SILC: Weekly Digest (20 March 2012) - "Ring of Fire/Solar Eclipse" Day

Dear SILC Students, Parents, Teachers and Volunteers:

Hope you are all taking a breather after the fast-paced SILC year is finally done yesterday with a successful graduation event.

Thank you all for making 2010-11 graduation / annual day a success yesterday.  It is always nice to see the students show casing what they have learned at SILC. Big thanks to the teachers, volunteers, parents and students - without their dedication and participation, we wouldn't have had another successful year.

Thanks to Ajay Patil for his coverage of graduation event. Some of the graduation day pictures are available at http://silcpix.blogspot.com  Note that I have not received the link from ReyMash photography for their coverage yesterday. I will share it with you all as soon as I am aware of it.

Thanks to Raj Menon and the editorial team from SAP. It is wonderful to go through the year book and associating the faces with the names. If you have not purchased a copy of the year book, please contact Raj Menon.  And if you have not picked up the student/volunteer certificate yesterday, please contact Raman Natarajan.

Have you attended Baisakhi and PanAsican Festivals? SILC students have performed at Baisakhi Celebrations yesterday and PanAsian Arts Festival today. If you have any pictures from these events, please send those to SILC archives

Volunteer Appreciation Lunch (May 26)

All volunteers - please mark your calendars. SILC would like to acknowledge the time and effort all of you have put in for a successful school year. The SILC Board of Directors is grateful to all of you for your participation as a volunteer. As a token of our appreciation, please join us for lunch on May 26. Details of time and venue will follow shortly.


Other Important Dates Where SILC is Participating Over Summer

~ May 27 - Mahima Gupta (SILC student) will be featured on NickNews (Nicklodean). As you recall, SILC social studies event and Hindi class will feature in this as well

~ June 2 - Flinthills Children Festival at Ordway Center, St Paul (10am onwards)

~ June 16 - SILC on Geetmala TV

~ June 16 - SILC @ International Festival of Burnsville, Nicollete Commons Park (3pm to 9pm)

~ August 11 - IndiaFest (Festival of India) at The Capitol, St Paul

Answers to Last Week's Quiz (and that was the last Quiz for the current academic year):

While sending out the weekly digests on every Sunday, I made an attempt to end the digest with a question / quiz to share some information about India and to let SILC members think about the question.  I relied on Google, National Geographic, Wikipedia, Government of India web sites to compile these quizzes each week.

Some of you have responded to these quizzes (even though there are no prizes or awards for correct answers). Some of you have complimented and appreciated the insights you got on some of these questions. Some of you have asked whether all these questions can be compiled at a single place. Thank you for all your feedback. It is very good learning experience for me as well.

Attached is the compilation of all the quiz questions and answers. Enjoy!

On a personal note:

Big thanks to SILC Community and the Uma Nambudiripad award selection committee and to Raman Natarajan, our volunteer coordinator  - for their recognition yesterday.  I am deeply touched by this recognition.  Volunteering at SILC and being part of SILC community are simple and pure joys of life. There are so many SILC volunteers whose energy, dedication and passion inspires me. I will continue to experience and cherish those moments for the years to come. Thank you!

 

--
Regards
Siva Jasthi
Director - Communications
School of India for Languages and Culture
http://www.silcmn.com
(mobile) 612.217.4821

SILC: Weekly Digest - Happy Mothers Day (05/13/12)

Dear SILC Students, Parents, Teachers and Volunteers: 

Hope you are all having a wonderful day - Happy Mothers Day!

How was Holi celebration last week? It looks like all those who took part had a blast. You can catch up with the event through pictures posted on the SILC Facebook group.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.382918388426494&type=1

Graduation Day (May 19)  - Last week to prepare for the event and be in seats by 9:55 am in the auditorium

Graduation day event starts at 10am sharp in the school auditorium. Please be seated on or before 9:55am. The children with pre-school start the event followed by next older students (usually Hindi 1). So please be early, if you child is taking part earlier in the event. The program will be circulated a few days before the event. You are most welcome to bring friends or extended family to the event.

The event concludes with a pot luck lunch. Most of the families have signed up for bringing in food. If you have not, there is still time - please see our Treasurer, Mangala Achar to sign up. Please see the attached (to fill up the empty slots and to bring $7 or check payable to SILC). If you have not signed up, you/your immediate family will be charged a nominal sum of $ 7 per family unit (Please bring exact change). Extended family members or accompanying friends are treated as a separate family unit and will be charged a separate sum of $ 7 (per family unit). If you are bringing in food and still have accompanying friends, please remember to pay for them at the same rate ($ 7 per family unit).

Also, remember to pick up certificates of participation and one copy of Year Book after the event.

ReyMash Photography is going to be at SILC Graduation Event

Please note that ReyMash Photography is going to be at SILC to cover the graduation/annual event. We are excited to have him at SILC. This is the first time we are covering the event with a professional photographer.

After the event, all the pictures will be posted to ReyMash website (http://www.reymash.com/) from which you can order the prints you need at $2 per copy.  We will share these details through the next update.

So, even if you forget to bring your camera, you will not miss anything. If you remember to get your camera, you may want to focus on taking the video of your children's performance.

Volunteer Appreciation Lunch (May 26)

All volunteers - please mark your calendars. SILC would like to acknowledge the time and effort all of you have put in for a successful school year. The SILC Board of Directors is grateful to all of you for your participation as a volunteer. As a token of our appreciation, please join us for lunch on May 26. Details of time and venue will follow shortly.


Other Important Dates Where SILC is Participating Over Summer

~ May 19 - Baisakhi celebrations (MN Punjabi Society) at Olson Middle School, Bloomington. (6pm onwards)

~ May 20 - PanAsian Arts Festival, Landmark Center, St Paul. (12pm to 5pm)

~ May 27 - Mahima Gupta (SILC student) will be featured on NickNews (Nicklodean). As you recall, SILC social studies event and Hindi class will feature in this as well
~ June 2 - Flinthills Children Festival at Ordway Center, St Paul (10am onwards)

~ June 16 - SILC on Geetmala TV
~ June 16 - SILC @ International Festival of Burnsville, Nicollete Commons Park (3pm to 9pm)

~ August 11 - IndiaFest (Festival of India) at The Capitol, St Paul


Quiz Time

Answers to last week's Quiz:

(Q) It's called Baisakhi in Punjab, Bohag Bihu in Assam, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Sankranthi in Andhra Pradesh. What is it?

(A) Post-harvest festival; Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian sub-continent. It provides livelihood to the majority of people in the rural areas of the country. The festival of harvest is given special importance in the calendar of events. These events are called different names in different parts of the country.

This week's Quiz:

[Q] How many spokes are in the asoka (dharma) chakra of the Indian flag?  What do these spokes represent?

We will see you all for the Graduation / Annual Event on 19th. 

SILC: Weekly Digest (05/06/12)

Dear SILC Students, Parents and Volunteers,

 

I hope all of you kept dry during these much wanted showers and still managed to have fun at the Festivals of Nations event at the Excel Energy Center.

 

FoN Event

 

The Festival of Nations (FoN) was fun! Three of our dance classes (Younger kids, Youth/Teens and Adults) were selected during the auditions and participated in the event. For those of you who missed it, here are some links for the Children and Youth dances. (While going to the press, I was still trying to obtain the video recording for the Adults dance which was held today at 3:15pm)

 

Children's dance - http://youtu.be/h4ovSyI_yWQ

Youth/teen dance - http://youtu.be/eI6o6ObpgQo

 

Holi Celebrations (May 12)

 

SILC will be celebrating holi on May 12. For the uninitiated (newer families), this is a time when students, volunteers, parents/families all join in the fun of smearing color on each other. Yes, you heard it right. We celebrate holi with actual color. The reason we celebrate it, a few weeks removed from the actual festival, is to wait for warmer temps. On May 12, we will play holi after the Language class/snack break is done. This is the last day language teachers get to prepare/rehearse for the grad day program. Please make sure you come in on time.

 

Do remember to wear holi appropriate clothes.  Also, please remember to take all your belongings (maybe put them in your vehicle), since the school authorities are strict about not permitting us back inside smeared with colors.

 

Graduation Day (May 19)

 

Graduation day event starts at 10am sharp in the school auditorium. Please be seated on or before 9:55am. The children with pre-school start the event followed by next older students (usually Hindi 1). So please be early, if you child is taking part earlier in the event. The program will be circulated a few days before the event. You are most welcome to bring friends or extended family to the event.

 

The event concludes with a pot luck lunch. Most of the families have signed up for bringing in food. If you have not, there is still time - please see our Treasurer, Mangala Achar to sign up. If you have not signed up, you/your immediate family will be charged a nominal sum of $ 7 per family unit (Please bring exact change). Extended family members or accompanying friends are treated as a separate family unit and will be charged a separate sum of $ 7 (per family unit). If you are bringing in food and still have accompanying friends, please remember to pay for them at the same rate ($ 7 per family unit).

 

Also, remember to pick up certificates of participation and one copy of Year Book after the event.

 

 

Volunteer Appreciation Lunch (May 26)

 

All volunteers - please mark your calendars. SILC would like to acknowledge the time and effort all of you have put in for a successful school year. The SILC Board of Directors is grateful to all of you for your participation as a volunteer. As a token of our appreciation, please join us for lunch on May 26. Details of time and venue will follow shortly.

 

 

Other Important Dates Where SILC is Participating Over Summer

 

~ May 19 - Baisakhi celebrations (MN Punjabi Society) at Olson Middle School, Bloomington. (6pm onwards)

 

~ May 20 - PanAsian Arts Festival, Landmark Center, St Paul. (12pm to 5pm)

 

~ June 2 - Flinthills Children Festival at Ordway Center, St Paul (10am onwards)

 

~ June 16 - International Festival of Burnsville, Nicollete Commons Park (3pm to 9pm)

 

~ August 11 - IndiaFest (Festival of India) at The Capitol, St Paul

 

 

Quiz Time

 

Answers to last week's Quiz:

(Q) Which Indian city is called “Queen of the Arabian Sea”. What was it called before being renamed in 1996?

(A) “Kochi”, located in Kerala state, is called “Queen of the Arabian Sea”. It was called “Cochin” prior to 1996.

This week's Quiz:

(Q) It's called Baisakhi in Punjab, Bohag Bihu in Assam, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Sankranthi in Andhra Pradesh. What is it?

 

 

As always, have a great week ahead. We will see you all for the Holi celebrations on the 12th

 

Shiv Bhatia

Principal

School of India for Languages & Culture

651-894-2551