MILK: Summer workshops on food and health
This year, 144 schools from remote and urban areas of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Batticaloa, Badulla, Bandarawela, Colombo, Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Jaffna, Kandy,Ratnapura,Kegalle and Kurunegala received the ‘British Council International School Award’ at the award ceremony held recently at the Eagles Lakeside banquet hall in Attidiya, Dehiwela.
Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Upali Marasinghe was the Chief Guest at the ceremony attended by hundreds of students, parents, teachers, and principals from schools islandwide.
The British Council International School Award (ISA) is an accreditation scheme that recognises and celebrates exemplary practices of internationalism in schools. ISA encourages schools to collaborate and innovate with overseas schools to create an enriching learning experience for students through the use of infor- mation technology, creative informative practices and a practical context for learning.
Schools that participate in ISA begin by drafting an action plan for an academic year with a minimum of seven projects related to international dimensions covering a range of subject areas and age groups. The schools record their work and present a dossier of evidence that is assessed by a panel. Schools that are successful in meeting the assessment criteria are awarded the accreditation for a period of three years.
Country Director of the British Council Sri Lanka, Keith Davies OBE, said, “One of our most important programmes with schools is called ‘Connecting Classrooms’ - a global education programme offered by the British Council and UK Aid which supports teachers and school leaders in over 50 countries. This programme aims to create an enhanced teacher-learning experience while developing young people’s skills required for the global economy. It provides opportunities for schools, students and teachers in Sri Lanka to digitally engage, connect and interact with their counterparts in the UK and other countries. I am delighted that our work with schools through this programme touches all parts of Sri Lanka including more than 500 schools across all nine provinces.”
One of the main advantages of being a part of Connecting Classrooms is the accessibility and connectivity provided by the British Council’s ‘School’s Online’ website (schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org) This portal provides opportunities for teachers in Sri Lanka to collaborate with partner schools of other countries in a direct and engaging manner.
The British Council in partnership with the Ministry of Education hopes to reach out to 200 schools next year, promoting the integration of an international and global learning to the local curriculum.
The following members were elected as office bearers of the Association of Justices of Peace of Sri Lanka at the 22nd AGM held on June 14 at the Lobby Hall of the Public Library Auditorium, Colombo 7.
Hony. President: Al-Haj A.R.M. Bakkeer
Hony. General Secretary:Deshabandu A.Dexter Fernando
Hony. Treasurer:Deshakeerthi V.M.Shanmuganathan
Hony. Deputy President:Deshakeerthi Mr. S.W. Balage
Hony. Vice. Presidents:Deshakeerthi Al Haj HilmyJunaid, Lion K.M.Wazeer Hony. Asst. Secretary:Mr. P.M. Karunaratne Banda
Hony. Asst. Treasurer:Deshakeerthi Mrs. P.D.K.Botheju
Committee Members: Mrs. T. Sirisoma, Deshakeerthi W.D.S. Jayathilake, Deshabandu K.Jayakumar, Deshakeerthi Al Haj M.K.M.Saleem, Mr.Karunaratne Banda, Mr.Ariyadasa Thanthirige, Al Haj M.Mohideen Ariff, Al-Haj J.S.Shaffdeen, P.B.Wijekoon, V.S.M.M. Melvani, Lion Ignatious Camillus, Mr. Gamini Herath
Students of Gateway College Colombo will be organising a ‘ Walk from the Heart’ on Saturday, July 25th, to raise awareness of children’s heart disease and to support the on-going projects of the Children’s Heart Project which works with the Lady Ridgeway Hospital to improve the services available to children with heart problems. The walk will start from Lady Ridgeway Hospital and end in the school premises in Rajagiriya. ‘ Walk from the Heart’ is the principal community service to be carried out by Gateway College this year, and the school has encouraged students to create banners, placards and posters to be used during the walk to raise awareness about children’s heart
MILK, the family lifestyle store & Milk & Honey Café is running a series of workshops from July 20– 29 on food and your health with Shalani McCray of Live Alive, Australia.
Shalani McCray is a highly qualified and experienced naturopathic nutritionist and GAPs practitioner with a practical approach.
The talks will kick off with Feel Fabulous from the Inside Out, a disease and has given each class a target to raise funds for the support of the Children’s Heart Project. There will be rewards by the school for classes that raise the highest contribution and make the biggest impact!
The Children’s Heart Project was set up by private individuals, to help save Sri Lankan children with heart diseases. It is a registered charity approved by the Government of Sri Lanka, incorporated in 1993. The project’s aim is to increase the number of successful children’s heart operations performed annually, and ultimately to eliminate the long waiting list. workshop that looks at how our gut guides our overall well-being. Quite literally, your gut is the epicentre of your mental and physical health and has an enormous impact on so many aspects of health and wellbeing. The workshop outlines problems connected with an unhealthy gut and how they can be completely healed by cleaning up your gut.
The workshop series also has programmes on Baby's first foods, The Project supports the cardiac programme of the Lady Ridgeway Hospital, which is the only tertiary care referral centre for such children in Sri Lanka. Patients come to the cardiac centre from far off places such as Walapane or Polonnaruwa, and are treated completely free of charge. The project has provided financial support to construct and refurbish certain areas of the cardiac complex and purchase equipment and consumables whenever they are needed. More information about the project is available on http:// www.childrensheartproject.lk/ index.html Food Allergies & food and behaviour, Healthy lunchboxes and Making Fermented food and tonics where participants will learn to prepare, preserve and sustain foods so that they have a beneficial relationship with the digestive tract.
For information call 0112696256 or email milk4kids@gmail.com. Space is limited and advance bookings must be made at MILK, 44a Horton Place, Colombo 7.