Yes, We Do Academics, Just Not the Usual Way

Sunnyside may come across like a place where children do a lot of outdoor learning , more exploration and fun stuff. Naturally, questions may pop up in a parent's mind “But what about academics? Do they think it is important or do they completely ignore it ? “

As a part of the team, I want to assure you that our students learn way lot more than they would do at any traditional school.Sunnyside believes in holistic growth- we want the whole package for our children . That’s why we have our day split into 5 distinct parts .

1.⁠ ⁠Focus hours (what we HAVE to learn)

These are the first few hours of the morning, when children are well rested and ready to focus with a fresh mind. These are precious hours for us, we do deep focused academic learning in the first part. Eat the frog – they say, and we do exactly that. We deal with the difficult part first and get it done. We avoid long boring lectures, we do short stints, a faster approach and just get it done.

2.⁠ ⁠The second part is IDP – Independent Passion Project (what we WANT to learn)

This time is dedicated time for each child to pursue their field of interest. We identify the right resources for them and they dive right in . While one child may learn French, another may study consumer psychology, while some may have their heads deep down in coding. Why wait until college to choose what you WANT to learn , while no one stops us from doing that right away.

3.⁠ ⁠Break

We break for a good one hour to rejuvenate ourselves from the brain heavy lifting of the morning.

4.⁠ ⁠Habits of Success: Life skills (What We MUST Learn for Life)

We start our second half with life skills, which we call our habits of success. We focus on skills that our children may use as adults. Today as a society, we see how some adults lack basic skills that are needed for their smart everyday survival – we don’t want that for our children. We give them a head start so they are fully equipped and prepared for the future. These liefskills are broken down into

•⁠ ⁠Communication

•⁠ ⁠Business/Entrepreneurship

•⁠ ⁠Psychology/Emotional Health

•⁠ ⁠Social Justice/Politics/Current Affairs

•⁠ ⁠Team Work/Collaboration

5.⁠ ⁠We end our day with movement. It’s not brainwork all day. We understand that children need to move their bodies as much as they exercise their brain. We do a mix of football, badminton, tennikoit or the good old kabadi. We then call it a day.

Special Projects:

Apart from all of this, we dedicate time each week for visual communications /art. We also have biodiversity/climate Ed – a core topic we explore each term as a longer project.

Our children learn a lot. Just that we do it in our own fun way, where learning doesn’t sound like a chore. It comes easily for the children and flows seamlessly. High school at Sunnyside is not about ticking boxes or chasing grades. We’re not trying to raise toppers. We’re raising thinkers, doers, and grounded young adults. By the time they reach high school, our children already know how to learn. Now it’s about helping them understand who they are and what matters to them. We, as mentors, walk alongside them; nudging, guiding, and sometimes just listening as they find their way.

Their days are filled with all kinds of experiences, from hands-on projects, lively group discussions and debates to sports, workshops and interactions with inspiring guests. And some of our best learning happens beyond the campus through our short trips and multi-day travels that open their eyes to people, places, and possibilities. These varied exposures help them connect the dots between what they learn and the world they live in.

So yes, we do a lot of “outdoor” learning — but trust us, what’s happening inside their minds is even more powerful.