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10 Trends in Preparation for College 2024

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Navigating the Shifting Tide: Trends in US College Admission

As the academic landscape continuously evolves, so do the trends shaping the US college admission process for hopeful students. Whether you’re a high schoolcollege prep junior setting sail for higher education or a parent guiding this journey, understanding these trends can be the compass that steers your course toward success.

  1. Holistic Admissions: Colleges increasingly emphasize a holistic approach in evaluating applicants. It’s not just about grades and test scores anymore. They seek well-rounded individuals with diverse experiences, passions, and skills. Extracurricular activities, community service, internships, and personal essays play pivotal roles.
  2. Test-Optional Policies: The pandemic accelerated the shift toward test-optional policies. Many colleges continued this trend, recognizing the limitations of standardized tests in gauging a student’s potential. This shift allows applicants to showcase their strengths beyond test scores.
  3. Emphasis on Authenticity: Originality and authenticity are gaining more prominence in application essays. Admissions officers appreciate genuine stories that reflect an applicant’s unique voice and experiences. It’s not about crafting a perfect narrative but sharing a compelling and honest one.
  4. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Colleges prioritize creating diverse and inclusive communities. They value applicants who have contributed to diversity or have been advocates for equity. Students showcasing commitment to social causes or fostering inclusivity stand out.
  5. Taking AP Courses: Advanced Placement (AP) classes can boost your GPA and strengthen your college application. But the number of advanced courses you choose to take should depend on your academic interests and your schedule.
  6. Tech-Infused Applications: Technology continues to revolutionize the application process. Virtual tours, online interviews, and digital portfolios allow students to present themselves beyond paper applications. Utilizing these resources effectively can make a difference.
  7. Focus on Mental Health and Well-being: Colleges are increasingly attentive to students’ mental health. This shift involves assessing how applicants coped with challenges, prioritized self-care, and supported peers during stressful times. At Maharishi School we believe the key to preparedness and academic success is to first understand ourselves. We give students the time and the tools to learn more about themselves – their innermost nature, passions, strengths, weaknesses, challenges, and goals. It’s an integral part of the individuation process: forming a strong sense of identity with feelings of autonomy and self-confidence.  We believe knowing yourself is the beginning of becoming your best self.
  8. Demonstrated Adaptability and Resilience: The pandemic highlighted the importance of adaptability and resilience. Students who navigated uncertainties, adapted to remote learning, or initiated innovative solutions showcased these qualities, which resonate positively in applications. Having invaluable tools, like Transcendental Meditation, becomes a trusted ally in navigating the stormy waters of stress that many college applicants face their freshman year.
  9. Strategic Early Decision and Early Action: Early decision/action applications continue to be popular among students aiming for their dream schools. However, with the increasing competition, strategic planning and comprehensive research are crucial before committing to this path.
  10. Impact of Social Media Presence: Colleges might consider applicants’ social media presence. Students should be mindful of their online footprint, ensuring it aligns with the values they present in their applications.

Navigating these trends requires a balanced approach. It’s about being authentic, pursuing passions, embracing diversity, and showcasing resilience. Remember, the journey toward college admission is not just about reaching a destination but also about the transformative experiences along the way. As you set sail into this ever-evolving landscape, stay true to yourself, explore your passions, and let your unique story shine.

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End of Year Wrap Up 2023

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ROCKETRY
Our team qualified for The American Rocketry Challenge (TARC) Nationals in Virginia as one of the top 100 in the nation. There we finished 17th in the US, out of almost 800 original entries, which also qualifies our team to apply for the NASA Student Launch Program next year.
DESTINATION IMAGINATION
Our Upper School team advanced to the international Global Finals in Kansas City and received 1st place in Instant Challenge and 7th place overall in their Secondary Technical category. This is the first time a Maharishi School team has won the Instant Challenge award.
SCIENCE RESEARCH
We participated in multiple science fairs with achievements in each. At the Hawkeye State Science Fair, our students placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Honorable Mention in their categories and Poojita Mukadam received an invitation to observe at the International Science and Engineering Fair in Dallas.
Ishita Mukadam earned an invitation to the National Junior Symposium in Virginia to present her research project.
ROBOTICS
Our team in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition advanced to the Super-Qualifier round in the Iowa state tournaments.
TENNIS
Both our girls and boys teams advanced to the “Sweet 16” in the state competition.
Junior Ishita Mukadam earned a trip to the State Singles tournament and finished 7th, the first girl to place at State since 2011.
COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES
Our 17 multicultural seniors were accepted at universities across the United States, from UC-Berkeley and UC-Irvine to Purdue, Grinnell, Iowa and Iowa State, to Emerson College (Boston). Four will be attending Maharishi International University.

 

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What is Destination Imagination?

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Destination ImagiNation, Inc., the world’s largest creativity and problem solving organization, inspires participants in all ofDI team 2022 its programs to learn the process, art, and skill associated with problem solving. 

DI is a place where kids take what they know and what they are good at, and learn to apply it to solve challenges, working together and cooperatively with a team and pushing the limits of imagination to best not their competition, but themselves.

Up to seven participants work together as a team for up to 5 months to create their unique solution to a Team Challenge.  Every year 6 unique and new challenges are put out in 6 different areas: Technical, Engineering, Fine Arts, Scientific, Improv and Public Service. Frequently, challenges also incorporate history, culture, literature, math, science, technology and the arts. 

Teams also learn and practice “think on their feet” skills for the Instant Challenge portion of the competition.
Destination ImagiNation helps young people learn in a fun and supportive environment, and the valuable skills they have acquired will be with them for a lifetime.
competition DIParticipants learn unique and critical life skills including teamwork, critical and creative thinking, project management, resource management, mutual respect, research and presentation skills and, as all challenges must be strictly team-solved, self-reliance. These skills make Destination ImagiNation participants more valuable to their communities and as future employees.

Maharishi School Teams

This year Maharishi School has 5 teams.  We have 3 Elementary teams, 1 Middle School Team and 1 Upper School team.  2 teams choose to solve the Engineering Challenge, we have 1 Fine Arts team, 1 Improv team and 1 Technical team.

We are the only DI teams in Iowa so we compete in Illinois.  Our first competition was a Regional Competition, Saturday, March 4th, in Pekin, Illinois. Our teams did very well, and we’re preparing for the  bigger State Competition on March 25th in DeKalb, Illinois.  There they will compete against the best teams from the 4 Regional Competitions that Illinoiis holds.

Elementary Level:

Fine Arts team:  3rd place, 

Team Manager: Moss Cook

  1. Gus O’Connor
  2. Myka Wallace
  3. Hazel Cook
  4. Scarlett Kranz
  5. Harlo Olsen

The Fine Arts Challenge this year requires : 

  1.  Research well-known stories from any genre, culture, medium, and time period. It is up to your team to determine what it means to be well-known. 
  2. Choose one researched story.  Create and present a Flipped Tale. For this Challenge, a Flipped Tale is a team-created story that is inspired by the researched story but focuses on a New Main Character.
  3. For this Challenge, a New Main Character is a character who existed in the researched story but who is not the main character of the researched story.

Improv team:  3rd place

Team Manager:  Whitney Schutten

  1. Chunni Bregenzer
  2. Prithvi Kalra
  3. Keya Thakker
  4. Fuji Aikar
  5. Isabel Everett

This year the requirements for the Improv Challenge are:

Use up to 2 minutes of Preparation time to create an improvisational Skit about an Underdog preparing for and/or participating in a Competition. Incorporate an Expert into the Skit. Enhance the Skit with Trash Bags and Rubber Bands. Use up to 5 minutes to present the Skit to the audience and Appraisers, incorporating a Complication.

Engineering team:  4th place, and highest Instant Challenge score of our Elementary teams

Team Manager:  Amandeep Negi

  1. Ryder Schuldt
  2. Ishaan Desai
  3. Lyra Montgomery
  4. Mehar Negi

This year the requirements for the Engineering Challenge are:

  1. Research roller coaster design.
  2. Design and build a Roller Coaster that will be assembled and then tested during your team’s Presentation at the tournament. For this Challenge, a Roller Coaster is a structure that supports and guides a tournament-provided golf ball along a single, continuous track. 
  3. Design and create a Launching Mechanism that starts moving the golf ball along the Roller Coaster track.
  4. Test how far and how fast the golf ball can travel along the Roller Coaster track.
  5. Team members must do all designing, cutting, shaping, and assembling of the Roller Coaster and Launching Mechanism.
  6. Create and present a skit telling the story of the roller coaster experience

Middle Level:

Engineering team:  1st place

Team Manager:  Mark Wilkins

  1. Ayaan Desai
  2. Sohani Singh
  3. Pranit Ruia
  4. Eliana Alsenosy

Requirement the same as the 4th grade Engineering Challenge

Secondary Level:destination imagination trophy winners 2023

Technical Team:  1st Place

Team Manager:  Celeste Siemsen

  1. Miles Siemsen
  2. Trent Hefner
  3. Uma Wegman
  4. Eva Marie Quevedo Rubio
  5. Jace Wallace

Requirements for the Technical Challenge this year are:

  1. Design and create a Puzzle that will be assembled during the Presentation.

For this Challenge, a Puzzle is a set of separate, physical pieces that create a single unit when assembled.

  1. The Puzzle must have a minimum number of pieces, according to your team’s competition level:
  • Elementary Level teams must have at least 6 pieces.
  • Middle Level teams must have at least 10 pieces.
  • Secondary and University Level teams must have at least 14 pieces.
  1. Designate one piece of the Puzzle as the Crucial Piece. For this Challenge, a Crucial Piece is the most important piece of the Puzzle. It is up to your team to determine why the Crucial Piece is the most important.
  2. Design and build all pieces of the Puzzle using your own ideas and skills. Your team may incorporate commercially produced items, but for scoring, Appraisers will only consider your team’s changes and/or additions to those items.
  3. Each Puzzle piece and the completed Puzzle should be visible from 25ft (7.62m) away.
  4. Create and present a story about how at least one character’s understanding changes at a Pivotal Moment. For this Challenge, a Pivotal Moment is an event or point in the story when something important is revealed, discovered, and/or learned.
  5. Integrate the Puzzle, the Crucial Piece, and Puzzle assembly into the Presentation.

 

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Is Your Teen Experiencing Burn Out?

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Why does burn out happen?

Once teens reach High School they often feel an invisible pressure called burn out. We’ve all experienced getting burned out at work, or even in our home life when the sink is full of dishes over and over again. But what does burn out look like for a teenager and how can we help them get out of it?

If you’re not familiar with the signs, then a burned out teen is very likely to happen before you even realize it. One day our teen is communicating with us about his/her/their feelings and the next they won’t leave their room. Late nights spent catching up on studying invade on quality family time. While we may feel proud of our teen for taking on the extracurricular and advanced courses that are necessary for getting into a good college, we also have to realize that there can be repercussions for too much activity and not enough rest.

Our Upper School Academic Director Kaye Jacob’s understands this better than most, “This is a high-stakes time for many kids, but we do need to try to reason with them that they need to find a balance, that “more” is not always “better.”

3 signs your teen is heading towards burn out

1. Heightened anxiety and/or overwhelm. Anxiety can look different in everyone, especially teenagers. It can manifest as moodiness or unusual behavior when before there was a calm demeanor. Anxiety can also look like immune system fatigue, causing the teen to get sick more often or even start to have migraine headaches.

teen2. Not sleeping at night. Burned out teens can get so wired from all of their “to do” lists, extra courses, or/and after school activities throughout the week that when it’s finally time to rest, they can’t. Lack of sleep can spiral into a dependency on coffee or energy drinks so that they can be alert enough to make it through the school day.

3. Saying “no” to socializing with family and friends. Teens who experience burn out can’t relax enough to have downtime. They stop participating in family events or socializing with friends because they simply have nothing extra to give, or are trying to preserve their energy.

Burn out isn’t black and white

Burn out can manifest in our teens in so many ways. Maybe you see your teen taking on more honors courses than he/she/they can handle, or perhaps your teen feels overwhelmed with social stresses and wants to hide. There’s another even more subtle aspects of burn out, such as having a lack of support at home, and poor self care. Here are three teen meditationways you can help your teen normalize again.

3 ways you can help

  1. Teach stress management tools. According to the American Physiological Association’s survey showed that teens report their stress level during the school year far exceeds that of an average adult. At Maharishi School we have a tool for our students to manage stress built into their schedules every day, twice a day. It’s called Transcendental Meditation.
  2. Adopt new self care practices. Talk to your teen about what you do for self care. Self care practices can be a conscious time-out away from their daily life that helps them maharishi school student doing yogago inward and tune into their bodily needs. Some popular self care practices include; journaling, yoga, creative expression, exercising, spending time in nature, cooking/baking, reading, swimming, camping, watching a funny movie, etc. While it’s nice for them to have some alone time you can also come up with a list of self care practices that you and your teen can do together.
  3. Talk about mental health. Establish regular check ins with your teen so you can track to see if they’re moving in the direction of burn out. Don’t be afraid to tell them, “why don’t you take some time off school work tonight, I want you to be primed for a long life and I would like to see you pace yourself now.” Make them aware of therapy services that can be a private outlet just for them.

 

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Ten Tips to Prepare for College

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It’s not to early to be thinking about…
  1. Utilize AP courses to your advantage but don’t let AP pursuits come at a cost to your grand point average (GPA).
  2. Look for mentors in a field that you can see yourself doing, it helps you start making learning how to network while getting more comfortable at approaching adults that you admire.
  3. Volunteer in your area of passion or something that isn’t related to academia. This shows how well rounded you are and colleges will be looking for that type of individual who stands out in their hours clocked after school.
  4. GPA needs to stay up, in 12th grade there’s often this feeling of “coasting” or “senior-itis” but the truth is that if you let your grades slip during the last few years, your GPA will suffer in the end.
  5. Participate in clubs and school activities. This could mean joining the student council or asking your student council members about how you can get more involved.
  6. Do community service related projects or unique assignments that your teachers offer. If you don’t know where to begin always ask your teachers and they can guide you appropriately.
  7. Internships that are offered over summer break can be give you a huge advantage on your college applications as well as gaining useful skills for life.
  8. Develop strong relationships with at least one of your teachers, they will be the ones who write a recommendation letter for you to get into college so it’s good to have at least one teacher that you can feel closely aligned with.
  9. Start thinking about all of this in 9th grade. It’s not too soon to be considering these tips. Be sure you’re working with your college counselor who will keep you on track!
  10. Look below to find more specifics tips from our college counselor.

 

 

Freshmen preparing for college should plan to:

  •     Take challenging classes in core academic courses.
  •     Work with their school counselors to create a yearly schedule to meet graduation and college admissions requirements.
  •     Talk to an advisor or school counselor about taking Advanced Placement®* and honors courses.
  •     Identify interests and potential career fields through online resources, like this interest profiler, and by attending career fairs and other events.
  •     Get involved with community-based and leadership-oriented activities that best reflect their interests.
  •     Browse the College Scorecard to see what types of schools interest them.
  •     As they find and review them, bookmark resources for college planning.
  •     Start a running list of accomplishments, awards, and recognition’s to use when completing college applications and writing resumes.

Sophomores preparing for college should:

  •     Consider taking a practice test to prepare for the PSAT.
  •     Attend college and career information events.
  •     Start learning about funding for college, including scholarships, grants, loans, work-study jobs, etc.
  •     Consider the types of careers that fit their interests and what college majors they require.
  •     Reach out to school counselors and/or mentors to discuss occupational interests and college requirements.

In the Fall semester, Juniors should:

  •     Take the PSAT if they have not already. Students should generally take the test no later than fall semester of the eleventh grade to qualify for National Merit scholarships and programs.
  •     Attend in-person or online college fairs.
  •     Explore careers and their earning potentials in the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

In the Spring semester, Juniors need to:

  •     Register for college admission exams—SAT, the SAT Subject Tests, and the ACT—and take practice tests. College admissions professionals recommend students have at least one standardized score before the end of their junior year.
  •     Research how to pay for college and what federal student aid may be available to you.
  •     Identify scholarship opportunities to pursue; note deadlines on calendar.
  •     Contact colleges to request information and applications.

During the Summer, rising Seniors should:

  •     Plan college visits.
  •     Narrow down the colleges under consideration.
  •     Make decisions required by colleges’ early-decision or early-action programs.
  •     Complete the Federal Student Aid Estimator.

In the Fall semester, Seniors will need to:

  •     Register for and take (or retake) the SAT and/or ACT, if not already done.
  •     Complete and submit college applications prior to deadlines.
  •     Request transcripts and letters of recommendation at least 30 days before they are due.
  •     Work with parents to complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA® form). Before each year of college, you’ll need to apply for federal grants, work-study, and loans with the FAFSA.
  •     Complete and submit scholarship applications prior to deadlines.
  •     Meet with a counselor to verify that they’ll meet graduation requirements on schedule.

During the Winter months, Seniors should:

  •     Review and make any necessary changes/corrections to their Student Aid Report.
  •     Finish submitting scholarship applications.

In the Spring semester, Seniors will need to:

  •     Visit colleges on their “short list.”
  •     Consider college acceptances; compare financial aid packages offered.
  •     Call college financial aid representatives with questions.
  •     Decide on the college to attend (typically by May 1) and contact its offices.
  •     Make informed decisions about student loans.

While some seniors think they’ve “made it” and can coast in their last year of high school, students preparing for college should recognize that college admissions officers will expect to see they’ve worked hard to keep grades up and stayed involved in school and community activities. Parents may reassure aspiring college students that they can still enjoy life and time with friends while remaining focused on larger goals.

 

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The Four Prides at Maharishi School

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Curious about the four Prides?

pridesThe Pioneer is our school mascot and we divided the pioneer into four different qualities, thus the four different prides. Trailblazer, innovator, adventurer, and visionary.

The Pride system at Maharishi School serves many purposes to unify the whole school from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Offering Pride related events serves as an opportunity for the students to collaborate, work on projects together and have school-wide teamwork. Not only do teams have to work harmoniously together but they also compete against the other Prides to earn points throughout the year.

We also wanted the Prides to work with our 5 core values (respect, responsibility, service, solutions, transcendence). Our students are able to earn points for their pride whenever they are displaying any of those core values. Again this gives them an opportunity to compete, earn points, to collaborate, and have a sense of achievement at the end of the year.

As the competition goes on, the points tally up and at the of the year is a big celebration to announce the winning Pride. The winners get to have their photo taken, their pride team name written on our Dean’s cup (which is a big trophy), and they will also get a pizza party, or a free dress day or gift cards.

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

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After School Activities Log

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While the school day is filled with a busy schedule of math, sciences, writing and projects, we understand that each child may have a desire to go more in depth into an area or personal hobby. Check out this list of fun after school activities that your child can get involved in right here in Fairfield.

[The views and opinions expressed by the following venues do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Maharishi School.] 

 

 

  • Horseback Riding – Either private for $45 or groups of two for $40 each (depending on students experience). Lesson run two hours from start to finish. If you have any more questions or would like to sign up please email Tara at tesands@me.com
  • Tennis – Coach Lawrence Eyre offers group and individual tennis lessons for ages 4-18, please contact him at 309-221-3376
  • Dance Class – The Iowa Dance Collective offers a huge variety of class from ballet, jazz, tap to hip hop, acro/tumbling and more! Click here to view the weekly schedule and here to view prices. To get in contact with Tyler you can email him at tyler@iowadancecollective.com or call 319-280-1262 for more informaiton.
  • Ground Zero Martial Arts– offers youth boxing, kickboxing, and jiu-jitsu. Click here to visit there website and see the schedule of classes. Or call instructor Nick Ulin at 641-919-6386
  • Driving Lessons – Safer Driver Solutions in a driving school in Iowa that can help you get a driver license. They also support kids learning to drive with autism, ADHD, anxiety and executive functioning disorders. Click here to learn more.
  • Art Lessons – Bill Teeple is the owner of ICON gallery and can be contacted for art classes at iconbillteeple@gmail.com or (641) 919-6252
  • Photography – Carolyn Waksman has many photography workshops throughout the year, to get in touch with her you can email at cwaksman@barclayhedge.com or call 641-472-8427
  • 4-H & Youth/ Iowa State University – Iowa 4-H Youth Development is the premier youth development program of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Providing research-based education to K-12 youth, Iowa 4-H focuses on Healthy Living, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), Leadership and Civic Engagement, and Communication and the Arts. Click here for more information.

 

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What is CCLS?

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In addition to our students’ practice of Transcendental Meditation, we have a unique course that distinguishes our Consciousness-consciousness educationBased Education approach.

It’s called Consciousness, Connections, and Life Skills. As the title implies, the course has three interrelated aspects:

1) Consciousness: deepening students’ understanding and experience of consciousness

Topics: practice of Transcendental Mediation, yoga, pranayama (breathing technique), advanced TM techniques, brain coherence, theories of human development and higher states of consciousness, collective consciousness, and research on consciousness.

2) Connections: exploring underlying, universal principles and qualities that are common to the structure and functioning of all aspects of life—their academic subjects, in nature, and in themselves

Topics: 16 Life Principles, 50 Qualities and 16 Values of Creative Intelligence.

For example, we see how “Life is found in layers”: whether in the earth’s crust, our government, the analysis of literature, a math theorem, or one’s family and personality.

This is one way Maharishi School cultivates both horizontal and vertical thinking: making connections between all the details on the surface of life and with the big ideas at their basis.

3) Life Skills: developing social-emotional awareness and skills as a foundation for their personal and academic growth.

Topics: Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), Comprehensive Health, Positive Discipline and Restorative Justice

Social and Emotional Learning curriculum in our Upper School consists of 5 main competencies as formulated by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL):

  • Self-Awareness: the ability to accurately recognize one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior.
  • Self-Management: the ability to successfully regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations.
  • Social Awareness: the ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
  • Relationship Skills: the ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups.
  • Responsible Decision-Making: the ability to make constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions.

Comprehensive Health curriculum: We use the K-12 curriculum from Advocates for Youth called Rights, Respect, and Responsibility. This curriculum includes age-appropriate lessons that cover a wide range of health areas, including relationships and consent, STDs and contraception, dating abuse, etc.

Positive Discipline is designed to teach young people to become responsible, respectful, and resourceful members of their communities. Our overall goal for positive discipline is to culture mutual respect between peers and adults, and to make sure all children are heard, respected, and intrinsically motivated.

  • In Middle School, communication skills and conflict resolution are the main focus.
  • In the Upper School, many aspects of Positive Discipline (such as effective communication and problem-solving skills) are covered in the SEL curriculum and practiced in the classroom. The upper school also utilizes Restorative Justice talking circles and practices, which are much in line with Positive Discipline.

 

Ready to apply? Click here.

Want to know more about our new Interim Head of School? Click here.

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Getting to Know Nuwaira

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nuwairaMessage from Nuwaira

I have often asked myself the question- “What is the purpose of education?” Is it to prepare children for jobs and careers which will give them financial security and the ability to procure materialistic comforts or is it about preparing them for ‘life’ which is beyond comforts, materialistic possessions, power, pleasure, contentment and satisfaction?

 I have been an international educator in the UK and India for over two decades. Learning, is not just my passion, but it defines who I am. The vertical and horizontal range of experience in international curricula has helped me in understanding teaching and learning requirements globally, enabling me to strengthen academic rigour with a focus to provide holistic education to students of the 21st century. My experience in the various facets of education has also made me realize the critical role teachers play in shaping young minds and the importance of creating a positive and nurturing environment for learning and unlearning to take place.

2020 has been a defining year for schools all over the world. Every individual, family, state and nation has been through some very gruelling times. However, the blessing in disguise has been that Corona acted as a reminder to each one of us that we need to reset our lives – pause, slow down and re-connect with ourselves. A reminder that there is more to life than money, pleasure and power. A reminder that the greatest gift parents and teachers can give their child, is to help them find a purpose  and give meaning to their life.

nuwaira pasha

 In a world where change is the new normal, there are three constants in our life: our higher purpose, the vision that flows out of it, and to be future ready. This involves acquiring competencies to re-skill ourselves, competencies to take bold risks, and welcome failures as an unavoidable requirement for success. I believe that in a  post-Corona world, children will need to develop a wide range of life competencies to thrive in a world which is volatile. High performance in academics and standardized tests alone will not suffice for children to be future ready. Education is truly about balancing the education of  the Head, Heart and Mind. There has to be a pronounced shift in education of the heart (emotions and competencies) and mind (spirituality), and not the head alone.  I believe that the purpose of education is to prepare a child for life and we must support our students to develop skills, competencies and techniques to deal with the challenges that life may bring.

 

At Maharishi School, we do exactly this. We prepare our children for life and provide them with a toolkit to enable them to live a more meaningful and purpose driven life. Our children engage in the practice of yoga and meditation twice-daily. They devote time to pause and reset their buttons to experience the quietness within themselves. They learn the mechanics to dissolve stress systematically on a daily basis. In addition to the practice of Transcendental Meditation the children also engage in a Consciousness Based Education system which focuses on teaching children principles of life. This transdisciplinary course teaches students to identify underlying universal principles of how life is structured and functions. It encourages children to think deeply about life concepts and develop an appreciation and reverence for life. This is Maharishi School’s version of holistic education. In addition to the wide range of academic and extracurricular subjects there is a strong emphasis on developing the inner self to unlock a child’s potential and creativity.

 

nuwaira pasha head of schoolWe look forward to having you join us in the journey of unravelling who you are and what your true potential is.

 

Nuwaira Pasha

 

 

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Fostering the Parent-Teacher Partnership

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How it helps

It has been well established that collaboration between parents and the school has a significant and positive impact on the learning and development of children. When parents are aligned with the school’s vision and are actively engaged in supporting its mission and core values, they contribute towards creating a harmonious and positive ethos in the school. This helps in improving children’s morale, attitude, academic achievement, behavior, social adjustment, and, most importantly, helps them become productive and responsible citizens of society.

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Furthermore, this partnership between the parents and the school, helps build trust and positions them to set high expectations for their children. A well-structured partnership program improves the school, strengthens families, and increases student achievement and success. All of us at Maharishi School wholeheartedly endorse parental engagement in the education of their children and invite parents to participate in the school’s learning experience in a positive and constructive way.

What we are doing about it

In order to provide a focus to parent engagement and to streamline parental involvement, Maharishi School intends on constituting a Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) to serve as a link between the school and the wider parent community. Its objectives are:

  • To facilitate on-going communication between the school and the wider parent
    community. The PAC is an advisory body. It communicates mutual concerns,
    recommends possible solutions and shares innovative ideas that might benefit
    the school. It acts as a medium between the school and the wider parent
    community.
  • To provide an opportunity for Maharishi parents to share their ideas and mutual
    concerns on every facet of school life.
  • To endorse, recommend and encourage parental collaboration on school
    initiatives.
  • To support, endorse and propagate the school’s vision, mission, core values and
    its central focus on Consciousness-Based Education.

In addition to the PAC, we also intend on engaging parents in their child’s learning, for students in the Children’s House and Lower School. This will be done by having regular events where children will showcase their learning through different mediums. We also plan to keep the parents informed about their child’s learning on a bi-weekly basis.

We plan on conducting Parent Education Sessions to strengthen the alignment between the parents and the school’s mission. The only way to grow is by accepting and acting on feedback. As a school we will be seeking quarterly feedback from the parents on the different facets of the school. Once the feedback is received and analysed, solutions will be arrived upon and then shared with the parent community.

 

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