EXPRESSIONS
My School
My school is Golden Gate International school. It is at Samada Mawatha in
Beruwala. Golden Gate has a magnificent edifice and was established in 2013. It
has 330 students and 30 teachers, and there are classes from Grade 1 to Grade
10.
The principal of our school is Mr. Shri Lal De Silva. The school is a two-storeyed
building. It has a pleasing environment for children to learn. There is a
library with many interesting books. There is also a computer lab, science lab,
a playground, a volleyball court and a canteen. I am very proud that my school
has grown rapidly in a few years. I love my school very much.
Sumaiya Nafath,
Grade 4,
Golden Gate International School, Beruwala.
Vesak festival
Vesak is the biggest religious festival in Sri Lanka. It is celebrated by
Buddhists all over the world. Vesak Poya day is a holiday in Sri Lanka and it is
celebrated to commemorate the birth, Enlightenment and passing away of the
Buddha. Vesak is a very colourful festival.
We celebrate Vesak by making lanterns and hanging them in front of our houses
and decorate our homes with coloured bulbs. We light oil lamps in front of our
house and along the road. Many people go to temples and engage in religious
activities. Some people observe Sil on Vesak Poya day. People give food to the
poor at dansalas. Pandals and Vesak lanterns are put up in many cities.
All religious groups enjoy the Vesak festival. In the evening people go to see
beautiful Vesak lanterns and pandals. Vesak is a very important religious
festival in Sri Lanka.
Sachini Hansanee,
Grade 8,
Bandaragama Central College,Bandaragama.
My first hike - an experience
We had scout enrolment for the scout troop of Royal International School on
October 13, 2015. We had hike practices, a theory and a practical test to select
the team for our school. I was surprised that I was selected.
We got an opportunity to participate in the Sampath Ranawaka Memorial Challenge
Trophy 2016 organised by Maliyadewa College, Kurunegala. On the following day I
rushed to Maliyadewa College and the members of our troop and the scout master
were already there. There were scouts and Girl Guides from across the island. We
were registered by our scout master and we reached the Kadulawe mountain range
by bus. It was between Ibbagamuwa and Madagalla.
In ancient times, the mountain range was used by kings for practice with their
soldiers. It was a beautiful place filled with harmless animals. There were many
plants which were used for medicinal purposes. While hiking we were questioned
at security checkpoints. We got the opportunity to meet many friends from all
over the country.
Finally, we participated in the closing ceremony of the Sampath Ranawaka
Memorial Challenge Trophy 2016. It was a good experience and an unforgettable
day in my life.
Vojitha Heshan Herat,
Grade 7,
Royal International School, Kurunegala.
Our environment
Our environment is made up of natural resources. It is a gift from Nature. We
must keep our surroundings clean and tidy. We must not pollute the environment
and harm animals. We must not cut down trees. I love the environment. It is very
beautiful.
Thihansa Vimukthi Alutwala,
Grade 2,
Asian International School,
Colombo – 5.
A day in a holiday activity centre
Last year I spent a week in a holiday activity centre. It was excellent and I
made lots of new friends during my stay. When I arrived, I was picked up at the
station and taken to the centre. When I first saw the centre I was a bit worried
because it was very big and frightening.
On the first day, I went mountain biking and I did map reading. We got wet and
muddy when we were riding the bikes but it was a lot of fun. We also went
canoeing and it was very interesting. During the rest of the week, I did
archery, raft building and played volleyball several times. I also went walking
and rifle shooting. The only activities I engage in at home are swimming and
collecting shells on the beach. Therefore, I felt very tired at the end of each
day at the centre and I slept well at night. My stay at the holiday activity
centre was one of the most memorable experiences that I have ever had.
L.H.T. Deshan,
Grade 10, Mahinda College,
Galle.
My pet
My pet’s name is Kitty. It has four legs. It has beautiful ears. Kitty is orange
and white in colour. It likes milk and fish. I play with my Kitty. I love my
Kitty.
Nimashi Ravindi Ranasinghe,
Grade 3,
WP/Hr/Taxila Kanishta Vidyalaya,
Horana.
My home town
My home town is Beruwala. It is a small town. There are Sinhalese, Tamils,
Muslims and Christians in my home town. There are also schools, banks, hospitals
and markets. I love my home town.
Rahmath Mukarramah
Nufail,
Grade 1,
Golden Gate
International School,
Beruwala.
Importance of extracurricular activities
A child begins his or her school life when he or she is six years old. I like to
call this the entrance to a world of opportunities. Did you know that this is
the most wonderful time of life It’s a very interesting, unforgettable and
unattainable stage in our life. Therefore, we should make optimum use of the
opportunities.
But the problem is that today most children engage only in studies because their
parents force them to be doctors or engineers in the future. Parents think that
participating in extra-curricular activities is an obstacle to achieving
academic excellence. This is a wrong attitude on the part of parents and as a
result children lose many opportunities to improve their lives.
Some children are not even aware that there are extra-curricular activities in
schools. Extra-curricular activities include scouting, girl guiding, scrabble,
badminton, music and dancing. In the present day, we see that the younger
generation fails to take responsibilities and in the future nobody will be there
to take responsibility for the country. The reason for this is as children they
did not participate in extra-curricular activities which taught them leadership
skills and team work.
Another important aspect of participating in extra-curricular activities is that
it enables the child to have a balanced personality. It’s wrong for parents to
think that it's enough if their children get good grades and enter universities
because they don’t realise that their children will face challenges and
obstacles in their future careers. The ‘book worms’ who enter society can’t cope
with the challenges they face because they don’t have self-confidence. This
could also happen because they don’t know how to work in a group and can’t
accept victory and defeat. Sri Lanka doesn’t need book worms. We need strong,
kind and balanced citizens who understand the feelings of the poor and
downtrodden. Therefore, children should participate in extra-curricular
activities in school.
Sithmini D. Sirithunga,
Grade 6,
Sacred Heart Convent.
I am a fish
I am a gold fish. I live in the sea. There is a lot of fish in the sea. Some
fish are my friends but others are not because they are very dangerous. I always
play with my friends, the goldfish, catfish and dolphins. I like to swim in the
sea. My friends and I are very colourful. There are lots of corals, polyps and
sea anemones in the ocean. They don’t have locomotion but they have movement.
They catch fish with their tentacles. This makes me sad because there are a lot
of fish in the sea. The fish are harassed by fishermen who catch them. I am very
angry with the fishermen. I don’t fight with my friends but sometimes the sea is
noisy. People sing songs and write essays on fish. There are small and big fish
in the sea. Lots of tourists come to the sea and some of them go to the middle
of the ocean by ship. We need our gills to inhale. We inhale oxygen and exhale
carbon dioxide. There is a big difference between me and the other fish but the
sea is a suitable habitat for me. I think I am the most beautiful fish in the
world.
Omesha Nethmi Gunasekara,
Grade 6,
B/Bandarawela Central College. |