Student Activities

Balsam Enterprise day is marked to elicit the organizational skills and the vocational abilities that children have learnt in Work Education, hobby clubs and STEAM sessions. Children make products and Balsam Enterprise is the platform setup to make these products available to potential buyers. The proceeds of the sale go to recognized charity organizations. Joy of giving is what children need to learn to become kind and caring individuals. In addition, children learn to manage finances from a very young age, which makes them responsible citizens.

Celebrations are unique with the motive of empowering and involving children in understanding the essence of the day. To make it meaningful, special days are marked where the entire school comes together in festive spirit with efforts in bringing the community together. The celebration days are filled with colours and joy that culture, tradition, and ethnicity bring.

The unique quality of every teacher in Balsam Academy is that of a 'counsellor not by formal training but by experience'. The teachers are the guides and mentors who are trustworthy, friendly and approachable. A caring and careful watch is kept over children who need more attention than others. The main aim is to:

• Gain confidence and raise aspirations.
• Improve academic performance
• Improve quality of classwork / complete coursework
• Reduce offending behaviour and help become less disruptive in school.

This is achieved through a balance of firmness and gentle warmth as the teacher approaches the children as Parent-Teacher.

We firmly believe that it is imperative for an individual to be socially, emotionally and behaviourally well- adjusted in order to function to his /her fullest potential. The focus of counselling is on the preventive and promotive mental health of all stakeholders involved in the development of the child. We empower individuals to develop their competencies and draw on resources to cause changes.

The Student Council and the leadership programme helps develop strong leadership skills and give student voice a genuine place in the running of the school. Members of the Student Council are elected from Middle and Secondary level.

Events are planned thoroughly and issues relating to school and students are discussed in a focused environment. Regular meetings are held throughout the term and the council reports regularly to the Head of Student Council Body.

A budget is allocated to the Council which gives them further responsibilities for planning and organisation. The Student Council members are given the responsibility of looking after student welfare and enrichment through organising activities like Sports Day, Culture Celebrations, Assemblies, Awards Day, Evolving Minds, May Day celebration for the support staff, Balsam Enterprise, Newsletter, Community projects, and many more.

Life skill education for adolescent students is crucial for developing psychosocial competencies and interpersonal skills, and helps them in making informed decisions, problem solving, critical thinking, effective communication, building healthy relationships and managing their lives in a healthy and productive manner.

Life skills and community projects as a formal program begin at Class V and are part of the curriculum until the student graduates from secondary school. The program is envisioned in a way where the skills required for the developmental age, are honed through activities, discussions, inviting professionals, field visits and games.

The Board has been propagating life skills, health, hygiene and sanitation, disaster management, vocational education, environmental education, values education, etc. which are intrinsic to reaching out to the community, nation, and the world. The Community Outreach also creates awareness among children, develop life skills and train the young growing minds to look beyond academic and global boundaries.

Community Outreach projects commonly take place in settings outside of the school that directly or indirectly benefit community partners. Management, faculty, and student engagement with community in both formal and informal settings are the types of activities that are most commonly associated with outreach. It includes projects, assignments, workshops on learning to weave, create handicrafts and traditional arts, crafts, painting and other folk arts, etc. so the present generation revive the ancient art forms.

The major aim of the outing is interactive learning, an experience that goes beyond reading about a concept. Students are able to see elements with their eyes or participate in it physically. It also gives them a chance to be in contact with nature and explore the outside world. Venturing into public places, allows the children to learn more about the world around them. They also learn to interact with others. Hence, learning in Balsam Academy is not an isolated experience but one that broadens the horizons for the students, through field trips.

At Balsam, we lay due emphasis on different activities through active participation in various social, athletic and artistic clubs and societies. We guide students to discover and create their own understanding. Besides scholastic, co scholastic activities form an integral part of the school curriculum. This aspect includes wide range of co-curricular activities. A student will join a Club and he /she will be assessed on their level of participation and achievement.

The students demonstrate the ability to work in teams and actively participate in various school clubs - Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Math, Science, Language, Tourism, Heritage, Eco, Tech, and Health and Wellness.

Integrated learning is the most rudimentary level of collaboration across disciplines. At the very least, it allows teachers and, more importantly, students to make connections across disciplines, creating an opportunity for greater depth and complexity.

However, one of the key competencies for the 21st century is to position students with the skills and habits of mind to be trans-disciplinary thinkers. The projects designed must enable students to transfer learning to create purposeful outcomes, i.e., bridge classroom and community.

An example for such project is to produce and sell 50 pieces of soap and earn Rs. 500 in profits. Expectation for the outcome is set. Students need procure raw materials, raise funds, research on what people like, understand the cost incurred, understand the process of making and marketing, sell the product, check and balance accounts, etc. This holistic experience integrates subjects including people and presentation skills.

• Present the importance of indigenous toys used by our ancestors in 30 minutes, listing 5 toys and why they aren't used any more
• Learn how the dialects in any language developed over a period of time
• Create a realistic plan to visit 5 countries in 10 days with a budget of 1,50,000 rupees
• Start a kitchen garden with Rs. 50
• Make working toys using waste materials with a budget of Rs. 50. Sell it for Rs. 150

Remedial Instruction is extended to students with academic learning gap or mild learning disabilities. Students are provided with alternative learning strategies considering predominant intelligence (based on MI) and learning styles. Teachers create Student Case Studies to understand students’ better and hence extend appropriate and effective tools for learning. Alternate ways to engage students in learning are exploring concepts in relation to immediate surroundings, hands-on concept-based projects, interviewing people practising relevant occupations, art /music integrated memory tools and simplified content. Flip teaching- learning method is adopted so students take initiative in learning. Teachers employ student skills in developing materials required for active learning of the whole class. Mentors are assigned to help students cope with academic rigour. Counselling support exists to address serious issues.

Students capable of performing beyond classroom or grade-level requirements are identified and supported to develop skills to maximize potential within the scope of the school.

Gifted students are partnered with parent volunteers, eminent citizens, are offered internships and real-life learning opportunities. Students work with their mentors to create a vision for their growth and chart out ipsative assessments. They assume the role of a subject leader to work with their peers and juniors. School makes special arrangements for such students to participate in forums and competitions at national and international level. Parents are counselled and taken into confidence to support their children at home. Parents, school, teachers and students work together to elicit the best in the student by providing an effective and appropriate platform.

Balsam Academy endeavours to progress in all aspects relating to education. 'Story House in education' has been incorporated to play an active part in the curriculum of Stage 1 learners. The unique and beautiful concept of 'Story House in Education' provides every child a 'lively platform' to 'express, explore and experience' an all-important and completely new facet of their personality.

STEAM fair is a powerful and highly enjoyable way to engage students with Science and Technology Engineering, Arts, and Math. It gives students hands-on experience working with the scientific method, planning experiments, and observing the world in which they live.

It also allows students to expand their math skills by playing games. As they play, students reinforce a wide range of skills from simple addition to algebra. This fair encourages members to identify the ways science and Math affects their lives and their community.

Contests are designed to develop idea generation, materials usage, presentation, and time management skills. The contests that build resilience, an eye for quality, and serve a purpose involve students completely. These offer lasting learning experiences.

Examples include:

• Create a flyer for a summer camp
• Work in a group to perform for a school event
• Prepare a classroom board for Parent Webinars
• Design a contest for HUB schools
• Start a radio program for school