May

May 16

We did a dry run of the Annual day presentations and kids got some final feedback on their presentations.

They also got to know where in the sequence would their presentation be. Kids are encouraged to use a computer should they want to share slides as well as keep their video on. Would be great if parents could help with any technical difficulties kid experience on the annual day.

May 9

We started the class with a rapid-fire 15 min revision of all the topics covered since the beginning of the calendar year.

After that, the kids took the 2nd and final test of the year. Results will be e-mailed to the e-mail addresses used to take the test, before the next class.

All the kids present completed the test and we went through the answers as a group.

For the next class - 5/16, kids should come prepared with their presentations as we will have a dry run in preparation for the Annual Day presentations on May 23rd. Kids should be updating their presentations, based on the feedback received from the TAs and teacher.

May 2

Important Dates:

• 5/09 (Next Class) - Final Dharma Level 5A Exam

• 5/16 - Exam Results Shared

• 5/23 - Annual Day Presentations

Class Overview:

In the beginning of class, we finished giving the students feedback for their Annual Day Presentations. Everyone should feel comfortable presenting what they have prepared. If not, continue practicing and rehearsing! The necessary changes need to be made before the 23rd of May, the day of final presentations. We want them to reflect the hard work the students have been doing in our class. After evaluating the last of the presentations, we moved on to reviewing what we had learned in class. We randomly selected students to answer questions that would be similar to the ones on the upcoming test. We saw that the retention rate for what we covered in class was fairly high, so that was great to see. Then, we moved on to reviewing through Kahoot, an online interactive quiz game. The final exam is this Sunday, so be prepared to do your best! Using the textbook or other resources will not be allowed on the test. There will be no time limit, but we expect to get done quickly as there are only a few questions. The results will be shared via email the week after the test. We had a great, productive class this week. There are a lot of important things coming up, so finish the year strong! We appreciate the effort everyone puts in during the online classes.

Homework:

1. Study the following for the exam -

• The Bhagavata Purana (what is it, amount of verses and parts)

• Vishnu's Avatars (form, order, story, etc.)

• Vishnu, Ganesha, Lakshmi (information included in the textbook)

• Vedic Devatas

• Navagrahas

2. Practice your presentation for Annual Day!

April

April 25

To start class today, we learned about Mahavir Jayanti. It is a Jain holiday, and we learned how, why and when it is celebrated! Next, some students practiced their annual day presentations and got feedback. Most people have practiced their presentation by now, so make sure to edit your presentation based on what feedback you got. For everyone, remember to write in bullet points and add pictures!

An important reminder: we have a review class next week and our second exam is on May 9th. The results will come on May 16th, and we will also do a dry run of our entire annual day presentation. Our final annual day presentation is on May 23! Please don’t miss these classes!!

We then started with a review of the stories of Indra we have heard in the past 2 weeks and what we learned from them. We then learned the story of yama and nachiketa. From this story, we learned that in the scenario of a chariot, horses, driver, and passenger, the driver represents buddi, the passenger represents atman, the reins represent the mind, and the horses represent the senses. It is important to realize that these all work together to make the chariot move where you want to go. The senses cannot control the mind, the mind must control the senses. We learned that we must have a good command over our brain, and that our mind must be disciplined. If it is not, the chariot and the driver will go around in circles and in the wrong direction. Next we learned the story of Vithoba in Pandharpur and Rameshvaram. These stories are on page 140 of the book, feel free to read them!

April 18

After going through the assembly and meditation, we spent the majority of class helping students finalize their Annual Day presentations. The students took turns presenting what they had compiled in the past few weeks and got feedback on what they could improve on. The last group of students will present their drafts to the teachers next week. We want to make sure that the Annual Day presentations are a rewarding experience for everyone!

Following the presentations, we continued our conversation of Vedic Devtas. We specifically reviewed the stories of Indra, Vedic king of the heavens. We talked about the stories of Indra involving Vritra, Yavakrita, Surabhi, Uma, Rishi Pippalada, and Rishi Chyavana. We also went over the morals of the different stories and how we could identify them in each one of them. Some morals that we found involved relationships between equity and equality, hardwork and results, as well as the relationship between our problems and their source. We will continue to talk more about the Vedic Devatas and the stories that may be familiar to some.

During class, we also went over the schedule for the coming weeks. Next week, we will finish reviewing the students' Annual Day presentations and then have a regular class afterwards. Here is what the class schedule looks like for the month of May:

05/02 - Class Review

05/09 - Exam

05/16 - Exam Results

05/23 - Annual Day Presentation

More information on the exam will be provided in an upcoming class update. We have loved to see the students' hard work and we hope we can have a great rest of the year with the same enthusiasm!

Homework -

The homework for this week consists of reading the stories of Indra, found on page 141 of the Dharma 5A textbook. If you want to access the digital copy, CLICK HERE.

Along with this, make the necessary changes to your Annual Day presentations that we talked about in class.

If you haven't already presented a draft of your Annual Day presentation, be prepared to present and receive feedback next week.

April 11

Today in class, we started by learning about Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, and Baisakhi that falls of April 13th. We learned about where they are celebrated, why they are celebrated, and how they are celebrated. We then moved on to talking about our upcoming class presentation. Some kids did their mock presentations and got feedback. A few others will practice their presentation next week. All students should be working on and practicing their presentations. Next, we quickly reviewed the navagrahas that we learned about before break, and then we moved on to talking about Vedic Devatas. We talked about how there are different types of worship by asking the students how they pray, and what they do when they go to the temple. The three main forms of worship are pooja, yajna, and meditation. Next we learned about Lord Indra, who was the king of all Devatas. Then we learned about Agni Dev, the god of fire, Varuna Dev, the god of Oceans/Rivers/Water, Vayu Dev, the god of wind, and Surya Dev, the god of the sun. Lastly, we listened to 2 stories: 1, the savitri story, who was a princess who followed Death to save her husband that you can listen to here, and 1 about Indra and Vritra that taught us that we must fight the enemy from within to truly fix a problem.

HW: make sure to work on your annual day project!

March

March 28

We had a great class this week! The students got to learn about the Navagrahas in hinduism. The Navagrahas are heavenly bodies in Hindu astrology that affect human life on Earth. Before talking about the specifics, we discussed the difference between astronomy and astrology because it was a fundamental part of the topic. The Navagrahas include Surya (Sun), Chandra/Soma (Moon), Mangala (Mars), Budha (Mercury), Guru (Jupiter), Shukra (Venus), Shani (Saturn), as well as Rahu and Ketu (comets). Each of the Navagrahas has a significance and meaning that Hindu astrologers use to understand the effects on life:

Surya (Sun): Awakening

Chandra/Soma (Moon): Mind

Mangala (Mars): Health and Energy

Budha (Mercury): Virtue and Spirituality

Guru (Jupiter): Teacher

Shukra (Venus): Appreciation

Shani (Saturn): Removal of negativity

Rahu/Ketu (comets): Materialistic desires and Moksha

The days of the week in many of the Sanskrit-derived languages are named after some of the Navagrahas. The reason for this connects to Hindu astrology. Many mandirs have arranged the murtis of the Navagrahas where people can make rounds around them for worship. Generally, people make 9 rounds around them to acknowledge all 9 of the Navagrahas. Here is an example of a typical arrangement for the Navagraha murtis: CLICK HERE. Our temple has a similar arrangement of the Navagraha murtis that you can check out the next time you visit! It was fascinating for the students to learn more about hindu astrology and connect the ideas we discussed with the astronomy they already were familiar with.

To end class, we played 2 Truths and a Lie with topics we covered in class in previous weeks. It was a great way to review for our upcoming test in May. Everyone really enjoyed playing!

Homework: Please get prepared to have mock presentations in the coming classes. Make sure you are putting in work to complete your presentation for annual day!

(refer to previous weeks for specific directions on the presentations)

March 21

Today in class, we continued to learn about the 10 avatars of Vishnu. We started with the ninth avatar, Buddha. We learned the story of Buddha and how he came to start Buddhism. In the Kapilavastu kingdom, there was a King named King Shuddhodana. His son was named Prince Siddhartha, and a prophet told King Shuddhodana that his son would be a great saint or emperor one day. King Shuddodana hid Siddhartha from the world, and did not let him see it. However, one day, when Siddhartha did see the world, he saw 4 things that changed him. He saw a sick person, an old person, a dead person, and a monk. What he saw in the world outside his home inspired him to change himself and start a new religion called Buddhism that was slightly different from Hinduism. These differences include the difference in seeking help for god, in spirituality in life, and teachings in the vedas compared to no spiritual book.

The 10th avatar of Vishnu is called Kalki. Kalki is said to come during a time in the future where the following 10 actions are common and happen often:

1. Evil will rule the earth

2. Stop acting in good ways

3. Stop worshipping

4. Stop loving family

5. Start hating others

6. Stop caring for loved ones

7. Stop donating

8. Stop reading holy books

9. Stop eating pure and healthy foods

10. Stop taking care of the earth

HW: The homework for this week is to give an example of any of the 10 things on the list above that you have seen in this world

March 14

We had an amazing class today! The class was dedicated to learning about the stories of Krishna. We started class by going over the stories of Krishna's childhood in Mathura (Gokul) and also his early adulthood in Dwarka. The stories we talked about included the story of Kamsa and Krishna's birth, Krishna lifting Mount Govardhan, Krishna's dance on Kaliya Naag, early conflicts with Narakasura, and Krishna's kingship in Dwarka. The students enjoyed learning about the early stories of Krishna, and were excited to watch a video on Krishna's dance on Kaliya Naag: CLICK HERE TO WATCH.

After going over the early stories of Krishna, we talked about his involvement with the Pandavas and the Kurukshetra War. Krishna being able to satisfy his appetite with a single grain of rice when with the Pandavas in the forest, him saving Draupadi from Duryodhan, his rejection of the Kauravas royal feast, and his recitement of the Bhagavad Gita to Arjun were among the stories we were able to cover. The Mahabharata will be talked about in-depth in future classes, but we were able to provide a great introduction to these stories. Throughout class, we received many contributions from the students that helped build upon many of the stories. There are an extensive amount of stories from Krishna's life, so it was great to recollect and reflect upon them in this class.

In the next class, we will be finishing the Dashavatar series by going over the Buddha and Kalki avatars of Vishnu.

Homework -

To connect with the story of Krishna's rejection to the Karuavas' feast invitation, the homework for this week is:

- Give 3 common examples of food wastage

- Give 3 ways you will limit the wastage of food

Also remember that the Annual Day Presentation is coming up on May 23rd! If you would like to get feedback/suggestions on your presentation, please send it to devasreem@yahoo.com.

Here are some reminders on the presentation:

- The presentation will be online and recorded

- Wear traditional clothing and/or dress up as your Ishta devata

- These are the things you must include in your presentation:

• What Ishta Devata did you choose?

• Why are they your Ishta Devata?/What do you like about your Ishta Devata?

• What do you wish was different about your Ishta Devata?

• Tell a story of your Ishta Devata that you most enjoy or find insightful. Why?

March 7

We started class today with a fun presentation learning about Mahashivratri! We learned about the history, how it is celebrated, and we took a little quiz on it. We then looked at different projects students had created for mahashivratri! We then voted on and decided that OUR PRESENTATION WILL BE VIRTUAL ON MAY 23RD!. Next, we played a kahoot for some fun review! We then reviewed and answered last weeks homework!

We then continued to learn and review the story of Ram. We covered more characters including Urmila, Ravana, Mandodari, Indrajit, and Jatayu.

Then, we started learning about Krishna. Krishna’s father was Vasudeva, and his mother was Devaki. They lived in the city of Mathura. Devaki had a brother named Kamsa, and someone told him that Devaki’s eighth child will kill him. So, he imprisoned them and killed every single one of their children. Rohini, Vasudeva’s first wife, had her 7th child who’s name was Balarama. He lived in Gokula. Then, the eighth child was Krishna, and his birthday is celebrated as Janamashtami. When he was born, the gates opened and the guards fell asleep and it rained like crazy. Vasudeva had to cross the Yamuna river, and almost drowned, but as soon as the river touched the feet of Krishna, the river stopped flooding. Yashoda had a baby girl and she took the place of Krishna, and so Kamsa killed her and all other children that were born the same day as him. However, Krishna survived, and started living in Gokula. While he was still a child, he even killed Pootana, an asura. We also learned that Krishna was known as the Makhan Chor, and the story of how Yashoda saw the entire Universe inside Krishna’s mouth. We will talk more about Krishna next week!

HW: no homework today besides read some Rama and Krishna stories from the book!

February

February 28

We had an amazing class today! The class started off with a review that covered Vishnu and his first four reincarnations in the series of ten major avatars referred to as the Dashavatar. Focusing on the Vishnu Purana, it is important to learn about each of the avatars of Vishnu. After the brief review, we talked about the story of Vamana, the fifth avatar in the Dashavatar. The story focused on how the Vamana effectively taught the asura King Bali a lesson. The students watched a video that outlined the events of Vamana's story after we discussed some of the key elements. The class did the same with Parshuram, the sixth reincarnation of VIshnu in the Dashavatar. SInce there are many stories of Parshuram due to his close affiliations with the Mahabharat, we mainly focused on the story of a king stealing Kamadhenu, the divine cow, from Parashuram. The video that the students watched on the story helped them better understand the story. For both of these forms of Vishnu, we allowed the students to engage in a thought-provoking discussion and answered some of their questions.

Then we did a brief introduction on the story of Ram, the seventh avatar. Many of the students had prior knowledge from their Dharma 4 last year, that they were able to share with the class. We will explore Ram Bhagavan's story with greater depth next week. With the remainder of class, we played a Kahoot that the students really enjoyed. A Kahoot is a quiz-like game that allows the students to apply their understanding of the concepts and stories that we go over in class. It is a great way for them to interactively participate in the class!

Here is a picture that we took during our meditation: CLICK HERE

Homework -

Try to find the answer to the question, "Approximately, how many miles did Rama travel on his journey from Ayodhya to Lanka?"

Here are a few reminders for the Annual Day projects that are coming up soon:

• What Ishta Devata did you choose?

• Why are they your Ishta Devata?

• What do you like about your Istha Devata?

• What do you dislike about your Ishta Devata? What do you wish was different?

• Share a story of your Ishta Devata that you most enjoy or find insightful and why.

February 21

Today in class, we started talking about the 10 avatars of Vishnu. With each avatar, we also discussed an important question that related to it and watched a video telling a story about how the specific avatar of Vishnu helped people. The avatars we covered today are listed below, along with the questions we discussed about them !

Also, before we covered these, we looked at how the order of avatars lord Vishnu has appeared in matches the scientific idea of evolution as well, with the first avatar being an animal living in the water, then an amphibian, and then eventually to humans.

1. Matsya Avatara

   • The first and fish avatar, Lord Vishnu appeared as a fish

   • Why did Vishnu give Satyavrata the responsibility of building the boat and save him?

2. Kurma Avatara

   • The tortoise avatar, and as mentioned earlier, an amphibian. Lord Vishnu appeared as a tortoise

   • Why did the Asuras not get the Amrit?

3. Varaha Avatara

   • The boar avatar, Lord Vishnu appeared as a wild boar

   • What do we learn from Lord Vishnu’s actions?

4. Narasimha Avatara

   • The man-lion avatar, Vishnu appeared as half man and half lion

   • Why did Prahlad request Lord Vishnu to forgive his father?

Parents, please feel free to discuss these questions with your kids to check their understanding and thoughts!

Also here is a fun class picture for the day ! CLICK HERE

February 14

At the beginning of class, we learned a lot about vasant panchami! Then, we started reviewing the homework from two weeks ago and discussed the lessons we learned from the stories and how we can apply those morals to ourselves and others in our own lives. We then played an old kahoot to review everything we have learned this year so far and to make sure we have understood it all and remember it! We also started reviewing what the avatars of vishnu were!

Don’t forget to start working on your annual day project, and have a good week!

February 7

We take five minutes during every class period to meditate after the weekly assembly, but along with that, we had a wonderful meditation-focused class this week led by Mr. Arvind Naik. The class discussed the nature of desire and attachments. These attributes are heavily connected to the way the mind works. Meditation, being a practice of the mind, is limited by attachments and desires. This discussion transitioned to the conversation of strengthening the mind and having control over emotions. Mr. Naik told a story that encompassed the importance of mental strengthening. The moral of the story - "Meditation helps you win [and have control] over your mind."

He then talked about the five steps of effective meditation:

1. take a deep breath

2. still the body and be relaxed

3. sit in a comfortable position

4. remove any distractions

5. gently close your eyes

Attempt to go into a meditative state by gazing into the middle of the darkness, focusing into the light that appears, and repeating a name of god or a mantra in your mind. This helps the mind from wandering and ultimately helps you gain control over your mind.

By using what we learned about the negative effects of letting your mind overpower you, as well as proper meditation techniques, we meditated for 15 minutes.

After taking questions, we ended class by introducing a challenge! If you meditate 10-15 minutes for 21 days, Mr. Naik will have a prize for you! We encourage that everyone finds a couple minutes at home to meditate.

HOMEWORK

We have no new homework this week! We will check in on your annual day projects next week. Here are a few reminders:

• What Ishta Devata did you choose?

• Why are they your Ishta Devata?

• What do you dislike about your Ishta Devata? What do you wish was different?

• Tell a story of your Ishta Devata that you most enjoy or find insightful and why

If you have not already done your homework for last week, please complete it and be prepared for next class. We will be checking it then.

Last week's homework - Pick one of the stories that we talked about in class and come up with the moral of the story, in your own words. The morals can be sent through Whatsapp, email, or shared in the start of next class.

January

January 31

To start class today, we looked at an interesting animation of how meditation helps us by relaxing our brain. It showed how in meditation, a part of the brain shuts off which relaxes the rest of the brain. We then did a quick review of everything we learned about Lakshmi devi and her 8 different forms.

Today's topic is stories of Vishnu. We first listened to the story of Gajendra Moksha, and from this story we learned that it is okay to show your vices, but you should always learn from them. Then we listened to the story of Dhruva and how he became the North Star. Next, we heard the story of Rishi Bhrigu. We also listened to the story of Ambarisha. All of these stories can be found in the textbook! We then watched an animation of another story of the Matsya avatar of Vishnu.

This led us to finally talking about Puranas! Puranas are the avatars of Vishnu and we will now start learning about them. We started with the Matsya avatar and the story behind it. Then we talked about King Pareekshit’s story and how his anger caused him to disrespect Rishi Shamika. This caused Rishi Shringi, his son, to curse the king to die within 7 days. Both of them realized that they shouldn't have done this and we can learn from this story that we should not let our anger control what we say. Instead of enjoying his last week of life, King Pareeshit’s decided he wanted to think of only Vishnu. Then, he decided that he would listen to the Bhagavata Purana, which is 18000 verses describing how the universe was created and how Vishnut took many forms to help people. He would read one part a day since there are 7 parts, and there are 24 Avatars, and 10 are major ones. We then listened to King Prithu’s and King Rantideva’s story’s as well, which are in the textbook. Lastly, we heard the story of King Harishchandra. His honesty got the attention of Lord Vishnu and saved him.

Homework: Pick one of the stories that we talked about in class and come up with the moral of the story! You can send it on WhatsApp or e-mail or share it at the start of the next class.

Have a good week everyone!

Quick reminders about the annual day project! Your job is to come up with an Istha Devatha and answer these questions about him/her!:

• What Ishta Devata did you choose?

• Why are they your Ishta Devata?

• What do you dislike about your Ishtta devata? What do you wish was different?

• Tell a story of your Ishta Devata that you most enjoy or find insightful. Adn why?

• We have meditation next week, but start working on your project and we will check in on them in 2 weeks!

January 24

In class, we transitioned back to learning about one or two forms of Bhagavan to determine the symbolism from their associated objects and animals. For this week, we covered Vishnu and Laxmi. We specifically looked into the things that Vishnu carries, including his shanka, chakra, gadaa, and lotus; we also looked at what his associated animal/vehicle is (Garuda) and where his largest temple is (Angkor Wat). We did this for Laxmi as well, and focused on her forms and representations in Hinduism. To go more into detail on what we talked about in class, you can reference chapter 7 of the book (page 63). We often quiz the students on these things in class, so it would be wise to revisit some of this in your book!

After talking about symbolism, we took some time to discuss some questions. We encouraged the students to think about some of their questions through logical reasoning. If you want to think about some questions relating to Vishnu with your students, give these a try:

• Why is Vishnu always depicted blue?

• Why does he wear yellow/orange clothing?

• What do his many heads and hands represent?

It was great fueling a discussion on these areas. Some of the things that were talked about in our discussion allowed everyone to see a different perspective, no matter if they were right or not. We want to hear thoughts from everyone!

We ended class by playing a game that helped review some of the things we covered previously. After winter break and parent-teacher conferences, it was refreshing to get back into regular class! Next week, we will go over stories of Vishnu and Laxmi to see what they symbolize in Hinduism and what we can learn from them.

Homework -

There is no assigned homework for this week, but students may choose to get started on their Annual Day Projects. If you haven't already informed us about your chosen Ishta Devata, you must have one ready before next class.

Annual Day Projects Reminders:

• What Ishta Devata did you choose?

• Why are they your Ishta Devata?

• What do you dislike about your Ishtta devata? What do you wish was different?

• Tell a story of your Ishta Devata that you most enjoy or find insightful.

January 17

Namaste everyone! Thank you to all parents who attended the parent teacher conferences! Today, to start class we presented the Annual Day Project so that all the students can start thinking about it! The Project will be a presentation consisting of the following:

• - Who is your Ishta Devata?

• - Why is HE your Ishta Devata (what do you like about your Ishta Devata?)

• - What do you dislike about your Ishta Devata? (What is one thing you would like to change about your Ishta Devata? And why?)

• - Name a favorite event/story about your Ishta Devata?

Kids are encouraged to come dressed as their Ishta Devata during the presentation!

Children can start working on these questions and are encouraged to make posters, presentations, or anything else they would want to include in their project! Some kids already picked their Ishta Devata’s in class today!

• Atharv - Vishnu

• Arnab - Ganesha

• Rhea - Saraswati/Parvati

• Manya - Saraswati

• Ashrith - Ganesha

• Neelvesh - Ganesha

• Gautam - Shiva

• Hrishita - Krishna

• Shreya - Lakshmi

• Pranav - Rama

• Raghav - Hanuman

• Adhrit - Krishna

• Sashank - Varaha

Kids can submit a change if needed by the end of the month. Kids who are yet to select their Ishta Devata must do so by the end of the Month - January 31st 2021.

Last class, we had assigned the homework of having the students knowing what things about Lord Ganesha’s signify! We went over these in class today and talked about the significance of each!

• -big head: think big

• -large ears: listen more

• -small mouth- talk less

• -one tusk: retain good and throw away bad

• -modak: rewards of sadhana (sweets are rewards for doing your work!)

• -mouse: control of desires

• -prasada: the world is at your feet and for you to take

• -large stomach: digest all the good and the bad in life

• -trunk: high efficiency and adaptability (be like water!)

• -blessings: blesses and protects devotees on their spiritual path

We then covered stories of Ganesha that can be found in the textbook! Most students knew the story of how Ganesha got his head/name, so we learned the story of Ganesha and Kubera that teaches us to not get attached to material things. Again, most students knew the story of Ganesha and Karttikeya and their race, so we learned the story of Ganesha and the Moon.

Next, we learned the vices that Ganesha overcame which are:

• -Desires-Kama-Vikata

• -Anger-Kroda-Lambodara

• -Greed-Lobha-Gajanana

• -Delusion-Moha-Mahodara

• -Pride-Mada-Vakratunda

• -Jealousy-Matsarya-Vighnaraja

• -Arrogance-Agyan-Ekdanta

• -Possessiveness-Ahankar-Dhumravana

HW: pick any one of these vices that you identified and overcame during the week. Be prepared to share a story of what/how you did, to control it! Send it by email, WhatsApp or share in class!

January 10

We hope everyone had a fantastic time during Winter Break and we are very happy to have the students back in class with us! Everyone had the opportunity to share what they did over break, and it seems like everyone had a great time.

CLASS 1/10 -

We started off class by going over the celebration of Makar Sankranti that is coming up on January 14th. This holiday is celebrated differently in various parts of India, so we encouraged students to talk about how they celebrate it. It was great to hear that many of them celebrate Uttarayan, Pongal, and Lohri (different celebrations of Makar Sankranti in different parts of India).

Kids also shared what they did over the holidays!

After we covered the upcoming holiday, the students were asked to share their experiences about when they made an assumption about someone or something, but they were proven wrong. As a class, we were able to notice a common theme emerge from everyone's experiences. It seemed that forming opinions or assumptions in advance wasn't a successful method when attempting to find the truth. Thematic ideas are prevalent in everyone's life, so we find it important to share some of these with the students. It allows them to look beyond the class and apply strategies they learn in class to their own lives.

For the last part of class, we went over Ganesha and his symbolism as a deity. We identified why Ganesha's appearance was the way it was, and found that each of his features had reasons behind them. For example, his small mouth stands for talking less, his large ears stand for listening more, etc. Each of our units focus on different symbolism found in different forms of Bhagavan. We went over some stories that surrounded Ganesha and his origin. We were able to answer questions that the students had like, "Why does Ganesha have an elephant head?". Many were able to share their prior knowledge of Ganesha. It's great to see that some of them know so much and are willing to share. We really like seeing students display enthusiasm in the class.

As we move forward, we will be covering different significant stories of Ganesha, and connect the new material with subjects from previous units that we have covered.

HOMEWORK -

This week, we want students to be ready to match the symbolism for the different parts of Ganesha. Students should notice that these are things that are present on our tests and quizzes!

Homework is a necessary component that ensures that the student will be successful in this class. Incompletion of homework may result in the subtraction of points in future exams. Do the homework, it helps!

December

December 20

Announcements/Reminders:

-we have winter break starting and so there will be no class for the next two weeks. Enjoy the holidays!

-please take a few minutes to fill out the survey sent out - https://forms.gle/NVJZAvhCuMEQhWZ57

-parent teacher conferences are Jan 17th!

-Until further notice, HATS will remain virtual through May 2021, as of right now

To start class this week, we talked about the Gita and what we can learn from the lessons the Gita teaches. Then we reviewed last week’s homework! Please make sure you’re doing the homework assignment on time! Starting in the new year, kids will get credits for homework turned in on time.

We then began talking about Ayyapan, an incarnation of Lord Shiva and Vishnu who is depicted as a boy riding a tiger. Annually, Ayyapan is celebrated in a festival from Nov 15- Jan 15. Next, we learned about Dattatreya. Lord Dattatreya is a child of Atri and Anasuya. He has 3 heads and is often depicted with many things around him which each symbolize something important. Firstly, his 3 heads represent Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwar. He has six hands and each hand holds items held by the Holy Trinity - Damru and Trishul from Shiva, Sudarshan Chakra and Conch from Vishnu and Japamala and Water-Pot from Brahma. He has 4 dogs which represent the 4 vedas. His cow represents spiritual wisdom and realization. We then heard a story of how Lord Dattatreya found positive things and learned from everything around him: bees, the earth, the wind the sky, etc. this lead us to the homework! Many times, when we first look at someone or something we immediately find faults. However we should always try to find positive things instead.

HOMEWORK:

Be ready to share an experience where you assumed something about someone or something, but you were proven wrong. Also know what you learnt from this experience.

We ended class by playing a fun review with Kahoot! Happy and safe Holidays to everyone, enjoy!

December 13

This week the students took their FIRST TEST that covered Chapters 1-4 as well as Chapter 6. These are chapters that we have spent time covering in class so far.

The results from the test has been automatically sent to the email address that the students entered on the test and the final score will be sent once the open ended question is graded. Please reach out to us if you haven't received them and/or have any questions.

SCHEDULE:

• December 20th: Normal Class: test results, continuation of further chapters

• December 27th: NO CLASSES, ENJOY BREAK!

• January 3rd: NO CLASSES, ENJOY BREAK!

CLASS UPDATE (12/13):

After assembly and meditation, we began class with a short review. This review highlighted some of the material that was appearing on the test. We provided this opportunity to allow the students to get into the test-taking mindset, as well as provide a way for them to get the extra review before the test. As well as the review, we also engaged in an exercise and stretch break that would make sitting down and taking the test easier for the student. The students then took their mid-curriculum exams. The tests contained a series of multiple choice questions, and one written response question. A bonus question was also included in the test to give the students the ability to demonstrate deeper understanding.

TEST BREAKDOWN:

• Multiple Choice and Multi-Select (10 Questions): 1 point each

• Bonus Response (1 Question): 2 points

• TOTAL: __/20 (without bonus: __/18)

We ended class by playing a fun game of hangman (guess the word) with the students. We are proud of the students and their ability to adapt to the changes and overcome problems this year!

HOMEWORK:

Not many people submitted their homework that was due this week. We understand a lot is going on right now, but please have this in before the start of winter break.

No additional homework was assigned this week.

December 6

This week in class we were joined by Mr. Goel for a special lesson in meditation. Though we do meditation for 5 minutes every Sunday, today’s class was completely focused on the topic of meditation. We practiced meditating and watched informational videos from Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj.

Please remember that the test is next week! To study, review what each god is pictured with and what all of these things they often have with them represent! Also, review chapters 1-4 & 6 in the text book and the weekly updates on the HATS website. We will take the test in class and we will send out the scores soon after!

Have a good week!

November

November 22

We hope you celebrated a great Diwali with your family!

UPCOMING DATES FOR DHARMA 5A:

• November 29: No class, Thanksgiving Break

• December 6: Meditation class

• December 13: FIRST DHARMA TEST (COVERS CHAPTER 1, 2, 3, 4, AND 6)

• December 20: Test results are shared with students

• December 27 through January 3: No class, Winter Break

NOTE: As we approach our first test, make sure that students are able to remember information from chapters 1- 4 as well as chapter 6. General concepts of the chapters will be present in the test, specifically the information of the different gods and goddesses that we have learned about. We have provided opportunities for review, but this shall also be something that is done individually to ensure success.

CLASS (11/22):

We started class today about sharing our Diwali experiences from last week. Thank you to all that created artwork and wrote about Diwali. It was great to see the effort the students put in. Enthusiasm for Hindu holidays is very important and we are happy to see that many of the students are getting experiences that they will be looking forward to.

We began with revisiting Durga Mata's prominent role in Hinduism, her origin, and specifics of what she carries with its symbolism. The story of Mahishasura and Durga covers all of these concepts, so we watched a really great cartoon (4:45 - 9:25) that simplified the story. Important takeaways from the story are:
- Durga's 10 weapons in her 10 hands
- the reason behind Durga's origin
- the battle that ensued between Durga and Mahishasura

Our main focus for today's class was about Shiva and Parvati's oldest son, Kartikeya (Shanmukha, Skanda, Kumara, Subramanya). We wanted to highlight his origin and significance to Hinduism like all of the other gods that we have touched on. We were able to get an idea for his characteristics and traits as well through some of the stories.

The first story we chose to talk about was Kartikeya's birth. Kartikeya was the older brother of Ganesha, and was born because he was needed to defeat the evil asura, Tarkasur. It was known that only Shiva's child would be able to defeat Tarkasur. To get a better idea of this story, we referred to the textbook, and watched a short animated video. The students found that some of the information varied in the different tellings of the story, yet the general idea remained the same. This is something they will encounter as they delve deeper into Hinduism. People around the world have slightly different views of some stories. It is important to realize that the content of the story itself isn't as important as the message or theme that is associated with it. Yet again, symbolism is proved to be a vital part of Hinduism. The students will get better at understanding this as they progress through the Dharma classes.

After this story, we wanted to share some cultural associations with Kartikeya. We specifically talked about the celebration of Kavadi Attam. In this festival, people carry or have objects that they walk with along a route. These objects represent a "burden" that beautifully encompasses the meaning of this celebration. Pushing through the burdens of life. The students were interested in the different types of elaborate kavadis. If the students have cultural connections with what we cover in class that we don't talk about, please share! It is interesting and engaging for the entire class to learn about different celebrations.

Near the end of class, we talked about the marriage of Kartikeya and Valli. We watched another cartoon that described their story. A summary of the story is provided below:

Valli was the daughter of a hunter from the mountainous region of Kurunji. Valli wished that she could marry Kartikeya and prayed for this to happen. Narada informed Kartikeya about this wish, and he promptly agreed. Though he accepted this idea, he wanted to test Valli. Through his test, he was able to confirm that she was intent on marrying only him, and this made him happy. He decided to play a game with Valli that his brother Ganesha could help him in. He created a situation where Ganesha transformed into an elephant and ran after Valli. Valli started to run away and was saved by Kartikeya. Kartikeya and Valli got happily married soon after.

HOMEWORK:

Choose 5 of Avvaiyar's teachings (from list below) and tie personal experiences and elaborate on them. Email them to the Dharma 5A Teachers or submit through Whatsapp if needed.

DUE: BEFORE next class.

1. Control your anger.

2. Do not forget to give charity.

3. Do not live on free food (i.e. work to earn your living).

4. Do not be lazy.

5. Do not over‐sleep.

6. Before eating a feast, feed the hungry.

7. Be humble if you want to win friends.

8. Take a bath regularly.

9. Make friends with good people.

10. Never leave your friends when they need you.

11. Keep away from evil people

12. Take care of your parents.

13. Do not hurt the feelings of others.

14. Be kind to people who need help.

15. Never insult Bhagavān.

November 8

In class today we read a story about Mahisha and the victory over him by Devi Durga. This was on page 41 and 42 of the book. We also talked about how this victory is celebrated every year by Dashain, Dussehra, and Navratri. The story teaches us a very important lesson: women should not be considered weaker or less than men. Durga Devi vanquished the darkness and brought light to the world.

We then read the story of Devi Durga’s Physician(pg 43). From this story, we learn that we must pray with devotion and love in our hearts. The next story was about Kali. Kali is a very ferocious Devi who takes this form in order to fight very dangerous enemies. Even though her form is very scary, devotees know that Devi takes this form to protect them. So, no matter what form Devi is in, Saraswati, Durga,Lakshmi, Kali and others, she always protects those who pray with love and true devotion.

We also read about Naren, a disciples of a saint devoted to Kali, who wanted to ask for money from Kali. However, as soon as he started to pray to Kali, he did not feel that money was important enough to ask for from the mother of the universe. Even when he was diagnosed with cancer, he was ashamed of asking to be cured and instead asked to be a Bhakti of Kali devi forever, showing his devotion to her. Then, we read the story of Sarvamangala. Durga devi disguised herself as Sarvamangala to accompany her parents during Navratri because they prayed to her with devotion.

No class next week, enjoy Diwali!

HW:

read stories from chapter 4, and:

1. Let your kids draw a Drawing (They can use Media) on Deepavali/Diwali and sent it to the Level 5A Teachers by Friday.

2. Send the family picture of your Diwali Festivities/Lighting's from your home. Due by Friday

3. Let your kids write 10 sentences (In their own words) about Diwali/Deepavali. Due by Friday.

November 1

Hope you all had a great Halloween! In this week's class we covered the story of Shiva and Sati and the significance of their partnership. We talked about Daksha's disapproval of the marriage between his daughter Sati and Shiva due to Shiva's minimalistic approach to housing and clothing. Daksha did not respect Shiva and it led to grave consequences. The story that we chose to highlight this sense of hatred that Daksha had was about Daksha's yagna. Students were able to point out the connection between the story and The Golden Rule: treat others the way you would like to be treated. In the end of the story, we saw that Daksha was met with consequences for his egoistic and selfish behavior. Daksha was brought back to life with the head of a goat with the opportunity to lead a better life. We will be covering what the head symbolized and more about Shiva and Sati in the coming weeks.

Homework:

Please read and discuss stories 4.2 and 4.3 from chapter 4.

October

October 25

Reminders:

• If you have not collected your textbook and still want one, let us know and we can try to see how best to get it to you. We would really like it if you had a paper copy as we will be using the book in class and for homework

Class:

Happy Dussehra to everyone! We started class today by reviewing last week's homework and a quick review of last week's class. Then we listened to the story of Poosular. Poosular was a big devotee of Shiva and he wanted to build a temple for Shiva. However, he was told that he did not have enough money to build a temple, so he decided to build his temple in his heart. Every time he prayed to Shiva, he grew his temple even more. At the same time, the King built a temple. Both Poosular and the King decided to hold their inauguration for Shiva on the same day. But, Shiva decided to go to Poosular’s temple inauguration. The King sought out Poosular and demanded that he reveal his temple. Poosular told him that he built his temple in his heart. That's when the King learned that Shiva did not care about materialistic things but he cared about devotion.

We then heard a second story of how Parvati asked Lord Shiva how he knows who is a true Bhakt and who is not. To show Parvati, he dressed up as a leper and sat outside a temple. The whole day, people came and went while he begged for food, but they ignored or yelled at him, and only prayed for themselves. Then, someone came and gave both Parvati and Shiva some food that he had left regardless of their appearance and his disease, and then continued into the temple to pray. Parvati recognized this man as a true bhakt.

The next story was about King Sagar who wanted to be an emperor and how Shiva locked the Ganga river to earth and help the King's children. This story can be found in your textbooks, among many others, so please read them! From this story, we learn that we should not give up no matter how hard something is or how long it takes.

Kids should be reading the Alagi, Semmana Dev and the Nandi Murti moving stories from their books on their own.

We then played a fun 20-Question Kahoot based on what we have learnt so far, for the rest of class! Kahoot is a fun way of revising what we have learnt in previous weeks.

Enjoy your weekend everyone, and don’t forget your homework!

Homework:

Story of Bhashwashera (pg 32): Read the story and be prepared to share in the Chat of the next class (11/01) what you think the moral is, and what you learned from the story. If you have not done the homework for the past few weeks, please do that as well! We will be beginning to make a list of kids who are not doing the homework regularly.

October 18

Just a few reminders:

- We had a successful day of textbook handout on Saturday (10/17). If you have not already done so, please pick up a textbook at our next textbook handout date: Saturday, October 24th. Physical textbooks are strongly recommended for this class as it provides an easy way for the students to access the material that we go over in class.

- We have completed 5 weeks of Dharma class! We continue to advise parents to come to the assembly. The main reason behind this is so that the students can receive aid in pronunciation of stotras. Parents should also come for an overview of the future events planned in the HATS calendar.

- We have created a WhatsApp group for all Dharma Level 5A Parents. This group is intended for parents to ask questions and inform us of schedule conflicts. Please let any of the teachers or volunteers know by emailing them if you have not been added to this group and we will do so ASAP.

Class Overview (10/18):

Navratri began on Saturday (10/17)! We started class by going over the significance of Navratri. We talked about what the specific days were dedicated to, how Navratri is celebrated in different households, and why we celebrate it. We tend to start class by covering holidays from the lunar calendar right after the assembly. The students shared the insightful knowledge they had on Navratri as well. The last night of Navratri will be on October 25th. We have equipped the students with a fun way to celebrate Vijaya Dashami / Dussehra by creating a small Ravana doll from things you have around the house.

After covering holidays, we did some stretching exercises to allow the students to get prepared for class. We understand that online classes often pose a challenge for the students in terms of attention span in class and will continue to implement this in future classes. We started the class by celebrating a birthday. Next, we briefly reviewed what we learned in previous classes. This is mainly to solidify concepts that are fundamental to learn about future topics. We covered what Brahma and Saraswati carry and what significance each of the things they are paired have. We want to ensure that students retain the information we go over in class, so we will start with reviewing every class. We encourage you to go over the learned material in the textbook once in a while, so as to get as much as they can out of this level.

Then we moved on to today's main focus, covering the next figure of the Hindu Trinity - Shiva. We spent time learning the symbolic meaning behind what Shiva carries in his hands and is often paired with. We talked about the moon that Shiva has on his head, the water from the Ganga River that he holds in his hair, the snake around his neck, his trishul or trident that he carries, the tiger he sits on, as well as his overall symbolic meaning in the universal Trimurti concept. We delved further into the specifics for each of the symbols that he is paired with. We also shared some stories associated with Shiva. Some kids shared some of the stories they have heard from their parents.

For the last 20 minutes of class was dedicated to playing an online game known as "Kahoot". This game is essentially a quiz that we made for the students focussed at increasing their engagement and not just being passive listeners. The quiz went over what we had learned in prior classes. The quiz is structured in a competitive format, so the students really enjoyed playing it. We hope to do more Kahoot and other games in the future to engage the students. As the students continue their path of Dharma through the HATS classes, they will continue to see the symbolic sense to what they encounter in our scriptures. We want to help students ease into more complex topics by going over basic symbolism described in the Puranas. As we go into more classes, we will cover the symbolism of other gods and goddesses. Symbolism is a key part of understanding Hinduism.

Homework for the week:

Students: Ask your parents about the symbolism of what Shiva has around him (tiger skin, dumroo, etc.). Also find out more stories that Shiva is represented in from your parents and find meaning in those.

Parents: Be prepared for the students to ask you this!

*Students, please complete the homework assigned last week if you did not do it!

October 11

Reminders:

• Parents please remember that the first 30 minutes of class are for assembly, from 10-10:30. We would really like you all to attend, and you are always welcome to stay for class! During assembly time when we are saying prayers, because of lag and muted mics, we can not tell if kids are pronouncing the words correctly, and we would really appreciate your help with this.

• We have started a Level 5a WhatsApp group. If you have not been added, please reach out to us and we will add you as soon as possible

• Please keep your cameras on! Also, many kids seem to be leaving and rejoining the class. We know that some connection problems might occur, but please do your best to stay in class for the whole time period!

• The online textbook can be found on the HATS website, at https://sites.google.com/site/hatshsmn.

  • Go to the Dharma side section, click on Dharma level 5, and the PDF copy of the book is linked there.

  • Or, click this link to get the textbook: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-_cyS7sAF4Rel9tZEZXbjQycmM

Covered in class:

We reviewed the significance of Brahma’s four heads, four faces, four hands, rosary, book, lotus, pot, and beard. This led us to talking about Saraswati. Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge, wisdom, art and literature. Brahma created Saraswati because at first, the universe was dark because it had no knowledge. She shed light on the darkness with art, music, science, literature and more. Her swan represents purity, the ability to make good choices, and a conscience. Her lotus represents creation and ability to remain pure in a world full of evil. She has a veena which represents speech, music, arts, beauty and more. Her Japamala represents the power and energy of letters. She holds the vedas, which represent knowledge and wisdom. She is worshipped in Japan as Benzaiten and Myanmar as Thuyathadi. Saraswati pooja, is celebrated around Spring with little kids writing out letters for the very first time in front of Saraswati Devi. She is celebrated during Vasant Panchami. The Saraswati is also a river in India where it is said that all the vedas were written on its shores. Now, it has evaporated, but some people believe it has moved underground. We also learned that Saraswati is present in all books, and we should never throw, kick, or disrespect a book. We should also not leave it open and walk away. We then talked about how knowledge is for everybody, and we must not be egoistic about knowledge. We are what knowledge we have in ourselves. The knowledge we have is what really makes us different, and our souls special. How much ego we show, and have, shows how much knowledge we have as well.

We then moved on to some life lessons.

Brahma+Saraswati together are matter and knowledge. More happiness can be attained when we share rather than keeping it with ourselves. It is more fun to control what we have rather than running after things we like and do not need. The more you control yourself, the more you will run after things that really matter. Forgiving being kind, showing mercy, and good deeds bring more happiness than defeating, or being angry, violent and bad deeds to others. We ended class with a fun game of 2 truths and a lie relating to things we learned today and the last few weeks.Enjoy your week, and do not forget about your homework this week!

HOMEWORK: speak to your parents to get stories about Saraswati Devi and Brahma Deva. Also talk to them about the following ideas, and take note of what they say. We will start class by discussing these!

• “A fool is respected only in his own home. A village chief is respected only in his own village. A King is respected only within his own country. But a scholar is respected everywhere”

• Knowledge, which is the treasure of Saraswati, is different from all other types of wealth. The more we use or spend knowledge, the more it grows. And if we hide knowledge and collect it at one place, the smaller it becomes.”

• Knowledge is that wealth that a thief cannot steal, a King cannot snatch from you, a brother cannot ask you for his share, and which does not weigh on your back. The more you give knowledge to others, the faster it grows with you. Indeed, knowledge is the greatest wealth.”

• “A man who has no knowledge, even if were born in a famous clan, is handsome and young, is like the Flame of the Forest (Kimshuka) flower that looks beautiful but has no fragrance.”

October 4

Reminders and Information:

- We have started a HATS Level 5A WhatsApp group. If you have not been invited to join, please reach out and email us, we will get you in it as soon as possible. The teachers will be sending class information and responding to parent questions through it.

- Parents, please be present in the first 30 minutes (10:00 - 10:30) for the assembly. Due to the feedback that we receive due to the unmuted microphones, we are unable to tell if the students are pronouncing the shlokas correctly. We want the parents to help their students with pronunciation as well as be there for the weekly HATS announcements.

-Please have your cameras on. We cannot tell if the students are paying attention in class without cameras. We ask that you treat this class as if you were actually at the mandir.

Class Overview for 10/4

We started the class celebrating some birthdays. Given the remote nature of this school year, celebrating birthdays of the kids seemed to be a good way to build some class spirit and oneness. Today, we celebrated birthdays of 4 kids.

Then we started class by talking about Gandhi Jayanti, which was on October 2nd. So we started off class by discussing Gandhi ji’s importance to not only India, but the entire world. For India, he helped achieve independence from the British. For the world, his message of non-violence introduced new movements for change. After this, we reviewed the meaning behind "AUM” (BrahmA VishnU Maheshvara). This helped us transition into today's lesson focusing on Brahma. First off, we talked about Brahma's role in the universe. The students learned that he is the creator of all things in the universe from the smallest of bugs to the entire world. We then covered the significance of his four heads (which stands for simply the four cardinal directions or in a deeper sense the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda). We then went over Brahma's dishonest nature that is represented in many stories in the Puranas. His conflicts can be taken symbolically and be applied in our own lives to deal with similar situations. One story showed the students how Brahma came to lose his fifth head to Shiva. For another, we watched a short movie that showed us Brahma's interaction with Krishna, which the students seemed to enjoy. At the end of class, we played games to review what we learned. We hope to watch more videos and play games in class to engage the students in the material. It can be hard for students to focus when they have to look at a screen for a long duration, so we implement some stretching exercises to get them moving a little. The students have been wonderful with their engagement for the past few weeks. We hope you continue to come to class with excitement! We will be handing out textbooks soon, and we will contact you with more information as we finalize the number of textbooks that we need. As we continue into further weeks of class, we will be learning about stories from the Puranas to help understand some of the fundamental values of Hinduism.

Homework:

No homework, enjoy your week!

(Note-talking with your kids can help students to remember what we covered. You can do this from next class if you haven't started already. Not required but recommended at least until we receive our textbooks!)

September

September 27

quick reminder that parents should try to be present for the first 30 minutes of class as it is the assembly portion of HATS(from 10-10:30).

We started class by reviewing the meaning of AUM( bhramA vishnU and Mahesh). We then talked about the forms of God and what they represent. We talked about how no God is truly the best, but families or individuals often have ishta devatas: Gods that people pray to most often and do pooja’s for. The six main ishta devatas are:

1. Vishnu (and forms of Vishnu such as Krishna)

2. Shiva

3. Ganesh

4. Kartikeya

5. Devi (many forms- Durga, saraswari)

6. Surya

However, we also learned that God I only one being, but he takes many forms. Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma are all forms of one supreme being,

God is male and female or both. In other religions such as Islam and Christianity, this is not the case. In Hinduism, God can also take the form of an animal, be worshipped in a murti but in other religions, God cannot. God is within all of us, in animals, and in all things.

Our life can be compared to a balance sheet with God as the auditor. Our friends are assets, happiness is profit, goodwill is our soul, fixed assets are our hearts, capital is our character, and knowledge is an investment. What we get is credit, bad habits are liabilities, sorrows are loss, and age is depreciation. We must stay balanced and God will help us.

We also learned that God is always with us, even if we can’t see him. He walks with us during our beat times and carried us in our worst times.

To end class, we talked about always thinking about TIME.

• T- thankfulness: always be thankful to your parents and for what you have

• I- insight: know what you want from life and work towards it

• M- meditation- take time out of your day to mediate

• E- energy: put energy into everything you do

No homework today! Enjoy your week!

- debbie mukherjee

September 20

Welcome to Dharma 5A - another fun filled year of learning Dharma! We had a great first class today! Debbie auntie with Saritha Auntie's assistance will be leading the class and with help from the two great volunteers - Aashni and Dhaivat. This year being pretty unique as it is, we will be visiting the shlokas in the assembly before class each day along with meditation. We will then start the class with our usual morning prayers and end the class with closing prayers.

In class, we had the opportunity of getting to know the students and allowed them to ease into this new way of learning. We are looking to incorporate engaging activities to make this Dharma class year exciting. We were able to review material from previous Dharma levels that we will be referring to throughout the year. This included going through the meaning behind AUM, which the kids learnt in Dharma 2. We then moved to a brief overview of the ten avatars learnt in Dharma 3 and the ability to begin to learn to apply what we have learnt in Dharma 4 with the Ramayana.

Once we have a good overview of the number of kids in class, we will get the textbooks and work out the distribution in the coming weeks. Until then kids are encouraged to access the books online. Kids who were not with HATS previously as well as kids who have been through the earlier Dharma classes can both access the previous years books online and brush up their knowledge. There is no homework this week, but please remember to have a notebook dedicate to Dharma 5A and pencil ready for future classes. Forgetting the books at home will no longer be an acceptable excuse this year. There will be two tests held one before the winter break and one just before the end of the school year. Exact dates will be communicated closer to the test dates. For anyone who may have missed class, please visit this site regularly as weekly updates on material covered in class and upcoming homework, if any will be posted here.

Remember, classes are a little bit longer than they were last year due to the assembly being in class. Class will end at 11:25 AM each Sunday. We hope to see you in class next Sunday at 10:00AM sharp and look forward to a great school year of learning Dharma.

Have a great week, ahead!