A very warm welcome to the academic year 2022 – 2023. After all the uncertainties that we have faced during the last two years, here we are physically in school to scale new heights and take children into a world of awe and wonder. I am sure this year will be a very memorable one for the students and also for us. We are all set to welcome our students on board and in the words of Robert M Hutchins – 

“Education is not to reform students, or to amuse them, or to make them expert technicians. It is to unsettle their minds, widen their horizons, inflame their intellects, and teach them to think straight, if possible.” We are all excited to do so, without giving them a vague picture of their future but a very clear one. Let us together make it a wonderful journey for our children. May the Almighty lead us and guide us through.

The academic year triggers off with the school vision and mission being reiterated. All the stakeholders must strive to build on the CAIRO (Confident, Ambitious, Integrity, Respect, and Open-minded) values to achieve the school’s vision. Students need to understand these values are an integral part of their lives and we must also strive to instill them in their minds. Being Ambitious is our motto and our ambition of bringing back the lost learning and placing our students back in pace with the present trends of education, we at Oakridge will leave no stone unturned. 

I would like to inform you all with pride that we had a wonderful Summer Camp during the month of May. Under the blue summer sky with cotton candy clouds and in the cool summer breeze at night, children attended the Summer Learning camp which offered opportunities to grow their confidence through an array of expertly crafted activities. Resilience, creativity, and out of box thinking were the skills focused upon. They also had stargazing at night which was a thrilling experience for the little ones to identify planets too. 

We are pleased to announce that we have got an excellent response to our re-enrollment letters across the school and we had 400 + new admissions for the academic year 2022-2023 till date. Oakridge Readiness Program, a virtual bonding session for all the new students was conducted across the grades. 

While the children were enjoying the Summer vacation, we had painting work done in Block A, the play area of early Years was renovated, and fire evacuation measures have been taken for emergencies. A fire evacuation plan that exhibits the ways to exit each classroom in the event of a fire was laid out. The school admin made all the efforts to do the maintenance works to ensure the physical safety of students. 

The IGCSE Board examinations were also conducted during the summer and are still in progress. Appreciate the staff who could make the examinations run smooth along with the support staff. Our CEO Mr. Brian Cooklin introduced us to – ‘Staying Ahead’ which should be our aim and goal to attain this year. Despite the pandemic and the loss of education values and systems, we as educators need to be staying ahead to tow our students to the forefront. To be ready for doing so, we had a rigorous 3-day conference on the strategies and methodology of teaching students in such a situation. It was a highly interactive conference with all the faculty enthusiastically forming and performing the tasks to bring out the best of us. We also had a reflections section on the padlet which allowed thinking critically and analyzing the learned concepts in the conference.

As faculty, the teacher’s preparedness is ensured. The lessons have to be planned meticulously to deliver in the classes. Creating lesson plans that challenge creativity and thinking critically and enhance the learning ability of the students is on the high agenda. All the activities are calendared and will be taken care of. Students are the center of all our thoughts and activities. Here are the non-negotiables which I would like you all to make a note of and follow: 

• To create a seamless communication system we request you all have the Oakridge app downloaded through all means of communication will proceed from now onwards. 
• The use of Whatsapp is no more in vogue. 
• School post is another means of communication through which also uniform and book procurement can be done. 
• Even though the people seem to be a bit relaxed about the pandemic, we at Oakridge consider the safety and well-being of our students as the highest priority. The FS protocols – Using a face mask and sanitizers is a mandate. At the select points in school too, sanitizers are made available. 
• The helpdesk is another option to get your queries resolved. You can raise tickets on any query or concern and we will promptly revert in 24 hours. 
• Attendance in school is mandatory unless there arises an emergency or inevitable reasons to stay back home. We expect a 95% attendance for every student. 
• Parents are requested to opt for Lunch and transport at the earliest through school post or drop in an email to transport.bachupally@oakridge.in for transport and  fnb.bachupally@oakridge.in for lunch.

The month of June marks the beginning of an academic year and with all the planning in place, we also had the Parent Orientation Sessions which was a grand success. We are glad that most of the parents could make it possible to attend the sessions. Our main achievement in life is to see our students ready to face the challenges of this world. We will make all the efforts to see the strengths of our students and help them in building their abilities and improving in their academics. To discuss these extensively with you, as parents, we will be having a ‘Meet your Teacher’ session shortly. Hope to see you all there. 

We have so many events and activities lined up for the year. Yoga Day, Global Photography, Graduation Day, and so on. The Nord Anglia platform has opportunities like MIT Challenges, Expeditions, and UNICEF Summit in which our students will participate. There are the NAU courses for the existing and new employees to nurture and grow professionally to keep up the standards of the school. 

As mentioned earlier, the safety and well-being of our students are our highest priority. In view of this, and collaboration with Rainbow Hospitals, we will see that all protocols are in place and our students are in a safe environment. All measures have been taken to keep our students away from any contact. We are all ready to take up all challenges. 

Please be informed that Ms. Satyavani Penmatsa, Head of Primary has decided to pursue her career elsewhere. We wish her all the very best in her future endeavors. 

I am pleased to announce that Oakridge International School, Bachupally ranks amongst the top 20 Best Schools in the Indian Educational Awards ( Empowering Education in India). 2021-22. Also, I have been awarded the Best Principal Performance award for educational excellence by the Intellectual Peoples Foundation.

In the end, I would like to express my gratitude for the trust you have shown towards us and for entrusting your ward with us. We assure you of our guidance and support in every aspect so that our students will enjoy their learning experience at Oakridge and make memories. My good wishes to all our students and also to each of our parents. Let’s together make learning a lively experience for our students.