Ushering in the new year-Lawrence School

The countdown to the New Year has begun. With just 4 days to go for 2014, it is time to make the mandatory resolutions for the New Year and also take stock of the year that went by.

New Year resolutions are viewed with a lot of skepticism and thus unfortunately deemed to doom shortly. However, it is important to understand that this is not a fad without real meaning to it. This time of the year gives us an opportunity to look back at our successes, mistakes, the highs and the lows. Making realistic resolutions certainly help us to take a few steps towards our betterment even if they are not achieved in totality.

Taking stock of what has happened is needed to understand why certain things didn’t go the way it was planned and what measures can be taken to see that the path to the goal is cleared of obstacles. It is also a good practice to count all the blessings and feel grateful for all the good that happened in the past year. 

 

Image: http://bit.ly/1e9BZf5

In the past few years it has become fashionable to party late into the night of the eve of the New Year as a mark of celebrating the arrival of the New Year. While there is nothing wrong in partying, it is good to keep a check on the level of activities you indulge in the name of celebration. Drinking late into the night, causing noise and disturbance in the neighbourhood, crossing the limits in social behaviour cannot be passed off as celebrations and this is definitely not the way to begin a New Year.

Why not begin the New Year by identifying one nasty habit in us and deciding to work towards reversing the habit in the months to come? Let us decide to inculcate one good practice this year. It could be anything-from waking up early to exercising regularly, to studying more sincerely, to cutting down unnecessary expenses, to understanding our parents better.

Wishing you all a great year ahead!

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/ 

It’s the time for secret Santa-Lawrence School

With Christmas just round the corner it’s time for Santa Claus to make the rounds and grant the best behaved kid in the block his/her secret wish (es). Wasn’t it fun to believe in Santa Claus, don our best behavior, hang out our stockings with our wish list, and wait for the hearty old man to come and fulfill our wishes? It is innocent beliefs and faith as these that one would wish that one never grew up.

But who said the fun cannot be brought back and the memories not re-created! There is in fact much more satisfaction and happiness hidden in bringing a smile to others faces than just receiving gifts. Festivals are about bonding as a large community than anything else. It is indeed to kindle a selfless approach towards life that games like secret Santa have been played for generations now. 

Secret Santa is generally played in large groups (of close members or even members who don’t know each other too well) where each person writes their name and what they’d like or not like as a gift on a piece of paper. The paper chits are then folded in an identical manner and passed around. Every member picks up one name and gets a chance to play Santa to the person whose name is drawn.

The identity of the Santa is kept a secret and it is a fun exercise to throw in teasers and allow the recipient to guess his/her Santa. Isn’t this a lovely game? So, what are you waiting for? Grab your thinking hats and organize a secret Santa party at your family get together, office or even your local community. 

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/ 

Go DIY this Christmas-Lawrence School

Bored of the same cards, decorations and goodies that throng the stores each year around Christmas? Want to keep the kid productively occupied during the vacations? Read on find out how:

There is no better way to add some personal touch than to be unique. Handmade cards, decorations that are made at home from scratch do need the time and effort but the result can be totally worth it. What's more the kids would love all the gluing and pasting and at the same time get something done constructively.

There are plenty of DIY online tutorials for easy to make Christmas crafts. We are sharing one such craft with you here:

*Source: You can see more such crafts here: http://bit.ly/19GM8gn

*Yarn Candy Cane

 

 

This photo originally appeared in FamilyFun Magazine

Total Time 1 hour Ages all-ages

A neat twist on a classic, these canes are virtually indestructible (and they make excellent gifts).

What you'll need

• 2 skeins of DMC Pearl Cotton, one red and one white
• Scissors
• Red pipe cleaners
• 1/2" to 5/8" ribbon

Helpful Tip: These canes were created with fine DMC Pearl Cotton, but younger kids may have an easier time with chenille yarn or cord.

How to make it

1. Open a skein of cotton and snip the loop at each end so you have two bunches; repeat with the other skein. Then take one red bunch and one white bunch and tie them together into a single knot around the end of a pipe cleaner.
2. To make the stripes, twist the two colors around the pipe cleaner and knot the ends together around the other end. Trim the cotton at both ends and trim the pipe cleaner if need be.
3. Bend into a candy cane shape and adorn with a ribbon bow.
   
   
   
   
   
   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 are extra-curricular activities an important part of the school syllabus?

Success of an individual depends more on how rounded his/her personality is, how balanced the thinking is and how well he/she is able to handle adverse situations in life. The measure of success is definitely not related or confined to the marks scored in any particular exam. Emotional quotient or EQ, is being given its due share of importance now rather than only harping on IQ-the traditional form of gauging a person's caliber.

As most modern schools recognize this aspect and strive to equip the students to face the real world, a host of other activities apart from academics have sprung up as a part of the school syllabus. Most international schools are designed to suit the interests of the NRI clan and thereby follow a similar method of training as in the western parts of the world.

Skills like swimming, karate, cooking, gardening, are being integrated in to the main stream. A variety of games are being taught under the sports category. Students are encouraged to take up any kind of fine arts that suit their interests and aptitude. So, now, a child can explore his/her interests in areas like keyboard playing or singing in a choir. 

A glimpse of Exotica 2013 @ Lawrence High School

We can see a paradigm shift in how the annual celebrations take place at schools. A decade ago, only the cream of the students would be cherry picked and polished for performances on stage. The introverts almost always got left out. However, now we see that all students are given equal opportunity to show their presence in front of a large audience. They are encouraged and trained to shed their inhibitions and come out of their comfort zones.

An environment that is energizing in all ways, that enables to sharpen the mind in many spheres, and gives the students a huge platter to choose from is definitely a right and progressive way to create future leaders and a generation of responsible and sensitive human beings.

Lawrence High School takes pride in doing all of the above and making a mark in the world of school education.

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/