St. Thomas' English Medium School language of communication (both written and verbal), all the subjects are taught in English language; apart from Hindi (subject), which is an exception and a regional language. STEMS is tied up closely with The Church. Staff members (including administrators, teachers and helpers) practice Catholicism. Daily assembly happens in the large playground where students start their day with prayers and The National Anthem of India, Jana Gana Mana. Terminal examinations are held thrice every year to keep a performance check and provide feedback about students' progress. Students are required to answer a set of questions, typically by handwriting all answers on
Vande Mataram unlike later verses that compare certain qualities of thee country and mother to goddesses like Durga and Lakshmi. There is no time limit or circumstantial specification for the rendition of this song [unlike the national anthem "Jana Gana Mana" that specifies 52 seconds]. The root of the Sanskrit word Vande is "Vand", which appears in "Rigveda" and other Vedic texts. According to Monier Monier-Williams, depending on the context, "vand" means "to praise, celebrate, laud, extol, to show honour, do homage, salute respectfully", or "deferentially, venerate, worship, adore", or "to offer anything respectfully to". The word "Mātaram" has Indo-European roots in