Community Service @ Spain by Oakridgers

 

This is an email updating the Principal –Capt.Rohit Sen Bajaj.

Good Evening Sir,

This is Mounika, from the Spain exchange group of students. I wanted to share some interesting events of today with you sir. Today was our first day performing community service, with a group of handicapped individuals. They were approximately 40-60 years old and few had psychological problems as others had speech impairments. We all received charge of an individual and took them for a walk in their wheelchairs and then to a nearby restaurant. It was truly a wonderful experience sir. They were all exhilarated by our presence and i could see the joy in their eyes. I enjoyed myself as well, it was the first time in any of my service projects I was so truly immersed. They questioned us about India--- the culture, the attire, the food, currency, etc. and everyone was eager to explain and elaborate. We look forward to visiting them soon again, and perhaps even in our Indian wear as a surprise for them. They say the best CAS projects are those where you don't realize its CAS; I could really see that coming alive today.

Just some thoughts we wanted to share Sir. On the other end, the language classes and the sightseeing is going very well and we will be viewing the more significant monuments of the city on Monday.

Thank you so much for your time.

All the students :)

SPOORTHI – A rewarding experience

 

We came to school this morning in hopes of teaching the children of our sub staff something new, and helping them in a way that would actually make a difference to them. 40 children were present for this session.We taught them English along with Ms Jyothsna and ICT with Mr Asjad Baig today.

In English, we taught them the usage of words like this, that, those, these, etc.

In the ICT lab, we taught them how to use Excel. It was quite fun teaching them how to do so.

Interacting with them was fruitful. Towards the end, Puansh, Shruti, Radhika and I, along with Ms Rubina sat down to correct the papers and arrange the files of these students. We were surprised to see how much they progressed from the start, considering the fact that they didn't know English when they joined in the beginning.

Teaching them turned out to be a rewarding learning experience for us too, and helped us build our own character in a way. It taught us to be more understanding and patient. We are privileged to have gotten the opportunity to have worked on this program, it was refreshing and we enjoyed every bit of it.

Anisha Alla

IBDP

 

 

  

Shiv Khera Workshop – Parent Reflection

 Children Learn What They Live - Dorothy Law Neite
If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
If a child learns to feel shame, he learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement he learns confidence
If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate.
He a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world.

Parent Reflection on Shiv Khera Workshop

Dear Capt. Rohit Bajaj ,

Thank you very much for arranging a very enlightening workshop for parents. 
Most certainly, Shiv Khera is best speaker that I have listened to in a long time
I have read his book many times over and try and translate his advice into practice.
In fact, his book is always in my office for ready reference.

Warm regards

Sincerely
Dr. P. Raghu Ram
MS, FRCS (Eng), FRCS (Edin), FRCS (Glasg), FRCS (Irel)

Director & Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon
KIMS-USHALAKSHMI Centre for Breast Diseases

Shiv Khera Sutras on Positive Parenting

 

POSITIVE PARENTING

Do we ever stop to think that we compliment and encourage our children less than we criticize them? Parenting is one of the biggest challenges faced today and also the most fulfilling one. We are often faced with a dilemma in judging ourselves as too demanding or too soft a parent? How do we seek a balance? How do we inculcate discipline in our children? How do we nurture self esteem in them? How do we make them confident enough to face life’s challenges? How do we give them an enduring persona? These are just some of the many issues one faces as parent.
Oakridge provided a good opportunity for parents hosting a workshop on Positive Parenting by world renowned motivational speaker, Mr.Shiv Khera, author of self help books, business consultant and activist. It was a good platform for parents to reflect, share and imbibe the essence of positive parenting. and the interactive session gave the parents a lot to ponder on. The session saw an active participation from the parents who had a lot of queries regarding their children. Mr.Shiv Khera spoke on the need to discipline children, inculcate positive values in them and the importance of developing self esteem in children. He spoke at length on following certain simple rules to promote positive behaviour in a child like 'not labeling a child', giving them enough space to make independent choices, empowering them with confidence to face challenges in life. The session was well received by the parents and I am sure must have dispelled a lot of their apprehensions and anxieties regarding parenting.

Ms.Mohseena Hussain
Grade XII English Faculty


 

Oakridge hosting the Positive Parenting Workshop -Mr.Shiv Khera

 

ARE WE TEACHING OUR KIDS TO MAKE A LIVING OR TO LEAD A GOOD LIFE?

WHY NOT TEACH BOTH?

As a 21st century learning organisation Oakridge believes  in employing appropriate measures to mold a child’s innate talents. These in turn create a positive impact, capable of right actions and attitudes. At the end of the day ,it is up to us as educators and parents to decide what we want our child to create – an impression or expression. Impression leaves an inerasable mark, expression is forgotten  after a while.

Whether you are a parent of a toddler or a teenager, you know that parenting can be challenging even overwhelming at times. Unfortunately, children don't come with an instruction manual. And, being a parent does not always mean that you automatically or instinctively know what to do.

Oakridge  hosted the Positive Parenting Workshop by the multifaceted and world renowned Mr.Shiv Khera.

Visit to Desire Society

 

22 students of IBDP class XI visited the Desire Society - an orphanage home to HIV positive children. They have a home here in Hyderabad, one in Chennai and one in Bangalore. At the society, the children ranged from the ages of 3years to 15years. First off, the main purpose for our visit was to bring a smile to those children’s faces. We went there with plans of teaching the children basic mathematics, and other activities, and even planned out some games for them. Due to lack of time, we divided ourselves into groups and played with them. One group played caroms, we played football, and the other was taught Origami. There were about 30 children when we went, but the orphanage is home to around 50. However, they reached out to 200 more HIV positive children who actually had a family who they stayed with.

What I personally found amazing, that inspired me so much, was the smile on these children’s faces. They knew that they were sick, and would die eventually, but still, continued to go to school and were more than eager to learn. The fact that despite they were ill, they managed to enjoy life really made me see how strong they were.

A concern, which was really unnecessary, that we faced was that many of the parents and the students were unwilling to visit these children out of fear, but the head there explained us how it really isn’t hazardous. It is nearly impossible to pick up any disease, or even HIV from them, however, when we go there, we are carrying diseases to them, because they have very weak and the suppressed immune systems.

This society pays for all medical attention of these children, and these expenses are very high. The government doesn’t pay enough for these children. They even have a doctor and a nurse to pay. They send blood samples across every month to Chennai for testing. They pay for transport and everything. Money and resources is a challenge they face. The desire society does accept donations, and we who have everything and more should really stop and think of these children, help them live a better, long life.

Anisha alla

IBDP XI

CAS trip to the SOS village

 

The students of IBDP XI went on a CAS trip to the SOS village. The SOS children’s village is an NGO that operates all over India to help children integrate into society. The idea behind it is that children in need are taken into the village, and kept in foster homes, with foster mothers. They go to different schools, and when they come home in the evenings, they can receive tuitions to help them in subjects they don’t understand. The foster mothers cook and look after around 10 children in each house.

We entered the village ready with our teaching materials and snacks. The children and mothers were very friendly and welcoming, and all houses offered us refreshments. For an hour, we helped the children with their schoolwork. We then went out to a field to play football and socialize with the children. They, however, had to go to an exhibition, and left early. The manager of the Hyderabad branch told us that their main aim was to send the children back into society when they are ready. We were very surprised to find that one child had sung on the all India radio, one was selected for the state football team, and one was currently employed in Wipro. As we left, we realized that not only had the children learnt something from us, but we had learnt something from them as well! It was a great learning experience for us all.

Shruti Koti

IBDP XI

 

  

Cultural Immersion Trip

 

On Wednesday, March 9th, 10 students, and Ms. Hema Chennupaty will be leaving Hyderabad to go to Spain on a Cultural Immersion trip. The school is coordinating this trip with Spain BCN in Barcelona. We will be staying in Barcelona for 8 days, and while there, we will visit famous historical monuments, such as Santa Maria del Mar, La Sagrada Familia, el Parque Güell, and the Gothic Quarter of the city. In the mornings, we will learn Spanish, and about Spanish culture, and in the afternoons we will go on site seeing excursions.

In addition to this, we will also be participating in some serious activities, such as: visiting the Barcelona Stadium, taking some soccer lessons, and attending a flamenco dancing workshop. We will also be doing community service in a school in the evenings. All the students are very excited and we hope we can impart some knowledge about India, as well as learning a little more about Spain.

Shruti Koti and Ramya Baddam

IBDP XI

National Science Day celebrated @ OIS

 

National Science Day to commemorate the discovery of one of the greatest effect called “The Raman Effect” was celebrated with much fervor at OIS.

On February 26, 2011 a painting competition on “Science in the 21^st Century” was organized for students of classes VII and VIII. The sight of young minds adding colours to their scientific ideas on paper was indeed vouching to the fact that ‘We are living in a Scientific era and everyone both young and old is a scientist’.

The top 50 entries were displayed in the atrium. Top three Best entries won prizes. The prize winners are:

1 Prize - Priyadarshini - VIII G
2 Prize - Ahalya - VII B
3 Prize - Sri Kavya - VII F

A panel discussion involving students of Classes IX (CBSE and IGCSE) and XI (CBSE and IBDP) and the Science faculty was held between 2:15 pm to 3:15 pm in the same venue. Capt. Rohit Sen Bajaj, Principal, OIS and Mrs. J. Turaga, VP, OIS also shared their views on the three topics discussed as under:

In Physics:

“Is it necessary to spend billions of dollars on research on atoms using the Hadron Collider, when the world is in dire need for basic amenities?”

In Chemistry:

“Is organic farming the best option over inorganic farming?”

In Biology:

“With the advancement in the Human Genome Project, is therapeutic cloning of body parts the best alternative for prosthetics in the near future?”

The discussion was efficiently moderated by Mr. Biju Baby, DP Coordinator and Physic Teacher (IBDP XII)

Ms. Anusha D., Career Counselor at OIS, put up information related to careers in science and the latest trends in the possible prospects.

 

Assessment for the UOI - ‘Decision Making’

Ms.Raksha Dand

Team Leader Grade V

Around 40 parents from all the sections of Grade V took part in the  summative assessment for the UOI - ‘Decision Making’.
They spent some time with  each student and assessed them for their knowledge and decision making skills based on the rubric given.
During the interaction they put in front of the students a problem or situation for which they wanted to take a decision. Students helped them to take a decision following the steps of decision making. This reflected their learning of the process of decision making.
All the parents enjoyed their rendezvous with the students. This gave them an insight into the process of assessment at the school. We thank our Parents who made it a huge success.