News Letter 1 | News Letter 2 | News Letter 3 | News Letter 4

Because we work so hard at being very special. In the choice of curriculum, methods of its delivery, creating the learning environment, attention to detail, networking with the rest of the world. the School endeavours to live up to the goals it has set for itself.

K G and Junior School - Teaching more than the three Rs

In order to develop reading, writing and communicating skills, a systematic phonics programme has been introduced in the KG and Junior School . The children are taught not just the alphabet sounds but the main 42 sounds of English. This programme has accelerated the pace of reading and writing skills significantly. The foundation for Science and Mathematics is laid in early years through Montessori methods and activity-based teaching. This interactive style of teaching enables children to grasp concepts and theories through practical application. Social etiquette is an integral part of the curriculum at Junior School (which was the theme of a recent puppet show put up by the teachers of Junior School ).

The School

The First 100 Days

For an institution whose time-scale is measured in terms of decades or even centuries, 100 days are nothing more than a flicker of an eye-lid. But then, for any institution, the first 100 days represent a milestone of significance; a moment to pause, to savour and then to move on.

What a 'century' we have had at the School!

. Nearly 100 students from LKG to Class 8
. 26 members of faculty coming aboard
. 17,000 sq. ft. of 3-storied main building, a beauty to look at, fun to be in . 10,000 sq. ft. of Junior School . 17,500 sq. ft. 2 storied hostel . 850 ft. covered pathway from the Junior School to the hostel . 15 acres of the campus at different stages of landscaping . 85 ft. 6-track swimming pool . Facilities for football, tennis, volleyball, basket ball, badminton.. nearing completion . 3200 cu. ft. reservoir for rainwater harvesting . 70 ft. tall water tank from which, on a clear day, you can see for ever!

And most of all, the students relishing every moment they spend at the school and their parents happy they did the right thing in choosing the School.
 


Middle School - Focusing on holistic development

From Class 6, the curriculum is clearly subject-based. Whilst all students are being prepared for the ICSE exams, with the option of taking the IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) exams, the focus is on the students developing the skills required to be independent learners. Meaningful and rich assignments, facilitating ample scope for application of knowledge, accentuate the learning experience. All teaching materials (much of them imported from the UK ) have been carefully chosen for student accessibility and the promotion of interactive learning, which naturally motivate a child to participate wholly in the classroom experience. Mathematics is taught using a whole range of teaching methods which include formal classroom teaching, experimental work, investigations and a variety of networked software. A Maths Lab is being set up to demonstrate the beauty of the subject, its relevance to everyday life and, most of all, the fun of learning it.

Setting targets for the students

To help students focus on their studies, to encourage them to take responsibility and to track their own progress along with their teachers and parents, a transparent target setting process is being established. The targets are to be reviewed periodically before setting new ones.

Addressing the needs of all students

The Trivandrum International School recognizes that each student is an individual with their own educational needs.The School takes pride in bringing out the best in every student. A Special Education Need Team (SENT) identifies specific learning needs of children and aims to respond quickly to any area of particular difficulty in them. For this purpose, materials and equipment have been imported from the UK . To begin with, all children have been screened and tested using the Aston Index to diagnose specific difficulties. Simultaneously, extension programmes are planned for students who demonstrate giftedness.


An alliance with the parents

Parents are truly the partners of the school in helping the students accomplish their full potential. Open day each term; reports on the progress of the students as learners being sent at the end of each term; diaries to record homework and to facilitate communication between school and home; a Parent Counselor as a point of contact for parental enquiries. These are some of the means of strengthening and benefiting from this partnership we have established.

 

Learning outside the classroom

Facilities: The Trivandrum International School offers a whole range of facilities to help awaken the innate forces of initiative and a feeling of responsibility within every child. A range of sporting activities including swimming is part of this. There are regular swimming classes each week for Middle School and Junior School students. The Swimming Club will coach pupils and build up a swimming squad. The end of the year will see the School's first swimming gala.

Clubs: Every afternoon there are club activities for all pupils. The clubs are designed to introduce pupils to a range of activities which will help broaden their understanding of self, build self-confidence and learn new skills. The school already has several clubs: Outward Bound Club, Creative and Performing Arts Club, Drama and Literary Clubs and various Sports Clubs. The Drama Workshop was arranged by the Arts Coordinator and the Club members were taught the rudiments of acting by two well-known artistes - Mr. Reghu Uthamman and
Ms. Geetu Mohandas.

 


 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Houses and House Points: For combating inhibitions, learning to draw upon one's own inner strengths and for setting high standards for themselves healthy competition is encouraged among the students in extra curricular activities.The School has four Houses named after the elements: Prithvi, Jalam, Vayu and Agni. Various House competitions have already been conducted. Special points are given for maximum participation, ensuring that every child in the school is up on stage doing his or her best.

Assemblies: A day at the Trivandrum International School starts at 08.30 am with an assembly led by students from different classes from KG 1 to Class 8. At these assemblies value education goes hand in hand with creativity. Assemblies often reflect themes for a week. Students distributed friendship bands made during their art class, while friendship was extolled at a class assembly. They danced to the tune of Vande Matharam on the eve of Independence Day and enacted the Dandi March.

Onam saw a host of activities in which students from every class presented folk songs, dances and skits celebrating the festival, complete with a magnificent Athappoo adorning the main hallway of the school and a grand Onam Sadya .

Gandhi Jayanthi was observed on 1st October and Jalam House presented a skit on the theme of communal harmony. The other relevant themes during the month were pollution, child labour and health and sanitation. Class 4 demonstrated the meaningfulness of receiving a letter by post as against modern E-mail on World Post Office Day. The themes are also displayed artistically on the House display-boards.

For Ramzan the School had an Oppana performance. 2003 will culminate with Christmas Carols in the assembly.

Links with the wider community

To collect funds for social service, a 'Food Fair' was organised at the School with students providing food for sale, and an amount of nearly Rs. 8000 was collected, thanks to the enthusiasm and cooperation of the students and staff. A unique activity called "Tenner-a-Task" was undertaken. This called for pupils to earn some money by doing simple tasks at home or in neighbouring houses. The amount collected will go towards charity.

Whilst geographically on the edge of Trivandrum , the School sees itself as part of the lively education scene the city has. The school has participated at various quiz programmes, including the IT quiz conducted by TCS and the Hindu Young World Quiz.The School will be organising outreach programmes which will create awareness amongst the students of the help and encouragement needed by others and of ways of offering assistance.

International Links

Trivandrum International School aims to make a reality of its international label through its curriculum and teaching methodology.The School is well supported by the Elizabeth Moir International School in Colombo , whose senior staff play an advisory role to the Trivandrum International School .The School is also international in its intake, taking students who bring experience of life in different parts of the world and with families located beyond Kerala.