Sunday, May 8, 2011

SILC: Weekly Digest (5/8/11)




Dholna: Childrens Dance

SILC Youth Dance at FON 2011 - Chunari Chunari / Marjaani Marjaani




Kaikottikkali: Adults Dance






Dear SILC Students, Parents, Teachers and Volunteers:

Hope you all have had fun at Festival of Nations this week. I  couldn't attend the event yesterday, but I did attend FON today. I heard SILC dancers (children, youth and adults)  rocked the stage with their performances.  I have posted some pictures and links I have recived from SILC community. I have also bumped into the photos / videos posted by SILC and FON community at youtube and Facebook as well.


 

Thank you and congratulations to all SILC performers for thier  performances at FON.  Please send me any pictures and video you have taken at FON. I will archive the best of these at silcblogs for future reference and record.



Note that we have two more weeks of SILC classes and both are big days - Holi Celebrations (May 14th) and SILC Graduation (May 21st)



May 12 - Deadline for sending the articles for SILC Graduation Year Book.  The deadlie is extended by four days to get the articles for the year book. Please send your articles to Shiv Bhatia, Assistant Principal - shivbhatia66@yahoo.com directly



May 14 - Holi Celebrations:  We will be celebrating Holi next week. I just checked whether forecast for next saturday. Looks like we are going to have a good day with 60 degrees - the perfect weather to celebrate Holi.   Language classes will be held as usual. After the language classes, we will go outside the school  and celebrate Holi with colored powders (dry colors for sure; and wet colors if weather permits).   So, wear something you do not mind getting messy - because it will sure gets messy and it is going to be lot of fun.



May 21 - Graduation:  All our studetns from languages and electives classes will be show casing what they have learned on this day.  We will also release SILC graduation book. This is the final day of the SILC for the current academic year and should not be missed.  Please ensure that you resolve other conflicts and attend this event.



And thank you for sending your nominations for Uma Nambudiripad Volunteer award.  Our volunteer coordinator Natarajan Raman will be working with his team to chose one of the nominees and will let us all know all about the receipeint of this award on the graduation day.



Also note that there is a "Samarpanam" event  - an evening of Bharatnatyam by local artists at Hindu Temple of MN (MapleGrove) on Sunday, May 15th at 4:30 PM. If you are interested in Indian classical dances, this is an event you do not want to miss. Our very own SILC dance teacher - Neelam Malhotra - is also performing at this event along with the other teachers in twin cities.  The tickets are $15 adults and $10 students/children. Tickets are available at the door on the day 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

Sunday, May 1, 2011

SILC: Weekly Digest (5/1/2011)

Please take note of the detailed schedule of SILC Performances at FON. In earliest digests, I listed children's (Aishwarya's students) dance timing incorrectly. Children will be dancing at 12:30.
Dear SILC Students, Parents, Teachers and Volunteers:
 
Does "Gurukul" ring a bell?  "Guru" means Teacher and "Kul" means Extended Family. "Gurukul" in Indian culture reflects the traditional schooling system. On behalf of SILC Board, I am excited to announce that our registration process for next academic year will be completely online and it will be called "Gurukul".  We are working with NGIN - a twin cities based vendor providing the backend support for secure processing of registrations for many schools and communities.  If you have registerted your child for basket ball, la crosse, soccer classes online in your community/school district, you will get an idea of how the "Gurukul - SILC registration system" is going to work.  Big thanks to Raj Menon and Baiju Sadanandan - who have spent lot of time in translating the SILC needs into detailed requirements and ensuring that these get implemented in "Gurukul". We are working towards a goal of having some initial demo of this process by the graduation day. Please stay tuned for further details.
 
Hers is rest of SILC schedule:
 
Not that we do not have classes next week due to Festival of Nations event (May 5th to 8th). Please visit http://www.rivercentre.org/events/event.asp?event_id=1286 for the event details and direction.
 
All three dances from SILC are scheduled for Saturday May 7th. We will not have SILC classes on that day. 
 
* SILC Youth (Neelam's students): 11:30 AM
* SILC Children (Aishwarya's students): 12:30 PM
* SILC Adults (Lata's students): 7:00 PM
 
Please ensure that you reach the venue at least one hour before the start time to ensure that you reach the back of the stage to meet with your dance group. 
 
Note from Shiv Bhatia - Assistant Principal on SILC Year Book
 
Dear Students, Parents and Volunteers,

As we come to the end of yet another academic year, we eagerly await the graduation day.

One of the events on graduation day is the release of "Year Book". The year book includes articles from students, volunteers and parents....and acts as saved memories of another SILC year gone by. 

The contribution for the year book has been scant. I would like to request all of you to tickle the literary part of yourself and write something. It could be anything related to SILC or India.....Festival of Nations, SILC Mela, your experience at SILC as a parent or student or volunteer.......a trip to India............just about anything. 

 
Also note that we are looking to chose a photo or art or drawing from your submissions to be placed on the back cover page of graduation book. There will also be $10 gift card to be given out to the winner of the back cover page on the graduation day.  Please pull out the pictures you have taken during the school year or draw some picture - and send in those for a chance to see your creation on the back cover of graduation book.

Please send in your articles to info@silcmn.comor to Shiv Bhatia (shivbhatia66@yahoo.com) on or before May 7th. 
 
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/)
 
Camp Masala (June 10th - June 12th): Registration deadlie is May 6th. Some of you may be interested to register for Camp Masala - Indian Heritage camp. Note that the last day to registger for the camp is May 6th. You can see the details of Camp Masala at http://www.campmasala.org/
 
 
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
* Festival of Nations (May 7th) - we will NOT have regular SILC classes.
* Deadline for registering for Camp Masala - Indian heritage camp (May 6th) 
* 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) 
 
Festival of Nations (May 7th) - we will NOT have regular SILC classes.
 

Sunday, April 24, 2011

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

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

Sunday, April 17, 2011

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 7th 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

Sunday, April 10, 2011

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

Sunday, April 3, 2011

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

Sunday, March 27, 2011

SILC: Weekly Digest (03/27/2011)

Dear SILC Students, Parents, Teachers and Volunteers,
 
Big thanks to Shiv Bhatia (Assistant Principal) for sending beautifully formatted SILC digests for the last 4 weeks while I was travelling / on vacation.
 
Thanks to all of you who made Social Studies and Literature day a successful event yesterday. Special thanks to our social studies and litearature teachers for their efforts in sharing their knowledge with SILC community. It is heartenign to see how much our students are learing in the brief amount of classroom time they are getting at SILC and how they are building networks of learning outside of SILC to be on top of events, history related to India.  If you any of are intereted to provide me a brief write up on the social studies day, please contact Shiv Bhatia or me for inclusion in the final year book / silc blogs.  (I will try to post the pictures from the event in the coming days).



SILC: Social Studies Day (03-26-2011)


 
Social Studies and Literature day is also a prelude to our graduation day on May 20th - when all our students show case their learning in the language / elective classes.  April and May months are usually busy months with Festival of Nations, Holi celebrations, year end project works from some classes, graduation day. You will see this pace of activity in the coming weeks at SILC (and at your home as well). Brace yourself!
 
Some of you have collected "SILC 2010-2-11 Student/Parent/Volunteer Handbook and Directory" from Shiv Bhatia yesterday.  If you have not already collected, please get in touch with Shiv Bhatia (Assistant Principal) next Saturday to get your copy of the handbook. This idea of handbook and directory is brewing for some time now. Thanks to the efforts and coordinaton of Raj Menon, this became a reality this year.  Going forward, starting next academic year, we plan to publish this directory at the beginning of the year (we also have plans to wrap up the registration by the end of August so that we have an accurate list of teachers and students by the end of August).  Please bring - any corrections or  improvements we can make to the directory - to our attention.
 
Also note that our second issue of SILC news letter is also released yesterday. If you have not got a copy, you can download it from here  or you can collect a hardcopy from Shiv Bhatia. Please note that "Spring Time" quiz is due by 9th April. Send your answers for a chance to win $10 Barnes and Noble gift card.
 
You have got an opportunity to meet Vibha representatives yesterday and know what Vibha does through its volunteers.  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. We are also discussing to register our children dance groups to the Taal event.  Please stay tuned for more details on this topic
 
Please see the following note from our literature teacher Sarah Hansen
 
==============================================================================

Hello SILC Youth and Families,

Thank you to all who are helping me with my dissertation project! I appreciate that you make time for interviews and allow me to follow you around with my field notebook. Thank you especially to the parents of the kids in the literature class who have given their kids permission to participate in the project. Because I’ve communicated with you about the project mostly through writing up until this point (I sent home a letter at the beginning of the year), I want to invite parents and the adult participants in my project to an informal question and answer session. I’ll be in the cafeteria during the language block next Saturday (April 2). Please join me there so I can tell you more about the project and answer any questions you might have. It will also be a good time to share any new insights with me! Please email me directly (
hanse230@umn.edu) if you have any questions!

Sarah Hansen
==========================================================================
 
As you are aware, SILC had gone on a field trip back in October to "Sundari Aur Nag" (Indian version of Beauty and Beast) play by Katha Dance Theater.   Rita Mustaphi (founder of Katha Dance Theater) is directing and choreographing Nobel Laurete Poet Rabindranath Tagore's "Chandalia - The untouchable Maiden" during  May 5-8, 2011 at the Ritz Theater, Minneaplolis. You may be interested in this event. Please visit http://www.kathadance.org/Site/Upcoming_Performance.html for more details
 
Reminders: 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.
--
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