Career Programme

A Webinar on Career was conducted for the Class XI Commerce students. Ms. Shrutika Joshi, representative from IUBH University of Applied Sciences and Management, German University with campuses in Bonn and Berlin discussed on various management programmes and how this programme can prepare students for entering the job market.

IUBH, which offers Study Programme both in Undergraduate and Masters, is a private, state-recognised university of business and management. It offers on-campus degree programmes taught in English, dual study degree programmes taught in German and online study programmes taught in German and English.

Ms.Joshi also discussed about students admission requirements, tuition fees and career preparation programmes. The programme prepares students for entering the German job market and kick-starting their desired careers.

Capacity Building Workshop on Stress Management

“It’s not stress that kills us, its our reaction to it.” – Hans Selye

Stress is how the body reacts to any kind of demand, threat or change being experienced. The reaction to a particular situation may differ from person to person. It depends on individual person and how well he or she manages the situation to minimize the stress.

Broadly stress is of two types, eustress (positive stress) and distress (negative stress). Any kind of stress can be managed with positive attitude. For this we need to know and understand a variety of stressors and their consequences.

Ms.Uma Patra, TGT, SAI International School was appointed by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) as Resource Person for Capacity Building Programme on Stress Management, held at Sambalpur on Friday, January 24, 2020.

The workshop was attended by 67 Teachers from across Western Odisha. She briefed the participants on the need and importance of Stress Management as well as on the myth and misconception regarding stress. She also briefed them about different types of stressors like physical, psychological, emotional and social. She shared the techniques to manage different kinds of stress in various environment in an effective way like meditation, self-help techniques, music, yoga, relaxing massages, cultural programs.

Workshop on Stress Management

“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” – William James

Stress management starts with identifying the source of stress. In reality this is extremely difficult as one needs to do self-introspection and identify the true source of stress, look closely at their own habits, attitudes and yes excuses. Stress can affect ones thought, feeling and behaviour as well as lead to many diseases.

An in-house workshop on Stress Management was conducted for teachers at SAI International School. Facilitators Swati Sengupta and Swetapadma Mohanty guided the teacher to identify the various stressors in life through several activities. Through role plays and team activities the participants also learnt about ways to cope with stress.

Different Stroke Club Presentation

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton

The Class VI to VIII members of Different Stroke club highlighted the essence of experimental work-form of art and colours on the canvas during their Assembly presentation on Wednesday, January 22, 2020. They emphasized that art is about discovery using imagination, experimenting and trying out new methods of expressions.

The members displayed their vibrant paintings to stress the significance of drawing and painting, which was stimulating, satisfying and provided a needed outlet for intellectual as well as emotional pursuits. They also showcased delightful artwork and mural paintings, which was appreciated by everyone.

The club encourages students to do interesting and fascinating artwork with splashes of colours in order to foster their creativity and boost their emotional intelligence. Elaborate drawings, vivid images and colourful patterns enhances their artistic independence, gives the experience of creativity, colour awareness and develops competence and a sense of achievement.

Art education is very important for those students who value creativity. It also acts as an impetus to bring an overall development in the academic level of a student. Students are encouraged to express themselves through thematic drawings or create artworks by using waste materials to catalyse their artistic process. It also develops a sense of originality or uniqueness in them which helps them throughout their life.

Mask Club Assembly Presentation

“The theatre was created to tell people the truth about life and the social situation.” – Stella Adler

The Mask Club members of Class IV and V presented a skit during the Mask Club presentation. The play highlighted ‘Unity is Strength’. The theatrical skill of the young artists elevated the play to another level. It was a delight for all who witnessed the performance.

The Mask Club members focus on 3Cs – collaboration, cooperation and coordination which helps in making their act lively. The whole play was artfully executed by the characters in a well-defined way and was flattered by proper lighting, sound, make-up, costumes and action. The members emphasized that their club has helped them in enhancing vocabulary and command over language.

 

Awareness Programme on Traffic & Road Safety at SAI

“Drive as if every person on the street is a dear friend or a close family member.” – Anonymous

To commemorate the 31^st National Road Safety Week and create awareness among the students on the importance of road safety, an awareness programme was organised at SAI International School on Friday, January 17, 2020.

????????????????????????????????????

Chief Guest Dr. Sudhansu Sarangi, Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, urged the young students to develop an attitude to respect the rules and laws of our country. He said that laws are there to make our society a better place and violation of any kind of laws slows down the growth of a country.

Guest of Honour Ms. Sagarika Nath, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Police Commissionerate, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack highlighted the importance of safe driving and briefed the students on the basic traffic rules. Through a video presentation, she informed the students of the chaotic condition of road safety in India, which is mainly caused due to the negligence of the people. She emphasized on being careful, look around before opening the car door and use the opposite hand to open the door, so as to prevent accidents.

Dr. Bijaya Kumar Sahoo, Founder & Mentor SAI International Education Group said that absolute consciousness among individuals and family is required to maintain traffic and road safety. Shri Nilakantha Panigrahy, Senior Principal said that traffic chaos can only be reduced if we all make a combined effort and obey traffic rules. On the occasion a brilliant skit on traffic awareness was presented by the artists of Street Theatre Action Group (STAG) in association with Sanjog.

A Question and Answer session was held where students posed questions of traffic and road safety.

Question and Answer

Q. Road encroachment has become a concern for the people commuting on the road. What is the stance of police on this?

Dr. Sadangi: This is the result of rapid urban growth. People from the villages are coming to the city in search of jobs as there is no such opportunities in their own villages. This is the question of livelihood of poor people. We need to have some compassion for them. We have to address to their needs, create job opportunities and relocate them, so that it doesn’t create inconvenience to people. The State Government is looking into the issue. However, I want to say that a parallel road is soon coming up from Jaydev Vihar to here. But one thing I must stress is that poor people are not useless; you don’t know the feel of hunger and malnutrition; these people need compassion and sensitivity. Be compassionate to people.

Q. The revised traffic violation charges and penalties are very high for the people. Kindly suggest. Can we not adopt the integrated e-challan system of Hyderabad?

Dr. Sadangi: If the penalty is high, why do you want to pay the penalty. Follow traffic rules, don’t do lane cutting, wear helmets and use seat belts, and follow all other rules. Fine will always be high.

Unlike other countries, we have issued driving licence to people in an easy way, like distributing chocolates on a birthday and which is not right. Driving is a very difficult thing. My dream is to abolish driving by human being. I am no longer confident human beings can become safe drivers. As for following the Hyderabad system, it’s a long way away. We are looking at technically keeping a record of each time one commits a traffic violation and take actions accordingly.

Q. In many cases it is seen that Traffic Police are making inappropriate penalties whether one violates the rules or not.

Dr. Sadangi: We found lot of arguments taking place on this. Earlier we had a system of issuing challan to every violator on the street itself. Now we have cameras to keep a track and challan is sent to the violators. We also have Settlement Officers to deal with it.

I suggest you all read a book called Factfulness by Hans Rosling. You live in a society where you get negative information. For instance, everyday 30 lakh aircraft fly and if one of those develop a snag, it is reported or highlighted. You need to find if that is the representative sample or not. In England if there is a crime, people condemn the criminal but in India people condemn the police harassing the criminal.

Q. What is your message to the youth who drive without any experience?

Dr. Sadangi: This reminds me of the recent armed attack in a market in Bhubaneswar and most of the miscreants were in the age group of 15 to 17 years.  They were all involved in drugs, eve teasing etc. This is something which drew my attention to our education system, parental and family values which needs to be looked after. Now ‘khattis’ have become a place for drinking and drugs. Drugs should be an absolute ‘No’ – not even once. Hope your school has programmes to say how serious drugs are. Police and parents need to work together to find out ways to prevent those.

There are two things – exploitation and irrelevance. Don’t say I don’t have enough, I cannot do etc. Get rid of the two. Keep yourself updated and become relevant to society, make use of opportunities. Don’t become redundant.

Q. Inspite of the Supreme Court order against drink and drive, people continue to do so.  Highways still have liquor shops.

Dr. Sadangi: We are taking harsh steps on this. However, many long route bus drivers and truck drivers say that they can’t drive if they don’t drink. We are not being successful in implementing this law. Laws are there to make our society better.

Q. Do you think the recent amendments in Indian Motor Vehicle Act have improved the safety of commuters on Indian Roads or has it created more panic in public minds rather than doing benefits?

Dr. Sadangi: MVA came into act in 1988 and that time we had fixed penalty amount for violation. Now we have revised it. See we don’t need strong government or police, we need to create awareness among people, develop the moral force, so that people know the importance f traffic rule. We are your own police and your parents pay our salary.

Q. We all have witnessed the recent change in traffic rules. In a democracy, the welfare of people and society is the most important thing. Is possessing laws and acts enough to curb the violation of traffic rules.

Ms.Nath: Laws are as worthy as you people. It is a matter of attitude whether you want to follow the rules or not. We are living in a precarious situation. We are questioning everything, but we are not abiding to the very law which we people have made for our own welfare.

Dr. Sadangi:I talked about globalization and the availability of alcohol. We are not grandmothers of everybody. We should not close down on freedom in the name of law. Simultaneously people should need to understand their responsibility. Like most of you people love junk foods knowing very well how harmful it is for health. Do you think we should close all the junk food shops? You need to understand its harmful effect and stop eating.

Q. How are you planning to improve the Traffic Control System?

Dr. Sadangi: There are three aspects of Traffic Management – Traffic engineering, where our roads have to be widened, we need parallel roads, remove encroachments and build flyovers and under passes. Traffic Education – this is the type of event we have here today where we create awareness so that people voluntarily comply with the laws of our country. And Traffic enforcement – this is when people do not follow the law then we enforce it by prosecuting them. These three aspects are required for better management of traffic in our city and our country.

Scouts & Guides Assembly Presentation

“Remember, it is not what you have but what you give that brings happiness.” – Lord Baden Powell

The members of Scouts and Guides made a spectacular display of various activities during their Assembly Presentation held on Thursday, January 16, 2020. They outlined the mission of scouting and the need to live by the code of conduct exemplified in the 12 points of Scout law and stressed the role played by Scouts and Guides during critical times.

The Members demonstrated the essence of scouting which includes the selfless services rendered to the society and highlighted their participation in numerous events in 2019 like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Yoga Day, State Parade and Plantation Drive.

The Club helps in cultivating the kinder virtues and values of patriotism, courage, self-discipline, self-reliance and a sense of responsibility as well as commitment. The life skills imbibed by the SAIoneers help them in making ethical choices in their lives and achieve their full potential. It also inspires them to make positive contribution to the society, become confident individuals and serve the nation as sensitive, benevolent  and responsible citizens.

Assembly Presentation – Mask Club

“You need three things in the theatre — the play, the actors and the audience, and each must give something.”   – Kenneth Haigh

The members of the Mask Club staged a spectacular skit during their assembly presentation, highlighting the quintessence of being self-complacent and contented with whatever one has. The members did justice to the different characters essayed by them.

They communicated the essence by creating a hilarious ambience through their acting skills. The whole play was ably conducted by the wonderful performances of other supporting characters and complemented wonderfully by lighting, sounds, props, make-up and costumes. The creative instincts and the stellar performances of the SAIoneers were acclaimed and applauded by the audience.

The Mask Club provides ample opportunities to the students to showcase their creative talents. Through theatre training, the children inculcate life skills which promote aesthetic appreciation in them and equip them to adapt themselves to the changing environment in a discreet and pragmatic manner.

NCC Assembly Presentation

“The NCC Cadets always standout in the crowd for their leadership qualities and their willingness to help people in need.” – Anonymous

The National Cadet Corps (NCC), the youth wing of Armed Forces, is one of the premier youth organizations in our country, that propagates national unity and integrity amongst youth. It is a tri-services Organisation, comprising of Army, Navy and Air Wing, engaged in grooming the youth of the country into disciplined and patriotic citizens.

The cadets of the NCC Club of SAI International School made a wonderful presentation on Tuesday, January 13, 2020. The vibrant cadets urged everyone to choose a career in Indian defence forces. They highlighted the techniques and the four cardinal principles which form the basis of NCC training programmes.

The Cadets briefed the students and teachers about their various activities like escorting the dignitaries on different occasions; participating in prestigious State Republic Day Parade; campaigning on World Drug Abuse Day and Mega Pollution Awareness 2019. They showcased the active involvement of two Cadets, Bisakha Das and Anushka Singh who represented Odisha in All India Thal Sainik Camp, New Delhi and about the eight Cadets who attended the Combined Annual Training Camp, 2019 held at Sainik School.

The NCC Club provides students a platform to imbibe the spirit of discipline, dedication determination, leadership traits, interpersonal skills and groom the young Cadets to experience military life and become disciplined and responsible patriots.

Mathematics Quiz

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

The Mathematics Quiz for Classes IV and V was conducted on January 9 and 10, 2020 respectively. The logical and mathematical skills of the participants were tested in the competition. The active participation of the audience made it more interesting.

Mathematics quiz benefits the students in various ways. It not only helps the participants but also other students who get to know a wide range of information on the subject. Quiz competitions of such kind helps students to go beyond their text books and explore areas that enrich their knowledge repository.

Workshop on Effective Mentorship

“Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.” – Japanese Proverb

To enhance their mentoring skills of the teachers, a workshop on Effective Mentorship was organised for teachers of Class IX and X on Saturday, January 4, 2020. The participants learnt about the responsibilities of a mentor, characteristics of a good mentor, components of emotional Intelligence, how to enhance EI to improve mentoring skills, mentoring relationship continuum and how to give effective feedback in challenging situations.

Facilitator Madhuchanda Mohanty orientated the participants through various activities like story telling on goal setting, activity on goal setting and 5 finger friendship challenge activity to develop positive characters.

Effective Mentoring is an essential component of teaching-learning process as it provides professional socialization and personal support which facilitates student’s success. Apart from gaining knowledge and skills in a positive manner, children are benefited with an increase of self esteem and improved social skills.

Assembly Presentation – SAI TV

“Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.” – Chinese Proverb

The Class VI, VII and VIII members of the SAI TV Club conducted a wonderful assembly on Monday, January 6, 2020. The club provides wide opportunities to these budding filmmakers to hone their creativity pertaining to film making, video editing, interviewing and panel discussion.

They showcased an enjoyable experience of movie making in a collaborative and creative way. The members highlighted the concepts and techniques that engage their creative imagination and help them to understand, reinforce and review the skills and art of handling the camera for cinematic inputs with precision. They presented how video editing and making a short film requires training to create a montage of pictures and video footage set to music which make the feature interesting, appealing, efficient.

The members also shared that it is also important to expose their work to the world by uploading it online, on YouTube and Internet based platforms. This will boost the confidence and experience of the new filmmakers and hone their calibre and creativity to reach out to the global audience.

SAI TV is one of the most stimulating clubs that enables students to get an exposure on the basics of film making and television production. It focuses on enriching student’s knowledge on the 4 P’s of creating television programmes like Planning, Production, Programming and Publicity.

Workshop to increase Happiness Index

“True happiness… is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” – Helen Keller

To make the teaching-learning experience more joyful, a workshop was conducted for the Secondary section teachers on Saturday, January 4, 2020. The workshop focussed on giving equal focus to Physical, Mental, Emotional and Physical aspect of one’s own selves as well as the students.

Facilitator Ms Uma Patra outlined the steps to increase happiness index like balance between mental and emotional being- to increase the inner beauty, spiritual connection at work place, and focus on experiential learning. The teachers learnt that, ‘if we feel positive, we can spread positivity’.

She highlighted some of the common challenges faced by teachers while dealing with students. Role plays were conducted to help the participants deal with various situations while communicating with students. The participants learnt how to analyse the attitude and behaviour of each student and help them redirect their negativity through compassion and empathy to a positive quality.

They were also briefed on how to enhance self-respect, make education more qualitative, and bring more empathy, flexibility, openness, variety and blessings into the classroom.