Birthday Message from GSA Principal

Dear My Good School, 

I wish you a very Happy Birthday. I hope you have an amazing year and the happiest of birthdays. The time spent with you is akin to discovering oneself and connecting it to one's potential. All it takes to make any of us smile is your presence. We appreciate you being here and motivating us.

On this special day, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the participation of our beloved GSA member schools. School leaders, parents, and my dear students. Last but not least our beloved Sandeep sir, for his motivation and passion towards bringing all of us together and igniting the spark of light towards a common goal #Joy of Learning. 

Your presence contributed immensely to our success story, and we truly appreciate your support. We truly appreciate your thoughts and recommendations as we think about and anticipate improving our upcoming experiences.

On behalf of GSA, I would like to thank each one of you, and invite you to the GSA retreat from 13th to 16thNovember. It's going to be a memorable experience for all of us. Our vision is to create #JoyofLearning focusing on reading, reflection, and building relationships.

Once again, a very Happy Birthday. Continue to rise and shine.

Warmly

Manisha Khanna

GSA Principal

Waiting to Live - Reveda Bhatt

"If we had to wait to live, sorry, but I'd prefer dying."

Okay, I say that practically, not literally. You know why - because, to live, we do not need to wait. So, why did I say that? That is because to figure out the mysteries of this circle, we need to strive constantly to be at our fullest. 

Be it in the dark,

Be it high up in the sky,

Never put yourself down,

Soar up and strive high.

You know what, 

Life is just too mysterious.

Now, ask yourself -

"Am I any less?"

No, of course not -

Discover your potential.

Don't wait to live.

Live life loud and make it memorable.

P. S. The quote is just statistical.

Reveda Bhatt

The Aryan School, Dehradun

The Change - Reveda Bhatt

A point in my life that brought out my inner strength and made me believe that “I am capable” was what people hailed me as a fighter, one even I didn’t know of. Rolling the rim of my life back to the start of 2019, when I was a child scared of all imaginary beasts and darkness, only after I went into darkness did the change take place-When I went into a COMA. 

This was due to an accident my Mom and I met, wherein Mom was injured, and mine, getting back alive, doubted. It was like this typical suspenseful thriller going on! One day, I got better but could get worse the other! But COMA in English, too, refers nearly to a comma, which has it saying, “There’s more!” So, I fought back, knowing it was not the end. It wasn’t before maybe 3 weeks that I opened my eyes.

Surgeries, injuries, follow-ups-I saw all that. In comparison, if I were still that child, afraid, I wouldn’t have made it so, you know, life puts you down, but you’ve got to stand up because those who do-they come out with the title, “A hero,” the other case, I won’t define. 

Now, when I recovered fully, everybody praised me. I realised how precious this life is and started honouring every moment because who knows what’s next? I fought the dark, death and came out, and if it weren’t for it, even I wouldn’t have known who I really am! 

Recovering from any injury just feels like a piece of cake when you’ve got scars on your body, well, I wouldn’t even call them scars but bravery marks, reminding me each time, “You can do it!” 

The incident here is what I really feel thankful for because it showed me the light. Never in my life had I thought that I would be hailed as a hero because everybody fights, but only a few come out victorious.

Reveda Bhatt

The Aryan School

Annual Day at School - Arav Agarwal

After reading the chapter The Annual Day At School from the book My Good School: Where Passion Meets Education by Sandeep Dutt, I just flashback, remembering my annual days and the joy and happiness everyone used to get after participating in the Annual Day. 

We all love annual days, and so do I. We, as children, wait eagerly for such fun-filled events. We have skits, voiceover, dance, music band, and speeches on our yearly days. Also, the students get the opportunity and have fun organizing and planning the annual day along with the teachers. 

I still have memories of my Annual Day when I was in Senior KG. I was given the role of Narendra Modi and was to give a speech of Narendra Modi, and the theme was women empowerment. I still remember that parents were clapping in between the lecture. I also remember that after the Annual Day, when I went to School, a few children and parents used to ask me that are you, Narendra Modi. Also, a few parents asked my mother if, are you Narendra Modi’s mother. So, this was my memorable experience of my Annual Day.

We used to have a theme each year for our annual day. I am also missing my Annual Day for two years. As mentioned in the book, Annual days help us identify our skills and strengths, and I was able to identify my skills and strengths through my annual days. Also, it is mentioned in the book that students should get the rightful opportunity to showcase their creativity and talent, which everyone does beautifully on our School’s annual days. 

Annual Days were so much fun for my friends and me, and we used to enjoy them a lot.

Name: Arav Agarwal

Grade: 5C

Billabong High International School, Thane

Appreciation - Anisha Gaitonde

Everyone needs a bit of appreciation at some point in time. It’s a part of being Human. Showing appreciation just takes a few words – ‘great going’, ‘good show’, ‘well done, but its value is far more than that. A small piece of appreciation motivates us to be better than we are. 

Thankfully, there have been incidents in my life (just like all of you) where I was appreciated, and it made me feel good and, more importantly, motivated me to do better next time.

My first award was a bronze medal in Sports Day function 2015 when I was in Jr. Kg. That was the first time I stood so close to our school Principal, and it was beyond my most fantastic dreams – such an honour 🤩! Even if it was a bronze medal, this small appreciation helped me develop a mindset to participate in extra-curricular activities in later years, whether SpellBee, Neltas, Logiqids or Drawing and Handwriting competitions. 

My next memorable moment came when I passed the First level of Kathak dance, which I had been practising for almost 6 months. It just underlines that nothing is impossible if you have the right motivation – our teacher used to appreciate our small efforts every week. It resulted in a collective jump in my performance.

My teachers and family have been very encouraging and supportive to me (even though sometimes there are times when too many competitions come at the same time 😢). Some of the initiatives by my school where they appreciate and celebrate small successes of students in their monthly newsletters really keep us motivated to do much more – in school and in life!

Anisha Gaitonde 
Grade: 5 Division: B
Billabong High International School, Thane