Let's have a colourful but careful Holi

Holi is the festival of colours, fun and freedom but it is a good idea to exercise caution and enjoy the festival in its true sense and spirit. We urge you to pay heed to incorporate these pointers, so that we do not cause harm to ourselves or others knowingly or unknowingly.

The synthetic colours used in the festival are extremely harmful to the skin, eye and teeth.  Make sure that you play with natural colours this year. There are a few outlets that provide herbal colours. These do not harm in any way and are easily washed away too.

We are fighting a losing battle with water scarcity as the years go by hence it is a crime to use more water than required. On festivals like Holi, a lot of water tends to get used and wasted and we need to curb this practice at once. Using only dry colours and avoiding drenching and soaking in buckets of water are something that can be easily done. Again by not using synthetic colours, one can get rid of the colours with lesser water; spare a thought for people who go without a drop of water before you drain that bucket of water on someone’s head.

Say no to water balloons. These can not only hurt a person badly but also the material is not degradable and pollutes the environment.

Festivals are celebrated to induce a spirit of brotherhood and bring in joy, so pay heed to the other person’s feelings. If a person does not want to participate, respect his/her feelings. Also, keep a strict vigil on children and do not let them stray alone into lonely streets.

Misbehaving in public is a crime on all occasions and festivals like Holi should not be used as a pretext to indulge in teasing women or causing harm to anyone physically or mentally. The adults must use restraint on the consumption of the traditional Bhang and sweets and also advise their children accordingly.As a responsibly citizen, we must not let a festive mood turn to a period of destruction and unfortunate happenings. 

We, at Lawrence school, hope that these pointers would be implemented and the festival is celebrated in its true colour. So, go ahead and have a happy and safe Holi!

Lawrence High School, located at HSR layout, Bangalore, focuses on educating children with traditional values to adapt and excel in the world. To know more about Lawrence school, please visit the website http://lawrenceschool.in/ and join us at our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lawrence-School/ 

Coping with exams-Lawrence School

It’s exam time and as usual the stress levels are on an increase. Parents and students leave no stone unturned to ensure a high success rate. However, sometimes in an effort to focus on the marks the larger picture of acquiring knowledge is left behind.

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Scoring marks might be necessary to get into the desired faculty or college but it is not a guarantee to success in the real world. Bookish knowledge cannot be applied in the real life scenarios. Hence the focus should largely remain at gaining fruitful knowledge.

Having realistic expectations is one of the best methods of approaching any exam. Parents and children need to bring down the expectation levels to match the capacity of the student. An overall 60% achiever cannot top up his scores to 85% just by cramming in the last few days. 

Mobiles, internet, Facebook, chatting (even if it means discussing studies) should be kept at the lowest minimum. Too much of discussing about how much each one has studied and how much one needs to catch up only raises the anxiety levels.

Allowing time for recreational hobby is not a sacrilegious thing to do. In fact all study will bring down the absorption levels after a point. The mind needs to recharge with something creative or stimulating. It could be anything- a favourite sport, painting, music, dancing or even cooking.

Finally, parents need to befriend their children and win their confidence. They need to demonstrate that exams and their results is not the end of the world-even if they are board exams.  

 Lawrence High School, located at HSR layout, Bangalore, focuses on educating children with traditional values to adapt and excel in the world. To know more about Lawrence school, please visit the website http://lawrenceschool.in/ and join us at our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lawrence-School/ 

Mahashivratri-The origin and significance-Lawrence School

Mahashivratri, also known as the night of Lord Shiva, is celebrated with great devotion in most parts of India. Devotees observe fast during the day and stay awake during the night performing abhishek/puja to Lord Shiva who manifests in the form of the Linga.

Mahashivratri falls on the 14th day of the fortnight in the month of Phalgun. This night of Mahashivratri is considered highly auspicious in Hinduism. It is believed that one is atoned for his or his past sins if one prays to the Lord with complete devotion and surrender on this particular day. It is also believed that the planets are aligned in such a way that it makes it conducive for people on the path of spirituality to attain moksha or liberation from the circle of life and death.

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There are many stories that takes us to the origin of this festival. A popular tale among them is of a tribal villager who was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. Once he ventured into the forest to collect fire-wood and by the time he returned it was nightfall and he lost his way. Fearing harm from the wild animals around, he climbed up a tree. To keep himself awake and get rid of his fear, he began to pluck the leaves of a bel-tree and cast them on the ground while chanting the name of Lord Shiva. It so happened that there was a Linga below the tree and the bel-leaves fell upon the Linga; the act done unknowingly was indeed a deep form of worship of the Lord. It is said that pleased with the devotion, the Lord blessed him with material and spiritual bliss.

Lawrence High School, located at HSR layout, Bangalore, focuses on educating children with traditional values to adapt and excel in the world. To know more about Lawrence school, please visit the website http://lawrenceschool.in/ and join us at our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lawrence-School/   

One day he went deep into the forest to collect firewood. However he lost his way and could not return home before nightfall. As darkness fell, he heard the growls of wild animals. Terrified, he climbed onto the nearest tree for shelter till day-break. Perched amongst the branches, he was afraid he would doze and fall off the tree. To stay awake, he decided to pluck a leaf at a time from the tree and drop it, while chanting the name of Shiva. At dawn, he realized that he had dropped a thousand leaves onto a Linga to keep himself awake, the tribal plucked one leaf at a time from the tree and dropped it below which he had not seen in the dark. The tree happened to be a wood apple or bel tree. This unwitting all-night worship pleased Shiva, by whose grace the tribal was rewarded with divine bliss. This story is also recited on Mahashivaratri by devotees on fast. After observing the all-night fast, devotees eat the Prasad offered to Shiva.
Read more at http://www.theholidayspot.com/shivratri/origin.htm#YmXEk6SOrljotGbi.99

One day he went deep into the forest to collect firewood. However he lost his way and could not return home before nightfall. As darkness fell, he heard the growls of wild animals. Terrified, he climbed onto the nearest tree for shelter till day-break. Perched amongst the branches, he was afraid he would doze and fall off the tree. To stay awake, he decided to pluck a leaf at a time from the tree and drop it, while chanting the name of Shiva. At dawn, he realized that he had dropped a thousand leaves onto a Linga to keep himself awake, the tribal plucked one leaf at a time from the tree and dropped it below which he had not seen in the dark. The tree happened to be a wood apple or bel tree. This unwitting all-night worship pleased Shiva, by whose grace the tribal was rewarded with divine bliss. This story is also recited on Mahashivaratri by devotees on fast. After observing the all-night fast, devotees eat the Prasad offered to Shiva.
Read more at http://www.theholidayspot.com/shivratri/origin.htm#YmXEk6SOrljotGbi.99

One day he went deep into the forest to collect firewood. However he lost his way and could not return home before nightfall. As darkness fell, he heard the growls of wild animals. Terrified, he climbed onto the nearest tree for shelter till day-break. Perched amongst the branches, he was afraid he would doze and fall off the tree. To stay awake, he decided to pluck a leaf at a time from the tree and drop it, while chanting the name of Shiva. At dawn, he realized that he had dropped a thousand leaves onto a Linga to keep himself awake, the tribal plucked one leaf at a time from the tree and dropped it below which he had not seen in the dark. The tree happened to be a wood apple or bel tree. This unwitting all-night worship pleased Shiva, by whose grace the tribal was rewarded with divine bliss. This story is also recited on Mahashivaratri by devotees on fast. After observing the all-night fast, devotees eat the Prasad offered to Shiva.
Read more at http://www.theholidayspot.com/shivratri/origin.htm#YmXEk6SOrljotGbi.99

One day he went deep into the forest to collect firewood. However he lost his way and could not return home before nightfall. As darkness fell, he heard the growls of wild animals. Terrified, he climbed onto the nearest tree for shelter till day-break. Perched amongst the branches, he was afraid he would doze and fall off the tree. To stay awake, he decided to pluck a leaf at a time from the tree and drop it, while chanting the name of Shiva. At dawn, he realized that he had dropped a thousand leaves onto a Linga to keep himself awake, the tribal plucked one leaf at a time from the tree and dropped it below which he had not seen in the dark. The tree happened to be a wood apple or bel tree. This unwitting all-night worship pleased Shiva, by whose grace the tribal was rewarded with divine bliss. This story is also recited on Mahashivaratri by devotees on fast. After observing the all-night fast, devotees eat the Prasad offered to Shiva.
Read more at http://www.theholidayspot.com/shivratri/origin.htm#YmXEk6SOrljotGbi.99

One day he went deep into the forest to collect firewood. However he lost his way and could not return home before nightfall. As darkness fell, he heard the growls of wild animals. Terrified, he climbed onto the nearest tree for shelter till day-break. Perched amongst the branches, he was afraid he would doze and fall off the tree. To stay awake, he decided to pluck a leaf at a time from the tree and drop it, while chanting the name of Shiva. At dawn, he realized that he had dropped a thousand leaves onto a Linga to keep himself awake, the tribal plucked one leaf at a time from the tree and dropped it below which he had not seen in the dark. The tree happened to be a wood apple or bel tree. This unwitting all-night worship pleased Shiva, by whose grace the tribal was rewarded with divine bliss. This story is also recited on Mahashivaratri by devotees on fast. After observing the all-night fast, devotees eat the Prasad offered to Shiva.
Read more at http://www.theholidayspot.com/shivratri/origin.htm#YmXEk6SOrljotGbi.99

One day he went deep into the forest to collect firewood. However he lost his way and could not return home before nightfall. As darkness fell, he heard the growls of wild animals. Terrified, he climbed onto the nearest tree for shelter till day-break. Perched amongst the branches, he was afraid he would doze and fall off the tree. To stay awake, he decided to pluck a leaf at a time from the tree and drop it, while chanting the name of Shiva. At dawn, he realized that he had dropped a thousand leaves onto a Linga to keep himself awake, the tribal plucked one leaf at a time from the tree and dropped it below which he had not seen in the dark. The tree happened to be a wood apple or bel tree. This unwitting all-night worship pleased Shiva, by whose grace the tribal was rewarded with divine bliss. This story is also recited on Mahashivaratri by devotees on fast. After observing the all-night fast, devotees eat the Prasad offered to Shiva.
Read more at http://www.theholidayspot.com/shivratri/origin.htm#YmXEk6SOrljotGbi.99

Benefits of an inclusive learning environment-Lawrence School

Inclusive learning environment can be termed as a place where children of various needs and abilities are trained under one roof; a place where every child feels equally loved and motivated enough to perform to the best of his or her abilities without any guilt, discomfort or pressure.

A mixed environment could be a place where students of different social, cultural and economic backgrounds converge to learn under the same set of teachers. This could also be extended to include children who are also differently abled, either physically or mentally, as long as their impairment does not require constant medical attention and does not interfere too much with their every-day needs.

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A well-trained and empathetic trainer or teacher is highly important in such a set up since he or she would be instrumental in bringing about the fine balance where each child irrespective of his/her background or ability gets to explore, learn and grow equally.

It is also a fine opportunity for main-stream children to develop a sense of empathy and tolerance and eventually appreciation for kids from a different set-up. The differently-abled group gets a chance to become comfortable in interacting in social set-up without feeling ‘odd’ or left-out. It gives them a chance to lift their self-esteem and be at par with their ‘normal’ peers. 

 

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It is a pre-cursor to an ideal world where the have-nots are not ridiculed or looked down upon by the haves in the society; where everyone is treated with dignity and respect; where one is able to put self in others’ shoes and feel for the other.

Can we dream of such an environment in our main-stream schools?

Lawrence High School, located at HSR layout, Bangalore, focuses on educating children with traditional values to adapt and excel in the world. To know more about Lawrence school, please visit the website http://lawrenceschool.in/ and join us at our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lawrence-School/  

Keep the stress away from exams-Lawrence School

With the Xth and XIIth board exams looming large, it is that time of the year when stress levels of both-the students and parents-go up by notches. Exam times can be trying and stress should not add on to it. So, here are a few tips that can help you sail through through this period:

Have a fixed schedule: Your daily routine should not have too many deviations. From waking up in the morning to what you'd be studying to when you'd have your meals and breaks to the sleep hour at night, everything needs to happen smoothly at roughly the same hour daily. This kind of routine will help the body and mind get adjusted and you'd have no trouble focusing at your task.

Maintain a study time-table: Most students do have a plan around this time. However, the way it is charted out can have an impact on its success rate. You need to be honest while charting out the table. Take the help of a parent or teacher or someone who knows your strengths and with whom you can be candid about where you stand in each subject.

Do not brush away doubts: It is the eleventh hour and most students panic at the first instance of doubt that crops their minds and balk at the thought of approaching their teachers for help fearing their reaction. However, to pretend that the doubts never arose or worse seeking help from wrong sources can lead to more serious implications. So, be calm and talk to your teachers about any kind of doubt. They are there to help you out.

Eat a healthy diet and take ample rest: Make sure you eat healthy food and resist the temptation to indulge in junk food. It is also the time when infections spread easily and you don't want to catch one just before your exams. Also, ensure that you sleep for a minimum of eight hours.

Make time for revision: Account for a few rounds of revision for the chapters that you've studied. This will ensure that the concepts remain fresh in the mind. Do not give in to panic attacks. Stay calm and confident. If you feel stressed out, do confide in your parent, friend or teacher who'd be able to guide you well.

For the parents:

Refrain from reminding the student about the approaching exams in a threatening manner.

Assure the child that all will not be lost even if the performance is sub-par.

Make sure you don't seem more anxious than the student himself.

Look out for warning signs in your child like over-eating, or not eating over-sleeping, or unable to sleep, irritability, temper-bursts, etc. While some of these are normal during an exam, long periods of the same can be harmful. Do talk to your child in a friendly manner and try to find out what is bothering him/her. If necessary, take the help of a professional.

We wish you all students the very best.

Lawrence High School, located at HSR layout, Bangalore, focuses on educating children with traditional values to adapt and excel in the world. To know more about Lawrence school, please visit the website http://lawrenceschool.in/ and join us at our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lawrence-School/ 

Why should we vote?-Lawrence School

With the next general elections just round the corner and new and newer political fronts emerging, it is truly a debatable question as to who is worthy to be elected as our next government. 

The past few years have taken the economy, law and order and other aspects of governance to lower depths. Even new faces on the political front seem like old ones in disguise.Hence, it is natural to get cynical and announce that since all parties and political leaders seem alike it is worthless to give any one the vote.

Elections and thereby voting a party to power is the biggest power a citizen can acquire in a democratic country and as responsible adults and citizens, it is every one's duty to go out and vote on the day of elections. Knowing our rights is as important as abiding by our duties. By not choosing to vote, we lose a precious opportunity to have our say and way in how things get governed.

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Unity has tremendous power and we as citizens need to unite to overthrow unjust policies, corrupt ways of functioning. We've had, of late, numerous cases of certain citizen groups that  have tasted small victories like getting a road laid, removal of illegal garbage strewn in their street, etc through their consistent and constant efforts.

So, if you are 18 years of age, a citizen of this country and have not yet registered for a Voter's card, this is your chance. Be the change you want to see.

Lawrence High School, located at HSR layout, Bangalore, focuses on educating children with traditional values to adapt and excel in the world. To know more about Lawrence school, please visit the website http://lawrenceschool.in/ and join us at our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lawrence-School/ 
 

Spotting early signs of learning disorders- Lawrence School

All children face learning difficulties at some point or the other. The trouble is therefore in understanding whether it is a disorder or just a learning phase. Children with learning disorders are unfairly and unfortunately labeled as slow or dumb when in fact the opposite is true. They are equipped with a high IQ and are talented in many ways. With correct diagnosis and proper help, these children are also bound to excel and succeed.

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Note that all children come with their own unique style of learning and capabilities. It is difficult to spot trouble based upon a general observation simply because each child masters a skill at a different time. Also, what can be a stumbling block today can phase out after a few months. Consistency in the problem is a sign of a red-flag and that is when you need to seek help.

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So, what are the warning signs are a parent or teacher need to look out for?

*Source credit: http://bit.ly/1bc0HcS

*Preschool signs and symptoms of learning disabilities

• Problems pronouncing words
• Trouble finding the right word
• Difficulty rhyming
• Trouble learning the alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes, days of the week
• Difficulty following directions or learning routines
• Difficulty controlling crayons, pencils, and scissors or coloring within the lines
• Trouble with buttons, zippers, snaps, learning to tie shoes

Ages 5-9 signs and symptoms of learning disabilities

• Trouble learning the connection between letters and sounds
• Unable to blend sounds to make words
• Confuses basic words when reading
• Consistently misspells words and makes frequent reading errors
• Trouble learning basic math concepts
• Difficulty telling time and remembering sequences
• Slow to learn new skills

Ages 10-13 signs and symptoms of learning disabilities

• Difficulty with reading comprehension or math skills
• Trouble with open-ended test questions and word problems
• Dislikes reading and writing; avoids reading aloud
• Spells the same word differently in a single document
• Poor organizational skills (bedroom, homework, desk is messy and disorganized)
• Trouble following classroom discussions and expressing thoughts aloud
• Poor handwriting

Lawrence High School, located at HSR layout, Bangalore, focuses on educating children with traditional values to adapt and excel in the world. To know more about Lawrence school, please visit the website http://lawrenceschool.in/ and join us at our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lawrence-School/