with the child. We normally would provide half yearly updates.
Q. Will my child be able to cope up with other school curriculum if any time we have to change the school?
A. We are scheduled to be a K-12 school and we would imagine that all else being equal your child would be with us till grade 12. The methods used are carefully child friendly and the child would cope in any such school. We would follow the CBSE based curriculum and hence the child would be enabled to the extent of the class outcomes prescribed.
Q. My concern is about teachers in higher classes. We would like them to be patient and gentle and at the same time intelligent and that is highly lacking in Vapi. I request you to provide us with very good teachers in higher classes also.
A. We shall spare no effort at good recruitment and significant teacher coaching to ensure the best teaching practices, through from K to 12. We spend atleast 70 to 80 days per year in training teachers, which is very high compared to most other schools.
Q. How frequently are you evaluating your teachers whether they are teaching as per Lumens techniques?
A. We spend time every month reviewing progress of both teachers and students. Coaching programs are conducted every month to ensure continued education.
Q. Why have you selected CBSE – why not ICSE? What is the difference?
A. Currently we have evaluated that CBSE follows the most progressive proposals and hence the choice.
Q. You have very different education system. It’s very nice, but will that make my child become an engineer or a doctor? What books will you follow and will he be able to learn from books on his own?
A. As mentioned, we will follow CBSE board curriculum and follow the pattern suggested by NCERT. We will use same books, used by any other school. Only our method of teaching would be different. It will not only enable your child to be an engineer, doctor or whatever he wants to be but a better one.
About Namdha School
Q. When you will start the main school in Namadha?
A. When our first batch reaches grade 1 – in June, 2015.
Q. Infrastructure development as per your display plan is?
A. We hope to go beyond our best. We expect to provide space for every area of development; spacious class-rooms, labs, play area et al. In any case we would be bound by the norms of the board.
Q. What are the school timings?
A. School timing will be from 9 am to 3:30 pm
Q. How much time will it take for children to reach Namdha?
A. We have test driven multiple times from Daman centre to the school site and it takes 20 minutes at moderate speed. For Vapi children, it takes 10 minutes from the Vapi over bridge as well as the underground.
Q. Will transport be provided from main school in Namdha?
A. Yes, transport will be provided by school for the kids coming to main school in Namdha.
Q. What will be the pick-up points for vehicles transporting kids to Namdha School?
A. Vehicle will start from each of the pre-primary centre and take a straight route to the Namdha School. We will have couple of pick up points on the way, at central locations. This will help reduce travel time for all the kids.
Q. If drop and pick up is from the pre-primary centres, what about transport from home to the centre?
A. The pre-primary centres are in 3 different residential areas, closer to homes of the children. Ideally parent should drop and pick up a child from the centre but if the parent cannot do it for some reason, school will introduce the parent to one of our school transport vendors and parent can deal with the transporter directly.
Q. What will be the charges for the vehicle?
A. The transport is outsourced so it will be as per the vendor charges. We will try to bring it down as much as possible. At present we can assure that it will be less than 1000 Rs a month.
Q. Why is the school not providing school bus?
A. Our children will be coming from three different locations and number of children going to Namdha this year is not more than 50. Hence multiple buses will not be economically viable for parents and one single bus taking all the kids will increase the travel time considerably.
Q. How safe is travel to Namdha?
A. Road to Namdha is quite safe as there is no highway or railway crossing on the way. Namdha is a small quiet village with no traffic. Road to the school is well made ‘damar’ road. Besides Namdha is one of the villages marked for development by Central Government and is supposed come under Vapi Municipality very soon. Namdha is also adopted by our respected MLA Mr Kanubhai Desai for infrastructure development.
Q. How experienced will be the van drive?
A. The vehicle vendor is working with us since last 3 years and he has been working with other reputed schools of Vapi for more than 20 years.
Q. Will a lady attendant be present in the van?
A. Yes, our own school ‘maasi’ will be travelling with the kids every day.
Q. In monsoon it is always flooded. What is the safety provision during monsoon?
A. In monsoon, there could be delays due to traffic jams on the Vapi Bridge which is a normal phenomenon. Else roads to Namdha pose no additional risk than travelling anywhere in Vapi.
Q. If children get unwell suddenly, what will school do?
A. We will be keeping first aid kit. If some emergency arises, Janseva hospital is just 10 min away from the school, where preliminary treatment can be provided. A school vehicle will always be present in the school.
Q. Will the school provide the food?
A. No. Children have to get tiffin from home.
Q. Will CBSE text books be provided from standard 1 onwards?
A. Yes school will provide CBSE text books and note books but it will be charged extra, as per actual.
Q. How many times will Samson Sir (Chief Sports Coach) visit the school?
A. Samson sir will visit as per need (we are envisaging monthly right now) to train coaches and monitor children’s progress.
Q. Who will be the principal?
A. Since our method of teaching is different, we would not like to hire some experienced person from other school to head and bear the risk of polluting our methods. We are training our teachers and expect them to take senior positions in time to come. As of now, school is monitored and managed personally by the founders and different teachers are coached to handle specific, different responsibilities.
Q. Who will be teachers in Namdha?
A. Few of our experienced teachers, who have been with us for long enough and are trained enough by Raghavan sir will be coming to Namdha.
Q. Will there be exams?
A. No, there won’t be any exam but there will be continuous evaluation of each child and in every subject.
Q. How sure are you that school will get CBSE affiliation?
A. All our facilities are as per global standards and meets more than what CBSE demands. Hence we see no reason why we should not get the affiliation.
ALPs
Q. Please throw light on reading program as to what things will be covered under this and how it would be useful to him.
A. The basic objective of the reading program is to introduce the child to the joy of reading. Teachers would read out interesting books, make them available on library basis, familiarize him with methods in resolving issues of vocabulary and reading obstacles.
Q. Will science and astronomy classes in ALPs help my child in school/exam?
A. These classes are meant to be hands-on. The child is on a learning by observing and doing which definitely helps him understand the theoretical inputs that he/she gets in regular class-rooms. The fun quotient in learning aspects of everyday science is significantly stressed. The classes are sprinkled with amusing anecdotes coupled with seeing science in everyday life. In the astronomy classes the child would find the mysteries of the universe in its vastness and variety which cannot be seen on day to day basis except by someone with passion for the subject. The intention of these classes is to bring the awareness of the practical uses of science and discovering the universe in its wide unchartered expanse. Understanding a topic well with interest and knowing a little more in everything is definitely a plus in any answer one can write.
Q. How will GK class help my child? What is covered in it?
A. Going the extra Kilometer is what we would cover in the GK classes. Who does not like to meet someone who for every topic has some ready references which make the conversation that much more interesting?
Q. Will Science & Astronomy & GK classes be same or its curriculum will be different every year? My child is already doing both right now, will he get something different to learn next year, if wants to continue?
A. The wild extent of science and astronomy as well as the increasing awareness of the continual new mysteries discovered is sufficient to ensure that one could run these courses for several years without repeating oneself. Walk into any library worth its name and one can see the limitlessness to knowledge be it of topic or subject. History has been recorded for thousands of years yet producing situations that are interesting to review and learn from, inventions and discoveries in science and math have been constantly expanding, when can we ever finish learning a subject?
Other
Q. My child is very shy. How should I make her do it?
A. Each child takes his/her time to open up. Much as we would may wish, we cannot change the personality of the child. We offer opportunities and encouragement. It is unadvisable to force.
Q. Giving Ipad to a child – is it a good idea?
A. We have little choice. There is a need to get the child to promise or divert so that he would spend as much time in other physical & intellectual (reading) pursuits and see he/she keeps that note.
Q. How to restrict TV hours in the child’s free time?
A. Focused TV watching may be an interesting option. Choose specific interesting programs and convert them into discussion sessions, which inturn can improve knowledge and language. It would be an interesting possibility.
Q. Kids are very much attached by the screens may it be TV or Laptop or Mobile. My son is half of the day busy in this. How can I divert him?
A. Interesting story telling, read aloud sessions; science related experiments and excursions would be a good diversions.
Q. What can parents do at home to carry forward the teaching our children are receiving at the school?
A. We would encourage you to do everything that complements what we do at school. Speak to the child endlessly, provide opportunities to help the child take informed decisions.
Q. My son is 2 years. He doesn’t have patience to sit with us and listen to some stories or spending quality time with us. He always wants to go for bike ride, car ride and maximum stay out of home.
A. A lot of work could be done by talking to the child while the child is on such outings.
Q. My child is on the higher age side for his class. Will that make a difference?
A. It would not. If the child is able to cope beyond his class he/she would be provided appropriate opportunities.
Q. We know that Lumens has its own system of learning. My son is in Jr.KG. Whenever he meets his friends and watches them writing he too becomes very interested in it. Is it advisable to make him practice at home whenever he wants to?
A. It would be ideal if we were to wait for writing readiness in the child. But one can give him crayons, pencils etc. for colouring and drawing. This would help indirectly.
Q. How to instill values in our child?
A. Any specific point can be suggested only after observing the child over a time. In general, providing the child with several opportunities for expression is the only known approach which would lead us.
Q. I am confused between selection of boards. So please give information about which board is better. We do not want to pressurize our child.
A. We propose to align ourselves with CBSE currently. But the way we would prepare the child would support the best standards in the country.
Q. My child loves listening to stories, especially fables. I would love to teach her history that way – as mentioned by you. Can we get some books having short stories based on Indian and World leaders?
A. Yes some books are already available at our library. And we would be happy to make more such books available for lending.
Q. My child is 2.5 years. Please give me some suggestions to build her a strong base physically, spiritually and intellectually.
A. We hold parents’ meets three to four times a year in which we suggest various areas where you may work with your child. If you have attended the last meet you may have been given some ideas; otherwise please be a little patient till we have the next meet when again these would be brought up.