Newsletter - Sathya Sai School of Canada

Transcription

Newsletter - Sathya Sai School of Canada
1
Sathya Sai School
Toronto, Canada
Bi-Weekly Parent Information Letter # 9 | Feb 2, 2015
Pizza Day
Research Brings Results at
School Science Fair
“Let love flow so
that it cleanses the
world.”
~Sathya Sai Baba
Trustee–Parent Meeting
FEB 12
st
1 Report Cards
FEB 13
Family Day Holiday
FEB 16
Parent-Teacher
Interviews
FEB 17-20
Scholastic Book Fair
FEB 17-19
Family Day Holiday
FEB 16
P.D. Day (No School)
FEB 20
Open House
(Half day School)
FEB 27
Students, parents, family members and
teachers eagerly gathered together at the
Sathya Sai School Annual Science Fair to
view the results of the students’
explorations into the realm of Science.
Held on the evening of Friday, January 23,
2015, the school was filled to the brim with
enthusiastic adults who listened with
appreciation to students presenting their
science projects, asking questions to
examine the students’ understanding.
Parents and family members were impressed with the overall work and quality
of the projects, and the lively interactions at the Fair created a strong and
positive bonding amongst all members of the Sathya Sai School Family.
(continued on page 7)
Open House Feb 27 –
New Admissions for Sept 2015
Founded by Universal Teacher Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the Sathya Sai School of
Canada balances academic excellence with character education. It is a unique
independent school that is open to everyone, regardless of their social, religious,
cultural, economic or ethnic background.
The coming academic year 2015-2016 will be a milestone year, as the school
moves into its new permanent location at 451 Ellesmere Road, with three times
more space and state-of-the art classrooms. The school will hold classes from JK
to Grade 8.
(continued on page 5)
2
From the Principal’s Desk
Revathi Chennabathni
January 29, 2015
Dear Parents,
The fifteenth Science Exhibition at Sathya Sai School was a
huge success on Friday, January 23, 2015. Thank you all for
your presence to promote the confidence and esteem levels
of young scientists of Sathya Sai School.
Duality is the very nature of this creation. According to
Sathya Sai Baba, “Pleasure is an interval between two
pains” and not “Pain is an interval between two
pleasures”. This conveys the truth that life is essentially full
of difficulties and challenges. The goal of life is to
transcend these opposites and acquire bliss which is
permanent and everlasting.
Challenges are part and parcel of our lives. This year the
challenge has been and continues to be the successful
completion of the permanent home of Sathya Sai School. If
Trustees, supporters of Sathya Sai School, parents and staff
members are united, then the project completion will be
met successfully. Do continue sending light and love for the
successful Sathya Sai Building Project completion, so that
next school year will commence at the new building.
Besides this challenge, we also had challenges at our
Kindergarten location for a week. That challenge has been
met successfully by the City and the classes resumed at
that location as of Monday, February 2, 2015.
Understanding and cooperation of parents in these regards
is truly appreciated by one and all.
First Report Cards will be sent home on Friday, February
13, 2015. The Parent-Teacher interviews will be held from
February 17 to 19 during the evenings; February 20 in the
morning only. Please visit all subject teachers to discuss
with them your child(ren)’s progress/steps to improve their
progress.
This year, the Open House will be on Friday, February 27,
2015 starting at 6:45 pm at the current location. Please
note that on this day the school will function for half-day.
Please check our school’s website for all details about
registration.
CONTENTS
Research Brings Results at Science Fair ................. 01,07
Open House & Admissions .................................... 01,05
From the Principal’s Desk ........................................... 02
Upcoming Events ........................................................ 02
Building Project 2015 Update ..................................... 03
Trustees & Parents to Meet ....................................... 03
Letter of Congratulations Encouragement ................. 03
st
1 Report Cards & Parent-Teacher Interviews ........... 04
Scholastic Book Fair .................................................... 04
Poetry Contest Winners ............................................. 05
Winter Clubs Warm Up Cold Winter Days .................. 05
Founder Sathya Sai Baba to Students ......................... 10
Human Value for Jan/Feb: Love ................................. 10
Academics and Human Values ................................... 10
SK: Different States of Matter ................................. 10
Grade 7: Forgiveness .............................................. 12
Multi-Faith Festivals around the World ...................... 17
Monthly Uniform Purchase Days ................................ 17
Important Dates ......................................................... 17
Upcoming Events
Trustee & Parent Meeting: Feb 12
In school gym @ 6:00 PM.
1st Report Cards: Feb 13
Report cards will be sent home.
St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux: Feb 13
Grades 5 & 6 visits seniors home.
Family Day Holiday: Feb 16
No School.
Parent-Teacher Interviews: Feb 17-20
Mandatory for all parents (see page 4).
P.D. Day (No School): Feb 20
Parent-Teacher Interviews in the morning.
Pizza Day: Feb 26
Pizza lunch served to students who ordered.
Open House (1/2-day School): Feb 27
(see page 5 for details)
Admission Interviews: Mar 7
Interviews (JK-2), Tests (Gr3-8). (see page 5)
Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015
3
3
Building Project 2015
From Mr. Dayal Mirchandani, Chair, School Trust
January 28th 2015.
Dear Parents and Supporters of Sathya Sai School:
The Sri Sathya Sai Education Trust of Canada extends a
very happy New Year to everyone. May Sri Sathya Sai
Baba’s guidance be with you and your families and
may he bless you to continue supporting the Sathya Sai
School Project.
We would like to give you an update on the current
status of the construction of the school building. The
following is a breakdown for work completed to date,
from which you observe we have almost completed the
construction:
Structural - 99%
Civil (Site Services) - 85%
Electrical - 75%
Mechanical & Architectural - 55% each
Landscaping - 0%
As you know when we started the project in October
2013, we targeted to complete the project by July 2014
and move to the new school in September 2014.
Everyone worked very hard to achieve this goal but for
construction related reasons beyond our control and
severe winter conditions we were unable to deliver on
the July 2014 deadline. For any further details, if
required, please contact me directly and I shall be more
than willing to answer any question you have in mind.
We all are trying hard to move school to the new
location at the earliest, but somehow for some or the
other reason we have not been able to meet the
targeted dates.
The aim is to move into the new school at the
beginning of the school year in September 2015. In
order to ensure this we are making all possible efforts
to complete the construction by June 30, 2015 and to
set up the new facilities during the summer months for
occupancy.
We want to assure each and every one that members
of the Sri Sathya Sai Education Trust and our Building
Project Team are fully committed to taking this noble
project to full completion.
On behalf of the school Trust we thank you for your
patience and request your continued support towards
the completion of the project. We request that you
Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015
keep the school in your daily prayers. We know that
with the guidance and blessing of the Lord we will
“make it happen”.
We should all be preparing for the historic moment
when the Sathya Sai School will become a beacon of
light to all Canadians. Thanks to all of you for being
part of his legacy and for making Sathya Sai School a
landmark in Canada.
Yours truly,
Dayal Mirchandani,
Chair, Sri Sathya Sai Education Trust of Canada
Trustees & Parents to Meet
Feb. 12, 2015 @ 6:00 PM
The School Trustees would like to meet with
all Parents regarding the new school on:
February 12, 2015 @ 6:00 PM in the
gymnasium
505 Ellesmere Road
Parents, please make this meeting a priority – your
attendance is most important!
Letter of Congratulations &
Words of Encouragement
From Dr. T. Thayaparan, President, National Council
Dear Dr. Revathi, Staff, Students, Parents and Well
Wishers of the Sathya Sai School of Canada,
Congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of the
“Let’s Get Together and Celebrate”1.
Dear Dr. Revathi, The Sai School is a reflection of your
hard work, dedication and selfless service, day in day
out. The outstanding efforts and commitments of your
staff are incredible.
Dear Students, all of you are the beautiful blossoming
flowers in God’s creation and the shining stars of
tomorrow, strengthening the values of our nation with
1
Held at Sathya Sai School Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015 to celebrate the contributions of all the people who participated in
the production of the multi-faith play, “8 Virtuous Offerings
to God”, presented in Prasanthi Nilayam Dec. 26, 2014.
4
4
the Founder’s messages of love, truth, right conduct,
non-violence and peace.
Your performance in Parthi was an absolute delight to
watch. You made us and a packed audience at the
Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi Nilayam, all very happy with
your superb performance on Dec. 26th 2014.
Grateful & special thanks to Ms. Meera Persad and her
husband Kailash and Edith Recht, and all those who
assisted in numerous ways, especially the teams for
makeup and costume, props and backdrops, managing
aggressive timelines for the play practices and
recordings with ease, but the tireless work and
commitment are a true reflection of the excellent
production of the play. My heartfelt thanks again.
Dear Parents, my sincere thanks to you, for continuing
to be the pillars of strength, support and
understanding with all the activities of the Sathya Sai
School. There have been and will be times of
challenges, but together we have worked so diligently
with faith and hope. In the near future, this school will
stand on this sacred soil as one of the greatest tributes
serving as the beacon light fostering values and
character education to all Canadians.
Wishing everyone at the school a successful year, and
may the Founder’s guidance and blessings make each
day a remarkable one!
In conclusion, to quote the Founder Sathya Sai Baba:
“A successful person takes failures not as stumbling
blocks, but as stepping stones towards success. A
failure is a stepping stone to success and not an
obstacle.”
1st Report Cards and ParentTeacher Interviews
First Report Cards will be sent home on Friday,
February 13, 2015. These are key documents that
provide parents with vital information on their
children’s progress at school. They identify the
students’ successes, as well as weaker areas that need
to be strengthened.
All school parents will have an
opportunity to discuss their child(ren)’s
progress with their teacher(s) during
the week of February 17-20. Evening
interviews will be held on February 1719. For the convenience of parents who work in the
evenings, we will schedule daytime interviews on
February 20. More details will come to you from your
child’s teacher. There will be no classes for students
on February 20 – a P.D. Day.
Parent-Teacher Interviews provide the important
opportunity for parents to meet with teachers to
celebrate your child(ren)’s achievements and find
strategies for overcoming areas of challenge. Both
parents and teachers are truly concerned for the
children’s success and these interviews allow you to
discover ways in which you can work together for your
child(ren)’s best interest. For this reason, interviews
are mandatory for all parents.
Teachers look forward to meeting with you!
Parent-Teacher Interview Dates
So we must have a positive outlook
in life. Whatever happens could be a
challenge. Our attitude should be to
meet any challenge anywhere,
anytime. Be cheerful and look
forward to growth and success.
February 17-19 : Evenings
Keep up the wonderful good work. God Bless!
Come and browse. Here is a chance to
add to your children’s home library and
encourage their reading skills. Parents can purchase
books at the Scholastic Book Fair that will be held
concurrently with evening Parent-Teacher Interviews,
from Feb. 17-19. During the day, students will be able
to purchase books during school recesses.
Thank you,
Dr. T. Thayaparan
President, National Council
Sathya Sai International Organization (SSIO) Canada
February 20: Morning
Scholastic Book Fair
Feb 17-19
The bonus books that Scholastics provides to the
school will be used to enlarge our school library.
Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015
5
5
Literary Invention & Inspiration:
Poetry Contest Winners
Congratulations to the winners in the Young Writers
Poetry Contest, whose poetic creations will be included
in a book of poems written by students from across
Canada.
Grade 1
Sherwin Saverimuttu, Deepshika Sivakumar, Ashvini
Uthayakumar
Grade 2
Sai Sarvajith Karthik, Aathitiya Prabaharan
Grade 5
Emily Badrinarain, Meera Bungaroo, Aravind
Chintalapati, Shreya Dasoju, Verahan Gugarooban,
Tejas Karrthik, Pooja Mahadeo, Sonakshi Monga,
Trisha Niles, Aashi Parekh, Daksh Singh, Brenan
Srisatkuru, Saimieraa Yogaraajah
Open House Feb 27 –
Admissions for Sept 2015
JK
SK
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
born in 2011
born in 2010
born in 2009
born in 2008
born in 2007
born in 2006
born in 2005
born in 2004
born in 2003
born in 2002
Application forms may be downloaded from our
website www.sathyasaischool.ca. We request all
interested parties to download the form and bring it
filled out to the Open House. Parents with completed
forms will obtain their interview or admission test
appointment at the sign up desks in the Gym, at the
conclusion of the Open House presentation.
Admission to the Sathya Sai School involves parent
interviews and student test (for JK to Grade 2) or
admission test only (Grades 3 to 8) and these will be
conducted on March 7, 2015. Every year, a waitlist is
created based on the results of the interviews and
tests, and this list is used to fill vacancies as they may
arise up until the end of December 2015.
(continued from page 1)
Friday, Feb. 27, 2015
6:45 – 7:15 school &
classroom browsing
7:15 – 8:30 school
presentation in gym
followed by sign up for
interviews (JK-Gr2) &
admission tests (Gr3-8)
Attending this event is
mandatory for those seeking admission to the Sathya
Sai School for the academic year starting September
2015 and for anyone who would like to acquaint
themselves with the vision and mission of the school.
Twenty students will be accepted in the Junior
Kindergarten program. Children born in the year
2011 are eligible to apply for JK admission.
Applications will also be accepted for admission to
Senior Kindergarten and Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8
against possible vacancies in those Grades.
Age requirements for all grades are as follows:
Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015
Winter Clubs Warm Up
Cold Winter Days
On winter days when it is too cold to go outside during
lunchtime recess, our teachers provide a variety of
Winter Clubs to keep our students happily engaged
with new learning experiences.
The following clubs are meeting once a week:
American Sign Language (Primary Club)
Exploring the Arts (Primary Club)
Drama (Primary Club)
Dance (Primary Club)
Hoop & Loop (Junior Club)
Fast Ball (Junior Club)
Scrabble (Junior Club)
Craft (Junior Club)
Check Mate (Junior Club)
6
Winter Clubs
Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015
6
7
7
Research Brings Results at
School Science Fair
(continued from page 1)
Most importantly, the students all had a chance to
delve into the mysteries of Science and open new
doors of knowledge. Their natural curiosity was
encouraged and channeled by a scientific approach to
the world they encounter.
Honourable Mention
Jeran Jeyachandren
What are the 3D shapes for the future?
Honourable Mention
Sai Sudhish Voora
Effect of music on your blood pressure
For some students, their projects awakened in them a
newly found thrill of learning, as their projects took
them into fields of study of strong personal interest.
Science projects provide the opportunity for students
to draw upon and synthesize the many skills they learn
at school. The understanding of their findings and
ability to communicate these require good skills in
language, math, logic, research, analysis, art, and oral
presentation, among others.
The project topics are grade-specific and relate to the
science curriculum for each grade. Each student
presents their project to the teacher and class and they
are marked according to a detailed rubric. Grades 1
and 2 are required only to do research on their chosen
topic and make a model, though some did carry out
experiments. Grades 3 to 8 are required to follow the
scientific method and do an experiment to prove or
disprove their hypothesis.
Grade 8
Special thanks go to Mr. Peter Petrevski, the Science
Fair Coordinator, for organizing the event, from the
beginning science project packages to bringing forth a
successful Science Fair.
Bronze Medalist
Sai Gayathri Metla
Electrifying Solutions
This year, judging was done for grades 7 and 8, with
awards given to the top five projects in each class.
The winners are:
Grade 7
Gold Medalist
Uththami Kukathasan
Water Movement vs. Plant Growth
Silver Medalist
Prem Atreya
What chemicals remove spray paint?
Bronze Medalist
Nivedita Upadhyay
Are dark green leafy veggies higher in their Vitamin C
content than their counterparts?
Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015
Gold Medalist
Shaayini Shanawaz
The effect of hydrocarbon contamination on soil
fertility
Silver Medalist
Raman Jain
Spices: More than just the taste
Honourable Mention
Krishani Kirubakaran
Investigating Ink: Chromatography
Honourable Mention
Abirami Sivakanthan
Killer Waves: The affect of radio frequency emission
8
8
Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015
9
9
VALUE CONNECTION
In my experiment, I found that the candles had
burned for a very long time, providing heat even in
very cold temperatures. Similarly, when placed in
difficult situations in our own lives, we must
endure on and produce our own warmth, fueled
by love and peace.
~ Madhav Krishna Kumar Nair
Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015
10
10
Founder Sri Sathya Sai Baba
to Students
Cultivate your heart
The fruit of love is present in each and every person’s
life. The only task to be done to experience the fruit is
to remove the outer skin. Once you peel the skin of the
fruit, also remove the bitter seeds within it. Then you
can extract the sweet juice, partake it and discard the
pulp. Understand that God has given you this body
only to relish the sweetness of Love. Peel away the skin
of ego and ostentatiousness. Remove all the seeds of
evil intentions, thoughts and deeds. Discard the pulp of
possession and attachment. Then what remains is the
sweet juice of love. All of you are farmers. You must
engage in spiritual practices to cultivate your heart. Is
there any use for an uncultivated land? Without
wasting your life and keeping the land barren, focus on
cultivating your heart to enjoy the sweetness of the
Divine.
- Sathya Sai Baba, 'My Dear Students', Vol 2, Ch 9, Feb
24, 2005
Human Value for Jan/Feb
LOVE
He alone loves the Creator
perfectly who manifests a pure
love for his neighbor.
~ VENERABLE BEDE
 Academics & Human Values 
Students explore the outer and the inner realms, from
Science to Human Values.
Senior Kindergarten
Mrs. Amala Regisanth, SK Teacher
STATES OF MATTER
This month the SK class is learning about different
states of matter and how the physical state of matter
changes depending on what is added or removed from
a mixture. To illustrate and convey the excitement of
this unit, students created their own play dough and
were able to select the colour they desired. Here are a
few photos of the SK students taking part in the
experiment/activity of the week.
Love display board by Mrs. Sesha Patel, Grade 2 Teacher
Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015
11
11
Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015
12
12
Grade 7
Mr. Christopher Buccella, Grade 7 Teacher
FORGIVENESS
Forgiving someone for harm that they've done to you
can be one of the hardest things we have to do. Our
class decided that we would do what we can to
promote awareness of why it is important to forgive
those around us. Using a website called Easel.ly the
class created individual "infograms" using both
readings that we studied, discussion topics and their
own prior knowledge. Each student created something
that was unique and individual. I was impressed with
the level of understanding and creativity that my
students demonstrated with this activity. Their comfort
level with using new technologies to produce their
academic work amazes me. Here are a few samples of
the wonderful work from my students.
Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015
13
13
Uththami
Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015
14
14
Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015
15
15
Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015
16
16
Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015
17
17
Multi-Faith Festivals
around the world
Feb 2 Candlemas
(Christian)
Feb 3 Setsubun-sai
(Shinto)
Feb 4 Tu BiShvat
(Jewish)
Feb 15 Nirvana Day
(Buddhist, Jain)
Important Dates:
Feb 2015
Feb 12
Trustees & Parent Meeting 6:00 pm
Feb 13
1st Report Cards
Feb 13
St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux (Gr5 & 6)
Feb 16
Family Day Holiday (No School)
Feb 17-20 Parent-Teacher Interviews
Feb 20
P.D. Day (No School)
Feb 26
Pizza Day
Feb 27
Open House (Half Day School)
Mar 7
Admission Interviews
May 31
Walk for Values
Feb 18 Ash Wednesday
(Christian)
Feb 19 World Religion Day
(Baha’i)
Yours truly,
Ms. Recht, Admin. Asst.
Dr. Revathi, Principal
Graphics by Mr. Shiras Rajendran
Monthly Uniform
Purchase Days
Please note that the next dates for uniform
purchases will be on March 2 & 3, from 9:30 AM
to 3:30 PM.
Next purchase dates are: Mar 2 & 3
Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015