NEWSletterVOL02

DATE15-03-2021

ISSUE01

for private circulation only

I recently watched a documentary about how when we look up at the stars in the night sky, we are actually looking into the distant past. By the time the light of the stars reaches the earth, it has already been millions of years! We are looking back in time! Did this leave you baffled? I personally have never felt so small in my entire life. Think of yourself as something so tiny in the wavering universe, tinier than the shortest syllable of the word you are reading right now. But this hasn't stopped our species from conquering whatever they have laid their eyes on, which surprisingly includes the virus too. While the other species in the world live in the present, we humans live in the future by clinging to hope. It has been and will be a medium of survival to every human on earth. Magellan's hope to prove to the world the earth wasn't flat by weathering the storms. A homeless man's hope to keep up without a meal. It is hope that makes one see the crack of light at the end of the tunnel. It is hope helping us withstand a deadly pandemic. And, with all that hope, we hit the rock bottom, and floated right back up in no time. From learning and teaching technology to making things happen online, we started the new academic year in 2020 through digital screens. The journey wasn't easy, but together we made it a memorable one.

The screens were never a hindrance when it came to conducting activities and celebrating festivities online. The online classes were filled with merrymaking and roistering.

Saint Paul's School, RajkotAn Institution of CMI Board of Education(Affiliated to ICSE, New Delhi) School Code : GU024 Designed by : Mr. Ketan Pateliya

Editor : Ms. Hiral JadejaPublished by : Post Bag No. 1519, Rajkot – 360 005, Gujarat, India.saintpaulsrajkot@yahoo.com,www.saintpaulsrajkot.org

““Hope” is the thing with feathers -That perches in the soul -And sings the tune without the words -And never stops - at all -”

-Emily Dickinson

Dear Parents and Friends,

A Book Review

“THE ROOT OF HAPPINESS LIES IN THE SPIRIT OF A

GLAD HEART.”Book: Pollyanna (1913)Author: Eleanor H. Porter

Pollyanna is a novel published by Eleanor H. Porter in 1913. It talks about an 11-year old-girl named Pollyanna. Her father had taught her the glad game. This game was like taking happy routes through all the sad things. Pollyanna then goes to Aunt Polly's house to stay there. Aunt Polly was very strict, but Pollyanna was a happy girl as her father had taught her the lesson to be happy.

Pollyanna goes to Aunt Polly's house and there she meets Nancy, who then becomes Pollyanna's friend. And then Pollyanna teaches the glad game to all of them who live nearby. Finally, Aunt Polly also learns this glad game. My dear friends, do you want to learn this glad game as well? Let's get to it.

Imagine you hate Mondays, but then think about it as something which only comes once a week. Imagine you hate vegies, but you ought to be glad about the fact that it isn't something you will have to eat daily. Now, if you hate school, think about it as a place where you get to meet your friends and teachers, and you'll never think twice before putting on your school uniform again.

In this book, Pollyanna teaches us how to be happy and glad about everything. Now, could you please gladly give this book a read?

Aardra ParmarStd - VI - E

Hiral Jadeja

NEWSletter VOL02

DATE15-03-2021

ISSUE01

02PAGE

for private circulation only

THE BODY THEATRE COURSE

My first-hand experience with the Body Theatre Programme

It was almost 11.02 AM on December 24, 2020. A message popped up on my father's mobile. The message was from my respected class teacher. She asked my father if Aarshavi could participate in the Body Theatre. My father informed the class teacher that he would confirm after asking me. He asked me whether I would like to join the Body Theatre programme. I was not knowing anything about this programme. Frankly, I heard a combination of these two words for the first time. I was a bit scared and apprehensive about interacting with new people at first. I gave a lot of thought and then finally agreed with a lot of confusion.

Finally, the day arrived when my first online interaction with Body Theatre teacher Ms. Soundharya Sibu Vaz was scheduled. It was December 29, 2020, I was a bit nervous and did not have any courage to switch on my video or utter a single word. My classmates informed Soundharya ma'am that I am too shy, and I find it difficult to mingle with other participants. So, she motivated me and slowly started involving me in all types of activities. Gradually, I also started interacting with all the other participants from

different parts of the country. Soundharya ma'am taught us the importance of body posture and ways to maintain proper body posture. We also learnt many more things through activities like the eye contact game, role playing games and describing our favorite movie.

It was great fun! This program helped me to overcome my introversion. At the end of the first month, I started feeling confident.

I am extremely thankful to my respected class teacher, respected Father James and our school for giving me such an opportunity. I invite all of you to visit our January presentation on https://youtu.be/-balp7do3lg. Now, I have joined its February session which will be focusing more on Character Collage. I am looking forward to more such programs in the future.

Aarshavi BuchV B

Nilansh Verma V F

The Body Theatre course 'Action speaks louder than words'This course was very encouraging and made me feel confident to present myself better in the class. We had a lot of games and activities to do in each session. We also did physical activities to freshen our minds like Melting candles, Pushing the rock and weightlifter which helped us to express ourselves through body language. We learnt a song called 'Let's Go Fly A Kite'. We did an activity in which we used our bodies to tell a story without speaking. This course helped me to use my body to communicate, to show my emotional strength using expression and to act and respond to situations.

“Thoughts do more. Words do much. Actions do much more.”More than everything, the Body Theatre course helped me to make new friends. My experience with the academy, Saundharya Ma'am and the team was a great one! They taught us to judge others and read their minds through their actions and their body l anguage . They used va r ious techniques and games to improve our posture and confidence.

“Love our body because we have only one” is what I learnt in the one-month course of the Body Theatre. It is a part of the one-year certificate program. I learnt a lot of things from this program like to understand people through their body language.

In this course many students had joined. We were divided into groups of 15-16. We had online and offline classes. We did a lot of activities during the online classes and worksheets were provided for offline classes. From this I learnt to present myself better. I also learnt to use my body to tell stories. It was a wonderful experience. I would like to thank all the teachers and my Principal for giving me this wonderful opportunity.

Riya Thomas, V F

Kavya PaunVII F

03PAGE

NEWSletter VOL02

DATE15-03-2021

ISSUE01 for private circulation only

“IT TAKES A PANDEMIC TO CHANGE A FEW THINGS”

“Just like the moon, your greatest magic will come in times of darkness." -Worthy lines for a worthy time.

While most of the people keep on brooding over the pedestrian situation, very few succeed in unearthing the silver lining. Are the times really disgraceful or are we negligent of the grace in it? It's true that nature has confined us according to its own whims and fancies. It has forbidden us from being the same old wanderers. We are deprived of hanging out with friends. Wardrobes are screaming but hardly do we get ready and step out of the house. Power, beauty and money are worthless and can't get us the oxygen we are fighting for.

But in these grim times most of us are fortunate enough to have a moon that lights up the gloom and spreads magic and happiness.The moon is always present in the sky but is only visible in the night. Similarly, our families have been with us for more than a decade but their importance is only realised in a quagmire.

It's normal for a teenager to give more importance to his/her friends over h i s /he r f ami ly. Bu t abnorma l circumstances that hit hard break the illusion and mark a clear demarcation b e t w e e n p e r m a n e n c e a n d impermanence. For the last few

months we have been watching our parents. They work hard the whole day long to satisfy our needs and comfort us in this predicament. From spending quality time with us to stepping out of the house to fulfill our wants they have always been selfless and loving. Had it not been with them, most of us would have destroyed ourselves in the lockdown. Those away from their families know it better.

Isn't it the right time to be grateful to our parents, reminisce about beautiful old memories and make many new and accept our past mistakes and say sorry to them? Isn't it an appropriate moment to mend our relationships, to forgive those who have hurt you, to make an apology to those whom you have hurt, to polish your talents, to purify your souls and to bring the best out of yourselves? Just envision what the world would be after the darkness ends and we all wake up to be better and improved versions of ourselves.

But did you notice the irony? It would take a pandemic to make this world a be t t e r p l ace . The un ive r se i s undoubtedly surreal!

Simran Agrawal XII C

The OmnipresentI'm not scared to turn off the lightsBecause of the dark.I'm not scared to turn off the lightsBecause of the danger that lurksI'm scared to turn the lights offBecause I fear it may take away my only ray of hope.

The hope that helped me through thick and thin was on the verge of vanishing off.However little it was, it never failed to enlighten me.It never failed to brighten me.

It was under a full moon that I realisedThere's more to life than mere days and nightsThere is the divine presence of a guiding forceWhen the mighty wind blows through this infinite stretch of nothingness,The winds whisper a name.The name of the omnipresent.The name of the one and only, our guiding force - The Lord.

Harshit Dave (Harry)XII C

“WHEN I FIND MYSELF IN TIMES OF TROUBLE,I WRITE POETRY.”

The Children who have love of God

and fear of God will love and respect

their parents

Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara

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NEWSletter VOL02

DATE15-03-2021

ISSUE01 for private circulation only

Rather than spending time on pristine beaches and humid deserts taking selfies, this vacation was quite unique than previous ones. It all began on the starlit night of 24th March, 2020 when our honorable Pr ime Minis ter N a r e n d r a M o d i a n n o u n c e d a countrywide lockdown due to Coronavirus pandemic. Although not being able to travel in the vacations, all of us experienced a pleasant time and closure with our family. Being a student, the spirit of learning inside me never ceased. There were many online resources made available from well-known universities around the world like Harvard, Stanford, MIT etc. These platforms motivated me to acquire knowledge in the lockdown period. The month of June had always been a fresh commencement for all of us and missing out on that fun and joyous

experience was melancholic.

No longer having classes is a challenging psychological adjustment for all of us. Nothing will ever replace the magic of learning in a real classroom. But our teachers with the leverage of technology tried to create the most out of online platforms of education by making it interactive in the most possible way. Keeping yourself jovial and engaged in activities is of much significance in these exceptional times. I engaged myself in expanding my horizons by l e a r n i n g n e w a t t r i b u t e s a n d participated in online events like the eMUN. Being proactive during these testing times helped me in several ways l ike reading novels and researching new things.

At the end, I would like to say, let's hope that once again we all can go back to school and rejoice with our friends and teachers. I would like to conclude with a quote that ,“ Hope is the only thing stronger than fear."

An Unconventional TimeWhen I was travellingI heard a bird chirping its songLike warning me to ignore the

wrong;The road behind me going

towards sadnessWhile the way ahead of me

leads to immense happiness.

When i was travellingThe beauty of nature Became the best teacher whotaught me about beauty moralsWith many custom story

modals;Those beautiful sweet smelling

flowersGuided me through ways whereHappiness showers.

When I was travellingWhat was that beauty named,

whichachieved the best fame?The one which described the

mountain slopesAs the best key to success is

always the top.

Riya AcharyaX D

When I Was Travelling

Webinar for theGreen GuardsFebruary 2021

“THE GREEN GUARDS,THE YOUNG ENVIRONMENTALISTS,COME TO THE RESCUE AND OFFER TO HELP SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT!”

Poorav RaythathaXII C

The webinar was hosted by Dr. Heena Ganjwala, a veterinary doctor. The webinar followed the

theme of animals and their care. The speaker gave her insights about animals as pets and their behaviour, food and other important things related to them. The Green Guards were also shown pictures related to pets and the recent news about animal smuggling, such as parakeets which were smuggled through milk cartons and brought into India. She also

A Report by Dhruv RawalVI F

gave us detailed information about the Indian wildlife, and how animals are crossbred, poached and tortured. The webinar was extremely informative and we also got a glimpse into a veterinary's life.