Parent Handbook

The School Day

The Pre-Prep class is called the Playful Pikas. It runs from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm.

Please arrive on time. The start of the morning sets the rhythm for the whole day. After two late-arrival warnings, a child who arrives late may be asked to go home for the day.

Arriving and Leaving

• Keep the goodbye warm, cheerful and brief. Long goodbyes make separation harder.
• Once school starts, parents do not stay on the premises unless the school invites them.
• Collect your child at dismissal time. There is a 10-minute grace period. After that, a late pick-up charge of ₹100 applies.
• Children are released only to parents, guardians or adults the family has authorised. Carry your Desert Flower ID card at pick-up, and tell the school in advance if someone else is coming.

Attendance

Children need at least 80% attendance to complete the programme. If your child will be absent, email the school before 8:30 am. For longer leave, tell the school in advance.

What to Send, and What Not To

• One full, labelled change of clothes, which stays at school.
• A child who has had a good breakfast at home.
• Clothes she can manage herself, with simple fastenings.
• No toys, food, sweets, money, stationery or gadgets, unless the school asks for them.

Health

Keep your child at home if she has a fever, vomiting or diarrhoea, a contagious illness or a persistent cough. A child who falls ill at school is cared for until she is collected.

In an emergency the school contacts you at once. If waiting would put a child at risk, the school may take her to SNM Hospital or another suitable facility while it reaches you. Please keep your emergency numbers up to date.

Birthdays

Birthdays here celebrate growing, not consuming. Please do not send cakes, sweets, gifts or return gifts. The school marks each child's birthday in its own simple way.

Talking With Teachers

• At drop-off and pick-up, a teacher's attention belongs to the children. For anything that needs a conversation, email the school or ask for an appointment.
• Parent-teacher conferences look at the whole child, not only academic progress.
• Tell the teacher privately about big changes at home, such as a new sibling, a move or a loss. No details are needed.
• Bring a concern to the school first, not to a parent group, and never in front of the children.

Extra Support

Children grow at different rhythms. A child who needs more support is not seen as behind. If teachers think focused support would help, they talk with the parents first. Families of children with additional needs are asked to share what they know early, so the school can respond with understanding.

Photographs and Privacy

The school asks for each family's consent separately for five uses of photographs and video: learning records, sharing within the parent community, the website and social media, school publications, and the press. Saying no never affects how a child is treated. Consent can be withdrawn in writing at any time.

A child's full name does not ordinarily appear with a public photograph. If a child clearly does not want to be photographed, the school tries to respect that. Please do not photograph or post pictures of other people's children.

Growing Independence

Let your child do the small things she can do herself: carry her bag, take off her shoes, wash her hands, put things away.

“What takes an adult ten seconds may take a child two minutes. Those two minutes are education.”

The School Year

The school year runs from November to October, in three terms, with a long winter break.

• Term 1. Monday 2 November 2026 to Friday 23 April 2027. Parent Orientation is in the first week, 2 to 6 November. Winter break runs from 10 December to 28 February. Project Day is 20 April.
• Term 2. Monday 3 May to Friday 16 July 2027. Sports Day is Friday 11 June.
• Term 3. Monday 2 August to Friday 22 October 2027. Teachers' Day is celebrated on Friday 3 September. Annual Day is Friday 1 October.

Galdan Namchot and Losar are celebrated at school in December. National and religious holidays are observed through the year, and some of those dates move with the calendar.

Fees

Fees are paid term by term. The calendar sets two payment days at the end of each term, for the term that follows. Tuition is ₹60,000 a year and meals ₹25,000 (part of every child's fees), with a one-time admission fee of ₹30,000 and a one-time session fee of ₹8,000. The full table is on the Fees page. Due dates and the refund and withdrawal policy are still to be published.