The idiom “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” holds true even for the young learners. Sports, whether team-based or individual, are great for children as they provide not just physical activity, but also help build children’s self-esteem, confidence, social skills and motivate them to excel in life. In recognition of the importance of sports in a child’s life, Zebar School for Children celebrated its Annual Sports Day for children of Junior KG and Playgroup. The day began with the declaration of the meet, marking the commencement of the ceremony, followed by the lighting of the torch. The Chief Guests Mr Ramesh Desai, Mr Manan Choksi and Pratima Ma’am, Academic Advisor of the school along with. Amoli Ma’am, Vice-Principal of Pre-Primary section and Sharmistha Ma’am, Principal of Zebar School for Children, took the salute of the impressive March Past by all students of Junior KG. It was a beautiful sight to behold on a cold winter morning as the tiny tots entertained the audience with a spectacular pyramid and dumbbells show. The children participated in large numbers in engaging and innovative races like Animal Race, Huddle Race, Sack Race, Lemon Spoon Race, Potato Collecting Race, Popcorn Race, Star Plucking Race and Carrot Collecting Race. In the end, children from Junior KG enthralled the audience with their spectacular dance performance on ‘Give me freedom, Give me fire’. The Vote of thanks was given by the Vice-Principal Amoli Ma’am. The presence of enthusiastic parents encouraged and enriched the little ones to give their energetic performances.

Zebar School celebrated its Annual Sports Meet for Primary Section- on the bright and sunny morning of December 22. The Chief guest Mr Manan Choksi and Principal Sharmistha Ma’am declared the meet open by releasing a bunch of colourful balloons that floated high up into the air embodying the spirit of joy and freedom through sports. Parents and teachers cheered collectively as the students of class 1, 3 and 5 marched in proudly. All challenges were age appropriate, thereby taking away the stress of performing. Many colourful races were organised for the students. Zebarites participated in drills and displays, such as aerobics, gymnastics, Hula hoops, sack raceand relay race with great enthusiasm. The Programme culminated with warm words of encouragement and appreciation by the Vice Principal Ms Jayasree Menon.

Our country’s 70th Republic Day was celebrated in all its solemnity and grandeur at Zebar today. The day began with a school prayer followed by flag hoisting by the Guest of Honour, Wing Commander Puneet Chadha. He is the officer in charge of Helicopter operations at HQ South Western Air Command and an alumna of Udgam School. This was accompanied by the Flag Song and the pledge. The Guest of Honour spoke eloquently about the role of teachers in moulding his career. He enthralled the audience with his inspirational journey from being an Udgamite to joining the Indian Air Force. In his speech, he quoted the famous Doha of Kabir “Guru Govind dou khade, kaake laagoon paye Balihari guru aapki, Govind diyo milaye.” He inspired students to follow their teachers which will help them in achieving their dreams in life. In the end, he gave three mantras for success in life for Zebar students. The school choir presented the patriotic song “Jhanda Uncha Rahe Hamara” which ignited the feeling of nationalism. A patriotic speech by Taksh Parasharya evoked the patriotic emotions of the audience. The cultural programme included a dance by students of grade 5 and a classical dance by students of class 6. The Vote of Thanks was given by Ms Jayasree Menon –Vice Principal Primary Section. The students dispersed after snacks with the image of the fluttering tricolour in their minds. Hail India! Hail our motherland! Jai Hind!

Students of classes 6 and 8 embarked on a journey of ‘Discovery of India’ today evening at Pandit Deendayal Auditorium. The show exposed watershed moments in the history of the Indian civilization and an insightful view into the pluralist nature of our country. The magnum opus conceived by the Vice Principal Ms Reena Kahlon traced the 5000 year history of India, up until the country attained freedom in 1947, from the naming of our motherland as ‘Bharat’ to the times when it was ‘Sone Ki Chidiya’, and the glorious reign of Guptas and Mauryas to the invasion by the British and the great freedom struggle. It was presented in the style of a dance documentary but also included a dramatic recreation of certain scenes.

Opportunities don’t happen. You create them. Zebar School proudly announces its 100% result of the first batch of std X. This result is a shining example of the sweat, determination, grit of our students, teachers and parents. We are incredibly grateful to all Zebar parents who had faith in the management and the teachers of the school. Zebar School has time and again proved that it is the newest but among the best in Ahmedabad. With new students joining from other schools of the city, the school has managed to turnaround their marks and give positive results. A total of 69 students from Zebar appeared for their board exams this year out of which 15 students scored above 90%. Once the result was announced the entire campus brimmed with excitement, joyous students and parents came to meet the Principal Ms Sharmistha Sinha, our academic advisors Ms Radhika Iyer and Ms Pratima Patell. Students touched the feet of their gurus and took their blessings. The celebrations started with the cake cutting ceremony which was held in the presence of Ms Sharmistha Sinha. Congratulations to our students. Check out the pictures of the celebrations at Zebar campus.

Students of Primary section performed various asanas and celebrated this day with gusto. On the one hand, students of class 1 and class 2 performed neck and hands exercise along with butterfly asana, child pose and frog pose. On the other students of class 3,4 and 5 completed Omkar, breathing exercises and advance asanas like Bhujanganasan, Hastapadasana, Pashimotanasa and Surya Namaskar. The unique yoga session ended with meditation and mantras for peace. Teachers of the primary section too joined in the celebration. Our Academic Advisor Ms. Pratima Patell graced the event.

Our Principal Ms. Sharmistha Sinha and Vice Principals Ms Jayasree Menon and Ms Mili Bhattacharyya too attended the event to motivate our young students. Celebrations like these educate children on how to use their bodies healthily, it also boosts their confidence, and they feel part of a whole, non- competitive group.

The Annual Quality Conference was held at THE FORUM today. This conference gave a perfect opportunity to the educators of all four schools- Udgam, Zebar, Satellite School and Bodakdev School to reconnect, engage in stimulating conversations and discuss the challenges that lay ahead. The conference was attended by trustees, directors teachers and staff of all the four schools. The compere for the day, Ms Dhyana Ramchandran, an educator at Udgam School, connected brilliantly with the audience and facilitated the event with ease. The day began with the lighting of the lamp by Shri J.D. Patel, Trustee of Udgam School, Ms Radhika Iyer and Ms Pratima Patell Academic advisors of Zebar School for Children.
Ms Radhika Iyer gave a glimpse into her 40 years of teaching experience. Her experiences and challenges enlightened the audience as her speech ended with a motivational quote “Success doesn’t come easily, and a person has to slog for it”.

Ms Maya Menon, Founder and Director, The Teacher Foundation, Bangalore was the motivational speaker for this year. Her organization focuses on training teachers and aims at infusing school education with new energy, enthusiasm and expertise. Ms Menon has been in the field of education for over three decades. Her speech revolved around “Re-imagining teaching”.
She introduced us ‘IKIGAI’- a Japanese concept of finding joy in the profession that we are in. She engaged the audience in meaningful conversations with brain teasers and energizers. She spoke about collaborative learning, meaningful learning as critical skills for students of the 21st century.
This was an opportunity to showcase our achievements and encourage educators to continue achieving new milestones year on year.

Principals of Udgam School-Ms.Sujata Tandon, Zebar School- Ms. Sharmista Sinha, Satellite School- Ms.Bhavna Shah and Bodakdev School- Ms Amoli Patell(Vice-Principal) presented challenges faced last year, solutions designed and goals for the current academic year.

Executive Director Mr. Manan Choksi urged the audience to uphold the values and provide quality education. This was followed by a delicious and sumptuous lunch.
The Employee Recognition and Motivation awards were given to those educators and staff members who proved their mettle last year.

Ms. Malobika Dutta, Vice-Principal of Udgam School for Children, gave an eloquent Vote of Thanks. The conference has inspired educators to work together towards the envisioned goals. A Special thanks to the Udgam HR and IT team who worked relentlessly to make this conference a success.