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Sunday, 29 May 2016

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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.


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.


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.

 


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.

 


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.

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