My Good School Song - Arav Agarwal

My Good School, My Good School

It empowers us with life skill tools!

Put on your thinking caps to learn;

Experience the joy of learning and have fun!

 

My Good School, My Good School

This is a place where you learn real-life values;

Explore and strengthen your skills as an intern;

Or experience the joy of reading, writing and speaking in Sunday sessions!

 

My Good School, My good School

Here everyone is welcomed and valued!

My Good School, My Good School

Here life is happy and super cool.

Name: Arav Agarwal

Grade: 6A

Billabong High International School, Thane

Totto-chan's Mother - Anvesha Rana

Totto-chan's mother is a unique parent. She understands her daughter like a mother, treats her like a friend and protects her like a soldier. Totto-chan is lucky to have such a benevolent mother who supports her in all her decisions. She is a calm and composed lady and has brought up her daughter similarly.

The best part about Totto-chan's mother and Totto-chan is the comfort level that the mother and daughter share, so much so that Totto-chan shares everything with her mother. Behind every young child who believes in himself is a parent who believes first. Totto-chan is an open minded and free spirited child only because she has a mother who doesn't want her to walk in her footsteps, but she wishes for Totto-chan to imprint her own feet on a new field.

Totto-Chan's mother is just like my mother,

She is soft hearted yet strong willed, 

She is compassionate yet unwavering in principle, 

She is a loving mother, yet she wants her to go beyond the horizons, 

She worries about her daughter, yet she pushes her into the waters, 

In short, simply a SUPER MOM.

Anvesha Rana,

Grade 10-B,

Gyanshree School.

Learning: The Fun Way - Anvesha Rana

At Tomoe Gakuen, the students could study the subjects at their own pace. Unlike regular schools where children have fixed periods for different topics. At Tomoe, one could start by doing their favourite subject and then somehow manage to do the ones they dislike; this was learning the fun way. Independent decisions made the children ready for real life. 

Another aspect of Totto Chan's new school was that lunch was unique. Everyone was supposed to bring something from the ocean and the hills to meet the essential nutrition requirement. Also, if the child only had something from the sea or something from the sea, then the headmaster's wife would dole out the other. So all kids at Tomoe Gakuen always ate Something from the ocean and something from the hills. 

The Headmaster was a distinctive individual; he always encouraged the children to chew their food well and respect it. He would often test the students' culinary knowledge by asking them about the place from where their food belongs: The hills or the sea? 

This was all the fun at Tomoe Gakuen, but the best part was probably the School Walks. After lunch, all the kids would walk in the open with their teacher in the midst. Everyone would think of it as leisure time, but these walks were actually memorable lessons in science, history and biology.

This is Learning the Fun Way, which is at Tomoe Gakuen but is even at My Good School, where Learning is Fun and Fun is Learning! 

Anvesha Rana, 
Grade 10-B, 
Gyanshree School

Tomoe Gakuen - Aanya Kumar

A school on a train does sound weird. But, according to Totto-chan, it could be real fun. Tomoe Gakuen was full of fun-filled surprises for all its students.

I would like to present this poem on Tomoe Gakuen:

Tomoe Gakuen, an unusal school,

With train boogies as its classrooms.

With no rules for studying or going in the pool,

To the students, it seemed relatively cool.

Totto-chan was expelled,

Mother was worried.

She had to find a new school,

An unusual one indeed!

Tomoe Gakuen, was fit for Totto-chan,

As her day at the new school quickly began.

Totto-Chan was happy and had hights to seek 

And I’d say the school was pretty unique.

Aanya Kumar

Podar International School

Grade 6 B

Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window - Amaira Bhati

                                                                 

Tetsuko Kuroyanagi is from Japan. She was born in 1933 and is 88 years old. She wrote Totto-chan in 1982. On May First, we started reading the book. This story is about a little girl named Totto-chan, who is strong-willed yet kind-hearted, compassionate yet unwavering in principle. Totto used to go to a school where she had a strict teacher, and the teacher often observed her very carefully. Totto-chan always used to shut her desk; she would bang it with a big noise. Totto never used to sit on her chair; she would stand near the window every time her teacher was teaching. One day her teacher held an activity of making the flag of Japan and the teacher kept roaming around the class looking at her students' drawings, but when she saw Totto-chan’s drawing, she was very disappointed. Totto had made her flag in many colours, she made strokes and flinches around the flag, and her flag was so big that she drew some flinches on the table. It took them some severe trouble to rub it off. 

Another day Totto-chan went out of the window and started talking to someone. When her teacher leaned out to see who she was talking to, the teacher caught her talking to birds who were making their nests. Her teacher was so frustrated by Totto's behaviour that she held a meeting with her mother, and the teacher told everything about Totto-chan’s mischief. The teacher told her mother that she didn't want to make a nuisance out of her class, so she had to expel Totto-chan from the school. 

Totto-chan’s mother didn’t tell her anything about being expelled from school. She told Totto that she would be going to another school, which would be even more fun. So they went off to a new city, a new school, and a new beginning. Toto was so excited about going to her new school by train. She sat quietly on the train, but when the ticket collector came and asked Totto-chan for her ticket instead of handing in the ticket, questions had now popped up in her inquisitive mind, but the ticket collector snatched the ticket away from her. Totto-chan’s mother was very worried about Totto’s admission. Her mother took her hand and said that they couldn't be late because ahead of them, the gate of a small school was gradually coming into view in the distance.

Amaira Bhati,

Grade 3 - F,

Gyanshree school

Totto-chan: The Little Girl At The Window - Rishona Chopra

 

She looked out of the window,
She is a cute little fellow,

Opened the desk drawer again and again,
But she had a smart brain!

She called the street musicians,
Talked like a bold magician.

She was extraordinary indeed,
And did everything at top speed

Talked to Swallows,
And she was smart enough to find hidden barrows!!

This extraordinary girl is none other than Totto-Chan,
She is always ready with a plan! Rishona Chopra Grade VI Gyanshree School

If I were a character in a Book I would be ... by Arav Agarwal

Books and characters take us to places where we have to stay where we are, and there are times when we are fascinated by the characters and their qualities that we aspire to be like them. If I were a character in a book, I would be Tom from the series Tom Gates by Liz Pichon.

The character Tom inspires me because he does not have any superpowers, and Tom is like one of us. Still, he is active, intelligent, solution-oriented and loves trying new activities. In one of his books called ‘Super Good Skills’, things did not go the way he wanted, but he made it fun for himself and his family with his qualities. Tom transports me to his school, classroom, home, on his school trips and at his friend’s house, where he teaches so many life values like friendship, being courageous, communication ways and keeping a positive attitude. The most important thing is that he does everything in a fun and enjoyable way. With him, I get motivated to be a better person, give my best in whatever I do and make this world a better place. I love to be in the brilliant world of Tom Gates. 

Name: Arav Agarwal
Grade: 5C
Billabong High International School, Thane

Student Leader: Mentor or Monitor? - Anvesha Rana

                                                                        

Great Leaders don't tell you what to do, 

they show how it's done.

There is always a significant role for the monitor in every class, and there are many criteria for selecting a monitor. Usually, a monitor is the most disciplined and ideal student, but a monitor cannot actually help anyone. A class needs a Mentor or a Student Leader, the one who can take up tasks with zeal, do them with endurance, and ensure contributions from each student. A Student Leader is not an ideal student, but it is someone who is appreciated by all for everything that they do.  

A Real Leader should be the one who carries immutable values and respect for the past. A Real Leader may be older than you, but they will still treat you the same. Leaders should be amiable and charming personalities who are diplomatic in their terms. We all have a Leader within ourselves; we just need to recognise it. Student Leaders are within all of us. 

Today we read the last chapter of the book 'My Good School', and there are many things that I learned from this book. Primarily that school is much more than brick-and-mortar and is actually land that has come to life. A School can become a Good School only through Students Mentors, Happy Teachers and Dynamic Leaders. We view the different aspects of School through this book, and if you read this book, then there is one thing for sure you will also realise that School is FUN!

Anvesha Rana, Grade 10-B, Gyanshree School

Sibling's Day - Anvesha Rana

A Sibling is a lens through which we see our Childhood,

Today, April 10, is national Sibling's Day, and I bet that most of us were not even aware of it. Siblings are those special friends that God has selectively chosen for you, and I believe there are no better friends than your Siblings. 

Siblings are the people we practise on, who teach us about fairness, cooperation, kindness, and caring - often the hard way. I don't have any siblings, but my cousins are just like my real sisters, and I can't imagine how boring my life would be without them?

Like Sugar and Spice, your siblings make things extra nice. All the mischief, damage and devastation that I have ever caused is on the compulsion of my siblings. So wish your brother or sister this sibling's day and thank them for all the notorious stuff because, like they say, it's better late than never. 

Anvesha Rana, 
Grade 10-B, 
Gyanshree School

Honesty - Rishona Chopra

Courage, Bravery, we all must have heard these terms; a question might come to our mind: What is the most significant act of courage? The answer could be: Climbing Everest? Being a soldier? Well, it is actually none of those...it is honesty.

Honesty is being truthful not to anyone but to ourselves. We deceive ourselves when we lie to others and think that we have fooled them. We can lie to others but not to ourselves. The trust that one builds on the other is because we will be honest with them. We often lie to fit in the society, but that is not needed; we should be who we are. 

You might be surprised to hear, but I figured out it wasn't needed even though I lied to fit into society. I don't play video games and don't know a thing about them, but all my friends lied that I knew how to when I had no idea! If I say that I don't know about it, they make fun of me, but that does not matter. What matters is what I think of myself. I believe that video games harm our creativity, and I know things that I should know and that I am a good person, so I don't have to lie and don't have to tell the truth either!

You would have often heard people say that they don't get into trouble when they do something wrong and tell the truth, but I think that's not how it works. Like in stories, it says that we did a bad thing, said the fact and got chocolate, but those are not practical. We should always be honest, but not necessary to help us get out of trouble. We still might face the consequence, so we should not be honest, thinking it will get us out of trouble. Accept your mistake and improve.

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

A true adventure - Snoopy

 My name is Snoopy

Hi, I am Snoopy! Our adventure begins here on a cold frosty morning in London on the 31st of December, which is New Year. 

You have got this golden chance to explore London with me, have lots of fun, and get into lots of trouble (I know how to get out of that)! So, are you in?

First of all, let me introduce you to Mrs Goobey. She is a fat, old woman with a unique name. Nobody can defeat her except Snoopy, which is me. Let's get into her house and create some trouble (naughty laughs). There she is sitting like a sweet grandma (which she is not) knitting a sweater for her grandchildren (she's knitting it for herself), and there I go, whooshing through and I just broke a glass. Hey, don't worry, I am not hurt.

Well, she knows I did that, come on, let's hide in her wardrobe and tear her clothes, except her socks which smell. Okay, she's after me. (After a lot of running). See, I am just fine; I defeated her. Mrs Goobey throws her sticks at Snoopy. 

Ouch, I mean, that is what I would have said if I was hurt, but I am not. I am a bit tired; actually, I think you are, so let's meet again next week!

Rishona Chopra - Snoopy
Grade VI 
Gyanshree School

The Annual Day at School - Anvesha Rana

The Annual Day at School is an occasion where we ignite the concealed explorer inside each child. Be it the sports day, the investiture ceremony or the theatrical performances. All these functions at school initiate children to think beyond the blue. Studies are not the only thing we go to school for; school is about friends, teachers, skills, sports, services and most importantly, Fun! 

If you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life. If we all love to go to school, then we will indulge in all the activities there, and by doing that only, we will be able to experience The School of Life. 

Annual Days have always been special to me. The teamwork by everyone to put up the show is evident in the performances, the zeal with which everyone performs is irreplaceable, and the sense of belonging to the school lasts forever. Annual Days are an excellent way to create mutual trust between the students. All the kids strengthen their bond and spark respect for their school by performing together. Annual Days should celebrate the community and promote the diverse cultures in the particular region.

The Annual Day should be one such day when the entire school comes together for a single cause. It should celebrate each student's creativity, uniqueness, interest, skills, and values as part of this colossal organization. A school without students is like memory without a picture. Students make up the school. Thus, it is vital that the students are happy. 

Anvesha Rana.

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree 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

Happiness - Asmi Patankar

Happiness does not have any material value. It is priceless. I feel happy when I have fun, read books, dance, talk with my friends, see new places, and much more. Whenever I do any of these activities, I feel happy. For one thing, whenever I see dogs, I feel thrilled. Since I feel so glad, I remember those experiences. And when I think about the memories, I feel happy. 

Name: Asmi Patankar

Grade: 5A

Billabong High International School, Thane

Fun - Aria Gupta

"You don't stop playing because you get old. You get old because you stop playing".

I think everybody likes to have fun more than work. But why are some things fun while others are not? Work may be stressful and create anxiety, while fun is full of joy. One way to make work fun is to forget all that stress and anxiety; instead, think about the joy you feel when you're having fun. Another way to make work fun is to gamify it. For example, if you have to finish tons of homework, I make a fairy list for all the assignments. After doing one, you may ask an imaginary fairy to grant a wish, a small one like watching TV for 30 minutes or playing with your friends for an hour. Fun is compelling in motivation, so you should add some fun to work.  

Aria Gupta

Grade IV-F

Gyanshree School

Where Passion Meets Education - Rishona Chopra

 

Ever wondered about a place where passion meets education. A place where learning is fun and fun is learning? Well, you might have found that special place! That special place is a school - My Good School. 

Here you can exercise and work on your abilities independently! You learn what you need to master your goal! No, not history, physics and math but values. You learn values!

Not only that, but every Sunday at 11 am, we meet up and read one unique book with a meaning that could change our lives and way of thinking! You can write blogs podcasts and post them like I am. You could be an intern, be a designer, make designs and be in our marketing team too!

It’s not just for children but for teachers too! We have a few partner programs too, like - Slooh (space program), Sportify (sports program), Well-Being Program and several others!

It is, of course, not necessary to do it all! Just do what you like, when you want!

It is indeed a place where passion meets education.

Rishona Chopra Grade V Gyanshree School

The Annual Day At School - Rishona Chopra

Every school has an annual day, the most memorable, exciting day. The Annual Day showcases the effort by the students (Shreeyans in Gyanshree School). 

We have numerous events on an annual day. Last time in 3rd grade, I was selected in theatre and the lead role! I was super nervous, but at the same time very happy. Due to lockdown, we could not celebrate Annual Day physically but did it online, but honestly, it wasn't that fun. When we dressed up for a dress rehearsal, all the girls were in the washroom showing each other's dresses and helping tie their hair. When teachers used their lipstick and put it on students, so much fun, although I am allergic to lipstick!

Now an Annual online day is not that fun! The excitement isn't that much, and the fun is definitely less.

An important part was mentioned in the book called 'self-esteem'. Even our Principal ma'am shared it in her assembly! 

Self-esteem is self-respect. How we feel for ourselves. When we ask our parents and teachers if they are proud of us when we achieve something, we should instead ask ourselves.

The Annual Day is also a time to show our skill and have some fun! At first, I was so nervous, even though I was voicing the leading role in the play, that I felt like not doing it! But then that was my area of interest, and I had so much fun after that.

I miss my school and want to go to school, be with my friends and teachers, and physically participate in the Sports Day and Annual Day.

Rishona Chopra

Grade V

Gyanshree School

Friendship - Vinisha Choudhary

Friendship is one of the most precious gifts of life. It is a relationship between people. It is the purest and divine relationship among all other relations. Friends support you in life, not only in the happy times but also in your hard times. 

True friendship is what gives us reason to stay firmer and happy in life. Many people don't have a family, but they have family friends to them. In a good friendship honesty and loyalty plays a very important role. Having a best friend in life is a blessing that doubles your joy and divides your pain. Friends never leave up in bad times. 

We learn how to understand people and trust others. A real friend will always motivate you and cheer for you. When we make friends on the first day of school, we become delighted, but when we all get far from our friends, we miss them a lot. Whether they made fun of us and whether they helped us in our bad times.

TRUE FRIENDS ARE NEVER APART, MAYBE IN DISTANCE BUT NEVER IN HEART 

Vinisha Choudhary

Class: 11th Science

The Fabindia School

Friendship - Rananjay Rajput

Friendship is Fun and Glory!

In friendship, there is no thank you, no sorry, 

There is only fun and glory. 

I called my friend, 

And told him to come down,

 But he gave me a frown.

 Said he was making a video on the new trend!

 I messaged another buddy,

 Who I thought was always ready.

 I told him to come and play,

 He replied that his face had turned grey!

 I then ringed my best friend,

 Who used to always study.

 But surprisingly he said, “ok I'm ready buddy!”

 He asked me, “what are you going to play?”

 I said “football”, 

And he said, “sorry it's not my day”.

 I was very angry with all my friends.

 The inquisitive, the sick and the one who always tries trends,

 But tomorrow again, I realized that,

 In friendship, there is no thank you, no sorry,

 There is only fun and glory! 

Dedicated to all my friends!! 

Name: Rananjay Rajput

Grade: 5A

Billabong High International School, Thane

Fun is learning, learning is fun - Rishona Chopra

Fun is the beginning of anything fundamental. Even the word fundamental has the word fun! 

The book states that when we are pushed and taught, we don't really learn anything, but learning becomes more effective and enjoyable when we have fun. As children, we are taught that we should go to school and learn to become something one day. But in my opinion, it is much more than that. We become better humans, we get to know how each thing has its own way of forming,  and the world becomes so much more fascinating!

Not just reading our textbooks and memorizing is learning; it is boring. Suppose you are reading one of the concepts States of Matter, and you are reading about the matter. Then you can think of five-ten things and write them down in which form they are and more factors such as size, shape, mass and colour. This will show the concept in the real world and make learning so much more fun. 

My science teacher always tells us to visualize things and draw them. It makes it so much fun, in your science class you can draw several diagrams and learning is fun!

When I revise for my exam, I put all my notes of different subjects in envelopes and send them back to me through the bottom of my room's door. It's like receiving a letter with notes. While revising for my English exam, one of the topics is a formal letter. I wrote a formal letter to the principal, put it in an envelope and acted as if I was the principal! 

So there are so many ways in which learning can be super fun!

Rishona Chopra
Grade V
Gyanshree School