SCHOOL BUZZ
On an edutainment trip from Noida to Goa 
Smriti Kak

The students of Vishwa Bharti Public School, Noida, had a fun-filled trip to Goa. About 120 students along with 20 teachers went on an edutainment trip as part of the winter excursion.

The students were enthralled by the breathtaking sights of the state, famous for its beaches. This fun-filled trip, apart from a visit to beaches like Vegator, Celangute, Colva, also included a boat ride to Dona Paula water sports and the Big Foot museum, which was a storehouse of Goan culture and history.

Icha Ganju, a student says, “This trip was not only full of entertainment, but also educative in nature. We learnt a lot about sharing responsibilities, and how to be independent and have fun at the same time.”

“Dolphin was simply too beautiful,” said Ridhima, a student of class XI. Deepak, Anshuman, Atul and Rishab felt that the trip was superbly organised, the water scooter and the disco dancing were the most enjoyable parts of the trip.

The students had an opportunity to shop in the Panaji markets where they purchased shells and cashewnuts. For the teachers, the trip was equally enjoyable.

Parkash Utsav

Guru Harkrishan Public School, Kalkaji, will be celebrating Parkash Utsav of Guru Gobind Singh on the 29th of this month. The school will also hold special prayers for those students who are all set to sit for their board examinations in March. The function will take place on the school premises. The religious activity is aimed at inculcating moral values in the students and helping them stay rooted to their culture.

Sports meet

Prize distribution ceremony at Ryan International School, Ghaziabad.

Ryan International School, Ghaziabad, organised its annual sports meet last week. A special function called the Grandparents Day was also organised. Taking their cue from the adage, “A healthy mind dwells in a healthy body”, the students were given ample opportunity to display their sports talents.

The Deputy Director, Sports Authority of India, Mrs Rachna Govil, was the chief guest. The sports meet was inaugurated after hoisting the flag and releasing pigeons and colourful balloons. The house captains along with sports captains participated in the oath-taking ceremony. The school students took part in track events such as wheel and barrow, lemon and spoon race, hurdle race, high jump and long jump.

Moreover, a special day was organised for the grandparents. Fun games were organised for them to enjoy along with their grandchildren. It was indeed a moment of great fun as grandparents watched their little ones perform and the youngsters had a ball with their grannies and grandpas joining in the fun. The meet was concluded with a prize distribution ceremony, where the Principal, Mrs Jyoti Dhar, gave away the prizes and encouraged the students to perform better.

Fun with balloons

Kids having a ball with balloons.

Imagine going to school where colourful balloons in attractive shapes await you. Well, everyone may not have been so lucky, but toddlers at Gymbaroo had a day of pure fun as they jumped and played with balloons, bought specially for them.

The toddlers club at Kangaroo Kids, Gymbaroo, conducted this event as part of the toddler transition programme, for those aged between one and two.

Gymbaroo’s child-friendly interiors and vibrant music set the stage for the balloon celebration. Each kid seemed to possess boundless energy as they shrieked in fun and had the entire place radiating with joy. The toddlers had a gala time trying to peg balloons on a clothesline or trying to balance the balloon on a fly swatter.

The activity which took the cake was the impressions taking of balloons dipped in colour. It was an exhilarating sight to watch the tiny hands sporting balloon tattoos with glitter on it. While the toddlers had fun, the activity also helped them in strengthening their eye and hand coordination, muscle skills, eye-tracking and vocabulary-building. The teachers too had fun, singing and playing with kids in their colourful balloon hats.

Painting title

The Pragyan School in collaboration with the organisers of Shankar’s on-the–spot painting competition is holding the Pragyan-on-the-spot-painting competition on Sunday. The competition is for children aged between 4-8, 9-12 and 13-16. The competition is part of the foundation day celebration of the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority.

The Pragyan School wishes to popularise this event in Greater Noida by making it an annual event. Students from over 50 school of Greater Noida, Noida and its suburbs are expected to take part in the competition.

The subjects for the three participating age groups will vary and have been selected in order to spur the imagination of the children. A noted jury will evaluate the entries and the students whose works are selected for the exhibition would be awarded a certificate of merit.

Maths Olympiad

Harkaran Singh, a student of G.H.P.S. Vasant Vihar, has been selected to appear in the Indian National Mathematics Olympiad (INMO) to be held in February. A class XI student, Harkaran has been short-listed by the CBSE to participate in the prestigious competition. CBSE is organising a four-day enrichment camp for the selected students where senior resource persons will provide the necessary academic inputs to the participating students.

Parmindar Singh
(Noida input) 

PRINCIPAL SPEAK
Need to make computer education broad-based

Although the revision of syllabus is overdue, we should avoid getting an impression that there is any slant in favour of any particular set of events or thoughts. There should be a broad banding of consultations among experts holding different viewpoints so as to arrive at a consensus. Efforts should also be made to make education broad based and career-oriented. This would mean the introduction of different skills and trades at senior secondary level. This, in turn, will help generate more skilled manpower and also help in arresting the high school drop-out rate. There is a wrong notion prevalent these days that because of the downward trend in information and technology sector in the United States, we should go slow in promoting computer education in our country. We must not let the slowdown affect our computer education. While the downward trend in the IT sector may have a direct impact on the short-term employment opportunities, it should not be allowed to adversely affect the academic sector. Knowledge of computers is essential in all fields, therefore, we must not neglect the subject. I would rather say that the computer education must be strengthened at the grassroot level so as to sustain the technological upgradation, which is so vital for rationalising the educational set-up. Like holistic medical system, there is a need for having a holistic approach to education and development of faculties. It is here that spirituality plays a vital role. Besides religious practices, spirituality encompasses the toning of mental and physical faculties. Meditation should be resorted to for improving concentration and reducing stress. It helps to channel the energy sources and helps you both at work and home.