NewsBites for KidzTM   Sep 1-7 2003

 

This week’s headlines

Teacher’s Day - India

Kidz helping kidsThailand

Kidz Combat Terror - Russia  

From India to USA- school is tops!- USA

And from USA To Bulgaria too!  New kid on the block - Bulgaria

A dream come true- Kids meet a famous cricketer- India

...and a famous actor remembers his childhood - India

Health Alert - Italy

Cross Connections- Straightening things out- USA

A Child in Need of a Nickname - Iraq

 

Earlier NewsBites

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Teacher’s Day

Wrapped in a lifetime of gratitude...

Smita Khanna, Times News Network

 

LUCKNOW, U.P., India, Sep 05- For someone who has got the world's most important work, Teachers' Day

isn't an occasion to just say, "we love and respect you". "Respect is something we give them always. This

day is more like a much deserved holiday for the teachers!" says Karishma, a student of Loreto Convent.

teacher

The intensive preparations for the day begin in good measure at least a month early — dance practices,

skits, songs and plays — all just to show "I care".

 

Says a teacher, "It's touching to see the old students come back to meet you years after they have left

school, it's a wonderful feeling."

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http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/05Sep2003_news30.html

 

Kidz helping kids

Donations sought for needy kids

Anjira Assavanonda

 

The Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre is inviting people to buy gifts or donate used goods to

disadvantaged children in Bangkok.

 

The charity project, called ``Gift For Life'', will be the highlight of the Thailand Best Buy 2003 Festival at the

convention centre on Dec 12-21.

 

kids

Thai schoolkids http://www.clt.astate.edu/sblumens/Thai_Pics/School_kids.JPG

Ladda Mongkolchaiviwat, event organiser at NCC Management and Development Co, which runs the

centre, said gifts would give children happiness at New Year.

 

Last year 5,300 items were donated. ``The most popular items were dolls and clothes,'' said Ms Ladda.

She expected 10,000 goods would be donated this year.

 

Ms Ladda said she wanted every child to get at least one gift this year.

 

``We want children to know there are many people who still care for them even though they are orphaned, 

disabled, or live miserable lives,''said Ms Ladda.

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http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L04674271.htm

 

Kidz Combat Terror

Russian children start anti-terror lessons

By Oliver Bullough, Reuters

 

REUTOV, Russia, Sept 4 - Nine-year-old Zhenya wrinkled his brow as he pored over a new

Russian school book concentrating on lessons intended to prepare him for the risk of criminal or guerrilla

attacks. Authorities in Reutov, a sleepy town just east of Moscow, decided to teach its children the basics of

self-defence and security as part of Russia's attempts to counter the threat of terror attacks and a

relentless nationwide crime wave.

 

kids

©Vladimir Filonov / Moscow Times Kids at a school in Moscow http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2003/09/02/002.html

 

 

"We need to know how to avoid bandits," said Zhenya, standing up as a teacher tested him on safety

measures.

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http://www.dailydemocrat.com/articles/2003/09/04/news/news8.txt

 

From India to USA- school is tops!

Education top priority for Sikh parents, children

By Barbara Smith, MediaNews Group

 

Woodland, CA, USA, Sep 4-Learning about the American lifestyle from nurturing Sikh parents is one thing.

But entering a crowded public school system without mom or dad can be a scary prospect.

 

Not for Taranbir and Manpreet Singh, newly emigrated from Punjab, India.

 

Both teens excelled socially and academically in the Vacaville Unified School District's summer English

Language Development class at Will C. Wood High School, said teacher Scott Benlevi.

 

kids

Sikh Day Parade in New York, 2001  http://www.singhsabha.com/Sikh_D_P_1.JPG

 

 

"Any chance I get to work with Sikh children, I know I'm going to have fun," Benlevi said. "I find that most of

the times, they have been very well motivated and eager to learn, a wonderful addition to the classroom

mix, and a good example for the others."

 

Taranbir and Manpreet are the only Indian children in a class with seven Spanish-speaking students. So

they are learning Spanish as well as English, and are ahead of some of their Spanish-speaking peers, he

said.

 

A Sikh child is still somewhat of a rarity in the California public school system, and they do well for a

number of reasons, Benlevi said.

 

He credits the Singh boys' success to the wonderful educational system in India, and their father, Balraj

Singh.

 

"The father does exceptionally well," Benlevi said. "They have a resource at home. The primary teacher for

all children are their parents. Your parents are your first teacher. In my opinion, it's the background for

their success."

 

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http://www.sofiaecho.com/art.php?id=7991&catid=32

 

New kid on the block

Kate Goggin, Sofia Echo

 

 

Sofia, Bulgaria, Sep 5-WALKING the halls of school for the first time can be quite a shock for the new kid on

the block. Just ask Annie Mendes a student at the Anglo-American School (AAS) in Sofia.

 

"I was not scared about being the new kid, but I was nervous," she said. Despite attending orientation and

meeting her teacher in advance, the first day was still plagued with difficulties.

 

The bus was late and there was a mix-up about the proper entry door. "Another girl and I were running

around trying to find our way in," she said.

 

But the worst came when she walked into the classroom: "At my old school the girls wore skirts, but here

they all wore jeans." Ouch. That is an awkward moment at an awkward age.

 

It is difficult to fit in when you are the new kid and the AAS has a program in place to help newcomers and

their families learn what to expect. "AAS does a lot to ease this transition," said the school's director, Eric

Larson.

kids

The AAS counsellor runs a "buddy" program, where new kids are set up with friends to help them adjust.

"The kids were all very nice to me," said Mendes, "that helped a lot. I made a lot of new friends right away."

Meeting new friends and learning creative problem solving are some of the long-term advantages of

moving home. Forced to change schools every few years, Wertsch said: "By the time we reach adulthood,

we've met so many thousands of people, weathered such diversity of predicaments that we are unlikely to

be fazed by much.

 

"Among the useful traits we acquire: independence, willingness to take risks, flexibility. We know how to

read people quickly, initiate new projects, get along with almost anyone and bounce back from disaster."

 

"You can often tell children with multiple international experiences from those who are living overseas for

the first time," said Larson. "One child at our school is now living in his fifth country and he has never lived

in his native country.

 

"Children with such experiences normally begin at a new school very quietly, watching other children and

how friendships, school and everyday life work. Following this process of observation they will tend to

blend in, and in this child's case, he became one of the most active and popular members of the school."

 

Mendes was also able to blend in quickly. After two years in Sofia she is completely comfortable in her new

environment and has made the transition well.

 

So if you see a new kid this week running around late, locked out and wearing a skirt, know that she just

needs a friendly face and a little time to overcome the shock of moving home!

 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/xml/uncomp/articleshow?msid=168334

 

A dream come true

Sachin `bowled' over, kids not out!

R. MURALI, Times News Network

 

Bangalore, Karnataka, Sep 6- On Friday at Parikrama, a social organisation run for the under-privileged, the

mood was upbeat for obvious reasons. For all those who hardly get a chance to watch India's most famous

cricketer on the television (forget meeting him in person), it was a dream come true. Taking some time off

from the rigours of training schedule, Tendulkar spent more than half-an-hour with the kids.

 

sachin

]

 

It was a moment to cherish for the boys and girls who shared their thoughts with the demigod of Indian

cricket. For seven-year-old Srinivas, it turned out to be a special day. He even tried to bowl a googly at the

master, asking him if he could speak in Kannada. "Ellarigu nanna namaskara (Namaste to all)," pat came the

reply. "Do you know your teacher's name?" asked Raksha with a twinkle in her eyes. And, there were many

more out of the bag.

 

"Why did you relinquish captaincy," asked Ramesh, a first standard student. Monisha wanted to know

Tendulkar's children's names and Zamsei came up with a riddle which foxed the little master. Showing his

index finger, Zamsei asked "why are you not using this while playing?". A tough riddle to solve Tendulkar

thought. But the beaming youngster supplied the answer himself: "Simple. you can't use it because it is my

finger!"

 

Sachin enjoyed every moment and before he left he made his point that "all work and no play makes Jack a

dull boy."

 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/xml/uncomp/articleshow?artid=168247

 

'The child in me is alive'

SANGEETHA DEVI K, Times News Network

 

Ladakh, India, Sep 6-What very few know is that Hrithik’s character in his recent film [Koi Mil Gaya] has

traces of his own childhood. “Somewhere all of us have walked this path where we’ve been teased. I had a

good share of heartbreaks in my school days. I didn’t fit in with the other kids. Rohit is an extension of me.

hrithik

             koi

  

 

There were a few scenes in the film where I stuttered. I didn’t want to go back and change it because I did

stutter a bit in my school days,” says Hrithik. And, when Hrithik looked deep within himself to find Rohit, he

too realised that “the child in me is still alive and kicking. I haven’t grown up at all. Maybe that’s why I just

adore kids. I can’t turn away a kid when he or she comes up to talk to me.”

 

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=857&ncid=757&e=10&u=/nm/20030905/od_uk_nm/ouko

e_odd_italy_obesity

 

Health Alert

Italy's kids fattest in Europe

Reuters

 

 

Rome, Italy, Sep 5- Pasta and ice cream may be great, but they're leading to a major side effect: bulging

Italian children, who are now officially the flabbiest in Europe.

 

Weighing in a close second came Spanish children, with 27 percent of them packing on the pounds.

 

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19035-2003Sep3.html

 

Cross Connections- Straightening things out

Kids at Play, With a Purpose

Summer Day Camp Seeks to Ease Conflicts Between Two Cultures

By Phuong Ly, Washington Post Staff Writer

 

Maryland, Washington, USA, Sep 4-As they walked into a playroom at the Severn church, the campers

separated into groups.

 

The African American youngsters, a little tired after an hour-long van ride from their homes in inner-city

Baltimore, gathered in one corner. The Korean children, from cul-de-sac suburban neighborhoods, talked

among themselves.

 

kids

Hadiyah Brown, 9, left; Hyojoo Nam, 9, center; and Yaei Eun Han, 7, right, hold hands at the Unity Picnic

on the next-to-last day of camp. (Hyosub Shin -- The Washington Post)

 

 

But then, Racquel Moses and Chante Willis, both 8, started clapping out rhymes.Stephanie Nam, 9, of

Pasadena doesn't speak or understand much English, but she knew she wanted to join in. She ran over

with another ponytailed Korean girl and raised her hands. Racquel turned to Stephanie, and soon the two

girls were smacking palms and giggling.

 

This was a small occurrence but one that carried big hope during a cultural exchange program between

African American and Korean children, whose respective day camps came together periodically during the

summer. Although the program, for about 60 children, ended recently with picnics in Baltimore and Anne

Arundel County, organizers hope that memories of the goodwill will last.

 

Through the years, stereotypes that blacks and Koreans hold about each other are passed down to the

children, many community leaders say. Korean young people say blacks play too rough. The black

children say Koreans smell like fish and talk funny.

 

The project was begun by Jacquelyn D. Cornish.

 

The camp coordinators are well aware that a few days together will not completely overcome long-standing

racial and economic gaps.Since the exchange program started 12 years ago, the children have not formed

friendships that have lasted beyond summer. For the rest of the year, they're in separate worlds.

 

Meanwhile, Cornish and others will revel in the little victories of summer.

In the three-legged race one sunny day, the fastest team was led by Richard Whelchel and Sung Yu. They

managed to cross the finish line without tripping on each other's super-baggy pants.

 

"We did good," said Richard, 11, holding his hands toward 12-year-old Sung for a double high-five. Then,

simultaneously, they hitched up their oversized pants and burst into grins.

 

The boys may never see each other again, but they may remember that one afternoon, when they made a

pretty good team.

 

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2561-2003Aug29.html

 

A Child in Need of a Nickname

The Washington Post

 

If you think saying " John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" is hard, take a crack at George Bush Adbul Kader

Faris Abed Hussein. That's the name of a 6-week-old baby born in Baghdad.

 

"I tell you all Iraqis hated Saddam's regime. It was only George Bush who liberated us; without him it

wouldn't have happened," said Nadia Jergis Mohammed, the baby's 34-year-old mother.

 

 

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Until next week!

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Earlier NewsBites

 

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