Zebar Matters of September 2018

zebarmatters
Volume - 2 • Issue-4 • September - 2018

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
In the words of one of my favourite poets, William Butler
Yeats, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting
of a fire."
My aunt is a teacher, and so I've had the occasion of just
watching her preparing lesson plans and then going out of
her way to call that student who she thinks has potential but is slipping away, and
working with parents and guiding them to support their child. And it's tough
work, but how incredibly gratifying it must be.
Because in the end,if we contemplate a little we realise,teachers are the ones
who are constantly striving to get better and help their students get better. They
are the ones who stay up late grading papers. They give up their afternoons and
free periods to give their student a little bit of extra one-on-one help, and spend
evenings and weekends developing lesson plans and activities that don't just
teach the material but make it come alive.
Let’s make it a habit of saluting and respecting all our teachers who have
put in all that they ever could, to make us what we are today. Let’s thank all our
teachers for making us all able and confident enough to stand high on our own
feet.
Read and enjoy Zebar Matters, our special edition for Teachers and do send
your feedback to matters@zebarschool.com
Zebar School for Children retains the ‘Fastest Growing School Award’ by Times
Top Education Institutes
We are incredibly grateful to our teachers,
employees and our parents for the faith they
have reposed in a new school. This award inspires
us to make strides in achieving our goals of
transformingourchildrenintouseful,competent,
conscious citizens of the country.
ZEBAR MATTERS2 Sep 2018

Zebar School is proud to share that our Principal Mrs. Sharmistha Sinha and
Vice-Principal Mrs. Reena Kahlon have been awarded the ‘Teachers Day’ award by
the IIHM, Ahmedabad.
Mrs. Sharmistha Sinha has long years of experience as a teacher of English in
the secondary and senior secondary sections. She is excellent teacher, speaker and
writer, and now, an able administrator. She is very popular with students, not just as
a teacher but as a counsellor too. Students do not hesitate to approach her when-
ever they face a problem.
Mrs. Sinha was appointed Principal of Zebar School for Children on 1st June
2018, after a successful tenure at Udgam School for Children. Extremely sincere,
dedicated and hard-working, Mrs. Sinha works way beyond the school hours. No
wonder, in a short span of two months, she proved her mettle. She has received
whole-hearted support and appreciation from students, teachers, subordinate
heads, parents and the admin staff. Her polite manner of speaking, fluent language,
patience and calm, her counselling students/parents without prejudice or favour
has worked wonders. She has brought in discipline and orderliness in a school that
is growing rapidly.
Mrs. Reena Kahlon has varied experiences in the field of education. She was
appointed Vice-Principal of Primary Section in April 2017. She became in-charge
Principal from October 2017 as the Principal left the school. She supervised the
academic and co-curricular activities of classes 1 to 9 in a school that was growing
rapidly. It was an immense task to train new teachers and settle students from dif-
ferent schools. She did a wonderful job. This year, she has been promoted as the
Vice-Principal of Middle and Secondary sections.
Mrs. Kahlon is an excellent teacher of English. She takes classes for students
as well as teachers. She has made tremendous efforts to make students speak in
English and also read books. The ‘Passport to Reading’, booklet that she designed
to encourage reading made students rush to the library and read books. Students
not only read books but even write reviews in the booklet. This reading project has
received wide appreciation from teachers and parents.
Zebar Heads Honoured
3 Sep 2018 ZEBAR MATTERS

4 ZEBAR MATTERS
Ms. Reena Kahlon
Vice-Principal (Middle & Secondary)
Some teachers remain in our consciousness for a lifetime. They become that part of
our lives that we turn to for inspiration and advice from time to time. Their influence
is not just a happy memory but also a life-long mentor. Whenever we need comfort
and reassurance, we nestle into that happy place and get succour to go on with re-
newed confidence. Each one of us has at least one such teacher in our lives.
What is it that makes that one teacher so special?
When I look back and reminisce about the wonderful school life I had, some teach-
ers stand out and some are just a blur now. I remember only a few names and have
to strain my memory to come up with others. The ones who stand out may not have
been the most erudite but certainly, the most remarkable in one way or the other.
I remember my class VI English teacher, Mr Rajiv Sharma, who had joined our school
after a stint with a renowned boarding-school. His class was interesting not only
because of the way he treated the subject matter but also because of his wit and
exceptional gift of gab. He would circle our mistakes and write funny notes on the
side. We never failed to learn from them.
Another teacher who taught me the lesson of perseverance and dogged hard work
was Ms Bindu Johal, my class IX English teacher. She had an unflinching addiction
to perfection. Some note-books were so red with her impeccable correction that I
used to be on top of the world receiving mine without any reds. She never lavished
marks on us and made us work for every mark that we got. She taught us to respect
the language and handle it with utmost care.
Both teachers left an impression because of their smart dressing and deportment
also.
My Dance teacher, Geeta ma’am was special because of her talent and her resource-
fulness. We spent hours rehearsing the same steps and she would stop only when
we had perfected the pose.
The Eternal Teacher
Sep 2018

During college, one cannot establish as intimate a relationship with teachers as dur-
ing school since the numbers are too big and individual interaction is limited.
However, it was my privilege to have been a student to some exceptional teachers
who loved not just teaching but also the tutee. It was also my singular pleasure to
be singled out by them often for my writing skills. I imbibed passion for learning and
disseminating learning from a score of lecturers and professors at the university.
As a teacher myself, I have emulated from the very best of our tribe. Being cheer-
ful and pleasant in class, respecting own and students’ time, being fair and just and
most importantly being humane and considerate has kept me in good stead. Culti-
vating good teaching practice and always updating subject knowledge keeps stu-
dents looking forward to one’s classes.
Being a teacher is a great privilege and an even greater responsibility. One needs to
be continually prepared and vigilant to transact in the best possible manner with
the student.
Zebar School for Children Helps to Rebuild Flood Battered
Schools of Kerala
Teachers of Zebar School and Udgam School have donated
their one day salary and equivalent amount is contributed
by the Trust. The total amount of more than Rs.6,50,000 will
be given to the organization which runs the campaign ‘Back
to School’. Under this campaign, children studying in the
Government Schools will be provided with School Uniform,
Books, Stationery and all essential items required for School
education.

I AM A TEACHER
I was at a social gathering when after a brief introduction a
seemingly educated person asked me, “Why have you become a
teacher? You are highly qualified, and you could have opted for a
better profession.” This question made me think about what has
gone wrong with our society. In ancient India, a teacher or Guru was
looked upon as an ideal in society, and even kings would come to
him for guidance.
Where has that respect for teachers gone in our society? A teacher does not
mean a person is merely teaching a class on the blackboard and checking notebooks.
A teacher is a person who helps an individual grow into a person with wisdom and
enlightenment. A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite imagination and instil a love
of learning
Teaching is not a one-way process. It is an interaction between a tutee and a tu-
tor. Being very knowledgeable in the subject is not the only sufficient criterion of be-
ing a teacher. A teacher should also know by which method this knowledge can be
delivered to an average child in the best way. A good teacher must be a determined
person with a sense of humour and a good memory.
A teacher has to be a good learner. A teacher can make his/her lecture exciting
and productive only when he/she upgrades his/her knowledge. So a teacher’s job is
not limited only to the working hours of a school. Teaching for a good teacher is a
continuous learning process which takes a teacher and a school on the path of suc-
cess. Teaching is a job which shapes other jobs. A teacher occupies a significant and
unique place in every society. A teacher is a doctor who cures the mind of students
by injecting the medicine of knowledge and skill. He is an engineer who builds the
future of a child. He is a pilot who can fly the plane of a nation-high. I am proud to be
a teacher, and I conclude my views with these lines dedicated to a teacher.
“A teacher plants the seeds of knowledge
sprinkles them with love and patiently nur-
tures their growth to produce tomorrow’s
dreams.”

Little hands at work at CEE
Gujarati Bhasha Diwas
Best out of Waste Activity
Assembly on
Rakshabandhan
Events at Zebar

An Interview with our new Principal
By our Reporters
Prisha Kapania (IX - A) - Ananya Kapadia (IX - A) - Nitya Shah (IX - A)
We are extremely delighted to have you as our Principal. The school has undergone
a tremendous change and things are settling down now.
Prisha: Please introduce yourself, tell us about yourself, Why did you choose
this profession?
Ms. Sinha: I am post graduate in English literature with a Bachelor's in Education
with many years of teaching experience at both school and college level.
Teaching has always been my passion may be because I always used to looking up
to my teachers for their guidance and support in every phase of my life. I always feel
myself transported in a different world when I am in the midst of students. Their in-
nocence and camaraderie delight me and I feel very responsible because teachers
mould the lives of their students.
I was with Udgam since long and that is the main reason why I joined this school
because it follows the same ethics and values that Udgam does.
Nitya: How would you describe your leadership style?
Ms. Sinha: I believe in open communication and transparency in the system. I feel
a leader should always be accessible and approachable. It is also important to de-
velop that trust factor. Then only harmony can be maintained and all can move to-
wards a single vision, mission and aim. Above all, a leader needs to be patient and a
good listener.

Ananya: What is your philosophy of teaching? What advice would you offer
teachers whom you are supervising?
Ms. Sinha: Teaching is an art and it has to be chiselled and refined regularly. A good
teacher cannot continue to inspire learning without being a learner, learning never
ends and a teacher has to be an eager learner. I don’t need to advise my teachers,
They are an enthusiastic and a competent lot doing their duty diligently.
Prisha: As we know that Zebar School has won the award for the fastest growing
school, what is your take on it?
Ms. Sinha: I am reminded of Frost’s lines,
'The woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep'
Awards motivate us, give us immense happiness because that is an acknowledge-
ment of our efforts and hard work but along with that awards place a huge responsi-
bility. We have to ensure that we continue to strive to get recognised year after year.
Ananya: What advice would you like to give to the students of 10th standard as
this is the first board exam for them as well as for the school?
Ms. Sinha: My advice is ‘to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield’
This is the first major exam that they are going to face and this definitely is going to
have a direct bearing on their future. They need to follow very simple things.
• They need to be disciplined, regular and attentive.
• They should maintain a timetable and follow it.
• They should read all the chapters and practice writing.
• Studying regularly with healthy breaks in between yields very good result.
Nitya: What is your vision for the School?
Ms. Sinha: The development of a school lies in the advancement of its students’
academic work, extracurricular activities and moral character. I believe with the con-
certed effort of all students, teachers and parents, Zebar will scale new heights!
Besides, assisting the more outstanding students to achieve even better results, the
school will also focus on the average students and those who lag behind and pro-
vide them with more support so as to help them realize their potential.
Postscript: We reporters were deeply impressed by our Principal Ms. Sharmistha
Sinha who was very amiable. The whole interview was like a friendly chat, which
made us feel free and easy.
Moreover, Ms. Sinha showed her concern for our needs and encouraged us to tell
her our expectations and opinions. In the interview, she listened attentively and jot-
ted down our suggestions. This made us understand that we students can also con-
tribute to the advancement of the school.

Ms. Mahafreen Jambusarwala
Educator - Secondary Section
GURU means the one who dispels the darkness and takes towards light, traditionally a
reverential figure to the student. In ancient India there was an extremely pious guru-
shishya tradition where the guru would impart academic, spiritual and moral teach-
ings to the pupils. It was considered that this relationship, based on the genuineness
of the guru, and the respect, commitment, devotion and obedience of the student,
was the best way for subtle or advanced knowledge to be conveyed.
The student eventually mastered the knowledge that the guru embodied. Students
used to help gurus in their household work. Gurudakshina, where the shishya gave a
gift to the guru as a token of gratitude, was often the only monetary or otherwise fee
that the student ever gave. Such tokens would be as simple as a piece of fruit or as seri-
ous as a thumb, as in the case of Ekalavya and his guru Dronacharya.
But the current scenario is totally different. The modern student-teacher relationship
is not defined by obedience and acceptance, but by questioning and analysis. The re-
lationship is of understanding each other's requirements and coming to terms with
each other's expectations. It is unwise to put the cart before the horse i.e. jump right
into academics and neglect the importance of student-teacher relationship.A good
rapport between students and teacher help suitable learning activities to take place in
the classroom and beyond.
Students should be made humans first. Reading and writing and spelling and history
and arithmetic are only important if they serve to make our students more human.
True teachers don’t just teach chapters to students,they teach them to think for them-
selves. There is not an iota of doubt that the curriculum is the essential raw material
but we shouldn’t forget that warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for
the soul of the student.
The need of the hour is for society to establish a student-teacher relationship in which
the teacher is an epitome of knowledge and ethics as well as loving and caring, while
the student should be a willing learner, respectful and regard the teacher as a bacon
who would lead him on the right path.
Henry Adams has rightly said,
‘A TEACHER AFFECTS ETERNITY; HE CAN NEVER TELL WHERE HIS INFLUENCE STOPS.’
GURU

Stars Of The Month
Samantha Panchal Of class I C secured A +
Grade at National Championship of MaRRS
PreSchool Bee Science.
JaipalSinhji Desai of Class VI B has complet-
ed his i-Engineer 2 level course in Robotics.
Manthan Jadhav of Class VI B shone in the
ARA ChessTournamentheldatAhmedabad
Racquet Academy.
Jaiaditya Jhurani of Class II C secured the
first rank at National Prelims of Mars Ex-
press Math. He has been selected to repre-
sent the school at the National Finals of the
Competition.
Devansh Patel of Class II C bagged first
position(Under 7 year Age Category) in the
Ahmedabad District Karate Championship
held at Ahmedabad on 15th July 2018.
Ms Aahana Kukreja of Class IV B secured
the fourth position in 14th State UCMAS
–Abacus & Mental Arithmetic Competition
held recently.

Trip to Dangee Dums Visit to Science City
Teachers Day Assembly
Sanskrit Diwas Celebrations
Orange and Yellow Day
Events at Zebar

Diva Shah I C
Drashti Shah I B
We were three years old. One day, when
mummy was busy in the kitchen and papa
was talking over the phone, we opened her
dressing table, and there were a lot of items
inside. We took all the items out one by one
and checked each item. We spread lipstick on
not only our lips but on all over the face. We
liked the talcum powder so poured it over
our hair and face. When we saw ourselves
in the mirror we laughed loudly, mummy-
papa came into the room, and they could not
control their laughter. It took more than one
hour to clean our faces and hair.
It Happened to me
Malhar Zula
VI A
When I was in 5th
std, it
happened to me. I woke up, got ready and
went to school. It was my first day in that
school. I was looking for my class and went
into the wrong class, and I stayed there till the
prayer. The teacher took attendance, and my
name was not there. After 5 minutes another
teacher came and asked if Malhar was there.
I stood up and said, “Yes, Ma’am. Then she
told me that “You are in the wrong class”.
Then everyone started laughing including
me. Then I went to my class, and I sat with my
partner.
Akshar Patel
I D
I participated in a cycle race
with my friend. My friend came first, but
he couldn’t apply the brakes, and his cycle
bumped into the main gate of my house. My
friend fell from his cycle, and I laughed a lot
on seeing this.
Once I was playing a football
match in ARA Academy and I was so lost that
did my own goal!!! And everyone started
laughing at me!!! It was hilarious!!
Harith Kanaujia
I B
Shubhangi C.
I D
Once I was sleeping in the
afternoon and when I woke up in the
evening, I thought it was morning, and I went
to brush my teeth my mom asked: “Why are
you brushing?”. I said that it’s morning and
I have to go to school. On hearing this , my
parents started laughing. Then my mom told
me it’s evening, and everyone in my house
laughed a lot.
One day I went on a picnic with
my family. We were sitting and having lunch,
and suddenly some monkeys jumped and
started eating our food. We were standing
like fools, and they enjoyed our picnic lunch.
Janmesh Darji
I D

We went to Udaipur for a trip. My
mom was feeding biscuits to a monkey. Suddenly
another monkey came and snatched the whole
packet from my mom’s hands. My mom got scared
and started jumping.
Vian Patel
I D
I sleep with my grandmother.
One day I was not feeling well, so I went to my
parents’room. It was a dark room. I looked for my
mother; she was in a deep sleep. I went to her and
said, “Mamma, Mamma”, in a soft voice. She was
scared and started shouting. My father too got up,
and we all started laughing loudly.
Arnav Sharma
I DAarav Patel
I B
My family was eagerly waiting for
my birth and the day I was born all were very happy
and then this funny incident took place.
My father started sharing happy news on phone
calls and social media, that new member "baby
boy" has come into our family. He called up my
grandfather and told him to pass this message to
relatives and neighbours. After some time, wishes
started pouring in and people said‘congratulations’
on the arrival of Lakshmi. My father got confused
and explained to everyone that the baby is not a
girl but a boy. My father spoke to my grandfather
and asked him what he had told our near and dear
ones. My grandfather had a hearing issue, due to
old age and he was so excited about my birth that
he had heard ‘baby girl’ instead of ‘baby boy’. He
changed the gender, and so this confusion was
there in everyone’s mind on my birth. Till date
whenever we recall this incident, we all laugh
together.

Zebarites
Ishan Bhavesh Joshi of Grade VIII C has developed and
submitted a game using Scratch application for Google Code to
Learn Contest 2018. He missed his non-academic periods , came to
school even on Saturdays, was in constant touch with his Computer
Teacher (Ms. Pankhuri) over call during non-working hours to
develop a project of his interest.
The Dungeon Runner:
In this game you play the role of a runner who is
stuck in a dungeon. He has to protect himself by jump-
ing or ducking the obstacles like bats and zombies
coming in his way. He needs to kill the zombies and
bats that try to attack him. The game has different
levels, the runner can select a character appearance
for himself.
Annlin Stephen Chirayath of Grade VI D participated in Tak Dhina Dhin Dance
Competition(19th Annual Inter School Music awards) organised by School Post. She pre-
sented a dance performance for her age category i.e.
Juniors: Grade III to VII.
The competition was divided into 3 rounds.
Knock out, Semi-finals and Finals. Annlin successfully
cleared the first two rounds and made it to the finals.
Only six students from Ahmedabad from various
schools made it to the finals. Though Annlin could not
win a position for herself in the Finals but we proudly
appreciate the commendable efforts put in by her and the support rendered by her
parents. Middle Section Dance teachers ( Ms. Neha Maniyar and Ms. Bhumika Trivedi)
were always available for constant guidance.
Kavya Kashyapkumar Gandhi of Grade IX B is
learning Kathak. She performed in HK auditorium on
Krishna Alakh and Japtal. Krishna Alakh was based
on the life story of Lord Krishna in which all 9 rasas
were brought together on the stage.

TulsiBhaveshPatelofGradeVIBwonfirst
prize in an inter-school drawing competi-
tion.The competition was held at Sanskar
Kendra on 15th August,2018. More than
1200 students from Ahmedabad
participated in this competition which
was organised by Gujarat Rajya Kala
Shikshak Sangh. Her drawing was
displayed in Karnavati Art Gallery.
Students of Middle School participated in Zyfest
2018. The participants were
Gowri Nair,Vaishvi Patel, Annlin Chirayath, Smriti
Mehta, Janviba Chudasama, Manasvi Mukherjee,
Swathya Tulsian, Aayushi Vadher.
Spreading Empathy
Zebarites visited 'Visamo Kids' an organisation which aims to provide education to
underprivileged children. While at Visamo, our students interacted with the children
and conducted various creative activities for them. They also played a friendly
volleyball match with the children.
Zebarites spent a little over three hours with the children of Visamo before saying
goodbye to them. They realised that one must contribute and understand his/her
social responsibilities towards society.
Zebarites

Divyansh Bajaj IX A Kashish Khatri IX C Kahan Shah I C
Akshita Paliwal IX A Aditiba Bhatti V B Vishesh Jhaveri VIII C
Divyansh Bajaj IX A Kashish Khatri IX C Kahaan Shah I C

Zebar and Udgam launch Hands@Work
A book designed by the collective effort of leading educationists, child
psychologists and handwriting experts.
This curated booklet comprises of several easy home-based activities for
strengtheningfinemotorskillswhichwilldeveloptheabilitytowritesmooth-
ly. The book will serve as a ready reckoner for parents of pre-schoolers who
have been introduced to writing in school. These activities will not only
strengthen the fine motor skills of the children but also give the parents and
the children to bond over some creative time at home.
Designer:RutvikVasani

Zebar Matters of September 2018

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