Special Issue
The monthly newsletter from EI
This Month’s Issue
Issue 68 | December 2010 | www.ei-india.com
Mathcovery Finale............ 01 The Importance of ........... 03 AQAD................................. 04 Mark Twain’s 100 ............. 05 The Third Teacher.............. 05 ASSET Year Planner............ 06 School Corner ................... 08 Teacher’s Bite ................... 09 Contest & Duke TIP .......... 10 21st Century School.......... 11 Mathcovery 2010 Finalists and Creators
Events ............................... 12
ASSETtest on C o t o h P Check page
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Editor’s Note Hello Readers! We have clubbed November and December issue to bring out the Special issue. This month witnessed the most happening event of the year the Mathcovery Grand Finale that took place on 11th December, 2010. What started as a simple idea by six students of different schools of Ahmedabad became the first ever nationwide competition of its kind, read the exclusive story. Wish all the readers a very Happy and Prosperous New Year from ASSET team. Would love to hear from you regarding the articles.
Bindu Pillai
GRAND FINALE Eight months of perseverance culminated in the first ever Mathcovery Grand Finale that took place on 11th December, 2010. What started as a simple idea by six students of different schools of Ahmedabad became the first ever nationwide competition of its kind. Twenty finalists from all over India reached Ahmedabad on 9th December to take part in the 3 day event that included a welcome dinner, an assembly of their 3D models followed by a presentation of their unique, unobvious maths ideas to a panel of four esteemed judges and a ride in the Helium Balloon, the first of its kind in India. The Finale kicked off with the opening ceremony. The main goal of the opening ceremony was to chronicle the Mathcovery journey. Videos of each of the creators explaining an aspect of Mathcovery were shown. The twenty finalists, who were going to battle it out for the three exciting prizes that we were offering: a Fastrack Watch, an iPod Touch and an Apple MacBook, were introduced. The panel of judges were: Dr. Amber Habib (Prof. at Mathematical Sciences Foundation - Delhi),
Ms. Meera Raghavan (Maths Expert – Bangalore), Dr. K. Subramaniam (Sr. Faculty at Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education), and Ms. Manjiri Patil (Maths Expert). The exhibition began and the judges watched and assessed the presentations of each contestant. Before long, school children and others started to pour in. The contestants made their presentations throughout the day. Person after person came, watched the presentations, admired the beautifully constructed models and gained an insight into the unobvious. The contestants seemed to come alive. Their faces shone with fervor as they imparted their discoveries to others. Students of all classes from visiting schools learnt about the fun in Mathematics by realising that maths is an integral factor in topics that don’t seem to have anything to do with maths at first glance. The judges assessed the contestants on four major areas: “unobviousness” of the math Continued on next page.....
topic, 2D or 3D model, presentation and creativity. They were given only five minutes to present, after which they would be subjected to questions by the judges to assess their understanding of their respective topics. Over a thousand people attended the exhibition. The creators also watched the presentations and were proud of the fact that
they had managed to spread the message of doing the unobvious. When the judges had finished assessing both the seniors and juniors, the closing ceremony commenced. The contestants were asked to share their experiences.
Finally came the moment of reckoning. The winners of the first ever Mathcovery Grand Finale were announced. In the junior category and senior category the winners were: JUNIOR CATEGORY Position
Name
School
City
Topic (Math in…)
Prizes
National Champion
Subhiksha S
Sri Sankara Senior Secondary School
Chennai
Aviation
Apple Macbook
1st Runner Up
Raaga Srinivas
National Academy of learning
Bangalore
Bharata Natyam Dance
Apple iPod Touch
2nd Runner Up
Devasri Turakhia
Billabong High International School
Mumbai
Dabbawala
Fastrack Watch
SENIOR CATEGORY Position
Name
School
City
Topic (Math in…)
Prizes
National Champion
Mohammed Safiulla
The Titan School
Hosur
Card Magic
Apple Macbook
1st Runner Up
Vaidik Shah
Rustomjee Cambridge Intl. School
Mumbai
Criminal Justice
Apple iPod Touch
2nd Runner Up
Jairaj Gambhir
Amity International School
Ghaziabad
The Wheel: A New Approach
Fastrack Watch
And thus ended the first ever Mathcovery Grand Finale! After the Grand Finale, students interacted with the scientist from ISRO – Mr. Iyengar. The competition is expected to change children’s attitude towards Maths in general. Maths for Mathcovery participants is no more about learning the correct formulae or just scoring good marks in exams. It is about discovering the presence of Maths in everyday things in life.
Attempts will be made to use students’ ideas and inputs to understand what influence them the most – whether it is the playground activities or Television or the virtual world from where they derive their learning. This will help arrive at the common areas of misconceptions in students. See Mathcovery Grand Finale Memories Video http://blog.mindspark.in/mathcovery-memories/ And to read more about the finals log on to blog.mindspark.in
- by Anuron Mitra, Mathcovery creator, Zydus School for Excellence, Ahmedabad.
Championship 2010
Mathcovery Champions 2010 From L to R: Vaidik Shah, Jairaj Gambhir, Mohammed Safiulla, Devasri Turakhia, Subhiksha S, Raaga Srinivas
Mathcovery Creator Anuron Mitra
Judges from L to R: Ms. Meera Raghavan (Maths Expert); Ms. Manjiri Patil (Maths Expert); Dr. Amber Habib (Prof. at Mathematical Sciences Foundation); Dr. K. Subramaniam (Sr. Faculty at Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education)
Mathcovery participant receiving a medal and certificate
Mathcovery Champion 2010 trophies and gifts
From L to R: Dr. Amber Habib, Dr. K Subramaniam, Mr. Sridhar Rajagopalan (MD, Educational Initiatives)
The Importance of Theatre Class in Schools Theatre has been an influential factor in many people's lives creativity can flourish, academics can improve and means of self-expression can be developed. It is important to have mandatory theatre classes because when a student participates, he benefits. Theatre can be influential in all aspects of life. Participating in theatre classes can stimulate students’ creativity and thought processes. Developing a creative mind can lead to a more tolerant attitude because, "The creative process of theatre leads children to become more open-minded and acceptable with the diverse roles they portray." In the future, students who have grown up with theatre will become more tolerant of sensitive issues, which could create better living conditions globally. Staging and performing in a show can promote teamwork through the actors and the crew. Learning lines for a play may seem tedious and can be tough but even the smallest of lines helps in developing students’ public speaking skills. Speaking in front of audiences develops confidence and improves communication skills. These skills can be utilized in school
reports or debates and in the long term, they can be used in interviews and presentations. The more confident a child becomes, the more his/her self-esteem will grow. Children and youth with high self-esteem have a tendency to perform better scholastically and have a better outlook on life and will then feel more inclined to contribute positively to society. Participating in theatre classes can be beneficial in other areas of life such as academics. Creative thought processes can be developed through theatre used in Maths and Science for problem solving and experimentation. A developed mind can potentially use abstract thinking to "think outside the box" and offer ideas, solutions and ways of testing them. Children are our future and it is imperative that we develop allrounders who can contribute to society. Mandatory theatre classes can bring about this positive change and the skills learned can be used to resolve any problem, be it big or small. It is therefore important to teach this to today's youth so that it gets passed on through the years.
Millions saw apples fall; only Newton asked WHY? The questions in ASSET Question-a-Day are thought provoking questions designed by team of educational experts at ASSET which aims at providing greater exposure to application orientated questions to students on a daily basis.
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You can register for AQAD by visiting http://www.ei-india.com/aboutasset/asset-question-a-day-registration/ Share your school AQAD activity with us, along with a photograph. We would be glad to publish it in our newsletter.
Inspiring Critical Thinking
An ASSET Question-a-Day ‘Keeps Ignorance Away’ An ASSET Question-a-Day has become a routine affair in our school. Whiteboards have been placed at different places (according to the classes) in our school campus, where the learners of the respective classes can go and copy the questions for that particular day. The learners of classes VI, VII, VIII and IX maintain separate notebooks to solve these questions. The answers to these questions are discussed by the respective subject teachers. Entries are also being made by the class teachers in their anectodal records for the group of students who are prompt in coming up with the answers to the AQAD. Not only this, the learners of class X, XI and XII are also being made to solve these questions during their arrangement periods. The teachers have also attended the workshops organised in our school campus in which the ASSET Resource persons have equipped them with even more innovative ways of teaching and learning. We hope our association with ASSET, Educational Initiatives, goes a long way in shaping these young minds.
- Ms. Vandana Puri, Principal, Salwan Public School, New Delhi
Do you want to share the best pratices of your school with our readers? Write to us at assetscope@ei-india.com
Mark Twain's 100-Year-Old Secrets Famous author’s autobiography hits bookstores 100 years after his death What has Mark Twain been hiding from fans all these years? That's what historians have been wondering for the past century. One of America's most beloved authors, Twain asked that his publishers not release his autobiography for at least 100 years after his death, which was in 1910. The first of three volumes, or books, that tell Twain's life story arrived in bookstores—and it's already a bestseller. Critics say Twain's autobiography includes some of his best writing. That's a big compliment. Twain left behind a lot of writings–from essays and novels to short stories and traveller's tales. He loved to write about the lives of everyday Americans, as in his novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, and the famous short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." Some of the best-known characters in American literature, including Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, were created by Twain. Twain's real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. "Mark Twain" is a pseudonym, a fake name that masks a person's true identity. He wrote about big issues, like racism, that was controversial in his day. That's why he used a pseudonym. He wanted to protect himself from critics. Instead, Twain found an audience of fans that saw him as a beloved writer and a zany jokester. What was so controversial in his autobiography that Twain thought it could not be published during his lifetime? He wanted his memoirs to be honest, so he refused to hold back
his opinions. He criticised the government, business leaders, religion, and what he viewed as the country's culture of racism. He hoped America would be different by the time his book was published. In one example, Twain criticized the U.S. Army for killing 600 members of the Moro tribe in the Philippines, including women and children, after being given the order to "kill or capture" the tribe. "Apparently our little Army considered that the 'or' left them with the authority to kill or capture according to taste," Twain wrote. The first book is more than 750 pages. But Editor, Robert Hirst says not to worry about that too much. "I would recommend what Mark Twain would recommend," he says. "If you're bored with it, skip it."
Contributed by Sapna Nayak, ASSET Ambassador, Sharada Mandir School, Panaji
The Third Teacher: The book is created by an international team of architects and designers concerned about our failing education system, The Third Teacher explores the critical link between the school environment and how children learn, and offers 79 practical design ideas, both great and small, to guide readers’ efforts to improve our schools. Written for those who have school-age children in their lives, from educators and education decision-makers to parents and community activists, this book is intended to ignite a blaze of discussion and initiative about the environment as an essential element of learning. Including a wealth of interviews, facts, statistics, and stories from experts in a wide range of fields, this book is a ‘how-to’ guide to be used to connect with the many organizations, individuals, and ideas dedicated to innovating and improving teaching and learning. Contributors include: children’s singer and advocate Raffi, author and creativity consultant to Sir Ken Robinson, scientist and environmentalist, David Suzuki, inventor James Dyson, and other experts who are working to create fresh solutions to problems as well as a new blueprint for the future of education. The average school and classroom designs haven’t changed in decades, but some architects maintain that a few renovations could make classrooms more student-centred and lead to improvements in test scores.
79 Ways You Can Use Design to Transform Teaching & Learning (Architecture) Some people would argue that the only important aspect of a room is what takes place in it. But in the book, The Third Teacher: 79 Ways You Can Use Design to Transform Teaching & Learning, authors Trung Le and Rick Dewar maintain that the designs of schools and classrooms can have a tremendous - and mostly overlooked - impact on learning. The two have spent a lot of time working on school designs. Le is the lead designer for OWP/P | Cannon Design’s education group and Rick Dewar, also of OWP/P | Cannon, has spent several decades working on K-12 designs and projects. The author’s share: “If we truly believe that creativity is an essential ingredient in a child’s development, then we need to shift completely away from the “cells and bells” model of school design-with classrooms as cells and the school bell indicating the time to move from one to another. So the fundamental question we should be asking is, “Does this learning environment support a child’s natural instinct to learn through creation and discovery?” Our learning environments should be open to supporting the creative process. Rather than students moving when the bell rings, eating when that one rings, we can shift from this model in simple ways. In one of our projects, we introduced a café into a small learning academy, so students can take a break and get a snack when they are hungry or thirsty rather than when the bell rings.”
2011 YEAR PLANNER JANUARY
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Celebrating 1o Years of
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Learning with Understanding
ASSET Winter round Test Dates 5th - 9th
MY BEST CHILDREN’S DAY Every month we announce some activities for ASSET Ambassadors, which they have do individually or do the activity in school. For the month of November, we asked ASSET Ambassadors to celebrate Children’s Day in a very special way by celebrating it with underprivileged kids. Divya Devis, ASSET Ambassador, Silver Oak School, Nasik sharing her experience of celebrating the Children’s day in special way "It is more blessed to give than to receive." I had heard this saying many times but on this children's day, I understood its meaning, thanks to the activity of the month. After coming to know about the activity I called my headmaster, Mr. Peter Manion. He responded to my suggestion with a very positive spirit. He assured me that he himself would present the idea on my behalf to the management. After two days, he called me up to inform me that the management was very impressed by this novel way of celebrating children's day with the street children. He told me that he wanted me to come up with a way of implementing this. At last, after thinking for a while, an idea struck me. Towards the far exterior part of Nasik, there is an institute or moreover, a home called Krupa Prasad. This home is run by a handful of kind nuns. It accommodates about 500 kids, ranging from 3 years to 17 years. A majority of them are not orphans, but they are the wards of those helpless parents who are unable to provide their children even the basic needs of life. Such children, with some orphans and destitutes, are brought here from the streets, taken care of, educated and thus, given a new lease of life. I felt that this would be the most appropriate place to help the street children. On 14th November, at 10'o clock all the students assembled in the school. From there we went by bus to Krupa Prasad. We were welcomed warmly. After that, our teachers performed the cultural program they had prepared. Then it was the inmates' turn for a performance. Without any hesitation, the children came up with various programs. We had arranged some games, in which they participated greatly. They mingled with us very quickly. Then they all went to their matron and asked her something and then they led us to a room called the 'Disco Room'. There they put on some music and we danced. I will never forget the sweet smiles on their faces. The school gave some money and other useful things to the authorities of the home. Then it was time to bid farewell which was quite sad. Though we had met each other for the first time, it seemed as though we had known each other since ages. After bidding
School Corner
goodbye and promising to come again, we went back to our own houses (around 4'o clock). But then, I got to know of the terrible state of the homeless children living in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh (where the cyclone 'Jal' had hit). I felt an inner urge to help these kids too. So then, I thought of a shoe-drive. People could donate their old shoes and be a part of this venture and hopefully, I thought this would be a great help to the little tots there. I presented this idea to the management. I am grateful for the full-fledged support I received from them. By 5'o clock, we all went o our assigned positions for the shoe-drive. There were two teachers in each spot. The spots where we had to stand as volunteers were decided on the basis of the locations of our respective homes. We got many shoes. Some generous people even gave us clothes, toothpastes, soaps etc. This was sent to the affected areas through an NGO. We wished each other ‘A Happy Children's Day’ and went back home. By 8'o clock, we reached our homes. Many friends called me and thanked me for this wonderful way of celebrating children's day. I too felt a joy that cannot be described. It was my best children's day. Indeed it is more blessed to give than to receive. I received a lot of positive feedback and congratulatory messages from my near and dear ones on the unique way in which ‘Children’s Day was celebrated. Some of them are mentioned below: Our principal, Mrs. Claudine Noronha, congratulated me and told me to keep up the good work. I, from my side, told her that I would try to keep up to her expectations. My principal also told me to thank the ASSET Ambassador team for such a great initiative. One of my teachers, Mrs. Jyothi Samantha, gifted me penstand, as a token of her appreciation. Ms. Anjali Nathan, the ASSET co-ordinaor of our school, also congratulated me. The co-ordinators of our school, Mr. Sanjeev Padvi and Mr. Binod Chettri, felicitated me. What Rishikesh Kapadnis (the President of our school) said really touched my heart. He said, " ..........On this children's day we learnt how blessed and forunate we are. We should be so happy thinking about all that God has gifted us with but, instead of thanking him, we always grumble......." This was a lesson for me too. I really thank the ASSET team on behalf of my school management, staff and students for the great opportunity you gifted us to LEND A HAND.
Teacher’s Bite Who has most influenced you to become an educator, and how did they influence you?
dialogue and practice and through meticulous reflection and planning. This is a key area of focus for any facilitator.
To be a part of this profession had been a childhood aspiration. There was no one influence, but every educator who I have worked with, from the day I launched on this career, has inspired me in his/her own way. It was a burning desire within that spurred me on!
What are your views regarding the ‘Importance of Teacher Training and Development’ in educating Students?
Q:
Q:
What is your approach to classroom management and student discipline?
Managing the myriad classroom tasks and situations, including discipline, are all a part of classroom management. To ensure a productive classroom, one must understand the psychological and developmental attitudes of the children apart from ensuring that all that goes to make the plan for the day, seating arrangement, props, etc. are in place. Setting classroom expectations in terms of the behaviour of students, from the outset and articulating them clearly and ensuring that they are followed through, is important. Children like to take responsibility and I believe they can be made accountable for classroom decorum/discipline. If they draw up classroom procedures themselves, there is more likelihood of their adhering to them. As a teacher one has to be consistent in the application of consequences and deal with situations sensitively ensuring the dignity of the child. Any policy that undermines the child’s self esteem and worth will not, in my experience, receive any respect, whatever be the age of the child. There is no best solution for classroom problems. Classroom management can be enhanced and bettered only through
Q:
Tr a i n i n g a n d d e v e l o p m e n t a l programmes give teachers the strategies, tactics and tools to teach and manage classrooms with students from widely diverse backgrounds and varied needs. It equips them with strategies based on research and internationally benchmarked best practices which focus on boosting student achievement. Training has to be followed up with implementation and reflection enable actual learning.
Q:
What is your view regarding the ASSET Test?
ASSET is an invaluable initiative that consolidates subjects, promotes self-confidence and thinking skills in students and therefore, stimulates academic progress. This diagnostic test gives a school a complete academic profile of its students vis-avis the schools in the country. In assessing the performances of both the students and the teachers, this test is able to pinpoint specific grade level strengths and weaknesses, common misconceptions and provides remedial strategies as well. The ASSET analysis supports the school in its remediation in a 3pronged manner, enhancing student learning, bolstering teachers’ pedagogical practices and reinforcing the school’s overall improvement plan.
Teacher 'Learning Walks' Encourage 'Stealing' and Positivity I popped into a session on "teacher learning walks" (mostly out of curiosity about what the heck a learning walk was), led by teachers and administrators from three districts in North Carolina. It turns out a learning walk is a simple but potentially gamechanging idea that some say can weed out ineffective teachers and help great teachers spread their best practices. As the presenters explained, a learning walk is a time during the school day when a small group of teachers go from classroom to classroom to observe other teachers in action. The purpose is to observe-not evaluate-and to "steal" practices and methods that work. At first, one administrator said, the walks are scheduled and teachers being observed can prepare for them. Eventually, they become sporadic. Teachers and students get to a point where they aren't distracted by visitors and continue working unfazed. The administrators recommended conducting learning walks about once a month. The possibility that observers could walk in at any time changes the school environment, according to the North Carolina teachers. Learning walks foster both collaboration and positive
Mrs. Shanti Menon, Principal, The Deen’s Academy, Bangalore
- By Liana Heitin
peer pressure. Teachers have to "up their game," and those who are unenthused about it tend to self-select out (i.e., quit). As one attendee commented, "If something's working in one teacher's classroom, we should all be doing it." A principal in the audience said she'd attempted learning walks in her school but refrained from following up with a debriefing session (a process the presenters suggested), for fear that teachers would make disparaging remarks about their colleagues. The presenters responded that it's critical to set a hard and fast ground rule before the walks-that teachers should only look for the positives in every room. And during a debriefing session-a necessary time to reflect together, they said-the teachers should only remark on good things they viewed in classrooms. I've long been a proponent of an open-door school policy. As a presenter pointed out, it promotes the idea that the students are not your students, they're our students. And learning walks raise the instructional bar for every day, not just teacher evaluation days. But clearly there are risks involved, as the principal pointed out. Perhaps a culture of positivity should not so much be the outcome of a learning walk, but the prerequisite for one to take place. Source: http://blogs.edweek.org
SHOT PHOTO CONTEST
We invite entries from students of schools to participate in a photo contest on the theme ‘Incredible India’. Rules of the competition: • The Photo format should be in a jpg format. • Each photo size should not exceed 3MB. • Only online entries will be accepted. • One entry per student is permitted. We trust our participants to submit unaltered files. We want to see the world through your eyes, not the tools of Photoshop. The participants must mention the: Name, School Name, Class, City, Residential Address, and Contact Numbers along with the entry. So shoot your best and mail the photos to us.
ES
PRIZ 1st prize 3D T-shirt
2nd prize Personalized Large Flex Poster
3rd prize Pen-Drive
All the photos should be mailed to assetscope@ei-india.com before 5th February, 2011.
1000 students took ASSET above-level test 1000 students from 200 schools in India participated in the ASSET above-level test held on 28th November, 2010 to identify gifted students for the Duke Talent Identification Program.
creative residential staff develops programming designed to foster friendship and teamwork.
Test Centres were created in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Delhi and Bangalore for the students to take the test.
In each class, an Instructor and Teaching Assistant (TA) work together to provide each student with an outstanding learning experience. Duke TIP Instructors are selected for their expertise in their field of study and are committed to providing challenging, intensive, interesting and high-energy educational experiences at the college level. Instructors employ a variety of instructional strategies not always available in the normal curriculum, including debates, class discussions, simulations of real-world activities, peer teaching or presentations, lab experiences, Individual or group research projects
These students will get a detailed analysis of their performance by the end of January and the top 100 students will be invited by Duke TIP to participate in the summer program. The summer program will consist of exciting courses like Game Theory, Forensic Science, Architecture, Management, Psychology, Environmental Engineering, Entrepreneurial Leadership, Cryptography etc. Duke TIP in India is a three-week residential summer program, which will be held on the campus of the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, last year. Instructional teams challenge students to examine one topic in-depth and a
21st Century School Education Management
The 21st century education system must meet new standards for quality demanded by an increasingly technological and diverse society. Like business and industry, education is discovering that the old ways don’t work and innovation is needed in promoting high academic achievement for every child by attracting, preparing and supporting the next generation of outstanding leaders for our schools. The education system calls for better, stronger, more visionary and bolder leadership. School leadership is important to the success of a school or school system. In 1983, Mr. Purkey & Smith researched and documented that in schools where students performed better than expected based on poverty and other demographic characteristic, a “dynamic” Principal was at the helm. A school leader must demonstrate the following skills: 1) Instrumental leadership 2) Management 3) Communication, collaboration and community building 4) Vision development, risk taking and change management Instrumental leadership – It includes the design of instructional strategies, supervision, evaluation of programs and the development of curricular and also graduation requirements. Thus, the Principal must have a deep understanding of new teaching methods, students’ consumption of knowledge and skills with problem solving.
Management Good leaders must also be good managers. They must know about finance, be adept at managing people (teachers and other staff also stakeholders), time and facilities. Communication, collaboration and community building – Today’s leader needs skills in communication, collaboration and community building. Approaches to school leadership are shifting from the traditional top-down command and control process to involving students, parents, the community and educational leaders. Effective leaders really orient people with a meaningful vision and clear goals and motivate them to work hard to achieve them. Vision development, risk taking and change management – Good leaders must have a vision for the school and an ability to communicate that vision effectively. Principals of effective schools must have many characteristics of entrepreneurs, they must take risks, seize opportunities, and work to establish a cohesive, like-minded network of parents, teachers and staff. For India to emerge as a super power in the 21st century, India needs visionary thought – leaders, like Chanakya. I wish to conclude by quoting Chanakya, “As long as your body is healthy and under control and death is distant, try to save your soul; when death is imminent what can you do? As soon as fear approaches near, attack and destroy it.”
By Mr. Timir Kumar Sengupta, Principal, Podar School, Jalna (MS)
Mindspark Math Clock The Mindspark Math Clock is designed especially for Mindspark Labs in schools, where all the numerals have been replaced by the equivalent notation! The idea behind the clock is to let students put their mind at work every time they look up to see the time. All schools enrolled for Mindspark have received this clock.
61st Annual School Sports Day -
Yadavindra Public School, Patiala, celebrated its 61st Annual School Sports Day on Saturday,30th October. The programme was customarily held in the school stadium and was, liberally, attended by a host of eminent people and dignitaries. The Chief guest for the occasion was Lt. Gen. H. S. Panag, PVSM, AVSM(retd.), Member, Armed Forces Tribunal, Chandigarh Bench, with the status of a High Court judge. The programme commenced at 3.00 pm with the March Past by the three houses, led by the school Equestrian team followed by the Chief Guest declaring the Meet open and the release of balloons by sixty-five prep school children, firing of gunshots, lighting of the torch and a fly-past. The track and field events, including an Old students’ race ,were held and, subsequently, school students put up slickly-performed PT exercises, yogic and gymnastics feats, a colourful cultural entertainment act entailing the Punjabi ‘Sammi’ folk dance and rhythmic gymnastics by the middle school girls, besides a fencing and Tae-kwon-do display. A notable feature of the programme remained the re-union of the old students’ Golden
Events Yadavindra Public School, Patiala
and Silver jubilee batches of 1960 and 1985, respectively,-a worthy follow-up to a practice started last year by the school. Heena Sidhu, an old Yadavindrian of the ICSE: 2005 batch and a gold and silver medalist in shooting in the recently concluded Commonwealth games, also graced the occasion and was duly, honoured on the occasion for her remarkable achievements. The school also marked the occasion by presenting a cheque of rupees one lakh and twenty-five thousand to Tsering Yangdol, daughter of late Stanzin Muthip, an old student, who recently, passed away in the tragic cloudburst at Leh. The amount has been collected and contributed by the school students and staff. Later on, the Chief guest handed over the prizes and trophies and in his short, but inspiring, speech congratulated the winners, appreciated the efforts and hard work put in by the children and exhorted them to take up Defense services as a career. The evening concluded with a spectacular and dazzling display of fireworks. The program was savoured and appreciated by all present.
Contributed by Guatam Jain, ASSET Ambassador, Yadavindra Public School, Patiala
Felicitation Our Public School, Trivandrum was awarded the ‘Mother Teresa Memorial Educational Award 2010’ by the All India Latin Catholic Aikavedi. The school Principal Mr. Avanakuzhy Vijayan received the award from Honorable Educational Minister Mr. M A Baby at Trivandrum. Aikavedi President Adv. A James Fernadez presided over the function.
Humourous Bite Teacher: What are some products of the West Indies? Student: I don't know. Teacher: Of course, you do. Where do you get sugar from? Student: We borrow it from our neighbour.
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