Exploring colour

In our pre-schools

Naomi Booth :: Wednesday 4th October 2023 :: This Story

Picture: /files/latest-news/553/w288/ost-4-10-1.jpgOur preschools were awash with colour recently as our students explored colour and textures in objects around them. They used recycled fabric and coloured paper to make flowers. They chose their own colours when making their flowers. Working in groups they developed their social skills as they talked about what they were doing.


We would like to say a huge thank you to our 66 preschool teachers who work tirelessly to make sure our 800+ preschool students have a rich and inspiring early years educational experience.


If you would like to sponsor a teacher's wages, please visit our webpage to find out more: https://oceanstars.org.uk/sponsor-a-child-sri-lanka

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Ready to go...

excited students share their thoughts...

Naomi Booth :: Friday 29th September 2023 :: This Story

The 21 students from Calthorpe Park School, Fleet, travelling out to Sri Lanka on the 17th of October, received their trip clothing during their final group meeting. Everyone was so excited as the trip seems more real now.

Here are some comments from the excited students:

"I am very excited"
"I can't believe it has come round so quickly"
"I am really looking forward to going"
"I am super excited"
"Great to have our trip uniforms"

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The students will be visiting their link schools in Batticaloa and spend the time doing activities with the Sri Lankan students. If you would like your school to get involved with Ocean Stars Trust, you can find out more about our cultural links via our website: https://oceanstars.org.uk/school-cultural-links-sri-lanka

Learning Tamil alphabet

Naomi Booth :: Monday 25th September 2023 :: This Story

Picture: /files/latest-news/555/w288/ost-4-10-8.jpgOur preschool students recently learnt some letters of the Tamil alphabet. The Tamil alphabet has 12 vowels, 18 consonants, and 1 unique character ? but totals 247 letters!!

The Tamil script is syllabic not alphabetic so the complete script has the basic letters and 216 combinatory letters consisting of a consonant and a vowel, a mute consonant or a vowel alone. The combinatory letters are formed by adding a vowel marker to the consonant. Some vowels require the basic shape of the consonant to be altered in a way that is specific to that vowel. Others are written by adding a vowel-specific suffix to the consonant.

Our young students learn the Tamil alphabet alongside the English alphabet and switch from one to another effortlessly!

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Ongoing professional development

for our teachers

Naomi Booth :: Friday 15th September 2023 :: This Story

Picture: /files/latest-news/556/w288/ost-nvq.jpgThe ongoing professional development of all the teachers who work at our preschools is embedded in our Child Development Programme.

We were delighted that Unitha recently gained her NVQ Level 4 in General Child Care.

Unitha works at our preschool in Chenkallady, and she really values all the support and training given to her by Ocean Stars Trust. Congratulations to Unitha for gaining this qualification which will enable her to provide a high standard of Early Years education for the children who attend her preschool.

 

Sponsorship success

Diploma completed and on to a degree in Software engineering

Naomi Booth :: Friday 8th September 2023 :: This Story

Picture: /files/latest-news/551/w288/dip.jpgSanoos was sponsored by Ocean stars Trust from the age of 5 to 18. He contacted us recently and asked us to thank his sponsor for helping him with his studies when he was at school. The sponsorship money meant he could access extra classes and buy resources for his learning. Sanoos went on to gain a Higher National Diploma in Computing (Software Engineering).

He is currently studying for a BSc Hons Degree in Software Engineering at the International College of Business and Technology, which is affiliated to Cardiff Metropolitan University and based in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.

Sanoos is the first member of his family to go to University and his family are very proud of him. His father is a fisherman, and his mum is a housewife. Sanoos says his success is due to his sponsorship, so we would like to thank his sponsor as well as all our sponsors, who make a huge impact on so many children in Sri Lanka. If you would like to sponsor a child, then please have a look at our website www.oceanstars.org.uk

Musical Evening!

Come and listen to a Saxophone Quartet and raise funds for Ocean Stars

Naomi Booth :: Friday 8th September 2023 :: This Story

Ocean Stars Saxophone Quartet Music Evening
Monday 25th September
Venue: Calthorpe Park School Drama Hall
Time: 7.00 pm
Cost: Per Person £10 ( suggested)
Per Family (4 People): £30
Students in CPS SL Teams 2023/ 2024 are free.

  • Please bring your own food and drink
  • Tea, Coffee, Water and Sri Lanka snacks are included.
  • Raffle.
  • A Quiz on Sri Lanka whilst you listen to the music.
  • Please email oceanstarstrust@gmail.com to secure your place. Please provide your name and how many tickets your require.


Payment can be made on the door or in advance.
REF: SAXOPHONE BACS details:
Bank: Lloyds Bank, Fleet Branch
Sort Code: 30-93-32
Account Name: Ocean Stars Trust
Account Number: 02662990
IBAN: GB27LOYD30933202662990

Quiz Date for your Diary

13th January 2024

Naomi Booth :: Wednesday 6th September 2023 :: This Story

A date for your diary! Our annual fundraising quiz will take place on Saturday 13th January 2024. Mike Gardner, our Quiz Master, will return for an evening of quizzing and laughter. This is one of our main fundraising events to enable us to carry on with our work empowering children through education in Sri Lanka.
 
If anyone would like to organise a fundraising event for Ocean Stars then please get in touch with us at oceanstarstrust@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you!

The Kandy Perahera

also known as the festival of the tooth

Naomi Booth :: Wednesday 6th September 2023 :: This Story

The Kandy Perahera, an annual event, recently took place in the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka. The pageant is also known as The Festival of the Tooth and is a festival held in July and August. This historical procession is held annually to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha, which is housed at the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy. A unique symbol of Sri Lanka, the procession consists of traditional local dances such as fire dances and performances in whip-dance garments.

The festival ends with the traditional Diya-kepeema ritual, a water cutting ceremony, which is held at the Mahaweli River at Getambe, Kandy. The Perahera is believed to have begun when the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka from India during the 4th century CE, 800 years after the passing away of the Buddha.

The first five days of the Perahera is called the Kumbal Perahera and the next 5 days the Randholi Perehara. There are dancers, drummers, elephants and the whole event is a fusion of colour and music that lights up the night sky.
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Where do our volunteers stay in Sri Lanka?

Naomi Booth :: Wednesday 30th August 2023 :: This Story

Picture: /files/latest-news/547/w288/sl3.jpgSince our first trip taking volunteers to Sri Lanka in 2007, Ocean Stars has provided volunteering opportunities for over 500 people who have visited Sri Lanka with Ocean Stars. The main part of our trips is based in the town of Batticlaoa, where are Ocean Stars Office is based.
 
Our volunteers usually stay at the Riviera Hotel in Batticaloa, which has become a second home to many of us. It is a family-run, eco-friendly resort, based in an idyllic setting by the Batticaloa lagoon in the eastern coast of Sri Lanka.
 
The resort was established in 1981 and was borne out of a desire to preserve nature. The resort has a variety of rooms, offers a western/Sri Lankan restaurant, conference hall, infinity-style swimming pool and lagoon-front seating, which is ideal for open-air meetings and garden parties.
We would like to say a huge thank you to the team at Riviera, who go out of their way to make sure all our guests are welcomed warmly and have a happy and comfortable stay with them.
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Calthorpe Park School, Fleet mash fundraising target

Amazing work!

Naomi Booth :: Monday 28th August 2023 :: This Story

Picture: /files/latest-news/548/w288/dl.jpgThe 21 students from Calthorpe Park School, Fleet, going to Sri Lanka in October 2023, have been busy fundraising for the work of Ocean Stars Trust since July 2022. The students have smashed their initial target of raising £8,000 and have now raised a staggering £14,000!! We would like to say a huge, massive thank you to all the students from Team 2023 as well as their friends and families who have supported them in this amazing challenge.
 
Ross Walker, Head of Music at Calthorpe Park School, leads the trips to Sri Lanks, and music plays a huge part in the work that the students do in their link schools. Some of the money the students have raised has gone towards the creation of a music room at Navalady school. This will be officially opened when the team visit in October.
 
Dilanee, Head of Operations, recently visited Navalady School and was able to see for herself the newly refurbished music room. She had the privilege of handing over the keys to the classroom to the head teacher of the school.