Remembering Dr. Kalam

The missile man of India, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam passed away on 27th July 2015 in Shillong doing what he had dedicated his life for- teaching students. As homage to this great man, CPS Global School organized a few events during the first half of August. On 7th August, Grades 6 to 12 were involved in various competitions commemorating this illustrious man ranging from collage to slogan writing to imaginary rendezvous with him to speeches by students emulating his vision of India and aligning it to their vision of India 2020. A fancy dress competition was held on 14th August involving the Grades 4 and 5 with national and international leaders as the theme.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The day also saw the planting of saplings in the memory of Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam who was passionate about nurturing young souls, be it plants or students on the school campus with some of his famous words of wisdom

which have already become legendary:

“Learning gives Creativity; Creativity leads to Thinking:

“Learning gives Creativity; Creativity leads to Thinking:
Thinking provides Knowledge: Knowledge makes you GREAT!”

“All Birds find shelter during a rain.
But Eagle avoids rain by flying above the Clouds.” –

“Dream is not what you see in sleep
Dream is the thing which doesn’t let you sleep.”

“Without your involvement you can’t succeed.
With your involvement you can’t fail. ”

The saplings that were planted are:
1. “Millettia pinnata” commonly known Indian Beech Tree, useful in the treatment of various gastroenterological complications like piles, ulcers and leucoderma.
2. “Azadirachta indica” more popularly known as Neem known for its innumerable utilities as an antiseptic, insecticide, vermifuge to name a few.
3. “Thespesia populnea” also known as Indian Tulip Tree used to treat dermatological complications and hypertension.
4. ” Prunus Dulcis” or Badam which can be eaten raw or processed into butter, oil, syrup and flavouring agent in baked goods, perfumery and medicines.

Through these activities the students acquainted themselves with the life and philosophy of Dr. Kalam with the promise that they would try to inculcate the values he has left us with

Planting of Saplings

From Planting of Saplings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Raksha Bandhan Celebration – CPS GS ANN

Raksha Bandhan, a festival to honour wonderful relation between a brother and sister was celebrated by ELP children.While Rakhis were tied to all children the four brother sister pairs of the school observed it in the traditional way with the help of the teachers.

Raksha Bandhan Celebration

 

Onam Celebration 2015 – CPS GS ANN

Our Onam Celebration started with CIE 1 students’ special Assembly.
Our ELP Children participated with a speech on Onam and a dance.
CIE 2 , 3 & 4 children showcased their creativity and aesthetics in the “Pookolam ” competition. They were judged on creativity, use of colours and neatness. CIE 3 won hands down in all 3 categories. CIE 1 children adorned in traditional attire and set the stage on fire with their ramp walk for the CIE 1 Master & Miss crown.

Onam Celebration 2015

ELP 2 – Show & Tell on Water Transport – CPS GS ANN

Submariner, row boats, cruise ship, the list is endless…..
ELP 2 children spoke about various means of water transport with the help of exquisitely made props.

ELP 2 Show & Tell

Mid Autumn Fest / Moon festival Celebration @ CPS GS ANN

Keeping up with the global tradition, we at CPS GS celebrated Mid Autumn Fest/Moon festival today 21st of August 2015.
It is a Chinese harvest festival celebrated in Singapore and other far Eastern countries. As part of the celebration, our children came in red attire.The school was adorned with red and golden lanterns giving it a festive look.

Mid Autumn Fest / Moon festival Celebration

U.S UNDER-GRAD PROGRAMS: COLLEGE COUNSELLING @ CPS GS – TMZ

Come Class 12 and students are in a maze- different career options in the offing, various paths, various ambitions, loads of advice. It is at this juncture of life do they need to be counselled positively based on their areas of academic interest and SWOT to choose the right career option. And this was exactly what happened at CPS GS campus on 6^th August 2015 with as many as 15 top notch US universities coming in as part of the KIC UnivAssist 2015 Fall American University Tour.

To create a counselling-focused and personal experience, the university representatives shared not just their program details, but also helped students right from IGSCE to IB to CBSE discover, through personal interaction, the most appropriate educational pathways for their career. The universities were:

• UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, SEATTLE (Seattle, WA)
• UNIVERSITY OF OREGON (Eugene, OR)
• UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA (Norman, OK)
• UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI (Columbia, MO)
• UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI (Cincinnati, OH)
• UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE (Irvine, CA)
• UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA (Tucson, AZ)
• UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK (Buffalo, NY)
• SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN (Savannah, GA):
• PURDUE UNIVERSITY (West Lafayette, IN)
• PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY (Malibu, CA)
• MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY (East Lansing, MI)
• JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY (University Heights, OH)
• IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY (Ames, IA)
• DEPAUW UNIVERSITY (Greencastle, IN)

 

 

The representatives highlighted the myriad opportunities the US universities have to offer from the perspective of courses, scholarships, cost of living, pre-requisites for US universities, collaboration with world renowned organisations like NASA, extra credits for prodigal students, excellent state-of- the art research-oriented atmosphere. There are incentives for US citizens in the form of extra scholarship opportunities. The Common Application program which gives the opportunity to apply to quite a few universities together was discussed with the students. The importance of co-scholastic activities, the SAT score which is mandatory for admission in the US universities and the essay for the Common App were stressed upon.

In a nutshell, the session with the universities visit was extremely informative and helpful. It was a splendid opportunity to find out about universities in the United States and clear any doubt that the students had regarding admissions in that particular country.

                   

 

A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Career counselling sessions acquaint students with the pros and cons of the career paths different courses offer to assist them make an informed choice.  The most amazing and beneficial sessions were conducted for the IBDP students on 3^rd and 4^th August, 2015.  On 3^rd August, Mr Sky Georges, Assistant Director of Student Activities, Lesley University, Massachusetts enlightened the students with campus life and future prospects in higher education abroad. A graduate in Criminology, he helped to clear out doubts about career choices that most students face at this juncture of life. He provided information on various examinations to appear for, and pre-requisites for different universities in the USA, Canada and Australia. He briefed the students on university life and how to gear up for it. Mr. Georges engaged the students in an innovative game which filled the room with enthusiasm.

On the second day, on behalf of the ELS, International Education Counselling and Admission Services, the University of Tohoku paid a visit to CPS GS.  They gave a wonderful presentation on Japan, its amazing education system along with the relatively cheap cost of living. They briefed also on various courses and exchange programmes with famous and prestigious institutes like the IIT and IISc. Both the sessions were highly beneficial to all our students.

BREAKING THE MOULD – Ice Breaking Session for students

CPS Global School opened its school doors, as well as its arms, wide open for the plethora of new, talented minds with innovative and creative ice breaking session on 20^th July 2015. The initiative ensured a warm welcome to all the new students and faculty members, and also managed to make them feel comfortable with their peers and new surroundings.

The new academic year was initiated with an assembly conducted by the grade 10 and IB-Year 2 students. The assembly included a heartfelt welcoming speech, followed by the school prayer and thought for the day. Following this, the students from classes 9-12 were divided into three groups, delegated to manage and supervise activities for their juniors for the day.

Activities ranging from simple acrostic and ‘guess who’ games to exhilarating ‘dog and the bone’ chases were successfully conducted till 2:30 p.m. by IB Year 2 students, who ensured the involvement of all the students. Through such events, the new students were able to shed their inhibitions and were found mingling with their peers and surroundings with heartwarming familiarity. Following the closure of the ice-breaking session, the IB-Year 2 students were guided about their upcoming year, and finally, the day ended with everyone bright and spirited, zealously geared up for the next academic session.

Cultivating Relationships – Parents’ Orientation Programme, 2015

To instill confidence, it is imperative that parents, teachers and students develop together a plan to ensure a good beginning. CPS Global School, Thirumazhisai reopened for the new academic year 2015-16 on 20^th July 2015, with a Parents’ Orientation programme for the Primary Division, followed by similar sessions for Middle and Senior Divsion on 25^th July 2015. Such orientation programmes are invaluable experiences to help parents to be accustomed with the various aspects of the school- academics, administration and infrastructure. The Head of school, Ms Aruna Kalyanaraman in assistance with various teachers acquainted them on especially the following areas:

• Cambridge/ IGCSE/IBDP Curricula
• Methodology and strategy followed
• Class Hours
• Formative and Summative Assessment
• Scholastics & Co-Scholastics
• Guidelines to Parents (updation of contact information, leave application, student progress)\
• Special guidance regarding the future prospects of IGCSE and IB students.
• A short workshop for special career counseling was organized for the IBDP students and parents by Univariety.

The feedback sessions were very helpful where the parents’ queries were addressed. The orientation programmes were a huge success with the parents being adequately briefed on the ethos and student-friendly working atmosphere of the school.

A WEEK OF TEACHER’S REJUVENATION

The CPS GLOBAL SCHOOL family returned with a new impetus led by a new and extremely enthused Head of School, Ms. Aruna Kalyanaraman to forge Team CPS GS to new heights in academic session 2015-2016.  The weeklong faculty orientation saw a power-packed schedule of innovative and motivating workshops and training programmes.  After the initial settling down with collection of teachers’ resources, the teachers had an Interactive Smart board training session coupled with a hands-on experience equipping the teachers with new-age technologies to facilitate better learning pedagogy in the school.  Inclusive education is a way of life at CPS GS as our vision is to ensure that students who can flourish in life with a little help from facilitators should not deprived of it.  To this end, Ms. Nithya Sriram from Gyandeep conducted an informative workshop on Special Learning Needs of students which was a real eye-opener in identifying and helping such children.  The week ended on a high note of a day-long extremely creative and self exploring team building workshop by Dr. Anand Babu. In a nutshell, the Orientation week has been a journey within and without enabling Team CPS GS to take on the challenges in the ensuing academic session.