The sixth edition of the Study Hall Model United Nations was held on 18th-19th July 2020. Adapting to changing times, the conference was held completely on Zoom. Prior to the conference , close to 10 MUN and research oriented training sessions were conducted under the guidance of Study Hall alumni who had previously made their mark in the Model UN circuits of Lucknow and Delhi. Pertinent to the present global scenario, 2 of our committees had agendas directly connected to the Covid-19 Pandemic, with the Futuristic United Nations General Assembly deliberating upon “Post-Pandemic Reconstruction Efforts” and the All India Political Parties Meet addressing the need for “Reforms in the Indian Healthcare system”. Our third committee, United Nations Security Council was debating upon another relevant topic- “ Artificial Intelligence and its role in Global Security”. The International Press at SHMUN 2020, a vital component of any MUN, was brimming with work and ended up drafting an exceptionally elaborate Newsletter. With over 55 students participating as delegates of various countries and International Press reporters, the event turned out to be an extremely intellectually enriching experience for all involved. 

A virtual orientation meeting of class 6^th & 7^th, was held on 7, July, 2020. The meeting began with a welcome note by the Principal (Study Hall). The parents were taken on a virtual tour of the Senior building where their wards would be seated when the school reopens. Mrs. Meenakshi Bahadur, then informed the parents about the principles that the school abides by. She reinforced the pedagogy of the school. A further note on how on-line correction of work, assessments and grading will be held. Thereafter the class teachers of the four sections of class 6, were called upon to introduce themselves to the parents. A thankyou note was given by the Vice-Principal, Mrs. Meenakshi Shah. The Orientation lasted for 1 hour in which the parents were very happy to know about Study Hall school and its functioning especially in Covid times. They were appreciative of the measures taken by us.

Taking into account these unprecedented times, we at Study Hall Junior School held our very first ‘virtual’ orientation of the parents. The parent body of the class 5 students and the school team met on the 11th of July 2020 at 9:30 am.

The meeting was presided over by the Principal Mrs. Meenakshi Bahadur. The school team comprised of the Vice-Principal, Mrs. Meenakshi Shah and the four class teachers, Mrs. Anju Singh (CT 5A), Mrs. Rachna Yadav (CT 5B), Mrs. Nupur Bajpai (CT 5C) and Mrs. Uttara Saran (CT 5D). Unfortunately, the Headmistress of Study Hall Junior, Mrs. Bani Malhotra, was unable to join due to some unavoidable personal reasons.

The number of parents who attended the meeting was almost 148. The class 5 virtual orientation was almost a full quorum.

The Principal Mrs. Meenakshi Bahadur spoke about the vision and philosophy of the school and reassured the anxious parents how this would, without a doubt, continue, in spite of the “Virtual School”. She reinstated the fact that Study Hall was and will always remain a ‘universe of care’ where the children were always encouraged to be their own curious selves! Here the children are motivated to think for themselves and to think, as she put it, “Out of the box,”.  That being said, in order to be successful in school and at studies, the children must not miss any ‘virtual class time’. And for that we, the teachers, depended upon the parents.

Mrs. Bahadur, then thanked our CEO and President Ms. Urvashi Sahni for her encouraging and exemplary mentorship.

The four class teachers introduced themselves and their subjects. The teachers also extended their welcome to the parents and the children and added that they were looking forward to the day when the children would come back to school and classrooms.

A vote of thanks was given by the Vice- Principal, Mrs Meenakshi Shah. She assured the parents that Study Hall was always open for suggestions and would welcome any & all feedback from the parents.

The’ virtual class 5 orientation’ lasted for almost 1 hour. And ended on a mutually satisfied and happy note.

The much awaited Orientation of Class 4 of the Study Hall Junior School was held on Friday, 10^th July, 2020. Due to the Lockdown, the session was conducted online through Zoom. It was well attended by a large number of parents. The Principal, Mrs. Meenakshi Bahadur welcomed the parents very warmly and shared the policies of the school with the parents. She reassured them that even though the school was closed due to the pandemic, her entire team was working relentlessly and had left no stone unturned to deliver its best to the children. The children along with their parents, were delighted to watch a video that took them around the school, finally leading to their classroom.  

The Principal invited the Class Teachers to introduce themselves to the parents. They spoke about the subjects they were teaching and shared some valuable tips with the parents. This was followed by a speech by the Head Mistress of Junior School, Mrs Bani Malhotra. The parents were full of praise for the school authorities for conducting the Online Classes in a well organized manner. The others were asked to share their thoughts via mail.

The Orientation Programme came to an end with the Vote of Thanks delivered by Mrs. Meenakshi Shah, the Vice Principal.

The first ever Virtual Orientation of the Parents of class 3 students, of Study Hall School was held on the 6^th of July 2020.

After the morning greetings, the orientation began with a virtual tour which took the parents and children around the school and also in grade 3 classrooms..

The virtual orientation meeting was addressed by the Principal Mrs. Meenakshi Bahadur, Vice-Principal Mrs. Meenakshi Shah and The Junior School Headmistress Mrs. Bani Malhotra and the Class Teachers of Grade 3.

The number of parents who attended the meeting was 103.All the queries were attended to and answered by the Principal Mrs. Meenakshi Bahadur. She also spoke about the vision and philosophy of the school. She said, “Our school is a universe of care where we allow the children to be curious and come up with their questions”. She asked the parents to keep that ‘why’ alive in the child. 

The teachers then one by one addressed the parents and oriented them as to what is expected of them, how can we together overcome and make most of this present situation.

Soon after Mrs. Bani Malhotra   adressed the students as to how they must organize themselves and create a school away from school at home.

Then meeting concluded with a thankyou note by Mrs Meenakshi Shah.

The Orientation lasted for 1 hour in which the parents were very happy to know about Study Hall school and its functioning especially in Covid times. They were appreciative of the measures taken by us.

Few of their feedbacks

It was amazing to meet all the teachers and the way you ppl r doing it is commendable …The hard work that u all r putting in nd guiding our children is fabulous..Keep it up !!!! Thnx fr ur guidance – Father of Mohd. Azaan – 3A

Thank you so much; it was good interaction session with parents. I must compliment all GURU’s of study hall – Mohan, Father of Nivrithi Ghanta. New student in 3C

It was amazing and wonderful ❤️❤️❣️😍❤️ my mother also enjoyed that and me also ❤️ 😍😘😍

Azhar’s mom and grandmother – 3D

Study Hall is a institution par excellence..Virtually they have connected so well

Shanaya’s mom 3B

The first virtual orientation for the parents of class 2 was held on 3^rd of July 2020.The orientation was hosted by the principal Mrs. Meenakshi Bahadur,Vice principal Meenakshi Shah , the Junior principal headmistress Mrs. Bani Malhotra and the teachers of class 2 on behalf of Study Hall School Lucknow.

The program was initiated by a virtual tour of the Study Hall School compiled by junior school teachers, which brought smiles on the children’s faces and their eagerness to rejoin the school could be well seen. Mrs. Meenakshi Bahadur welcomed the parents and introduced them to the policies,developments and achievements of the school. She also briefed the parents about the vision and mission of the president Dr. Urvashi Sahni whose guidance and vigilance has made Study Hall School Universe of care and power house of innovation. . Mrs. Bani Malhotra adviced and insisted on setting a routine for the children at home so they could match up to the rhythm of the daily activities.

The program lasted for an hour and the event was attended in total by 122 parents. Mrs. Meenakshi Shah concluded the program with a vote of thanks.

WORD FROM PARENTS (FEEDBACK)

CLASS 2 A

A parent shared “ Very nice and to the point videos. Topics are nicely explained . Makes learning fun for our kids. Thankyou for the combined efforts of the Study Hall Teachers.

CLASS 2 B

Mother of Asita Rastogi

Ma’am I am thankful to the school for starting morning assembly and live yoga class. Due to this children get up in the morning, get ready and study after doing yoga. I am also very grateful for the very explanatory videos being sent by different teachers.

I thank all the teachers for their efforts they are making to help the children.

CLASS 2 C

Thanks to Study Hall for taking care of our children. Teachers are devoting time on daily basis by making videos and arranging social interactions. No other school is doing so much. Thank you and take care!

CLASS 2 D

Hello ma’am ! It’s good to be able to meet the new principal and staff of Study Hall School.

Leaders by you, for you and of you.

We feel extremely proud to say that even in the times of the pandemic, the school held up its democratic values. The heads of the student cabinet were elected by the teachers and the student body of the school, as they are every year. The only difference in the process was that it was conducted through the medium of technology.

The first round was the self nomination round by the students of standard twelfth, followed by the nomination round by the teachers. The shortlisted students then faced a meticulous interview with a panel of teachers which included the Founder, CEO of the school Dr. Urvashi Sahni, the Principal, Mrs. Meenakshi Bahadur, Vice Principal, Mrs. Meenakshi Shah. The students who cleared the interview stood as candidates for the virtual elections and were voted upon by the students of standard ninth to twelfth on the basis of their pre recorded videos.

Deepanshi Verma and Kushagra Trivedi were elected as the Head Girl and Head Boy respectively, for the academic session 2020-21. Gaurisha Prakash was elected as the Vice Head Girl and Aryaman Tripathi as the Vice Head Boy.

The first virtual orientation of the Parents of class 1 students, of Study Hall School was held on the 1^st of July 2020.

It was addressed by the Principal Mrs. Meenakshi Bahadur, Vice-Principal Mrs. Meenakshi Shah and The Junior School Headmistress Mrs. Bani Malhotra and the Teachers of Class 1.

The number of parents who attended the meeting was 118. Since the parents were new to the school as their children are in class 1, they had a lot of queries regarding the fee structure , the safety measures taken by the school, the reopening of the school, school books and school uniform.

All the queries were attended to and answered by the Principal Mrs. Meenakshi Bahadur. She also spoke about the vision and philosophy of the school. She said, “Our school is a universe of care where we allow the children to be curious and come up with their questions. We encourage them to think and give them space to grow and together with the support of teachers and parents we answer the child’s questions.” She also explained, “Our teachers are called ‘Aunty’ because they build a warm relationship between the child and themselves and the provide an atmosphere of a home away from home.” She then thanked our CEO and President Ms. Urvashi Sahni for guiding all and showing the path to make Study Hall School a happy and beautiful place for the child to be in.

Mrs. Bani Malhotra also addressed the Parents and thanked them for their support and presence. She also took the parents on a virtual tour of the school, through a video. The parents and the children were very happy to see the school.

The Orientation lasted for 1 hour in which the parents were very happy to know about Study Hall school and its functioning.

Their feedback was….

Mrs. Singh mother of Addhyam Singh 1A said, “I have been trying very hard for the last two years to get my son admitted in Study Hall. I am very happy today.

Mrs. Saxena mother of Vihan Saxena 1A said, “My family is extremely grateful to the entire Study Hall team for being so considerate and understanding to all the children and their parents. The teachers have been working very hard in making studies interesting and fun for children. They eagerly wait for the videos and want to do their homework. It is entirely our pleasure to have our kids under your love, guidance and care.”

Mother of Reyansh 1D said, “Thank you aunty for all your efforts. We are very happy to be in the new school.”

Father of Humza 1B said, “The Orientation meet has always been very educative for us. The support that Study Hall gives to the students and the parents is commendable. You all are helping us a lot on how to understand our children and nurture them. Thank you for all the efforts you all are putting in for shaping our child’s future.”

The Pandemic made us “stay home, stay safe”; hence came the idea of a summer camp the “Online Summer Splash”.

Our school organized its first ever online summer camp in two batches -the first started on 26th May 2020 and second on 15th June. The 12 days camp had 3 groups namely 4 to 8 years, 9 to 12 years and 13 years and above.

Activities that were launched in Phase 1 were Bhanumati ka pitara, Color pool, Theatre, Bollywood-hop dance, Zumba (Brazilian aerobics), English creative writing, Hindi creative writing and Design thinking. The classes were conducted through Zoom app under the supervision of our camp coordinator Mr. Arun Solomon.

Professionals from various fields conducted some meaningful activities and contributed in making our camp a success.

Yoga was introduced to all the participants to make their mornings healthy, conditioning their mind, soul and body. It was a hit due to the pandemic blues being faced by people in the lock down. ‘Bhanumati Ka Pitara’ was a popular activity among the primary kids (activities like Radio jockey, sound culture, story telling, table manners, cooking, brainteasers, scientific reasoning etc.) A virtual Theatre play, a first of its kind, was presented live to the audience like a cinematic view. Design thinking was a new form of learning experience essential in teamwork and presenting new ideas. Hindi and English writing skills helped children improve various aspects of the subject.

In phase 2 of our camp (activities; Radio Jockey, Colour pool, Crafty craft, Theatre, Karate and Yoga), Radio jockey was a hit activity and many students from other states participated in it. Script writing, voice modulation and advertising, confidence building were taught in the programme and steps were suggested for removal of stage fright.

Karate -a Japanese Martial art was introduced and children were taught the importance of self-defence and fitness. Even in the lockdown period, the fact that the mind and body can stay active and positive was instilled.

The culmination programmes on both occasions were loved by the parents who loved to see the outcome of all learning as a grand finale presentation. Overall, the camp was a huge success.