Sept-ember was a month to remember, pun intended. It began like any other month but as the days passed it brought on dahi handi, modaks, drums, achievements and more importantly unforgettable memories. We have it all catalogued for you, so that you can come back repeatedly to relive these memories.
Years of work, a moment of pride
ARISE School Tour
ARISE (Association for Reinventing School Education) is a network of visionary school founders and educators representing over 1800 private schools, 95000 teachers and 1.5 million students. The ARISE Learning Festival took place between 21st September 2026 and 25th September 2026, where a handful of schools who are changing the motion in the education system hosted the ARISE delegates and opened their campus doors and shared their ways with the world. Walnut School was one of the chosen schools in Pune.
Spending a day with the ARISE delegates was not only a moment of pride for the team but also a pat on all our backs. What we showed the delegates took years of dedication, small and big decisions along with continued consistency to get here. And it showed. Every time we explained our school routine, spoke about our advanced academics plan or discussed how we aim on evolving even further to adapt to the changing times, the delegates were truly surprised.
The Walnut Learning System is appreciated by not only our parents, but also peer schools – which makes us very proud!
Watch the videoA World in Motion, under construction
Teams of four, and each child takes a role: design, testing, efficiency. You may think we are referring to Std. 8th – 10th students. But no, we are talking about Std. 5th and 6th students who have been tasked with building skimmers and balloon-powered jet toys for the AWIM (A World in Motion) Olympics, run by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE India).
It starts with a question. Why does a balloon car move forward? Why does a skimmer tip over? Nobody hands over the answer. They tinker and build on it. Prototype after prototype, they find answers to questions like how can we make sure it works better, why is it wobbling, what can we do to make it look better and then tweak it further. This all happens over 7 to 8 sessions.
The preparatory sessions across all branches have started, the projects are under construction officially. The selection round is happening on 24th October 2026. Our kids have put on the tinker caps, we will do our best to help you keep up with the prototypes.
This is an additional opportunity for students to build their hands on STEM skills – something which they already do at Walnut for many different things.
Meet the AWIM winners over the years.Artists at work
Imagine drawing a front door from your memory with nothing in front of you. It’s harder than you think. Remembering every line, every curve, every pattern and replicating on that paper exactly, is a real challenge. Our students had to do exactly that and more, at this year’s drawing grade exams. The Elementary exam for Std 7 to 10 and the Intermediate exam for Std 8 to 10 are held by the Directorate of Art, Government of Maharashtra. Each runs for two full days with four papers. Elementary covers Object Drawing, Memory Drawing, Design and Plane Geometry and Lettering. In the weeks before the actual day, our Art teachers held Saturday guidance in the Art room, where students brought their sketches and left with new assignments. Some brought an apple to life on the paper with their precise shading while others gave us patterns like never before, all from their imagination. Now, while we wait for the results, maybe you can try your hands on drawing a window from memory and awaken your inner artist.
See the Elementary winners See the Intermediate winnersWalnut makes the merit list
Walnut students shine bright in Scholarship exams
Four of our students secured merit list positions at the state level – a genuinely rare achievement. We’re equally proud to share that 9 more students scored above the district cutoff, holding their own against the very best in the state at such a young age.
This is not an exam that hands out trophies to nearly all its participants like most of the other commercial competitive exams these days. There’s no “Best Attempt” award here, no medal just for turning up. The merit list is small, the competition is state-wide and for CBSE and other non-state-board students the cutoffs are very high. To place among the state’s toppers as a non-state-board student is a real mark of academic strength.
These students have lived up to the Walnut spirit in every sense – tough outside, smart inside, showing the grit to sit through a demanding exam and the sharpness to crack it like this!
This achievement also reflects the tireless work of our scholarship training team : the R&D team who set mock tests and prelims and the teachers who had coaching sessions running through holidays and weekends to get our students exam-ready. Our heartfelt thanks to them.
See the scholarship winners over the yearsGovinda ala re and so did the energy
Dahi handi is about reaching higher than you thought you could because you believed in not just yourself but also the team standing with you. Our smallest students did it their own way. The little Krishnas and Radhas from Baby Walnut took the floor holding their cute little Basuris and had everyone mesmerised with their moves. The elder ones left everyone in shock as they made not 2 but 3 tier pyramids and broke the matkas. It was loud, it was colourful and it was over faster than anyone wanted.
Explore our complete extra curricular programme →Ganpati Bappa Morya!!
If we asked anyone, child or adult, what a modak reminds them of, they would say Bappa without a second thought. Every year, our students do more than remember him. They make him. Before a single idol took shape, the teachers had already been at work, weighing out the clay, mixing it and portioning it into balls of different sizes so that every child got an equal share. Then the children took over. Parents and children then sat together with their clay and started rolling, pressing and shaping. A ball became a belly. A mound became a head. No two idols looked the same, and every child could point to theirs and say, “I made that.”
🔗 Watch the VideoTough outside, results straight from the field
The spirit of sports continued in full force through September. From daily sports on the school ground to league games to individual achievements, our students proved once again that the Walnut approach to physical education builds more than athletes, it builds discipline and character.
More competitions are already lined up across all three campuses and we will keep you posted as results come in.
🔗 To explore Walnut’s daily sports programme in full, visit Walnut School Daily Sports
Know a Family Who Would Love Walnut?
Admissions for 2027-28 are now open at all three campuses: Shivane, Fursungi and Wakad.
You have seen the Walnut Effect in your own child: no school bag, subject-wise classrooms, daily sports and teaching that meets each child where they are. You know what makes Walnut special because you’ve seen the difference in your own child. And who better to share that experience than you? Your recommendation means the world to us.
Last year, several Walnut parents referred more than 10 families each! That’s an incredible expression of trust in our learning system and we are immensely grateful.
As our Walnut family grows, we’d like to recognise and appreciate the parents who help make this happen. We’re delighted to introduce our enhanced Brand Ambassador Appreciation Programme for 2027-28!
This year, every successful referral earns a fee discount and the discount grows with each additional admission. Details are in the attached infographic.
Walnut Sparks
How do you make an already awesome kindergarten even better? Give children more opportunities to learn, explore and have fun! Starting June 2027, we’re introducing Walnut Sparks, an exciting optional extension to our already wonderful Baby Walnut Kindergarten programme!
From June 2027, Baby Walnut Kindergarten students can stay on for extra guided activities: reading, speaking, storytelling, puzzles, games and hands-on play. It is optional and comes at no additional charge. Working parents also get fewer childcare arrangements to manage. Read more HERE.
A new NIOS pathway
Every child has different strengths, interests and career goals. For students who are clear about pursuing Commerce, Humanities or related fields, we’ve introduced academic support for the NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling) pathway. After Std. 8, they can now choose the NIOS pathway with academic support from Walnut. In place of Mathematics, Science and Social Studies, they study Economics, Psychology and Business Studies. They keep their friends, sports and activities. Different paths. The same commitment to helping every child succeed! Read HERE.
A quick reminder
Preferred slots for Baby Walnut KG and Std. 1 fill early. Higher classes have very few vacancies. If you are planning a sibling admission or know a family who would love Walnut, ask them to begin soon.
You recommend it. We appreciate it. Together, we grow the Walnut family.
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– The Walnut Family
