Philosophy
At Common Grounds International Academy (CGIA), we believe education is a transformative journey that nurtures the body, mind, heart, and character of every learner. Guided by the conviction that each child is unique and full of potential, our philosophy blends academic excellence, moral integrity, and social responsibility—preparing students not only for success but for meaningful contribution to the world.
Benefits of Peer Interactions at CGIA
- ✓ Students learn to relate to children of all ages.
- ✓ Inter-Generational Mentoring (peer-teaching and receiving).
- ✓ Senior & Junior students learn the value of giving and serving each other.
- ✓ Senior students gain leadership, responsibility, and confidence.
- ✓ Junior students gain confidence by sharing what they know with older children.
- ✓ Junior students gain mentors through relationships with seniors.
Exam process
At CGIA, we refer to the exam processes as assessments. All students at the start of each school year are evaluated on reading levels in order to place them in the appropriate reading groups for fluency and comprehension. A reading specialist will regularly test the students’ reading progress throughout the year.
We value ongoing assessment of our students in all subjects to monitor their progress. For instance, weekly spelling tests, quizzes, and unit tests in all subject areas. These scores are used in combination with activities and the end-of-term assessments to form a cumulative mark in each subject, which reflects overall student achievement.
If students qualify for special education services, they will receive appropriate modifications during their assessments. Additionally, they may be assessed in supplementary areas to help them reach their individualized goals.
Curriculum
Our KG program is based on an integrated American-Montessori approach. Both our curriculum and instructional practices are based on a child-centered approach in which learning is introduced through play and students are encouraged to wonder. In our program, language is explored phonetically, with a focus on phonological awareness.
We seamlessly blend this foundation with the Montessori principle of hands-on learning. Our KG environment provides gentle, early exposure to sensorial and practical life activities that help children prepare for future success in reading, writing, and mathematics. We use concrete, hands-on materials to ensure students grasp a clear and simple understanding of all key concepts.
Practical life skills and responsibility, including learning to care for themselves, each other, and the classroom environment, are taught through daily interactions. Monthly themes help the children learn about the greater world around them, giving them a better understanding of the environment in which they live.
To make learning come alive, these monthly themes often lead to field trips! Children visit places like the fire station, supermarket, or the butterfly garden. These hands-on experiences help them connect what they learn in class to the real world, sparking curiosity, confidence, and joy in discovery.
The curriculum also comes to life in our Dramatic Play Area. Our teachers set up evolving scenarios, sometimes inspired by the monthly theme, such as a hotel, school, salon, or office. Children use their imaginations to role-play as workers and customers, allowing them to explore social roles, increase language development, and demonstrate their growing understanding of the real world.
We believe that children are unique and thus, we personalize their learning depending on each child’s needs. By providing a nurturing, safe, child-centered environment, we support each child to thrive and so prosper into people with depth of moral character, who are lifelong learners.
Our Play Class program is specifically designed to help your child discover their unique talents while guiding their cognitive, gross, and fine motor development. We understand that early childhood is a pivotal time, and the environment plays a vital role in shaping their future. That’s why we provide a caring, creative, and stimulating environment filled with carefully chosen equipment designed for optimal brain development.
Our syllabus is built on a child-centered approach and the core belief that children learn best through active play. This means direct, hands-on experiences with people, objects, events, and ideas. We encourage children to actively “construct” their own knowledge by pursuing their personal interests, supported by trained adults who expertly guide them through important early learning areas. Active learning is the heart of every activity, whether it’s planned by our staff or initiated spontaneously by your child
Our LKG curriculum stays true to its moniker- “The Good and the Beautiful” – in every possible way. It is a rich curriculum that is also academically solid, character-building, and joyful all at the same time.
The course book introduces our littlest learners to letters, their sounds, numbers, counting, and much more. It consists of hands-on activities and games that are incorporated throughout the course. These help enhance fine motor skills, lay a solid foundation in phonological awareness, phonics, and build strong numeracy skills. The course uses fun and interactive lessons to teach mastery of letter recognition and letter sounds, vowels, numbers, and an introduction to blending letter sounds.
Our curriculum also includes dedicated activities focused on essential pre-writing skills. These exercises guide small children through the basic strokes and forms used to create letters and common shapes, which is crucial for developing the fine motor skills necessary for legible handwriting.
As the stepping stone into primary school, UKG is a valuable time to foster the joy of learning in a child. Our welcoming classroom and compassionate staff create a safe environment where students can learn key skills through doing hands-on activities and interactive lessons. Through our full-day developmentally appropriate curriculum, students are equipped with a foundational knowledge of mathematics, phonics, beginning reading skills, writing, and a better understanding of the world around them. Students begin to develop the vital skills of critical thinking, problem solving, and friendship through free and guided play times with peers and teachers. The Malayalam alphabet is introduced to prepare students for further study. Young students also interact with older students during the weekly Choice Class. Overall, the UKG program at CGIA provides your child with an engaging and well-balanced introduction to their primary education while continuing to be fun and hands-on.
CGIA students become superior readers through our Leveled Guided Reading program, which is offered daily. Read more about this fantastic program here.
Our primary program is 1st standard through 7th standard. Our curriculum is the Cambridge International Primary Program(CIPP). www.cambridgeindia.org
Our students are able to progress at their own pace while being encouraged by their teachers and peers. These pupils interact with students of additional grade levels during specials and enrichment classes which we offer each week. See details about specials here.
CGIA students become superior readers through our Leveled Guided Reading program. This program is offered for UKG through sixth graders 2-5 times each week depending on the student’s reading level. Read more about this fantastic program here.
Introduction to Guided Reading
CGIA offers a unique Guided Reading program for students from UKG to Grade 6. It follows the science of reading principles and is popular in the West. This approach uses small group sessions based on each child’s current reading and comprehension skills.
How the Program Works
Teachers assess student reading levels with an online curriculum from Reading Levels aa-Z+. They then form small, multigrade homogenous groups by instructional level. Students are individually reassessed every 6 to 8 weeks and regrouped according to their growing abilities as readers. This setup helps students build strategies to improve reading and boost learning across all subjects.
Tools and Components
We use the acclaimed Reading A to Z program. It provides leveled books at 29 different levels. These books support key skills like Phonics, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Depth of Knowledge, and Fluency.
Benefits of the Program
Small groups meet each student’s unique needs effectively. Students get to speak and be heard, which builds comprehension and fluency. Teachers are specially trained how to lead these groups and learn about their students as readers. This creates an enjoyable experience that helps students progress through levels to achieve mastery.
Every school day, CGIA students have a variety of extracurricular classes. These special classes allow students to develop their whole person: body, mind and soul through engaging activities. The classes provided each week are: Art, Physical Education, Library, IT, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math exploration).
STEM class is a unique class where students are given the opportunity to explore and put their critical thinking skills to the test. It is designed to spark curiosity and critical thinking through hands-on learning in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Each session engages students in exciting problem-solving activities where they design, build, test, and improve their projects.
Additionally, 1st standard is given time for imaginative, dramatic play every week. Finally, all students are given a weekly CHOICE period that is multigrade where students can join one of several special interest classes, for example: cooking, origami, technics, martial arts, and many more.
We follow the Cambridge International Primary curriculum and prepare students as private candidates for the IGCSE exams as well as the NIOS exams.