Classroom Traditions
What is the strength of students per class ? What is the class size?
On an average, there are 20-24 children with two teachers in each classroom. Each mixed age group across two grades have between 35 to 44 children divided into two classrooms. The teacher:student ratio is at 1:12.
What are the school timings?
Primary School @ North Bangalore Campus
Jasmine Group
Monday to Thursday: 8 am to 2:30 pm
Friday: 8 am to 2:15 pm
Aster Group
Monday to Thursday: 8 am to 3:45 pm
Friday: 8 am to 2:15 pm
Orchid Group
Monday to Thursday: 8 am to 3:45 pm
Friday: 8 am to 2:15 pm
Middle & High School @ Freedom Land Campus
Lotus & Sunflower Groups
Campus Commute starts from North Bangalore at 6 am on Monday.
Campus Commute starts from Freedom Land at 1:30 pm on Friday.
Optional: Wednesday – Campus Commute available for children choosing for a mid-week return
Ixora & Cosmos Groups
Campus Commute starts from North Bangalore at 6 am on Monday.
Campus Commute starts from Freedom Land at 4 pm on Friday.
Does the school provide childcare facilities for young children during or after school hours?
No. We request parents to pick up their children after school at the gate.
Is there a dress code for children?
Our school is a community of diverse cultures, and we like to nurture, respect, and care for one another. Students can wear clothing of their choice. We do not have uniforms. Footwear is removed at the entrance of our building as we walk barefoot in the school premises. We value our heritage and the diversity of textiles in India.
If shorts/skirts are preferred, the regular cut, knee length ones are allowed. Skirts or skorts need to be worn with leggings or bicycle shorts. Spaghetti strap dresses/ tops/sportswear with low-cut arm holes are not allowed without appropriate inner wear. Clothing must be pleasing and not offensive: displaying profanity, suggestive lettering or images, illegal items or hate speech is not allowed.
On the days of celebrations or festivals, we request children to come in their traditional attire as this rings in an air of festivity in the community. On days when there are specific sports activities like karate, children must come with appropriate clothing, a change of clothes if required, water bottles, and socks + shoes.
Can birthdays of children be celebrated at school?
Yes! For birthday celebrations, parents are welcome to send in sweets, fruits, chikkis or bite-sized chocolates for the child’s classmates and teachers. Kindly refrain from sending bar chocolates. Alternatively, one can check with the Kitchen team and have a sweet dish cooked for the child’s class on donation basis. Kindly ensure that she is given a week’s notice to process the order. Another way to celebrate an occasion is to plant trees and take part in our afforestation venture at the upcoming campus in Doddaballapura.
Please check out the 1000 together programme through which you can celebrate your milestones with us.
What if my child is absent or has to go on a long vacation?
We encourage parents to email us in advance and let us know about the period of the child’s leave so that we can evaluate the academic arrangements that need to be worked out for the child.
How long is the lunch break?
The lunch break is usually between ½ hour to 45 minutes.
How will teachers communicate information with parents?
We generally communicate with parents via email. For appointments with the class pillars, either an email could be sent, or the front office could be contacted at +91
78999 17211.
Are there opportunities for parental involvement?
Yes, Absolutely! Our space is a co-created community, and we encourage parents to participate fully. There are multiple opportunities for parents to volunteer starting from planting trees to teaching children handwork and more. Please visit www.thehealingcircle.in for learning about the span of our work and how parents can participate. Parents who would be interested in volunteering for handwork classes, festivals, expert talks, and fundraising events at school, as and when required on a periodic basis, are most welcome! Parents can connect with the respective class pillars to share their interests.
What are the steps followed in the enrollment of a child?
Our admission process involves the following steps:
- Get to know us: this happens through our open house, school videos, and reading the school magazines.
- Apply using the admission form. Parents could contact the front office via email: info@thecreativeschool.in or phone: 7899917211.
- Meeting with the coordinators: After review of the admission forms, parents will be invited for a meeting with the coordinators to understand and clarify doubts.
- A day/week at Creative: The child gets to spend a few days or week at school, (age appropriately) which gives enough time for the child to interact with peers and
teachers. - Final admission closure: Parents will be called for an admission closure meeting after the above steps.
Food
What kind of food is served at school? Will the menu be shared with parents?
We believe in conscious eating. We provide nutritious, vegetarian and organic food with high prana that helps children grow consciously.. We source food from community run initiatives and organic enterprises in and around Bangalore. We strive to keep our food supply fresh and wholesome. The menu changes every week according to the availability of seasonal vegetables and fruits, hence it will not be possible to share the menu.
What if a child has specific food needs? Should food be then sent for the child?
We will be happy to discuss the specific needs that a child may have. Parents can talk to the respective class pillar regarding the same and a plan could be worked out accordingly.
Meditation and Spiritual Practices
How do parents learn Meditation and Spiritual Practices?
We are a school for parents, teachers and children. All parents are encouraged to attend the education programs which are a set of courses made available through the year. Please refer to the admission forms on the required courses. In addition, Prajna Wisdom Centre, our core healing centre for self transformation, offers many programs on a regular basis to help parents start their own sadhana.
Please check www.prajnawisdomcentre.in in for more details.
Would there be any consequences on the child if the family is not into spiritual practices?.
The vision of the school is to inspire and encourage children to become conscious creators of their own lives, empowered by their own soul. The spiritual practices facilitated at school are for one’s well-being , inner transformation , and realizing one’s highest potential. By choosing Creative, parents would have hopefully contemplated their role in the child’s development at school. We request parents to have practices to help children develop respect, mindful communication, healthy habits for self growth – physical, emotional, intellectual , social and spiritual. It will help the child too, if spiritual practices we routinely have are followed at home.. We therefore request parents to attend the courses offered at Prajna Wisdom Centre, aimed at bringing in holistic growth and conscious living practices.
Can young children be guided to meditate ?
Children are already divine. When they start early in our ECH program, their divinity is nurtured in the presence of loving adults. Simple meditation exercises are taught to help them connect to themselves and the five elements of nature – air, water, fire, space and earth. As they progress through the years, they gradually start building their own self-care practices for well being. We encourage simple practices such as chanting, pranayamas, gratitude, affirmations, and nature-care to help build a meditative ability in all.
Academic Questions
What method is followed in teaching children?
Lessons and project based work offered integrates language, math and science objectives/goals. Children are guided to engage in active learning, helping them make observations and derive their own “learning”. We usually have block periods of 90 mins which help in immersion and bring in a slowness that helps digestion and reflection. for a subject and balance it out by having music, art, and creative movement classes that help children assimilate their learnings. Please read our website fully for more details.
Are children given homework?
Yes. The homework is as an exercise to practice or deepen the concepts delivered in class. Homework given is to build rigor and help with practical application of the subject learnt.
How do parents support children with their learning at home?
By ensuring a consistent work routine and daily reading time for the child. When children face difficulty with studies at home, parents could help by questioning their understanding (rather than fixing it for them), helping them verbalise and summarize their question. Encourage the child to check with the teacher for specific solutions.
Exams & Assessments
How do children cope with board exams in the 10th grade when exams in school start only from the 8th grade ?
At school, children are frequently put through on-demand tasks and reviews – teacher conferences, self-review, and peer reviews. These opportunities, apart from the internal exams/tests from class 8th onwards, give them an experience of learning with confidence and self responsibility… If children find it challenging to face exams initially, , they receive sufficient help to develop a growth mindset and learn from their challenges. They competently use the well-being practices and the tools and techniques learnt from h the Life and Living and Teen Circle classes to surpass their own challenges and energise success.
How do teachers give feedback to parents about a child’s growth without exams and grading ?
Teachers are constantly observing children in the class through their work, reflections, team discussions and interactions with peers and adults. These observations are in the areas of behavior, learning styles, learning needs, emotional readiness, contextual learning, review skills, and social skills. Teachers are hence able to give effective feedback to parents.
Will children be prepared to adapt to higher classes without exams in the lower grades ?
Even though there are no formal exams until the 8th, children are given tests and self-check rubrics that help them review what they have learnt. Students studying towards the Cambridge IGCSE exams learn under the framework of Cambridge Checkpoint in middle school to help them learn the skills required. We observe that children are eager and ready to take tests in high school and often want to test their abilities for their own progress and not as a competition to another. This is built in the ethos of the school.
Are there assessments? If so, how is it done?
We do not have assessments based on exams at primary grades. We have investigations, thematic project work, student initiated self checks, short on-demand tasks, and writing assignments as part of our classes. This helps teachers and children understand where they are on the path of learning and move through the required milestones in a gradual manner. This way, the learning is owned by the child and not compelled by a system put forth by the parent or teacher.
There are formative assessments twice a year – once mid-term and once at the end of the year.
How will you communicate about the child’s progress?
We have parent-teacher conferences twice a year. We share the child’s progress via assessment reports based on a number of competencies and skill characteristics. We frequently send classroom updates via emails and are available for one-on-one meetings as required. Parents are welcome to request an appointment to discuss the child’s progress.
Academics are not the main focus of the school’s curriculum in primary grades. When children move to middle school, do they experience a huge jump in terms of academics?
At primary grades, our focus is on holistic development of the child. They have been provided with a good foundation that emphasises on the development of their whole being (physical, vital, emotional, social, and mental beings). This instills a sense of self-confidence in the child. It enables them to handle challenges while additionally receiving more support when needed. This process itself helps children cope with the jump in academics. As children move to higher grades, they also grow in their emotional and mental abilities.
The tools and the practices learnt at school help children greatly in this.
Are children competitive with other school children?
Yes. Children are competitive and capable of facing competition. However at Creative, we first encourage children to compete with themselves to become better than their earlier self. Feedback given to them brings to light their own growth areas, and what can help them. Children then naturally exhibit a competitive spirit. The task of the adult is to help them see competition as a method to value what they want to achieve for themselves. This becomes more prominent in the high school years.
Transportation
Does the school arrange transportation facilities ?
There is no transportation run by the school as of now. However we have identified service providers who work with the parent community to arrange the transportation. Parents can contact our front office via email: info@thecreativeschool.in or ph:7899917211 for further details on transportation.
Can we opt for one way transportation only?
Please contact the service provider to understand if this can be done in the route of the child. . Every year the routes opted by the service providers change and is planned out afresh at the beginning of each academic year as per the parent pool opting for their service.