Celebrating Earth Hour 60+

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE! EARTH HOUR 60+

A (WWF), GREENLINE INITIATIVE!

- Sunita D’Souza

St. Joseph’s High School,

 Wadala,

3^rd April, 2013

On 23rd March 2013, the eco-enthusiasts of St. Joseph's High School, Wadala (approximately 20 students from the Primary and the Secondary sections along with Mrs. Sharmila Gomes and Ms. Sunita D'Souza) were drawn towards the premises of Don Bosco High School, Matunga. We had a date with nature! Time: 8.30 - 9.30 p.m. You guessed it right – the Earth hour! Soulful music greeted us upon our arrival, and the songs played by two musicians strumming the guitar provided a melodious symphony to the serene atmosphere surrounding us. The compere warmly welcomed the many volunteers sporting Earth Hour 60+ tee-shirts promoting the eco-conscious spirit.

The Mayor of our city, Mr. Sunil Prabhu arrived soon. He was accompanied by Rev. Fr. Savio Silveira (the Greenline Guru). Addressing the gathering, he stated that he was gladdened to witness such a good response to the eco-friendly call - the 'Earth Hour', reiterating the need to save electricity!. Personally, he supported this drive by asking his family members to switch off the lights in his house from 8.30 - 9.30 p.m. He congratulated the Greenline Team that collaborated with the WWF for this venture, as also everyone present for coming forward to bring about an awareness to save electricity.  

The entire gathering then marched in a procession with lit candles to realize their goal - Earth Hour 60+.  They began their promenade from Don Bosco High School, Matunga and walked in the direction of Five Gardens in tow. A spontaneous rendition of the song 'Hum Honge Kameyab Ek Din' by some students energised the rally. At King's Circle, we halted for a few minutes to form an eco-friendly circle. We were in for a surprise! The students of Shelter Don Bosco and the Greenline volunteers demonstrated the importance of light in our lives through a street play performed in the form of a lively, energetic and delightful dance. They grooved in sync, their message to ‘save electricity’ loud and clear.  Feeling energised and rejuvenated, we continued our walk down the streets with lit candles. The news reporters and the media personnel present during the rally were seen recording the sequence of events and capturing the special scenes on their cameras of this momentous occasion.

Once at the venue, a pledge was taken by all the eco-crusaders to continue being eco-friendly and do their bit to save electricity. Snacks were served to everyone present. The compere thanked everyone for making this mission possible. Precious memories of this 'special Earth Hour 60+ walk' will live on; time to shine on!     

Farewell for Std. IV

SAYING GOODBYE TO YOU IS NOT EASY DEAREST STUDENTS OF STD.IV!

- Sunita D’Souza

St. Joseph’s High School,

Wadala

2^nd April 2013

It was a day when special seats were reserved in the assembly hall for the students of Std. IV of the school.  The time had come for them to say good-bye to the nostalgic days of the primary section, and move ahead to another phase of their school life.  Hence they were the distinguished guests on 22^nd March where a special farewell programme was organized for them by the students of Stds. I, II & III.  Mrs. Laila Furtado and Ms. Queenie Aranjo co-ordinated the specially planned items together with the staff and the students of these classes. The backdrop held the words 'Fly And Ride Every Way Earnestly, Lovingly, Loyally'!

After our special guests were seated, the compere enthusiastically welcomed the Chief Guest, Rev. Fr. Bernard Fernandes (Principal) and the Guests of Honour, Tr. Nicole Britto (Vice-Principal) and Tr. Matilda Fernandes (Headmistress of the Primary Section). At the introductory prayer, the compere placed the students of Std. IV in God's hands and invoked His blessings on them on behalf of the entire Primary Section. In the entertaining programme that followed, the action song by the students of Std. I to the rhythm of the song 'Hum Rahe Ya Na Rahe' struck a chord with our Std. IV students.  Master Daniel Sequeira of Std. IV A addressed the gathering and expressed his sentiments on the precious moments spent in the Primary Section on behalf of all the students of Std. IV. He thanked the Management, Staff members, the teachers of the Pre-Primary and Primary Sections and students of Stds. I,.II & III. In a touching gesture, beautiful handmade cards were presented by the representatives of Std. IV to the Chief Guest, Fr. Bernard Fernandes, the Guests of Honour, Ms, Nicole Britto and Mrs. Matilda Fernandes, and to all the Pre-Primary and Primary teachers. The words read "You smiled and the world seemed brighter. You held our hands and we felt like kings. Your words to us are a fortune. Your love to us means everything. But we'll never know the reason why you love us as you do. That's the wonder of you!" 

It was now the turn of the students of Std. IV to speak. This was to be their last performance in the Primary Section. They reflected on all that they learnt in the Primary Section and expressed their gratitude to their teachers through the words of the poem, ‘Memories’. The Std. II students then put everyone in an elated mood as they grooved gracefully to the rhythm of the song 'Inni Minni'.  Then there was a wonderful power-point presentation prepared by the students of Std. III who took the students of Std. IV down memory lane featuring all the activities and events, with thought-provoking messages and pictures that were projected straight from the heart!

The Chief Guest, Rev. Fr. Bernard Fernandes, then addressed the students of Std. IV. He asked them to share the values they learnt in the Primary Section. The students were quick with their responses – Sharing, Helpfulness, Patience and kindness, Being unselfish, were some that were highly esteemed. Fr. Bernard urged them to continue to practice these values as they set foot in the Secondary Section.  All staff and students who made the day and the farewell program special came in for special mention by the Principal.

May God bless you always dearest students of Std. IV.  We are confident that you will always live up to the motto of our school 'Ad Majora Natus Sum' - 'We Are Born For Greater Things'! 

Feast of our patron, St. Joseph

Thank you St. Joseph - Our Role Model and Guide!

- Ms. Sunita D’Souza

St. Joseph’s High School,

Wadala

29^th March, 2013

The countdown to the feast of St. Joseph began with a special novena that was planned and prepared on the theme of faith. The special novena mass was celebrated in our parish church on all the days of the novena at 7 am, with groups of teachers and students animating the liturgy at mass. It was an opportunity to reflect deeper on the qualities of St. Joseph - patience, faith in Divine Providence, faith in Jesus, deeper faith in God…

The prayer service (Secondary section) on 18^th March, the eve of the Feast Day, was offered in thanksgiving to St. Joseph. The video 'Saint Joseph: A Hidden Life' depicting the role of St. Joseph in the life of Jesus and Mother Mary laid emphasis on his ability to work hard and silently and be their source of inspiration. The three virtues of St. Joseph namely, patience, hard work and honesty were highlighted through this video presentation.

The feast day of St. Joseph witnessed a large congregation - well-wishers, students – past and present, teachers (present and retired), parents and parishioners - gathering in the Church of Our Lady of Dolours for the solemn festive thanksgiving mass at 8 a.m.  Fr. Bernard Fernandes (Principal) was the main celebrant; Rev. Fr. Godfrey Desa (Rector) and Rev. Fr. Vivian D'Souza were the concelebrants. A short skit at the beginning of the Mass, depicting the role St. Joseph in our lives, and offerings for the needy at the offertory procession, were some of the highlights of the celebration. The students with regular attendance at the novena Mass were rewarded with special prizes at the end of the Eucharistic celebration.

After the Thanksgiving Mass, the students and parents were offered refreshments, while a special get-together for the staff members, teachers, retired teachers, past pupils and well-wishers was arranged in the school hall. Fr. Bernard wished the entire family of St. Joseph a joyous feast of our patron, and a few other members present too came forward to reminisce the years gone by and pay growing tributes to their alma mater and cherished home. This spontaneous sharing was indeed a testimony of thanksgiving which struck a chord in the hearts of everyone. Snacks and a hot cup of tea were served to everyone present. The teachers were presented a small token of appreciation as a sign of their love, commitment and dedication to St. Joseph’s. A staff photograph at the end of the celebration captured the moment – the smiles and the joy – that completes a family picture!

The following day - March 19 being a ‘festive’ holiday – all the school students were given a ‘munchy’ chocolate treat  to celebrate the feast of St. Joseph. May St. Joseph continue to bless, assist, direct, protect and guide us in all our future endeavours.

    

Winners of Maschio Foundation Greenest School Award for the second successive year

GREEN FEATHER IN OUR CAP - THE SECOND TIME!

- Mrs. Sunita D’Souza

St. Joseph’s High School

Wadala

15^th March 2013

After a long wait, the propitious moment arrived on 14^th March 2013. A group of five students, of St. Joseph’s High School, Wadala, Cleon, Unnat, Parth, Yash and Bishabh, accompanied by their teachers Mrs. Pavita and Ms. Sunita promenaded along the avenue leading to Don Bosco High School, Matunga. They were on their way to the GreenLine awards ceremony scheduled for the day.  A palpable ripple of excitement and a sense of bliss – after all they were in the company of nature - were their companions on this journey.

An array of the wonderful GreenLine activities displayed on the screen greeted the eye upon our arrival at the venue. These were the activities taken up by the different schools under the ‘Green Schools Campaign’ banner. We were proud to be a part of these 'Green Crusaders'. Eminent environmentalist, Mr. Sunjoy Monga, was the chief guest for the awards ceremony. Also present, as the guest of honour, was Fr. Edwin D’Souza, Rector of the Shrine of Don Bosco, Matunga.

Rev. Fr. Savio Silveira, Director of the GreenLine team, welcomed the gathering and congratulated all the 51 participating schools for putting in that extra effort to contribute to the success of the Greenline activities. The green crusaders had to go beyond the requirements of the school! And “to walk the extra mile is never easy!’’ said he. However, “working together is a fascinating experience!"  He appreciated the presence of the journalists and reporters from the Hindustan Times and the Week who always gave that extra fillip to the GreenLine ventures through their thought provoking articles and reporting.

An eye-catching and informative power-point presentation on the Green School Campaign 2012 - 2013 was presented by Ms. Devyani Singh and Mr. Aristo of the GreenLine team. They highlighted the major themes of the year - 'Green Cover', 'Our Faunatastic World', 'Threats and Conservation', 'Project Sparrow', 'Project Butterfly' and 'Project Green Zone'. A special mention was made of their e-magazine 'Green Runner' - a green concept of the Greenline Team – that allows students to express their thoughts and feelings on biodiversity through articles, poems, paintings, and the like.

Presentations by three schools based on the theme 'My Green Dream For The City' followed thereafter. Our students, Cleon, Unnat and Parth recited a poem – their own composition for this occasion - alongside a power-point presentation with images and scenes that matched their thoughts.

The Chief Guest, Mr. Sunjoy Monga, enthralled the audience with flashbacks of his schooling days when he enjoyed catching frogs and other insects just to observe them closely because he was immensely fascinated by nature. This passion led him on to create a career for himself in which he devotes his time and energies to the protection of nature. 'Little Actions - Big Difference!’, that was his message to all of us

Outlining the criteria for the awards, Fr. Savio Silveira mentioned that the key areas for the point system were participation and involvement, session outcomes, participation in events, initiatives by the school, creativity of ideas, impact on the neighbourhood, school environment and sustainability of activities. The list of the top ten schools was up on display next. And were we not excited to see our name out there! And yes, our joy knew no bounds when it was announced that our school was awarded the ‘Maschio Foundation award for the Greenest School’ for the second consecutive year. A cheque for Rs. one lakh accompanied the prize for the promotion of programmes and projects related to environmental education and greening activities in the school. The ‘Green Hero’ award for the ‘Greenest student’ of the school was won by Master Cleo Braganza of Std. VII for his outstanding contribution in all the GreenLine activities.

Credit to the Management, staff members and the students for pooling in to work towards a ‘sustained commitment to develop a green culture’ in the school.  We now march in unison, with yet another green feather in our cap, towards a land of biodiversity, and a greener and cleaner world!

The Primary students visit Maharashtra Nature park

SPENDING QUALITY TIME WITH OUR FRIENDS FROM NATURE!

-  Mrs. Sunita D’Souza & Ms. Queenie Aranjo

St. Joseph’s High School

Wadala

13^th March 2013

A visit to a natural park easily tends to elevate and instruct. That’s what it does to every nature lover, and more so the energetic, inquisitive young minds. 20^th and 28^th February 2013 were the two days set aside for the students of Std. IV and III respectively, for a visit to the Maharashtra Nature Park at Dharavi.

This park is Mumbai's first man-made forest which was developed on the garbage dump land in 1981-82. It was opened for the public on 22nd April 1994. Covering an area of 37 acres, it is home to about 15,000 to 22,000 plant species, 75 species of butterflies, 90 types of birds and 21 types of snakes! The Nature park is divided into nine sections viz. Education centre, Nursery, Wooded Area, Medicinal plants cultivation, Palm section, Fruit trees, Vegetable garden, Aquarium, Bird observation point and Vermicompositing section.

Upon arrival, the students were warmly welcomed by the staff members, Ms. Varsha and Ms. Sarita, and the guides, Mr. Prashant and Ms. Vanita. They were directed to a room to watch a slide show depicting the different kinds of species in the park. This was indeed informative and amazing. The nature trail thereafter was a lesson in observation about the natural process of the birth of butterflies. The students came across different trees - the flame of the forest, mulberry, bamboo, elaichi- and plants such as lemon grass, tulsi, mint, etc. They also learnt about vermiculture.

Walking ahead at the Bird Observation point, birds like flamingo, kite, seagull, kingfisher, cuckoo, etc. caught our attention. A beautiful pagoda ant-hill on the tree, fairy tale fungi, centipedes and millipedes made it a close to an 'Alice in Wonderland' kind of experience!

The sight of the Mithi River at close range, and the garbage dumped therein drove home the truth of the cause of the flooding that takes place in Mumbai during heavy monsoons.

A visit to the nursery was lined up next. It aroused the students’ curiosity and further prompted a few to carry along some saplings with them so that they could serve as precious memories of their visit to the park.

Soon it was soon time to bid farewell to our 'friends from nature'.  We all returned back happy for the enriching experience and acquaintance with nature and its inhabitants.

Faith Celebration Day

Faith Celebration Day

-Mr. Angelo D’Cunha

 St. Joseph’s High School,

Wadala,

12^th March 2013

Every year the Archdiocese of Mumbai conducts projects for regular school going Christian students all over Mumbai.  This is organized through different zones, also called deaneries. Our school comes under the North East Matunga deanery headed by Fr. Wilfred D’Souza, sdb. The Christian students of the school go through regular sessions of faith reflection in their religion classes, and a conscious effort is made to link this reflection to life. The Faith Celebration Day organized in the deaneries of Mumbai adds to the deepening of this faith experience outside the classroom.

The preparation for this day for the students of Std. IX begins in the month of August with a Research Project. A participation in this project is a requisite for attendance on Faith Formation Day and a certificate. The topics taken up for the research project were:

1. Neighbourhood Communities
2. Street Children
3. Careers
4. Self-Esteem
5. Environment
6. Boy-Girl Relationship
7. Houseworkers

Six schools of the North Mumbai(East) deanery participated in the Faith Celebration Day for Std. IX on February 21, 2013 at Don Bosco Primary School Hall, Matunga. The day began with a prayer service conducted by our own students with the reflections on the Gospel of the day and intercessory prayers. Thereafter each school presented the project topics given to them either in the form skit, dance or power point presentation. We presented our project on the theme of boy-girl relationship through a skit. We highlighted the aspects of respect for girls, forgiveness, and prudence. The skit ended on a beautiful note, “for each one of us there is a special time, and when we meet that someone special, there will be meaning and great joy in our life!” Fr. Wilfred D’souza summed up the message of the skit in his wise words, commending the students of St. Joseph’s High School Wadala.

After all the participating schools completed their presentations, the students and the catechists accompanying them were served yummy snacks. An interactive and faith enriched quiz was conducted thereafter based on the school curriculum, the Bible and the history of the Church. In the concluding vote of thanks by Fr. Wilfred D’Souza, the contribution of every school towards making this Faith Celebration a success was highly appreciated. 

Helping to fight cancer

Help us fight cancer – Cancer Aid Society

St. Joseph’s High School

Wadala,

8^th Feb 2013

Our school notice board displays proudly a certificate with the following citation by the Cancer Aid Society:

Dear Principal,

The Society puts on record its sincere gratitude and acknowledgement of allegiance to you the Management, Staff and students  of your prestigious institution  for their affable social concern and participation in our Nationwide Cancer Control Programme.

The laudable and noble efforts made collectively by your institution in the Cancer Awareness Campaign for a period of 15 days from 19-12-2012, are commendable during which a sum of Rs. 1,99,481 was also raised as a donation besides generating awareness against the dreaded disease of cancer amongst thousands of people, which shall go a long way for the control of cancer in tune with the guidelines of World Health Organization.

We extend our heartiest and sincere thanks to all of you.

President (Cancer Aid Society)

Cancer Aid Society is a certified social NGO meeting international standards, spreading awareness against this fearful disease, as also raising funds to assist people fight cancer.  On 19^th December, 2012, Mr. Berry representing this organization addressed the school assembly on the control of cancer as per the guidelines of WHO.  He spoke about Primary Prevention, Good Dietary Habits, Tobacco Abuse, Secondary Prevention, Healthy Living Habits, and other aspects relating to this disease.  He appealed for a generous contribution towards their cause.  And generous, they were! The school collected a handsome amount of Rs. 1,99, 481/-, thanks to the efforts of our students, many of whom went door to door campaigning for this noble cause.  The classes with the highest collection received trophies, while students received certificates and medals for their generous efforts.  On 5^th March, 2013, the school was honored with an impressive shield, trophies and citation.  The representatives of this organization were magnanimous in offering a cheque of Rs. 20,000/- to one of the non-teaching staff members to financially aid his ailing daughter suffering from cancer.  Together we march ahead to prevent and fight cancer.