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From the Director’s Desk

Dear Parents,

Among the many events celebrated annually in schools, probably one of the most cherished is Teachers’ Day. It presents the students an opportunity to express their gratitude to their teachers for their guidance, care and affection. It is a beautiful moment that helps strengthen the bond between a student and a teacher, forging a relationship that often far outlives the student’s days in that institution. It is indeed not just fascinating, but deeply moving, to see students visiting their alma mater years after they have completed their schooling, to meet up with their old teachers. A student-teacher relationship definitely has a divine spark in it! As we celebrate Teachers’ Day this month, I too would like to avail of this occasion to say a heartfelt ‘Thank You’ to all our staff at DBIS. The genuine concern they have for their students, the tireless effort they put into all they do, the exuberance and the passion that they display, their constant search for new, better and creative ways of teaching, and their deep desire to see their students grow to the best of their potential, is something that I constantly observe in all our teachers at DBIS. ‘Thank You’ may sound like mere common words, but through these simple words I wish to express my highest esteem and appreciation for all our DBIS staff! Don Bosco would often say to his students: “A grateful person is a good person”. May our expressions of gratitude not just be limited to special occasions, but may gratitude be a constant attitude in our lives!

Fr Savio Silveira

Director

From the

Director’s Desk

Page 01

Associate Principal’s

Message

Page 02

Newsletter DBIS

Volume: 3 Issue: 2 AUGUST 2016

India Week

Page 04

Rio Olympics

Page 03

Raksha Bandhan

Day

Page 06

Janmashtami

Page 07

Upcoming Events

Page 12

Mastermind

Workshop

Page 09

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Associate Principal’s Message

“The measure of who we are, is what we do with what we have.” (Anonymous)

Thank You

Aruna Shetty

Dear Parents,

Your children have recently attempted their first Unit Assessment and first Summative Assessment. In this context, allow me to quote what the Heritage School in Kolkata wrote to their parents a few months back:

“I know you'll are really anxious for your child to do well but please do remember, amongst the students who will give the exams is an artist who doesn't need to understand Math.

There's an entrepreneur who doesn't care about History or English literature. There's a musician whose Chemistry marks won't matter. There's a sportsperson whose physical fitness is more important than Physics.

If your child does get top marks, then great. But if he or she doesn't then don't take away their self-confidence from them. Tell them it's ok, it's just an exam. They are cut out for much bigger things in life. Tell them, no matter what they score you love them and will not judge them.

Please do this and if you do, watch your children conquer the world. One exam or a 90 percent won't take away their dreams and talent."

This is indeed much wisdom in this piece of advice!

Our students have in the past, and I am sure they will in the future too, continue to raise the bar in everything that they put their gifted minds to. They are all blessed with huge talent, and I look forward to seeing them continue achieving much under the guidance of our dedicated team of teachers.

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Celebrating the opening

of Rio Olympics at DBIS

with a Bang

Olympics at DBIS

Amidst the pouring rain, we at DBIS on 5th August, symbolically upheld the Olympic torch after a brief yet motivational speech by Fr. Savio Silveira, reminding every child about the importance of sport in their lives.

The children were welcomed by the Olympic flag, display banners, balloons and the mascot, ‘Vinicus’. Though the rains played spoilt sport and restricted our children into the corridors, it did not dampen their spirits. The brave young torch bearers Theon Langrana, Bidan Bhattacharya, Kashisk Bote and Hannah Mehta carried the torch around the astro turf, commemorating the spirit of the Olympic champions. Finally the children gleefully set off the balloons initiating the Olympics.

The school had a digital display board to bring to the children’s attention how India along with other nations fared at the Olympics. The art department did some constructive work with the children, bringing their focus to the Olympic rings, mascot ‘Vinicus’ and enabling their creativity to explore art forms related to the Olympics. The school corridors were decorated with their creative masterpieces. The sport department engaged the children in an Olympic quiz making them better informed about the Olympics and the good will of sport.

Kersi Tamboly

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India Week In preparation for ‘India Week’, students of grade 2 to 7 were encouraged to explore what India means to them through the home-connection pre-activity write up of ‘India to Me.’ The perspectives presented by the students across grades were both enlightening and astounding. Their work was then displayed on the space outside the classrooms. Students also exchanged facts and opinions about India through a discussion. This discussion was a lead-up to the state each class would be representing for the week. On day one and two of India Week, the pre-primary focused on recognizing the country they live in, as well as the national anthem and its significance. They gained further knowledge by sharing facts through a discussion on the number of states in India. This led them to focus on the state the class would be representing for the duration of the India Week. An activity was then done to consolidate their understanding of the discussion. The students were also encouraged to bring one fact about India each day to school.

The primary and middle school had a detailed discussion on India and what it meant to them emotionally; the discussion was followed by a write-up on the same. Next, on a cut-out of the map, students wrote some unique and interesting facts about India, with a strong focus on the state the class was representing. These facts were drawn from the discussion the students had in the class on arts, culture, language, tourism and traditional attire.

Parents too contributed to the success of India Week, by adding to the knowledge of the students on arts, culture, language and traditional attire. This was done through narrating stories, poems, role-play and conversing with the students in the state specific regional language. The participation and involvement of the parents, added to the enthusiasm of the students.

On days three and four, the students further deepened their understanding of country and state. The pre-primary was introduced to the national symbols of India. They also explored the assigned state through age-appropriate activities in craft and information about monuments, landforms, famous personalities and festivals. The students gained a broader perspective of the country and were able to make connections by applying previous knowledge of a state, to the country in general.

Flag Hoisting by Fr. Savio

Beautiful Rangoli preparation by the teachers

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Primary students furthered their national pride by paying tribute to Indian Defence System through a discussion and viewing an audio visual. They also had a discussion on their vision for the future of India, in which they were encouraged to share informed opinions on the same. Similarly, the Middle School students expressed their opinions on ‘India to Me’ through a write up and poster making activity. These posters were displayed in the classroom.

Assisted by the teachers, the students took a “gallery walk” across the school to absorb the wealth of knowledge displayed across grades. The students were fascinated by all the information and realized how each student, contributing just one fact, could add to the store of knowledge in the school. On the very last day, students across grades were encouraged to dress up in traditional attire according to the assigned states. Students were able to reflect all that they had learnt, during the India Week Assembly conducted by the teachers. Students viewed a consolidated state specific audio-visual on India and answered a quiz based on it. As this was a house activity, the possibility of gaining points for the house enthused the students. When a student was hesitant to answer, the support and encouragement by the teachers, and especially the peers, was heart-warming. An added attraction on the concluding day were the food stalls put up by the parents. The students sampled state specific food prepared by the parents, which gave them yet another avenue for experiencing India - through food and attire. The concluding event of the India Week was the Independence Day celebration in the school. It began with flag hoisting, followed by an enlightening speech by Fr. Savio Silveira, in which he pointed out that we could contribute to national glory through excellence in sports. Patriotic speeches, poems and a yoga display by the students, added zest and colour to the celebration, which brought India Week to a fitting conclusion.

Yoga performance by the students

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Raksha Bandhan Celebration

“Suraj shakhan chhodian, Mooli chhodia beej, Behen ne rakhi bandhi, Bhai tu chir jug jee.”

“The sun radiates its sunlight, the radish spreads its seeds, I tie the rakhi to you O brother and wish that may you live long.”

On 16th August DBIS celebrated Rakshabandan with great enthusiasm. This year the festival was celebrated in the school in a slightly different manner.

Students celebrated Rakshabandan as per the different states of India. Each class was given one state and had an activity based on how the festival is celebrated in that particular state. Students who were assigned the Northern states (Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh) celebrated the event by making paper kites. The Southern states (Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala) made braided rakhis with three different coloured wool. The classes which focused on the Central states (Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh) planted a seed with a message on protecting the environment. The students who had been assigned the Western states (Goa, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat) celebrated the day by making a coconut out of recycled paper and painting it brown. Finally, the classes that has been allotted the Eastern states (West Bengal, Odisha, Sikkim and Assam) made braided rakhis with three coloured rakhis. This activity was followed by creating a message chain, wherein messages were written on a slip of coloured paper, which were then joined together.

This combination of different class activities added to the students’ knowledge about Rakshabandan, which signifies a bond of friendship and goodwill towards all.

Students dressed in tradional clothing and created paper chains with messages on it.

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Janmashtami Celebration

Janmashtmi was celebrated with great zest in our school on 24th August 2016, as is done in various parts of India, to mark the birth of Lord Krishna. At DBIS we celebrated this special day creatively by integrating sports into the festivity, keeping in mind Lord Krishna’s playful behaviour and love for games.

The pre-primary students watched videos of Krishna’s birth and childhood, while in some classes stories about him were also narrated to the students. As a follow up activity the students made a mukut (crowns) for themselves, wherein their creative skills were enhanced as they came up with their own designs for the mukut. The mukut was truly the “cherry” on top on their traditional Radha/Krishna attire.

The primary and the middle school played various games during the after school sports period. The air was filled with excitement and cheers for their house.

Students of grade 4 and 5 were given plastic cups with holes in them. The students had to fill the cup with water at the starting point and pass it over their head to their team mates. The cup had to reach the last person in the line and that person had to run to empty the remaining water from the cup into a tub. The team with the maximum amount of water was declared the winner. The students thoroughly enjoyed getting wet to win the game and collect points for their house.

Grade 1, 2 and 3 had a relay race with a twist. They were asked to stand at the marked positions, where the first person had to balance an empty bowl on his head and walk to his team mate. The second student, on receiving the empty bowl, had to fill water from the bucket. He had to balance the filled bowl on one of his palms and reach his team mate. The second person would empty the water into a bucket and then hand over the bowl to his team mate, who had to run across and give the empty bowl to the first person to start the process again. This was a timed task and the team which collected the maximum amount of water won the game. This game involved a lot of concentration and coordination, while at the same time being filled with fun and excitement.

Students of grade 6 and 7 played ‘Stacking the cups and making a pyramid’. They had to make the tallest and the most stable pyramid. The team who stacked it the fastest as per the given instructions was declared winner.

After all these exciting and energetic games, the day had not yet come to an end; the best was saved for last. Keeping with tradition, the boys and girls’ teams each made a pyramid to reach and break the ‘matki’. Both the groups were successful in their very first attempt and broke the pot and were showered with flowers!

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Activities celebrated for Janmashtami: Matka painting; Cup Balancing; Water Sports

Building paper cup stacks

Janshmatshtami Photo Gallery

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Mastermind Workshop

“Mind Your Mind and the Mind Minds the Rest”

As the tagline rightly puts it, Masterminds International aims to ‘Awaken the genius in you’. It believes that any sort of change that we are looking for ‘outside’ us, must first bring in change ‘within us’ and this is possible by using our own mind in the right way. Students of Don Bosco International School, right from Grade 1 to 7, had the opportunity to experience tapping into the hidden power of the mind as they underwent a workshop from 26th August till 2nd September. The workshop aimed at helping students to understand how to make the best use of their mind, by the application of ancient spiritual wisdom in combination with modern science.

The students enjoyed the Brain Gym sessions that helped them in balancing their left and right brain development to improve their concentration, which creates a pathway to the sub-conscious mind, opening a whole new horizon of hidden potential. Students took part actively in Linking Technique that helped them in associating images, words, creating a story and learning things at good speed. Mind Mapping was great fun for the children as it boosted their productivity, efficiency, creativity, memory and improved their ability to learn and consolidate important information. They loved creating their own mind maps.

The children took part in various stimulating techniques and activities like Brain Train exercises, Photo Eye Play, Spot the differences, Riddles, Jokes, Visualization exercises, Mental Imaging for increasing photographic memory, etc. The sessions ended with meditation, wherein students relaxed their body and mind, which is vital to reduce mental and physical stress and improve memory. The meditation along with music truly brightens mental health, helps to maintain a balance of emotions and keeps one in a frame of mind to learn effectively.

This workshop was definitely an enriching experience for the students of DBIS.

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TASTE OF INDIA – FOOD FESTIVAL

An enthusiastic participation from parents for the Taste of India Food Festival

INDIA WEEK GALLERY

A fun filled week learning new things about our nation

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Upcoming Events

2nd September: Teacher’s Day Celebration

14th September: Hindi day

16th September: Open House – Grades 6 & 7

23rd September: 2nd PTA

30th September: Yellow Day

Blue Day Photo Gallery

Feeling Blue has never felt better!!

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