Tuesday, August 2, 2011

SCHOOL ASSEMBLY - PALADA CAMPUS

SCHOOL ASSEMBLY

PALADA CAMPUS – 28 JULY 2011

  1. The School Assembly of the Palada Campus for Std VI to XII was held on 29 July 2011 at the Auditorium.

  1. Dr P.C Thomas, Principal, graced the occasion. He was accompanied by Mrs. Elsamma Thomas, Senior Vice Principal and Mrs. Julie Pradeesh Lawrence, Vice President.

  1. The under mentioned were also present.

Vice Principal – Academics, Vice Principal - Administration, Coordinators Director of Counselling, Director of Activities, Doctors, Engineer, Teachers, Counsellors, Co-curricular Staff and Students

  1. The Assembly commenced with the rendition of the School Song and School Prayer Song by the School Choir and the School. This was followed by the School Prayer. Thereafter Pritha Mondal informed the gathering of the International, National and Sports News of the day. This was followed by a speech by Bhavya Sanjay Aggarwal. Dr. Sabhita, Department of English, assisted Bhavya in composing the text of the speech.

As the saying goes, ‘a work well begun is half done.’ But how to begin a work? A predicament most of us are mostly in. Everyone around us will tell us, “Plan your work properly, take suggestions from others, do it systematically” and what not? Does anyone really tell you “how” to lay the foundation stone for any kind of work?

Respected Principal, Dr. P.C Thomas, Senior Vice Principal, Mrs. Elsamma Thomas, President, Mrs. Julie Pradeesh, Vice Principals, Mrs. Sheila Alexander and Col. Mohan Mathew, Coordinators, teachers and my dear friends,

A very good morning to one and all.

We are standing at the threshold of yet another academic year. All of us are back to school with a heavy heart because of leaving our parents, and also with a mind full of expectations for the New Year. If you look around you, you can also see some unfamiliar faces also like that of mine. Is everything going to be good for us? Only four days are done; the whole year is left. What to do and what not to do?

Let us have a retrospection of the past year. Did we get everything that we wanted? Was the year really good for us? Not sure, are you? But I can say one thing for sure, for those whose first week at school went on well last year, the whole year must have been really good.

So, dear friends, if we begin everything well, everything is bound to be good for us. You will never win, if you never begin. What do we do to get started? As Jim Rohn says, “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” Did you get my idea? Yes, get the right kind of motivation to get started in the right way. Now, how to get motivated? One of the biggest challenges in meeting any goal, be it waking early, changing a habit, exercising, or just becoming happier, is finding the motivation to get started and to stick with it.

Motivation is what drives you towards a goal; what keeps you going when things get tough. Different people get motivated in different ways. The best motivation, then, is a way for you to really want something, to get excited about it, to be passionate about it. I will give you a few tips to get yourselves motivated.

The first and foremost thing to do is to set a goal, be it a small one first. For example, I have set a goal for myself: I will try to get 85% for English this year. Don’t go for really big goals in the beginning, we can have them at a later point of time.

Secondly, you have to really, really want it. Be passionate about it. Be super excited about it. Tell everyone that you are going to achieve this goal this year.

Thirdly, don’t start anything unless you have planned it out properly. I have heard my friends out here quoting our beloved Principal, Dr. P.C Thomas, “Proper preparation prevents poor performance.”

The fourth point is: print it out or just write it on a piece of paper in just a sentence and paste it on a wall where you can see it every day. It will keep you motivated throughout.

Another important thing is that you have to sustain the motivation. Keep committed to your goal and feel excited about it. Find like-minded friends. Read inspiring stories. If you feel low, seek help without hesitation and feel obliged for that. And most importantly, take pleasure in whatever you are doing.

Finally, as Winston Churchill has said “Never, never, never, never give up.”

Thank you and wish you all a great and fulfilling year ahead.

  1. Members of Faculty, Co-curricular Staff and Dorm Parents, who joined the school in July 2011, introduced themselves to the gathering. The Principal then addressed the gathering. He welcomed all present, especially the new students and staff. He also extended this welcome to Mrs. Neeta Nataraj, Dean Good Shepherd Finishing School and the students of the Finishing School. The Principal complemented are the teachers for enabling the students of the school get good results in the last Board Exams. He however wanted them to improve the scores. He mentioned that the school gave its students great opportunities to study and grow in stature. There are good teachers academicians and a plethora of activities like games, dance, art, adventure activities, etc to participate in and improve oneself.

He exhorted all present to focus on time management and encouraged everybody to be punctual at all times.

  1. The Principal informed that his introspection during the school vacations (June – July 2011) led him to implement improvements for the new academic session (July – December 2011) which are as under.

a) The numbers of Counsellors has been increased. They will conduct Aptitude Tests of all the students at periodic intervals. This data will enable the students and their parents make informed choices about the career of the students. The Counsellors will also assist and guide the students in their inter-personal relationship at school.

b) A monthly bulletin of school activities will be made and sent to all parents. The students will also be kept informed.

c) A copy of the First Aid précis compiled by the school doctors will be given to all students.

d) The school buses have been fitted with pneumatic doors and all the seats fitted with seat belts. This is for added safety.

e) The “School Anthem” has been composed and will be presented today. The lyrics are by Ms. Amrita Parmar, Department of English and is set to score by Mr. Paulson and Mr. Roy Thomas, Department of Music.

  1. The Principal went on to inform all that the theme for the Founder’s Day 2011 is a Gujarat Utsav. Dandiya dance will be the highlight. There will be a series of performances on 15 August, 20 August, 09 October and the final on 15 October. Parents of our students are requested to join the Dandiya Dance on 15 October and to come prepared with appropriate costume.

He also informed that a Council of International Schools accreditation is in progress and its inspection is scheduled in October 2012. This is a form of quality audit which will enable the school to be amongst the best in the world. The Principal again emphasized to focus on academics, especially for students of Class X and XII. He expected a score of 45 points in IB from many students, and proportionately high scores from the ISC, IGCSE and ICSE students.

The Principal then made a power point presentation of his vision for developing the Good Shepherd Knowledge Village. He explained the buildings and its facilities and also the tentative time plan.

He informed all present that from July 2012 the classes from IV to XII would be at the Palada Campus and the Fernhill Campus would be closed.

Lastly, he said the whole school is like an Orchestra and everybody has to play their part in consonance with others.

  1. Photographs of this Assembly are displayed below.

L- R, Dr P.C Thomas Principal, Mrs. Elsamma Thomas Senior Vice Principal, Mrs. Julie Pradeesh Lawrence Vice President, Mrs. Sheila Alexander Vice Principal (Academics) and Col. Mohan Mathew Vice Principal ( Administration)



L- R, Dr. Ashok Prasad Resident Medical Officer, Mr. V. Kalyan Ram High School Coordinator,
Mr. T. Suresh Higher Secondary School Coordinator


Mrs. Sheila Alexander Vice Principal (Academics)


Mrs. Neetha Nataraj Dean Good Shepherd Finishing School


Pritha Mondal XI STD


Bhavya Sanjay Aggarwal VIII Std.


L- R, Mrs. Elsamma Thomas Senior Vice Principal, Dr P.C Thomas Principal, Mrs. Julie Pradeesh Lawrence Vice President, Mrs. Sheila Alexander Vice Principal (Academics) and Col. Mohan Mathew Vice Principal ( Administration)


Dr P.C Thomas Principal


Dr P.C Thomas Principal addressing the Assembly


Dr P.C Thomas Principal addressing the Assembly


Rendition of School Anthem for the first time.








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