SAI’s association with Cambridge

SAI International School is successfully associated with Cambridge since the last nine years through various programmes. The School is one among the eleven Cambridge Assessment Admissions Centre of India. Students desirous to pursue their education after Class XII in the prestigious Universities like Cambridge, Oxford, Warwick and the Imperial College, London are registered in the Centre and take the global entrance test which happens at the same time across the world. Last year 27 students from across the country appeared for the test in the Centre at SAI.

Cambridge English Language Assessment (CELA) is an annual program of the School since the year 2009 in which the students get an opportunity to appear for a Cambridge University examination in English meant for speakers of other languages across the world. Every year hundreds of students register for these examinations, who are thoroughly trained through 20 preparatory classes. These tests assess all four language skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking which helps to provide a comprehensive picture of the learner’s overall level of English not only to secure a bright future but also meet the global standards. Students from Classes II to XII are eligible to take part in the assessment test and receive certificates from the University of Cambridge.

SAI International School in association with the Cambridge University Press, UK has initiated ‘SAI-Cambridge Reading Quest’ a reading and language enhancement program in 2018 to develop the listening, speaking, reading and writing skills of the students. It is a library activity that allows every student to read at least five books in a month and write a book review after reading each of the books. At the end, a workshop is conducted where students are engaged in several activities like vocabulary games, book review writing, creative craft, comprehension and story writing, reading and listening of texts, character sketch etc to develop their language skills. The program is open to students from Class I to IX divided into various groups. More than 300 students participated in the programme last academic session.

The young Odissi dancer

“Indeed, the Odissi seen today is the result of a continuous life long effort made by some Gurus and dancers of Orissa.” – United India Periodicals. 1986. 

Odissi, the graceful dance took birth in the temples of Odisha hundreds of years back. It is traditionally a dance-drama genre of performance art, where the dancer and musicians play out a mythical story, a spiritual message or devotional poem from the Hindu texts, using symbolic costumes, body movement, abhinayas and mudras set out in ancient Sanskrit literature. The art is learnt and performed as a composite of basic dance motif called the Bhangas.

The multi-talented SAIoneer Tejaswee Patnaik of Class VI has emerged as a graceful Odissi dancer, mesmerising everyone with her art. The maturity of her facial expression, hand gestures and body movements speak volumes of her talent and dedication for the wonderful age old art. The young girl has completed 3^rd year from Pracheen Kala Kendra, Chandigarh and has been practicing steadfastly for the past six years.

She has given Solo dance performances in various places like Odissi International Festival, Naveen Kalakar, Nrutya Naivedya, Gunjan, Jagannath International Festival, Suravi, Xavier University, India International Dance Festival, XIMB, Bhubaneswar, Anjali Youth & Children’s Festival, 26th India Theater Olympaid, 10th Cuttack Mahotsav etc. She also danced in group at Odissi International Festival 2015, Devagana Nrutya Samagam 2017 and Odissi International Festival 2018.

The 12-year old dancer has received several awards like Aviskar Award, Nrutya Padmaja Award, Bimohana Kala Samman, Sadhna Puraskar 2016 etc. She also won first prize in All India Drama, Dance and Music competition at the 26^th India Theatre Olympiad among others. Apart form dance, Tajeswee is equally good in music, drawing, creative writing as well as in academics. She aspires to be a great dancer apart from becoming a doctor.

The Guru Kelucharan Dance lab of SAI International School trains young dancers to learn various kinds of dances including the sculpturesque dance, Odissi. The School has five eminent Odissi Dance Teachers who help these young students to learn the graceful movements and inculcate in them a love for the art. There students are given several opportunities to showcase their skills in various programmes held in the campus as well as encouraged to participate in inter-school, district or state level competitions.

CBSE Workshop on Gender Sensitivity

“Gender Equality is not a Woman’s issue. It is a human issue. It affects us all.” – Anonymous

Gender disparity is one such social aspect which is hardly understood and rarely addressed. Gender issues has been prevailing at all levels in the society since time immemorial and knowingly or unknowingly we frame our own views according to the gender of a person. With the changing times, this discrepancy needs to be mitigated, so as to make the society a more balanced one. To start with, we need to change the mindset of children right from the school level, so that they don’t carry along with them the difference of being a boy or a girl.

Gender Sensitization denotes respecting each other as an individual and not judging people according to their gender. A gender responsible school inculcates gender sensitivity in the students leading to developed mutual respect and trust between boys and girls. Gender awareness requires not only intellectual effort but also sensitivity and open-mindedness. The role of a teacher is immensely important in creating gender awareness among the students.

To capacitate the teachers, a CBSE workshop on Gender Sensitivity was conducted at SAI International School on Tuesday, February 19, 2019. Ms. Uma Patra, TGT, Mathematics of SAI International School and Shri Dhananjoy Pan, Principal, DPS, Paradip Refinery were the Resource Person. It was attended by sixty-one teachers from various CBSE-affiliated Schools across, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Puri districts.

Various individual and group activities were conducted focussing on breaking gender barriers and ensure unbiased participation of both boys and girls in the learning process. Through real life examples, teachers were trained to use gender sensitive language and foster gender neutrality.

Teachers were briefed on key terms of gender like gender gap, gender relations, gender stereotype, social construction, gender mainstreaming, femininity, gender neutral, gender blindness, gender empowerment etc. They were also briefed on power in gender relationship and the different kinds of power that can be used in different ways. Participants learnt how to build and support an environment, system and processes that are sensitive towards the requirements of students of both the genders.

CBSE Capacity Building Workshop at SAI

“In essence, teachers help others to become their best selves and I can think of no more important work.” – Anne Duncan

Inculcating the habit of being a lifelong learner is essential for everyone, especially the teachers, who are the beacon of life for millions of students. This rapid changing world desires high quality teaching and learning from teachers, which makes it imperative for them to upskill themselves with knowledge and skills to cater to the needs of students.

At SAI International School regular workshops and training programmes are organised to help the teachers master new knowledge and capacitate themselves to take the teaching learning processes to a new height of success. Apart from in-house trainings, we also host trainings conducted by CBSE. Many of our teachers are identified Resource persons by CBSE who train other teachers in various schools.

A two-day CBSE Workshop on ‘Capacity Building Programme on Science’, was held in the school on February 12 and 13, 2019. Sixty-one Teachers from various CBSE Schools from across the State participated in the training programme. Shri Harish Sanduja, Principal, SAI International School and Ms. Rosalin Patra from Mother’s Public School were the Resource Persons.

The participants were trained on how to make Science more attractive, how to carry out experiments and make learning experiential as well as on making better lesson plans, catering to all the children in a class with different learning abilities. The participants were also trained on formulating question papers and identifying good questions with the backdrop of learning outcome that are being tested. The Science Teachers were sensitized on articulating their statements and not being vague with their questioning methodologies.

The workshop enabled the participants to refresh and reinforce fundamental practices of some very important aspects of teaching and learning Science. It also gave them an insight on how to make good question papers and how to articulate their words while dealing with students.

QCI-D.L.Shah 2018 Award for SAI

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Awards and Recognitions are a great inspiration for an individual as well as an organisation. It not only acknowledges one’s accomplishments but is also a great morale booster. It recognizes the effort, ability and the talent of the receiver as well as laud the struggle meted out on the way to achieve excellence.

SAI International School was once again bestowed with the QCI-D.L.Shah Award for achieving excellence through quality initiatives, whereby making it the only School in the Country to receive the coveted Award for the 2^nd time in a row. It was presented to Dr. Bijaya Kumar Sahoo, Chairman, SAI International School and Dr. Silpi Sahoo, Vice Chairperson at the 12th Quality Conclave, held at Pune on Tuesday, February 12, 2019.

The other recipients of the Award include TCS, WIPRO, Infosys, Fortis Health Care, Max Hospitals, Aditya Birla to name a few. Receiving the D.L.Shah Award for the second time in a row from the Quality Council of India, which works towards assuring quality standards across all spheres of economic and social activities, is indeed a great honour. The Award is yet another proof of SAI International School’s consistent strive to bring in an improvement in the K-12 educational scenario and set an exemplary road towards success in the sphere of education.

The QCI instituted the QCI-D.L.Shah Award to promote quality excellence for the wellbeing of the citizens of the country. It is given annually to recognize successful organization in all spheres of activity and promote awareness on adopting excellent standard.

Kindness Certified School certification for SAI

“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” – Dalai Lama

SAI International School is once again acknowledged as a ‘Kindness Certified School’ by Kids for Peace (KFP).  Kindness Certified Schools are recognized for their commitment of creating a culture of kindness in the School campus. SAIoneers with their acts of kindness joins students from various schools across the globe doing the same act. This is the fifth year for SAI to receive the coveted award in a row.

In this challenge, students were given a checklist of 50 acts of kindness to be completed in one week. Students sincerely carried out the acts, which helped them realize their inner joy in making others happy. These small acts help in inculcating emphatic values and empower children to create a culture of kindness.

SAI became the first KFP Chapter in India in 2015 and conducts regular peace activities every month. The School links up with other Kids for Peace Chapters abroad and join forces in promoting peace on a global scale. SAI has KFP Chapter links with Gombe Group of Institutions located in Kampala Uganda, Churchdown Village Infants School, Gloucester and Notre Dame Academy Elementary School, Los Angeles, California.

At the heart of The Great Kindness Challenge is the simple belief that kindness is strength. It is believed that if an action is repeated, a habit is formed. With the Great Kindness Challenge checklist in hand, students have the opportunity to repeat kind act after kind act. As kindness becomes a habit, peace becomes possible. The Great Kindness Challenge is a grassroots movement that helps in making participating schools, communities, and world a kinder and more compassionate place for all.

Embrace Peace

When wars and conflicts totally ease

in our world there shall be peace.

People must learn  to get along

not blame others for being wrong

They fight for control,fight for land

Some just need a helping hand

We must rid ourselves of vanity

And  embrace peace through humanity.

Wars make children so much tougher

Lose their innocence while they suffer

We should fight for peace instead

Love not war we should spread

Since the day of your birth

we have  hoped for peace on earth

For peace to happen we cannot fight

Help each other and be polite.

By: Kritika Jain

A New Day

When the Sun shines bright,

And the Moon goes away.

The animals come out

And so starts the day.

 

When the birds start chirping,

And the owl’s hoot is no more.

Many young school children

Go through the school door.

 

While the grass is still green ,

And the sky is still blue.

Enjoy your own life,

And make your own dreams come true.

 

By: Ayaan Ali

True Friends

They are like the sun,

Who give you warmth when you are cold

They are like the moon,

Who give you light in darkness until you get old

They stick together till the end

In hardships they’ll be there to defend

They trust each other forever

No matter they are apart or together

They can be your hero and save the day

They will never leave your side; they are here to stay

They will help you up all the times you fall

Your true friends are the best of all.

By: Ankita Samal

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

“Action speaks louder than Words but not nearly as often.”

Good words alone are not enough.You should also do good deeds and that’s how you come to be respected, says Buddhist monk Sumangalo. When we speak of action, we always mean making sure that our conduct; behavior and all our deeds are such that we can properly call each act “Right Action”. An ancient proverb says: “Actions speak louder than words.” Good words ought to be coupled with good deeds. No matter how cleverly we may try always to speak in a good way, we shall fail to disguise our true nature unless our acts are the same as our words. In today’s world, practical aspects of life weigh more than the theoretical. Life is full of hazards and to overcome the obstacles of life, a person must strive to be practical and stop wasting precious time on unnecessary preaching. In other words, he must be man of action in order to succeed in life. Many great personalities of history have put into practice what their conscience told them to do and have acted according to their beliefs. They have not contemplated too much on how to reach their set goals. Precious time must be converted into moments of action for real success in life. Idle talk can lead one nowhere. On the contrary, life should be moulded on the firm basis of action. It must be secondary to the practical aspects of life. In our dynamic world, success and happiness depend on action, not on theory or empty words. It is better to take a step ahead and work hard in achieving your dream rather than feeling proud about it. For example, you are a good student and you keep saying that I will come 1^st in my class, it will not give you the pride and respect that you will earn when this fact actually comes true. The day you come 1^st in class, it will be known by one and all sooner or later. What is noticeable about the achievements of the great personalities in the world is that they always dreamt big but never boasted about achieving something big even though they were highly capable of achieving more than what they dreamt of. These eminent personalities were aware of the fact that they can achieve more than they desire but never boasted about their hidden qualities. Take the example of Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, they achieved phenomenal results in their works but never boasted about the fact that it was their leadership that brought a change in the world. Here the saying “action speaks louder than words” can be aptly applied. Ego and pride can kill any achievement and in cases reduce the value of any achievement to zero. All the people who remain down to Earth have achieved phenomenal success in the history of mankind. Just follow your dreams and try to achieve whatever you desire; your actions will definitely speak louder than words. All of us ought to arrange all our actions so that they will earn us respect from our friends and all who know us. But this is only half the picture. The other side is the importance of keeping our self – respect. If we commit wrong actions, we ought first to think carefully to see if it will bring us joy or sorrow. If we think and act wisely and well, then we shall not need to feel shame for our conduct. Wise thought coupled with wise action brings us the respect of others and keeps us from losing our self-respect. So many say they believe Lord Buddha’s teachings. But when we look at their actions, we wonder if they are telling the truth, because their deeds do not fit in with their words. We must always remember that Buddha’s religion is something to do, not just something to talk about. Among the Tamil people of India, there is a legend about a holy man who became known all over India as a famous teacher and preacher. Thousands of pilgrims came to learn from him. He showed kindness to all, regardless of rank. The goodness of his heart was shown by his actions. Everyone who came to visit this great and holy teacher went away feeling that he had received deep instructions. Yet this great teacher and preacher had never in his life been able to utter even one word. He had been born dumb. The examples he set by his actions was the only sermon he could preach. “Good people shine from afar, like the snowy mountains; bad people are not seen, like arrows shot by night.”

By: Lovely Mohanty