CHILDREN

Have a fantastic vacation

Dear Children,

The school holidays are here at last. You all must be thrilled.

Have you made plans for your holidays? There are so many things to do.

You may have planned a long awaited trip or a well deserved vacation to get over the school fatigue and boredom.

Make sure that you are well organized before you set out on your journey. Sri Lanka has so much to offer the traveller and holiday seeker. December is special for all Christians as the Birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated on Christmas Day.

December 10, Uduwap Poya saw the dawn of the Sri Pada season.

Thousands of pilgrims will flock to Sri Pada from all parts of the country to begin the climb. Sri Pada is also known as Adam’s Peak.

If you too go to Sri Pada, please share your experiences with other children. The sunrise over Adam’s Peak (Sri Pada) is a spectacular sight.

Dear children, wherever you go on your holiday, have fun, but stay safe. Make sure to have an elder for company.

Have a super vacation.

Bye for now.

Aunt Anji

Short and more than just sweet!

Hi all,

It’s December, the last month of this year: 2011. And now you have got your Christmas holidays. So, I hope you’re looking forward to enjoy a lot of reading during your break and end this year with more knowledge than the knowledge you had at the beginning, and throughout the year.

In fact, one single book, a single short story or a small poem can make a huge difference in our lives. A very small piece of reading can bring so much of knowledge to us, and make us think about things we have never thought of before, make us realize things that we never knew before. No matter how short the work is, whether it’s a poem, a story or an essay, it could have the power to make a huge impact in your life. I think you know that quantity is only one aspect that matters when it comes to the quality of something.

Sometimes the quality improves with quantity and sometimes it does not or it could even diminish with the quantity. For example, think about your own writing. You write essays in school, don’t you? Sometimes you get a word limit for your essay, and your teacher may have told you that you will be penalized for exceeding the word limit or making your essays too brief. On the one hand, if you write too little, you’re not giving enough information /details/facts on the topic given to you, or you’re not writing enough to judge your knowledge and language skills (well...sometimes teachers have to do this.) On the other hand, if you write too much, you might be writing irrelevant things and deviating from your topic. Besides, sometimes making your writing brief and writing to the point could be a good way of showing your language skills and creativity. This is only one example. In fact even a single word could have a lot of power to influence you and get a message across. All these depend on so many things.

This Christmas, try to read short stories and short poems, and longer stories and poems too. For a start, read the poem ‘Party’ by Richard Macwilliam and see what you feel about it:

Hands – clap,Fingers – snap,Feet – tap,Mouth – sings,Laughter wingsIts way round the room

It’s a very short and sweet poem right? What is it about? You can see from the title and the poem that it’s about a party.

What comes into your mind when you read this? Do you see a party in your mind? What do you see? Don’t you feel that these short six lines give you a very clear and effective picture of a party? Look at the rhyme and rhythm of the poem. Doesn’t it sound very much like a party to you? What do you think?

- Gayathri

Two all island wins for Ananda Balika College at all island dance and ballet competition 2011

Thashmila Wijesuriya who competed under junior solo ‘Kovula Wannama’ section of Sabaragamuwa dance tradition won the all island second place, while Mauli Sithara Samarasinghe competing under senior solo ‘Mudun Thaalaya’ section of the Sabaragamuwa tradition also won the all island second place.

Chethana Kithmini, Rashmi Dewangani, Avidhi Tharushika and Tharushi Nayanathara assisted Thashmila Wijesuriya in singing and providing music, while Mauli Sithara Samarasinghe was instrumentally assisted by Piyumaali Wijethunga, Vindhya Prabashwari, Sumali Umayangana and Ishani Poornima. Both performers were trained by the college dance teacher Deepthi Piyasekera.

All island dancing competition 2011

The competition was held on November 6, 2011 at Dickwella Wijitha Central College, Matara. Royal International School, Kurunegala which competed in the dancing event ‘Goyam Kepima’ won second place.

The teacher who trained the competitors were Muditha Namal and Namali Jayawardana.

Back row (from left): Panduka Amarasinghe, Chanaka Balasooriya, A A M Salman, M R Muditha Namal (dancing teacher), Raveen Bandara, Akash Amarasinghe, Thamal Ekanayake, Gayana Hansamal, Umanga Dissanayake.

Middle row (from left): Aditha Edirisinghe, H K Isiwara Prabath, Vimanshi Bodhinarayana, Theeksha Wedaarachchi, Anjali Weerasinghe, Nimashi Jayathilaka, Charuni Wanigasooriya, Isuru Rajapaksa, Umindu Jayabandu, Vimukthi Dananjaya.

First row (from left): Dasunika Wijekoon, Sanoja Weerasinghe, Nathalie Anuradha, Hiruni Araliya Dissanayake.

Bird

Ransika Seniya Sonnadara Grade 5 Lodestar I  nernational School Battaramulla

My fish tank	Alms giving at our home
Rooman Doole, Pre-grade, Sailan International School, Negombo	Sadhana Ranasinghe, 6J, Musaeus College, Colombo 7
The beach	Butterfly and flower
R. Fathima Rahma Nursery Sailan International School, Negombo	Anjalie Sanduththara Fernando, Grade 6 Lodestar Inernational School, Battaramulla

Christmas tree	Vegetable seller
Damien John Jyatilaka 5E2 St. Peter’s College Colombo 4	Nimasa Sasvini Ranasinghe, Grade 1H Musaeus College, Colombo 7