Learning Beyond Books at e- Summer Camp for Classes VI, VII & VIII

“Never stop dreaming, never stop believing, never give up, never stop trying, and never stop learning.” ― Roy Bennett 

Learning and teaching got a new dimension during the lockdown, a whole new format emerged and the children very quickly adapted themselves to it. SAI International hosted an e-Summer Camp from June 1 to 14, 2020 with a plethora of activities for all the students of SAI International. The activities of the summer camp were so divided that each class would nurture a skill needed for the children to be future ready. Let’s know what did the Class VI, VII and VIII students did in the eSummer Camp.

Day 1

Day one of the camp introduced the students to Communication Skills where they were told about effective communication they also did Aerobics and danced to the tunes of bollywood hit Ghungaroo to keep themselves fit.

Class VII students were introduced to the benefits of yoga, they were also made aware of how yoga is beneficial in rejuvenating the body, mind and soul for connecting with ones inner self. While in the Tabla session they started with playing Achyutam Keshavam and learnt various Taals of Tabla. Class VIII children learnt the Bhajan Sarwatmaka Sarweshwara from the music resource person diligently; it was a wondersome energetic morning during the eSummer Camp and children definitely enjoying as well as learnt from it.

Day 2

Class VI students indulged themselves in 3D paper Collage activity during the Camp on the second day of the camp. They were briefed about the technique of making paper collage by using pencil, white sheet, glue and news paper. Teachers also told them how to use the colours according to the colour scheme and how to give a 3D effect to the collage.

Class VII leant the verbal and non verbal communication skills by Ms Anu Ralli and also practiced Aerobics in the aerobics session

A session on Drama was held for the children of Class VIII where they learnt about expressions, and delivering dialogues. And a session on sports and fitness was also held.

Day 3

Best out of waste session was loved by the children of Class VI where they made Book Marks, Face Mask and Flower Pot all by the unused or waste material present at home.

In the Class VII session children learnt playing Keyboard and Piano they also learnt how to tune them. They also played an old Hindi song on the keyboard.

Class VIII students had an Aerobics session where they danced on Disco Songs, while in the verbal and non verbal Communication Skills Session was taken by Anu Ralli. Children were briefed about expanding sentences for creative writing, effective communication, response to response, creative way of diary writing and healthy & unhealthy communication.

Day 4

As the day unfolds class VI students entered day 4 of the #eSummerCamp, with Ms Revati Khattar with energetic and fun filled dance moves on Bhangra, Hip Hop, and Jazz. The students were truly inspired to learn and dance along the trainer.

Class VII children had a session on Violin & Tabla and a session on Health and Hygiene by Beauty Expert Lopamudra Pradhan. She briefed on how to take care of skin and hair stressing more on unnecessary overuse of Sanitizers. There was also a question and answer session where they were advised to use paraben & sulphate free shampoo for healthy hair & scalp.

A Visual Art session was held for the students of class VIII. Children learnt different sculpture works with clay modeling. They also learnt how to do the clay modeling with adding and carving process.  They showcased their creative art work during this session. Children also learnt about the different taals in the music session.

Day 5

The young  Master Chefs of Class VI cooked three course meal in the e-session of the eSummer Camp was prepared. In starter they prepared crunchy noodle salad; in main course children prepared burnt garlic rice with vegetable stew and yummy mango squares in dessert. They were also briefed about the nutritional values of the dishes they cooked. Class VII had a mix media activity in painting using different materials. Ms Lopamudra Pradhan a skin and beauty expert took a hygiene, skin and hair care session for class VII. She shared some tips for hair and skin care, good makeup practices (before and after), and some advice on oral hygiene, eye care, ear care was also briefed to them.  There was a music activity also for the students where different types of Taal and dhun were discussed.

Day 6

Science is fun and toys can be made at home using Science concepts were introduced by Shri Auro Rashmi Mohanty where the students of Class VI were shown how to make toys using science concepts, with 2 different activities. In the sports & fitness, students were introduced to the full form of Sports: S- sincere, P- punctual, O- obedient, R- responsible, and T- talent. Students were also briefed about skills of different games. Like (basket ball, football, kho kho and table tennis)

Resource person Anuppma in the Life Skill session of class VII asked the students to write about physical, social and self understanding. There was also a discussion about self awareness, strengths and challenges of a learner. While in the Musical session they sang Maula karam ho and Har ghadi badal rahi hai.

In the Master Chef session SAIoneer Divyashish, prepared and taught  the Class VIII students how to make delicious snacks  such as  Bombay Sandwich, Salsa, and a Healthy drink the Nutritional value of the vegetables were discussed my his mother. In the Life Skills session, students learnt about what is adaptation, how to adapt oneself for different situations and adaptation process in life.

Day 7

A Robotics session was held for the students of Class VI students where they were explained about the working of different types of robots, parts used in Robotics, resource person differentiated between robotics & robots. A circuit design of Robots was also discussed. In the Master Chef session of Class VI students were guided to make Shahi Tukda and Kheer Korma. Children loved the session and enjoyed a lot.

In the Class VII activity, students were shown how to make toys using different science concepts and engaging activities in the Science Magic Session. While in the fitness session they were briefed about various games like basketball cricket and were alos told about the benefits of exercise.

In the Communication Skills session by Ms Saswati Satpathy for class VIII; a story telling session was held to develop communication skills in children. She gave a life lesson to the children to not to make a tiny problem very big in your life. Let them stay as it is. She also told about destiny and luck, and their play in life. They also had a puppetry session by Ms Steffy George, where the students were shown how to make puppet with one puppet story.

Day 8

A Robotics session was held for the students of Class VI students where they were explained about the working of different types of robots, parts used in Robotics, resource person differentiated between robotics & robots. A circuit design of Robots was also discussed. In the Master Chef session of Class VI students were guided to make Shahi Tukda and Kheer Korma. Children loved the session and enjoyed a lot.

In the Class VII activity, students were shown how to make toys using different science concepts and engaging activities in the Science Magic Session. While in the fitness session they were briefed about various games like basketball cricket and were also told about the benefits of exercise.

In the Communication Skills session by Ms Saswati Satpathy for class VIII; a story telling session was held to develop communication skills in children. She gave a life lesson to the children to not to make a tiny problem very big in your life. Let them stay as it is. She also told about destiny and luck, and their play in life. They also had a puppetry session by Ms Steffy George, where the students were shown how to make puppets.

Day 9

In the Puppetry Session of Class VI Ms Rishu Suryan introduced different types of puppet and children used props as puppets to act. In the Drama session children learnt dialogue delivery, the resource person used dialogues from famous movies and Mahabharata.

Class VII had a Communication Skill session on Communicating with oneself and some moral stories were discussed by Ms Saswati Sathpathy. While in the 2^nd session on music was held on Guitar where the children learnt how to play the Happy Birthday tune and a few more. He also guided the students to play Guitar in an easy way.

In the Class VIII a session on Sports and fitness was held by the resource person, where the students learnt about the importance of sports and fitness, even Table Tennis basic skills and Basketball basic rules and skills and Kho kho skills. In the Science Magic Session Shri Aurorashmi Mohanty illustrated how to make toys with different science concepts.

Day 10

A Violin and Tabla Session was held for the Class VI with the introduction of the musical notes and Bande Utkal Janani was also played. Children learnt some important note while the trainer played a song from Taal on Tabla.  They were also taught about Bivas Raag. The students played different songs with violin and keyboard.  Students also had a Guitar session. They were taught different types of guitar and the notes played on it. Active participation of students along with sir made the session interactive and engaging.

A Paper Collage activity was done for the students of class VII, they were taught about types of drawing, colours, how to use, how to make different objects, and encouraged the students in being creative and innovative while in the 2^nd session of Drama and Communications, students told different movie dialogues – such as emotional, serious and comic dialogues, showing different voice modulation and tone.

In the Yoga and session for Class VIII the students learnt different Asanas to improve the immune system. A Communication session was also held by Ms Annu Ralli on the different types of communication. There students were briefed upon not to be afraid of being wrong, value being respectful, critical thinking there was also a game on Quick Facts Vs Opinion. They even practiced speech.

The concluding day ie the 14^th Day of the e Summer camp was more of a celebration where students showcased various art, cooking and all that they learnt in the last 14 days. Parents and Grandparents had also joined the celebration with great happiness. They also shared their feelings of joy and excitement in doing all these throughout these 14days of SAI e-summer camp.

The eSummer Camp conclude on a very happy note for the students of Class VI, VII & VIII on June 14, 2020.

Workshop on Skill Development in LSRW

“Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow.” – ‍Oliver Wendell Holmes

An in-house workshop on Skill Development in Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing (LSRW), was conducted on Saturday, February 8, 2020, for the faculty members of English, Hindi, Oriya, Sanskrit and French. Language teachers from Classes VI to X participated in the workshop.

The objective of the workshop was to discuss the CBSE curriculum, comprehend the aspects of the CBSE curriculum and analyze its implications and explain how curriculum in language and literature can be implemented in the classroom, so as to enhance teaching/learning and language skills.

Resource persons Ms. Swati Sengupta and Ms. Swati Srilekha briefed the participants about the four core skills of language and how to effectively implement it in the classroom. They also discussed about various reading strategies, listening techniques, principles for designing the listening techniques which are intrinsically motivating, carefully considering the listeners response and encouraging development of listening strategies through bottom up and top down approach. Participants also learnt about elements of good speaking and functions and mechanics of good speaking skills. The aspects of writing and the principles of writing process were also discussed.

Several activities were conducted like Chinese whispers, Reading comprehension, and Analysing what are the sub-categories of actions that happened during listening, reading and speaking.

Proficiency in each of the four language skills is essential to become a well-rounded communicator. It gives learners the opportunity to create contexts in which to use the language for exchange of real information, evidence of their own ability and, most important, confidence.

Workshop on Art of Questioning

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” – Albert Einstein

A capacity building workshop on Art of Questioning was organised for Science teachers from Classes VI to X on Saturday, February 8, 2020. The objective of the workshop is to make teaching-learning process more effective by proper questioning.

Resource person Ms. Sunita Mishra spoke about how effective questioning can built an inquisitive mind and how to frame different level of questions as per Blooms Taxonomy. The participants were also briefed on how a student can be judged by the type of questions asked.

Some of the key points discussed were characteristics of good questions with concept of GRACE – Grab attention, Requires upper-level training, Allows for a variety of acceptable answers, Connects course content and students’ lives, Is essential and Is student friendly.

She also discussed about the consequences on students if good questions are not asked, like they would shift their attention or won’t get enough practice using upper level thinking skills. Discussion also centered on avoid using certain words like understand, be familiar with, be aware of, have a good grasp of, have a knowledge of, realise the significance of etc and use words like describe, explain, evaluate, identify, design, explain, select, distinguish, construct and solve.

Mathematics Workshop

“Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.” – David A. Kolb

Mathematics makes our life orderly and prevents chaos. It is the cradle of all creation, without which the world cannot move ahead. Learning mathematics becomes easier and enjoyable if done through interesting games and activities.

A workshop on ‘Experiential Learning in Mathematics’ was conducted on Saturday, February 8, 2020, with an aim to enable teachers from Classes VI to X, include experiential learning in classroom with the available resources.

The objective of the workshop was to understand Kolb’s cycle of learning so as to help children learn mathematics through experience. The participants were also guided to understand the history of mathematics and its development and also know the family of quadrilaterals.

Resource person Kalana Mishra skilfully guided the participants to apply experiential learning in classroom activities as well as analyse and improve the experiential learning through Kolb’s cycle.

Experiential learning is not only engaging but also stimulates children to understand the concepts and practices. It helps them to identify problems, use constructive reasoning to make viable arguments, and applying mathematics in real-life problems.

 

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.

A Joyful way of Learning

“Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.” – David A. Kolf

Learning through experience is a wonderful way for students to learn and retain the knowledge. Hands-on activities require students to use skills like problem-solving and decision-making, which hones their abilities further and accelerates the process of learning.

Students of SAI International School are always encouraged to learn by doing, for which several innovative and interesting activities are conducted on a regular basis. Steps are taken to ensure that each child get immersed in these activities and inculcate the habit of lifelong learning.

In one such activity, students of Class VII described the poem ‘Macavity the Mystery Cat’ by T.S.Eliot, through a well-prepared power point presentation (PPT), which made the poem more interesting. Another group of Class VII student made a presentation on the story “Helping Hand”, right from their English Literature. They explained the chapter in a beautiful way, which made it all the more immersive.

Class VIII students made a presentation on the interpretation of the poem “Television’, a famous poem that advises and inspires children to read books instead of watching television. It warns us about the dangers of watching television excessively. Another group of Class VIII students made posters to put across the importance of water and also spoke on the topic “Water – the Global need of the hour”.

SAI Football League 2019

“Players win games and teams win Championship.” – Anonymous

The 3^rd edition of SAI Football League was conducted from July 15 to August 19, 2019. It was participated by students from SAI International School, SAI International Residential School and SAI International College of Commerce in two different categories.

In the Senior category, five teams participated. They are XI-Science Dazzlers, XI-Commerce Hunters, XII-Science Radiants, XII-Commerce Big Bullets and SICC-Galaxy. In the Junior category, four teams participated like SIRS-Movers, Class-IX Bloomers, Class-X Young Controllers and a team from Class VIII.

SFL 2019 was declared open by Senior Principal Shri Nilakantha Panigrahi on Monday, July 15, 2019, followed by a match between XI Science-Dazzlers and XI Commerce-Hunters. After a round of interesting and energetic matches, SFL 2019 finally concluded on Monday, August 19, 2019.

On the last day, two electrifying matches were played both at the Senior level and Junior level. In the Junior category finals, the Class X-Young Controllers and Class IX-Bloomers had an exciting match which was won by the former team by two goals.

The match between the SICC Galaxy and XII Commerce Big Bullets took a dramatic turn with a tie breaker. It ended with the SICCans winning the SFL by scoring a total of four goals against the two goals scored by the Big Bullets.  The SFL 2019 winners were Class X-Young Controllers (Junior) and SICC Galaxy (Senior).

Workshop on Conducting Examination

“Any good teacher knows how important it is to connect with students and understand our culture.” – Adora Svitak

A Workshop was organised for teachers from Classes IV to VIII on Regulations during Examination on Monday, April 29, 2019. The objective of the workshop was to acquaint the teachers on the rules and regulations as well as the role of teachers during examination.

Facilitator Ms. Sunita Mishra briefed the participants about their role as Invigilator, Reliever, Floor In-Charge, Flying Squad, In-Charge of Exam Control Room, Evaluator and Cross Checker. Various processes were discussed ‘Before’, “During’ and ‘After’ Examination. The detailed defined processes were discussed in case of mal practice of any child during examination.

Ms. Mishra also briefed the participants on how to follow the evaluation system and the steps involved during correction of answer sheets. Five different role plays were conducted to understand the repercussions in case of negligence of responsibilities of teachers or not following the defined process.

Examinations are held to evaluate students on their respective subjects and Teachers play a vital role in conducting the examination in a proper manner. A small negligence can lead to great error hence hampering a lot many things.

Workshop on Classroom Management

“Teaching is only demonstrating that it is possible. Learning is making it possible for yourself.” – Paulo Coelho

A workshop on ‘Classroom Management’ was organised on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 for teachers from Class IV to VIII. The workshop focused on the elements of classroom management which include management of content, conduct and covenant. Various activities and role plays were undertaken to illustrate these elements.

Facilitator Ms. Swati Sengupta spoke about the importance of effectively managing classrooms with proper routines and procedures. Some innovative methods of teaching that are important to impart the 21st century learning were discussed. She stressed that the responsibilities of a teacher should align with the creative minds of the children and teachers should also have the added responsibility of understanding the growing and animated thought- process of individual child.

The facilitator emphasised on addressing the concerns of students and reducing stress by substituting consequences with positive rewards. The various topics covered were Understanding Classroom Management, Physical Arrangement in Classroom, Components of Effective Classroom, Teaching Styles, Learning Styles, Managing Classes with Large Number of Student and Management of Inter-Personal Relationships.

The workshop aimed at inspiring and enabling the teachers to adopt various techniques to make the teaching and learning process more effective. It helped the teachers devise innovative strategies to be applied in real classroom situations.

School Development Programme – Managing Emotion

“If you don’t manage your emotions, then your emotions will manage you.” – Deborah Rozman

As part of the teachers training programme, a workshop was conducted on Thursday, April 18, 2019 for the teachers of Classes VI to VIII on Managing Emotion. Facilitator Ms Swetapadma Mohanty briefed the participants about the importance of managing emotions through several activities and video presentation.

The participants got an in-depth understanding of different types of emotions through an interesting activity where each one of them were asked to express their emotions on the same situation as a child, teenager and adult. They also learnt about the three kinds of emotions like Passive, Aggressive and Assertive as well as the consequences of uncontrolled emotions.

Ms. Mohanty also described the steps to effectively manage emotions like, not to react immediately, not to bottle up the emotions and vent it out in an appropriate way, try to forgive the emotion trigger and have faith on higher force. She also showcased a video on how to channelize the emotions of the students in a positive manner.

Emotion management is a skill that every individual should inculcate for a peaceful self and a peaceful environment. It is the ability to realize and accept a situation with a controlled emotion. It is the ability to accept changes in a positive manner, open to new ideas and not give in to negative feelings or thinking. Being aware of one’s emotional response to a particular situation and analysing the reason for the kind of behaviour, will help manage emotions in a better way.

School Development Programme – Life Skills

“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” – Ignacio Estrada

A workshop was conducted on Wednesday, April 17, 2019, for teachers from Classes IV to VIII, on the topic, ‘Life Skills: Uses and importance’. Facilitators Shri Jaysurya Das and Ms. Shipra Bijaya Sahoo spoke about the important life skills like Thinking skills, Social skills and Emotional skills and its significance.

The participants also learned about UNESCO’s five pillars of education learning like linguistic skills, communication skills, basic analytical skill, respect for culture and sensitivity towards environment. The facilitators briefed the teachers on the importance of understanding life skills and inculcating those in the students during their growing up stage.

They were also briefed about the significance of life skills in maintaining a sound physical and mental health, to be able to make rational decisions by weighing pros and cons, how to be assertive and not aggressive in classroom situations, the difference between being self-aware and self-conscious, methodologies to be followed for problem solving in daily life scenarios, importance of critical and creative thinking and the difference between the two.

During the workshop, the teachers learned how to manage emotions by identifying stress and coping with it, importance of having good interpersonal relationship in the work place among the teachers and take the skills to the classroom to educate children about it, how to say no without hurting the sentiments of others. The teachers also learnt to identify problems or areas of difficulty in a child and have an early intervention to enhance the capabilities of a child and enhance his or her psycho social abilities.

Through several videos and activities, the participants learnt about the importance of life skills in the 21^st century to build a better society and the role of a teacher in imparting the skills to the students.

#SchoolDevelopmentProgramme

School Development Programme – Conflict Management in Classroom

“Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Conflict is natural and happens in every ongoing relationship. As it is unavoidable one must learn to manage it. On a positive note, conflict is a sign of need for change and an opportunity for growth, new understanding and improvised communication.

As part of the capacity building of teachers, a workshop on ‘Conflict Management in Classroom’ was conducted on Friday, April 12, 2019. The objective of the workshop was to develop the knowledge, skill and confidence to manage conflict in Classroom situations effectively with resolution techniques. The training was facilitated by Ms. Uma Patra and teachers from Classes IV to VIII took part in it.

The participants learnt the various strategies to handle the interpersonal conflict in different situations, the factors responsible for conflicts and got an in-depth understanding of Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument which describes the ways of dealing with conflict. They also learnt about their role as mentors to direct destructive conflict to constructive one, how to channelize the impact in positive ways through collaboration, compromising and avoiding the unwanted situations so as to covert the loss-loss situation to win-win situation.

The facilitator also recapitulated the Dos and Don’ts of the classroom rules as mandated by the National Education Association like praise students for acting appropriately, get parents involved early on, give students tools for interacting with each other, define behavioural expectations using the champs model etc.

It is said 10% of conflict is due to difference in opinion and 90% is due to delivery and tone of voice. So be the positive voice and not the echo.

#SchoolDevelopmentProgramme

Inter-house English Elocution Competition

“The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.” – Mark Twain

Elocution is the skill or style of delivering the speech in a clear and expressive way. It is an important art which needs to be inculcated by the students of the 21^st century. It is a brilliant way to share one’s thoughts and feelings in an effective manner.

The final round of the Inter-house English Elocution Competition for Classes VI, VII and VIII was conducted on March 27 and 28, 2019. Students of Class VI students spoke about ‘My environment my Responsibility’, where they expressed their concerns regarding the environment protection and its importance for the sustainability of life on earth. Many of them also emphasised on the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and its significance for a healthy living.

Class VII students spoke on ‘Women Empowerment’ sharing the contributions made by women towards the society and the role played by strong women leaders for the betterment of mankind. The students of Class VIII spoke on ‘Character makes an individual’, where the students expressed their views on the importance of character for making an individual.

The judgement was based on content, word choice, ideas, body language, voice modulation, pronunciation, grammar and memory. Each participant was given a time limit of two minutes to express their thoughts and views. Earlier a preliminary round was held from March 19 to 25 in the respective classrooms to select the finalists.

Elocution is a great way to develop vocabulary, speech fluency, boosts confidence, enhance listening as well as research skills.

TROUBLE IN THE WOOD

A small boy was going with his father, through a forest, one afternoon. Both of them were in a relaxed mood and enjoying the beauty of nature. All of a sudden, a tiger emerged from the bushes, yawning widely as if he had just eaten a very sumptuous meal. Its eyes were half open and it seemed that he was looking for a comfortable place to take his afternoon siesta. And he found the soft ground of the path just up to his taste. He bent down and laid his hind legs parallel to the ground. A cool breeze rustled the leaves of the trees around them which would have been very pleasant if just now a tiger had not blocked their way. But the tiger still had not noticed them now that its eyes were closed. Terror was writ large on the father’s face. His face, gone pale white, the father cringed at what he what he was looking at. The son, on the other hand, widened his eyes with curiosity at the tiger, which would have frightened the living daylights out of most of the children at his age. He tugged at the end of his father’s kurta and asked, ‘Father, what is that thing?’ Had it been a statue at their local museum, the father would have liked nothing more than to reply that the tiger was a monster that carries away naughty children. He would have just loved the look of terror on his son’s childishly innocent face.

But now was not the moment. The father pulled his son close enough and said, ‘We have to run now.’ The child looked just as offended as a photographer pulled back from his camera while shooting a bewitching picture. But he nodded in response, though reluctantly. And they ran, as far as their legs could carry them, away from the tiger. But suddenly, the ground gave way and they fell deep down. After they hit the bottom, the father realized that this was probably a pit dug by the villagers as a precaution against the tiger. The father instinctively grabbed his son and began climbing out of the pit, holding on to the stones protruding out of the side he was climbing. Just then, he saw a feline shape prowling around the pit. It had an orange coat, black stripes………

The father’s eyes widened with shock as understanding dawned upon him. It was the tiger! It was still sleepy and hadn’t seen them. It just stopped above the father and shook itself awake. The father’s hand slipped and fell into the darkness of the pit. The last thing he remembered was something silvery float over him, human voices and the hard ground of the pit.

The father woke up. He blinked his eyes several times and looked around. He was in his house. His wife was sitting by his side on a stool. He suddenly blurted out, ‘Where is Lalla(his son)?! Did the tiger hurt him?’

‘He is in his room, sleeping. By the way, which tiger are you talking about?’, replied the wife, unnerved at her husband’s sudden outburst.

‘Didn’t I go into the forest with Lalla and escape from a tiger? Didn’t he tell you anything about that?’ , the father had not quite recovered from the shock of having faced a tiger.

The wife seemed to be undergoing some deep internal struggle. The muscles in her face were working hard. Finally, she said, ‘No, he hasn’t. He has been sleeping since morning.’ She looked at him with an inscrutable expression on her face. Was it pity? Or was it sadness? The father couldn’t make out. The wife silently left the room, leaving the father free to his thoughts. He shifted his attention towards his clothes. He was wearing the same kurta as he was wearing in the dream, as he now considered it, with the tiger. Then something shiny on the kurta caught his eye. It would not take an expert to figure out that….. That they were, white strands of hair, from an animal. His mind circled and finally figuring it all out……..

He fainted of shock.

By: Anand

 

Quest Club Presentation

“Questioning is the ability to organize our thinking around what we don’t know”.

The members of the Quest Club gave a crisp and wonderful presentation on their Club activities on Thursday, January 17, 2019. Through video clippings they highlighted the importance of quizzing.

The enthusiastic students organised a quizzing session of three rounds for Classes VI to VIII. The interesting questions were based on topics related to science, history and current affairs. The event witnessed enthusiastic preparation & participation of the SAIoneers. The students displayed a high spirit and were in jubilant mood while answering the questions.

Quest, puzzles and games form a part of Quest Club curriculum, wherein members are involved in systematic study and application of knowledge. This has a remarkable impact on character building, instils self-discipline and encourages the spirit of inquiry that helps build mental alertness.

Quest Club intends to provide students an interactive platform for sharing their knowledge and enhancing their knowledge base through quizzes. Activities like mind sport or games not only boost their confidence but also satisfy their inquisitive instinct to explore more and perform better.

SAI International School always encourages positive participation of students and hopes to bring out the best in them through such healthy interactions & discussions. It also ensures that children learn through all possible ways and not just confine their learning horizon to books & classroom teaching.

Club Performance – SAI TV

“Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potentials.” John Maxwell

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.

The member of SAI TV from Class VI to VIII gave a beautiful presentation of their Club during the Morning Assembly on Wednesday, January 16, 2018. The students showed a well-prepared short movie which included their activities at SAI TV like anchoring, editing, camera handling, news reading, script writing, panel discussion and movie making.

The members also brief

ed the students on what You Tube is and how to find the various videos of SAI International made by SAI TV, that are being uploaded on the site. They also performed a small act showing the importance of advertisement as a tool of publicity in today’s world.

The members of SAI TV conducts real life activities like interviewing eminent visitors, parents, alumni, student achievers etc. They also take bytes from people during mega events like UNWIND, SAITED, Confluence etc. Students learn how to take bytes, edit those, make background study and weave it into a movie. They also learn how to handle camera and the various shots that needs to be taken. This helps them to cover larger and smaller events of the school.

Laudable SAIoneer

“Chess is a very logical game and it is the man who can reason most logically and profoundly in it that ought to win.” – Jose Capablanca

Chess is one such game which enables a child to gain confidence, become disciplined, and help the child to learn through analysis, research, and assessment of the situation before making any decision. It enhances mental clarity and mental dexterity.

SAIoneer Ankita Sahoo of Class VIII, Fide ID 35047337 is a well acclaimed Chess player of the State. She has been winning several laurels over the years in various categories. In the last one-year Ankita has won several coveted medals for her outstanding performance. Her latest achievement includes representing the State to participate in the National Level School Games Federation of India (SGFI) Chess Championship in the Under-17 category to be held in Andhra Pradesh later this month.

She emerged as Champion in the SGFI State Level Chess Championship, Under-17 category held on January 4 and 5, 2019, at Nayagarh, Odisha which qualified her for the National Championship.

The talented girl had brought laurels to the state when she represented Odisha in the 35th National Under-15 Girls Chess Championship 2018, held at Kalyani, West Bengal from July 17 to 25, 2018. It was organised by Bengal Chess Association and supported by Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Sports Authority of India and Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, Govt. of West Bengal. She won the 26^thplace.

Ankita also emerged as the Champion in the CBSE National Girls Under-17 Individual Chess Championship 2018 held at Gwalior from November 1 to 4, 2018. In the same venue she was one of the 4-member girls team of the School which won the first prize in the CBSE National Girls Under-17 category.

Earlier this year, she won the 1^st Runners Up prize in Odisha State Under-15 Open and Girls Chess Championship 2018 held at Sailabala Women’s College, Cuttack. It was organized by Cuttack District Chess Association under the aegis of All Odisha Chess Association.

Chess is an age-old game which originated as believed in India and spread over to the entire world. The game has bonded people from various background and taught them to win or lose with grace.

Atal Tinkering Lab

“What good is an idea if it remains an idea? Try. Experiment. Iterate. Fail. Try again. Change the world.” – Simon Sinek

Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) aims to create a pool of talent that is future ready, by introducing and exposing students to essential world skills; to get them to think out of the box, and break boundaries and make something unique in the process. The lab helps to instil a ‘maker’ spirit in young people, by using hands-on experimentation, collaboration with the latest technology, and designing it to provide the much-needed solutions.

The ATL of SAI International School provides training to students from Class VI to IX on different kinds of Mechanical and Electrical tools, their uses and handling, Robotics, 3D printing, Internet of Things (IOT), Design thinking, Prototyping and Programming.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The lab is well-equipped with different tools, Electronic items, Sensors, 3D pen, 3D printers, IOT devices and high-end computers. Students get an opportunity to have a hand full of practical experiences about the concerned subjects and can implement their thoughts and ideas into a project.

The state of the art facilities and active mentoring by experts help the students to come up with various innovative projects. Students have also started demonstrating their projects in various competitions and won prizes. To take the innovation journey of the school to the next level, the school plans to upgrade the Lab with more tools, equipment and facilities.

These lab is a brilliant way to bring the do-it-yourself culture to the forefront, encourage and motivate students to become solution providers and get engaged in self-learning that will not only lead to the development of higher order thinking skills, but may eventually lead to discoveries, innovations and inventions.

Rhythm Club Performance

“When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It’s to enjoy each step along the way.” – Wayne Dyer

Dancing is world’s favourite metaphor. It is a poetry with arms and legs and has the ability to reveal the mysterious element hidden in music. For the young students, it is a wonderful way to channelize their energy and make them more active and creative. Regular dancing helps in increasing physical strength and stamina, flexibility, tone the muscles, teaches correct postures and improves coordination of body and mind.

Students of SAI International School has a Rhythm Club and specific labs where they learn dancing. A group of excellent mentors train these students to hone their skills during their Club classes. These students are provided with various platforms to showcase their talent. These school based activities make them more confident and keep them inspired.

The Rhythm Club members from Class VI to VIII showcased their talent during a Club performance held in the Indraprastha auditorium on Thursday, December 6, 2018. The students performed Zumba dance, aerobics and free style dance.

Zumba dance is a lower body workout that incorporates Zumba routines and step aerobics with Latin Dance rhythms whereas aerobics is a form of exercise that combines rhythmic exercise with stretching performed with music. Free style dance is the style where dancer improves their moves on the spot, which may include some Bollywood or contemporary steps.

Classical Dance Competition

“Dance is for everybody. I believe that the dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people.” – Alvin Ailey

The final round of inter-house dance competition for students from Class VI to VIII was conducted on Wednesday, November 28, 2018. The theme for the competition was Classical, Semi-Classical and Folk Dance with a time limit of three minutes per performance.

The students selected in the preliminary round took part in the final round of competition. They were judged on the criteria of Rhythm and Laya, Expression, Presentation and Costume. Students showcased various dance forms like Odissi, Sambalpuri, Kathak, Fusion and Tandava. Students enthusiastically participated in the competition exhibiting their talent and versatility.

Dance is the physical expression or manifestation of throughs and feelings through movements and rhythm. It is also a form of exercise which is important for children during their growing up years. It develops new perception in children helping them to learn and think in innovative ways.