SILC: Weekly Digest (04/24/11)

Dear SILC Students, Parents, Teachers and Volunteers:

 

Have you started making use of SILC library? Please note that we have added 4 more books to SILC library collection.

1. Culture Smart! India: A Quick Guide to Customs & Etiquette

2. The Discovery of India By Jawaharlal Nehru

3. A Better India, A Better World By N.R. Narayana Murthy

4. The Bollywood Cookbook: The Glamorous World of the Actors and Over 75 of Their Favorite Recipes

 

The last few weeks of SILC are always busy and exciting times with the entire SILC community preparing and getting ready for many events.

 

 Here is the rest of SILC schedule

 

* Regular Classes  (April 30)

* Vibha taal (dance competion) event for Tweens (Neelam's students) (April 30)
* Festival of Nations (May 7th)

* Deadline for receiving the nominations for Uma Namboodiripad award (May 7th)

* Deadline for receiving the articles for SILC year book (May 7th)

* Holi celebrations (May 14th) and
* Graduation Day (May 21st) 

* Volunteer Appreciation Day (May 22nd)

 

April 30:  Vibha taal:  We have 11 students from Neelam's class registered for Vibha taal event.   We are not told about our slot yet, but we are requesting them to allocate after 2 PM.  So, all the participants need to plan to go to vibha immediately after SILC. This event will be held at COFFMAN MEMORIAL UNION Theater, 300 Washington Ave. SE. Minneapolis, MN 55455-0110.  Please visit for more details http://wiki.vibha.org/Minnesota:Taal-2011

 

7th May (Festival Of Nations):  Please take note of the detailed schedule of SILC Performances at FON.

 

* SILC Youth (Neelam's students): 11:30 AM

* SILC Children (Aishwarya's students): 1:30 PM

* SILC Adults (Lata's students): 7:00 PM

 

If you have not gone to FON before, it can be daunting task to navigate through the crowds and rooms to reach the dance venue where SILC students will be performing. Please ensure that you reach the venue at least 1 hour before the schedule time so as to give the performer some settling time (and also to participate in any last minute rehearsal at the venue)

 

Deadline for receiving the nominations for Uma Namboodiripad award (May 7th)

 

This permanent annual award was instituted in March 2008 to honor the memory of Uma Namboodiripad, a dedicated volunteer at SILC, who demonstrated immense commitment to its students and its mission. 

 

Volunteers are life blood of this organization and are the primary reason for the success of SILC all these years. Please take a moment to recognize a teacher or volunteer and send your nominations to our volunteer coordinator  Natarajan Raman – Volunteer coordinator (nraman4002@gmail.com)  or hand over a printed/written copy to Raman in person at SILC

 

You can review the nomination form and guidelines in the last week's digest (or at http://www.silcblogs.com/)

 

Deadline for receiving the articles for SILC year book (May 7th)

 

Share your experiences of the your time at SILC! Write a review of a movie or book you have recently seen or read on India!  If you are first time teacher at SILC, what are your experiences in the class room?  Share a picture or art you have done at SILC? There are many way you can unleash your creativity to contribute to the year book.

 

Graduation Day (May 21st):

 

You must all be busy in preparing for the event - doing projects, practicing plays/rhymes and preparing the material to show.  If you have not already done so, please let us know the details of what you need (projector? speaker? mike? any other?) to present what you have learned at SILC.  We will ensure that we have it ready for you.

 

Wishing you all another wonderful week.

--
Regards
Siva Jasthi

President
School of India for Languages and Culture
http://www.silcmn.com
siva.jasthi@gmail.com
info@silcmn.com
(mobile) 612.217.4821

SILC: Weekly Digest (04/17/2011)

Dear SILC Students, Parents, Teachers and Volunteers:

 

Are you wearing the thinking caps for writing and submitting articles to SILC graduation year book?.  Please contribute articles (students can write about their experiences in learning at SILC, parents/teachers can share their experiences - first timers at SILC are specially welcome as they usually bring out fresh perspectives), share any photos or art. Please send your articles to Shiv Bhatia (Assistant Principal) who will be coordinating the SILC year book.

 

As part of May 21st SILC graduation planning, I would like to make a request for musicians on behalf our Anil - our Tabla Doctor.  He is looking for someone who can play a musical instrument (violin, flute, harmonium, etc.) for playing background music while our tabla students perform.  If you know and are interested to perform, please contact Anil for the details.

 

As announced yesterday,  please note that the deadline for receiving the nominations for Uma Namboodiripad Volunteering award is May 7th. You can download the attachment from this email or pick up a printed copy at SILC next week.

 

====================================================

Uma Namboodiripad Volunteering Award (2010-11)

THE AWARD

This permanent annual award was instituted in March 2008 to honor the memory of Uma Namboodiripad, a dedicated volunteer at SILC, who demonstrated immense commitment to its students and its mission.  It was given out for the first time as part of the SILC Graduation event in May 2008.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION (2010-11)

• The candidate should be a present member of SILC in good standing, whether a Student or Volunteer (parent/non-parent)..
• The candidate must have volunteered significant time (30 hours or more) for SILC during the past academic year. This will qualify all the teachers at SILC.
• Some of the factors you can consider while nominating a volunteer can be – his/her longevity of service, the difference he/she is making at SILC and in your / child’s life, the enthusiasm, passion and inspiration he/she brings to SILC.

NOMINATION PROCEDURE (2010-11)

• Each parent can nominate one individual. SILC Board members and teachers can also make nominations.
• Nominations must be written and must describe in detail (at least 3 sentences) why this person should be considered for the award.
• Recipients of this award from earlier years are not considered. Lata Menon (2008), Aishwarya Menon(2009), Mangala Achar (2010) are earlier recipients of this award.
• Please send your nominations directly to Natarajan Raman – Volunteer coordinator (nraman4002@gmail.com)  or hand over a printed/written copy to Raman in person at SILC
• The deadline for making your nomination is May 7^th Saturday.

====================================================

Thank you to all those who have submitted the answers to Spring quiz from the news letter. Of the 11 correct entries we have received (Anushka and Akshu Mankunath, Aradhana Menon, Vikas Thoutam, Roshan and Ashwin Wariar, Manashree Padiyath, Akshay Nambudiripad, Vishnu Achar, Jason and Katelyn Berry, Deepta Jasthi, Anita Kalatoor Sanjana Nambudiri),  Anita Kalatoor is the lucky winner of the gifrt card.

 

Here is the rest of SILC schedule

 

* Regular Classes in April (23, 30)

* Vibha taal (dance competion) event for Tweens (Neelam's students) (April 30)
*  Festival of Nations (May 7th)

*  Deadline for receiving the nominations for Uma Namboodiripad award

* Holi celebrations (May 14th) and
* Graduation Day (May 21st) 

* Volunteer Appreciation Day (May 22nd)

 

30th April (Vibha Taal event) : We now have 10 students registered for Vibha taal. Vibha also relaxed the restriction on the maximum number of participants in the dance group. So, if your tween (in Neelam's class) is still interested to participate, you have the option of signing up by next saturday.  Also, note that I mistakely listed a wrong date for Vibha taal in the last digest. I apologize for the confusion it may have created. Vibha Taal will be held on April 30th and I am working with Vibha to schedule SILC performance after 2 PM so that our tweens can attend SILC in the morning and attend Vibha event in the afternoon. Please stay tuned for the confirmation on the timing.

 

7th May (Festival Of Nations):  Please take note of the detailed schedule of SILC Performances at FON.

 

* SILC Youth (Neelam's students): 11:30 AM

* SILC Children (Aishwarya's students): 1:30 PM

* SILC Adults (Lata's students): 7:00 PM

 

Are you still interested to volunteer at IAM booth and looking for a free ticket for the event? There are some limited slots available (please see the attachment). Please contact Raj Menon directly if you want to sign up

 

If you have already signed up, please ensure that you pick up FON admission ticket and meal ticket from Raj Menon at SILC next saturday 23rd. You may also need to practice dosa making in the kitchen if you have signed up to make dosas at the event.

 

May 21  (SILC graduation day):. Mark your calendars and please ensure that you do not miss coming to SILC on this day! Our students show case what they have learned at SILC on the day. Students from preschool, languages and electives (art, dance, tabla, cooking, yoga, sports) will be getting on the stage to perform / show / tell what they have learned. Also note that dance class (adults) (from Lata's class) will also be performing on the graduation day. Teachers and students (and parents) are working hard  to prepare for this event.  We will soon publish the detailed schedule of the event. 

  

Wishing you all another wonderful week.

--
Regards
Siva Jasthi

President
School of India for Languages and Culture
http://www.silcmn.com/
siva.jasthi@gmail.com
info@silcmn.com
(mobile) 612.217.4821

SILC: Weekly Digest (04/10/2011)

Dear SILC Students, Parents, Teachers and Volunteers:

 

 

Have you got a chance to look into what we have at SILC Library? Please see
http://www.silcmn.com/docs/SILC-Library_Inventory_2011-03-31.pdf    for our inventory. To borrow any material, send an email to librarian@silcmn.com by Wednesday of any week and pick up materials from SILC on the following Saturday.

There are some teachers and families who have not collected their SILC Directory and Handbook yet. Please see me next saturday for your copy. 

 

Thank you to all those who have submitted the answers to Spring quiz from the news letter. We have 10 correct responses (Aradhana Menon, Vikas Thoutam, Roshan and Ashwin Wariar, Manashree Padiyath, Akshay Nambudiripad, Vishnu Achar, Jason and Katelyn Berry, Deepta Jasthi, Anita Kalatoor
Sanjana Nambudiri).  The lucky winner of $10 Barnes and Noble gift card will be selected through lottery next week during SILC.

Here is the rest of SILC schedule.

* Regular classes in April (16, 23, 30)
* Vibha taal (dance competion) event for Tweens (Neelam's students) (April 30)
*  Festival of Nations (May 7th)
* Holi celebrations (May 14th) and
* Graduation Day (May 21st)

30th April (Vibha Taal event) : We now have 9 students (from Neelam's class) participating in the dance competition on 30th April 2011. We have one more spot if you (from Neelam's class) are interested. See more details at http://wiki.vibha.org/Minnesota:Taal-2011   There is a registration fee of $20 per participant with 10 member maximum limit.  Please note that the registration is on first come first serve basis and is limited to first 10 students.  SILC will also be paying half of the registration fee ($10 for each for 10 students). So, if your child is in Neelam's class and is interested to participate in this vibha competion, please provide your childrens name (if you have not already given) to Neelam along with $10 check payable to SILC.

 

Mark your calendars! May 21st is SILC Graduation day where our students show case what they have learned at SILC. Students from preschool, languages and electives (art, dance, tabla, cooking, yoga, sports) will be getting on the stage to perform / show / tell what they have learned. The graduation planning is under way now.  We are working with teachers for the event planning and logistics. Please stay tuned for further details.

 

We will also release SILC Year book on the graduation day. Please contribute articles (students can write about their experiences in learning at SILC, parents/teachers can share their experiences - first timers at SILC are specially welcome as they usually bring out fresh perspectives), share any photos or art. Please send your articles to Shiv Bhatia (Assistant Principal) who will be coordinating the SILC year book.

 

Wishing you all another wonderful week.


--
Regards
Siva Jasthi

President
School of India for Languages and Culture
http://www.silcmn.com
siva.jasthi@gmail.com
info@silcmn.com
(mobile) 612.217.4821

SILC: Weekly Digest (04/03/2011)

Dear SILC Students, Parents, Teachers and Volunteers:

 

With our academic year coming to close, there are lot of news to share and lot of updates to follow through.

 

India and cricket

Yesterday was a special day for India and many Indians living all over the world.  India has won the world cup in cricket after 28 years (it had won the world cup in 1983). As one of the SILC students is mentioning yesterday, cricket is almost like another religion for millions of Indians. It is nice to watch the game at SILC with SILC community. Seeing the cheers erupting at the win is a moment to cherish.  Please see more details at http://www.google.com/search?q=india+cricket  and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Cricket_World_Cup

 

SILC Library:

 

We are pleased to announce the formation and starting of SILC Library. The list of books, DVDs, toys can be found at http://www.silcmn.com/docs/SILC-Library_Inventory_2011-03-31.pdf    To borrow any material, send an email to librarian@silcmn.com by Wednesday of any week and pick up materials from SILC on the following Saturday.

The logistics of managing and borrowing can be found at http://silcmn.com/docs/SILC-Library-Guidelines_2011-03-31.doc   As of now, Raj Menon has kindly agreed to manage the library until the rest of the year. If you have a passion for books and want to help SILC, please sign up as volunteer to be SILC librarian.

 

SILC Directory and Handbook:

 

If you have not already collected, please collect the SILC Directory and Handbook from Siva Jasthi (President). Please note that all parents and teachers (one for family) are entitled for a copy. We are also working to make the handbook portion of the book available on SILC web site (We do NOT want to post the directory information posted to the web though).

 

Upcoming dates and events

 

We are now into April - with many of the districts in twin cities wrapped up their spring breaks. Here is the recap of the rest of the semester we have at SILC.

* Regular classes in April (April 9, 16, 23, 30)

* Vibha taal (dance competion) event for Tweens (Neelam's students) (April 23)

*  Festival of Nations (May 7th)

* Holi celebrations (May 14th) and

* Graduation Day (May 21st)

 

A note from Mangala Achar (Treasurer)

 

If any teachers or volunteers have spent any money on SILC school supplies to be used in the class room, please ensure that you submit the receipt to Mangala Achar for reimbursement.  Please do not delay as it is important for us to maintan fiscal balance.

 

April 22nd (Kalavandanam Event)

 

SILC community may be interested in Bharatnatyam (indian classical dance) concert by Lavanya Ananth accompanied by acclaimed musicians from India. The event is coming up on Friday, April 22 at 7:30 PM at Woman's Club of Minneapolis Theater, 410 Oak Grove St, Minneapolis, MN 55403. Please see http://www.kalavandanam.com/lavanya.html for more details on this event and sample videos of the artist. If you are interested in this event, please contact the President for discounted tickets.

 

 

30th April (Vibha Taal event)

 

As informed to you in last weeks digest, Vibha is holding Taal 2011 (Singing and dancing competition for children) on 30th April 2011. See more details at http://wiki.vibha.org/Minnesota:Taal-2011  This is a free event for the viewers and every one is welcome.  The dance event is from 1 PM to 4 PM on 30th April Saturday - immediately after SILC class in the morning. SILC tweens (Neelam's students) will be participating in this dance competition. There is a registration fee of $20 per participant with 10 member maximum limit.  Please note that the registration is on first come first serve basis and is limited to first 10 students.  SILC will also be paying half of the registration fee ($10 for each for 10 students). So, if your child is in Neelam's class and is interested to participate in this vibha competion, please provide your childrens name (if you have not already given) to Neelam along with $10 check payable to SILC.

 

Festival of Nations (May 6-8, 2011)

With the audition out of the way, I am sure all of you must have marked your calendars for Saturday, May 7, 2011, which is when SILC dancers will be performing on stage. If you need tickets at discounted price, contact Raj Menon (rklr_menon@yahoo.com). Also remember, you will not need a ticket if you volunteer for the Indian Exhibit Booth or the Indian Café. Raj is still looking for a few volunteers to manage the Indian booth and café. So please reach out to him.

 

Have another good week of learning and fun

--
Regards
Siva Jasthi

President
School of India for Languages and Culture
http://www.silcmn.com
siva.jasthi@gmail.com
info@silcmn.com
(mobile) 612.217.4821