Every class in Shikshantar has a distinct identity influenced by the facilitators and the children (and in some ways by the parents). Each group has a name. The groups are named after the elements – Water, Wind, Earth, Fire and Ether – to help children of all ages build enduring connections with the philosophical, social, historical, poetic and sometimes political understanding and interpretation of the elements. The purpose is to enable children to establish deeper connections with the quintessential energies of nature. And through these connections we hope children will grow to forge deeper bonds with the environment and Mother Earth.
The green ecology of the school campus inspires children, facilitators and parents to build direct connections with nature in many different ways.
For every group, one or more themes are organized around the group name. Theme work allows children to sing songs, write poems, read historical contexts, research old and new thoughts, construct stories, explore mathematics, science and social science – in the context of their group name. A child enrolled in Playgroup or Nursery has the opportunity of visiting each group name/element every five years at least three times in their school life at Shikshantar.

We are pleased to share with you a glimpse of the names of a few groups:

Sprouting Seeds: Raindrops, Dewdrops, Boond, Oss

Nursery: Pawan, Vayu, Purvayi, Anila

Kindergarten: Bhoomi, Dhara, Vasundhara, Avani, Ardhi

Class I: Aakaash, Ambar, Aasman, Neelambar, Anant

Class II: Agni, Pavak, Surya, Aagun, Enya

Class III: Neer, Varsha, Megha, Brishti, Aab

Class IV: Purva, Luft, Fiza, Wara, Breeze

Class V: Earth, Prithvi, Pritha, Terra, Zemya

Class VI: Space, Ether, Cosmos, Himmel, Etheral

Class VII: Aapi, Afroz, Azia, Pyros, Opame

Class VIII: Aqua, Tarang, Zarya, Wasser, Eldoris

Class IX: Zephyr, Amun, Aeolus, Aria, Ventus

Class X: Talamh, Jord, Midiri, Ceres, Aralia

Class XI: Vyom, Empyrean, Ciel, Azure

Class XII: Ignis, Hadyn, Calor, Helios

A. Parent involvement and education is a central part of the school calendar. Parent involvement with Shikshantar begins from the day a parent seeks admission in the school and continues in significant ways through each year for all classes.
For new parents, the key experiences include reflection about why and how Shikshantar will support the development of their child; understanding the school’s philosophy and educational approaches through a school tour and school counselling sessions and familiarisation sessions with the children who are expected to be enrolled in the school.With enrolled parents, the following experiences encourage involvement and participation
• Parent Orientation Session for new parents before start of school year
• Interactive Parent Open-House Interactions for each class three times a year
• Parent-Facilitator Meetings held twice during the school year to share and reflect upon the progress of each child
• Progress review meetings at the end of each semester for every child
• Parent-Teacher Association Meetings to share institutional progress, concerns and suggestions
• Parent representation and involvement in the School Managing Committee
• Parent volunteers to support field trips and school events such as Hamara Manch and Hamara Mela
• Parent representation for talks and workshops for students on specific areas of expertise
• Parent representatives work with school committees on specific areas that include transport management outside the school during arrival and departure, and recommendations for safety and security of children
• Parent volunteers for substitution during long absence of teachers
• Parents are invited to be a part of their child’s birthday celebration in schoolParent Open-House Interactions
Open-House interactions are facilitated for parents in each class three times a year. The purpose of these interactions is to enable a stronger connect between the home and school, and for parents to reflect upon their evolving parenting roles. Each session is organised as a workshop to understand and learn from multiple perspectives and experiences.

The safety and wellbeing of each and every child at Shikshantar is of utmost importance to the entire school team. Observation rounds are taken by Coordinators, Supervisors and respective School Heads at each level (pre-primary, primary, middle and senior) every day. Safety and hygiene measures include the following:
General:
• Children at the main gate as well as in the group are received and welcomed by Supervisors/Coordinators/Teachers
• Security guards are stationed at designated places across the entire school campus
• Security guards monitor the entry and exit of visitors and parents who walk in for enquiry/birthday celebrations/early pick up
• Parent/guardian of any child who has to leave the school campus before dispersal time needs to furnish a gate pass signed by supervisor of the respective block
• At ‘dispersal time’, parents are allowed to take children only after showing pick-up cards to the security guard
• Dispersal–coordinator/Supervisor is stationed at main gate to ensure safety regulations are being followed by teachers and children
• All team members are guided to be vigilant and look out for any strangers or unfamiliar faces in the school premises
• Housekeeping staff is stationed in designated areas and discouraged from loitering elsewhere on campus
• In house training programme is conducted for housekeeping and other staff
• Guidelines are shared with the school team to ensure personal dignity and wellbeing of each child
• Children with special needs move around the school premises supervised at all times
• Fire extinguishers regularly undergo maintainance
• There are ongoing training sessions for all security and other auxiliary staff members
• School surroundings are continuous monitored for cleanliness
• Evacuation drill and fire drills are conducted twice in the school year
• Fumigation and sanitization of surroundings is done on regular basis
• Antecedents of all auxiliary staff are verified
• CCTVs have been installed in the entire school campus for strict vigilance
Transport:
• Children who come and go by bus are always accompanied by teachers and dropped to their respective bus routes
• A responsible adult (teacher, parent or school representative) is present on each bus route
Toilets:
• For pre-primary children – helper didis accompany children for toilet visits
• We have only female housekeeping staff stationed to clean the toilets in pre-primary and primary schools
• Housekeeping staff does not to enter the washrooms when children are inside
• There are regular checks and supervision of campus cleanliness, horticulture and toilets
Health Room:
• Trained nurses in all three blocks of the school
• Sensitively orienting children, teachers and parents whenever there is an outbreak of a disease or illness (such as measles, chicken-pox, or dengue)
Medical Collaboration:
• Annual Health checkup for all children by child specialist from Max Hospital
• Tie up with Max Hospital handle medical emergencies
• First aid training for teachers and administrative staff, conducted by Max Hospital
Lunch Room:
• Regular sampling of the school lunch and visits to the caterer’s kitchen to ensure food quality
• Dedicated housekeeping staff to maintain hygiene standards in the lunch room
• PTA members are encouraged to visit the lunch room without prior intimation