Journeying Together September 2017 Vol. 15

In this Issue:

Celebrations & Festivities Beyond the Classroom Guest Lectures

Teachers’ Day Global Citizenship Special Assemblies

Project Based Learning Students’ Corner Awards and Accolades

Celebrations and Festivities

Students across all grade levels organised various programs to entertain the teachers. They had an

opportunity to bond with their students through the various music and dance performances. Many games

were organized by the students and the teachers enjoyed every bit of it.

Back to School Days

You are the saw

Who cut us diamond

You are the light

Who gave us brightness

You are the root

Who gave us branches

You are the background

Who gave us fame

After all you are the teacher

Who made us great

To teach is to touch one's life forever

Thank you teachers for touching our lives everyday

- Sahana Bharadwaj, Grade IX

Shubh Navaratri

This year, we celebrated Navaratri in school by keeping a small 3 step Golu in our reception area.

The Golu dolls were brought by the students. The students of IV Mohanam also presented a special

assembly on this nine day festival. They explained why Navaratri is celebrated and how

Mahishasura was killed. Dance and music made the assembly colourful and fun. Our teachers also

danced and sang for us to celebrate Navaratri.

- Mahima Jhanvi Karthik, Grade V

Special Assemblies

Onam was celebrated in a traditional manner. We presented music, dance and drama on

the harvest festival.

- Students of grade IV Shankarabaranam

Onam, the annual harvest festival of Kerala, celebrates the Vamana avatar of Vishnu and the homecoming

of Mahabali. This festival was celebrated with the same fervour and gusto seen in the state of Kerala, with

the campus decorated with a pookalam. Students performed songs and danced on the occasion.

A Feast (Sadya) For the Eyes

Beyond the Classroom

The Sociology and Psychology students of grade XI and XII visited the Irula community at Annai Sathya

Nagar, Thirukazhakundram. The children had an insight into the Tribes of India and the Bonded Labour

System. Children were also given an opportunity to interact with the tribals to get to know about their

culture, lifestyle, and problems.

A visit to the Irula Community

The trip was enriching and interesting and we learned about the Irula culture and their lifestyle. It

provided us with an opportunity to mingle with people about whom we had only read about in text books.

Through our interaction with the tribals, we learned the value that each day must be lived to the fullest

before wondering about the next and we must cherish what we have.

- Grade XII Sociology and Psychology students

Bake Me a Biscuit

The trip to the Madras Bakery was full of fun and excitement. Though the trip was long, the ride with our

friends made up for it. The sweet aroma of biscuits welcomed us into the factory. We first watched a

documentary on the making of the confectionaries. We were then taken around to see the processing units

and bakery equipments. We saw the bakers mixing the wheat, sugar and oil to give the biscuits the perfect

shape. They were then baked and cooled before being packed. The best part was when we got to taste the

freshly baked, hot biscuits. The trip inspired us to try making biscuits at home.

- Grade IV students

Right on Track

The students of the junior campus got an opportunity to visit the Rail Museum. They got to see the

train from both the inside and the outside and get a feel of a literal travel by train.

Silence is Golden

Our trip to Ramakrishna Mutt was very „quiet‟.

First we went to the meditation hall where we sat

in meditation for some time. It relaxed our body

and minds, then we were shown a power point

presentation on „Silence‟. The Swamiji spoke to us

on the value of silence and respecting others. All

of us felt that sitting quietly for some time is not so

difficult. - Students of grade V

A Breath of Fresh Air

Students of grade XII went on a trip to Yelagiri a few months before their board exams to relax and

rejuvenate.

Global Citizenship

The students of X Sahana, under the mentoring of organic farmer Mr.Jaishankar Kanappan

enriched the soil and planted an edible garden. The Grow boxes were readied, the soil mulched,

trellis constructed, seeds sowed and watered. A vertical herb garden made entirely of discarded

plastic bottles is coming up. Watch this space for the garden in full bloom!

Green Haven in the making

Education For All

10 students from grade XII visited GUVI, an IIT Madras incubated company to understand the

process of content development. As part of their global citizenship project, these students have

chosen to create engaging and accessible subject related content in vernacular languages for

underprivileged children in corporation schools.

Thinking Green.... A Compost Bin

Students of grade VI Sembaruthi made their own roller-type composting bin. They made a

prototype which was translated into a working model with the help of Mr. Kalyanasundaram,

workshop instructor from Annamalai Polytechnic.

Guest Lecture for students of grade X

Madhuvanti by Mr. Narsimhan

Santhanam, founder of EAI (Energy

Alternatives India). Under his guidance,

the students are working on a project to

learn about energy consumption and

alternatives.

Save Energy Today for a Better Tomorrow

Let’s Put Waste in the Right Place

Students of grade VII Vairam had a

session with the secretary of the

R.A.Puram Residents Association,

Mr. Rangarajan, on neighbourhood

waste management activities.

Students from grade VI to IX

participated in an Art Event on the

topic Energy Conservation. It was an

attempt to integrate Art and Global

Citizenship.

Colours of Tomorrow

Project Based Learning

Master Chefs

Students of grade VII excitedly accepted the challenge posed by our Biology Acharyas to create EDIBLE

CELL ORGANELLES. Pizzas, cakes, soups, chocolates representing cell organelles were prepared by

different groups. Our Acharyas turned into Master Chef judges to assess all our presentations. This

internal project was one of its kind as it involved innovative cooking and baking with friends. A lot of

discussion and preparation went in before ideas were turned into reality. It was great fun to cook with

friends, to present the end product and to eat it all finally. It also provided us with a great learning

experience.

- Uttara Stefanie Prakash and Gitanjali Naveen, Grade VII

Hop Scotch and Sing Along

The students of grade IV got to make their own music note books out of old unused papers. The children

also played a game to learn about the placement of notes. The notes were drawn on the floor and the

children played a game of hopscotch to the ragam „Shankarabaranam‟ to learn the theory behind musical

notes. This is the first step for the children to be ear trained to distinguish one raga from the other.

Awards and Accolades

Quiz Whiz

Nandith Narayan, Pragya Agrawal and Amritha Rajeswari Krishnan were the

runners up at the CSIR Quiz

Kick Start

B. Tridhaman, of grade III,

won 2nd prize in a District

Level Karate Competition

In the ASISC Shuttle Badminton Regional

Level Competitions held in Tuticorin,

Gourav of grade XII was the runner up in

the Senior Boys Singles Tournament.

Kavya and Srinidhi of grade XII were

runners up in the Senior Girls Doubles

Tournamnent. Gourav and Srinidhi will

represent the school at the National

Level.

Badminton Players who made us proud

tGELF Harmony

In the tGELF Harmony Regional Competition held in our school, the Hari Shree team has

qualified to the National Levels in the Street Play event.

Guest Lectures

The students of grade II had an

interactive story telling session with

Ms. Sri Vidya from Story Trails.

Dr. Sheikh Ahmed spoke to Biology students

of grade XII on gene expression and its

regulation

Guest Lecture on Reproductive

Health by Dr. Radha Pandiyan from

Chettinad Health City.

Dr. Adnan Mohamed Mytheen

spoke to students of grade X on

the structure of the eye and its

defects

Dr. Kumar Ebenezer spoke to

students of grade XII on

Biotechnology and

applications.

Students’ Corner

International Literacy Day

In the year 1965, UNESCO declared September 8 as the International Literacy Day. Its aim is to highlight

the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies as there is a connection between

illiteracy, poverty and prejudice against women. Being literate enables one to create, ideate and connect

with the world at large.

Many organizations have been established in order to help people overcome challenges and obstacles in

their path towards being literate. These organizations work tirelessly in spreading literacy and awareness in

remote and inaccessible areas. The theme for this year‟s International Literacy Day was „Literacy through

Digital Technology‟, as technology plays an important role in the modern world.

Literacy does not mean that we reach only to the young children; it must also extend to the adult population

of the country. Though India has come far since Independence, we still have miles to go before we reach a

100% literate state. .

- Prathik Senthil, Grade VII and Athreya Sunil, Grade VI

Teacher’s Day

What is Teacher‟s Day? We typically think Teacher‟s Day is just some day designed to honour teachers, but

what is it really? In school we spend the day celebrating it but do we all know the significance of Teacher‟s

day? It is celebrated every year on the 5th of September on the birthday of India‟s first Vice President and

second President post independence, Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a great scholar, philosopher and recipient

of the Bharat Ratna.

The job of a teacher goes beyond just the classroom interaction of delivering the lessons. Every time a teacher

takes that extra effort to help students, it is because they wish for every student to do well. Their association

with the students does not end with just the extra worksheets and classes, but they adopt the role of a parent,

friend, philosopher and guide. They deserve nothing less than an immense amount of respect and appreciation

for everything they do for us.

Teachers are our pillars of support and they provide us with all the necessary inputs to achieve our dreams

and aspirations. They see potential in each and every one of us and mould us into individuals who will

contribute to society. It is their vast experience and commitment to their profession that helps us hold our trust

in them. In a teacher we find an empathetic listener who understands their student.

The quote “A teacher takes a hand, opens a mind and touches a heart” is very true for all teachers around the

world who strive to make their children better, smarter people. Happy Teacher‟s Day to every outstanding and

magnificent teacher!

- Harshini Ramaswamy, Grade XII

International Charity Day

Most of us have heard of the proverb „Sharing and Caring‟. It happens to be one of my most favourite lines

as it holds a lot of meaning and depth to me. Every time I share, it makes me happy from the inside and gives

me a sense of satisfaction and joy, when I see the pleasure and happiness on the face of others. My most

unforgettable experience was during the floods in Chennai when my whole family contributed towards

preparing food for the people in need. My mother prepared hot chapathis with vegetables and pickles and my

father and I took it upon ourselves to deliver it to the people. I always used to think that sharing worked well

only during Math divisions! This was the first time that I saw a crowd of people waiting for food and

supplies. Sharing my food with the needy was a very big learning experience for me and it is then that I

realized that we don‟t need an International Charity Day (September 5) to share our lives with others. We

can look for these moments everyday in our lives. I also understood that charity is not giving away what we

don‟t want, but sharing the little that we have. I also understood that „Charity begins at Home‟.

- Kavya Ramaswamy, Grade V

Teacher Editors - Dr. Sarayu Ganesan, Ms. Yoshida Menon and Ms. Anuradha Babu

Student Editors - Ms. Samyuktha Sreekanth and Mr. Rithvik Senthil

Design and Technical Support - Ms. Priya T

Photography - Mr. Ganesan and Mr. Sugumar

Moving ahead … to the next term

In October…

October 04 - School re-opens October 18-22 - Diwali Holidays

October 06 - International English Olympiad

October 10 - International General Knowledge Olympiad

CA/SA– Please refer to our website for dates of examinations.