Friday, 28 October 2022

Slooh’s metrics - students in India at the top of the leaderboards.

Please take a quick look at Slooh's metrics and see students in India at the top of the leaderboards. 

https://vega.slooh.com/docs/2022Sloohinfographic_Medium.jpg

Here is this case study about one of our students getting into Stanford 

https://www.slooh.com/post/michelle-park-s-journey-from-high-school-to-stanford-with-slooh

We have another school in Germany, the Sorbonne testing it, Harrow using an account.

We're looking for a European edtech to help take Slooh to market in Europe.

Join a global community, and explore space via a network of robotic mountaintop telescopes. Live online telescope feeds unique astronomical events from Slooh's observatories in the Canary Islands and Chile. School Space Program makes learning a fun process.

Visit www.Slooh.Org.IN

Student Community Leaders and School Leaders are from India.

- Michael Paulucci
Founder/CEO of Slooh.
Learn to explore space via online telescopes.

SLOOH.COM
We have democratized school space access through innovation. 

What have I learnt from My Good School - Shambhavi Nautiyal

What have I learnt from my one year at My Good School?

There are a colossal of amazing things that I have learnt from my one year at My Good School. I read three meaningful and impactful books and got to know three very new authors that helped to make my year a little more bedazzling.

Reading is all about simplicity and beauty, which I was able to experience regularly throughout this year. Though I couldn't reflect much in the written form, as far as I can tell, I did have the chance to go through the whole discussion and analysis in the meetings. I enjoyed expanding my knowledge of articulation and vocabulary and viewing the world through different perspectives. I made new friends and got to know their stories and opinions.

The first book that we read, Dr Anupam Sibal's "Is Your Child Ready to face the world?', was a book that made me dive into the observations and life lessons manifested through the life of the author. I believe it gave me a view of the world I will be stepping into soon. That book made me discern what those virtues meant to me and how I would want to when I grow. Even today, if someone ever asks me about some helpful self-help book recommendations, then I would only ask for that person to give this book a read.

The second book 'Totto-chan, the girl by the window' was written by a Japanese author, Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, a country I admire. This book gave me a view of how childhood is for a Japanese kid, fascinating and adventurous what I was able to make out. The whole book was heartwarming, and it felt like travelling back in time to a different country like I was there. Especially reading these books with all of the My Good School members was fun. It was simply marvellous knowing so many new things every week. I am proud and content with the idea of me being a part of this home-like friendly open programme which is just free of judgements.

It's indeed been a roller-coaster ride, somehow. Apart from everything, there is one thing I can say for sure that one-hour meeting felt like a safe place for other children like me who were interested in the beauty of literature and admired it and lived the stories just the way I did. Now that I think of it, I can't express how much gratitude I feel for being able to be a part of this; looking back at it as a journey of improvisation and learning,

I don't know if I would even be writing anything if it weren't for My Good School. I would have probably thought for it to be something I couldn't do and just wasn't for me, but because of this practice of reflecting, I have enriched and improved that now I can do it anytime, whenever I think of it. It's been a healing experience, and of course, I want to thank the organisers, Sandeep sir, Monisha ma'am, all the interns who have put so much effort into making this a success and the other members who joined, which always made the meeting come up alive.

Shambhavi Nautiyal 
Ahlcon Public School

Wednesday, 26 October 2022

Ce que l'indépendance signifie pour moi - Rishona Chopra

 

Language: French 

L'indépendance n'est pas le droit de faire ce que l'on veut mais le droit de faire ce qui est juste. L'indépendance est l'essence de la liberté, le sentiment que nous ne sommes gouvernés par personne d'autre mais que nous avons la possibilité, tout comme les autres, d'explorer et d'apprendre. L'indépendance est un droit qui est beru fondamental et notre besoin mais de nos jours ce besoin est devenu un désir. Beaucoup de gens n'ont pas l'indépendance nécessaire pour prendre leurs décisions dans la vie, faire ce qu'ils veulent, étudier et ne pas vivre sous la domination de quelqu'un. Alors ne prenons pas notre indépendance pour acquise car c'est quelque chose de spécial.

Translation:

Independence is not the right to do as we wish but the right to do what is right. Independence is the essence of freedom, the feeling that we are not ruled by anyone but have the opportunity, just like others, to explore and learn. Independence is a fundamental right and our need, but nowadays, this need has become a want. Many people don't have the independence to make their decisions in life, do what they want, study and not live under the rule of somebody. So let's not take our independence for granted because it is unique.

Rishona Chopra 
Grade VI 
Gyanshree School

Tuesday, 25 October 2022

The flame must keep burning - Rishona Chopra


Diwali or Deepavali is a time to brighten our homes and hearts. The messages of beauty, newness and freshness carried by the festival are being observed and celebrated differently in various parts of the country. Mythology shares that it honoured the return of Sri Ram to the kingdom of Ayodhya after a 14-year exile when people expressed their joy by lighting Diyas (lamps) to welcome him. So it is a celebration of victory and a return to self-governance or sovereignty. But like every other festival, rituals followed during Diwali hold deep spiritual significance. It becomes truly festive and more meaningful when we understand their purity and imbibe them.

Preparations begin with cleaning, painting or even renovation in many houses. What does this spiritually signify? It is a message for us to clean our minds. We need to cleanse it to remove thoughts of anger, criticism, rejection, resentment, hatred, hurt and jealousy. The weight of all this negativity we have been holding on to is weakening the soul. Paint the mind with new colours of peace, love and compassion. We also need to clean our words, actions and behaviour. This has to happen every day, not once a year, so we eventually reach a stage where we have a constantly clean and pure mind and body.

Regular practice of meditation and imbibing spiritual knowledge shared by God help us achieve the stage. Gifts and blessings are exchanged during Diwali. Spiritually, it is a message for us to empower and care for each other. A blessing is a high and pure energy vibration we create in our thoughts and express through our words. We have all experienced that the blessings of saints, parents, teachers, family and friends have created miracles in our lives. Irrespective of people’s sanskaras and behaviours, we empower them to change their sanskaras when we create only pure thoughts and words. Our blessings radiate to them to become their reality and change their destiny. Not just on a festival, our every thought and word every day should be a blessing. 

Giving blessings is the easiest way to receive blessings. 

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

Sunday, 23 October 2022

My Covid Experience - Arfa Khan

As soon as we heard that the virus had reached India, our anxieties crept up on us. My overprotective grandfather always reminded us to take precautions and would never let us take even a step outside the house unless it was necessary. In the first wave, we all were horrified of the virus and would misunderstand even cough to having the virus. In the new days of the virus, I got a cold, and my nose was blocked. I mistook it as having the virus and started crying, which usually happens once in a blue moon. Catching the virus had become my worst nightmare; I would always chicken out just after hearing it. My grandfather used to watch a news channel with the sound of the EKC/ECG monitor's heartbeat going flatline, which would always make my mother and I feel very uncomfortable. I took things so much to the next level that I would wake up at 4am and check if my parents were breathing. Thanks to our anxieties and our taking precautions, my family didn't catch the virus in the first wave. We became a bit relaxed and, to be honest, a bit careless…and that was a fatal mistake.

In the second wave, my whole family (apart from me) caught the virus. My uncle threw a housewarming party, and we all attended it. Because they were relatives, my family took off their masks. A few days later, my grandfather showed symptoms of covid and soon, so did my grandmother; they both got tested and came out positive. We could not find a hospital with vacant beds, so I had to stay isolated in my room for the time being. After searching for many days, my aunt found a hospital and my grandparents were admitted. My father kept going to and fro from the hospital and our home. We barely got time to meet each other. We only talked via video call, and I used my father's old phone, which was very rusty and laggy. Life felt very empty and depressed. Each day was the same; time went by so fast. My father also caught covid because of constant exposure to covid in the hospital, which was soon transmitted to my mother. I had to wear a mask at all times. Because of my society's high number of cases, grocery stores refused to give home deliveries, and mothers had to go out and get them. My other aunt's friend had an organization which delivered food to covid patients, and that's how we got our food. My mother got so sick that she threw up every day for 3 days straight, which was horrifying because I have emetophobia (the fear of vomit). My grandparents had to be kept on ventilators. My grandfather's health was getting worse day by day. On the other hand, my grandmother got discharged but again admitted 2 days later. My grandfather stopped talking and soon didn't even open his eyes; the next day, he died. I saw him on his last day via video call, and I pitied him. All of this happened during my summer vacation (2021). Because of all this chaos, I couldn't complete my holiday homework, and I had to cram it into just 4-5 days. When I look back on it, I feel very empty from the inside. It was the lowest and darkest time of my life. I can see the changes in my everyday things in the absence of my grandfather. I just wish Covid never existed. My family would have been so much better. In fact, the whole world would have been so much better. 

-Arfa Khan 
7-A
Ahlcon Public School

References:

https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/seventeen-further-covid-cases-detected-across-nhs-highland-240335/


When my mentor left me - Gaurangi Rastogi

When your teacher, who helped you as a friend to fight your pain to become successful, is like you, You can talk to them about anything. Who made your worst subjects interesting. My role model is going on a new journey. 

Okay! So, I'm going to tell you my feelings about this scenario in points.

  • When you hear the news, you think of it as a rumour and ignore it for a few weeks.

  • When the news comes out to be true, you simply are in shock. 

  • Now, if you want to make a remembrance for them, you can make it from any material you find. 

  • You decorate it with your words and feelings. 


You Know, I am writing this just to express my feelings. This is an important lesson I learnt from my mentor to ‘ express your heart’ in any form. 


Gaurangi Rastogi 

Class VII 

The Doon Girls’ School

It’s Not Over - Reveda Bhatt

“You die when you die, but it’s not the end.”

Death is the physical end of an organism on this planet which is its definition.

But, as always, in life, there is a twist.

Going deep into its meaning, it’s actually the process via which our soul escapes its present physical appearance into another or somewhere away to a place unknown to mankind. This opens up the question or maybe a belief in our minds about the concept of ‘life after death,’ the study of which is termed as ‘Thanatology.’ After years of denying this hypothetical statement, even some people in the field of Science have given in to believing it.


One of them is Dr. Stephen Mayer of the United States who said that there was a study proposed which states that Life After Death may be a reality. For this study, researchers at the University of Southampton in England examined more than 2000 victims of cardiac arrests from 15 hospitals out of which 360 of them had revived and about 40 percent had some sort of awareness during the period when they were ‘clinically dead.’


You see, lying unconscious or dead, there is something in the body which is conscious and aware of everything going on around.


So, life is not over after death and death is not the end of life.

There supposedly is life after death in a different form, in a different body and in a different world.


It is just a ticket to a plane heading to another land that everyone has to board!



Wish all our readers a Happy Diwali!

Reveda Bhatt
Grade IX
The Aryan School, Dehradun

Swami and Friends - Anvesha Rana

Swami is back with Rajam and Mani, but this time he endures an adventure, so tormenting. It is the 15th of August, Independence day, and the celebrations in Malgudi are wild. People are celebrating Independence with heavy zeal, jubilance and violence. The youngsters are so overflown with this wave of unprecedented patriotism that they don't think about what is essential. 

Swaminathan is gullible; he does what he believes others will feel is correct, not caring about his conscience or opinion. He simply flung his Khaddar cap, considered a foreign cloth, when someone doubted him about it. On being caught by the peon, Swaminathan could not sustain being beaten, and henceforth Swami ran away from the school. 

Independence means being free from the mind, body, and soul, for we are only in harmony with ourselves and others. Selflessness is also a part of being independent, and my mother is the most selfless person I know. She is softhearted yet strong-willed, she is compassionate yet unwavering in principle, she is a loving mother, yet she risks everything; she suffers due to conflict but never blames anyone; she has done everything for us and has never asked for anything in return. 

Anvesha Rana, 
Grade 10-B, 
Gyanshree School

The Hidden Key 🔐 - Oshi Singh

Image courtesy www.pinterest.com, used for representation only.

Climate change has troubled us to be lone, 

But all we humans do is just moan and groan. 

But why can't all humans see,

That soil is the answer; it is our key! 


Long ago, carbon was balanced, 

But the humans made it unbalanced. 

The soil that once held tight,

Had to be lifted from its site. 


Deforestation and desertification were the results, 

And most people didn't react to it, unlike good adults. 

But all we need to do is store carbon in the soil,

So that the carbon no more does its harmful spoils. 


We should restore the soil and the Earth, 

And in the end, all of it would be worth. 

Nature's loving technology was and always be there,

And protecting it should be the duty that we all should swear. 


The answer is right beneath our feet, 

We should always respect and further teach. 


The problem and the answer are simply a matter of balance, 

What we all did was simply a matter of out-balance. 

Will the Earth now heat up?

Or is it a storm in a teacup? 


Whatever we do, 

We shall always remember,

there is no other place like home. 

And there's no clone for mother Earth. 

Oshi Singh
VIII D 
Gyanshree School

Credits: I would like to thank my friend Riddhi Chopra for helping me write this wonderful poem to bring notice to the rising issue of the depletion of the soil. 

Reference: https://images.app.goo.gl/6VFPD5h2Kjoh7D6d6

Thursday, 20 October 2022

Dear School Uniform - Yashraj Sharma

I remember my first day of primary classes when I wore you proudly and happily, but honestly, that was not my first reaction to you. Initially, I felt detached, because you replaced my favourite casual clothes, my t-shirts and trousers. But when I reached school, I saw my classmates and other children wearing the same uniform. I felt a sense of belonging. I felt like I was a part of something then.

I like you and always wear you with pride and happiness as a Shreeyan. Today, I want to confess that I know how I got you soiled in the playground and how you got stained with oily vegetable mom gave me in my tiffin, how you got wet because, at times, water spilt on you from my water bottle. Sometimes you feel lonely when I put my ID card (your companion) in my school bag during sports period. I am sorry for that. Now I am in grade 8.

After grade 12, you would not be there with me as my companion. I will miss you a lot then. And last but not least, thank you for being carriers of almonds, cashews and raisins in your pocket. I am sure my mom is also thankful to you for this. You will always have a special place in my heart, my dear school uniform.

Love you always!!

Your proud owner

Yashraj Sharma
Grade 8
Gyanshree School

Reflections Since 2021