No School Bell Ringing! Time To Party! Nature Beckons!

By Ms. Sunita D’Souza

February 18, 2015

The entire family of St. Joseph's High School, Wadala were eagerly looking forward to the staff picnic! It was the 'Staff's Day Out' to make the most of the day filled with fun moments!

On 15th February, 2015, Sunday evening a group of 32 eager beavers got together at 3.30 p.m. for the overnight picnic while a group of 30 morning daisies came to the spot at 9.30 a.m. the next day!
The spot was welcoming and surreal! Pinewood Resort in Karjat was the destination - a peaceful and tranquil, lush green spot away from the hustle and bustle of city life and the perfect get-away from the mundane daily routine!

The 4 swimming pools were ideal for a soothing dip in with total relaxation guaranteed! The staff played basketball in the pool excitedly which was truly a 'one of a kind' game!
The pool with slides at different heights thrilled the staff members as they enjoyed splashing in the water and getting 'showers of blessings' from an extra-large overhead bucket that took them by surprise!

The refreshing meals - breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner were mouth-watering and sumptuous!
The telegames which were organised by teachers Thelma and Joanna made the enthusiastic and lively staff get into the mood to compete and win! In 4 teams the staff happily participated and everyone thoroughly enjoyed cheering for their team-mates!

The bus journey was mind-blowing and wonderful as the staff joined in the 'sing-song session' making the presence of every staff member worthwhile with special songs dedicated to them and a special ‘Staff Housie’ too!

A tired but happy staff reached school on 16th February, at 6 p.m. cherishing fond memories of the fantastic time spent together which was entertaining, rejuvenating, stimulating and indeed heartwarming all brought about by the mere presence of being together where the entire focus was on FUN! Cheers to the staff of St. Joseph's who work hard and party harder together as a team!    

St. Joseph's bids farewell to Ms. Nicole Britto

ST. JOSEPH’S BIDS FAREWELL TO ITS DEAR VICE-PRINCIPAL

By Ms. Lidwina and Ms. Sunita

St. Joseph’s High School, Wadala

April 6, 2015

On 18^th March 2015, the students and staff gathered in special assemblies, first the secondary section and later, the primary and pre-primary sections together, to bid farewell to their dear Headmistress/Vice-Principal of 8 years, Ms. Nicole Britto, who will be leaving the institution at the end of this academic year.

The backdrop beautifully expressed their emotions and feelings through the words “Teacher Nicole, You Have Touched Our Hearts And Ignited Our Minds”. Through entertaining and inspiring cultural programmes the Pre-Primary, the Primary and the Secondary Sections expressed their gratitude to their dear Vice-Principal and Headmistress through song and dance, celebrating her presence with them! The Prayer Song ‘Maduban Khushbu Deta Hai, Sagar Sawan Deta Hai, Jeena Uska Jeena Hai, Jo Auron Ko Jeevan Deta Hai’ amalgamated all that the children had to say to their teacher in their farewell programme. A meaningful power-point presentation capturing golden moments shared with Teacher Nicole, floral tributes, a dance to a medley of ABBA songs let Ms. Nicole know that she is loved and will be missed. The farewell addresses read out by Master Umang Achhalia (Primary Section) and Varun Tirthani (Secondary Section) were emotional, sentimental, thought-provoking and came straight from the heart.

“If love could have stopped you from leaving us, you would have never left us,” said the Head Boy of the school, Varun, in his address. He further expressed “We will certainly miss you, teacher, in our classrooms, in the church and in the school office. For all the dedicated service you have rendered to our school, we pray that God bless you with abundant graces.”

Ms. Nicole then in an emotional address expressed her deep gratitude to God for being given the chance to serve at St. Joseph’s, making helping her develop into the person she is today. In all humility she thanked the ex-Provincials, Rev. Fr. Ivo Coelho and Rev. Fr. Michael Fernandes for the confidence they had in her when entrusting her with the responsibility of Headmistress of the Secondary Section and Vice-Principal of the whole school. She was grateful for the chance she had to practice Don Bosco’s preventive system of education – something she firmly believes in. She sincerely thanked the past Rector, Rev. Fr. Aloysius Furtado, and the past Principals under whom she served in this capacity - Rev. Fr. Anthony Pinto and Rev. Fr. Bernard Fernandes – for their unstinted support, guidance and encouragement as she carried out her responsibilities. She mentioned the special qualities of service and life she had picked up from them. Ms. Nicole also expressed her thanks to the present Provincial, Rev. Fr. Godfrey D’Souza, Principal, Rev. Fr. Godfrey D’Sa and the members of the management.

Believe in yourself, stand up for what is right, love and nurture Mother Earth - this was the essence of her parting message to the children. Through the song, "Do what you do, do well", Ms. Nicole exhorted the children of the primary and pre-primary to do their best wholeheartedly. Finding it very difficult to control her emotions she concluded saying to the children, “I love you dearly. God bless you always. Nothing can ever take the place of St. Joseph’s in my heart.”

The programme concluded with the Vote of Thanks rendered by the Principal and Rector, Rev. Fr. Godfrey D’Sa, who thanked all those who had helped in organizing the Farewell function, appreciating the efforts of the teachers and students and the domestic staff. “Thank you, Teacher Nicole, for diligently carrying out your task as Headmistress, showing love and dedication to the weaker students and meticulously planning academic and cultural programmes of the school,” he said.

Teacher Nicole, we will always cherish fond memories. God bless you always and in all ways!       

Mumbai Traffic Police Visit (Feb. 23, 2015)

Mumbai Traffic Police Visit St. Joseph’s

By Kastle Farro (Std. VI)

St. Joseph’s High School, Wadala

February 26, 2015

After the assembly on February 23^rd, 2015, the students of the Pre Primary , Primary and Std. V and VI were given an input about Traffic Rules by a team of traffic police from the Mumbai Traffic Police – Education Wing.  The Team consisted of six to seven officers headed by Mr. Vishnu.

Mr. Vishnu highlighted the three most important traffic rules which must be followed by all vehicles:

Green: Go;

Orange: Start your Engine or get ready to halt;

Red: Stop!

He reminded us that pedestrians must only follow two signals: Red and Green. We were also made aware that when we have to cross the road on a Highway without a Subway, zebra -crossing or on a bridge, we must remember the following:

Stand in a safe place

Look right

Look Left

Look right again

…. and only IF the road is clear, then should we cross.

We were shown a 5 minute Powerpoint Presentation on how the world can be a better place if everyone simply followed traffic rules.

The next part of the programme had all the children very excited because the team was going to demonstrate traffic rules on the school’s basketball court. The Traffic Police had already recreated mock traffic conditions, signals and all, on the basketball court. They made the children from the Pre-primary and Std. I participate in the demo by riding tricycles, representing vehicular traffic following traffic rules.  Weren’t they lucky champs! They showed us how important it is to obey traffic rules for our safety and the safety of other people. Rules must be obeyed not broken.

This was an indeed an interesting experience for which we wholeheartedly thanked the Mumbai Traffic Police.

A Tribute To Don Bosco - Class Assemblies 2014-15

A TRIBUTE TO DON BOSCO

by Ms. Sunita D'Souza

WADALA-MUMBAI, MARCH 23, 2015: The section-wise weekly assemblies came to a close on March 17, 2015, with the final assembly of the primary section. Throughout the year the students and class teachers of St. Joseph's High School, Wadala, wonderfully expressed their love to Don Bosco, the founder of the Salesian Community who transformed the lives of the youth around the world with his love! The section-wise assemblies held during the year were based on Don Bosco's life, celebrating the bicentenary year of Don Bosco's birth. 

At the assemblies, different aspects of Don Bosco's personality were portrayed through presentations by each class in turn, on the following themes:

Don Bosco: The Young Apostle (IV-A & X-B)	Don Bosco: The Avid Student (IV-B & IX-A)
Don Bosco: The Musician/Artiste (III-A & IX-B)	Don Bosco: A Man of Humble Origins (III-B & X-A)
Don Bosco: The Educator of Poor Youth (II A & VIII-B)	Don Bosco: The Religious Educator/Catechist(II-B & VI-A)
Don Bosco: The Spiritual Guide (I-A & VI-B)	Don Bosco: The Optimistic Priest (I-B & V-A)
Don Bosco: The Magnetic and Reassuring Personality (IV-A & V-B)	Don Bosco: The Writer and Publisher (IV-B & VII-A)
Don Bosco: The Tireless Worker (III-A & VII-B)	Don Bosco: The Master of All Trades (III-B & VIII-A)
Don Bosco: The Dreamer and Visionary (II-A & VIII-B)	Don Bosco: A Man Of God II-B & V-A)
Don Bosco: The Founder of the SDBs, FMAs and ASC (I-A & V-B)	Don Bosco: The Father and Friend of Youth  (I-B & VIII-A)

The students of each class, under the guidance of their teachers, presented very creative, informative and captivating programmes depicting the theme assigned to the class. The assemblies showcased the vast pool of talent among the students. The backdrops expressed the theme of each assembly. Well-presented skits brought to life scenes from Don Bosco's times. Dances choreographed by students or parents, powerfully portrayed Don Bosco's personality, with graceful movements depicting the essence of songs based on this lovable saint, or other contemporary English and Hindi songs that brought out the spirit of Don Bosco. 

The choir sang praises of Don Bosco expressing their love for him. Audio-visual presentations brought scenes from Turin, Becchi, Valdocco and other places of Don Bosco's days to life, helping the children situate the themes better. In many class presentations, every student of the class had a significant role to play. Besides this, the students of the secondary section were also shown short clippings of Salesian works from around the world.

Every class presentation at the assembly truly made the presence of Don Bosco come alive once again, giving the students an experience of his love for the youth, his devotion to Mother Mary and his acceptance of God's Will. In the words of St. John Bosco - "Walk with your feet on Earth, but in your heart be in Heaven', may we continue to be 'Like Don Bosco, With the Young, For the Young!'

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CENSUS AWARENESS – A Report

By Varun Thirthani IX A

The students of Std. VI, VII and VIII were in for a pleasant surprise when they found out that they were to be given a lecture on the Census of India, not by their teachers, but by senior students! This took place around World Population Day on July 11^th, 2014, in an activity promoted by the Education Department.

Six students of Std. IX were handed the task of lecturing the younger students.  The Std. IX students started by asking the children questions on the topic to test their general knowledge.  After that the lecture began and the students paid careful attention to every detail that was being said.  Maps were shown. Regions were discussed. Children learnt about the sex ratio and literacy rate of our country, things they had never applied their minds to.  When the lecture ended, the students were told to gather information and prepare themselves for a very challenging quiz.

Sure the task to pick a winner would be easy, the Std. IX students were proven wrong.  They found it very tough to select a winner in each class, considering that the students had taken trouble to get more information on the topic.  At last, Avinash Rana of Std. VIII B was declared the overall winner of the Census Quiz. Those who did not win, carried something valuable back home – information that has piqued their curiosity.

Assembly- Std. III A: Don Bosco, a musician and artiste

Don Bosco - The Musician and The Artiste

-Ms. Sunita D’Souza

St. Joseph’s High School,

Wadala,

22^nd July 2014

A warm welcome was accorded to Fr. Godfrey, Mrs. Matilda and everyone present by the two comperes in the school hall. It was indeed done on a musical note, as the music notes merrily filled the air. The backdrop on the panel of the stage held the words - 'The Don Bosco Way - Reason, Religion and Loving Kindness'.

The narration of the story of Don Bosco by the two comperes set the ball rolling for the assembly. Don Bosco juggled with different roles in his life as a musician, learnt to master magic tricks, taught the youth to follow God and pray to Him –all this right from the time he was a little boy! The curtains opened and the beautiful scenes in Don Bosco’s life unravelled – his life journey under the guidance of his mother who played an important role in his life by shaping his personality; the scenes of the Magic Show, the Market Place and the Church provided examples of how Don Bosco learnt different skills in each of these places and made a positive impact on the lives of the people who interacted with him. All this while, the choir sang hymns melodiously backstage – the hymns included 'O Give Thanks To the Lord' and 'Ave Maria'.

The special group of dancers then performed a dance to the rhythm of the song 'All Hail to You Don Bosco'.  Sporting suspenders and dancing in sync with the lyrics, the dancers portrayed beautifully the meaning of every word in the hymn, paying tribute to Don Bosco, in their own, unique style. There was a pictorial power-point presentation which drew the class assembly to a close. The presentation was based on the story of Don Bosco, his birth, his parents and the manner in which he became the patron of the Salesian institutions all over the world, with the sole purpose of reaching out to every child.

 Fr. Godfrey then addressed the students. He thanked the students and the class teacher for their wonderful performance and was especially glad with the performance of little Don Bosco. He spoke about how Don Bosco showed keen interest in learning new skills, which made him renowned as a musician and an aritste, who enjoyed learning. The same need to be emulated by everyone to achieve success and pursue goals with confidence and self-belief. Fr. Godfrey congratulated the winners of the Friday activity: Stds. I & II - Frog Race and Stds. III & IV - Picture colouring competition. The class assembly concluded with the singing of the school anthem with due reverence.         

Assembly IV B: Don Bosco, the avid student

Don Bosco - The Avid Student

-Ms. Sunita D’Souza

St. Joseph’s High School,

Wadala,

15^th July 2014

At the start of the morning assembly, the compere from Std. IV B accorded a warm welcome to the Chief Guest, Rev. Fr. Godfrey Desa (Principal) and Mrs. Matilda Fernandes (Head teacher of the Primary Section) and everyone present in the school hall. The words on the backdrop displayed the qualities- respectful, hardworking,sincere and obedience - Don Bosco practised as a student,  and who thus turned out to be a role model for all students all over the world.  The messages on either side of the panel read - 'Have Fun, But Don't Neglect Study Or Prayer' and 'Purity Is The Greatest Virtue That Comes From Obedience'.

The choir and troupe of dancers dressed as angels in white kurtas, began the class assembly invoking the blessings of St. John Bosco through the words of the song 'Raise Your Voices' a hymn specially dedicated to Don Bosco.  Next, the skit that was enacted by a group of students highlighted 7 scenes from the life of St. Don Bosco as a student which shaped his personality and moulded him to become the founder saint of the organisation named the 'Salesians of Don Bosco'! His learning was not restricted to the classroom or to books; he was enthusiastic and ‘avid’ about learning. He did his best to master his skill at learning to study, acquire magic tricks, be a good stable boy, be honest with his mother and patient with his brothers, practising loving kindness at all times, as he was guided by the hand of God. He learnt to master the work of a blacksmith, a carpenter and play the church organ.  Most of all he reached out to help the poor students and shared with them, the gift of education.

Little Johnny Bosco was given a praiseworthy salute at the end of the skit as he stepped forward as a priest who made his dream come true - his dream to become a priest to love and serve God! The group of students holding little hearts with the letters of his name then spoke what each letter of his name stood for as some other student standing beside them held up the banners displaying the values and virtues he believed in and practised all his life. 

The power-point presentation led by Master Chaitanya with instrumental music playing in the background, showcased how Don Bosco grew up to become a role model for all students teaching them to become avid learners, with a firm belief in themselves through the words, 'I am just a pupil determined to study and learn' when he was asked if he was a genius!

Fr. Godfrey then addressed the students. He expressed his happiness with the presentation and thanked Std. IV B for the same. He reiterated the qualities of Don Bosco and drew the attention of everyone present to the various skills St. John Bosco took interest in and tried his best to master, which truly made him stand out as an extraordinary avid student. Fr. Godfrey then congratulated the winners of the Friday activity - Stds. I & II - Picture Colouring Competition and Stds. III & IV - Frog Race. The assembly concluded with the singing of the school anthem.

St. John Bosco, we follow in your footsteps, filled with the enthusiasm to learn to master our abilities and make the most of our potential, shining like bright stars just like you, which is our promise to you!