Setting out with SBOA

The coming academic year 2014, will see quite a few changes as SBOA School and Junior College aligns itself to the CBSE suggested Guidelines. Though most of the CBSE schools in Chennai city have implemented these earlier, SBOA has taken into consideration, parents and students and have given them sufficient time to adjust to these transitions. The New academic year will start in April 2014 versus the usual June re-opening. So that means earlier exams this year for the primary sections. And also the single long summer holidays would be split into a few weeks in March and most probably a month in May. (This was already in place from last year for classes VI and up.) Also there is going to be a shift from the usual Trimester pattern to a Semester Pattern. This was again implemented earlier for classes 6 and up bur only now being introduced in the primary sections. The school starting timings have been revised for classes 6 and up at 8:15 am and for the lower c

The new ROBOTIX classes are all set to begin around the end of August. When we started learning computers, remember our parents hardly knew anything about it, now life has come a full circle with our kids getting into robotics. If you are anything like me, then you don't have a clue! As I persisted researching the topic, few things became clearer. The basic requirements for robotics is not just imagination and curiosity, it also needs tons of patience and perseverance. It seems to help the kids explore their creativity, develop some personality (remember patience & preseverence!) and in the process add on to their existing knowledge of Math, Physics and Computer Programming. I believe for the tiny tots, it would be very basic and more advanced for the older kids. The fees for the ROBOTIX class in school is Rs.2000 One class per week is conducted and the days are Monday for 1st & 2nd std Wednesday for 3rd & 4th std Thursday for 5th & 6th std Friday fo

The Olympiads are conducted every year at SBOA from 1st std. The enrollment is done through the class teacher. You will have to register for each paper separately. The class teacher will inform the students about the dates and fees. It pays to prepare for the Olympiads  as the whole portions for the current standard will be taken into consideration for the paper. The most popular books used for preparing towards the Olympiads are from the below publishers and can be ordered online. The links are below. For Class 1 Amazon.in Widgets For Class 2 Amazon.in Widgets Amazon.in Widgets Photo Courtesy :  Jomphong   @ freedigitalphotos.net

So the little one is ready for LKG and you are hell bent on finding the right school. Maybe you have narrowed down SBOA School and Junoir College, Anna Nagar or it is on your list of schools to consider, either ways you would need to pick up an application first. From 2012 the applications can be downloaded online and the registration fee needs to be paid at the time of submitting the application. Usually the applications are issued by the mid of January for the current year admissions. You will have at least 2 weeks to prepare your application and submit it. The documents requested to be submitted along with the application would be The birth certificate of the child (With the name entered) An Address proof (Could be the childs passport, family ration card, gas bill in the name of the father or mother, etc...) There are around 1000+ seats available, but unfortunately the demand is disproportionately high.  The below website is where you can

The long awaited project from SBOA had materialized with the opening of a new Montessori based preschool "Tiny Tyros" in Mogappair near Anna nagar in 2012. SBOA Preschool is currently offering a 'Starters' and a 'Movers' program. The 'Starters' program caters to 2 to 3 year olds. The 'Movers' is for 3 years and above Their infrastructure is state of the art, with spacious and airconditioned  classrooms. It also boasts of computer aided activities and a well equipped activity room. Their working hours are from 9 AM to 12 Noon. After school daycare facilities are also available from 12 Noon to 5 PM at an extra cost. The school website has a photo gallery with selected pictures of the preschool at the below link http://www.sboajc.org/preschool.html They are located at    Plot No: HIG 62, Type-II,  Third Cross Street,  Mogappair Eri Scheme,  Chennai-600037. Photo Courtesy @ The Hindu

Amazon.in Widgets Some addtional sites for teaching English (I recomend you got through the post named "Kick start your Child's English skills for school" ) http://www.ngfl-cymru.org/  - Gives you the basic alphabets www.orgdot.com/ABC/  - This is an ABC catcher game ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk  - This is a read along Nursery Rhyme site, very colourful and interactive http://www.getreadytoread.org/  - This will help you read with the interactive Gus and Inky Also check out the below blog for free online stuff http://help-with-schooling.blogspot.in/ Photo Courtesy :  RAWPIXEL-609018-UNSPLASH

Amazon.in Widgets English as a first language for kids who speak their mother  tongue  (Not  English ) at home is a challenging task. The basic ground work to be done before they go to school would be To hear a lot of spoken  English This would be easy if both the parents are fluent in  English , but if you are not, then select TV shows, that are preferably cartoons, with clear diction and neutral accent for  eg .  Miffy , Noddy,etc. And sit with them and explain what is being spoken. To be read to  The lesser the words the better, Bright board books are excellent. Start with very simple stories and telling them the basic rules of handling the book, then read to them with a clear expressive voice and  follow  the words with your fingers. Choose an quite time of the day when the child is also alert not necessarily the bed time. To familiarize them to alphabets Hang up an alphabet chart or get them ABCD refrigerator magnets to use. Just keeping the alphabets within their f

Amazon.in Widgets It a usually agreed fact that knowing basic English before the kids start school will boost their morale and make life so much easier for them in an English medium school. Kids in Chennai grow up for the first 2 to 3 years hearing a speaking their native language which could be mostly Tamil and sometimes a variety of languages based on what their parents speak. So when on the first day of school the teacher starts to dish out  instructions  in English the little one who are not comfortable with the language lag behind significantly. This lag may take years to overcome. So with a little bit of help from you and the below interactive sites, we can make their lives a lot easier as they start school. The  best FREE online  resources for  teaching your kids   correct  English  are as follows http://www.starfall.com/ By far the most comprehensive site for learning  English , the colourful presentation makes it a big hit with 2-4 year  olds. www.rif.org/leadi

Amazon.in Widgets The sites that might be useful for 1 - 2 year old kids are http://www.fisher-price.com/  (Easy to colour online pages, peak-a-boo online games, simple ABC song) http://www.smart-central.com/  (All your favourite nursery rhymes and popular songs set to music) http://www.storyplace.org/  (Simple, short, colourful and interactive stories) http://www.tikatok.com/  (you can write your very own story and even get it printed as a proper book!) http://www.starfall.com/  (Great site for Phonics and independent learning) All the above sites require parental guidance and instructions for the kids on mouse handling. Never let the toddler sit at the computer unattended. Photo Courtesy : Unsplash

Amazon.in Widgets Both my Dear Kids are down with a viral fever. Just the third day into a new academic year and panic strikes! Apart from catching up on all that they missed at school, the looming concern for the kids is what the teacher will say..... Mostly teachers are quite understanding if the kids and their parents follow the leave policies. If sick and absent from school for 1 or 2 days a letter from the parent should suffice. For 3 days and more, a medical certificate from a qualified doctor is required. Taking leave for purposes other than health concerns, will have to be intimated before hand. What SBOA does quarterly, is that they communicate to the parent if the attendance percentage is lower than expected and you are supposed to make it up in the coming term. This feedback keeps you on track. Falling sick happens, taking leave for miscellaneous stuff also happens, however, as parents if we stick to the leave policies, we could definitely help our kids not f

Amazon.in Widgets School's re-opened ! Coaxed my kids to give up on their games on PS3, tablet, phone, computer & TV to get ready for a new year of academics. Surprisingly it was not too difficult. My youngest had a few questions, like - Do I have to stay for lunch at school - Do I really have to use the toilets at school - Will I have the same teacher this year too.... I confidently spouted an yes to all three. SBOA School & Junior College had this tradition that the kindergartners (student of LKG & UKG) stayed with the same teacher for two years.  This was an amazing system as the kids got to know the teacher and the teacher got to understand each kid's strengths and weakness for better or for worse. Only when I reached the school did I find out that they have shuffled the teachers. I have no clue how my kid is going to take this change of plan. But I guess as with everything else, life goes on........ I'm keeping my fingers crossed till I fi

The books for all classes are generally given out during the last week of April. The kids are all waiting to take a peek into their brand new books for the coming year. The tamil books are the stateboard books and you can download them from the below link http://www.textbooksonline.tn.nic.in/ The CBSE prescribed NCERT books can be found in the below link http://ncert.nic.in/ncerts/textbook/textbook.htm SBOA uses a variety of publishers from Macmillan to Cordova for different subjects and all the books will be provided by the school. For us parents it's a mad rush to finish brown papering the notebooks and binding the textbooks! "Mummy, not the orange paper take the light brown ones, I like them better" with suggestions that sound more like ultimatums, I'm dreaming of the day that they will cover their own books! But according to my wiser father, I might as well give up as he reminds me that he covered my books all through my school years!

With my kids moving on to classes where Olympiads are becoming increasingly more complicated and competitive. There are four exams that can be taken NCO - National Computer Olympiad NSO - National Science Olympiad IMO - International Math Olympiad IEO - International English Olympiad For the dates on which these exams are conducted and the classes eligible please refer to their website below http://www.sofworld.org / The site provides sample questions, training apps, previous years question papers, links to stores selling practise books, etc. We took the exams for the last two years and was an eye opener. I would call it useful for the below reasons... It trains the kids to get accustomed to the competitive exam papers patterns that most college entrances have. It gives them limited time to finish the paper. Teaches them to get comfortable with answer shading on a computerized answer sheet. The best is the accurate feedback given. The feedback highlights