Reflection Sunday The 27th October 2024

Sunday School No. 160

- From My Name Is Cinnamon- 1. What was your takeaway from the session today? 2. What were the key points in the chapter? 3. Who is Rabindranath Tagore? 4. What's so special about T Rex 5. Importance of reflection and clear thought 6. Have you ever read a magazine? What do you like most about it? 7. Smartphones in today's world 8. Life is all about balance - From The Hidden Life Of Trees – 1. Why is the world full of colour? 2. What is your takeaway from today’s session? 3. What do we do for trees? 4. Do trees have a life of their own? How can humans learn to respect that? 5. Importance of "balance" in the forest 6. Taking care of trees and nature 7. How can we have a bolder approach to wilderness?

"If we use our knowledge to look after them, they will look after us in the future." These are some suggestions you can choose from. Looking forward to seeing your wonderful and thoughtful reflections! You can email your reflections to - mk@learningforward.org.in

Key Takeaways:

• Launched the "Joy of Giving" initiative, inspired by Doon School's legacy of service. Introduced on the 27th of October, the day the school opened in 1935.
• Read and discussed chapters on forests/trees and My Name is Cinnamon - emphasising reflection
• The upcoming Retreat (Nov 13-16) at Arthur Foot Academy will focus on service and experience nature on groind zero.

    New book "The Inner Life of Animals" will open at The Retreat on 15th November 2024

    Joy of Giving

• Aims to promote service, skills, sports, and study among partner schools
• Activities include resource sharing, volunteering, community projects
• Kunal drafted a comprehensive post outlining the initiative's vision and activitie

The poll results for the questions- Do you read books/magazines?

GSA Calendar November 2024

My Good School every Sunday

3rd November 2024
Christa Campsall MGI Book II Chapter 7
My Guide Inside
My Name Is Cinnamon

10th November 2024

My Name Is Cinnamon 

The Hidden Life Of Trees - concluding session

The Impact Team Meeting

13th – 16th November

Fireside Chat with Christa Campsall - Book III Chapter 2

We turn the pages of two new books!

The Inner Life Of Animals 

My Good School - 4.00 PM on 15th Nov

Shomie Das The Man Who Saw Tomorrow

The Teachers’ Academy 5.30 PM on 15th Nov

Both sessions will be live on Zoom

17th November 

Amardeep Singh
Screening of Episode 11
Allegory: A Tapestry of Guru Nanak's Travels
The Inner Life Of Animals

24th November 2024
My Name Is Cinnamon
The Inner Life Of Animals
The Impact Team Meeting

Good Schools India Journal

2nd November 2024

Joy Of Learning - post by Sandeep Dutt
15th November 2024
2 Girls 1 Mic - Oshi and Simar
29th November 2024
Where Passion Meets Education – Nisha Bhakar

The Teacher's Academy
2nd November - book concludes
Chapter 11 Wanted Back-bencher Last-ranker Teacher 

15th, 23rd and 30th

Book reading - Shomie Das The Man Who Saw Tomorrow

Reflections Sunday the 22nd September 2024

My Name Is Cinnamon-
1. What is the significance of the Kohinoor diamond?
2. How is life at weekends different from weekdays?
3. What do you do when clothes fall off when you remove them from the clothesline?
4. What is discombobulate?
5. How do you feel when insignificant things blow up?
6. Why must you do a few chores at home or school? 

Hidden Life Of Trees -
1 Did the story connect with you today, and why?
2. Find out about
a. stoically
b. repertoire
c. impervious
d. proviso
3. Why do trees put on a thicker coat?
4. What do you mean by “as the tree battens down the hatches”?

Rishona: Reflections of the week

My Name Is Cinnamon- 
1. What was your takeaway from the session today? 
2. What was discussed in the chapter today?
3. Why is the protagonist's nickname "Cinnamon"?
4. What does discombobulate mean?
5. Experiences while playing scrabble
6. What did you do when your clothes fell off the line ?
7. My weekend - what makes it different? 
8. How can we normalize adoption? 
9. What is a zombie movie?
10. Never be ashamed of who you are

The Hidden Life Of Trees – 
1. Find out about anemones.
2. What is your takeaway from today’s session?
3. What happens when thicker coat is formed on leaves?
4. What do you mean by "hatches"? 
5. How do trees survive?
6. What is "repertoire"? 
 
These are some suggestions you can choose from. Looking forward to seeing your wonderful and thoughtful reflections! You can email your reflections at mk@learningforward.org.in

Otter AI adds

After the class at My Good School:

Sandeep Dutt discussed the Little Village School (near Dehradun, emphasizing its mission to inspire unselfishness and service. My Good School will host a retreat in November and aims to become a venue for future retreats. 

Jugjiv and Sandeep highlighted the importance of family relationships and the need for assertiveness. He also mentioned the adoption of Cinnamon and the family's efforts to normalise it. 

The conversation included tips for managing exam stress, such as breathing exercises and color-coded notes. The discussion also touched on the importance of adaptability, using trees as an example, and the need for behavioral and genetic variability to survive climate changes.

Listen to the podcast: www.LearningForwardPodcast.com

Interns Meeting and the forthcoming My Good School Reteat 2024

Based on the context provided:

1. Sandeep Dutt shard the excitment about the upcoming retreat at the Arthur Foot School (Little Village School). He sees it as an opportunity to support the Little Village School and further the mission of spreading the joy of learning that the Learning Forward Foundation is focused on.

2. Sandeep mentions that the Arthur Foot School will be the venue for the Retreat for years to come, as it is located near the Rajaji Sanctuary, which aligns with our vision of connecting education with the natural environment.

3. Sandeep encourages the attendees to visit the Arthur Foot Academy website to learn more about the retreat and the partnership between the Learning Forward Foundation and the Little Village School.

www.ArthurFootAcademy.org

4. In terms of contributing, Sandeep suggests that the attendees, including interns and school captains, can get involved by visiting the school, participating in activities, and finding ways to collaborate and support the Little Village School as part of the Good School Alliance community.

Overall, Sandeep seems enthusiastic about the retreat and the opportunity to work with the Little Village School, and he is looking for ways for the attendees to get involved and contribute to this initiative.

Check out the Live Recording courtesy Sunbeam School Varuna.

Reflections - Sunday School 8th September 2024

Here are the key questions and answers from the meeting:

1. What were Newton's laws discussed? The group was unsure about the exact number of Newton's laws, with some saying three and others saying four. Sandeep Dutt summarised that the first law concerns inertia, the second law concerns force and momentum, and the third law concerns action and reaction.

2. Where do Birch trees grow, and what are their characteristics? Birch trees are pioneer species that increase in open spaces. They have adaptations like white bark that reflects sunlight and oil in the bark, making it burn well.

3. What is the "Pando" tree, and how does it grow? The Pando is a single quaking aspen tree that has spread underground and grown over 40,000 trunks covering over 100 acres. It is an example of a tree that uses its roots to expand and defend itself.

4. What challenges do trees face in urban environments like school campuses? The group discussed how trees in schools may face challenges like lack of space, competition for sunlight, and damage from human activity. They were encouraged to observe the trees around their schools and share their observations.

- From My name is Cinnamon - 

1. What is your takeaway from today's session?

2. Write a reflection on the book and characters

3. What, according to you, should be the reason for adoption?

4. What do you do between the class breaks?

5. Is it reasonable to be noisy during breaks? Why? Why not?

6. Do you like your nickname?

7. What is the importance of math in your day-to-day life? 

- From Hidden Life Of Trees -     

1. Did the story connect with you today, and why? 

2. Find out about-

a. Aurochs

b. Quaking Aspen

c. Pando

3. What is the difference between naturopathy medicine and allopathic medicine?

4. Where do the Birches grow?

5. Do you have any challenges in your school or neighbourhood? 

Students may create a school newsletter incorporating Joy of Learning content. These are some suggestions. We're looking forward to your excellent and thoughtful reflections, which you can email to mk@learningforward.org.in.

Based on the meeting transcript, the following key points were discussed at the intern meeting:

1. Video file sizes and challenges with sharing large video files.

2. The school calendar and upcoming events include the Allegory episode and a Good Schools India journal post.

3. Sharing reflections and messages for Teacher's Day.

4. Discuss the books "The Hidden Life of Trees" and "The Hidden Life of Animals", including animal adoption, tree defence mechanisms, and tree growth strategies.

5. Exploring Newton's laws and discussing a potential 4th law proposed by the students.

6. Reflect on why parents sometimes resort to physically punishing their children.

7. Discuss the challenges trees face in urban environments, like deforestation and lack of biodiversity.

8. Planning for an upcoming school retreat in November at the edge of the Rajaji sanctuary.

9. Encourage students to share their thoughts, reflections, and stories and potentially contribute to a newsletter or podcast.

The meeting covered various topics related to the school's reading program, student engagement, and plans for future activities.

The Man Who Saw Tomorrow details Shomie Das’s ideas about how education should be an experience that children enjoy and not one that has been thrust upon them. That entails a deep acknowledgement and respect for the child as a unique individual.

Relections for the week - Sunday 25th August 2024

Summary: 
In brief we Discussion about Vikas Joshi's latest book, "My Name is Cinnamon," and discuss its themes of adoption, identity, and self-discovery in brief. Next, we highlighted the need for a more caring and supportive approach to tree care and upkeep while talking about the difficulties that urban trees endure. 

- From My name is Cinnamon -
1. What is your takeaway from the author's session and book discussion?
2. Write a reflection on the book and characters
3. Is it proper to give names (like lambu, motu, etc) to your teachers or friends?
4. Why was Cinnamon trying to find his biological parents?
5. Write about the emotional challenge one might face when he comes to know that he/she is adopted.

- From Hidden Life Of Trees -
1. Did the story connect with you today, and why?
2. Find out about-
a. loutish behaviors
b. brazenly decadent
c. doped-up bodybuilders
3. Create podcasts or drawings about the plight of urban trees
4. Why does a good tree fall? What could be the impact of falling off a good tree?
5. Imagine being a tree in the city and write how it feels.
6. How do trees communicate with each other through "scent mail"?

These are some suggestions. We're looking forward to your excellent and thoughtful reflections, which you can email to mk@learningforward.org.in

Session summary for My Good School (08/25/2024)

We celebrated Independence Day by Yashraj giving his spirited speech. 

In the session we opened a new book, "My Name is Cinnamon," written by Vikas Joshi, and reflecting on its themes of adoption, identity, and self-discovery. 

We discussed the challenges faced by trees in urban environments, emphasising the need for a more nurturing and supportive approach to tree care and maintenance. 

We shared personal experiences and interests, and encouraged everyone to reflect on the book and share their thoughts.

Next steps

• Students could write a reflection on the book and characters.

• Students to write reflections on their takeaways from the author session and book discussion.

• Students to consider creating podcasts or drawings about the plight of urban trees.

• Manisha to publish student reflections on the Joy of Learning Diaries blog.

• The next chapter "Burnout" in The Hidden Life of Trees for the next session.

• Students to imagine being a tree in the city and write about how it feels.

• Jugjiv to read the next chapter of My Name is Cinnamon in the next session.

• Sandeep to continue reading The Hidden Life of Trees in the next session.

• Students to consider creating a school newsletter incorporating Joy of Learning, as we will not produce a common newsletter for all the schools.