About Us
Our classrooms are developed to be cooperative, group learning environment where students learn to collaborate, form questions, listen to others, problem-solve, practice public-speaking, and teach themselves to learn, in small groups. We emphasis transferable skills which means that our curriculum, lesson plans and examples relate to everyday life so that students understand why they are learning subject matter and how to apply their knowledge. Motivation for learning is centered around a positive approach including reward systems, constant encouragement, affirmation, and positivity, which crown each child with honor, value and intrinsic motivation to learn and contribute to community.
We have created an environment that shapes high character with a moral compass. Teachers embody peace, gentleness, kindness, patience, self-control, joy, and love: the fruits of a spirit that is guided by a gracious, just, and good God. We seek to build up the whole person through morel lessons, exercise, the arts and other “specials”. Family involvement through classroom volunteering, day trips, family event nights, and regular interaction with parents on student progress, reinforce the family structure, and uphold respect for the value and strength of family.
Finally, our student population is unique being made up of Malayali, other Indian and international students. Thus, our teachers use the English language close to 100% of the time, which along with having peer interaction with native speakers causes our students to gain English language fluency within the first few months of attendance. CGIA is an initiative of Common Grounds Foundation and is run by an administrative board.Show Less
Vision 2025
CGIA’s small class sizes and individual attention allow each student to work at their own pace toward their unique academic goals and to reach their full potential regardless of their abilities or challenges. For children with severe disabilities, our caring staff provides meaningful learning opportunities and positive social interaction in their own specially designed wing. Students utilize our well-equipped laboratories, smart classrooms and public research library to learn a variety of disciplines.
CGIA’s art wing is graced by veterans from the fields of drama, music, folk art, photography and film. Our excellent sport facilities encourage play, exercise and competition. In our wing for Social Responsibility, our students develop their ideas and plans for the benefit of their fellow students and the wider community through service.
CGIA’s fully equipped campus is situated in a nature preserve maintained, in part, by the students themselves. The life skills our students gain make them competent contributors to their families and society.Show Less
History
We at CGIA would like to give you some background surrounding how our school came to be:
“Three sets of parents from the UK and America, here doing business in beautiful Kerala, sought to provide a school that would embody the educational approach of “teaching the whole child,” as well as one that would transition their children well into UK, American or Indian systems equally. They spent their first year (2013-2014) selecting curriculum, hiring and training staff and testing their approaches on their own children. It worked! The kids loved it as they did.
After that initial year of visionary set up, Common Grounds International Academy became an initiative of Common Grounds Foundation, a local trust. Then in the spirit of expanding carefully to ensure quality, we opened up the opportunity for a few, select families to join CGIA. That 2014-2015 school year included only a small number of primary and preschool aged children and this innovative initiative has grown beautifully in every year that has followed!
Now, in 2021-2022 the students, play class through seventh grade, continue to experience small class sizes and individualized instruction. CGIA is run by an administrative board, which intends to add a standard each year, meaning that ninth standard will be there in the coming year and so on from there.
Our Motto
‘Wisdom. Understanding. Knowledge.’
This motto is taken from the wisdom of King Solomon…
“Through wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established;
by knowledge the rooms are filled
with all precious and pleasant riches.”
Like a house needs to be built, established and filled with rich treasures, so our children’s lives need to be nurtured and filled with gifts of learning, laughter and We regard every student as a valued individual; whose mind, body and character all need nurturing. We aim to do this by providing excellent instruction in a caring, creative and professional environment.
Above this we seek to teach them how to apply themselves to succeed in life in a wholesome and balanced way, to the benefit of themselves and others.
Chairman's Message
When we look back, the growth of CGIA has been tremendous. Starting as a home school, four years back, for a few western kids with one teacher now has grown to a large community with a snowballing effect.
In principle we see schools as a space for facilitating learning. Yes, CGIA has been a space for children to gain knowledge, skills, values and behavior development. In CGIA children learn through rational enquiry with other children of similar interest that helps them in progressive meaning making. It has also been a place for parents to come, share ideas and work together for a better future of their children. As a community we have made remarkable changes in the lives of the children, the generation next. The students certify that they have had an enjoyable and creative learning space in CGIA.Show More
Naturally a child is always enthusiastic to ask questions, explore and learn continuously. It is important to note that the majority of children stop natural learning when they are admitted in schools. This is mainly because we take shortcuts to fill more knowledge artificially in their brains without application. The teachers in CGIA, through rigorous training, learned how to keep up their interest and make learning easy and progressive. For most of them, it has been not only a process of learning but also a process of unlearning. Each of the class rooms have become very creative, information rich and learner friendly. Learning has never been a process of memorizing things just for examinations but has been a process of developing the whole child for life by way of conceptual understanding and its application to deepen the understanding and acquisition of related skills.
Multi-Cultural and groupings within the classroom, according to the interests and levels, help children to learn things at their own pace on a continual basis. The presence of native English speakers and focus on phonics has helped the children to acquire a good command over the English language; even the KG students of CGIA have acquired this capability. The multicultural experience, the command of the language, and international curricula enables them to survive in any corner of the world. The young Indian and western kids in CGIA see and interact with each other without prejudice because they feel they are one family. This shows the power of cross-cultural experience in CGIA.
We at CGIA believe that education is not complete without character formation. Appropriately designed moral lessons for inculcating good values; a loving and caring approach followed by the faculty; mutually supporting and enriching group activities; and a positive rewarding system enable them to build their characters. It has been rewarding for us when parents testify that their child has made a quantum leap in terms character formation.Show Less
Our Staff
Joy
Chairman
Joicy
Director
Chandini
Office Administrator
Anjali Mathew
Administrator
Remya M
Lead Teacher cum Upper Primary Science Teacher
Nuzha Basheer
Promotions and Content Management Consultant
Sarah Martson
Coordinator for Special Education
Shahina
Lower Primary Teacher
Sini
Hindi Teacher
Reya
Social Studies Teacher
Bindu
English Teacher
Arya
Math Teacher
Usha Kumari
Lower Primary Teacher
Vipin Raj
Physical Educator
Hasna
KG Lead
Sherin Shahana
Play Class Teacher
Jaxi
Play Class Teacher
Aysha Merry
LKG Teacher
Nadiya Najeeb
LKG Teacher
Patricia Rajkiron
UKG Teacher
Nithu
Nursery Teacher
Aswathi
Learning Support Teacher
Shamila
Learning Support Teacher
Reema
Learning Support Teacher
Sruthi.C
Learning Support Teacher
Priyanka
Learning Support Teacher
Shabina
Learning Support Teacher
Thasleena
Learning Support Teacher
Muhsina Sherin
Learning Support Teacher
Nasli PK
Learning Support Teacher
Nisi Saju
Learning Support Teacher
Anusha Balan
Learning Support Teacher
Chandrika
Primary Support Staff
Reetha
Primary Support Staff
Sunitha
KG Support Staff
Reena
KG Support Staff
Manjusha
KG Support Staff
Rajitha
KG Support Staff
Bhaskaran
Gate Keeper
Rakesh
Driver
About Us
Our students receive one-on-one teacher attention. Instruction is fun, interactive, and hands-on.
Common Grounds International Academy (CGIA) is a truly child centered school. Our staff pays great attention to each child through one-on-one interactions in classes made up of no more than 12 students (KG sections) and 15 students (Primary sections). We emphasis transferable skills which means that our curriculum, lesson plans and examples relate to everyday life so that students understand why they are learning subject matter and how to apply their knowledge. In an environment that shapes high character, the kids grow to love learning at Common Grounds; instruction is fun, hands on and interactive.Show More
Our classrooms are developed to be cooperative, group learning environment where students learn to collaborate, form questions, listen to others, problem-solve, practice public-speaking, and teach themselves to learn, in small groups. We emphasis transferable skills which means that our curriculum, lesson plans and examples relate to everyday life so that students understand why they are learning subject matter and how to apply their knowledge. Motivation for learning is centered around a positive approach including reward systems, constant encouragement, affirmation, and positivity, which crown each child with honor, value and intrinsic motivation to learn and contribute to community.
We have created an environment that shapes high character with a moral compass. Teachers embody peace, gentleness, kindness, patience, self-control, joy, and love: the fruits of a spirit that is guided by a gracious, just, and good God. We seek to build up the whole person through morel lessons, exercise, the arts and other “specials”. Family involvement through classroom volunteering, day trips, family event nights, and regular interaction with parents on student progress, reinforce the family structure, and uphold respect for the value and strength of family.
Finally, our student population is unique being made up of Malayali, other Indian and international students. Thus, our teachers use the English language close to 100% of the time, which along with having peer interaction with native speakers causes our students to gain English language fluency within the first few months of attendance. CGIA is an initiative of Common Grounds Foundation and is run by an administrative board.Show Less
Vision 2025
CGIA’s small class sizes and individual attention allow each student to work at their own pace toward their unique academic goals and to reach their full potential regardless of their abilities or challenges. For children with severe disabilities, our caring staff provides meaningful learning opportunities and positive social interaction in their own specially designed wing. Students utilize our well-equipped laboratories, smart classrooms and public research library to learn a variety of disciplines.
CGIA’s art wing is graced by veterans from the fields of drama, music, folk art, photography and film Our excellent sport facilities encourage play, exercise and competition In our wing for Social Responsibility, our students develop their ideas and plans for the benefit of their fellow students and the wider community through service CGIA’s fully equipped campus is situated in a nature preserve maintained, in part, by the students themselves. The life skills our students gain make them competent contributors to their families and society.
History
We at CGIA would like to give you some background surrounding how our school came to be:
Jill Hines & Kristi Blanchard
Founding Parents who took the school forward in the first few years
Three sets of parents from the UK and America, here doing business in beautiful Kerala, sought to provide a school that would embody the educational approach of “teaching the whole child,” as well as one that would transition their children well into UK, American or Indian systems equally. They spent their first year (2013-2014) selecting curriculum, hiring and training staff and testing their approaches on their own children. It worked! The kids loved it as they did.
After that initial year of visionary set up, Common Grounds International Academy became an initiative of Common Grounds Foundation, a local trust. Then in the spirit of expanding carefully to ensure quality, we opened up the opportunity for a few, select families to join CGIA. That 2014-2015 school year included only a small number of primary and preschool aged children and this innovative initiative has grown beautifully in every year that has followed!
Now, in 2023-2024 the students, play class through seventh grade, continue to experience small class sizes and individualized instruction. CGIA is run by an administrative board, which intends to add a standard each year, meaning that seventh standard will be there in the coming year and so on from there.
Our Motto
‘Wisdom. Understanding. Knowledge.’
“Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”
The above is taken from the wisdom of King Solomon.
Like a house needs to be built, established and filled with rich treasures, so our children’s lives need to be nurtured and filled with gifts of learning, laughter and love. We regard every student as a valued individual; whose mind, body and character all need nurturing. We aim to do this by providing excellent instruction in a caring, creative and professional environment. Above this we seek to teach them how to apply themselves to succeed in life in a wholesome and balanced way, to the benefit of themselves and others.
Chairman’s Message
Dear students, parents and well-wishers,
When we look back, the growth of CGIA has been tremendous. Starting as a home school, six years back, for a few western kids with one teacher now has grown to a large community with a snowballing effect.
In principle we see schools as a space for facilitating learning. Yes, CGIA has been a space for children to gain knowledge, skills, values and behavior development. In CGIA children learn through rational enquiry with other children of similar interest that helps them in progressive meaning making. It has also been a place for parents to come, share ideas and work together for a better future of their children. As a community we have made remarkable changes in the lives of the children, the generation next. The students certify that they have had an enjoyable and creative learning space in CGIA.Show More
Naturally a child is always enthusiastic to ask questions, explore and learn continuously. It is important to note that the majority of children stop natural learning when they are admitted in schools. This is mainly because we take shortcuts to fill more knowledge artificially in their brains without application. The teachers in CGIA, through rigorous training, learned how to keep up their interest and make learning easy and progressive. For most of them, it has been not only a process of learning but also a process of unlearning. Each of the class rooms have become very creative, information rich and learner friendly. Learning has never been a process of memorizing things just for examinations but has been a process of developing the whole child for life by way of conceptual understanding and its application to deepen the understanding and acquisition of related skills.
Multi-Cultural and groupings within the classroom, according to the interests and levels, help children to learn things at their own pace on a continual basis. The presence of native English speakers and focus on phonics has helped the children to acquire a good command over the English language; even the KG students of CGIA have acquired this capability. The multicultural experience, the command of the language, and international curricula enables them to survive in any corner of the world. The young Indian and western kids in CGIA see and interact with each other without prejudice because they feel they are one family. This shows the power of cross-cultural experience in CGIA.
We at CGIA believe that education is not complete without character formation. Appropriately designed moral lessons for inculcating good values; a loving and caring approach followed by the faculty; mutually supporting and enriching group activities; and a positive rewarding system enable them to build their characters. It has been rewarding for us when parents testify that their child has made a quantum leap in terms character formation.Show Less
Our Staff
Click on a Staff Member to Get to Know Us
Joy
Chairman
Joicy
Director
Chandini
Office Administrator
Anjali Mathew
Administrator
Remya M
Lead Teacher cum Upper Primary Science Teacher
Nuzha Basheer
Promotions and Content Management Consultant
Sarah Martson
Coordinator for Special Education
Shahina
Lower Primary Teacher
Sini
Hindi Teacher
Reya
Social Studies Teacher
Bindu
English Teacher
Arya
Math Teacher
Usha Kumari
Lower Primary Teacher
Vipin Raj
Physical Educator
Hasna
KG Lead
Sherin Shahana
Play Class Teacher
Jaxi
Play Class Teacher
Aysha Merry
LKG Teacher
Nadiya Najeeb
LKG Teacher
Patricia Rajkiron
UKG Teacher
Nithu
Nursery Teacher
Aswathi
Learning Support Teacher
Shamila
Learning Support Teacher
Reema
Learning Support Teacher
Sruthi.C
Learning Support Teacher
Priyanka
Learning Support Teacher
Shabina
Learning Support Teacher
Thasleena
Learning Support Teacher
Muhsina Sherin
Learning Support Teacher
Nasli PK
Learning Support Teacher
Nisi Saju
Learning Support Teacher
Anusha Balan
Learning Support Teacher
Chandrika
Primary Support Staff
Reetha
Primary Support Staff
Sunitha
KG Support Staff
Reena
KG Support Staff
Manjusha
KG Support Staff
Rajitha
KG Support Staff
Bhaskaran
Gate Keeper