FAQs for new parents
For new parents of Walnut School, here are some frequently asked questions, about how we do things at Walnut.
Timings and Routine
What is the reporting time?
Depending on your batch, please check the reporting time on these pages:
How many recesses and duration?
For Std 1 to 10, each student has one recess period (35 minutes) somewhere in the middle of their school day.
KG students have one 30 minute recess period everyday.
If school starts at 7:05 am, then recess starts sometime between 8.50 am and 10.00 am
If school starts at 8:50 am, then recess starts sometime between 10.35 am and 11.45 am
If school starts at 10:35 am, then recess starts sometime between 12.20 pm and 1.30 pm
If school starts at 12:20 pm, then recess starts sometime between 2.05 pm and 3.15 pm
What is the daily timetable like?
Kindergarten students have 5 periods of 30 minutes everyday which are as follows: Read, Write, Learn, Recess and Activity. The order of the periods changes from division to division
Activity is a different class every day of the week. These are the 5 different activities that are conducted: Hands on, Outdoor, Theatre, Computer, Speaking
This is the daily routine of the kindergarten students.
For Std. 1 to 10, students have one recess period everyday which is somewhere in the middle of the day. They have one sports period everyday as well. They have a distribution of core subjects and activity periods throughout the day.
What do we have to do on the days marked as ELECTRIC SATURDAYS?
All parents and students do not have activities on every Electric Saturday. Everyone will have something once or twice every quarter. If you have not received any email about a certain saturday that means there is no activity on this Electric Saturday for you. So, in that case for you it is a holiday.
In case you cannot come on an Electric Saturday slot that you are specifically called, that is fine. No core academic work happens in these sessions. The activities that are designed are for parents to see and kids to perform. So if you are busy and cannot come with your child for a particular event it is again okay for both of you to miss it.
As mentioned in the calendar explanation, Electric Saturdays are fun days for the students and even the parents. Sports matches, quiz competitions, challenges, workshops, art days, science fairs, business fairs, debate competitions and lots of other exciting activities! You will get emails about this from time to time. Different classes will have these events on different Saturdays. (remember : no email to you = no activity for your child)
All important information is given to you through the emails that you can see on the WalSh App.
Changing the batch timing
In case a parent wishes to change the batch timing, send us a request by email. We then add your name to the waiting list. When it is possible to go ahead with the change, we let you know. Till then parents have to continue with the timings that are assigned. There is no need to write to the school about this repeatedly. The moment you write to us for the first time, you get added into the waiting list for a shift change. Some batches are in huge demand and the waiting period is thus very long. We cannot give parents an estimate of when the change will actually happen because it is totally non linear.
Also please note that for the primary section (till Std. 5) the afternoon shift is not really afternoon, it is actually late morning. It is just 1.5 hours after the earlier timing.
How are birthdays celebrated?
We celebrate birthdays with an “aukshan” of the birthday child, giving them a personalized birthday card, and singing the birthday song while they are wearing a unique birthday cake hat. If the birthday of a student falls on a weekend or a school holiday, we celebrate it in the following school week. On birthdays please send the child in regular school uniform. Do not send any gift items to be distributed amongst the other students either. This event is strictly for the students. So parents cannot attend.
I would like to request a division change for my child
At Walnut School, divisions are randomly allocated at the beginning of each academic year. Allotment of divisions is fixed for the year. We understand that you may have concerns about your child being placed in a different division than what you had hoped for. However, we want to reassure you that this can be a positive experience for your child. By being in a different division, your child will have the opportunity to make new friends and retain old ones, while still meeting and interacting with students from the entire standard during recess and sports activities. Children get to know other children through shuffling and make more friends.
Also, grade 6 onwards they have differential learning. So for all core subjects and sports they are split up into groups that are as per their abilities in the subject. So essentially these children have different groups – one for each of the subjects and one for the rest of the activities. Students make more friends and will retain older ones as well. As adults who have more experience of the way the world works and who know how good it is to develop good networking skills at an early age, let us encourage our students to look at this as an opportunity to further expand their circle of friends and intellectual stimulation! After a week or two of school, if you still have concerns regarding how your child is accepting a division shuffle, we are more than willing to counsel your child in school. Please let us know if you would like us to.
On days marked as parties in the school calendar, do students come in party wear?
Students are expected to come to school in complete school uniform on all days. When civil / party dresses are allowed, we will give you a heads up. Unless you get an email asking to send children in party wear, just assume the default attire to be the complete school uniform.
I would like my child’s class timetable to be changed
The timetable and calendar at Walnut are very complex and planned with great detail. It takes hours and days of highly skilful work to form this jigsaw puzzle perfectly for a school like Walnut – to make the maximum and best resources available to the students. Please also understand that Walnut School is run by educationists and technologists, and that there are pedagogical thoughts which also go into making of the timetable. Please do not make requests for changes. They are impossible to fulfil.
Coming to school
What happens if the child forgets to wear the ID card?
Students without ID cards are not allowed to attend school. The student is asked to wait in the office and the parent is called to come and deliver the ID card or to take the child home.
What happens if the child does not wear sports shoes?
Wearing black sports shoes is a part of the school uniform. Unless the child has a foot injury which prevents them from wearing shoes, this is not allowed. The student is asked to wait in the office and the parent is called to come and deliver the shoes or to take the child home. In any case students who do not wear sports shoes are not allowed to participate in the sports activity. They have to wait on the sidelines.
What happens if the child does not come in proper school uniform?
Wearing the complete school uniform (also clean, properly fitting) is compulsory everyday unless specifically stated for a particular day. The student who is not in complete and proper school uniform is asked to wait in the office and the parent is called to come and fix the problem or to take the child home.
What happens if the child has overgrown fingernails?
This is a danger to others. The child is not allowed to participate in sports. In the first instance a warning is given and the child is expected to not be caught in a repeat situation.
Do we have to send any extra pair of clothes to the school?
Not at all. The school uniform is a sports uniform and keeps them comfortable all day. In case a very young child has a potty accident, we put on our replacement set and send yours along with the child. Make sure you wash ours and send it back the next day.
On the first day after a long break, will the school be for the whole day?
Absolutely. The school always runs for the regular hours unless explicitly stated.
What do the kids have to bring to school in the folder and lunch bag everyday?
In the folder : sharpened pencils (no sharpener, no sharpening allowed in school either), eraser, ruler, pen etc. completed HW
In the lunch bag : a water bottle, food to eat in recess, a napkin to lay out and place the tiffin on while eating
The school day
Washroom and drinking water visits
As the students move from class to class, they have a 5 min break between classes. This is the time to go to the washroom or drink water. There are washrooms and water fountains on every floor and kids have easy access to this. The teachers are telling them this constantly, maybe you can tell them at home too.
Wanting the child to carry drinking water for the whole day
School drinking water quality is checked at regular intervals and is absolutely potable. We have a very well maintained and hygienic RO filter system for safe and pure drinking water.
For KG students we have disposable glasses to drink water. For primary students we have water fountains for drinking water installed on all floors. This prevents spread of germs as no glasses are used.
Students are allowed and encouraged to drink water between periods, so as to keep them well-hydrated.
Our students change locations after every period and have to carry their folders with them. Please note that a water bottle cannot be allowed to be kept with them in the classroom in the Walnut system.
What if my child gets lost in the subjectwise classroom switches?
The classroom timetables are always displayed on the notice board in the corridor of that floor. If the child gets lost in the classroom switches, he/she can check it there. If still it is not clear, the floor mavshis or teachers help the child to locate the classroom.
Does it get chaotic when students are switching from one class to another class?
Nope. Not at all. Walnut School classrooms have two doors – one for IN one for OUT.
Our students know exactly where they have to go due to the planned timetable. Also, there is plenty of time to get to the next class. They also use this time to go to the bathroom or drink water if they feel the need to. It gives them a good break. It also helps in neuroplastic changes which help in better assimilation of what they have learnt in the previous period. (Which is why all desk job employees are all encouraged to take 5 min walking breaks after every hour of work!)
Will my child get tired because of changing classrooms?
Nope. Not at all. There is plenty of time to get to the next class. They also use this time to go to the bathroom or drink water if they feel the need to. It gives them a good break. It helps them reset their mental fatigue too. In fact they are super happy and the josh is high even at the very last period of the day.
Also they only have to leave their floor and go all the way down only for food or sports. Otherwise its mostly just shuffling between classrooms that are quite close to each other. All possible due to the awesome timetable that we have!
Will someone feed my child? Will someone make sure they finish their tiffin?
In our snack area, we have some staff members dedicated to assisting students during snack time. They do their best to encourage students to finish their tiffin, but it’s important to note that they do not force the kids to finish their tiffin. We recognize that there may be various reasons why a student might not finish their tiffin, such as individual preferences or underlying health issues. We prioritize respecting each student’s autonomy in deciding how much they eat during snack time. There is also no one on one assistance of feeding children individually.
How will I get photos of my child in school doing the activities we see on social media?
All children participate in all the events and activities that we have at Walnut. The photos on social media cannot show every child.
We do not have a dedicated cameraman who takes individual photos of each class and student. Our teachers too are actively involved in ensuring that every student takes part in all the activities, which makes capturing a large number of photos quite challenging.
The photos and videos we share on social media serve as a short representation to give parents a glimpse of what is happening in school. We encourage you to follow our social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay updated on the posts shared by both the school and other parents. We encourage you to make use of the information we share to spark conversations with your child about their day at school. This can be a unique bonding activity that allows you to delve deeper into their experiences and encourage them to share their thoughts, feelings, and learnings with you.
School apps
Student’s Walnut email ID
This email ID has been specially created for your child. You receive it as part of the Welcome Email that is sent out upon your child’s admission to Walnut. Make sure you check it regularly since all the school communication is sent to this email ID.
This email ID will remain the same, throughout your child’s schooling journey with Walnut school. For your information, the first two letters of the email address stand for the campus your child is studying in. The next alpha-numeric combination (2 letters + 2 numbers) is your child’s reference number.
What is the Walmiki App used for?
The Walmiki App provides the student access to a HUGE database of MCQs and descriptive questions, which can be used for regular revision at home. These questions are made for the Walnut Learning System by Dr. Arpita Karkare’s content team.
Each chapter has two sets of quizzes created on it : REVISE and TEST.
REVISE quizzes are for practice. Students can take these quizzes multiple times, where the question set is randomized for each attempt. This way, students can become thorough with the concepts.
TEST quizzes are the TEST BYTES that you can read about in the exam circular. These are quizzes given as homework once each chapter is taught. The marks of these quizzes are later collated and added to the quarterly formative assessments.
Click here for the steps to access the Walmiki app. You receive the login details as part of the Welcome Email that is sent out upon your child’s admission to Walnut School.
We recommend your child access this app from any browser.
What is the WalSh App used for?
This is the student app that has :
- Communication from school (keeps your inbox clean, and all information from the school in one accessible place!).
- The option to pay fees directly, based on your payment plan (coming soon)
- Downloadable PDF versions of the fee receipts (coming soon)
- Month – wise view of the school calendar, customised for your campus (coming soon)
- A quick and easy way to convey your child’s absence from school, without needing to send in handwritten notes!
- A quick view of the Student Profile (coming soon)
Personal information like change in address, phone number, parent’s personal email address can be updated directly by the parents, by using a simple OTP authentication.
If both parents are communicating with the school, please add in both your email addresses here. That way, when you write to us, we can quickly figure out which student it is for, as the student information linked to that parent email then automatically comes up. - The unit – wise results (PDF) (coming soon)
- Reminders for the online Parent – Teacher Meetings (coming soon)
- All of Walnut’s social media handles (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube channel and the blog) accessible through a single page, for the school’s latest updates. (coming soon)
- Daily curriculum academic updates for the parent to know what was taught in school. Parents can access the curriculum per subject and unit, and download the academic material used during that particular period as well.
This app can be accessed through the PlayStore / AppStore. Do login with your registered phone number and an OTP that gets generated when you login.
For parents who want to access it through the browser, we also have a handy URL which you can access it from: https://erp.walnutedu.in/walsh
What do we do if we are unable to open links sent from school?
All links from the school have to be opened using your child’s walnut email ID only, which ends with @walnutedu.in It will not open using your personal Gmail account. Please follow the tutorial on https://tinyurl.com/2c5rhsw5 to open the academic material. If this solution doesn’t work, then you may need to change your device i.e. switch to a laptop or another phone.
Communication from the school
- We send out detailed circulars on Wal-SH well in advance (no sudden shocks or surprises here 🙂) , to inform you about specific events or school – related updates. Do make sure you have the WalSh app installed on your phone!
- Our circulars are a bit on the long side, because they try to explain things in detail with examples – and replace meetings! You can go through them at your convenience.
- Circulars are of two types – one which is meant for everyone, and one which is meant only for your child. We make that very clear at the top of the circular – so please pay attention to the same.
- We request to refer to the circulars sent to YOU and not refer to circulars forwarded by other parents, either on email or as screenshots circulated through WhatsApp. In fact, we highly recommend not relying on any “Whatsapp group” information at all!
- If you feel you have not received a circular / are not receiving circulars from the school, do write to us on [email protected] and we will help you resolve the issue.
Picking up children
Where is the Mamma child pick up / drop off?
Mamma children means children who are not using the transport of the collaborated transport provider. Children coming on cycle, walking or with private transport operators are all a part of Mamma children. Arrangements have been made there for parents to enter, pick up their kids and leave. Please note the mamma child pick up/drop off points for each campus.
Mamma children have to use the designated gate only.
Shivane : Mamma child gate at the Secondary building entrance. (Nanded city side)
Wakad : Mamma child gate at the back side of the school building. (Police Chowky Road)
Fursungi : Mamma child gate on the front side of the school building.