Building active communities through sport and games

At one side where the cultural and creative facet of Atmiya Vidya Mandir is flourishing red and pink at its pick through house activities and Creative assemblies , on the other side physical activities and health fitness are taken care of through sports and games. It was trailed as a sporting celebration of football bonanza over creative assemblies: The inter school football tournament was organized at Atmiya Vidya Mandir. Interestingly, despite the occasional downpour which was discouraging at fullest, AVM evidently hosted the event quite efficiently and successfully. Youngsters from around the Surat region learned about the importance of team work and fair play at a five-a-side football tournament last week. The free event was held at Atmiya Vidya Mandir’s huge play grounds.

Football is a very popular game among the school children. Part of its popularity may be its simple rules and the large field and for AVM students….part of its popularity may stem from the fact that a slight drizzle adds fun to the game and an excuse to get wet. Students display amazing ball control, dexterity and other skills with the ball, during this Annual Inter-School Competition termed as The Subrato Cup Interschool Football Tournament. In which five schools of Surat region participated, two revolutionary teams going head to head on the football pitch, just days after creative uprisings topple rain-bound passivity.

Subrato Cup Football Competition
The football event was in two categories, Under 14 and Under 17

Under 14:
8 teams participated.

1ST .SEMIFINAL:-SWAMINARYAN MISSION V/S VALMIKI VIDYALAYA

2ND SEMIFINAL: – ESSAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL V/S P.P SAVANI

WINNER TEAM:- ESSAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Under 17:

10 Teams participated.

1ST .SEMIFINAL:-ESSAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL V/S VALMIKI VIDYALAYA

2ND SEMIFINAL: – ATMIYA VIDYA MANDIR V/S P.P SAVANI

FINAL: – P.P SAVANI V/S ESSAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

WINNER TEAM:- P.P SAVANI

AVM won the first knock out round against Ryan International School but lost against PP Savani School in the second round who were the eventual winners of the tournament. It ended with unprecedented excitement and many learning experiences. The match — between VALMIKI VIDYALAYA and ESSAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL kicked off in a festive atmosphere.

The thrilling game has promised to return stability to the academics, but in the aftermath of this tournament students are believed to win the other tournament too ….which was Inter House Table Tennis Tournament…..There were more than three groups in the Table Tennis set, junior and senior group but in house wise team.. Junior group for classes 6 and 7, and senior group for classes 8 to11. The school Table Tennis set practiced and played on four tables at the old hostel building. The inter-house Table Tennis trophy is awarded each year to the winner of the inter house Table Tennis Championship.

But as the game entered stoppage time with Satyam and Suhradam house students trailing 5-4 on aggregate and facing elimination from the competition, supporters of the house began pouring on to the place in droves, supporting their respective house player.

Watching children at play sometimes, one can see that teamwork does act as a natural condition . Teamwork must be learnt, and to be learnt, teamwork is stressed from the very first day of practice of games and Sports at Atmiya Vidya Mandir. Discipline is even more important. Participation in all athletic endeavors demand a lot of discipline, and this is something for which many young players are well prepared.The free event saw approximately 50 children – aged between 14 to 17 years old – entering a mini league.

May not be the winning but the importance of sports and games in school encompasses more than just the benefit of physical activity. Increases in self-esteem and mental alertness make school sports and games necessary for every school age child.

The evidence supporting sports participation for AVM students is overwhelming.

It has the power to combat everything from low marks to low self-image, to the high-level energy drop-out rate.” (Sue Castle, Executive Producer of PBS Sports: Get in the Game)

शैक्षिक मनोरंजन यात्रा – Std 5, 6 एवं 7

आत्मीय विद्यामंदिर से दिनांक 11 जुलाई, 2011 को कक्षा 5, 6 एवं 7 के लिए शैक्षिक भ्रमण का नियोजन किया गया । रात्री बच्चों के मन में इतनी उत्सुकता एवं प्रसन्नता थी कि प्रात: जल्दी उठने के लिए रैन को जल्दी निद्राधीन हो गए। दिनांक 12 जुलाई, 2011, मंगलवार को बच्चे उषाकाल 5:30 बजे से पहले उठकर तैयार होकर नाश्ते के लिए भोजनालय में उपस्थित हो गए थें । बच्चों ने सुबह हलका नाश्ता—दूध तथा बिस्कुट खाएँ ताकि प्रवास की शुरुआत स्वस्थ-प्रद हो पाएँ।

 

नाश्ता ग्रहण करके लगभग सुबह 6:30 सभी बच्चे प्रशासन परिसर (एडमिन बिल्डिंग) सामने संचयित हुए जहाँ पहले से ही बस की व्यवस्था की गई थी। कक्षा 5,6 एवं 7 के मिलाकर कुल 269 बच्चें एवं शिक्षक, छात्र-व्यवस्थापक (हाउस मास्टर) एवं छात्र-व्यस्थापिका (दीदी) को मिलाकर कुल 20 व्यक्ति थें। शिक्षक, छात्र-व्यवस्थापक एवं छात्र-व्यस्थापिका समेत सभी ने भगवान स्वामिनारायण एवं गुरु हरि श्री हरिप्रसाद स्वामिजी का जयगान करते हुए सुबह 6:40 मिनट पर पाठशाला के अहाता (Campus) से शैक्षिक यात्रा के लिए प्रस्थान किया गया।

सभी बसों में बच्चों के लिए बिस्कुट के पुलिन्दें (पैकेट्स) एवं शुद्ध पानी (मिनरल वॉटर) के बोतलों की व्यवस्था की गई थी । बस में सभी ने अंताक्षरी का मज़ा लिया। बस 8:15 बजे भरूच के BAPS के मंदिर पहूँची, जहाँ बच्चों ने नाश्ते में भर पेट पौंहे खाएँ।

वहाँ से लगभग सुबह 10:00 बजे बड़ौदा आईनोक्ष सिनेमा-गृह पहुँचे। वहाँ पर पहले से ही टिकट की व्यवस्था की जा चुकी थी । बच्चों को 3D में ‘कुँफू पांडा-2’ देखने में बहुत मज़ा आया । चलचित्र समाप्त होते ही वहाँ से निकल कर दो बसें माझलपुर यु. एस. पिझा में गई एवं दूसरी दो बसें फतेहसिंह म्युज़ियम में पहुँची । फिर जो बच्चें यु. एस. पिझा में गए थे, वे फतेहसिंह म्युज़ियम में पहुँचे; एवं जो बच्चे फतेहसिंह म्युज़ियम में गए थे, वे यु. एस. पिझा में गए ।

सभी बच्चों ने विविध प्रकार के पिझाओं का स्वाद लिया और म्युज़ियम से दुन्यवी ज्ञान हाँसिल करके प्रफुल्लित हु्ए । म्युज़ियम में व्हेल मछली का पिंजर सबके आकर्षण का केन्द्र रहा।

तत्पश्चात सभी बच्चें 3:15 बजे सयाजी गायकवाड़ म्युज़ियम देखने गए, जहाँ पौराणिक चिज़ें देखकर दंग रह गए। सयाजी गायकवाड़ म्युज़ीयम में ‘ममी’ आकर्षण का केन्द्र रहा, जो कईं सालों से वैसे का वैसा ही था। अंतत: सभी बच्चों ने शाम 5:15 बजे प्लेनिटोरियम की मुलाकात ली, जिसमें ब्रह्मांड दर्शन किया। सूर्य, चन्द्र तथा अन्य ग्रहों की दिशा एवं दशा का दर्शन एवं मानसिक भ्रमण किया। सभी ने शाम 6:00 सयाजी बाग से आत्मीय विद्यामंदिर की ओर प्रयाण किया । रास्ते में ‘शमा’ होटल पर रूकें तथा ‘पफ’ एवं ‘एप्पी’ ज्यूस का लुफ्त उठाया। बस में ‘कुँफू पांडा-1’ देखा। सभी ने खूब आनंद किया। रात्री को 10:00 बजे सभी आत्मीय विद्यामंदिर पहुँचकर आराम की साँस ली। सभी ने हाथ-मुँह धोकर रात्री-भोजन लिया एवं अंतिम प्रणाम करके निन्द्रा ग्रहण करने अपने-अपने निवास के लिए पृथक हुए।

आत्मीय विद्यामंदिर की बड़ौदा की शैक्षिक यात्रा अत्यधिक रसप्रद रही।

 लेखक: मुकेश सर

“The Gurus” by Suhradam House

The whole week was dedicated to spirituality as it is essential to life and can be applied to our everyday life as we live in this complex world. It does not require us to renounce the current life style. It only requires a change in attitude of mind and being constantly aware of the Supreme Self.

The first day of the week was about the importance of Guru in our lives. The word Guru comes from Sanskrit and its root words are gu, meaning darkness, and ru, dispeller. A Guru is an awakened person who has personally, through the help and invaluable transfer of consciousness from a Guru before, become able to transmit higher consciousness to the aspirant. An aspirant who is accepted by a Guru and who is considered to be worthy to be initiated is called a sisya, meaning disciple, one who accepts the discipline of the Guru.

The next day children were enlightened by the meaning of the sloka “Gurur Brahma Gurur Vishnu Guru Devo Maheshwara Guru Shakshat Para Brahma Tasmaishree Guruve Namah.. Here, the Guru is compared with Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar because Guru is the trinity of all the three Lords. .

The third day of the week was based on the life of Rishi Valmiki. A video was shown as Valmiki’s life. It said that initially he was a hunter but circumstances made him a thief but then by the grace of Narad Muni, a Guru he transformed into a great Rishi. By Guru’s wisdom his life was transformed. Rishi Valmiki went into a wrong path but when he came in touch with a Guru and followed his Guru’s words with utmost faith. After chanting mantras for years he was blessed and later he wrote the holy book of the Hindus -The Ramayana.

In the Jr. as well as the Sr. assembly Suhradam House tried to take up each and every aspect of guru and give some values that can be taken up by the children so that they can lead a better life. Each day, was a new unfold of light for the children when they came to know about some great men like Ashoka, Rishi Valmiki etc. and how their lives changed.

The soft board had various information about the different gurus with their details like the birth date, place of birth etc. It was very informative and decorative.

The week ended with a drama based on Gunatitanand Swami who could see ahead and how much is loves and cares for his devotees. He could see one of his devotee’s future and he wanted to save him from it. He kept on insisting on coming along with him but he refused. The skit showed the circumstances he faced later in his life till he came in touch with the Swamiji again.

The entire Suhradam house students’ worked very hard to make it a grand success. Through out the week the thoughts and speeches were said by students of various grades. They were Chaitanya, Harsh Gondalia, Parth Amipara, Jigar, Tarak M, Anirudh Chawla, Darshan, Sagar, Divan, Aditya, Meet, Rajveer, Dinal and many more…

Written by: Ruma Madam (Suhradam House)

AVM crowned District Kabaddi Champions! Bigger challenge lays ahead…

Most of the team sports are aimed to increase the coordination and teamwork amongst the team members. Having said that most of these sports like football, cricket etc. have individual superstars who influence the game more than the others. However one of India’s most ancient games Kabaddi is different. The players have to put the interest of the team above everything else to succeed in a game of Kabaddi. It develops coordination, teamwork but most importantly trust amongst the players which is very crucial in real life too. It is no wonder that P.P Swamishree likes this sport from his youth days. 

Atmiya Vidya Mandir’s Kabaddi Team has made the school proud by winning a district level Kabaddi tournament. On route to win this competition, boys from AVM showed great composure and performance to seal the spot in final with great ease. But they saved their best for the final. In the final they were up against the host and a very strong team in Valmiki School who were determined to win the competition in front of their own students. The final was very close and tensed. But the boys from AVM kept their temperament cool to grab a 1 point win over the hosts.

Such was the domination of our team that in the final 12 players selected for the district team, 7 of them are from Atmiya Vidya Mandir. These selected students will take part in the state level competition next month on the same venue.

Congratulations to Pradeep Sir who is the coach for Kabaddi and all the students for bringing glory to the school.

Here is the list of the students from champion team:

1
ABHISHEK D PATEL
2
VIKAS K PATEL
3
HARSH A AMBALIA
4
JIGAR T PATEL
5
FENIL M PATEL
6
VIJAY K BISHNOI
7
PAVITRA D BAKRIWALA
8
AKSHAY D PATEL
9
SAGAR K PATEL
10
HARSHAL V GADHIYA
11
ABHISHEK N ARIWALA
12
PRANSHU M SAVANI

Coach: Pradeep Sir
Manager: Kalpesh Sir
Sports Incharge: Ramakar Sir

Written by: AVM Sports Team

World Maths Day & World Spelling Day Award Ceremony – 2011

On 9th July, Atmiya Vidya Mandir celebrated, the much awaited, World Maths Day & World Spelling Day Award Ceremony. The award ceremony was organized by Australian e-Learning company 3P Learning.

In 2011, World Maths Day (WMD) was joined by World Spelling Day (WSD). World Spelling Day, the latest event as part of the World Education Games, was organized by the creative team behind Mathletics, Spellodrome and World Maths Day. In his review, Genevieve Darnley, Director of the World Education Games, said, “Anyone can play; this event is for all spellers, not just the experts. This is an exciting way to get involved in literacy, and unite the world in learning.”

Students of Atmiya Vidya Mandir participated in both the events and made their mark in the International Arena, where 1,298,234 students and 22,785 schools from 212 countries had participated in WMD; and 509,500 students and 19,215 schools from 212 countries had participated in WSD.

In WMD, four out of nine teams held 2nd, 3rd, 7th & 10th rank in the world; whereas the other five teams held 14th, 22nd, 27th, 32nd & 33rd ranks in the world. Therefore, we had four teams in the first 10 ranks and nine teams in the first 50 ranks in the world.

Similarly, in the WSD, four out of eight teams held 1st, 2nd, 6th & 8th rank in the world; whereas the other four teams held 13th, 22nd, 36th & 43rd ranks in the world. Therefore, we had four teams in the first 10 ranks and 8 teams in the first 50 ranks in the world.

To honour the champions and motivate the students, Mr. D N Dhanuka, the CEO and Director of Mathletics, India, Mr. Vikrant Agarwal, the Marketing Manager of Mathletics, India and Mr. Pradeep Nair, the Business Manager of Mathletics, India had come as the representatives of the Australian e-Learning company 3P Learning. We also had Pujya Sinha Sir, who is the Principal of Delhi Public School, Harni, Baroda and very renowned educationist, to honour and motivate the students. Pujya Fuvaji was also present with us to honour, bless and motivate the students.

The award ceremony began with the poojan of Thakorji and a devotional bhajan (Rabindra Sangeet) sung by the students of grade 5 to 10. Then, the chief guests were welcomed by offering garlands and bouquets.

In his address to the students, Dhanuka Sir said that the philosophy behind the World Education Games was to get students around the world as excited about math and spelling as they were about sport. Moreover, the World Spelling Day aspired to encourage students of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to have a go at spelling in a fun, interactive and accessible way.

Mr. Agarwal exclaimed that World Spelling Day and UNICEF have joined forces to harness the potential of the event and help give children around the world access to quality learning. He expressed his happiness for the students of Atmiya Vidya Mandir for scoring the first rank in the world in the age group 14 to 18.

The Champions and the participants received their awards and certificates, amidst huge rounds of applauds and music, from the chief guests, Mr. Dhanuka, Mr. Agarwal, Mr. Nair, Pujya Sinha Sir, Pujya Fuvaji and Pujya Haresh Sir. The students also had the opportunity to get a group picture with the chief guests.

Thereafter, Pujya Sinha Sir addressed the students saying that success goes to those who believe that they can succeed. He motivated the students by sharing the real life incidences of successful people.

The award ceremony ended with the vote of thanks presented by the Principal, Dr. Vijay Patel. He gave very special thanks to the 3P learning team for all their endeavours in organizing WMD & WSD, as both these events roused the interest of the students in Math and English. He said that the students learnt the cubes and cube roots from 2 to 25 in order to win; which was a very difficult task to accomplish in the classroom. Besides, WSD generated the awareness in students about the significance of spellings. He exclaimed that because of the WSD, the English vocabulary of the students also increased by many folds. Eventually, he thanked the Math and English teachers and the students for their hard work.

Everybody was excited and motivated to bring more laurels the next year.

Written by: Paras Sir

Thematic Display Board Activity

“Word power is the key to effective communication”

Keeping in mind the above mentioned secret of English Language Improvement ‘Thematic Display Board Activity’ has been successfully conducted by the English Teachers of Std. 1st to 5th as a part of English week celebration. (4th July to 9thJuly)

The very first day of the week, different riddles and crossword puzzles were displayed along with pieces of papers to write answers as well as the boxes to drop their answers in. That day the board was looking like a bee hive surrounded by several honeybees.

The next day, the five boards were allotted to respective classes for a given theme. All the boards were entitled by different themes namely; My Family (Std 1), My Classroom (Std 2), My School (Std 3) My Library (Std 4) and Parts of Speech (Std 5).

Please click on the following pictures to view the details of the work done by AVM Wonders.

All the students were given colourful papers of attractive shapes. They were asked to write words related to the given theme in those papers and stick on the respective display boards. All the students participated in the activity with a great spirit. The students were allowed to make errors and learn from them. We would rather say the boards were full of efforts of little “bhoolkus” of Std.1st to 5th. Of course, Renuka Madam and Ruma Madam were the teachers behind the scene. They boosted their enthusiasm.

All the participants were highly appreciated in the morning assembly for their active participation. It is rightly said that any learning coupled with fun and play is always accepted wholeheartedly.

Written by: Saumya Madam