1 Sathya Sai School Toronto, Canada Bi-Weekly Parent Information Letter # 9 | Feb 2, 2015 Pizza Day Research Brings Results at School Science Fair “Let love flow so that it cleanses the world.” ~Sathya Sai Baba Trustee–Parent Meeting FEB 12 st 1 Report Cards FEB 13 Family Day Holiday FEB 16 Parent-Teacher Interviews FEB 17-20 Scholastic Book Fair FEB 17-19 Family Day Holiday FEB 16 P.D. Day (No School) FEB 20 Open House (Half day School) FEB 27 Students, parents, family members and teachers eagerly gathered together at the Sathya Sai School Annual Science Fair to view the results of the students’ explorations into the realm of Science. Held on the evening of Friday, January 23, 2015, the school was filled to the brim with enthusiastic adults who listened with appreciation to students presenting their science projects, asking questions to examine the students’ understanding. Parents and family members were impressed with the overall work and quality of the projects, and the lively interactions at the Fair created a strong and positive bonding amongst all members of the Sathya Sai School Family. (continued on page 7) Open House Feb 27 – New Admissions for Sept 2015 Founded by Universal Teacher Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the Sathya Sai School of Canada balances academic excellence with character education. It is a unique independent school that is open to everyone, regardless of their social, religious, cultural, economic or ethnic background. The coming academic year 2015-2016 will be a milestone year, as the school moves into its new permanent location at 451 Ellesmere Road, with three times more space and state-of-the art classrooms. The school will hold classes from JK to Grade 8. (continued on page 5) 2 From the Principal’s Desk Revathi Chennabathni January 29, 2015 Dear Parents, The fifteenth Science Exhibition at Sathya Sai School was a huge success on Friday, January 23, 2015. Thank you all for your presence to promote the confidence and esteem levels of young scientists of Sathya Sai School. Duality is the very nature of this creation. According to Sathya Sai Baba, “Pleasure is an interval between two pains” and not “Pain is an interval between two pleasures”. This conveys the truth that life is essentially full of difficulties and challenges. The goal of life is to transcend these opposites and acquire bliss which is permanent and everlasting. Challenges are part and parcel of our lives. This year the challenge has been and continues to be the successful completion of the permanent home of Sathya Sai School. If Trustees, supporters of Sathya Sai School, parents and staff members are united, then the project completion will be met successfully. Do continue sending light and love for the successful Sathya Sai Building Project completion, so that next school year will commence at the new building. Besides this challenge, we also had challenges at our Kindergarten location for a week. That challenge has been met successfully by the City and the classes resumed at that location as of Monday, February 2, 2015. Understanding and cooperation of parents in these regards is truly appreciated by one and all. First Report Cards will be sent home on Friday, February 13, 2015. The Parent-Teacher interviews will be held from February 17 to 19 during the evenings; February 20 in the morning only. Please visit all subject teachers to discuss with them your child(ren)’s progress/steps to improve their progress. This year, the Open House will be on Friday, February 27, 2015 starting at 6:45 pm at the current location. Please note that on this day the school will function for half-day. Please check our school’s website for all details about registration. CONTENTS Research Brings Results at Science Fair ................. 01,07 Open House & Admissions .................................... 01,05 From the Principal’s Desk ........................................... 02 Upcoming Events ........................................................ 02 Building Project 2015 Update ..................................... 03 Trustees & Parents to Meet ....................................... 03 Letter of Congratulations Encouragement ................. 03 st 1 Report Cards & Parent-Teacher Interviews ........... 04 Scholastic Book Fair .................................................... 04 Poetry Contest Winners ............................................. 05 Winter Clubs Warm Up Cold Winter Days .................. 05 Founder Sathya Sai Baba to Students ......................... 10 Human Value for Jan/Feb: Love ................................. 10 Academics and Human Values ................................... 10 SK: Different States of Matter ................................. 10 Grade 7: Forgiveness .............................................. 12 Multi-Faith Festivals around the World ...................... 17 Monthly Uniform Purchase Days ................................ 17 Important Dates ......................................................... 17 Upcoming Events Trustee & Parent Meeting: Feb 12 In school gym @ 6:00 PM. 1st Report Cards: Feb 13 Report cards will be sent home. St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux: Feb 13 Grades 5 & 6 visits seniors home. Family Day Holiday: Feb 16 No School. Parent-Teacher Interviews: Feb 17-20 Mandatory for all parents (see page 4). P.D. Day (No School): Feb 20 Parent-Teacher Interviews in the morning. Pizza Day: Feb 26 Pizza lunch served to students who ordered. Open House (1/2-day School): Feb 27 (see page 5 for details) Admission Interviews: Mar 7 Interviews (JK-2), Tests (Gr3-8). (see page 5) Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015 3 3 Building Project 2015 From Mr. Dayal Mirchandani, Chair, School Trust January 28th 2015. Dear Parents and Supporters of Sathya Sai School: The Sri Sathya Sai Education Trust of Canada extends a very happy New Year to everyone. May Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s guidance be with you and your families and may he bless you to continue supporting the Sathya Sai School Project. We would like to give you an update on the current status of the construction of the school building. The following is a breakdown for work completed to date, from which you observe we have almost completed the construction: Structural - 99% Civil (Site Services) - 85% Electrical - 75% Mechanical & Architectural - 55% each Landscaping - 0% As you know when we started the project in October 2013, we targeted to complete the project by July 2014 and move to the new school in September 2014. Everyone worked very hard to achieve this goal but for construction related reasons beyond our control and severe winter conditions we were unable to deliver on the July 2014 deadline. For any further details, if required, please contact me directly and I shall be more than willing to answer any question you have in mind. We all are trying hard to move school to the new location at the earliest, but somehow for some or the other reason we have not been able to meet the targeted dates. The aim is to move into the new school at the beginning of the school year in September 2015. In order to ensure this we are making all possible efforts to complete the construction by June 30, 2015 and to set up the new facilities during the summer months for occupancy. We want to assure each and every one that members of the Sri Sathya Sai Education Trust and our Building Project Team are fully committed to taking this noble project to full completion. On behalf of the school Trust we thank you for your patience and request your continued support towards the completion of the project. We request that you Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015 keep the school in your daily prayers. We know that with the guidance and blessing of the Lord we will “make it happen”. We should all be preparing for the historic moment when the Sathya Sai School will become a beacon of light to all Canadians. Thanks to all of you for being part of his legacy and for making Sathya Sai School a landmark in Canada. Yours truly, Dayal Mirchandani, Chair, Sri Sathya Sai Education Trust of Canada Trustees & Parents to Meet Feb. 12, 2015 @ 6:00 PM The School Trustees would like to meet with all Parents regarding the new school on: February 12, 2015 @ 6:00 PM in the gymnasium 505 Ellesmere Road Parents, please make this meeting a priority – your attendance is most important! Letter of Congratulations & Words of Encouragement From Dr. T. Thayaparan, President, National Council Dear Dr. Revathi, Staff, Students, Parents and Well Wishers of the Sathya Sai School of Canada, Congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of the “Let’s Get Together and Celebrate”1. Dear Dr. Revathi, The Sai School is a reflection of your hard work, dedication and selfless service, day in day out. The outstanding efforts and commitments of your staff are incredible. Dear Students, all of you are the beautiful blossoming flowers in God’s creation and the shining stars of tomorrow, strengthening the values of our nation with 1 Held at Sathya Sai School Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015 to celebrate the contributions of all the people who participated in the production of the multi-faith play, “8 Virtuous Offerings to God”, presented in Prasanthi Nilayam Dec. 26, 2014. 4 4 the Founder’s messages of love, truth, right conduct, non-violence and peace. Your performance in Parthi was an absolute delight to watch. You made us and a packed audience at the Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi Nilayam, all very happy with your superb performance on Dec. 26th 2014. Grateful & special thanks to Ms. Meera Persad and her husband Kailash and Edith Recht, and all those who assisted in numerous ways, especially the teams for makeup and costume, props and backdrops, managing aggressive timelines for the play practices and recordings with ease, but the tireless work and commitment are a true reflection of the excellent production of the play. My heartfelt thanks again. Dear Parents, my sincere thanks to you, for continuing to be the pillars of strength, support and understanding with all the activities of the Sathya Sai School. There have been and will be times of challenges, but together we have worked so diligently with faith and hope. In the near future, this school will stand on this sacred soil as one of the greatest tributes serving as the beacon light fostering values and character education to all Canadians. Wishing everyone at the school a successful year, and may the Founder’s guidance and blessings make each day a remarkable one! In conclusion, to quote the Founder Sathya Sai Baba: “A successful person takes failures not as stumbling blocks, but as stepping stones towards success. A failure is a stepping stone to success and not an obstacle.” 1st Report Cards and ParentTeacher Interviews First Report Cards will be sent home on Friday, February 13, 2015. These are key documents that provide parents with vital information on their children’s progress at school. They identify the students’ successes, as well as weaker areas that need to be strengthened. All school parents will have an opportunity to discuss their child(ren)’s progress with their teacher(s) during the week of February 17-20. Evening interviews will be held on February 1719. For the convenience of parents who work in the evenings, we will schedule daytime interviews on February 20. More details will come to you from your child’s teacher. There will be no classes for students on February 20 – a P.D. Day. Parent-Teacher Interviews provide the important opportunity for parents to meet with teachers to celebrate your child(ren)’s achievements and find strategies for overcoming areas of challenge. Both parents and teachers are truly concerned for the children’s success and these interviews allow you to discover ways in which you can work together for your child(ren)’s best interest. For this reason, interviews are mandatory for all parents. Teachers look forward to meeting with you! Parent-Teacher Interview Dates So we must have a positive outlook in life. Whatever happens could be a challenge. Our attitude should be to meet any challenge anywhere, anytime. Be cheerful and look forward to growth and success. February 17-19 : Evenings Keep up the wonderful good work. God Bless! Come and browse. Here is a chance to add to your children’s home library and encourage their reading skills. Parents can purchase books at the Scholastic Book Fair that will be held concurrently with evening Parent-Teacher Interviews, from Feb. 17-19. During the day, students will be able to purchase books during school recesses. Thank you, Dr. T. Thayaparan President, National Council Sathya Sai International Organization (SSIO) Canada February 20: Morning Scholastic Book Fair Feb 17-19 The bonus books that Scholastics provides to the school will be used to enlarge our school library. Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015 5 5 Literary Invention & Inspiration: Poetry Contest Winners Congratulations to the winners in the Young Writers Poetry Contest, whose poetic creations will be included in a book of poems written by students from across Canada. Grade 1 Sherwin Saverimuttu, Deepshika Sivakumar, Ashvini Uthayakumar Grade 2 Sai Sarvajith Karthik, Aathitiya Prabaharan Grade 5 Emily Badrinarain, Meera Bungaroo, Aravind Chintalapati, Shreya Dasoju, Verahan Gugarooban, Tejas Karrthik, Pooja Mahadeo, Sonakshi Monga, Trisha Niles, Aashi Parekh, Daksh Singh, Brenan Srisatkuru, Saimieraa Yogaraajah Open House Feb 27 – Admissions for Sept 2015 JK SK Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 born in 2011 born in 2010 born in 2009 born in 2008 born in 2007 born in 2006 born in 2005 born in 2004 born in 2003 born in 2002 Application forms may be downloaded from our website www.sathyasaischool.ca. We request all interested parties to download the form and bring it filled out to the Open House. Parents with completed forms will obtain their interview or admission test appointment at the sign up desks in the Gym, at the conclusion of the Open House presentation. Admission to the Sathya Sai School involves parent interviews and student test (for JK to Grade 2) or admission test only (Grades 3 to 8) and these will be conducted on March 7, 2015. Every year, a waitlist is created based on the results of the interviews and tests, and this list is used to fill vacancies as they may arise up until the end of December 2015. (continued from page 1) Friday, Feb. 27, 2015 6:45 – 7:15 school & classroom browsing 7:15 – 8:30 school presentation in gym followed by sign up for interviews (JK-Gr2) & admission tests (Gr3-8) Attending this event is mandatory for those seeking admission to the Sathya Sai School for the academic year starting September 2015 and for anyone who would like to acquaint themselves with the vision and mission of the school. Twenty students will be accepted in the Junior Kindergarten program. Children born in the year 2011 are eligible to apply for JK admission. Applications will also be accepted for admission to Senior Kindergarten and Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 against possible vacancies in those Grades. Age requirements for all grades are as follows: Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015 Winter Clubs Warm Up Cold Winter Days On winter days when it is too cold to go outside during lunchtime recess, our teachers provide a variety of Winter Clubs to keep our students happily engaged with new learning experiences. The following clubs are meeting once a week: American Sign Language (Primary Club) Exploring the Arts (Primary Club) Drama (Primary Club) Dance (Primary Club) Hoop & Loop (Junior Club) Fast Ball (Junior Club) Scrabble (Junior Club) Craft (Junior Club) Check Mate (Junior Club) 6 Winter Clubs Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015 6 7 7 Research Brings Results at School Science Fair (continued from page 1) Most importantly, the students all had a chance to delve into the mysteries of Science and open new doors of knowledge. Their natural curiosity was encouraged and channeled by a scientific approach to the world they encounter. Honourable Mention Jeran Jeyachandren What are the 3D shapes for the future? Honourable Mention Sai Sudhish Voora Effect of music on your blood pressure For some students, their projects awakened in them a newly found thrill of learning, as their projects took them into fields of study of strong personal interest. Science projects provide the opportunity for students to draw upon and synthesize the many skills they learn at school. The understanding of their findings and ability to communicate these require good skills in language, math, logic, research, analysis, art, and oral presentation, among others. The project topics are grade-specific and relate to the science curriculum for each grade. Each student presents their project to the teacher and class and they are marked according to a detailed rubric. Grades 1 and 2 are required only to do research on their chosen topic and make a model, though some did carry out experiments. Grades 3 to 8 are required to follow the scientific method and do an experiment to prove or disprove their hypothesis. Grade 8 Special thanks go to Mr. Peter Petrevski, the Science Fair Coordinator, for organizing the event, from the beginning science project packages to bringing forth a successful Science Fair. Bronze Medalist Sai Gayathri Metla Electrifying Solutions This year, judging was done for grades 7 and 8, with awards given to the top five projects in each class. The winners are: Grade 7 Gold Medalist Uththami Kukathasan Water Movement vs. Plant Growth Silver Medalist Prem Atreya What chemicals remove spray paint? Bronze Medalist Nivedita Upadhyay Are dark green leafy veggies higher in their Vitamin C content than their counterparts? Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015 Gold Medalist Shaayini Shanawaz The effect of hydrocarbon contamination on soil fertility Silver Medalist Raman Jain Spices: More than just the taste Honourable Mention Krishani Kirubakaran Investigating Ink: Chromatography Honourable Mention Abirami Sivakanthan Killer Waves: The affect of radio frequency emission 8 8 Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015 9 9 VALUE CONNECTION In my experiment, I found that the candles had burned for a very long time, providing heat even in very cold temperatures. Similarly, when placed in difficult situations in our own lives, we must endure on and produce our own warmth, fueled by love and peace. ~ Madhav Krishna Kumar Nair Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015 10 10 Founder Sri Sathya Sai Baba to Students Cultivate your heart The fruit of love is present in each and every person’s life. The only task to be done to experience the fruit is to remove the outer skin. Once you peel the skin of the fruit, also remove the bitter seeds within it. Then you can extract the sweet juice, partake it and discard the pulp. Understand that God has given you this body only to relish the sweetness of Love. Peel away the skin of ego and ostentatiousness. Remove all the seeds of evil intentions, thoughts and deeds. Discard the pulp of possession and attachment. Then what remains is the sweet juice of love. All of you are farmers. You must engage in spiritual practices to cultivate your heart. Is there any use for an uncultivated land? Without wasting your life and keeping the land barren, focus on cultivating your heart to enjoy the sweetness of the Divine. - Sathya Sai Baba, 'My Dear Students', Vol 2, Ch 9, Feb 24, 2005 Human Value for Jan/Feb LOVE He alone loves the Creator perfectly who manifests a pure love for his neighbor. ~ VENERABLE BEDE Academics & Human Values Students explore the outer and the inner realms, from Science to Human Values. Senior Kindergarten Mrs. Amala Regisanth, SK Teacher STATES OF MATTER This month the SK class is learning about different states of matter and how the physical state of matter changes depending on what is added or removed from a mixture. To illustrate and convey the excitement of this unit, students created their own play dough and were able to select the colour they desired. Here are a few photos of the SK students taking part in the experiment/activity of the week. Love display board by Mrs. Sesha Patel, Grade 2 Teacher Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015 11 11 Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015 12 12 Grade 7 Mr. Christopher Buccella, Grade 7 Teacher FORGIVENESS Forgiving someone for harm that they've done to you can be one of the hardest things we have to do. Our class decided that we would do what we can to promote awareness of why it is important to forgive those around us. Using a website called Easel.ly the class created individual "infograms" using both readings that we studied, discussion topics and their own prior knowledge. Each student created something that was unique and individual. I was impressed with the level of understanding and creativity that my students demonstrated with this activity. Their comfort level with using new technologies to produce their academic work amazes me. Here are a few samples of the wonderful work from my students. Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015 13 13 Uththami Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015 14 14 Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015 15 15 Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015 16 16 Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015 17 17 Multi-Faith Festivals around the world Feb 2 Candlemas (Christian) Feb 3 Setsubun-sai (Shinto) Feb 4 Tu BiShvat (Jewish) Feb 15 Nirvana Day (Buddhist, Jain) Important Dates: Feb 2015 Feb 12 Trustees & Parent Meeting 6:00 pm Feb 13 1st Report Cards Feb 13 St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux (Gr5 & 6) Feb 16 Family Day Holiday (No School) Feb 17-20 Parent-Teacher Interviews Feb 20 P.D. Day (No School) Feb 26 Pizza Day Feb 27 Open House (Half Day School) Mar 7 Admission Interviews May 31 Walk for Values Feb 18 Ash Wednesday (Christian) Feb 19 World Religion Day (Baha’i) Yours truly, Ms. Recht, Admin. Asst. Dr. Revathi, Principal Graphics by Mr. Shiras Rajendran Monthly Uniform Purchase Days Please note that the next dates for uniform purchases will be on March 2 & 3, from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM. Next purchase dates are: Mar 2 & 3 Newsletter # 9 February 2 2015
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