Sathya Sai School

Transcription

Sathya Sai School

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Sathya Sai School
Toronto, Canada
Bi-Weekly Parent Information Letter # 6 | Nov 24, 2014
On His 89th Birthday
Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
Our Life Is His Message
This is a special time of year, when we have the good fortune to celebrate the Life and Teachings of
our Founder/Chancellor, Sri Sathya Sai Baba. With love in our hearts, three joyful days were
dedicated at Sathya Sai School for this purpose: Human Values Day, Founder’s Day Celebration, and
Special Prayers on Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s Birthday.
The tremendous humanitarian projects that Sai Baba undertook and inspired during his lifetime
deeply touch all who read about or come into contact with them: providing education, medical
treatment, water, and social upliftment to millions, particularly the poor and downtrodden.
Throughout his life, he often repeated that “My life is my message,” to encourage us to follow in his
footsteps by emulating him. Later, he changed the phrase to, “Your life is my message,” as he
encouraged people to live his message and inspire others.
His message and the essence of his teachings are summed up in the simple words: Love All, Serve
All. To be able to do so, he taught, requires that we cultivate pure love in our hearts – an
unconditional love that asks for nothing in return.
(continued on page 2)
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Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
Our Life Is His Message
(continued from page 1)
To help us change our wrong habits and thinking, to
uncover and manifest this Divine love that exists within
us, Sai Baba encouraged all to cultivate the human
values.
The Human Body and Human Values Are Sacred
Why are humans and human values so special? Sai
Baba explains that:
God is in the form of a human being. That is the
reason why, the human values are considered to be
so sacred and important. It is not enough to simply
have a human body. In keeping with the human
form, one should also cultivate the human values of
Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love and Nonviolence. You should not tell a lie under any
circumstances. If you adhere to truth, righteousness
will follow. Where truth and righteousness go
together, there peace will be. Where there is peace,
there will be love too. There can be no place for
violence, when there is love….
Why did God give eyes to a human being? Only to
see good. Similarly, the ears are meant to hear
good things and the tongue to speak good words.
The words you speak must always be sweet and
soft and never harsh. Thus, man has to consider
every limb and organ in the body given to him by
God as sacred and make proper use of it. Such a
sacred body has to be dedicated to God and none
else. God gives you all that is necessary for your
life’s journey. You should, therefore, install God in
the altar of your pure and sacred heart. (Sathya Sai
Baba, from Christmas Discourse, December 25,
2009)1
Do Good, Be Good, See Good
When we adhere to the human values, our inherent
goodness shines forth. Without them, our actions are
worthless:
Bereft of truth, righteousness, peace and love, the
value of all your education is zero; bereft of truth,
righteousness, peace and love, the benefit of all
your acts of charity and kindness is zero; bereft of
truth, righteousness, peace and love, the utility of
all your positions of power is zero; and bereft of
truth, righteousness, peace and love the result of all
your good deeds is zero. Truth, Righteousness,
Peace and Love are verily the pillars of the mansion
of the Eternal Religion (cosmic order)….
No doubt the worldly education helps to provide
comfort and joy in the objective world, but it does
not at all contribute to inner bliss. It is only the five
human values of Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love
and Non-violence that confer inner bliss. A person
who cultivates these five human values will always
be happy. The five senses of action provide external
pleasure; but the five human values confer inner
bliss. (Sathya Sai Baba, from Convocation Discourse,
November 22, 2009)
The Sathya Sai School community is truly grateful to Sri
Sathya Sai Baba for the gift of this school, for the
teachings of the human values, and for the opportunity
to transform ourselves and realise our true nature:
God is omnipresent. The sky is God and the earth is
God. All the human beings are embodiments of
Divinity. God is immanent in every human being in
the form of breath. Man has to realise this truth.
(Sathya Sai Baba, Christmas Discourse, December
25, 2009)
All quotes are from Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s discourses and are
published by the Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust, Prasanthi
Nilayam, India.
Newsletter # 6 November 24 2014
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From the Principal’s Desk
Revathi Chennabathni
Human Values Day was held on November 20th and
Founder’s Day on November 21, 2014, respectively. This
year’s Human Values Day celebration started with
Awards Ceremony to Sathya Sai School anchor staff as
well as volunteers who help our students on a day-to-day
basis. All Sathya Sai School students (JK-Grade 8) were
present at the current location to partake in Human
Values Day Activities organized by Sathya Sai School staff
members. The following day, Chancellor Sathya Sai
Baba’s birthday was celebrated with Sathya Sai School
family (JK to Grade 8) in a simple and serene way. The
Guest Speakers for this event were Father Terry
Gallagher and Sathya Sai School alumna, Devanshi
Shukla. Father Gallagher engaged Sathya Sai School
students in his address to sing a value song along with
him. He addressed the current lack of peace in the world,
urged and reminded each and every one that this is the
hour of need for us all to practice human values more
than ever.
After Father Gallagher’s address, Sathya Sai School
alumna, Devanshi Shukla shared with all students how her
experience as a student of Sathya Sai School shaped her to
be the person she is today and reiterated that human
values are the treasure that we take with us wherever we
go in life. She said the journey does not end after
graduating from Sathya Sai School, but begins after you
leave the school.
Sathya Sai School Multi-faith play practices have been
taking place after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and
on Saturdays for the past one month. Sixty-four members
including parents, students, staff and volunteers from our
school will be taking the trip to Prasanthi Nilayam, India
during Christmas time. We look forward to this trip being
spiritually enriching and self-transforming for each and
every one of us.
Please take note of an upcoming meeting with all Sathya
Sai School parents and Sathya Sai School Trust members
as well as Building Team members which will be held on
Thursday, December 4, 2014 at 6:30 pm. Please attend
this important meeting.
Continue sending light and love for the successful
completion of Sathya Sai School Building Project as well
as those going on a trip to Prasanthi Nilayam, India for
their successful journey.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Chancellor
Sathya Sai Baba, Trust members, parents, students, staff,
volunteers and supporters for making Sathya Sai School a
beautiful place to work, learn and grow collectively.
CONTENTS
Sri Sathya Sai Baba: Our Life Is His Message .............. 01
From the Principal’s Desk ........................................... 03
Upcoming Events ....................................................... 03
Sri Sathya Sai Education Trust of Canada ................... 04
Notice: Trust, Building Team & Parent Meeting ........ 04
Honouring Founder’s Birthday ................................... 05
Human Values Day ................................................. 05
Awards Ceremony ............................................... 05
Human Values Day Activities .............................. 05
Founder’s Day Celebration ..................................... 07
Founder’s Birthday – Growing Garland .................. 13
In Honour of Remembrance Day ............................... 14
Human Value for Nov/Dec: Peace.............................. 15
Academics & Human Values ...................................... 15
JK: Designed by God ............................................... 15
Grade 1: Practising Peace ....................................... 17
Grade 2: Values Stories & Poems ........................... 18
Grade 3: Science, Poetry & Human Values ............. 19
Extracurricular Program Update ................................ 20
Monthly Uniform Purchase Days ............................... 20
Important Dates ......................................................... 20
Upcoming Events
Uniform Purchase: Dec 1&2
Purchase may be made from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm.
School Meeting: Dec 4
Trustees, Building Project Team & All Parents at
6:30 PM
St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux: Dec 5
Grades 1 & 2 will visit the Seniors home.
Pizza Day: Dec 11
Pizza lunch for students who placed orders.
Kennedy Lodge: Dec 12
Grades 3 & 8 will visit the Seniors home.
Last Day of Classes: Dec 19
Last day of school before Winter Vacation.
Winter Vacation: Dec 20-Jan 4
School will be closed.
School Play in India: Dec 26
Students will perform at Prasanthi Nilayam.
Walk for Values: May 31
13th Walk for Values at Nathan Phillips Square.
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Sri Sathya Sai Education Trust
of Canada
For Regular updates, please visit:
Greetings Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Yours truly,
Dayal Mirchandani
Trustee, Sri Sathya Sai Education Trust of Canada
I am writing on behalf of the Sri Sathya Sai Education
Trust of Canada to inform you about the status of the
new building for the Sathya Sai School of Canada. First,
I would like to offer my gratitude to Sri Sathya Sai Baba
for bringing everyone together to complete his project.
The project could only be possible with your prayers,
support and generous donations. On behalf of all
trustees of the school I wish to extend my sincere
thanks to you.
We are in the final phase of completion. As we prepare
to move into this new state of the art institution, I wish
to inform you that we still require your voluntary help
to acquire several items in the library, science room,
music room, gym, playground, and other areas of the
facility.
At this final stage of completion I humbly request
everyone to be part of Sai Baba’s legacy. By embracing
and participating in his great and evolving project, we
will continue to promote the model of Educare across
Canada.
Year after year, we witness our students graduating
with a foundation of human values ingrained in their
young minds. Our students excel in both academic
achievement and character education. Character
education embraces the values of truth, right conduct,
peace, love and non-violence at our school. Their
results are indeed unprecedented. As you may know,
the Fraser Institute has reported that Sathya Sai School
has scored a perfect 10 on 10 consistently for eight
years in the Education Quality and Accountability
Office exams. (EQAO) and ranked it #1 out of 3030
schools in Ontario. Our school is a special gift to
Canada, handed to us by Founder Sri Sathya Sai Baba
since the year 2000. It is the only school of its kind in
Canada and the United States. We are very fortunate
to have the rare privilege to be part of his
transformational mission. Let’s all come together and
“MAKE IT HAPPEN” now.
Once again, on behalf of the Sri Sathya Sai Education
Trust of Canada, I wish to express my sincere gratitude
to you for dedicating your time and effort so lovingly,
and for your unhesitating generosity.
http://www.sathyasaischool.ca/?section=buildingpro
ject&page=index
! NOTICE !
School Trust &
Building Project Team
to meet with
All Parents
Thursday, December 4, 2014
@ 6:30 PM
Mark your calendars:
Walk for Values, May 31st
The Walk for Values Committee has been successful in
booking May 31, 2014 for the 13th Annual Walk for
Values, to be held at Nathan Phillips Square in
downtown Toronto – thanks to the hard work of the
Walk for Values Co-Chairs, Mr. Manish Rughani and
Mr. Kesh Maharaj.
Thank you also goes to the contributions of team
members Mr. Thirunavukkarasu Sathiamoorthy and
Mr. Premkumar Mailvaganam, who have been
assisting the Walk for Values over the years and are
currently shadowing the co-chairs for future
responsibilities.
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Honouring Founder Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s Birthday
Human Values Day
Part 2: Human Values Day
This is a very special day for Sathya Sai School, as it
gives us an opportunity to celebrate the Human Values
that form the school’s foundation, and which guide us
to lead more noble lives.
Human Values Day is also a time for us to celebrate the
tremendous love and sacrifice of members of the
school’s community who enable Sathya Sai School and
its students to continue to flourish.
Part 1: Awards Ceremony
The morning ceremony honoured the schools anchor
teachers and volunteers with the presentation of
Government Awards from the office of the Hon. Brad
Duguid MPP.
Principal Dr. Revathi spoke in her loving and
welcoming manner, as she recognized individuals who
have contributed their time and energy to our school
and the community. She was pleased to note that the
presentation of Human Values Awards has been
carried on for several years and will become a
permanent tradition at Sathya Sai School.
Activities
The remainder of Human Values Day was devoted to
fun-filled activities designed by the teachers around
the five universal values of Truth, Right Conduct,
Peace, Love and Non-violence. Each of the students
was assigned to one of the five value house groups and
these groups rotated throughout the day to each of
the value activities.
Truth Station
Activity: Jenga
Conducted by Mrs. Regisanth & Mr. MacDonald
The tower of blocks represents integrity. Every time
you take a block it represents telling a lie. This creates
“holes” in your integrity and weakens the trust people
have in you. If you lie too much, the tower will topple
and the trust people have will collapse.
Addressing the recipients, Dr. Revathi stated, “You
wear many hats and have a passion for the school. You
give generously of your time and love. We would like
to emulate you as role models. You put the Human
Values into practice. What a perfect day to honour you
– on Human Values Day!”
Special thanks to our teachers and day volunteers,
the unsung heroes and heroines, who serve our
school day in and day out.
Love is the basis for the Human
Values and is the energy that moves
us to sacrifice for others.
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Right Conduct Station
Non-violence Station
Activity: Snakes & Ladders
Conducted by Mrs. Ganga Persad & Mrs. Mohan
Activity: Marshmallow-Spaghetti Towers
Conducted by Mr. Gandhi and Mrs. Patel
Tasks had to be completed to advance up the ladders,
including correctly spelling words forwards or
backwards, connecting songs to a value, and charades
using situations with a value.
This is a group activity with everyone in each group
working together to build the tallest free-standing
structure possible out of raw sphaghetti held together
with marshmallows. The oldest students in each group
successfully guided the younger ones towards a
finished structure
Love Station
Activity: Love is like Ice Cream
Conducted by Mr. Buccella, Mrs. Jhawar,
Ms. Ratnarajah
Peace Station
A long-time favourite, the focus of this station is Ice
Cream. However, students had to earn their ice cream
by trying to answer the question: What do love and ice
cream have in common? The teachers debated with
the answers and stimulated a good discussion. The
finale was ice cream with a choice of healthy toppings.
Students were given various scenarios of conflict and
asked, “If this is happening, how would you deal with
it?” There was improvised acting and discussion on
conflict resolution by the students.
Activity: Creating Peace
Conducted by Mrs. Krishnanand & Mr. Petrevski
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Founder’s Day Celebration
A beautiful program was held on Friday, November 21, 2014 to celebrate the birthday of the school’s Founder
Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
The gymnasium had been transformed overnight by a team of teachers and parents into a magical and aweinspiring space, which surprised and delighted everyone as they entered.
Two grade 8 students were the emcees who
graciously led us through the morning program –
Krishani Kirubakaran and Saiayishwin Suresh – with
an excellent introduction to the Founder and his
work. Some excerpts follow.
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“Today we are celebrating the 89th birthday of our Founder Sri Sathya Sai
Baba. As you know, Sri Sathya Sai Baba is a great universal teacher and a
humanitarian whose acts of kindness have helped millions all over the
world, from His native India, to Africa, Australia, Fiji, Asia, Europe and
most importantly here in Canada. He has set up wonderful service
projects all over the world.
“Sathya Sai Baba has built many ultra-modern hospitals. Highly
specialized doctors provide free treatment to the needy at these
hospitals.
“He has also initiated several projects to provide a supply of pure and
fresh water to millions of neglected people in India.
“Indeed those projects are so successful that the United Nations is studying them as model projects to solve the
water crisis in Africa and other parts of Asia.
“He has established a model education system, which includes primary schools, secondary schools, and a
university with three campuses, offering undergraduate, Masters, and Ph.D. degrees. No fees are charged to
students, and admission is open to all, regardless of race or religion.
“His schools are not limited to India alone. He has 40+ more schools all over the world, including in Australia,
Thailand, Argentina, Mexico and…of course…our very own school…the Sathya Sai School of Canada.
“We are all so lucky to be studying here in this school where the medium of instruction is neither English nor
French but the universal language of LOVE. It is the positive love energy that defines our unique learning
environment here.
“We begin our offering of love for our Dearest Founder in the form of a presentation by our ever delightful guest –
Father Gallagher.
Father Gallagher
A Roman Catholic priest and long-time friend
of Sathya Sai School, Father Gallagher bowed
before the Founder to pay his respects. He
then turned to the audience and said, “He will
speak through me to you.” He complimented
the MCs for their beautiful tribute to Sai Baba,
as they showed their love for Baba and the
values he taught.
When he looked through the audience for the
grade 7 student he had spoken with before
the program, she stood up at the back of the
gym. Father Gallagher was so taken by the
image before his eyes:
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“There is a flame of love burning behind you and the lotus, a symbol of
Divine Love – this is my dream for everyone who goes to the Sathya Sai
School.
He told the students, “You are going to bring the values to all the schools,”
and he began to name many countries around the world where the values
will be spread. “The values will make a much better, happier and friendlier
world.
He asked the students to name some of the human values and as the
younger ones in the front answered, he lovingly mimicked their highpitched, child-like voices as he repeated “Peace” and “Peace in different
tones, bringing peals of laughter from the students.
Father sang of the troubles around the world with the American spiritual “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen”,
as he evoked the suffering and pain in such countries as Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Israel, Palestine,
Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan – all war-torn countries.
He explained to the students, “that’s why Sai Baba, Gandhi, and Jesus teach Non-violence and why a Sathya Sai
School student practices Non-violence.”
“And the girl who said ‘Peace’ – she’s going to teach Non-violence, Love, and Peace. This world is so angry and full
of tears.”
He praised the school for sending money to help people build wells so people will have clean water, and sang,
“There’s a hole in the bottom of the sea,” a song people sing as they dig to make holes for wells.
Father Gallagher lovingly addressed the Founder:
“My dear Baba, I have to be in your school because I love your teachings and the work your people are doing –
making hospitals, schools, and feeding the poor – bringing the values around the world and the teachings – that
every religion is sacred. No one needs to change their religion – they only have to practise it, for every religion
teaches values.
Then he raised up a card made by JK student Avik Sharma and said, “That’s little Baba; and in front of me are
almost 200 little Babas.
He stated, “I am a Roman Catholic
Priest. I am a Christian,” and
explained that within Christianity
there are so many different
traditions. And there are so many
other religions that also have many
traditions.
He continued, “That is what is wrong
with us – we don’t get along with
each other.”
“Sai Baba taught us to love one
another.”
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“Because of people:
I have come to be a roaming priest,
Rambling rose
Where I ramble, no one knows
But I love rose
And I love Baba.”
Father closed with the song “Down in My
Heart”:
I am so happy
So very happy
I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart
I’ve got the love of Baba in my heart
I’ve got the love of Mohammad in my heart
I’ve got the love of Moses in my heart
I’ve got the love of Krishna in my heart
I’ve got the love of Durga, Saraswati & Laksmi in
my heart.
I’ve got the peace and understanding
Down in my heart to stay.
As all the students sang along, SK student
Eeshaharini Jayakumar assisted the Father by
sweetly repeating the word ‘Peace’ whenever he
prompted her.
We thank Father Gallagher for sharing his love,
words of wisdom and joy on this special day in
honour of Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s birthday.
In the tradition of the school, Founder’s Day is
always celebrated with the cutting of the Birthday
Cake by the youngest student and this year one of
the oldest: Krishna Rajarajeswaran (JK) and
Sagaanan Ganeshathasan (Grade 8). A complimentary pizza lunch was served to all the students,
followed by a birthday cupcake in the afternoon.
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Devanshi Shukla
We had the good fortune of having a graduate of our school as the next
speaker on the program – Devanshi Shukla, class of 2010. She spoke on
the topic, “How being at Sathya Sai School has helped her.”
She began her talk with an analogy of what it is like to be a Sathya Sai
School student. She asked the students to “Imagine you are an architect
and you are assigned by Sai Baba to build a building for the rest of your
life.” The most important part is a sturdy base; it takes so long to build it
and you have to make sure the base is steady.
She told the students that they may feel like it takes so long to build a sturdy base, that some days, for example,
they may not want to meditate but go out and play.
She emphasized, however, that learning the Human Values really helped. After graduating from Sathya Sai School in
Grade 6, on her first day in Grade 7 she was finally using what she had learned at Sathya Sai School and insisted that
you really have to apply what you learned here. “The journey doesn’t end here – it just begins.”
For her talk today, she reflected on her past week at school (currently in grade 11) and picked out some of the
values she needed.
1. Respect. One of her fondest memories was that whenever a parent, volunteer, or elder came into the class, the
students always stood up to greet them. She told the students that it is important to respect your elders, your
peers, your work, and yourself. You have to respect everyone around you.
2. Being truthful at school and work. With all the speeches
and science projects, it gets harder as you go on in school
and some students cheat. She stated that no one at Sathya
Sai School would even think about cheating on tests and
repeated how important it is not to cheat on your work.
For science fair projects, for example, you are not allowed
to repeat a project that has already been done by someone
else. She competed in Grade 10 in the National Science Fair
in Windsor, and had to be careful to choose an entirely
new topic. After all her hard work, she won a Gold Medal
at the National Science Fair.
3. Perseverance. She asked for a definition and one student replied, “When you try hard and never give up.”
Devanshi explained that in Grade 11 she had to create a thesis and write a literary essay, which she
completed. When the teacher requested all the students to show their theses, he told her she needed to
rework her thesis. So she had to make a new thesis and write a new essay. Her training in perseverance at
Sathya Sai School helped her to accomplish her work successfully and with a positive attitude.
4. Discrimination. Devanshi emphasized that the biggest and most important value that she has to use all the
time is discrimination. The definition was again supplied by one of the students in the audience – “the choice
between good and bad.” She told the students that they may not have to use this so much now, but when
they graduate, they will be faced with a lot of new things and will have to use their discrimination.
5.
Service. When you get to Grade 9, students have to do 40 hours of volunteer service. Devanshi shared that
this year she has been volunteering at her local hospital, bringing juice and other things to people. One day
she had a long chat with a lonely patient who told her that “just your being here is enough”; she was happy to
get attention and companionship. Now Devanshi is working with “Me to We”, a foundation that builds wells,
schools and other needs around the world. She and others are raising money to build a school in India. She
proudly stated, “I learned this in Sathya Sai School and it helps me now.”
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Devanshi closed with words of encouragement and appreciation:
“You will realize how you will carry forward what you have learned here, such as greeting elders and helping
seniors – you will be able to use these tools and be a better person, successful and helpful to others.
“You are getting all your bricks, mud, and varnishing for the base of your building. You will be so glad you got to
study at your Founder’s school.”
Vote of Thanks
Principal Dr. Revathi explained that any event at Sathya Sai School is a Triple Partnership. Grade 2 teacher Mrs.
Sesha Patel took on the task of decorations for Founder’s Day. She was persevering in her efforts and along with
her there were many helping hands – parents and teachers who worked till 10 PM to make the gymnasium a
beautiful space to honour our Founder. Thanks go to Mr. Ramakrishna Kuntamukkala, Mr. Sukumar
Balasubramaniam, Mrs. Anjula Sukumar, Mr. Vetrichelvan Kasinathan, Mr. Lojan Sivapragasam, Mr. Sannjay
Patel, Mrs. Meera Ganga Persad, Mr. Kailash Ganga Persad, Ms. Theeba Ratnarajah, and Mr. Manish Rughani.
Dr. Revathi also commended the students who drew so many beautiful ornaments with values to hang on the
Christmas tree. All students will also be offering a leaf to be offered at the resting place of our Founder in India.
“The Past, Present, and Future are all here,” Dr. Revathi continued. “The Past is shown in the backdrops on the
walk, which were used in former school plays, including the “Power of One” which was performed before Sri
Sathya Sai Baba in 2006. The Present is today’s honouring of the Founder, and the Future is the new school
building.”
“In a few weeks, we will be going to Prasanthi Nilayam to present our play. It takes a lot of help – parents, wellwishers, and volunteers – to put it together.”
Dr. Revathi thanked Father Gallagher, saying that we are so touched by his talk and his respect for all the religions.
He has the gift of being able to connect with young and old alike.
She thanked Devanshi Shukla for giving back to the school, and repeated her telling comment that, “The journey
doesn’t end here – it just begins.”
Pointing to the shields on the wall, the Principal advised the students, “Take the shield of the Five Human Values
– you will have endless ways to apply these. You are future citizens, trailblazers of the Five Human Values.”
Also thanked were the Junior Kindergarten ECE, Ms. Abirami Paramanathan and her mother for making 300
cupcakes and the birthday cake.
HAPPY 89th BIRTHDAY!
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Founder’s Birthday & The Growing Garland
On the day of Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s birthday, Sunday, November 23, 2014, special prayers were held at the
Sathya Sai School to offer heartfelt thanks for the school and pray for the timely completion of the permanent
building of the school at 451 Ellesmere Road.
During the ceremony, the garlands placed two of the Founder’s photos began to grow and continued for
several days, bringing happiness and encouragement to the school members.
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In Honour of
Remembrance Day
The whole school gathered together on the morning of
Wednesday, November 12, 2014 to pay their respects
to the soldiers who gave their lives in war to protect
Peace Freedom Liberty Equality in Canada.
Mrs. Sesha Patel and her Grade 2 students had put
together a heartfelt program that honoured the many
soldiers who died during World War I, World War II,
the Korean War, and after.
Five students read from the renowned poem, “In
Flanders Field” to set the tone for the day.
Following the reading, a video was aired, prepared by
Mrs. Patel with help from students. It was a moving
tribute, with photos of departed soldiers, battlefield
scenes and the many graveyards marking our fallen
heroes.
Let us carry their torch and not forget them
They came with hope
They fought with valour
They died with honour
Grade 7 teacher Mr. Christopher Buccella shared an
experience from his grandfather’s perspective. His
grandfather joined the Italian
army following WWII. He and
his grandmother had lived
through WWII, when Italy was
under a dictatorship. Everyone
had lived in fear of the men
who patrolled the towns. If
you did something wrong, you
were arrested or beaten. His
grandfather learned how to
survive and live off very little.
Mr. Buccella reminded us how lucky we are because
we live in place that is peaceful and where we can
enjoy life.
Principal Dr. Revathi asked the students to send their
light and love to all those who gave their lives,
including the two soldiers who recently sacrificed their
lives in Ottawa.
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Human Value for Nov/Dec
PEACE
To enjoy good health, to bring true
happiness to one’s family, to bring peace
to all, one must first discipline and
control one’s own mind.
~ BUDDHA
 Academics & Human Values 
In honour of Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s birthday and Human Values Day, students expressed their love and
appreciation for the Founder of the school and their understanding of the Human Values that are at the core of
the school’s philosophy and methodology. The following are examples of the integration of human values with
the academic curriculum.
Junior Kindergarten
Mrs. Minoli Roshan, JK Teacher
DESIGNED BY GOD
The Junior Kindergarteners were transformed into artists and asked to let their creative juices flow as they
eagerly created their work of art. They were given a variety of crafts and art materials to use at their disposable.
Look at some of their creations below. Mrs. Roshan read a character education book to the students titled
Designed by God so I Must Be Special and integrated science as they discovered all the different parts of the
body that God had given each of us. The students learned that each one is created differently and that makes us
even more special. We might all start using the same tools, but our end results are each unique and similarly we
might all have eyes, but different eye colours and that is what makes us unique. This is what some of the JKs
shared after they completed their activity:
Ishani Punithavel: "I used my
mind to create my beautiful art."
Syon Harilall: “I used my hands
for sharing all the things.”
Yash Poddar: “I used my
eyes to see what I am doing.”
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Grade 1
Ms. Theeba Ratnarajah, Grade 1 Teacher
PRACTISING PEACE
The Grade 1 students created posters to showcase how they practice the value of peace at home, at school, and
in the community.
Sherwin Saverimuttu: I
show peace at home by
not saying disrespectful
words. I show peace at
school by following all
the school values. I show
peace in the community
by following the rules of
the community.
Vardaan Priyadutt Desai: I
show peace at home by
listening to my parents. I
show peace at school by
being nice to others. I show
peace in the community by
being good.
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Grade 2
Mrs. Sesha Patel, Grade 2 Teacher
POEMS & STORIES INSPIRED BY THE VALUES
The three best friends – Sai Sarvajith Karthik
Once upon a time, there lived a tortoise and
rabbit, whose name was Jack and Peter and they
are good friends. They were very nice to everyone.
One hot day they went to a mouse’s house, but the
mean mouse hit the tortoise, but the tortoise did
not hit the mean mouse back.
On a sunny afternoon, they went to play soccer.
The mouse always declared penalty but the rabbit
and tortoise did not fight back. The mouse always
cheated the rabbit. Looking at his friends being
good to him, the mean mouse realized his mistakes
in his heart and apologized and played fairly.
Finally mouse, rabbit and tortoise became best
friends forever.
Moral of the story: If someone is being good to you,
be good to them. If someone is being bad to
you, you should be good to them, because
they will learn from you.
My home is a heaven
– Rhiyashree Vijayan
In the morning, I wake up,
I see the glory of the sunrise,
It brings joy in my face,
And I share love with my family.
Lighting up for God
It brings peace in my heart,
And shows happiness to my family.
Doing my chores on time,
It brings self-discipline in my action,
And brings respect to my family.
Being honest and truthful,
It brings trust for each other,
It shows kindness to my family.
Not hurting others,
It brings good character to me,
It shows friendliness in my family.
“All the five Human Values
Makes my Home a Heaven”
Values poem – Aasha Punithavel
L is for loving everyone.
O is for obeying elders.
V is for very well behaved.
E is for education of Values.
A is for always telling the truth.
L is for living peacefully.
L is for learning all five values.
S is for self-discipline.
E is for empathy.
R is for right-conduct.
V is for no violence.
E is for encouraging others.
A is for appreciating our parents.
L is for loyalty.
L is for living your life with the values.
Kind Christina and the homeless – Misha Rughani
(A story showing the 5 Human Values through your actions)
Once there was a girl named Christina. She was going for a
walk. When she went for a walk she saw some people sitting
on the sidewalk. She wondered who they were because they
did not have any home. When she went back home, she asked
her mom, ‘’who are those people who do not have any
shelter?” Her mum replied, “Those people are homeless
people. They do not have any shelter or food.”
Christina was sad to hear that. She realized there would be
many more homeless people around the world. But she
wanted to help them in some way. She asked her mum, “Mum
you know the money that I collected on my birthday as gifts,
can I donate that money to those people and buy them food to
eat?”
“Yes you can Christine,” mum said. “That’s a very good
idea!”
“Mum, and also every birthday I do not want a party. I want
to give away that money to the homeless people, every year. I
want to buy them food, toys and clothes every year on my
birthday.” Then Christina went and gave the food and money
to the homeless people. They were very happy and satisfied.
They blessed her.
Christina felt very happy and she continued doing this every
year on her birthday.
Moral: Nothing is impossible. You can do anything if you are
determined, with a good heart.
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Grade 3
Mrs. Revathy Mohan, Grade 3 Teacher
SCIENCE, POETRY & HUMAN VALUES
Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science
becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe
-- a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which
we with our modest powers must feel humble."
Albert Einstein
Third Graders made cross curricular connections between Science, Poetry and Human Values as they explored
plant life. Inspired by Shel Silverstein’s Giving Tree, the students delved into the nature of trees, to make
connections and think of ways trees personify and teach us the Five Human Values.
Spirit of Enquiry: Trees want to
know how to help the world. They
help us by giving oxygen and taking
in carbon dioxide. Kreshni Nathan
Empathy: The tree has empathy
because if a person needs something, it will give what the person
needs instead of just leaving it.
Sannjay Karthikeyan
Self- Discipline: The tree shows selfdiscipline by not wanting anything
back even if a person or animal
takes anything from it. No matter
what, it will keep on giving.
Medha Gedela
Discrimination: The tree follows
discrimination in doing two things.
The first thing is that the roots take
in what’s good for it and does not
take anything bad. The second thing
is, it takes in carbon dioxide that is
good for it and gives out oxygen
which is good for us.
Reena Bungaroo
Selflessness: The tree shows
selflessness by giving others shade,
fruits, homes and boats made out of
their wood. They are not selfish.
Viona Vanaki
Endurance: The tree does
not run away. It stays in one
place and protects anything.
Jahnavi Sihota-Birbal
Friendliness: The tree is friendly
because it lets the birds sit on it.
It shares its fruits with everyone
and lets them eat them.
Ragavie Chandradhas
Helpfulness: Trees provide service to birds,
humans and a lot of the living beings here on
planet earth. They provide oxygen, sap, starch
and much more. They provide shade, fruits,
wood. They provide flowers and fruits that
are high in nutrients, shade when it is hot and
wood to build things. Aryan Tiwari
Duty: The duty of a tree is to
give us clean air and trees
follow their duty.
Sahiba Saggar
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Extracurricular Program
Update
Dear Parents/Guardians of the Sathya Sai School,
Thank you very much for your participation in the
survey conducted on the feasibility of running an
extracurricular program for the2014-2015 academic
school year. Through your questions and comments,
we were able to understand the needs of our school
community. Our goal was to run the program on days
in which we would have at least 20 students
participate. Unfortunately, the quota was not met and
therefore we will not be able to hold an
extracurricular activity program for this school year.
We look to try again for the 2015-2016 school year.
More information on that will be given in April or May
of 2015. Once again we thank you very much for your
participation and hope to have your continued support
through the year.
Sincerely,
Mr. Ronak Gandhi, OCT.
Important Dates:
December 2014
Dec 1&2 Uniform Purchase Days
Dec 4
Meeting with Parents, Trustees,
School Building Team
Dec 5
St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux (Grades 1,2)
Dec 11
Pizza Day
Dec 12
Kennedy Lodge (Grades 3,8)
Dec 15
Parent Council Meeting
Dec 19
Last Day of Classes
Dec 20Jan 04
Winter Vacation (No School)
Dec 26
School play at Prasanthi Nilayam
Jan 05
School Re-opens
May 31
13th annual Walk for Values
Yours truly,
LABELS, Please…
Accessories and uniform items are easily lost or
misplaced by children, so we strongly encourage you
to print or sew your child’s name or initials on all
clothing items so they can be returned when found.
Monthly Uniform
Purchase Days
Please note that the next dates for uniform
purchases will be on Monday, Dec. 1st and
Tuesday, Dec. 2nd from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM.
Next purchase dates are Dec 1 & 2.
Ms. Recht, Admin. Asst.
Dr. Revathi, Principal
Graphics by Mr. Shiras Rajendran

Sathya Sai School

Transcription

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