+91-9442544458 info@ishavidhya.org
ISHA VIDHYA NEWSLETTER
Educating Rural India April 2013
Win @ Sports Meet:
Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu conducted an athletic meet at Anna Stadium Cuddalore for Cuddalore district school students under World Beaters Talent Spotting Scheme. S M Abhimanu, G. Shanthan, V. Soorya Babu, M. Ajith Kumar and Vikram from IVMS Cuddalore participated in the meet in the categories like long jump, shot put and 200/400 m race.

Soorya Babu came 5th in 200m dash and 9th in shot put competition while M. Ajith Kumar came 6th in shot put competition. Since first 10 best participants in each category of competition qualified to compete in statewide Sports meet to be held in Tiriuchy, these young athletes will compete with best again. All participants received participation certificates and those who were declared best 10 in a category received a cash reward of Rs 6,000.

Thanks to generous donors, the students have quality equipment and decent courts to practice and improve their sports skills at the Isha Vidhya schools now.
Cultural Fest at Cuddalore School:
A week long cultural program was held in Cuddalore School in Feb-Mar 2013. Various competitions and exhibitions were held for different class groups. On 1st day, English oratorical competition for 3rd to 5th and 6th to 8th standards were held. The same day Bouquet making competition for 4th to 8th grade students, Art and Craft competition for 1st to 3rd students and Clay modelling class for 2nd and 3rd standard students also took place.

On the 2nd day students from all classes including kindergarten participated in Drawing competition. This was followed by Thirukural recitation competition for students belonging to 3rd to 8th grade. The 3rd day of the program was eagerly awaited by all as it was the day of Fancy Dress Competition where students from LKG to 8th grade participated and Rangoli competition for 4th to 8th grade students.

English Oratorical competition and Fashion parade was held for 2nd to 8th grade students on the 4th day of the cultural fest. Final day was all about performance based programs. 2 nd to 8th grade students had a rollicking time competing in the Tongue twister competition. Competition on recitation of rhymes was held for KG students. Singing competition was held for 1st and 2nd standard students while students from 3rd grade onwards participated in mono acting competition.

The cultural festival was a grand success as it gave a chance to all the students to participate in extracurricular activities and shine in it.
Library Corner at Villupuram School:
Villupuram School Principal inaugurated a Library corner in KG classes. Library corner is a small book zone within a classroom populated with books created by teachers. The books are colourful and pictorial which appeals to young KG students and makes them more inclined to pick books up.

After cutting the ribbon, she shared interesting tips with young students including tips on reading, on turning the page of a book, use of reading books and more.
Chess competition:
Isha Vidhya Nagercoil students participated in the chess competition held by Chess Academy of Nagercoil. Yogeswaran, a 4th standard student, was placed 7th. Congratulations!
Dental Camp @ Vanavasi School:
OOral hygiene is an important aspect of general health care. Given the family background that most of the Isha Vidhya students come from, their parents probably used salt or neem twig to clean their teeth. In such a scenario it becomes essential to teach the students correct method of brushing teeth.

Dr. Anitha conducted a dental camp in IVMS Vanavasi for students from LKG to 8th standard. After the students underwent the checkup, a brief presentation was also given by the visiting doctor on the cleanliness, maintenance of the teeth and gums and the correct brushing method.
Art2012 Drawing Competition:
Art 2012, a national level drawing competition organized by Viveka Foundation, Namakkal, was held in Isha Vidhya Erode in Nov 2012. 86 Isha Vidhya students from LKG to 8th standard participated in the competition.

The organizers have recently announced the list of winners and among them are Isha Vidhya’s R. Prasanth and E. Janani. R. Prashanth, of 7th std has won 3rd prize at the (level-6) National level while E. Janani of 5th std has won the best drawing award. Congratulations to the winners and the participants!
Annual Day @ Nagercoil School:
Rich mix of humour, social message, music and dance was presented at Nagercoil School's Annual Day Function. Environment figured prominently in the program as a skit by 2nd std students on effects of deforestation and UKG students' presentation on global warming.

Multicultural influence could be seen in Japanese song and Korean Fan dance presentation. Keeping folk art forms alive and vibrant has always been Isha Vidhya's endeavour. Thappatam, a folk form of Tamil Nadu, was performed by 7th and 8th grade boys while a colourful peacock dance performed by 4th and 5th grade girls.
Cuddalore students visit Helpage India
Recently Isha Vidhya Cuddalore students (6th to 8th standard) visited Helpage India's facilities at Thamarai Kulam village. The elders at the home explained about fishing, agriculture and various other activities which they engage in at their facility. Besides being informative & interesting, the children also had the benefit of close interactions with the residents.

The students were divided into groups which interacted with elders asking them questions about themselves. Company of bright, young, caring kids made the residents happy and emotional! During lunch time, the students served food to all and later joined them at lunch table. They asked the residents about their preference in food and shared their own likes and dislikes.

To drive home the message about caring for elders and creating facilities for them, a film was shown to the students elaborating the problem and abuse faced by elders. Jeynath Nag, a VIth std student, commented “This village consists of elders abandoned by their own children and grand children. Of course Helpage India is doing a lot for them but we should not send our grand parents to Helpage India. They should not have to live alone. We must give them compassion and company which I will definitely do for my grand parents.”
PTA Meeting at Villupuram School:
PTA meeting took place in IVMS Villupuram to share information about the students and the school with parents. The parents met the class teacher of their ward to get feedback and sign the report cards. Some were also asked to provide information for renewal of the scholarship.

The meet was used as an opportunity to inform parents about school's facilities and teaching material. LKG students demonstrated the usage of Montessori learning material while teachers explained the CAL, V-SAT, Math lab facilities by taking the parents through class demo. Art and Craft creations were displayed on the walls and shelves for the parents. They also had the opportunity to leaf through assessment material which was arranged on the shelves.
Sports Day at Cuddalore School:
<
Cuddalore school celebrated the 4th annual Sports Day in March. Cuddalore district Sports officer Mr. Thirumugam was the Chief Guest. He inaugurated the sports event by lighting the Olympic torch. In his address he appreciated the effort put up by the students and promised to send special coaches to train the students in various games.

Students presented a spectacular show of pyramid formation and march-past which was followed by cultural show. Preliminary sports competitions had been conducted before the Sports Day so on the day final competitions took place. Winners were felicitated with medals and certificates.
Science lesson in School Grounds:
LKG students from Isha Vidhya Erode School were taken to the rose garden of the School during a Science period. Being out in the nature excites kids but being in company of beautiful, colourful roses was a double delight. They learnt to avoid the thorns while being in proximity of the rose tree and also identified different colours of roses.

On another day, they visited the School's vegetable and fruit garden. They touched the trunks and fruits and also examined various types of leaves. The school ground has Mango trees, Guava trees and Gooseberry trees which the kids were able to identify.
Eye Camp @ Villupuram School:
Isha Vidhya Villupuram School held an eye camp for the students, Principal, teachers and all non teaching staff members. The eye camp was conducted by Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital, Panruti.

Out of 520 students who underwent the examination, 18 students were found to have eye complaints that needed further testing and intervention. Parents of these students were advised of their ward's eye problem and requested to ensure treatment.
Science Exhibition @ Cuddalore School:
Isha Vidhya Cuddalore conducted a school level exhibition for which students created exhibits and models related to all subjects.

Besides making working models for science topics, students prepared charts, models and language games (as part of English language exhibition). Spectators participated enthusiastically in the language games. For Tamil language, students prepared charts with detailed description of history of Tamil Nadu and Tamil epics and about the life style of ancient people in 5 different lands.

For Math, students prepared puzzles and models which took the spectators by surprise. The icing on the cake was Arts and Crafts exhibits made by the students during the arts and craft classes. The visitors were spell bound when they entered the room housing arts and craft exhibits.
Annual Day @ Vanavasi School:
Vanavasi School celebrated its 2nd Annual day in March 2013. The program was graced by Chief Guest Mr. M.A. Helan, Superintending Engineer, Mettur Electricity Distribution Circle who spoke about his own rural background and the professional success after initial hard work.

All the classes participated in the cultural event and presented programs including classical dance, folk dance, English Drama and Tamil Drama.
© Isha Vidhya 2013 14, C.A. Theyvar Layout,
Kannaperan Mills Road, Udayampalayam,
Coimbatore – 641 028, TN, India