The ‘One Root, One Commni-tree’ campaign was a huge success, students dutifully collected recyclables and brought them to school every day during the drive. That was just the beginning of creating awareness about the environment amongst our students. We took the next step and became a part of the EEG can collection campaign - ‘Your Can for a Tree’.

Large dustbins were kept near the bus parking area, and children came to school with aluminum cans and deposited them in the dustbins. This campaign run from 24 May to 22 June. Children were told about the benefits of recycling and were asked to work towards achieving the overall objective of zero waste in landfills during their classes. Credence High School is committed to the well-being of the environment, of this country. Recycling of cans is very important as waste has a huge negative impact on the natural environment. The earlier our children learn about it, the sooner they can save the Earth. Through various initiatives we are trying our best to inculcate these habits in them. 

Grade 5A students conducted their first general assembly of this academic session on Thursday, 22^nd June 2017, the theme was ‘anti- bullying’. Grade 1 to 8 students attended the assembly. It was an opportunity for the students to reinforce the ideology about how our school approaches bullying, that includes ensuring students know what to do if they are being bullied or the measures to be taken against those who bully them.

Students of Grade 5A put up a presentation on anti- bullying. It covered bullying that may take place in school, out of school and on the internet. The students who attended the assembly were told who to ask for help and what they should do if they feel upset about anything.

The School Counsellor then interacted with the students, they were made aware that their goal is to be a community that includes, rather than excludes. Certificates of good conduct, outstanding conduct and champions of good conduct were given to some children by our Principal and Vice Principal as per the behavior policy of the school. This was followed by a bully-free pledge that all students took.  All our children vowed to be buddies and be kind to each other, always. 

International Yoga Day was celebrated today i.e., 21 June 2017, at Credence High by the students of Grade 2 to 8 in the school auditorium. This assembly was led by the members of the student council Sports Captain Cyrus, Mohammad Arhan – President of Hope and Happiness Committee and Chayan – President of Health and Safety Committee.

Few students came forward to show different types of yoga postures - Viparita Virabhadrasana, Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, Dekasana, Ananda Balasana, Balasana, Dhanurasana, Virabhradhrasana, Trikonasana, Table Pose and Savasana. The benefits of each asana (posture) was explained. The council members then addressed the gathered students and staff members and spoke to them about the importance of International Yoga Day, physical, mental and emotional benefits of yoga with the help of a presentation.

Knowledge of the students on yoga was then tested by the Sports Captain as he asked the audience questions about yoga, children were eager to answer. The Special Educator led the students and staff members to do some breathing exercises while stating their benefits. Our CEO-Principal Mrs. Deepika Thapar Singh addressed the gathering and told everyone how yoga benefits the mind, body and soul and how useful the practice of yoga can be for young children.

The assembly came to an end by everyone singing the School Song followed by the UAE and Indian National Anthem. Kindergarten and Grade 1 students were told about the prominence of yoga in their classes by their teachers. The International Yoga Day celebration was a reinforcement for children on the importance of ‘yoga in daily life’.

During Ramadan we spread the message in school about giving back to society. Our staff members and children were enthusiastic to be a part of the Ladies Labour Camp. To take this good thought forward we involved parents who helped the school to make a donation to UNHCR. UNHCR - The UN Refugee Agency works for refugees and migrants. They ensure that refugee children are given education, every refugee family has safe place to live, and every refugee can work or learn new skills to make a positive contribution to their community. To show our support towards the cause, Credence High School with the help of parents & students contributed to UNHCR - The UN Refugee Agency on 20 June, World Refugee Day. With our small contribution, UNHCR will be able to help refugee children and families receive the life-saving relief and support they desperately need. We thank you dear parents & students for your spirit of giving. 

“Life is like a little book written, with a whole lot of surprise. Spell a word that doesn´t fit in and that´s a spell in disguise.”     - Ana Claudia Antunes.

An inter-house Spell-Bee competition was held on 19^th June, 2017 by the Department of English for classes I to VIII with an aim to

·         Awaken excellence, promote values and provide an opportunity for students to meet and compete with their peers in an atmosphere of fun and friendship.

·         Help students to learn to spell quickly, accurately and with comprehension.

·         Encourage students to explore the English language.

·         It also helped in enriching the vocabulary bank of the students and made students aware of spellings and the usage of many unfamiliar words. 

All students were given a fair chance to qualify for the competition through a series of spell well classes, performance being rated on the number of correctly written words. The winners of these rounds were finally selected for the second round. Students participated with great enthusiasm and they dueled through the toughest words. It was a wonderful learning source not only for the participants but also for their peers.

RESULTS OF INTER-HOUSE SPELL BEE COMPETITION (FIRST ROUND)

GRADES I - VIII

NOTE BELOW:

Round -2(Pre-Final)

Ø   The Second Round will be conducted during the last week of October, 2017.

Ø   The words for the Second Round will be sent only to the selected students on a later date after the Summer Break during first week of October, 2017.

      The list of selected candidates of the Second Round will be displayed by the English Department on the first week of November, 2017. 

A meeting of all the staff members was called on 18 June to brief them about the Fire Drill Procedure and to have a recap on what needs to be done in case of a fire emergency. Marshalls were assigned duties and were asked to guide and monitor sections assigned to them along with the exit points.

A mock fire and evacuation drill involving students and all staff members was conducted at Credence High School on 19 June 2017 to create awareness among students about firefighting and ways to respond speedily in times of emergency situations. While planning the evacuation plan, the students and teachers were split into various teams as per the fire drill procedure. Classrooms on each floor including all other rooms of the school building were divided as per the plan into various exit points supervised and guided by marshals. The evacuation action began moments after the fire alarm was rung by a staff member. Students were guided at every point by teachers and staff members until everyone was safe and outside the school building at the assembly point. The same will be repeated on 20 June as a reinforcement method for all the students and staff members.

We talk to our students about healthy eating habits, healthy living and our Almanac has several pages dedicated to this important feature - healthy lifestyle. We believe that a good foundation in hygiene and health can go a long way. The basis for healthy permanent teeth in children and teenagers is laid during the first years of life. Tooth care has to be developed as a habit and should be an integral part of students’ daily hygiene routine. 

Aster Pharmacy conducted a Dental Hygiene Programme for students from KG to Grade 8 with the objective to make children understand the importance of taking care of their teeth through proper dental hygiene and healthy eating. The theme of the programme was ‘Happy Healthy Teeth’. A Dentist addressed the children and spoke to them about the significance of healthy teeth. Children were given demonstrations on how to brush and floss their teeth. They were engaged in fun activities that revolved around benefits of brushing, they were told about cavities, what brush to use and how to maintain a good set of teeth. In the end children were given dental freebies. A dental check-up was conducted for all Kindergarten students by dentists. Children learnt that dental hygiene does not have to be a chore. Instead, it can be a fun activity for everyone. 

Our children, will be the leaders of tomorrow. To empower them, to make them aware of the social concerns, to maintain a healthy learning environment the school as a preventive stance conducted a workshop for Grade 1 – 8 students from 4 to 8 June called ‘Buddy or Bully’. The idea of the workshop was to spread awareness about bullying and answer questions like - how to be a buddy rather than a bully, what to do in case of being bullied or if one is a witness of bullying.  

Grade 1 -The concept was explained through the Cinderella story. Through this story the characteristics of bullying were brought out through the step sisters and the step mother, and of a buddy through the personality traits of Cinderella.

Grade 2 and 3 -Through the real life incidents and stories the characteristics of bullies and buddies was clarified. Thereafter they had to reflect the same through a bully vs buddy interactive worksheet.

Grade 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 - A bullying survey was conducted, and students were asked to share their own experiences. They were able to speak up about the emotions they experience when they are being made fun of or troubled repeatedly. We asked students who have bullied others at some point in time to share their feelings. We compared and contrasted these emotions of someone who has been bullied and someone who is a bully. Cyber bullying was also discussed, videos were shown.

All students were told what to do when one is bullied or if they see someone being bullied. Children were provided with information, as to whom to contact in case of a bullying incident. The workshop was fruitful as every child gained knowledge about how to be a friend and how bullying can hurt others. 

During the workshop, parents were told about phonics, how to crack the reading code, why reading is important for the development of a child, phoneme, grapheme and sight words. Parents participated enthusiastically in all the activities, enacting sounds and actions of the letters, matching CVC words with its pictures and blending of CVC words.

Learning has no age bar and this was proved right by parents who were eager to learn. This workshop was a guide to parents so that they could help in the educational journey of their children.

Giving back to society is important and it is something that we uphold and practice. To take forward the spirit of giving our students lent a helping hand by giving away ‘Care Packages’ to 481 working ladies who stay at the Ladies Labour Camp situated in Al Quoz. We feel that there is a dire need to reach out to the ladies labour force. All these ladies come from 8 different nationalities - Filipino, Indian, Sri Lankan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. They are cleaners working in shifts (day/night).

During our visit, we were greeted by the person in-charge of all these ladies who told us that all of them work hard for a living. She was overwhelmed to see students come in with care packages to help these ladies. Only few ladies were around to greet and meet our students as most of them were working. The spirits of our students were lifted up by this charitable act and the receivers were grateful and overjoyed. We were happy to bring smiles on faces through this community outreach programme. Credence High School wants to keep the spirit of giving going and want our students to do the same not just during Ramadan but throughout the year.

The STAR TV Network announced the commencement of the 2^nd season of the pan GCC, school quiz contest, the ‘Think & Learn Challenge 2017 Season 2’. TLC 2 is a unique contest designed to encourage critical thinking in students from all CBSE schools across the GCC.

Young students are tested on various skills like problem solving, visual reasoning, linguistic skills, general knowledge, mathematical and scientific aptitude.

The first round / screening test (written test of 40min duration) of the TLC 2 challenge was held at our school for Grade 4 to 8 students on 7 June. Subsequent to first round, top 10% will qualify for Second Round. Top 6 schools will participate in the National Level competition and winners of National round will participate in GCC Championship. This was an opportunity for our students to showcase their critical thinking and conceptual knowledge. 

Ambitious learners of Credence High School took part in the Ramadan Literacy Fest competition, which was held at The Indian Academy, Dubai on 3 June 2017. The main objective of the competition was to inculcate the love of reciting the Quran in the manner taught by the Prophet. Students of Grade 3 to Grade 8 took part in various competitions organized by The Indian Academy in context with Ramadan. They won the third position in Nasheed, which depended upon the rules of Tajweed, good memorization and correct pronunciation. Congratulations to all our students.