Gajera Global School
- Apr 18, 2022
- 11 min read

Echo E-Newsletter (March 2022)

Message from Trustee

One whose task is never hindered by cold, heat, fear, fond, prosperity, or lack of riches, is really superior.

It is our proud privilege to compliment the parents who have showered their faith in us and got their wards admitted to Gajera Group of Schools, the institute fundamental to the mission of uplifting the educational standard of learners, providing better academic opportunities so that they can raise the challenge in the emerging conditions. We believe that a diverse school environment is important for the socialization of young people and to ensure their success as global citizens. To that end, we actively involve students in a range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, to join our student body. We owe our culture instilling in the minds of our learners that they will upswing to celebrate their relationship with all those who care for them the most, by being successful ever. Our institute has been proving milestones in the ever-shining path of those who are and will be in close association with this prestigious institution. At Gajera Group of Schools, we have embraced the culture of universal achievement and exceptional systems to support the success of every child. Our school-wide commitment encompasses: Every child to be proficient in linguistic computational scientific and collective character intelligence, endowed with enriching learning opportunities; Our educators use assessment is to guide the next steps in education and collaborate to provide planned instruction maximizing our student success. Hope that our students will excel in every sphere of life and thereby making their parents, school, and the Nation proud.

Message from Principal

March is usually the culminating month of the entire session with examinations, open house meetings and of course grading of papers. Add to that the graduation ceremonies, orientation programmes for parents of new learners, and new admissions. This year, thanks to the almighty, we have had a healthy rate of new admissions.

This month’s most notable event was the prep learners’ graduation ceremony which was attended by guests and luminaries from and around Surat. Former Mayor Mrs. Ashmita Shiroya along with physician Mr. Rajiv Raj Choudhry, scientist Mrs. Sushmita De, serial entrepreneur Mr. Atul Gupta, writer CEO Sagar Amlani, cosmetologist Ms. Komal Shiroya and Co-founder of Magicrete Building Solutions Mr. Puneet Mittal. This was held in a grand way to motivate learners who have taken the first step towards their long journey on the path of knowledge and wisdom.

Another notable event this month was the prize distribution ceremony for the learners of grades first and second. This was a special occasion for them as it was held after a gap of two long years. The ceremony brought back the much needed proximity that we had been missing for long. Learners were given mementos which detailed their achievements over the past couple of years.

After the exams were over, learners of the school went on a tour to Himachal Pradesh during the session break. The tour was organised in collaboration with INME. Learners were taken on the tour to give them a much-needed respite from the busy schedule of classes and examinations in March.

Lastly, we are gearing up for the IIMUN conference to be held at the school in April. Thisyear we are the proud hosts of the conference which will be attended by several high profile guests.

INTEGRATED LEARNING

The fast growth of science and technology coupled with the rising complexity of business and careers have made career planning more imperative than ever before. The earlier learners decide, the more the chances of achieving their aims. With this in mind, GGS invited Mr. Chetan Jariwala to guide learners about their career choice.

The counseling session was specifically organised for the learners of 9th and 10th as these years are the most crucial when they seal their fates as indelibly as lines on stone. Mr. Jariwala laid out an action plan and the various career options available to them.

He stressed the importance of choosing a career compatible with their personality types and aptitudes. He said that personality tests are a great tool to assess and know oneself, but for this, a certain amount of self-knowledge is necessary. Another important factor is job eight to nine hours of their days in the job. This can make or mar one's career and happiness. Naturally, financial considerations should also be taken into account because that's what one prepares for the whole life. If these factors are considered carefully, one may land in a job or profession they love.

EVENTS

International Women's Day, 8 March

-The male educators and staff of Gajera Global School lavished their female counterparts with love and respect in celebration of World International Day today. They welcomed each and every one of the female staff members with a bouquet of flowers.

-It has been a tradition for GGS to celebrate Women’s Day every year. This year too was no exception. On this day they commemorate the women who just by being, enrich our lives.

Open House, 26 March

- After assessment and evaluation, comes a declaration of result after the completion of the school year. This year, parents and educators met with one another on 26 March to take stock of their learners’ progress during the year. Results were declared and marksheets given away to parents eager to learn about their wards’ success.

- An Open House is held at GGS after every assessment, be it a unit test or the annual examination. This Open House was held to declare the results of the efforts that learners put throughout the academic year.

Orientation for Parents of Prep learners, 27 March

- With the growth of GGS, new parents and students are inducted into the session every year. This year too many new parents were initiated into the session with an orientation specifically organised for the parents of the prep graders who have enrolled in the school. This year it was held at the school playground where parents gathered and listened to renowned speakers giving them practical tips on engaging learners of today.

- An orientation programme is held every year to initiate parents into the system and brief them about the pedagogy of the school and the teaching methodologies we use. This year experts were called to give parenting tips.

Environment Meet

Renowned environmentalists and climate activists gathered at the premises of Gajera Global School as speakers in the three-day EnvironmentMeet held from 27 to 29 March to educate parents, learners and farmers about proactive climate actions for the conservation of nature and the reversal of climate damage.

They discussed concrete plans of action at the individual and the community level that can create meaningful changes. The meeting was inaugurated on 27 March with Dr. Hitesh Thummar, Mr. Pratik Thakore, Mr. Om Thakore, Doctors Paresh Shah, Jigna Shah, Ms. Keyuri Shah, Ms. Mohini Gadhiya, Ms. Vaishali Shah and Ajit Bhatt presenting their experiences on urban farming and answering questions posed by the audience.

World Water Day

Did you know that in Cape Town in South Africa water is rationed and that citizens there can use only 50 liters per head per day? That is like only 2 buckets lying around in your bathroom. Just think how fortunate we are that some of us keep their taps on while brushing their teeth. But if we go on wasting this finite and precious resource, the day is not far when we will be allowed to use only 50 like Cape Town. To raise awareness about water scarcity and the need to conserve it, learners of GGS put together a video on the occasion of World Water Day today. Christened Making the Invisible Visible, the UN took up this theme to bring to light the concerns around water.

One Day Picnic @ Woop

Learners of grades 1st through 5th bid adieu to AY 2021-22 with a picnic to Woop a recreational park meant for children. A trip like this was long due as children needed a much-needed break after the annual examination. It was an outlet to their abundant energy waiting to release. They had a nice time jumping on the trampolines, playing games and doing obstacle courses. Have a glimpse.

Graduation day for Prep, 29 March

Learners of the prep grades were given away the certificates and prizes for their achievements throughout the session. Noted personalities and experts on various fields attended the graduation ceremony which was marked by a variety show full of song and dance performances.

Graduation day is held for prep learners every year to encourage and motivate them for successfully completing the first year of their education. We celebrate this day because a small step like this starts the long journey on the path of education.

Annual Assessment for Prep learners, 7 March to 15 March

- A creative assessment was held for the learners of the prep grades to assess their skills before their promotion to the higher grade. For them the evaluation is done through the play way method in which concepts are blended with the activities they perform as part of an assessment.

- Evaluation is an integral part of education and without it, we may never know the progress made by the learner. The creative assessment was conducted to know where we stand and how much more effort we need to put in for improvement.

Annual Assessment for 1 to 8, 3 March to 17 March

Learners of grades 1st through 8th appeared in the annual examination from 3 to 17 March during which learners assessed their cognitive, numerical and logical aptitudes through a pen-paper test.

Summer Camp, 21 March to 31 March

- After the annual examination, learners of GGS went on a trip to Himachal Pradesh to rejuvenate, and relax on the lap of beautiful nature. The summer camp was organised in collaboration with … by Sunita’s Makerspace as part of its vision of creating independent learners who can take care of themselves working together as a team while leading others.

- The camp was organised as part of a summer activity after the annual examination.

IIMUN MOCK SESSION

As we get ready for I.I.M.U.N 2022, Surat we aim to move from a classroom discussion and create tangible change, an attempt at making this a borderless world. Join us as we take a step to Comprehend, Congregate and Create a world of possibilities for our learners.

Learner's Corner

In Time of Autumn

Slowly she took her heavy hair around,

She stood against a tree the autumn sink

Before she saw him. She had made her mind

Lay her on the window for her speaking,

Beside the lake the slender birch was thin,

Light for a winter evening with her mind,

Or if the fairness made her teacher call—

She went back into the house of the night,

Beside a lake before a summer wind,

(By Krisha Gabani)

Inspired by Robert Frost

Educator’s Corner

Russia Ukraine War

Thousands of people have died in damaged towns and cities, and more than 10 million people have been displaced within Ukraine and beyond, yet the questions remain: what is his goal, and how will this war end?

The Russian leader's primary goal was to overrun Ukraine and topple its government, effectively putting an end to Ukraine's desire to join NATO. He was unable to take Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, and has now moved his focus to the east and south of the country.

On the day he launched the invasion, he told the Russian people that his purpose was to "demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine" in order to protect people who had been subjected to "eight years of bullying and genocide" by Ukraine's government.

Whatever the rationale, Russia saw this as a watershed event. "Russia's future and role in the world are on the line," said Sergei Naryshkin, Russia's foreign intelligence chief.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke of freeing Ukraine from oppression, while President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was democratically elected, claimed that "the adversary has designated me as target number one; my family is target number two."

Russia invaded Ukraine from the north, via Belarus, as well as the south and east, but Ukraine's tenacious defence prompted the Kremlin to abandon its goal to destabilise the government. We can only hope that the conflict does not escalate to a full-scale nuclear war and lead the world to an apocalypse. Yes, we humans are pretty tough, and we will definitely rise back up. But we could do without the destruction and the possible apocalypse.

(By Navnit Patel)

NFTs: What They are and Their Future

Nothing like a barrage of blockchain news to make you wonder, "Um... what's going on here?" That's how I felt when I read about Grimes getting paid millions of dollars for NFTs, or Nyan Cat being sold as one. By the time we all figured out what was going on, Twitter's founder had put an autographed tweetup for sale as an NFT. We're still reading news about individuals spending house money for rock clip art months after we first published this explainer, and my mother has no idea what an NFT is.

WHAT EXACTLY IS AN NFT? WHAT DOES NFT REPRESENT?

Non-fungible token.

That doesn't help things much.

Sorry for the inconvenience. "Non-fungible" basically indicates it's one-of-a-kind and can't be substituted with anything else. A bitcoin, for example, is fungible, meaning you can exchange one for another and get precisely the identical thing. A one-of-a-kind trade card, on the other hand, cannot be duplicated. You'd get something altogether different if you swapped it for a different card. You traded a Squirtle for a 1909 T206 Honus Wagner, dubbed "the Mona Lisa of baseball cards" by StadiumTalk. (I'll take them at their word.)

What are NFTs and how do they work?

Most NFTs are, at a high level, part of the Ethereum blockchain. Ethereum, like bitcoin and dogecoin, is a cryptocurrency, but its blockchain also enables these NFTs, which store additional information that allows them to function differently from, say, an ETH coin. It's worth mentioning that various blockchains can use NFTs in their own ways. (Some have already done so.)

What should you buy in the NFT supermarket?

NFTs can be anything digital (drawings, music, even your brain being downloaded and transformed into an AI), but the current buzz is focused on exploiting the technology to sell digital art.

This has actually revolutionized the way we look at art and artists. For the first time artists are getting credit and also the remuneration due to them and they are having a gala time. Well, some of them, at least. So, as long as NFTs exist and they provide other tangible benefits like the Bore Ape Yacht Club and Cryptopunks have done, NFTs are a way to go for artists and creators.

(By Chaitsi Ma’am)

Goodreads

1. This Is (Not) Enough (You Are (Not) Small #6) by Anna Kang (Goodreads Author)

- Finding a gift for your best friend isn't always easy.

- Two pals are looking forward to receiving gifts for each other. When they try to select the perfect gift, however, nothing appears to be good enough. Everything they try, from skywriting to painting to gardening, feels a bit odd. How will they ever track down that one-of-a-kind gift? Read to know.

2. The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill

Stone-in-the- Glen, once a picturesque town, has suffered a setback. People have lost their library, school, park, and even their neighbors due to fires, floods, and other natural disasters. The people place their trust in the Mayor, a charismatic figure who claims to be the only one who can assist. He is, after all, a well-known dragon slayer. (At least, no one has ever seen him with a dragon.) Only the Orphan House's bright children and the compassionate Ogress on the outskirts of town can realise how serious the town's troubles are.

3. The Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe

The Greek gods are a notoriously boisterous pantheon, prone to the same flaws and foibles as mortals. Lore Olympus, a pioneering series by Rachel Smythe, tells the story of Hades and Persephone's forbidden love, but with a gripping contemporary twist and wonderfully drawn artwork. Episodes 1 through 25 of the original online comic series are included in Volume One. This is Smythe's first GCA nomination and victory.

4. Avatar - The Last Airbender

Fans will get to experience a fresh part of the original timeline that they've never seen before, set in the post-series comics era of the beloved Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise. Toph Beifong, the finest earth bender and inventor of metal bending, is the subject of this stand-alone comic. Faith Erin Hicks (The Adventures of Superhero Girl, The Last of Us: American Dreams) wrote the story while Peter Wartman (Stonebreaker, Over the Wall) and Adele Matera (The Imbalance trilogy) drew it. (less)