INVENTURE TIMES

MAY 2018

Major Highlights

Academic Council engaged in hard

work and fun preparing for the new

AY 2018 - 19

The Academic Council along with a few

other team members of Inventure

Academy attended a two-day retreat at

Wonderla Resort on 2 & 3 May 2018.

Reflections on the last academic year, the

takeaways from it, a workshop on

Improvisation and plans for this year were

all part of the discussions to help the

team align work, goals and purpose. One of the many team building activities included a

ride on a roller coaster which was a scary yet exhilarating experience for the team.

Team Inventure welcomed

(back) old & new faculty!

4 May 2018 saw familiar faces and

new ones thronging around the

‘Sign in’ counter, all ready to begin

yet another exciting year at

Inventure Academy!

Warm welcomes gave way to some

exciting and interesting sessions/

activities aimed at professional

development of the faculty,

planning for the new academic

year as well as statutory training

sessions to ensure we continue to focus on child safety.

We also kicked off induction for the new faculty to make sure that they were well

prepared for the start of the new AY 2018- 19.

Orientation for new parents sets off AY 2018-19

We conducted a parent orientation at the onset of the new academic year to share our

approach to education, policies and curriculum practices. This ensured an understanding

of our vision, philosophy, values and overall culture to set clarity of expectations for the

academic year.

Nooraine Fazal, Founding CEO and

Managing Trustee took parents

through our Vision, Core Purpose

and Values and showcased the

myriad opportunities we provide our

students. Faculty members also

joined her to present our Beyond

Academics & Wider World programs.

Preet B Arons, Head of School,

Kindergarten & Primary, concluded

the first session by taking parents

through our school policies.

Parents then moved to different parts of the school to attend the section presentations

relevant to the grades of their child(ren). Rohit Rajdev, a parent whose son joined Grade

1, felt that the orientation session was extremely informative. He also appreciated the

subject leads talking to the parents about the curriculum and giving them an insight about

the teaching methods.

Kaushik Kunal Singh won four

awards at 2018 Intel

International Science and

Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF)

Grade 10 Inventurer, Kaushik Kunal

Singh won four awards at Intel ISEF,

held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 13

to 18 May 2018. He represented Team

India for his project “The Plant Doctor:

An Artificial Intelligence Based

Collaborative Platform for Plant Disease

Identification, Tracking and Forecasting

for Farmers”. Approximately 1,800 high

school students from more than 75

countries were finalists at ISEF by winning country level competitions. Read more here.

Inventurers participated in Mission Discovery India Program at Mayo

Campus

Seven Inventurers from Grades 7

-10, attended the Mission Discovery

Program at Mayo Campus, Ajmer

and got the opportunity to learn and

work directly with astronauts, rocket

scientists and NASA leaders. 130

students from various schools in

India and Oman took part in this

exciting and challenging program.

Sixteen teams, comprising a mix of

students from different schools,

worked on designing STEM based

experiments and presented their

ideas to judges. Inventurers Sanjana

Shahane (Grade 10) and Siya

Dwivedi (Grade 10) were members

of two of the six teams that were shortlisted for the finals. Sanjana’s team found a way of

reducing carbon dioxide on the International Space Station (ISS), while Siya’s team

(Captivating Comets) investigated methods of increasing the immunity of plants to be

grown on the ISS. Captivating Comets went on to win the best team name while the team

that won the newspaper headline challenge was Inventurer Anvay Das’s (Grade 9) team

‘The Infinites’. Read about the experiences of three Inventurers here.

Inventure Academy and Mu Sigma partner to bring latest in data science

to Grade 9 and 11 Inventurers

Why do sales of ice cream fall in the

summer in Dubai? This question

kicked off the muPathshala decision

sciences workshop at Inventure on

24 May. muPathshala is a series of

workshops designed through a

unique collaboration between Mu

Sigma and Inventure for our 9th

and 11th Graders. The workshops

aim to equip students with the

skillset, toolset, and most

importantly mindset required to

tackle VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty,

Complexity, Ambiguity) in today’s

constantly changing real-world paradigm. It complements academic education with

real-world problem solving skills to empower students with an interdisciplinary approach

to connect Math, Technology, Design Thinking, Arts and Behavioral Sciences for problem

solving. A field trip to the MuSigma office and more workshops are part of this

collaborative experience, details of which will be shared in our next Newsletter. Read

more here.

Academics

Students shine at IGCSE, ICSE & ISC Board Exams!

IGCSE results

With an overall class average of 80.34%, Divij Gupta, Aditya Sriram Kolisetti, Bhavya Anil

Visal and Aishwarya Hirve Yogesh are the batch toppers with Divij Gupta scoring 96% (9

subjects).

Divij Gupta - “I am elated with my results. I would like to thank

everyone who supported me - my teachers, parents, friends. I

am glad that the hard work I have put in over the past two years

has paid off.” Divij is a Marathon runner, a musician (drummer in

our Annual Productions) and an active MUN (Model United

Nations) participant.

ICSE results

Robin Roy, who scored 93.6 % and topped the class in the ICSE

exams said, “My teachers at Inventure and my parents have

supported me all through my learning journey, encouraging me to

focus on my efforts, rather than on the scores.”

Aarushi Tiwari came in second scoring 93% while Agastya Thoppur

scored 92.4%.

ISC results

Sanaya Maria Katrak, who topped her class with 95.75% in the ISC

boards had this to say, ”I am thrilled with my results and credit my

success to the way I was taught and supported by my teachers. My

commitment and hard work has definitely paid off!” Sanaya was a

Student Council member and a Changemaker Prefect.

While Anoushka Shyam, who scored 94.25% in her ISC exams,

said, “I am very happy with my results. I am so grateful to

Inventure, especially to my teachers, for pushing me to excel

academically; and to the school, for providing me with many

opportunities to explore my interests through extra-curricular

activities” Anoushka played one of the lead roles in last year’s

production - Every Inch Upstream, has participated in Slam Poetry

competitions and was part of the team that came third in a National

Psychology quiz.

Beyond Academics

A stimulating week of Inventuring!

Every academic year at Inventure Academy starts with a week of Inventuring, an

informal, project-based foundation programme which aims to discover and understand

each student’s preferred interests, inclination, strengths and potential to grow. This also

helps students to forge strong bonds between peers, teachers and the school itself.

This year too, we had a host of stimulating activities which enabled students to develop

new skills and attitudes, forming the foundation of their approach to life and learning.

Primary, Middle and Senior School Invenuring

Primary students worked on numerous projects

which included cultivating tomato patches and learning

the process of growing food; they learnt the

importance of recycling and using items like candy

wrappers and old tyres to make different items; they

made cloth bags using natural paints to sell and collect

funds for their Tiger project; cards and jewellery which

they took to an orphanage, and dancing & singing for

the residents at an old age home. A Mentor had this to

say, “It is awesome to see the kids being engaged in

creating upcycled garden spaces. The kids have created these seats from chocolate

wrappers and old bottles”. The Primary School Inventuring video will be shared soon.

While Middle Schoolers learnt to make quilts from old

material; paper mache lamps and wooden benches around

trees. They learnt that by adding small accessories, one

could redesign a piece of cloth. They participated in

Quizshala, a quizzing-oriented, learning and

developmental program. They also attended theatre, yoga,

singing and dancing classes, painted the walls of the dog

kennels and refurbished bottles to create green spaces.

“Inventuring has really been an eye-opening experience. I

have made a lot of friends as the people are so friendly

here.” remarked a new student. The Middle School Inventuring video will be shared soon.

Senior Inventurers, meanwhile, were busy with

various science activities, building buddy benches, and

making sample Patachitra paintings for the Inventure

roundabout. They also created pictures through

Cyanotype printing, learnt zentangling and the art of

self defense! The highlight of the week was the

entertainment program on the last day which was

organized by Grade 9, where they learnt the

techniques of event management. Payal Sharma, a

faculty member shared her experience of blending

chemistry and art in cyanotype printing - “I’ve always taught chemistry and I’ve always

been with the syllabus. But this time we are doing something out of the box. The present

generation knows nothing about printing so we are taking them back in time and letting

them know how it all started. It’s therapeutic, it’s exciting, and at the same time it takes

you through the learning process.”

The Senior School Inventuring video will be shared soon.

Pets day out at Inventure!

To encourage sensitivity and compassion we organized

a pets day out at Inventure Academy during

Inventuring. Students brought their pets to school and

shared their most memorable experiences with their

pets. Students, faculty and accompanying dog carers

had loads of fun with the different breeds of dogs and

learning more about them.

Discovering flora and fauna on the

Inventure campus

An exciting project that was introduced this year

was a ‘Nature Walk @Inventure’ on campus.

Spread over 35 acres, the Inventure campus is

a haven for numerous birds, insects and a wide

variety of trees and plants, providing a living

encyclopedia for the students to learn from!

Facilitators from the Eco Edu team helped

students identify the different flora & fauna

available. Students and faculty were delighted

with this new experience and were amazed that

there was so much to learn about nature within the school premises.

Patachitra Mural for campus roundabout

Art students are creating magic by bringing to life Inventure’s story line to execute on the

walls of the school’s central roundabout during PODs. This year long project, ideated

during Inventuring was transposed on paper as a sample wall mural rendering traditional

Patachitra – the origins of which can be seen in Eastern India where Patachitra scrolls

depicted art which takes on a performative nature. The idea is to cover every facet of the

Inventure way of life on these murals – be it yoga, production or sports to name a few.

Inventure students continue to display an incredible amount of talent, their skills

continuously honed and sharpened by our faculty members, who continue to raise the bar

to higher levels of learning!

Creating positives from negatives - Grades 10 to 12 learned Cyanotype

printing

One of the earliest techniques used to develop pictures, Cyanotype is

a photographic printing process that

produces a cyan-blue print using a

solution of iron compounds (Ferric

ammonium citrate (green) and

Potassium ferricyanide). Our students

created negatives by drawing on

transparent sheets which was exposed

to UV light (sun) for about 15 minutes,

then rinsed in water to develop a

blueprint. Inventurers were seen at their creative best while learning the process and

executing it on products like cards, bookmarks, posters, etc.

Inventuring week in Kindergarten

An innovative method of bonding and

encouraging a relationship of trust and

confidence between teachers, children and

parents, Inventuring is a beautiful way to

introduce children to a lifetime of learning!

Initial apprehension turned into absolute

delight when the Kindergarteners were

introduced to a wide variety of well planned

‘icebreaker’ activities.

Their curiosity and excitement soon saw them

engaged in different projects like painting, art

and craft, cooking, games, music and

gardening, which were lined up during

Inventuring week from 21 to 25 May. The week was spent mingling and working together

in harmony, learning plenty and discovering new skills!

Akshat Balaji (Grade 2) spent his vacation teaching through videos on

YouTube

Curious by nature and with a fascination for insects, birds and animals, Akshat Balaji

decided to be a 'teacher' over the summer vacation, and disseminated his knowledge on a

digital platform. He planned a video a day on what he had learnt about these creatures

and uploaded these videos on his YouTube channel to share with anyone who wanted to

learn more. His videos are on a variety of subjects like Bioluminescence, Polyps, Frogfish,

Hermit Crabs and Blowfish, to name a few. An incredibly productive way to spend your

summer vacation, especially for one so young! Check out the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcwOJwbmszn_UpHzlIFixww

Wider World Program

Maximizing Exposure through Assemblies,

Guest Lectures and Field Trips

Assemblies

‘Sensitivity to our Environment’ marks the first Primary Assembly hosted

by Grade 5A

Grade 5 A held this academic year’s first

Primary Assembly keeping one of Inventure’s Core

Values, ‘Sensitivity’ to our Environment, as its

theme. Students emphasized

on the importance of

conserving water and using it

with minimal wastage -

depicted through songs,

dances and a skit. The new

batch of ‘Energy Patrollers’

(Grade 5 students) have also

taken it upon themselves to

ensure that all lights, fans

and computers are turned off before leaving school everyday. They

maintain a daily record of class rooms that are not following these

basic rules! A lovely way to start the academic year - showing respect to our

environment!

Guest Lectures

Kindergarteners learn about the Human Body from a parent doctor

As part of their Theme topic ‘All About Me’, K2

invited a doctor (also a parent), for a guest

lecture on the human body. A captive audience,

the K2 children were curious to know about

organs and its functions, how organs work and to

identify external body parts. They were thrilled to

see a stethoscope and to be able to explore the

prototype of a heart and brain. Our guest lecturer

was amazed to hear the information shared by

our little Kindergarteners, who were also told

about the importance of maintaining hygiene as

part of our daily routine, to maintain good health.

Grades 9 to 12 interacted with Shilpa Raj, author of ‘The Elephant

Chaser's Daughter’ during Inventuring

Shilpa Raj, a graduate of Shanti Bhavan,

visited Inventure Academy to speak about her

book "The Elephant Chaser's Daughter" during

Inventuring. The book is a deeply moving

memoir of a young girl confronting her

‘untouchable’ status in a caste-based society,

and her aspirations for modernity. Grades 9 to

12 had the opportunity to interact with the

author and returned from the experience

grateful for the fortunate lives they lead.

Ananya Vepa, a Grade 11 student said, “ It is

important to listen and understand another

person’s story. We live in a very sheltered

environment and the caste system really doesn’t affect us. However, it is still very

prevalent in India and as privileged people we should work towards providing equal

opportunities for all. Only then are we moving forward.”

Shashwat Bansal (Grade 9) remarked, “Education is important and should be accessible to

all. Irrespective of your socio-economic background, every individual should attempt to

make a change for oneself and the community”

This initiative also ties in with our Community Outreach and Changemaker program where

our endeavour is to expose our students to problems outside their sheltered homes and

help them to empathize with the lesser privileged.

Team Inventure learns more about Mindfulness

Building on last year’s program, Team Inventure delved deeper into Mindfulness.

This year’s session, facilitated by EvolveEd,

helped faculty members discover how to be

more mindful in all aspects of our lives. Simple

exercises were taught to be practiced in class

along with the students to focus on building

inner strength, enhancing self–awareness,

promoting emotional regulation and strengthen

human connections. These sessions helped to

bring attention to the ‘Now’, invite openness

and embrace an attitude of self–compassion

and acceptance.

Field Trips

Grades 6 & 7 learn about ravages of pollution and climate change on

marine life while watching the movie Blue

Planet II

A British nature documentary series on marine life

produced by the BBC Natural History Unit, Blue

Planet II is an eye-opening movie which celebrates

life on earth. Narrated and presented by naturalist

Sir David Attenborough, it also creates awareness

about the critical condition of our planet and what we

can do to make a change. Students of Grades 6 & 7

who watched this movie, were amazed at the variety

of marine life not seen before and were equally

concerned about the effects of global pollution and

climate change on marine life.

Grade 10 students learn important life

skills during their outbound trip

Practical lessons in team participation, effective

communication, critical thinking and problem

solving were some of the skills that Grade 10

students engaged in, during their outbound trip

from 14 - 21 May to Naukuchiatal. Rock

climbing, kayaking, trekking & building a rope

bridge were activities that the team participated

in, adding to their sense of adventure and fun. Students were continuously involved in

learning initiatives designed around specific life skills, enhancing consciousness by

focusing on leadership and decision making. Working with each other as a team, they

learnt different life skills like caring and empathy, cooperation, trust, responsibility and

confidence. These expeditions are designed to apply classroom learning in the wider world

and for students to gain new perspectives.

Excellence in Sports

Inventure Academy initiates Sports Clinics

We are excited to announce a new initiative from the Sports

department– the Sports Clinics which commenced on 28 May, for

beginner level students and will run till 6 July.

The purpose of the clinics is to provide an opportunity for students to

explore a new sport or build a solid foundation in a sport they are

already participating in.

Cricket

Ajay Madhusudan (Grade 6) awarded Best Bowler

at the U-12 Sachin Cup Cricket Tournament

Ajay, part of the U-12 Six Royals team of Star6 Academy

Yelahanka, participated in the Sachin Cup Cricket

Tournament. The team came Runners Up and Ajay was

awarded Best Bowler. He got 11 wickets in the 18 overs

bowled during the tournament.

Golf

Stuthii Kevalramani (Grade 6) secured Runners Up

position playing against senior competitors

Stuthii secured the Runners Up position at the Open Ladies

Tournament for club members held at Mercara Downs on 15 April.

She was playing amongst seasoned golf players who were truly

amazed at her confidence. She was also awarded the ‘Most

Promising Player’ at the event.

Tennis

Aaditi Bhat (Grade 6) won Doubles Title at All India

Tennis Association (AITA) U14 Talent Series

conducted at SAT Sports

Aaditi and her partner won the doubles title at the AITA U14 Talent

Series conducted at SAT Sports, Hennur. Unseeded for the

tournament, they played brilliantly throughout, especially in the

semi-finals to beat the second seeds in straight sets. They then

clinched victory beating the top seeds in a thrilling three setter in

the finals.

Nikhil Niranjan (Grade 10) won the All India

Tennis Association (AITA) U-18 Championship

Series

Nikhil won the AITA U-18 Championship Series (3 day) held at

Bangalore from 7-9 May and was Runners-Up in the AITA

U-16 Super Series held from April 23-27.

Marathon

Divij Gupta (Grade 11) clinched 10th position at the Tata

Consultancy Services (TCS)World 10k run

He also finished 90th out of a total of 11,000+ participants in the run,

held in Bengaluru on Sunday, 27th May 2018.

Inventure in the News

Nooraine Fazal, founding CEO & Managing Trustee of Inventure Academy, shares her

opinion on the positive efforts made by BBMP to restore the shaky Varthur Bridge in the

article below. Click on the link to know more -

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/shaky-varthur-bridge-did-bbm

p-err-on-previous-alert/articleshow/64299246.cms

Ongoing & Upcoming Events

2 - 7 July : Mid Term Tests for Grade 6 - 8

9 - 13 July : Mid Term Tests for Grade 12 A

13 July : PTM for Grade 8

Last working day before Mid Term Break for Pre K - 12

Leadership Training for Student Council - Primary & Senior

14 July : Leadership Training for Student Council - Senior

PTM for Grades 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 & 12 ISC

16 July : Round Square Event - Arogyabhagya (Senior School Student Council Initiative)

16 July - 7 August : Mid Term Break for Pre K to Grade 12

30 July - 4 August : Outbound Trip for Grade 12

A compilation of our videos for the year 2017 - 18

We have put together videos of the last academic year to showcase the immense talent of

our Inventurers and the varied opportunities provided to them to participate and excel in

their chosen field of interest. We hope you enjoy watching them!

Makkala Habba - A day of celebration, awards and graduation! Watch the audience

reactions to this mesmerizing event by our little Kindergarteners!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4FydLM1nlQ&t=8s

Inventuring Primary School - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DMOkiOqNg4&t=7s

Primary School enjoyed Inventuring week tremendously. Whether it was aeromodelling,

or making high-visibility jackets for the labourers to wear at night; pottery, quilling, field

trips to a Nursery to learn about composting and building a tower garden, or waste

management, they showed their complete commitment and an immense amount of

enthusiasm and creativity.

Middle School Celebration of Learning - https://youtu.be/AMC8icSkLas

With over 60 projects identified by 275 students and 12 mentor teams to assist them,

Middle School Inventurers put up a fantastic display of their knowledge and application at

the Celebration of Learning (CoL).

Inventuring Middle School - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx9KNj4H7NI&t=29s

Middle School had their hands full during the week of Inventuring. Using fabric to depict

Bangalore’s past and present, building a treehouse and a rope course, making dream

catchers and a mandala, mosaic work on the benches in the Zen garden, dance, music,

public speaking, script writing, were some of the activities where creativity was displayed

at its best.

Inventuring Senior School - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuB8QTMUptY&t=7s

Grades 9 - 12 had a busy week during Inventuring. They learnt how quick thinking and

presence of mind form the basic tenets of survival skills. Slam poetry, public speaking,

photography, tie & dye, bags with refurbished fabric, painting a mural on the roundabout

wall, conflict resolution workshops were some other Choice Projects. They also enjoyed

the screening of the award winning documentary, Screenager, sessions on mindfulness

and meditation sessions by Karma Yeshe Rabgye.

Arogyabhagya - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENgP0WG1oDI&t=6s

Inventure Academy, in affiliation with Round Square and under the banner of Kahaaniyan

(a medical story of each child), hosted its first event “Arogya Bhagya”, which means ‘good

health’ in Kannada. Four basic health checks (Dental, Vision and ENT and General) were

conducted for almost 500 government school students.

Investiture Ceremony - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpzOTFCj6Y8&t=11s

Marking a significant beginning to the new academic year, the Investiture Ceremony for

the newly elected members of the Student Council of Inventure Academy was held on 13

July 2017.

Changemaker Challenge - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNofNSX0Xwo&t=1s

Open to high school students across various communities, the challenge was aimed at

encouraging our youth to contribute towards making a positive difference and and be a

changemaker.

Every Inch Upstream -

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PGnW_w6f6xjAWb_pFjN6pXo54iE3ZzNj/view?usp=sharing ‘Every Inch Upstream’ was a play about many things, but at its core it made us question

how the everyday stagnation that we survive in holds us back. Join five young teenagers

on this journey of change, progress and transformation as they swam upstream.

Every Inch Upstream Audience Reactions -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zUmqRB5rPM&t=3s

The audience loved the play - watch their reactions here!

Every Inch Upstream Students’ Learnings -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yydOfkmKJ30&t=1s

A huge learning experience for the Middle and Senior school Inventurers who spent

countless hours working on every aspect of the play - right from ideation to designing

costumes, creating sets, props, accessories and writing their own music!

Model Parliament - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jojKryveyA&t=51s

Inventure initiated the Model Parliament (India), a first time simulation of the interaction

between the Central and State governments, the Economic Council and the Media. The

objective - to enable students to understand the importance of dialogue in society and in

our political system, and enabling legislation that empowers and takes advantage of our

demographic dividend.

Open House at Inventure Academy -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx4WwqqkxRs

Inventure Academy held Open House on 9 and 16 December, showcasing its unique

learning system to prospective parents. The two days offered a deep dive tour into the

Inventure way of teaching and learning, its ethos and culture.

Graduation Ceremony - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_bUjHpUEMI

Graduation Ceremony for the Class of 2018 & the Moving Up Ceremony for Grade 10

Graduating Class of 2018 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzuKDSCTKxk

The class of 2018 speak emotionally about their learnings, why Inventure is close to their

heart and aspirations for their journey ahead.