School Events at Kolhapur

"Excellence is never an accident. It is the result of high intention, sincere effort,intelligent direction,skilful execution and the vision to see obstacles as Opportunities."

Podar International School and Jr. College, Kolhapur strives to achieve more than grades and that's when Scifest 2021 was organised among the other 10 Podar International Schools under Kolhapur Hub. All the participating schools accepted this challenge as an opportunity to bring out the best in children.

The 3 month long competitions witnessed talented and skillful presentations. The Scifest 2021 had three competitions wherein Elocution competition was held on November 26 & 27,2021,Futuristic Skill Competition was held on December 4,2021 and Model making was held on December 22 & 23. Scifest 2021 witnessed the massive participation of 278 students from all the schools under Kolhapur Hub. It was a tough competition and to cut through to the top was a real challenge. Out of all the entries received for each competition, three best performers were declared as winners.

It was indeed a proud moment when our students bagged 13 prizes in total of all the competitions and categories. It was really the sum of small efforts taken repeatedly towards excellence. Congratulations to all the winners!

"Tell me and I forget,
Teach me and I remember,
Involve me and I learn."

Podar International School and Jr College, Kolhapur organised Model Making Competition as a part of ongoing science exhibition Scifest-2021.

The competition was conducted among ten other Podar International Schools under Kolhapur Hub. It presented an array of innovative science experiments and new inventions by young scientists.

Students from Grades 1 to12 presented their exhibits on various topics of Science such as Role of Food Science in Human Nutrition, Renewable Energy, Technology and Disaster Mitigation, Life Science and Health Care, Oxygen Generator, Magnetic Wave's Application, Future of Nano- Technology, Control and Automation Machine Vision etc. through six groups wherein each group had 2 participants representing one team. This gave them the opportunity to collaborate with their team and bring out the creativity. The competition was judged by the panel of experts who have mastery over the subject.

Students used waste materials like cardboard, old plastic bottles, paper bags to make their models. They demonstrated their exhibits ranging from food pyramids to windmills to virtual reality headset, oxygen generator and rain detector.

The two day SCIFEST was a platform for innovativeness, collaboration and presentation nurturing the young scientists of Podar Schools.

Happiest are those who do the most for others.

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. With this noble thought, Podar International School & Jr. College, Kolhapur organized Joy of Giving - Phase 2 where parents, students and teachers visited Late Ganpatrao Gatade School for Special Children, Kagal and donated the essentials like sanitizers, cleaning material, toys, books, bedsheets, stationeries etc. spreading joy and happiness.

As rightly said, alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much.

The day left a lasting imprint on students' hearts about the importance of sharing and caring and also taught them that every individual has infinite strength within himself and challenges are the only way to break the shell and bloom. On this festive occasion, the school helped the students to take away a life-long lesson that “Giving is the greatest act of grace.”

"Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of receiving. It is forgetting self and finding time for others. It is discarding the meaningless and stressing the true values."

Setting a perfect example of secularism, Podar International School and Jr. College, Kolhapur celebrated Christmas with great joy and ferver with all safety protections and measures. The beautifully decorated Christmas tree and crib were the main attraction of the celebration. The various performances of the students which included Christmas carols, a Fashion Show depicting the characters of Lord Jesus' story, Angels' dance, Santa dance and Teachers' choir performance were a pinpoint and fascinating array of the presentation.

The celebration was made more joyful and lively with the presence of Abidoo and Santa. After the celebration, Santa and Abidoo distributed cakes to each and every student and left broad smiles on their faces. The students even distributed dry fruits, books, handkerchiefs, towels, sanitizing material, toys, handwashes, sanitizers, bedsheets and other necessary material to underprivileged children sharing their love and joy. Children merrily welcomed Lord Jesus and wished everyone a blessed and prosperous New Year.

Remember, even though the outside world might be raining, if you keep on smiling, the sun will soon show its face and smile back at you.

Despite the heavy rain the day before, it was a bright sunny morning when Podar International School and Jr. College, Kolhapur welcomed the students from grade I to VII with open arms and hearts full of love and affection.

After 19 months, the school management and teachers were ready to welcome the students back to the campus. The school ensured that its staff was fully vaccinated and also received the approval from the government and local bodies to reopen the school.

The school was beautifully decorated with balloons and rangoli at the entrance of the temple of knowledge. Children were welcomed with the shower of petals and the school band at the main gate followed by the thermal screening and sanitizing their hands. The class teachers and the student council members escorted their children to the class. Special assembly was conducted by the students of grade 7 for the grand reopening ceremony which began with the traditional lamp lighting by the Principal, Head Boy, Head Girl and the coordinators followed by the flag hoisting and Podar song. The Principal also interacted with students telling them about the importance of discipline, following the covid protocols. She also insisted on developing a healthy student-teacher communication to have a positive mental health.

Children joined their hands and bowed their heads in front of Goddess Saraswati to seek the blessing before they embark for a new journey. The school planned for a fun-filled day for the students who were back after a year. The teachers gave them a token of love in the form of handmade flowers with an attribute to each child. They conducted several indoor games which made the classrooms lively and enthusiastic. Movie screening was also carried out to make the first day memorable. The day brought back the lost charm of the school with chirpy corridors, noisy playgrounds and blasting laughs.

The teachers also reflected the same level of excitement and enthusiasm as the children. The day was indeed a memorable one.

School is the second home for children where they spend most of their daytime. Student safety has and will always be the top priority of Podar International School & Jr. College, Kolhapur.

The school support system contributes equally for the development and well-being of children in the school premises. Podar International School and Jr. College, Kolhapur strongly believes in team work so, an informative session for the non- teaching staff was organised on Saturday, November 13,2021 by the professionally trained Nurse who is available in the premises throughout the school hours. The session began with the valuable guidance by the Principal. It emphasised on how the prompt action of giving first-aid to the injured person can save his life. The session brought awareness to deal with various ailments and also focussed on the Covid-19 precautions tips. They were trained to give first aid in any emergency situations like burns/fire, snake bite, fracture, accident, bees bite, sunstroke, cuts and wounds, fever and cold as well. They were also informed about the symptoms of chickenpox, mumps and conjunctivitis. The entire session had also taught them how to maintain and use the first-aid kit thereby making the school a safer place for students to grow physically and mentally.

Children are talented in their own unique way. We need to recognize their capacity, develop their talents to their full potential by providing them a platform. Podar International School & Jr. College, Kolhapur believes in nurturing the young saplings to help them grow into strong trees.

As part of the ongoing Children’s Day celebration, a Talent Show was organised for the Podarites. The program was conducted for each grade virtually by the Class Teachers. The session brought forward the hidden gems. Students sang songs, danced, recited poems, enacted their favorite hero, and presented their paintings.

The special attraction of the event was to watch students performing with their parents, spending quality time, developing an amazing bond. It was heartening to see the budding artists performing with elan even on the virtual stage. The atmosphere was pulsating with the exuberance exhibited by the performers as well as the audience.

"Let us make friends with the sun and work in the light and do nothing secretly. And if you do so, you will grow up being a child of the light, unafraid and serene and unruffled whatever may happen."
- Excerpt from Letter of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru

Podar International School & Jr. College, Kolhapur organised a special celebration on the occasion of Children's Day. On this special day, teachers penned personalized messages for each student to make them feel special and unique. The messages were shared through a PPT with a lovely image of each child and their qualities bringing delight to students on their special day. The teachers and students together watched a movie, filling the class with laughter. Post the movie both teachers and students participated in a special luncheon together virtually, sharing their happy and special moments.

Diwali the festival of lights, colour and happiness symbolizes hope, unity and victory. It’s a season to rejoice and spread love to the world.

Diwali celebration at PODAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AND JR. COLLEGE, KOLHAPUR illuminated everyone’s heart with joy and fervour. This year Podarites came up with an array of devotional songs to offer their prayers to the Lord. Students presented a melodious show by singing bhajans which soothed the audience's mind and body. Each child sang the song confidently which made the audience tap to the rhythm. The programme culminated with a group performance by teachers and students. The ambience was well created with beautiful and colourful rangoli and the brightly lit diyas around it added more charm to the festive vibe.

Let the gleam of diyas and echo of the chants bring Happiness and Contentment to all.

Wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous Diwali! Stay Home Stay Safe!

The Covid-19 pandemic has left child care homes, old age homes high and dry. With no sign of the situation easing, donations are drying up and the number of children and people in such institutions are seeing a steady decline as all activities come to a standstill.

This is when PODAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, KOLHAPUR decided to lend a helping hand to such organisations. With the objective to imbibe a sense of social responsibility, inclusion and volunteerism, the school launched a programme ‘Joy of Giving’ to extend a helping hand to needy children to bring smiles to their innocent faces on the festive occasion of Diwali.

Teachers, student representatives and parent representatives volunteered to visit an orphanage 'Karunalaya' in Shiye. Students came forward and donated necessities like sanitisers, gloves, bed sheets, stationery, toys, sanitary material etc. with their open hearts. The event was made more special with the presence of Mr Vijay Jadhav, Executive Editor of Daily Pudhari.

The spark in their eyes and the joy in their hearts added more charm to the day. This also helped the students to understand that happiness doubles when we share it with the needy. On this festive occasion, the school helped the students to take away a life-long lesson that “We rise by lifting others.”

The WHO constitution states, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. It is fundamental to our collective and individual ability as humans to think, emote, interact with each other, earn a living and enjoy life.”

At Podar, the Inclusive Education Cell (IEC) is functioning with the primary aim of facilitating the needs of children with different kinds of learning and behavioural issues which they face during their course of development. Our daily lives have changed considerably as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. IEC conducts multiple sessions to help children to manage their emotions, adapting to the new lifestyle change, resilience and conflict management through Social Emotional Skills (SEL).

To celebrate 'World Mental Health Day', Podar International School, Kolhapur conducted a special assembly for its students with the objective of raising awareness about mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health. The students of Grade 10 performed a fascinating street play which initiated the spectators to think for a change in the society.

Miss Vedika Powar, the Ex-student of the school shared her experiences upon how she dealt with her imperfections and overcame them. Ms. Urmila Chavan, the counsellor of the school, encouraged the students to think of new ideas which can help to make a change in the present scenario and promote awareness and sensitivity towards the important issues of mental health. The Principal Ms. Shilpa Kapoor, in her address laid emphasis on strategies like controlling negative thoughts, engaging in a hobby etc. to tackle the mental health issues. The overall event spread a beautiful message - 'It's time to think, it's time to change'.