Vedic Academy

09/05/2017

Our oldest and most versatile group is our "Kaishoras" who range in age from 12-16 yrs of age. These teenagers are led by Rasesvari Lila mtj and Vrindavan Priya prabhu.
Their report:
Our book for this semester is "Nectarian Ocean of the Holy Name" by Sacinanadana Swami.
Introduction - why I chose this book. We discussed practical experiences that are the result of chanting and what is shared by Acaryas on what the importance for chanting. Then we gathered inputs on why they do the chanting. Overall the class got very interested and in the end we did a 15 min guided chanting of one round of beads, in a circle sitting formation.
All kids have received their backpacks and books and are expected to bring their backpacks, textbook, notebook and bead bag each week.
Homework: complete their Sadhana cards (index cards given - 7 days of the week - each day track the number of rounds chanted, pages read (can be from SP books as well), and service done for each day), read and familiarize with Mangalacarana prayers, Read Introduction and Nama Tattava sections (page 18-41), make a note of points that stood out for you in your notebook and bring to class. Thank you.

09/05/2017

"Madan Mohan" our first of the older kids class, has kids ages 9-12yrs. This group is lead by Radhika Prema mtj and Kamalshri mtj.
Their report:
Hare Krishna All!
We welcome you to another fun year. 😄🙏🏼
Our class was at a new venue and we have 2 new entrants from gopinath this year.
We started with a fun assignment where the kids had to write down their favorite kirtaneer, their role models, their friends and so on. It was a good icebreaker to start this year's session. Then we started with the 1st chapter of the Srila Prabhupada book. We had a good discussion on the four miseries of human birth.
We also started our 1st kirtan with our music teacher Ananya Radhika mtj. Kids picked up the lyrics pretty quickly and were trying hard to be in tune.
At the end of class, kids were handed their Sadhana Card. Parents are requested to kindly fill in the cards and encourage the kids to do a little sadhana of their choice each day. Sadhana cards are due on the next class.

09/04/2017

Our "Gopinath" group has kids from 6-9yrs of age. This class is led by Hari Katha Mtj and Madhavi Manjari Mtj.
Their 1st week report:
Dear parents
This semester we are having a basic study of Caitanya Charitamrta as our curriculum. We discussed the introduction to the Caitanya caritamrita. We spoke about the internal and external reasons for the Lord's appearance, the pastime of Minaketana Ramadas, and the motivation that inspired Krsna Das Kaviraj Goswami to take up this monumental work.
In craft we started our framed picture of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The kids will finish this in their next craft class. Craft classes for this group are run by Aparupa Radhika mtj.
This week we have issued sadhana cards to all the kids. These cards keep track of the time they have spent in various KC activities over the week. Please encourage them to fill them in and to find ways of doing some small sadhana every day.
Thank you for your support! 😊🙏🏼

09/04/2017

Our next age group is "Damodar" which has kids aged 3-6. This class is run by Venu Geeta mtj and Sneha mtj.
Their 1st week report:
For the very first class on Sunday we did a brief round of introductions. After that we said our Manglacharana prayers followed by a brief description of the Dasa avatars and their sequence. We practiced reciting BG 4.6 verse "Yada yada hi dharmasya..." which we will be memorizing this month. Then we read the Matsya Avatar, the fish incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and did our very first craft on the same. Kids really loved the story and craft session and I'm looking forward to doing more with them next week. 😊

09/04/2017

Our youngest class is "Kanha" which is for little babies and kids 0-3yrs of age. It's a new class we started this year, to cater to the needs of new parents and younger children.
It is a parent participant class, where children are introduced to spiritual learning with simple and fun stories, rhymes and crafts. The curriculum is structured with age appropriate teaching strategies to develop their gross and fine motor skills, while simultaneously parents are encouraged to develop positive parenting techniques and learn ways to encourage their children's spiritual growth at home.
It's a fun and enjoyable class that has received a very encouraging welcome from our congregation.

This class is run by Sukhesvari mtj and Sowbhagya mtj.
Their report:
This week class was filled with so much fun and frolic , our youngest student was 2 months old 😀
We started with our welcoming song , ( To get to know the names of everyone) followed by Krsna and farm animals song, ( to learn the names of the farm animals and the sounds it makes) we also read a nice KC adapted version of the Brown bear brown bear what do you see book. We learnt to use bells, jingles, drum and sing the hare Krsna Mahamantra . Parents will receive developmental charts every week . This week's focus was on Gross motor skills.

09/04/2017

Hare Krishna! and Welcome, to a new year here at ISV's Vedic Academy Sunday School.
This school teaches kids from the age of 0-16 the core principles and aspects of Bhakti Yoga and trains them to be model spiritual ambassadors of his grace Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON.

We started our year on Aug 20th with an Open House where we showcased our current year's curriculum
The kids came and registered, collected their supplies and had a fun snack of watermelon and puffs before going in to meet their new teachers and friends.

05/26/2017

Finally we have reached the end of our Sunday School's calendar year, and what an amazing year we've had! 😄

We had a really fun and memorable Final Day with our Graduation Ceremony, followed by a 2 hour Annual Day performance by all our Sunday School kids.

Please visit the link below to see the performances:
https://youtu.be/-HwZtn_WmBY

Thank you once again, for always supporting and encouraging us in this sincere attempt to cultivate spiritual awareness and a lasting love for devotional service, in the hearts and minds of our little Vaishnavas and Vaishnavis.

We will see you again in 2 months. Till then, we wish you a wonderful Summer break. 😊🙏🏼

ISV Sunday School Annual Day performance Recorded on 05-21-2017, ISKCON of Silicon Valley

05/13/2017

Week 17 at ISV Sunday School:
This week was our first set of dress rehearsals and stage practice.
No pictures are posted of this,...as that will ruin the surprise. 😄
Hold on tight and come on time on the 21st to see all the action live!

Kaishora is our oldest age group of kids. Almost teenagers not quite adults, this group
is where we feel our future lies. With diverse tastes and talents, this year's Kaishora group is a beautiful mix of the traditional and the modern.
Watch them present beautiful PowerPoint slides on their essential understanding of devotional service and be amazed by their kirtan skills.
Don't miss their performance coming 21st at our Annual Day.

This is them, rehearsing their kirtan finale with their super-resourceful teacher, Sukesvari mtj and Ananya Radhika mtj, their music teacher.

05/13/2017

Talk of talent and our Madan Mohan group is where we are finding that in abundance this year. A largely boy filled class, it has some of our temple's most talented kids.
From mridanga to studies, one can find this class, always ready to learn. It takes talent to teach talent and our beautiful duo of Kamalshri mtj and Radhika Prema Mtj are truly the right persons for the job.

Come and watch our youngest "older" kids perform kirtan and a drama at our Annual Day this 21st of May.

05/13/2017

Week 16 at ISV Sunday School:
Just 3 more weeks more to go! This school year is coming to a close!

Gopinath Class has been the pride of our Sunday School this year. 😊
It is the largest of all our classes and has a spread of ages (6-9) that requires a very effective and creative teacher to bring out both their individual, and group talents.
Our dear Poonam mtj has done just that. The kids have shone so bright this year, learning Bhajan, Kirtan and Spritual Stories.
Please come and watch them as they perform 2 dramas and a kirtan that will enliven your hearts. 😊🙏🏼

05/13/2017

Madan Mohan did their drama and then finished their pending craft project. The boys seem to be just as good as the girls in making nice kundan decorations for the altar. Take a look! 😄

05/12/2017

Gopinath kids were not to be left behind. They were working at full capacity, learning their lines and perfecting their renditions.