Sunbeam School Lahartara Presentation - My Good School Retreat 2025

Sunbeam Lahartara: My Good School Philosophy by Learning Forward India Foundation

The YES Way through the lens of the students at the Sunbeam Lahartara School. How do we follow the My Good School Philosophy of Service, Skill, Sport and Study at our school?

My Good School Retreat 2024

My Good School Retreat 2023

Reflections 

“ Like every chapter in the book has its own ending, our Retreat also ended with memorable experiences and friendly relations. But the chapter containing our memories will be the best I have read and experienced.” Tenzin Nyingsel

“Seeing all the teachers and friends leaving with whom I spent an excellent time for four days, I almost cried. After spending four days together, I felt like we had been together for a very long period, and during this time, I became very close with them; I suppose that we all became so close that we were much more than best friends and because of this bond I emotional when everyone was leaving, the only thing which  I could say was " goodbye " and " best wishes ahead " I wanted to say many things, but the words were not coming from my mouth, one after one everyone started leaving and only HPS (Hyderabad Public School) group were left, for few minutes we talked and after a while, they were also nowhere to be seen.” - Tenzin Jambey

‘I have got many great opportunities in my life. The excellent My Good School Retreat is one of the best opportunities, giving me many life lessons. This will be an unforgettable part of my life. I had never been so excited about many things, but this was the opposite. I have described below my experiences and what I learned during this retreat” Nishan Karki

—-

Dear Teachers,

Hope you had a nice day.

When I got a chance to attend the My Good School Retreat in the Doon Girls School, first l was very excited to see the people from various parts of India whom I had only heard or seen on the screen. On the other hand, I needed clarification about interacting with them. But who knew that I would talk to everyone and enjoy with them. 

On the first day, we walked to Khalanga War Memorial, Nalapani, accompanied by Col Vikram Thapa and two more people. One of them was around the 70s and was very kind and friendly. We learnt many things from him, like about the Khalanga War etc. After the walk, we returned to The Doon Girls School, where we had the Icebreaking session, held after the tasty lunch in the school. In the evening, we had presentations by various schools which were knowledgeable, but at the same time, I was scared too, as it was my first presentation in public.

            

We left for The Doon School the next day, which was a great life opportunity for me. There we had our breakfast, and I liked the school system as it was different from regular schools; all the activities done in the school were looked after by the students and even the school assembly. After the walk in the school, we went forward to Khan Farm, Biharigarh. We had a nature walk and played many games, including the talent show, team building and leadership activity. Through those games, we learned how a leader should act.

It was the second last day when we returned from Biharigarh. Then back in school, we had to reflect on our two-day journey. And I had many things to say, but couldn't I be nervous to say things in front of others. When it was my turn to speak, I said something funny, which made everyone laugh. After that, we had our friendly basketball match between the retreat team and the Doon Girls School. Fortunately, we won the game by one point. There was a situation when I snatched the ball from a girl, but later in the game, she took revenge, which was fun.

On the last day, it was Earth Day celebrations in which many schools came and sang songs based on nature, and we also sang the song "Somewhere In The World".

I am very thankful to the Director of Pesstalozzi for giving us such a great opportunity, Shelja Ma'am, and Minaxi Ma'am for supporting us.

Thanking you 

Yours faithfully,

Monika Singh Pundir 

Pestalozzi India Children’s Village

Check out the Retreat 2023 Album

https://photos.retreat.2023

Appreciation - Aria Gupta

Appreciation is a life skill. Most people say that you should appreciate others, and that is true, but you should also appreciate yourself. If you never show gratitude for anything, you might think your life is the worst when it might be the best, which can bring a lot of pessimism and negativity to you. On the other hand, If you are grateful for everything you have, you think that you are lucky, which can bring optimism and positivity.

On my first day of school after summer vacations, my bag weighed like it was a massive boulder. Our teacher spent the class not studying but making sure that everyone's bags were light. I cannot thank her enough. It might seem small, but it made a huge impact on me, who used to struggle everyday just carrying her bag. 

I also think there is a specific group of people we need to appreciate, celebrities. They work all day, whether they are singers or actors. Most of them are also forced to eat once a day to maintain their body and make the public satisfied! On top of that, they also have to deal with rumours, dating scandals and judgments from many haters. They’ll probably say things such as ‘She’s so self-centred’ if she asks someone to stop taking photos of her. It’s like the public is in control of their lives, yet they still do their work just for us to be entertained. They definitely deserve respect for that.

Aria Gupta

Grade VI 

Gyanshree school

Importance of bedrock mentoring - Shilpika Pandey

There is too much or too little of so many things in this world that we wish to catch in life. Our dreams, aspirations and wants make us put our hands into a jar full of innumerable  options but when we get stuck at what to really pick, we falter and are unable to choose and thus come at a precise decision. 

The road ahead seems blurry and one wonders if at all to walk on it until someone out there clears, not the road but the vision to see it clearly and helps us walk on it with a confident gait that we realize the importance and effectiveness of that guiding hand, advisor, counsellor or a bedrock MENTOR! 

A Mentor is what each one of us needs to take the best decision, pick the right option and stay focused. But how do we know our mentors? How do we recognize them? The answer is very unadulterated.. When the student is ready, the Guru or mentor appears!

One recognizes a mentor in a kind, empathetic, non judgmental ,helpful, supporting, encouraging, motivating, positive and a wise human. A mentor is a gateway to a mentee's world of opportunities becoming correct and lifelong decisions and facilitating a successful place in life! A true mentor plants a belief, nurtures trust and backs a skill in the right direction. A mentee is forever looking for that mentor who exists but justifies his/her presence when the former is open to welcome one.

A mentor can help one find himself ,change lives and help build a nation and so MENTORING MATTERS!

Reading - a skill that needs rebirth! - Shilpika Pandey

Those who read, read fluently, write well, and speak well!

Reading is one of the best activities to keep your mind focused, enhance your vocabulary, improve pronunciation and inculcate the habit of making reading an essential part of one's regimen.

Reading is a catalyst for an intellectual, thinking mind that sharpens analyzing and brainstorming skills. An old-school activity that is irreplaceable and much needed for our students to keep them away from the hovering world of social media and make them add to their wisdom, knowledge and a composed lifestyle.

When an individual picks up a book to read, he or she unfolds a lesson to remember and change the mindset, thus changing life for the better. Reading helps build conversations, and meaningful conversations take place. So keep reading!

Shilpika Pandey

My Good School