Dashain Festival

In late September the classes prepared for Dashain by making mustard seed pickles, planting jamara (corn & barley) seeds, and constructing kites. We celebrated with songs from the KG and classes 1 and 2, followed by a play, Durga Bhawani and Mysasore, by class 3. Teachers Kamala and Roshni performed a puja for the goddess Durga and led the children in festival songs. Then we had a delicious lunch, after which the students flew kites in the playground.

The KG children sing and dance to“Burura Udhyo”(Flying Dragonfly), which was written by the teachers.

The deities Vishnu and Indra pray to the goddess Durga to save humanity from the demon ruler Mysasore.

Supriya poses with the kite she made.

Tihar

We celebrated Tihar, festival of lights, at the end of October. The children made candles and paper lanterns to go around the mandala. They also made marigold garlands and paper chains to decorate the playhouse.

Peach Picking

During Monsoon season, the class children climbed the school’s peach tree to collect all the ripening peaches before they fell.

Krishna Astami

Krishna Astami is the Hindu celebration of Lord Krishna’s birth. We marked the occasion with Janma Astami stories, Krishna Bhajan songs, and a ceremony with tikka and sweets.

Above: Baby Krishna’s picture is decorated with marigold mallas.

Man Kumari gets a tikka from Nima.

Teacher Training

Nima Sherpa, currently teaching class 2, completed the final session of her primary teacher training course in October. The course, held at Tridhaksa School in Bangkok from the 13th to the 24th, consisted of lectures, workshops and study groups in the subjects of Working Together in a 3-Fold Society, Conflict Management, Classification of Tasks & Responsibilities in a School, Singing & Eurhythmy, and Practical Training in Thinking.

Revi Miller, an experienced Waldorf class teacher and teacher-trainer from the UK, visited in November. Revi gave two weeks of training to the class teachers in various selected curricula for grades 1 through 4.

We bid farewell to Nirmala Gurung, who has been with us since 2004 and most recently taught class 2. Nirmala has embarked upon a master’s program in Education at Tribhuvan National University. We thank Nirmala for her four years of great work and wish her the best for the future.

1st Term Performances

At the end of term 1 in July the teachers presented a puppet show adaptation of Cinderella. Classes 1, 2, and 3 performed music, movement and rhymes.

Kamala, Roshni, Dolma, Durga and Chandra manipulate their puppets while Kripa narrates.

Maitre, Atit and Hira play the sarangi.

Class 3 visits Sleeping Vishnu

In the summer the students took a field trip to the Sleeping Vishnu statue and temple. The trip complements their study of Dasavatara, the ten incarnations of the Hindu deity Lord Vishnu.

Artwork depicting the temple grounds and Sleeping Vishnu statue by Shishir.

Parents' Meetings

Parents’ Meetings are held each term to build greater understanding and appreciation of Waldorf Education among TWS parents.

Parents take part in an activity to improve concentration and focus.

Class 3's Day in Patan

Patan, home to a variety of crafts manufacturers, is an ideal place for the class 3 children to study people and occupations up close.

A statue maker demonstrates how he fashions a piece depicting a Hindu deity out of bronze.

Maitrie observes a Thanka painter’s handiwork. Thankas are painted scrolls depicting Buddhist deities.

Health Program

The school’s annual medical check ups and dental check ups took place in autumn. Eye check ups have been postponed for a few months as the eye doctors are busy working to help victims of the Koshi flood in the Terai.

Children's Progress

One and a half years ago, a month after the start of the school year, a brother and sister joined our school. Thukten and Lam ‘Dema’ Doma, then 6 and 7, had been living and studying at a children’s home. Their mother passed away when they were only a few years old, and until he recently remarried, their father was unable to care for them as he worked long hours as a street vendor. The two have flourished since entering TWS. Dema initially was uncomfortable being separated from her brother, moving a grade above him, and both had difficulty concentrating in class. Now they are lively, friendly and confident, having opened up to the world around them.