graduation of the class of 2015

On July 11, 2015 the Class of 2015 had their Graduation Ceremony in the Kamal Mani Th eatre. Th e ceremony was indeed very special with 98 smart young students graduating. Eminent journalist Mr Rabindra Mishra, the Editor of Nepali BBC was the keynote speaker and he touched the hearts of all present in the auditorium with his inspiring speech. We thank Mr Hemanta Golchha for speaking on behalf of the parents of the Class of 2015. Congratulations to the Class of 2015 and thank you for sitting the six week long A Level fi nal examinations immediately after the fi rst earthquake with a level of maturity that impressed us all.

slc results

We would like to congratulate the entire Rato Bangala Family for the excellent SLC results this year. Out of 60 students appearing for the examinations, 30 of them passed

with distinction. Th e credit for the outstanding results year after year goes to our dedicated staff members, supportive parents and most importantly to our students for working so hard.

college placements

We are extremely happy and proud to announce that the college placements this year, too, have been excellent with our students getting accepted into prestigious colleges such as Bryn Mawr College, Brigham Young University, Carleton College, Carnegie Mellon University, Case Western Reserve University, Cornell University, Dickinson College, Earlham College, Grinnell College, Randolph College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke, Princeton University, Pomona College, Lake Forest College, Lehigh College, Kenyon College, New York University, Vassar College, Sewanee- University of the South, Goshen College, Knox College, State University of New York at

Plattsburgh, Washington & Lee, Williams College, Wheaton College and Yale University. Besides theses colleges, students are also attending colleges in University of Melbourne and Monash University in Australia and Nalsar, Universityof Law, Christ College, BMS Engineering and NMIT in India and Kathmandu University and Medical schools in Nepal. Congratulations and best wishes to the graduates.

a level orientation

149 students joined the A Level program this year. Th ey went through a 5 day long Orientation from June 15-19 where they participated in many team building activities and spent some time volunteering in schools that are holding classes in Temporary Learning Centers in Lalitpur. After a week of formal classes, they were given a fun-fi lled welcome party by the A2 students.

RATO BANGALA SAMACHAR

july 2015

Kumari Dance at the Graduation Ceremony Grade II students planting rice on Asar 15

basketball and bake sale

Th e 3 on 3 Basketball match for the A Level boys was organised and A2 won the competition in a very competitive match. Currently, the girls’ teams are having their league. During the fi nals of the Boys league, the members of the Business Club had a bake sale which was well organised by the members.

field trips

To gain an in-depth knowledge of their Curriculum topics, students of Unit I and II have had interesting fi eld trips this term. On 19 June, Grade V students visited the Patan Engineering Campus to understand the Biotic and Abiotic components of land and water. Th ey got fi rst hand experience of land and water organisms and their inter-dependence on each other.

In relation to their topic of Inter-dependence, students of Grade III went for a trip to Patan Dhoka Community. Th ey interviewed shopkeepers, offi ce goers and other members to understand better the mechanism of Community that is based on Inter-dependence.

Grade IV students made a trip to Chobar Gorge related to the study of Kathmandu Valley.

Grade II students visited the

neighborhood of the school in order to enhance their surveying skills and to be aware of the components that thrive in a community.

On 6 July 2015, the eighth graders visited the church in Dhobighat and on 27 July they went to the Mosque in Ghantaghar as part of their study of Comparative Religions. archaeological dig

Th is term, the students of Grade VI became archaeologists and took part in a simulated dig as part of their study of the Indus Valley Civilization.

Th ey took on diff erent roles as excavators, recorders, and draftpersons as they excavated and interpreted the site.

balanced diet

Th e students of Grade VII celebrated Food Revolution Day this term. Food Revolution Day is a global day of action for people to celebrate real food, where it comes from and how to cook it. Th e students followed healthy food recipe and had a pot luck lunch in school.

planting activities

To celebrate Ashad 15, the students of Grade II planted rice seedlings in school. Dahi Chiura was enjoyed by

Unit I students on that day.In an eff ort to understand the Life Cycle of a Maize plant, Grade III students planted maize seeds in the school compound. Th ey will be keeping regular records of the plants they planted.

pta/pr

Th is year, too, we organized a get-together for the out-going and the in-coming PTA representatives and Parent Representatives on July 8, 2015. We are thankful to the parent representatives for their time and their support to the school. We look forward to your contribution in facilitating and coordinating activities for your respective grades.

pta representatives

We would like to welcome our new PTA members, Ms. Sumitra Shrestha, Mr Bandhu Ranjan and Ms. Sulakshana D K Chhetri. We would also like to thank our out-going PTA representatives, Bibhu Pradhan Joshi, Ms NabhaBasnyat Th apa and Mr Sunil Man Shakya. We are grateful for their support, advice and contribution during their term as the PTA members.

PTA Representatives for 2015-2016• Bandhu Ranjan• Bolaram Pandey• Hari Kumar Silwal• Khem Raj Shreshtha

Grade VI Archaeological Dig Building Temporary Learning Centers in Bhatte Danda

• Milan Dixit• Pema Lama• Rekha Pandey• Shanta Dixit• Shivani Dixit Adhikari• Sulakshana D K Chhetri• SumitraShrestha

workshops for writers and illustrators

To address the need for quality in children’s literature in Nepali, Rato Bangala Kitab conducted a writer’s workshop together with the illustrator’s workshop at the school. Th e Writer’s Workshop was conducted by Ms Beth Norford and Ms Deepa Dixit on the 12th, 14th and 21st of June and the Illustrator’s Workshop was conducted by UK-based Nepali artist Ms Kripa Joshi and Mr Santa Hitang on the 15th, 17th and 21st of June. Both the workshops had a mix of RBS staff members with professional and aspiring writers and artists from Kathmandu along with the A Level Art students. Th e books selected for publishing will be illustrated and launched during the Bal Sahitya Mahotsav to be held in February 2016.

A separate Writer’s Workshop was held for the students from grades 8 to A Level on story writing on June 22, 24, 26 and 28. It was conducted by Ms Beth Norford and Ms Sarita Rana. We hope to publish an

anthology of short stories written by our young writers as well.

duke of edinburgh’s award

Four teahcers from the Rato Bangala School and Rato Bangala Foundation participated in the Award Leader Training conducted by the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, Nepal on 25th July, 2015 at Rato Bangala Foundation. Participating in the training were Gunjan Dixit, Pratigya Shrestha, Sunita Adhikari and Sunil Pokhrel. Now we have sixteen award leaders trained by the Duke of Edinburgh International Award.

We would like to thank Dr Basanta Pant for welcoming the Silver Award participants of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award for fi rst aid training at the Annapurna Neurological Institute. Since First-Aid is a pre-requisite to the program, the participants will learn about CPR and First-Aid. Five teachers, Ms Hima Paradhan, Ms Deepa Ghimire, Mr Kiran Maharjan, Ms Reena Chand and Mr Uttam Th apa will also be attend this training on 2 August 2015.

sports

A number of inter-house tournaments were held in Term I. Unit I had their Dodge ball and Kick ball competitions for grades II to

V. Grade II had their Hopping and Catching match. Th e competitions were held in the mixed category.

Unit II also had their inter-house basket ball and kick ball competition. Th e students of grades IX and X took time out from their busy academic schedules to play friendly basket ball matches with other students from outside schools. Th e boys played with the students from Bright Future School and girls from grades 8, 9 and 10 with Malpi School.

guest speakers from the parent body

On 3 June Art therapist and RBS parent, Ms Lajja Dixit conducted a session with the students of Grade VI on issues about growing up. Th ank you Ms Dixit for making time for the valuable sessions.

On 28 July, Dr. Pooja Jaiswal conducted a talk program for the students of Grade II. Her insightful session on Hygiene and Safety was appreciated by all. Th ank you, Dr Pooja.

thank you

We would like to thank Ms Beth Norford for her valuable time spent here in conducting workshops, guiding our teachers and helping our students. We would also like to thank Dr Bibhu Joshi for her

Illustrator’s WorkshopWriter’s Workshop

contribution of safety glasses to our science lab.

earthquake drillsand emergency plans

Th e Emergency Team at the school has been conducting the earthquake drill every week. Th e students as well as the staff members are getting better at evacuation and all the students are aware of the steps to take in case of an emergency. We have also begun the construction of an extra emergency exit in the Rato Bangala South building. Th e construction of an earthquake resistant house has been completed in the playground and is now ready for storing emergency tools and supplies. Five members of the emergency team will be receiving fi rst aid training on 2 August, 2015.

update from rato bangala foundation

Completion of 11 Teaching Learning Centers in Bhattedada, Lalitpur: RBF as part of its ongoing relief program commenced work

in Bhattedada VDC, which lies in rural southern, Lalitpur. A total of 11 TLC have been completed for 8 schools and classes have resumed in the same. RBF also supported the schools by providing trainings for 38 teachers from the schools. Other supplies such as stationary, school uniforms and bags were provided to the students. WASH programs will soon be launched in schools.

Completion of Gulmi end-line Survey: Five RBF trainers and fi ve Scholars from Kathmandu University, in pairs of two visited 30 schools in Gulmi for an end line survey. A preliminary survey had been conducted in 2012. Th e Gulmi project, aimed to help the 31 selected schools of western Gulmi meet the minimum enabling conditions outlined in the School Sector Reform Program, by 2015. Th ese include improvements in physical facilities and the learning environment, help the schools develop into child-friendly schools as envisioned in the National Framework for Child-Friendly Schools for Quality Education. Th e End line survey

was conducted from 23 to 25 June 2015.

Vocational Education Training in Dailekh: 3 schools were chosen in Dailekh to launch the Vocational Educational Training (VET). Teachers from the schools were trained for 3 days in the arena of sewing, wood work and other areas. Th e teachers will impart knowledge to their students from grade 6-8 who after learning the skills can be self reliant and choose income generating professions. All 3 schools now have practical rooms to learn the skills.

Lime plantation in Dailekh: Grade III students in schools of Dailekh, as part of their Social Science curriculum have planted lime and walnut seeds in their backyard and on the school compounds. Th e children observe the bountiful traits of mother nature and learn about the growth of a plant. Th e teacher for the grade is responsible to supervise the plants growth. Th e plant if able to produce multiple fruits could serve as a source of income generation for the family.

Class of 2015