“Fasting is not about a diet of burning calories. It’s about burning ego, pride and sins”

Intent: The Holy month of Ramadan witnessed a number of educational cultural activities that aim to educate our students on what the month of Ramadan is all about and how to conduct oneself during this Holy month. As part of the subject enrichment program of Islamic Education, the Islamic Department conducted Parent Talk on the topic "Scientific Benefits of Fasting".

Fasting is obligatory for all healthy adult Muslims during Ramadan. A balance diet improves blood cholesterol, reduces gastric acidity, prevents constipation and other digestive problems and contributes to an active and healthy life style. Total fasting reduces or eliminates excess hunger and rapid weight loss.

Experience: On Thursday, 30th May Islamic department conducted a parent talk. Our guest Mr.Shaheen Aboobaker (father of Master Hamza grade 4A) had an interactive session with the students on the scientific, social and psychological benefits of Ramadan. The program started with the Quran recitation by Jameela of 6B and concluded with the vote of thanks by Ms.Rajeena nd by Mr.Junaid.

Insight: It was indeed a very informative session. The students learnt and discussed about the dos and don'ts of fasting. The objective of the event was to develop scientific facts of fasting with the essence of spirituality, togetherness, and social cohesion that it brings along. 

“There’s always something to thank for.”

Intent: ‘There’s always something to thank for’, this was the guiding line that inspired the  students of grade 6 to put up a spectacular assembly on the theme ‘Gratitude’ on the Wednesday, 29th May, 2019. Expressing gratitude for every little thing in life open the doors to boundless possibilities and endless blessings. Gratitude builds tolerance.

Experience: The lively and cheerful duo Rebecca and Cahya with their mesmerizing smiles and greetings set the mood of the audience to witness something unprecedented. Uzayr and Sara invoked God’s blessings, by reciting the Holy Quran. Johanne’s thought of the day reiterated the fact that ‘Being thankful is the root of all kindness in the world’.  Jamila, Omar and Tanush gave us the news updates.

All 43 students were wisely used for various aspects of the assembly as per their choices and interests.  Cast and crew of the puppet show was as follows:

IT, photography & editing team led by Mrs. Swathi – Aditya,  Sriram,  Ateequllah, Yashwant, Younus,  Prem, Yash and Abdullah.

The puppet house team including props led Mr.Deviprasad – Sarvesh, Soham, Sreelakshmi, Yuvraj, Abhinav, Ali, Siddhantha and Oishik.

The puppets and background voice team led by Mrs. Sreedevi and Mrs. Juliet –

Rahul-Anto, and Vaishnav

Mother-Joanna and Ana

Blind man-Ayaan

Teacher (Miss Radha)-Amrutha and  Aiswarya

Student 2(Amaan)-Sai and Abhijit

Student 3(Manjeet)-Harnidh and Vedicka

Student 4-Sidhya and Sharvil

Student 5-Jahaan and Gouri

Narrators-Juweiriyah and Laqshya, Daksheesh and Poorva

Story and direction – Mrs.Juliet

The assembly concluded, when everyone present, sang the School song followed by the National anthem of UAE and India with pride and honour.

Insight: We strongly believe that educating the Head (the cognitive domain - knowing), the Heart (the affective domain - feeling) and the Hands (the pragmatic domain - doing) is of utmost importance, so that students are equipped with appropriate skills set to fully participate in a fast-changing world. The puppet show with an innovative idea of making students enact as puppets rather than traditional puppets was put up by the students. It was a combination of art, drama, emotions and comedy without losing a track of the theme of the assembly ‘Gratitude’. 

“Learning gives Creativity, Creativity leads to thinking, Thinking provides knowledge, Knowledge makes us Great…”

Intent: Quiz competitions are always interesting and informative, which provide excitement among the students and also make them confident. Credence High School successfully conducted an Inter House Quiz competition in the school auditorium on Wednesday, 29th May 2019. Students from Grade 2 to Grade 9 participated with full zeal and enthusiasm. The students were divided into three categories:

-          Category 1 consisted of Students of Grade 2 and 3,

-          Category 2 consisted of Students of Grades 4 to 6 and

-          Category 3 consisted of Students from Grade 7 to 9.

Experience: Four different houses with fervent participants in each house gave tough battle to each other. Rules and regulations of the quiz were explained at the beginning. It was interesting three-round competition, including a buzzer round and visual round, which engaged the students for one hour. The students showcased their brilliance by rapidly answering the questions. Though some of the questions were very tricky, the teams tried to answer them with confidence.

Although all the teams participated actively, the team that scored the most was PINE House in all the 3 Categories.

Insight: It was very informative and knowledge enriching competition for the participants along with the audience.

Credence High School encourages such positive competitions and hopes to bring out the best in all its students through such competitive events, while ensuring that the children learn through all possible ways- not just through books and classroom teaching.

STUDENTS GAVE THEIR BEST EFFORTS AND THE BELOW RESULTS SHOW IT ALL…

“Giving is not just about making a donation. It is about making a difference.” Kathy Calvin

 Intent: The significance of giving back to the society is something that we understand, uphold and practice. ‘Ramadan’ – the holy month of prayers, fasting and sacrifice teaches and preaches the humble act of ‘Giving’. As the entire UAE gets charitable this Ramadan, the students of grade 4 to 6 of Credence High School also put their step forward to join in the spirit of giving by actively participating in a charity campaign on Sunday, 26th May 2019; an excellent medium to cultivate the habit of sharing in young minds. They lent a helping hand by giving away ‘Care Packages’ to 230 working ladies who stay at the ladies labour camp in Al Quoz.  The ladies come from 6 different nationalities such as Filipino, Indian, Sri Lankan, Nepalese, Cameroon and Ethiopian. They worked in catering services in various places like the hospitals, restaurants, etc. They work hard and in shifts to earn their living and sacrifice a lot, staying away from their families in order to provide their loved ones with a better life.

Experience: Our visit commenced with lovely greetings by the camp boss who was extremely happy and grateful to see students come in with care packages to help these ladies. The inmates were very hospitable and friendly and they welcomed everyone with their beautiful smiles.  The students felt happy to interact with them and complimented the ladies for all their hard work and sacrifice made for their families.  The children made them feel appreciated and special by lovingly distributing the care packages to them. They had a very insightful conversation with the ladies as they enquired about their life and experiences and also learnt how each job is important and respectful.  The visit ended on a lovely note, bringing smiles on their faces through this community outreach programme.

 A few students took a moment to ponder upon and shared their experience.

Aishwarya (Gr 6B) says, “Credence cares and holistically practices giving back to the society. During Ramadan, the school conducted a charity campaigns. We visited the ladies labour camp and the women of the labour camp worked in night shifts and particularly worked in the hospitality service industry like the hospitals, hotels, restaurants, etc. We distributed them with the daily essentials and that made them happy. “

Sreelakshmi (Gr 4A) says, “When I went to the labour camp, I felt very happy to distribute the care packages. It made me glad to see the ladies joyfully accept the donations.”

Bhani (Gr 4A) says, “I enjoyed visiting the camp and meeting new people and knowing more about the different jobs they do.”

Rudhra (Gr 4B) quotes, “I felt sad as I learnt that they were staying away from their families and working hard to give a better life to their family. I felt positive to have shared the care boxes with the ladies. I am sure and I promise to keep participating in such charity campaigns always.”

Insight: At Credence High School, we pledge to keep the spirit of giving going and encourage the students to do the same not just during Ramadan but throughout the year. Community outreach activities such as these develop empathy, enhance the ethical reasoning among the students and help them to build their morale which shapes them into good individuals who care for the society.

“When you forgive, you in no way change the past - but you sure do change the future.”

 Intent: Assemblies help to develop confidence and cultivate a sense of belonging towards our school. When enacting the skit children got the freedom to express feelings to the audience. It is a form of self-expression with the creativity of words and emotion to convey a message to the audience.

Experience: The students of KG2 presented the Assembly with expression and intonations. They presented the assembly on the topic forgiveness and enacted the small acts on the significance of forgiveness for the better understanding of the topic. Further the MANTRA of Forgiveness was put forward to enlighten them how forgiveness affects our bond with each other. They recited and sang together in a group swaying the audience to the melodies of forgiveness. They took this opportunity to involve their parents and in a short question and answer act. The peer students of KG2 and KG1 appreciated and listened to the friends presenting on the stage portraying as the well conducted audience.

Cross Curriculum Link –Moral value – Forgiveness PSED.

Insight: The Assembly helped the children to understand that not only are the words used to give a meaning to a feeling, but the voice, volume, inflexion, pitch, pauses and speed of a person contributes to the entire experience as well. Enhancing the meaning of the topic, the children conveyed the message of Forgiveness with the passion and vocal expression.

“No legacy is so rich as honesty.” - William Shakespeare

Intent: A brain develops the most in the early years. Values fostered in children from an early age build a good character and instills the value tolerance in them. As a proficient educational institute, various provisions are made by the school to impart the good values and, assemblies are the best time to integrate all the students to share that knowledge with the fellow school mates. On Tuesday, May 14, 2019 the students of Grade 1 A presented the assembly on one of the most valuable topics “Honesty”.

Experience: The children started the assembly by school prayer followed by Quran recitation. Their confidence and acting skills were brought to the fore as they enacted the skit ‘A tale of, the boy who cried lion lion’ demonstrating how the boy learned the lesson of being dishonest. The play also showcased the importance of tolerance that villagers represented by generously understanding the boy who use to lie. The assembly ended with the dance performance by the kids to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan.

Insight: Our prized guests, the parents shared their valuable comments, as they mentioned “It was another unforgettable experience to witness the little ones performing so well”. They congratulated the team for perfectly managed and executed assembly.

Let us all remember the importance of being Honest. Here is a big thumb up to our students and teachers of Grade 1A.  You make us proud!

Sheikh Mohammed, in a tweet on the occasion, said: "Tolerance is a universal value, and Ghaf is our authentic national tree, a source of life and symbol of stability in the middle of the desert. Under its shadows our ancestors gathered to consult on matters related to their daily lives. In the Year of Tolerance, we chose the Ghaf as a logo for all of us to live by the principles of tolerance, coexistence and diversity."

Intent: The Ghaf was declared as the national tree of the UAE. A drought-tolerant, evergreen tree native to the desert, the Ghaf is a resilient plant and good for the soil and requires little water. Difficult to harvest though as only one in 5,000 seeds take root - insects get at them. The Ghaf tree symbolizes stability and peace and has the ability to adapt in the desert.

Experience: The students of Early Years KG 1 planted a Ghaf Tree in school premises to understand and learn the topic the National Tree of U.A.E. Children along with their teachers also watered the plants and seemed excited about this whole planting process. The Ghaf represents a great cultural value in the UAE and is associated with the identity and heritage of the country.

Insight: It was a great day to show our love and gratitude to our National Tree of U.A.E. Children’s excitement knew no bounds to feel proud and having planted the Ghaf tree. They were ready with their spades to plant the National Tree of U.A.E. and eagerly took turns for watering the tree.

The uses of Ghaf tree are:

·         Fodder: The leafy portion is available for 4-5 months (June-October), during which it is used as dry fodder for animals and is sometimes mixed with animal feed.

·       Fuel: The scanty, purplish brown heartwood is preferred to other kinds for firewood. It is an excellent fuel, also giving high-quality charcoal (5,000 kcal/kg), hence the species name.

·         Timber: Wood used for boat frames, houses, posts and tool handles; often the poor form of unimproved trees limits use as timber.

·         Medicine: Reported to be astringent, demulcent, and pectoral, it is a folk remedy for various ailments. In India, the flowers are mixed with sugar and administered to prevent miscarriage.

“SEWA – Little acts of kindness”

Intent: Ramadhan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad according to Islamic belief. For Muslims, Ramadan is a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community. Ramadan Special Islamic Assembly was conducted   on   Wednesday,   8^th May 2019 with various programs by Islamic Department of the school to educate students about the importance of Ramadan. Our Respected Principal - Mrs. Deepika Thapar Singh, Vice Principal - Mr. Shivendar and Head of Kindegarten - Mrs Dhanakakshmi graced the morning and welcomed the special guests from Dar El Ber Society for a resourceful talk on Ramadan.

Experience: Students of Grade 1 – Grade 10 took part in the assembly with fabulous performances like the Qur’an recitation with translation, Hadeeth Of  the Day, a presentation on Pillars of Islam,  Islamic Song , Ramadan video and Quiz by the officials. They showed great enthusiasm and good performance with exuberant participation.

The Assembly was enriched   with the resourceful talk on ‘Ramadan’ and ‘Year of Tolerance’ by our special guests Shaikh Abdul Wahab and Mr. Rafeeq from Dar Al Ber Society. The session was very informative to all students to understand the values of Islam, importance of Ramadan   and   the co-existence of tolerance. The assembly concluded with the Principal addressing the students about the importance of values and its practice in our daily lives.

Insight: Students of CHS never fail to amaze us and the team of teachers and students showcased a brilliant assembly to educate everyone about the importance of Ramadan and its values.

“Brain tickling puzzles”

Intent: Learning mathematics is interesting as well as challenging. Teachers at Credence High School constantly make efforts to make the learning of this subject a fun learning experience. ‘Math Sudoku’ puzzles were one such attempt to get children to solve mental math problems with ease while having fun.

Experience: Math Sudoku Competition (Kenken) was held in Credence High School on 7th May 2019. Prior to this, KenKen workshops were planned in school on 5th and 6th May 2019 by Ms. Vinny Sahni (Kenken Co-ordinator) from Grade 3 to 8 in guidance with Ms. Niyatee. Top 3 scorers of each class were awarded with certificates. Most of the winners scored 100% result in the competition. This internal competition encouraged students to think independently, emphasizing on trial and error, concentration, and perseverance which boils down to “The Art of Teaching without Teaching”.

Furthermore KenKen International Competition (KIC 2019) was conducted in Exam Hall of Credence High School on 8th May 2019. The participants came along with their hall ticket. External Examiner from Kenken, Mr. Aal invigilated the exam. Also the participating students took the exam with utmost interest with a goal to move to the next level i.e. The Emirates Level.

Insight: These Kenken competitions are numerical puzzles that uses basic math operations—addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division—while challenging student’s logic and problem-solving skills. Both the competitions were conducted well. We wish our students to keep challenging themselves and achieve success always.

“SEWA – Little acts of kindness”

Intent: It is important to teach our children to give back to the community. There are people who touch our lives in different ways each day and to appreciate their efforts; like every year we celebrated the ‘Sewa Day’ on Wednesday, 1^st May 2019 in the Special Assembly. ‘Sewa’ as a concept has a deep rooted belief in every society, ‘Sewa’ involves selfless service. It is performed without any expectation of result or award and without any ulterior motive. All it requires is the commitment to do something good for another person.

Children got an opportunity to do something positive and make a meaningful difference in the life of our Support Staff. Our support staff helps the children in numerous ways, from the time they step out of the house until the time they return home. They love them, care for them and protect them. ‘Sewa’ day was one opportunity to thank them all for their endless support to us.

Experience: It was not an event of one day but spread over the whole month of April since the school started. The parent community’s contribution to this event is commendable. Donations of various food items like the cereals, pulses, rice, flour, etc. and toiletries were collected over the period of one month. The school staff also contributed to this noble cause. The collection was then distributed among all the support staff members of the school on the special assembly.

The Assembly commenced with the students Ratul and Ema – the comperes’ conversation about how this wonderful team serves us in our daily lives, the recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by the thought for the day and news updates. A short video was played which presented the little acts of kindness by the school children for their bus driver. It was truly a heart touching video. Thereby the choir of grade 5 won over everyone with a beautiful song on ‘Thank you’. The support team of lovely ladies (bus aunties, class aunties, cafeteria in-charge, and life guard) and the gentleman (bus drivers, security, cleaners, office help) were all thanked with the beautifully handcrafted personalized gift created by the students of kindergarten along with donations. The school Principal, Vice-Principal, Administrative Head and Head of Kindergarten helped the children to give away the donations. The Principal addressed the gathering with her inspiring words and the assembly concluded to a gratitude filled speech by one of the representative from the support staff team of the school – Mel.

Insight: The event was indeed an emotional and a memorable one. It was a perfect example of values like the team work and responsibility when we saw the students of grade 9 completely taking charge of assorting and packing the donation items, while teachers and students working collectively to put the whole event in place.