Amalgamating Mathematics with Technology

A workshop for Teachers was held on Wednesday, August 29, 2018 on Teaching Mathematics. It was conducted by Shri Sandeep Das, Resource person from NIIT who briefed the participants on how to make the subject interesting by using technology.

The participants learnt about exploring mathematics using GSP Geometric sketchpad, which is a dynamic software for creating, exploring and analysing a wide range of mathematical concepts. It can be used to construct interactive mathematical models ranging from basic investigations about shapes and numbers to advanced illustrations of complex numbers.

The trainer briefed the participants on how to help the students understand and internalize the basic mathematical concepts, enable them to verify or discover geometrical properties and facts, build interest and confidence in learning as well as provide greater scope for individual participation.

The trainers demonstrated few sketches with the help of the software, which will help students on how to solve problems and prove different theorems and postulates by using diagrams and animations. They also learnt about making blue print and question papers using technology.

 

 

Education Beyond Syllabus

“For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate.” – Margaret Heffernan

Debating is one of the most important 21^st century skills, which enhances the others four skills like critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. It motivates a child to do in-depth research, stay abreast of current events and brings an overall development in his or her own personality.

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The Chairman’s Cup Debate for the Senior Secondary students was held on Thursday, August 30, 2018 on the topic, ‘Can China be a role model for India’. 28 students in 14 teams took part in the competition speaking for and against the motion.

Students who spoke in favour of the motion opined that the trajectory economic growth of China in the last 30 years speaks volumes of the developmental mind-set of the Country, which can be emulated by India. Students also spoke highly about China being the world’s manufacturing power house, restricting corruption with serious punishment and having a strong judicial system etc.

Participants who spoke against the motion cited that China cannot be a role model for India as it is completely against the essence of democracy which is the pride of India. Some of them spoke on various restrictions imposed on their citizens, curbing the rights of media, lack of resilience, stringent law and policy, authoritarian government which hinders real development, abysmal condition of Chinese labour force as well as pointed out that one should not emulate a country that prioritizes economic growth in place of fundamental right.

Chairman Dr. Bijoy K Sahoo highly appreciated the students for their excellent debate and gave meaningful tips on how to be an excellent orator. He also informed the students on the parameters of judging the event, like order of thought or logical reasoning, communication with audience, body language, voice modulation, synchronization of body, language and soul and ability to keep the audience engrossed.

Debating helps children in presenting relevant thoughts with purposeful deliberations. It is an art which benefits the young orators with building perfections in research, critical thinking alongside gaining confidence of public speaking.

Chairman’s Cup Debate – Junior

Debating is one of the best educational training that gives insightful and everlasting benefits to a student. Fostering debating skills at school level widens the horizon from a tender age and increase mental agility.

The prestigious Chairman’s Cup debate for Classes IX and X was conducted on Wednesday, August 29, 2018 on the topic, ‘Reservation System – A boon or bane for India’.  Twenty-eight students selected after a rigorous procedure spoke brilliantly for and against the motion in presence of students, teachers and Jury members. Students who spoke for the motion pointed out that Reservation is the voice of the depressed class, bridges socio-economic differences, is a method to encourage backward classes etc.

However, students speaking against the motion delved on the various barrier created by the system and specified that one cannot uplift someone at the cost of other. They spoke about opportunities of meritorious students getting snatched whereby forcing them to go to other countries. Some of them stated that a larger community is going backward in the name of reservation while many spoke about the politics behind the system.

The students were judged on the basis of content, diction, order of thought, body language and rebuttal. Most of the students agreed to the fact that India still has a long way to go to find social equality and the current reservation system has created more barriers than bridges.

There was a special session where the participants answered to the queries poised by the audience. Chairman Dr. Bijoy K Sahoo highly applauded the dynamic orators and said that though the topic was difficult, yet students displayed excellent oratory skill which reflected their intense thought process and in-depth research.

Dr. Sahoo opined that to bring about social equality, a system of reservation should be in place only in the field of education till Class XII or maximum can be extended till Graduation level. He shared that quota system should not prevail beyond that for professional courses.

Students participating in debates develop a rigorous and critical thinking that brings in a sense of empowerment which instills confidence in them. Reasoning and framing meaningful sentences, with ideas on spot, results in making a student responsible and matured. It also greatly amplifies the coherence of reading, analyzing and speaking of a student.

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Workshop on Demystifying Word Problem

A Mathematics workshop on ‘Demystifying Word Problem’ was conducted for the teachers to enrich their classroom transactions. The workshop conducted by Educational Initiatives focussed on making mathematical concepts clearer and easier for students and help them develop an affinity towards the subject. The Resource persons were Ms. Jayanti Das Gupta and Ms. Sudhesna Roy.

As seen in most cases, the language part of a word problem is one of the greatest stumbling block for students, therefore the teachers were asked to enable the students on how to get rid of the block. The participants also learnt the ropes on how to help students tackle the other difficult step in word problem i.e., transforming one conceptual understanding into another. Greater focus was given to help the students visualize the concept and solve a single problem in different ways.

Teachers also learnt on the importance of making a real difference to the students by changing the language and mannerism of teaching. The interactive workshop enabled teachers to explore on how to use essential conceptual linking to help their students understand the applications they examine, as well as how different concepts link together to decode mathematical problems.

 

The Nightingale of SIS

“Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” – Vince Lombardi

Class XI student of SAI International School, Triranga Senapati is not less than a nightingale herself. She has earned for herself many coveted awards and recognitions in singing, including being felicitated with the Governor’s Award, which is a real mark of achievement.

Triranga has participated in many television shows like Prathama Swara and have been applauded with several awards like Prathana Prathiba, Winner in International Theatre and dance Festival, 2014, Dalmia Idol Talent Hunt 2017 and many more. She is also a part of a music album called Radhamadhab as a lead singer and regularly invited to participate in various prestigious live shows.

The self-disciplined girl makes it a point to wake up early at 5 in the morning to continue  her practice. The young girl is an all-rounder, she paints beautifully, plays chess brilliantly and chants shlokas with perfect diction for which she has earned laurels from all quarters. She is also a brilliant student and had secured 97% marks in her Class X Board exams.

The SAI International School fraternity congratulates her and wishes her luck in all spheres of life. May Lord Sai bestow her with his blessings.

Math Works – An Exhibition

“Without mathematics, there’s nothing you can do. Everything around you is mathematics. Everything around you is numbers.” – Shakuntala Devi

Mathematics is an inseparable part of our everyday life. Be it in the classroom calculating the sums, in the kitchen measuring the ingredients, in the banks counting the money or in a hospital administrating the exact dose medicine, mathematics is evident everywhere. The painter also uses Maths while mixing colours, the mason uses while preparing the mortar, the gardener while making the right mix of manure and the list goes on.

Maths is a powerful tool for understanding the world around us and each of us need some kind of specific mathematical knowledge to live in this world. Students at SAI International School are encouraged to enhance their mathematical abilities through various activities. Inter-house Mathematical exhibition is one such event which is conducted with much gusto by students and teachers alike.

An inter-house Maths exhibition was conducted for students of Class VIII on the topics ‘Mathematics in Real life’ and ‘Mathematics around Us’. Students in groups made brilliant projects basing on the theme, like Age detector, Mathematics in Taj Mahal, The Clinometer, Maths behind construction of a building, Maths on wings, Ancient Indian Mathematics, Vedic Maths etc. Students explained many mathematical concepts like probability, data handling and trigonometry used in daily life.

Some live projects were also demonstrated in the Maths lab showcasing technological advancements like the ‘Golden Ration’, which helps in knowing the age of Nautilus Shell or Galaxy to various patterns in the Nature. A well-researched project on Platonic solid was also displayed where students displayed its history and application and a project called ‘Coin Jumping’ showcased logical and reasoning-based games. All the projects were cost-effective, best out of waste and made using Maths lab manipulatives.

Science Model Exhibition

“Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.” – Carl Sagan

Science Exhibition for Class XI and XII was conducted in the Indraprastha Auditorium on Saturday, August 11, 2018. The theme of the model was Science, technology and innovation for a clean, green and healthy nation. There were also sub themes like Ecosystem and ecosystem services, Health, hygiene and services, Waste to wealth, Society, culture and livelihood, technology knowledge system and mathematical modelling.

Students in groups displayed 51 innovatively designed models on the given theme like Sewage treatment plant, Electricity from garbage, Bio-ecosan toilet, Transit elevated bus, Wireless power transmission next generation recharge station, Regenerative shock absorber, Piezoelectric effect (On street Road), Nature to manual etc to name a few.

The exhibition was judged by Dr. Sanjib Kar, Associate Professor, NISER, Dr. Rajeeb Kumar Swain, Scientist, Institute of Life Sciences (ILS), Dr. Sanjib Sahu, Scientist, Institute of Physics (IOP) and Ms. Supriya Karan, Dept of Physics, Vani Vihar, Bhubaneswar.

William Wordsworth

Oh William Wordsworth, how great you are

Your poems are simple, but justified by far!

You adored your sister as dearly,

But never could bear it when she was weary.

 

A nature lover… I’m sure it’s you!

In your poems, you describe of…

Nature’s sweet gust and the sky blue.

How sweet! How tender!

I always adore and often wonder,

 

My friend writes poems just like you,

And I’m sure that, one day, she’ll make it through,

Meanwhile, I don’t think can ever describe,

In such a beautiful way you write your rhymes.

 

Till now, you’ve encouraged me and my friends,

As sweetly and calmly as in your realms.

But tell me please, oh great poet,

How do you write your nature loving poems?

By: Chayanika Das

 

A Memorable Journey to the UK

My excitement started from the day, global immersion programme to UK was announced. I took the consent form to be filled in by my parents. I had to convince my parents, that I can be on my own for 10 days and they were convinced, when they met Binati Mishra ma’am, who was to lead us to the UK. We went to Kolkata for visa, after that I started counting days to leave for UK.

Day-1 : 3^rd June – At last the day had come, 3^rd June, I was a bit nervous, bit sad to leave my parents and above all excited to see London with friends Jayanti, Aditi,  Anwesha, Deshna, Simran, Chirag and our loving ma’am.

Day-2 : 4^th June – 2:45 am in the morning, we boarded the flight from Delhi for Heathrow, London. After 9 hours of journey we landed in Heathrow. It’s a beautiful big airport. After an hour we reached Bath. It was around 1.00pm, so we all got fresh and had lunch and started our Bath city tour. Bath is a very beautiful and peaceful small town and also the weather was very pleasant .We did some shopping and came back to our residence Town House 8. It was a beautiful duplex house, clean and cozy. It was 8.30pm, but still it was evening, I was feeling strange, I was tired but couldn’t sleep. I called my parents when the Indian time was around 12.00 midnight, talked to them and somehow slept.

Day-3 : 5^th June – we had to visit Norton Hill Secondary School.  We represented our school and our mother land India. From India I was representing Tamil Nadu in our presentation. We presented a song in the assembly. Later on we attended classes 7^th and 10^th with them. All the students and teachers were curious to know about India. I found their teaching method better than us. As I was wearing a saree, students asked me a lot of questions about our culture and to translate few sentences in Hindi. It was a memorable interaction, which makes me smile even now.

Day-4 : 6^th June It was a very exciting day, as we were going to our junior partner school, Welton Primary School. The head teacher of Welton Primary school was a very warm hearted person.  Assembly started with the introduction of Odisha by me.  Small kids from grade1 to 6 were very curious to know about our country India and our state Odisha. After that we went to attend classes fifth and sixth. In both the classes,we rpresented festivals of India. there, I met a small boy of grade one who was curious to know about India and he accompanied me all the time till I left school. Till now I cherish those memorable moments. After leaving the school, we had a tour to Roman Bath,Bath University and other places of Bath.

Day 5 : 7^th June. This day was a very special day for me as we were going to Oxford. I always wished to visit Oxford. It was a dream come true. It is a very beautiful place. I always thought that Oxford is a huge building, but when I visited Oxford I realized it was a group of colleges, known as Oxford university. We visited colleges, saw many beautiful monuments. We saw the place ,where a scene of the movie Harry Potter was filmed.I left Oxford with a wish ,that someday I would come again for studies. Then we took a taxi for Barking, London. We reached the Travelodge hotel by 7.00pm.

Day 6 : 8^th June. We started the London tour with the world’s largest wax museum, Madam Tussuads. It was a wonderful experience. We saw the wax statues of the world famous personalities. I was so happy to see our Indian statues like, Amitabh Bachhan, Aishwarya Rai, Sharukh Khan etc. Sometimes I felt as if I was with real people. We enjoyed 4D movie on Avengers. Then we went for shopping in Primark, one of the malls in London. We all purchased a lot of clothes and chocolates. It was a very tiring day.

Day 7 : 9^th June. We took a tube from Barking to West Minister. There we took the hop on hop off bus for a London city tour. We went to London eye, I was  mesmerized , watching the view of London from the capsule. After that we had a river cruise ride, on river Thames. We saw London Bridge, Tower Bridge and the other five bridges as well.

Day 8 : 10^th June. We went to Shrek Adventure, it was a great experience.We had fun and enjoyed a lot. After that we took a tube, came back to Barking. Packed our things as we had to go back to India the next day.

Day 9 : 11th June. We took the Tube from Barking to St James street to see the Changing the Guards in the Buckingham Palace. It lasted for approx. 45 minutes. The co-ordination and synchronization between the guards was worth watching.  After watching the event, we took the tube back to Barking, took our luggage and left for the Heathrow airport.

On our journey back home, all the way ,I was full of cheerfulness, confidence  satisfaction and enthusiasm to meet my parents after 10 days and narrate my experiences to them. I found UK, beautiful, organized, safe and a friendly place. We landed at Delhi airport around 11.am. We had to spend few hours at Delhi airport, as our flight for Bhubaneswar was at 6.30pm. We reached Bhubaneswar at 8.30 pm. I saw my parents eagerly waiting for me, they thanked ma’am for all her love and care and came home.

Those 10 days were like dream for me.Till now it’s hard for me to believe that I went to UK, without my parents. I thank God, for a very happy and safe journey. This tour taught me how to pack travel bags, buy things, get ready on time, present oneself, and take care of each other in a group.

I conclude this travelogue by thanking my friends and above all our loving ma’am, who was there like a mother for me, all the time.

By: Darshini Choudhury

Resfeber

She likes busy streets, dizzy corners
as blurred edges are ethereal mourners
they weep, narrating how cunningly life left
as intricate nests death weft.

As zephyr chimes in avid blues
leaves crack in laughter beneath her shoes
As your home awaits’ whispers dawn
an artist’s last fine line drawn.

As footsteps twirl along mellifluous mellow
the day melts in cadmium yellow
Chasing dragon flies, inhaling musk
Catching fire flies, conversing with dusk.

As time passes by, death knocks the door
Waves rebelled, raging the shore
Stars sang, a melancholic chorus in behalf
of a lover of paths, they echoed her epitaph.

By: Ayushi Saha

Charming Birds

Sitting on a tree branch,

early in the morning they let out a pick,

or a woodpecker who builds a home in the tree with a peck.

A cock lets out a shriek to wake us up,

While the other birds make a nest for their family at tree top.

Some birds go to find themselves some food in late afternoon,

And come back in the evening to sleep under the starling shade of the moon.

Birds are charming enough to show the world their beauty,

Until the humans know the birds get the toughest duty.

Their flight they take in great hope to find the something,

Or stay at the home until the bell rings.

It isn’t easy to make out a beautiful nest,

nor is it easy to work without rest;

but the birds can do this easily because they are better than the best.

They fight of fierce animals, to reach their goal;

They also can bear the cold around the pole.

Their journey begins as a little chick which learns to fly and they breed their little ones, until they die.

By: Anshi Avipsha

Exploring the Maritime History of Odisha

The Senior Secondary students of Humanities stream visited the Odisha State Maritime Museum that showcases the rich maritime history of the state, as part of their field visit. The Museum situated on the banks of River Mahanadi in the Millennium City, Cuttack, has the unique distinction of being located on the very site which was the only navigation workshop catering to the requirement of three provinces of Bihar, Bengal and Odisha under the Bengal Presidency of British India. The ancient Maritime Engineering Workshop was established by the British in 1869.

Students were briefed about the museum and taken for a guided tour. They visited several galleries which gave them valuable information on the history of navigation illustrated through objects, charts, photographs and models. They learnt about the maritime heritage of Odisha from the various thematic galleries. It also houses a state-of-the-art 4D SFX theatre.

Students were thrilled to see the special aquarium which exhibits more than 60 aquatic species. They also visited various facilities like open air auditorium, library, research centre, children activity room, souvenir shop, multimedia hall etc.

Quiz Time on Culture and Heritage

“A people’s relationship to their heritage is the same as the relationship of a child to its mother.” – John Henrik Clarke

Learning about the heritage of one’s own country gives a sense of pride and belongingness. Awareness about our own culture, tradition, history, landscape, governance is immensely important as it makes us feel involved and an integral part of the country.

Quiz is a form of game or mind sport, in which the players in individuals or in teams, attempt to answer questions correctly. Heritage quiz aims to evince interest in the cultural diversity of the country as well as create awareness among them on the history, governance, landscape, eminent personalities, literature and the process of its development.

The Finals of Inter-House Heritage Quiz competition for Class VI, VII and VIII was held in the Indraprastha Auditorium.

The four houses, Ashoka (Yellow), Chandragupta (Red), Kanishka (Blue) and Kharavela (Green) comprised of a group of students, selected during the preliminary round.

The questions centred on Monuments, Ancient Indian History, Mughal Sultanate, Indian Constitution and World Geography. The well-prepared students put on their best effort to answer the questions. There were questions for the audience which made the quiz competition all the more interesting.

Career Counselling at SAI

SAI International School believes in bringing about a meaningful change in the lives of its students by constantly guiding them to pursue the right path. To help students broaden their knowledge on various National and International Universities and help them to make informed decisions about their higher and professional studies, the school encourages the visit of renowned Universities.

Under SAI Career Guidance Program, each year various Universities visit and interact with the students, which enhance their abilities in educational and occupational exploration, career planning as well as self-awareness. It enables them to identify options, explore alternatives and help them to focus on their chosen line of profession.

Ashoka University, the pioneer of Liberal education in India visited SAI. They interacted with Class XII students and discussed about their Under Graduate Programmes like Foundation Courses, Pure Majors, Interdisciplinary Majors as well as Minor courses. They also discussed about the merits of Liberal education and informed the students about their newly introduced science course. The visiting team spoke about their procedure for application and selection as well as about their scholarship program and career opportunities.

A Webinar on Money

A Webinar on ‘Money and future of Money – Planning a career in Economics and Finance’, was organised for Class XII students. Ms. Stuti Verma, Counsellor of Univariety explained the students on various career prospects in areas of Economics and Finance.

She gave them a brief introduction of Economics and Commerce and outlined various transferable skills the students need to develop. She also acquainted the students about some of the renowned Institutions offering education in the mentioned areas.

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Inter-House Mathematics Exhibition

“Mathematics is the most beautiful and the most powerful creation of the human spirit.” – Stefan Banach

Mathematics is said to be the framework of all creations. It makes our life orderly and enables us to improve the power of reasoning, critical thinking, problem solving etc. It helps in developing clarity in thinking among students.

Mathematics Exhibition is an excellent way where students get a platform to present their understanding of the subject in a creative and unique way. It helps students to use their skills, talents and capabilities in choosing the best method to represent the things they have learnt. It also helps to boost their level of confidence.

An Inter-House Mathematics Exhibition was conducted for students of Class VI and VII on the topics, ‘Mathematics in Real Life’ and ‘Mathematics Around Us’. Students were asked to make a properly designed and painted self-made model, present a synopsis as per the given format and make a maximum of three charts per project. The assessment focussed on creativity, organisation and presentation, relevance of the project in real life and concept clarity and coordination of group members.

Students in groups of four to five each presented beautiful and innovative models which showcased the application of mathematics in various ways like magic spin, bar graph on air pollution, Pythagoras theorem, division machine etc. Students were encouraged to be creative and have a good organization and presentation of the exhibit. Every exhibit had relevance to real life and in the process of making the projects, students were able to realise and appreciate maths around them.

NCC at SAI

National Cadet Corps (NCC) is a youth development movement which aims to inculcate discipline and patriotism in young people. It is a Tri-Services Voluntary Organization comprising of Army, Navy and Air Force wing which recruits cadets from High Schools, Colleges and Universities all over the country. The Cadets are given basic training in handling small arms, social work, first aid, parades etc.

SAI International School was enrolled to the NCC in the year 2010 for Junior Girls Wing and in the year 2015, for Junior Boys Wing. The cadets undergo two consecutive years of training which qualifies them to appear for the ‘A’ Certificate examination.

SAI believes in the holistic development of students, and training students through NCC aids in its mission to instill discipline, confidence and imbibe in them the qualities of Global citizen. The cadets are groomed with a sense of responsibility and duty towards their nation. Students are given training on a regular basis by Internal and External Resource Persons.

Theory and Practical classes are held twice every week for each batch of student. The cadets are introduced to the aim of NCC, their song, culture etc as well as learn about the civil defence organisations and their responsibilities. They also get to know about the importance of social service, nature resource conservation and management, types of natural emergencies, rain water harvesting, literary enhancements, poverty alleviation and basics of first aid among others.

To inculcate a spirit of patriotism, students are briefed about Indian War Heroes, various Wars, organisation of Army, famous leaders of India, role of NCC during Natural calamities etc. They are also given training on importance of team work and personality development. They learn how to do march past, length of pace and time of marching, saluting at the march, etc. They are also trained to handle wounded people requiring first aid, firing and rock climbing.

The cadets attend various camps each year like Combined Annual Training Camos (CATC), Annual Training Camps (ATC) and Firing Camps. Several programmes are conducted every year as part of their training to enable them to carry out their responsibility with utmost dedication, dignity and honour.

• Tree Plantation
• Cleanliness Drive
• Gifting Saplings
• Trekking
• Rock Climbing
• Spreading awareness
• National Celebrations

Aspiring Medical Students visit AMRI

Aspiring Medical students of Class XI visited AMRI Hospital, as part of their field visit. AMRI is a private healthcare group providing medical services backed by latest technology at Bhubaneswar. Students were cordially received at the Conference Hall and briefed about their infrastructure and facilities by Dr. Biswajeevan Sahoo, Assistant Medical Superintendent, AMRI.

They were also taken around on a guided tour around the hospital. Students got to see the Operation Theatre, Casualty, various Departments as well as rooms where X-Ray, MRI, Ultrasound etc are done. Students were delighted to see the Pneumatic tube which helps in transporting medicines from one section to another. They also got a detailed briefing on the Management of the Blood Bank, like how the sampling is done and how it is stored as well as what kind of tests are conducted to ensure that the blood is infection free. Students also got to know about stocks and machinery management of a hospital.

The Doctor-in-Charge also briefed them about the various staffs required to manage a hospital, apart from Doctors and Nurses, like Para Medicos, Administrative staffs, Maintenance people and others. He also spoke about the importance of empathy while dealing with patients.

Students had a brilliant learning time getting to know about new technology in the field of medical science, getting to see an Operation theatre from close quarters or learning about the management of a hospital.

“Never walk into a hospital crying. Have an attitude that you will make someone else’s life better.” – Jim Kelly