New School On The Block - Podar International School - Powai

There is good news for Powai Parents as another school opens in our vicinity. 

With a pretty good track record at other branches Podar International School opened its doors as admissions began in full swing a couple of months ago. 

Here are some helpful details for Parents in Powai looking for school options. 

The school is yet to begin but here is a preview of the school. 

If you have any more details please feel free to share with us :)

Infrastructure

The school building is right opposite Hiranandani Hospital at Hiranandani Knowledge Park. 

Address: 

Hiranandani Knowledge Park,
Opp to Dr L. N.Hiranandani Hospital,
Powai. Mumbai

Toll Free No : 1800-103-8866
Contact No : 8879621277
Email Address : admissions@podar.org
Admin Officer : Ms. Harjot Kaur
Admin Email Address : admin.powai@podar.org

ADMISSION PROCESS

1. What is the admission process?

Parents to come to the admission office and collect a registration kit for Jumbo Kids

or application form for Std 1 onwards.

A completed form along with the cheque for 1st term fees is to be returned by the parents

to the school office.

The student will only be considered a confirmed admission once the first term fees are

paid by the student.

2. What is the cost of the registration Kit?

The application form and brochure for admissions in Podar International School (Std 1 onwards) is free.

The Jumbo Kids registration kit is on a chargeable basis. The registration kit includes an Application Form,

PJK brochure and a book on Good Parenting.

3. What are the documents required at the time of admission?

For Jumbo Kids – only a Xerox copy of the child’s birth certificate required.

For School admission:

Xerox copy of birth certificate

Original school leaving certificate

Original last Report Card

4. What kind of entrance test will be taken at the time of admission?

No written test is conducted at Podar School. Admissions are taken on a first come, first serve basis.

In fact, any sort of entrance test is illegal as per law.

Parents Experience So Far - 

According to a parent who has admitted his/her child in the school the infrastructure is fine but there are

some teething problems which they are facing. The fact, that Dr.Ms.Lulla is taking keen interest in this branch

is reassuring and hope that it continues. 

If you have any feedback, opinion or info feel free to share by leaving your comments. 

The school is scheduled to open on 19th June 2014 - So lets see how it goes. 

Hope the above helps. 

All the very best. 

Good Touch-Bad Touch: A video by The Puppetarians for Podar Education Ne...

Courtesy: puppetarians

With all the different cases of child abuse which are surfacing time and again as a parent I decided to teach my daughter about GOOD TOUCH & BAD TOUCH.

After all, It is our responsibility to teach our kids to protect their bodies.

This video (though it took some time to load) is a great way to broach the topic with your lil' one in case you don't know how or what to say/explain to your child.

In fact I think Podar School & especially Puppetarians have done an awesome job to arrange this as a topic in school to make their students more aware in a playful manner.

Please do see and share with other parents.

Pawar Public School, Powai - Review

A lot of parents in Powai are keen to know the feedback on the new school in Powai - Pawar Public School. 

Well, so here it goes: a short and sweet feedback from one of the moms whose child goes to Pawar Public School - Powai.

How is the infrastructure of the school? 

Currently, the school is functioning from a temporary building at Raheja Vihar but will be moving to the newly constructed building soon. (There has been a lot of debate and controversies on the temporary arrangement but that is another story) The good news is that the school is working fine and the temporary arrangement / infrastructure is great and with the new building ready by next year I think things should be just fine. 

Though, there are some parents who would like to wait a year till the school settles down after dealing with these initial teething problems. 

The space in the current infrastructure is nice and as the classes and washrooms are new they are very neat and tidy. Hopefully they will be maintained well as time goes by.

What are the activities your child does during school hours? 


Pawar Public School follows the ICSE and X-seed curriculum which is really good as . 
is quite active in terms of sports and other extra curricular activities. 

The school timings are from 8:10 am to 2:35 pm during which the children have regular studies and other activities. The teachers are good, co-operative and open to suggestions from parents. For example, In the beginning the homework given to children was too much and the children were feeling pressured. So, as per parents suggestions the teachers have reduced the homework to a certain extent so the child and the parent is not too stressed by it. 

They spend time and discuss the child's progress. Overall, the parent felt that it is a good new school in the vicinity. 

Contact Details: 

BMC Training Centre, Opposite Hillside Building, Raheja Vihar, Chandivili, Powai, Mumbai - 400076 

The website does not seem to be working currently but the website add is : http://pawarpublicschool.com/

Email.: chandivali@pawarpublicschool.com

If you have any experience, opinion or information about Pawar Public School which you would like to share with other parents, please feel free to add a comment.

Other school details can be found here.

Hope the feedback helped. :)

Review - Treehouse PlaySchool, Panchvati, Powai

When we moved to Powai  from Delhi, 6 months ago my main criteria for selecting a pre school  for my 3 year old daughter was its proximity to our house. So, I decided to send my daughter to Treehouse (from Roots to Wings) playschool franchise at Panchvati, Powai; which is a 10 mins drive and unlike the Raheja Vihar branch offers Jr.Kg. and Sr.Kg in addition to Play group and nursery.

My experience of the last 6 months with the school and staff there has been as follows:

The Infrastructure -

The location of this branch is really convenient as it is tucked away from the main road traffic. The space is limited but done up decently. The outside space has a slide, see saw and other toys which is a good way to make a new child explore and get comfortable in a new environment. Inside there is a hall which is divided in a common play area (where toys and other material is stacked up) and the Sr. Kg. classroom. The other three rooms are for nursery, Jr.Kg and play area. In the classroom their is a place where children can keep their bags (I know more about the Jr.Kg. classroom. The feedback on toilet that my daughter gave was that it is not very clean. Overall, the school space has a cosy feel to it. 

Activities -  Treehouse covers pretty much what most playschools do with emphasis on writing in Jr.Kg. They have role play where they learnt about fire fighters and supermarkets. The schedule for each day is mentioned on the notice board and they have quite a few activities like some outdoor play, some indoor role play or puppet shows, some talking, reading, some arts and crafts, and some music.

Sometimes they send the activity sheets back so you can see what your child has done. They also have a snack / lunch break. They have a morning shift and an after noon shift. The teachers in nursery are not very fluent in English but the Jr.Kg. and Sr. Kg. teachers are pretty good. All in all - my impression of the place was that it is a decent starting point considering the fact that other better schools like Just Kidding did not offer Jr.Kr. / Sr. Kg. programs. 

The lady who is the branch in-charge is nice and someone you can talk to. The teachers are approachable just like any other small play school. There is an element of personal rapport but the only thing that put me off was that on their annual day the kids practiced and performed on Bollywood songs. Though, this is not the fault of the branch but the franchise head office as the theme and songs are decided by the head office. I sincerely wish schools would encourage children to perform on better songs or plays rather than Bollywood numbers. 

Would definitely recommend a visit to the place if you're looking for a play school for your child. It is not the best but an OK option which is close by. Especially, if you are new to Powai it is a good back up to have till you figure out which big school you would like to send your child to. 

Over all, I would rate this branch 6/10.

Approximate Fee for 2011 (this is from their pamphlet and may change in future):

- Play School - 25,000 (includes kit fee, admission fee, Tuition fee, Annual day and other events) 

If you pay in installments - 30,900 (includes kit fee, admission fee, Tuition fee, Annual day and other events) 

First time registration fee could be extra. 

- Nursery - 27,000 (includes kit fee, admission fee, Tuition fee, Annual day and other events) 

If you pay in installments - 30,900 (includes kit fee, admission fee, Tuition fee, Annual day and other events) 

First time registration fee could be extra. 

- Jr.Kg / Sr.Kg -  35,700 (includes kit fee, admission fee, Tuition fee, Annual day and other events) 
If you pay in installments - 35,700 (includes kit fee, admission fee, Tuition fee, Annual day and other events) 

First time registration fee could be extra. 

Address - Shop nos 6,7,8,9, Panchvati ‘A’ near SM Shetty School, Powai, Mumbai 400076

The phone number of this branch is 022 - 65186356 

School website is http://www.treehouseplaygroup.net/links/details.html. 

Please do leave a comment on this space if you have an experience or opinion about this place that you can share.

Lunch Box / Tiffin Ideas

Now that school has begun, I have been trying to find tiffin recipes which she can enjoy. I am not much of a cook hence, the main challenge is to give her something which is quick to prepare and easy enough for her to eat on her own as well as tastes good when cold. 


Here are some of the basic ideas a few adventurous ones: 

1. Jam Sandwich
2. Cucumber / Butter Sandwich
3. Home cooked / Maggi Pasta - with additional veggies
4. Paratha with Kissan spread
5. Stuffed Parathas
6. Fried Rice
7. Crepe
8. Wraps - Veggie filling
9. Paratha with Sabji
10. Spanish Omelette

Thinking of trying out some continental stuff next week. Any ideas? Please feel free to share. 

Big School Admissions in Powai

Big school admission can be a daunting task for parents. 

As I moved here from Gurgaon, I saw that unlike Gurgaon pre schools; which arrange a session or a workshop for parents on how to tackle Big School admissions every year, Parents in Powai are more or less on their own and are left to fend for themselves. 

I think Workshops on Big school admissions in Mumbai - seem like a great biz idea. 
Till then, let me share what I have learnt about Big school admissions and hope it helps parents like me: 

Eligibility and Admission Notices

• The first thing you need to know is whether your child is eligible for admission for the year. Some schools like Bombay Scottish start from Jr.Kg. and for example - All children born in 2007 were eligible for admissions this year i.e. 2011. So, the rule is that your child should be at least 3 years to be eligible for admission into Jr.Kg, which begins in June 2011. 

• If this is the right time, choose the schools you would like to apply to. Normally, most parents want their kids to go to a school in their vicinity. Some of the Big Schools in Powai are mentioned here. 

• One of the first schools which put up their admission notice is S.M. Shetty in October /  November which is followed by Gopal Sharma School around the same time. This time Pawar Public School was a new addition as it has opened its branch in Chandivali, Powai. Their admission forms were also released in November. These were followed by the Jr. Kg. admission notice by Bombay Scottish in January.  

• Pick at least 3 schools to apply to - in order to always have a backup.

Process: 

• Ensure that you don't miss out on taking the admission form, so keep checking on the school website or visit the school if you can. 
• Once you have the forms. Take a photocopy of the form and fill it out with a pencil first so, in case you make a mistake you can erase and correct it rather than wasting a form. 
• Make sure you have filled the form and followed the instructions properly. 
• Also, after filling up the form completely - take a photocopy so that you know what your final form looked like in case you need it for future reference. 

That's it.

Most schools like S.M. Shetty, call you or let you know your interaction dates when you submit the form while others call / mail the results to you after a week or so from form submission. The interaction for most schools is pretty casual. 

Bombay Scottish results for Jr. Kg. were released in first / second week of May and for Sr. Kg. it is expected in the first / second week of June. For information, parents can call the school and the recorded voice gives you most of the required details. (Though, in this day and age I wish they would mention the results on their website too. As, waiting for the postman or missing the most coveted letter can be such a torturous experience for already harrowed parents).
If you have any experiences, information about any other schools please feel free to share till then Happy school hunting :-)

Two best Pre Schools in Powai - according to me

While there are many pre schools available in Powai there are just a few rare ones which are exceptionally good. 


As parents we want the best for our child and while searching for pre schools for my daughter the most highly recommended pre schools were Vivero and Just Kiddin' So I decided to check them out and they really did not disappoint. 


Vivero International - This is a relatively new institution which has quickly become popular due to its lovely infrastructure, teachers and method of teaching. 


Facts: 


Vivero offers programs for children from 18 months to 6 years of age and follows an inquiry based learning curriculum. 


It is one of the few pre schools in Powai with ample outdoor and indoor space. The place has lots of natural light, is open and the staff is a pleasure to interact with. In fact, this is the most child friendly pre school that I have seen so far. 


The best part I liked about the school is the detailed report that they give parents which mentions the special talents as well as focus areas specifically for your child and how much the child has learnt with them. Pre schooling cannot get more personalised than this. 


Though, some parents may find the school fee a bit expensive hence I would give them a rating of 9/10. 


Please feel free to share your thoughts. 


Contact Details: El–Tara, Off Orchard Avenue, Opposite Odyssey II, Behind Vodafone Gallery, Hiranandani Gardens, Powai, Mumbai – 400 076. Phone No:-9930708484

Website: http://www.viverointernational.com/


Just Kiddin'  - is another exceptional pre school run by Mrs Sangita Sharma which has become the talk of the town for parents looking for a perfect school to lay a strong foundation for their child. This is one school which not only has ample play area but also ensures a complete personality development for your child. 


Currently they conduct classes only till Nursery but are planning to begin Jr.Kg. in 2012. 


I would rate them a perfect 10 as this one is also easy on the wallet. Hope they keep up their standards and grow as an institution - Powai really needs more schools like these. 


Contact Details: Hiranandani Gardens Near Hiranandani Hospital, 
Near Swami Narayan Temple Off Main Street 
Powai Mumbai 400076 

Phone No: 022 - 32505955,  +91 9820093745 

Website: http://www.myjustkiddin.com/index/index.php