VALLABH ASHRAM’S
M. G. M. AMIN & V. N. SAVANI SCHOOL

(Affiliated to CBSE New Delhi, Member of IPSC & NPSC)
P.O. Box: 13, N.H. No: 8, Killa Pardi – 396125, Dist. Valsad,
Gujarat, India.
Ph: 0260 – 23 73 450, 23 73 234, 23 73 290       Fax: 0260 – 23 73 734
E-mail: vallabhashram@rediffmail.com website: www.vallabh.org

Newsletter: VALLABH JYOTI                Oct 2004 – Feb 2005                 For Internal Circulation only

A thought to ponder ……
“Every rock has a statue hidden in it, smashing it with a hammer will not reveal it, using a chisel will.”

INTER – SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENTS 2004 – 2005

  • Popular Quiz Contest 2004:
    Our School Quiz teams participated in the Inter School Popular Quiz Contest – 2004 organized by Vapi Kannada Sangh on 11th Dec 2004. Nine reputed schools of the region between Vapi and Valsad participated in the competition.

    Giving a stunning performance, our students came out with flying colours when declared the overall Topper in the ‘Best Performing School’ category. Our school was awarded a shield in addition to the individual prizes and merit certificates.

    Following were the results, in which Vallabh Ashram School emerged victorious:

    Group – A [ I – IV ] 1

    1. Saloni Modi
    2. Debraj Das
    II Position
    Group – B [ V – VII ] 1. Mandar Karlekar
    2. Abhijit Singh
    I Position
    Group – C [ VIII – X ] 1. Raunaq Kataria
    2. Abhishek Singh
    I Position
    Group – D [ XI – XII ] 1. Ankur Charurasia
    2. Tanmay Santra
    III Position

  • Inter – School Light Music Competition
    On 19th February 2005, an Inter School Light Music Singing Competition in Hindi / Gujarati was organized by Atul Club, Atul in association with Utkarsh Mandal, Atul. Seven reputed schools of Valsad participated in this event.

    Master Sagar Parekh of Std. VIII B and Miss Priyanka Vaidhya of Std. VIII A represented our school and gave an exulting performance. Master Sagar Parekh bagged the third position and was awarded a cash prize of Rs. 201/- as a reward.


  • The Green Olympiad
    Around 150 students of our school participated in ‘ The Green Olympiad’, India’s first and the only national environmental examination for school children held on 28th September 2004. This project, organized by “teri”, The Energy and Resources Institute with the aid and support of ministry of Environment of Forests, Government of India, aims at environmental education and spreading awareness amongst the children about the growing importance of nature conservation.

    We are happy to announce that eight students of our school Dinesh Jain, Raunaq Kataria, Harshal Patel, Deep Desai, Smit Mehta, Abhishek Heranjal, Amit Desai & Sunny Patel made their mark in the competition and were conferred certificates of merit for their excellent performance in the examination.

  • Inter School Indian Coast Guard Quiz Competition
    The School Quiz teams participated in the Inter School Quiz Competition organized by Indian Coast Guard Air Station, Daman on 4th Feb 2005. It was arranged as a part of Indian Coast Guard Week Celebration. Six reputed schools of the region participated in this event and Vallabh Ashram School overall secured the second position. Our students were awarded silver medals, cash rewards and certificates of merit for their marvellous performance.

    Following students won laurels for us:


    Group – A [III – V]

    1. Debraj Das
    2. Prashant Warrier
    3. Ashwini Thosar
    II Position
    Group – B [VI – VIII] 1. Abhijit Singh
    2. Sunny Patel
    3. Raunaq Kataria
    II Position
    Group – C [IX – XII] 1. Amrita Singh
    2. Amit Desai
    3. Abhishek Singh
    II Position

INTER – SCHOOL ENGLISH DEBATE

The 5th Shreevallabh Inter – School English Debate Competition was hosted in our institution on 12th October 2004. 16 participants from eight reputed schools of the region between Vapi and Surat waxed their eloquence on the hotly debated topic “Patriotism is waning in our Country”. The hard work of the participants was clearly revealed by their fluency and the depth of their knowledge on the topic. The performance of all the participants was excellent and was highly applauded by the audience. Gnyan Dham School, Vapi scored the maximum points in the aggregate and was awarded the rolling shield. Our students too, gave a fabulous performance though they did not compete for the individual as well as for the rolling trophy as a gesture of hospitality.

COMPUTER ORIENTATION PROGRAMME


The computer department of our school organized a weeklong course on “Coral Draw” for our staff members from 3rd to 11th January 2005. Coral Draw is an enormously powerful graphic design package. It provides tools and effects that help one work efficiently to produce high quality graphics.

This training programme is scheduled to achieve 100 % Teachers’ Computer Literacy in our school. It is a continuous programme so that the teachers are trained to prepare their own course material presentations as well as the integration of this technology in the classroom to enhance their teaching.

CELEBRATIONS
  • Republic Day
    Every year Republic Day is celebrated with full vigour and enthusiasm in our school. This year too, a small function was arranged to celebrate it. The programme commenced at 7.00 a.m. with the hoisting of flag by our Principal Dr. A. K. Gaur. The celebration included speeches in English and Hindi and patriotic songs. In the end our Principal addressed the gathering, stressing upon the importance of the day.

    Another distinguishing feature of this year’s Republic Day celebration was that our school had been chosen to represent Valsad District at the state level Republic Day celebration which was held at Valsad. Around 350 students of classes III to VII participated in a scintillating cultural programme titled ‘Dhwajam’ presented on the auspicious occasion of the Gujarat State Republic Day celebrations. This captivating and charming display was a fusion of calisthenics and colourful dances paying tribute to the oneness of our great country. The hoisting of the tricolour, ceremonial parade and the impressive show put up by various organizations that formed a part of the Republic Day celebrations gave our children a great exposure and a platform where they could show their talents and reveal their confidence.

  • Teachers’ Day
    5th September every year gives the students a great opportunity to express their gratitude and respect for their teachers. Since this year the 5th came on a Sunday, the students celebrated 8th September as Teachers’ Day with the same enthusiasm and fervour.

    This was amply visible in the celebrations, which included speeches, colourful dances, skits etc. paying obeisance to the teachers. The Students’ Council played a very significant role and made the event truly successful and worth remembering.

  • Christmas
    We, at Vallabh Ashram, always pay tribute to the spirit of festivity that unites our great country, irrespective of religion or caste. To participate in one of the many great festivals is to be swept up into a crescendo of celebration reaching delirious heights.

    A fantastic Christmas celebration was held for the whole school on 24th Dec.2004.The students staged a fabulous cultural show comprising of colourful dances, carol songs and skits relating the true spirit of Christmas.
INTER-HOUSE COMPETITIONS

For our students, we plan and organize evenly spread activities and events throughout the year aimed at developing their all round personality. To inculcate the art of public speaking and to motivate confidence in children, various competitions like declamation, debate, extempore, poetry recitation etc. are conducted. Various curricular & extra – curricular activities are also organized from time to time to bring out the creative talents of our students. We are sure that these house-wise competitions will infuse a deep and profound interest among the students and promote their participation in large numbers. The house-wise overall point tally till date bears a testimony to their close competition. It is as follows:
Aurobindo House
75 points
Tagore House
77 points
Gandhi House
79 Points
Vivekanand House
76 points


EDUCATIONAL TOURS

The school encourages visits to places of educational, historical and cultural interests as a part of their education. 40 students of our school went to Kerala & Kanniyakumari for a study tour during the Diwali break. They visited the famous Jewish Synagogue & Chinese fish nets in Kochi, Tea gardens at Munnar, Thekkady dam & wild reserve, Sri Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram, Kovalam Beaches and the Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanniyakumari.The school also organized various picnics to Essel World, Mumbai for the classes VIII to XII, Joy-en-Joy, Surat for the classes VI & VII and Mirasol Lake Resort, Daman for the classes I to V.SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS

1. Our Principal Dr. A. K. Gaur participated in the ‘Programme on Strategic Leadership for Schools in a Changing Environment’ held at Ahmedabad from Nov.I-6, 2004 organized by Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.He also attended the 65th Annual Session of Indian Public Schools’ Conference held at Daly College, Indore from 16th December 2004 to 19th December 2004.

2. A talk on ‘Dyslexia’ was organized in our school on 21st Dec.2004 for our teachers. Mrs.Banna, an Occupational Therapist from Mumbai spoke at length regarding various learning difficulties commonly found in children and gave some tips to improve the self-confidence and concentration of students.

3. Our teachers attended the English Teaching Workshop organized by Macmillan India Ltd. Mrs. Anjali Dere, a renowned writer conducted the workshop which aimed at acquainting with the innovative teaching skills in English. Our teachers interacted with her and were encouraged by her innovative ideas, thoughts and suggestions in the field of teaching English.

CAMPUS ACTIVITES – A NUTSHELL

1. In the Inter-House English Elocution held on 30th September, 2004 for Std. VI-X Aurobindo and Tagore House combined stood first and Gandhi House second and Vivekananda came third. Whereas, individually Olivia Julian secured the first place and Megha John stood second.

2. In the Inter-House English Extempore Competition held on 1st Oct.2004 for Std. XI-XII, Tagore House stood first, Gandhi House second while Aurobindo House was third. Amongst the individual positions Roshni Majumdar was first, Amrita Singh was second whereas Rupsha Majumdar stood third.

3. The Hindi department of our school organized Inter-House Hindi Elocution Competition for Std. VI-XII on 20th October, 2004 where Gandhi House stood first, Vivekananda stood second while Tagore was third. The individual positions were as follows - in the senior category Mamta Nayak and Tejashree Rane shared the first position, Vipin Bafna was second and Savita Nair was third. In the junior category Shraddha Mehta secured the first position, Mandar Karlekar stood second and Sagar Damania came third.

4. The Gujarati department held two main inter-house competitions, Gujarati Poetry and Gujarati Elocution competition. The house positions in Elocution resulted in Tagore House bagging the first place, Vivekananda second, while Gandhi House third. Bonny Naik bagged the first position individually, Chandni Shah was second and Kripa Kodrani came third.

5. The Inter- House Gujarati Poetry Competition for Std I to V organized on 10th Dec.2004 saw Vivekananda House bagging the first place, Aurobindo came second while Tagore House secured the third position.

6. In the Inter-House S. S and Commerce Quiz Competition held on 7th Oct.2004, Aurobindo House overall bagged the first position, Vivekananda stood second while Gandhi House was third.

7. In the G.K.Quiz Competition held on 29th Oct.2004 for the classes I – V, Aurobindo and Tagore House combined stood first, Vivekananda second and Gandhi House came third.

8. A parent – teacher meet was held in the school on 12th February 2005, to enable the parents to interact with the teachers and appraise themselves with the progress of their wards.

9. Our students of std. VI – VII participated in “Samuhik Suryanamaskar Anushtanam” organized by Swadhyay Mandal, Killa Pardi on 15th February 2005. It was a rewarding experience for them as they learnt the ten mantras, which is a cure for many physical and psychological disorders.

10. Our students of classes III – VII participated in the Inter School Painting competition hosted by the Valsad Branch of Indus Ind Bank on 19th February 2005. There was an excellentresponse from all the participants. The results are yet to be declared and the winners of the preliminary round will contest in the final round, which will be held on 26th February 2005.

11. Maths Olympiad was held in our school on 23rd January 2005. About 90 students from Std. IX – XII participated in it.

12. Our students appeared in the Indian Classical Music Exam conducted by Akhil Gandharv Mahavidyalaya, Meeruj held on 19th December 2004.

13. The Annual House Feast is much awaited by all the students in our school. On 24th December 2004, the students of Aurobindo, Gandhi, Tagore and Vivekananda Houses celebrated their house – feast day with great pomp and style in the usual manner. The occasion looked really glamorous. All the students were in their best attires. The celebration included blowing out the candles, cutting of the feast cakes, singing melodious songs and ended with a sumptuous brunch.

FELICITATION

Master Shail G. Desai, the 5 year Senior K. G. Student at M. L. M. Patel Balmandir of our school has been the recipient of honour and success for his exceptional achievements in the field of chess. This little epitome of excellence and self-confidence has won various prizes at district and state level chess tournaments. He stood first at the Marzben Rolling Open Chess Championship held at Valsad, secured the first position at the Ratanshah Rolling Open Chess Championship, Valsad and won first position at the chess tournaments organized by Atul Club, Atul in 2004 & 2005 consecutively. He also participated in the Gujarat State under 12 open category held at Atul Club, Atul on 12th Feb 2005 and won a consolation prize. The school too, acknowledged his accomplishments with a special honouring ceremony conducted in the morning assembly.We wish him creditable success in all his future endeavors.

GUJARAT – STATE RAPID CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

Vallabh Ashram students participated in the Gujarat State Under 12/14 Boys / Girls Rapid Chess Championship for the first time, hosted by Atul Club, Atul in which 160 participants from different parts of the state participated. Our students gave an inspirational performance and brought laurels for the school. In the under – 14 category Master Safi Dayatar won the 10th position and Master Fenil Patel secured 20th – 22nd position at the state level. In the under – 12 category Master Harshvardhan Desai (Senior K.G.) got 3rd rank, Master Malak Bhanushali secured 10th position and Master Shail Desai won a consolation prize.

BALMANDIR SPORTS DAY – A REPORT

M.L.M. Patel Balmandir celebrated its Annual Sports Day on 11th Feb 2005. Our little tiny tots with lots of enthusiasm and vigour took part in various activities. The events included sack race, three – legged race, first aid race, green grocer race, ladies first race and many other fun games. The main attraction of the day was the inter class 4 x 100 m relay race. In addition, there was a fantastic display of a graceful dance performance and yoga exercises, which got heart-felt appreciation from everyone present on the occasion. The audience was highly impressed with the efforts of the students and their teachers. The chief guest, Param Poojya Swami Shri Hariprasaddasji, praised the brilliant show and encouraged students to continue taking part in sports. The programme concluded with the National Anthem.

“Education is the real wealth. It can neither be stolen by a thief nor can it be burnt – the more you spend it, the more it spreads”