Iskcon of Silicon Valley
Iskcon of Silicon Valley
Iskcon of Silicon Valley
Vedic Academy
2013-2014
Vedic Academy Policies
Handbook for Parents
2013-2014
Contents
Message from the President……………………………………………2
Admission……………………………………………………………....5
Codes of Conduct………………………………………………………6
Krishna Classes……………………………………………………….12
Vedic Mathematics……………………………………………………13
Academic Highlights………………………………………………….19
Hare Krsna!
The Vedic Academy at ISKCON of Silicon Valley (ISV) is here to serve you and
your whole family.
We believe that education – and especially education that instills spiritual values -
is the foundation of good character, healthy family relationships, and success in all
areas of life.
For example, in the Bhagavad-Gita, Lord Krsna says that a truly learned person is
one who sees the spiritual essence in every living entity. That is, one who knows
that the physical body is only a temporary covering of the soul, and who therefore
sees that each body is a temple in which resides both the soul and the Supreme
Lord, naturally treats every living being with respect.
Studies have shown that children who imbibe such spiritual values tend to feel
more content and determined as they mature.
The cherished principles of compassion, service to others, and the ability to control
one’s senses, and so on, all grow from the ground of spiritual knowledge and
practice.
We have established the Vedic Academy to provide the children of the Bay Area
an enriching learning experience that will last their entire lives, giving them useful
life skills, such as leadership, and problem solving; as well as self-esteem and
courage to deal with the modern world’s unique issues.
Our teachers practice what they teach and are expert at making learning fun.
With gratitude,
Vaisesika Dasa
Vedic Academy aims to provide holistic education for the whole child (mind, body
and soul) to develop integrity, compassion and more importantly devotion to God.
Our mission is to provide a spiritually stimulating learning environment that will
nurture the young minds to realize their diverse and distinctive potential and
successfully apply their learning in the real world by cultivating character, self-
esteem and happy impressions of living, learning and serving together.
A child’s quality of life is a major concern for parents in these times of vivid
exposure to immorality and unethical values. In such times exposure to good
experiences is essential to build strong character. We at, Vedic Academy, aims to
provide that proper character. Located at the heart of Mountain View, the school is
affiliated with the ISCKON of Silicon Valley (ISV) and has a total of about 40
children enrolled.
To uphold its mission and vision, Vedic Academy strives to embrace its core
values.
4. Collaborative Leadership
Inspire team spirit, generosity and a share sense of vision, purpose and
achievement.
To enroll, read the policies contained in this Handbook for Parents and complete
and sign an application. Submit the application and a check for tuition payable to
“ISKCON of Silicon Valley” at the time of registration.
Parents will be notified in writing for changes in school policies. In general, policy
changes are only made at the start of new academic year. Programs are offered
based on space availability and sufficient demand.
Children presently enrolled at Vedic Academy must reapply each year. For a
student to be enrolled, enrollment application and tuition fee must be submitted. It
is important to Vedic Academy that a good relationship exists among parents,
students, teachers and staff.
Students who are enrolled through the end of the academic year will be given their
progress reports and class pictures.
Punctuality
Students are expected to be punctual and attend school regularly unless sick or
otherwise excused by the teachers.
Personal Property
Students are expected to respect the temple property, teachers and other students.
Vedic Academy is not responsible for personal property that is lost or damaged.
We recommend that students do not bring valuable property to the classes.
Students are requested not to bring electronic devices to classes.
Clothing
All students will be clean and neat in appearance and will abide by Vedic
Academy’s Uniform Policy.
Vedic Mathematics
In these classes, children of 6 years and above will learn the basic Sanskrit
language both writing and conversing. It will help them to learn and
memorize the rich Sanskrit slokas from the Vedic scriptures.
Chess
Book Club
The children come together periodically to read spiritual books and share
their insights and inspirations from what they have read. It enhances their
reading and public speaking skills helping them to achieve academic
excellence.
This is a weekly program for children of 3 years and above to come together every
Sunday to learn about the Vedic culture, traditions and profound spiritual values
and in a loving environment. It is a yearlong program from September to June of
every year. This program will provide the foundation for building character in
children from an early age.
Extra-Curricular Activities
Children are exposed to extra-curricular activities such as art, drama, dance, and
cooking, so that they learn lessons more thoroughly, and in an interactive manner.
Art : Art programs are conducted once in a month to fuel creativity in children
Drama Club: Little children are always excited about acting. In the drama club,
they practice drama projecting themselves in several characters from the stories
learned from the Vedic texts.
Camps : During summer and winter breaks, the Sunday school staff conducts
camps for children. These camps help children explore new places of interest in a
safe environment, and be merry during the holiday time.
The program is categorized into four different levels based on the age group:
Damodar (Age 3 to 6 yrs)
Animals in Vedas
A to Z Spiritual Letter Land
Goals:
Goals:
1. Check Mate – Yoga of Existential Crisis; How does Gita help deal with
crucial situations in life?
2. Identity – Unveiling the Existence of Soul; Gita Vs Modern Science on
Source of Consciousness; Being conscious of spiritual reality
3. Karma – The Universal Network of Actions; Is there an escape from action?;
Two Classes of Action
4. Mind Matters – Understanding the Vedic Psychology; Greatest Enemy;
Mind Control; Resultant behavioral shifts
5. Moods and Modes – How the material affects us; Three Modes of Nature;
Know Your Personality
Goals:
COURSE FEE:
TIMINGS:
For Damodar (3-6 yrs) and Gopinath (6-9yrs), every Sunday evening from 5.00 –
6.00pm
For Madanmohan (9-11 yrs) and Kaisora (12-15 yrs), every Sunday evening from
4.00 – 5.00pm
DAMODAR (3 – 5 yrs)
Vedic Math is more than 1500% times faster than normal Math. It sharpens the
mind and increases mental agility and intelligence. It is a blessing to everybody in
this day and age when people’s numerical skills are deteriorating as the use of
calculators is increasingly commencing at a younger age. Vedic Mathematics’
shorter, quicker and easy to remember techniques enable any student to do
calculations faster than they would with conventional methods. Students of Vedic
Mathematics dispel their fear of mathematics and gain a new-found confidence to
work on any mathematical problem without apprehension. .
This course aims to promote the traditional knowledge of Mathematics mastered
by the mathematicians of ancient India.
Course Duration:
This is a 10 week beginner level course at two levels viz. 1st to 3rd grade and 4th –
8th grade children. The students will be given homework sheets, weekly tests and
an exam at the end of the course.
Course Fee:
$100 for the entire course + $25 Materials fee
Week 5 : Quiz 1
This course is for beginners who are interested to start their journey into Sanskrit.
The Sanskrit beginner’s course is a stepping stone for learning the divine language
Sanskrit and will serve as a window for all those who want to have a peep into the
priceless tradition, culture and philosophy of India. The course will help children
to read, write and memorize the ancient Sanskrit texts such as Srimad Bhagavad
Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam etc.
Course Duration:
This is a 14 week beginner level course for children above 6 years of age. The
students will learn to write Sanskrit texts, basic grammar and basic elementary
conversation. There will be an exam at the end of the course. Classes will be every
Saturday from 10.30 – 11.30 am starting from September 14, 2013.
Course Fee:
$80 for the entire course
Curriculum:
Introduction to Sanskrit texts
Verb
Tenses
Conversation
These classes are for the fall quarter. If the child is 10 years and older but new to
chess, then we recommend enroll the child in the beginners course.
Playing chess has many benefits such as increase in the IQ level, exercises both
sides of the brain, increases creativity, improves memory, enhances problem-
solving skills, improves concentration and teaches planning and foresight. More
than anything, its fun for children.
CHESS BEGINNER:
The beginner’s chess course aims to provide the best foundation for success as a
beginner chess player because it teaches the basics the right way and develop an
efficient thought process from the start. The course design allows all students to
improve from whatever level they are at, but is mostly directed to those who are of
beginning level.
Course Duration:
This is a 15 week beginner level course for children above 6 years of age. Each
class period is composed of 30 minutes of instruction followed by students playing
in open or small tournament games. Classes will be every Wednesday from 6.00 –
7.00pm starting from September 18, 2013.
Course Fee:
$100 for the entire course
Curriculum:
The course begins by demonstrating how the pieces move and gradually progresses
to basic checkmating patterns, common tactics, and fundamental positional
concepts.
This course aims to provide the best foundation for success as an intermediate
chess player. The Intermediate chess course is designed for students who already
know the basics of how to play chess. Principles of tactics and strategy will be
taught to prepare students for more rigorous competition.
Course Duration:
This is a 15 week intermediate level course for children above 10 years of age.
Each class period is composed of 30 minutes of instruction followed by students
playing in open or small tournament games for the rest of the class. Classes will be
every Wednesday from 7.00 – 8.00pm starting from September 18, 2013.
Course Fee:
$100 for the entire course
Curriculum:
The course teaches different checkmating patterns, smart strategies and move,
common tactics, and fundamental positional concepts.
Welcome to Vedic Academy! This packet information is to help you prepare for a
wonderful school year. Please review this and contact us if you have any questions.
We look forward to an exciting year of fun and learning the Vedic Academy Way!
Please collect the uniform from any of the Vedic Academy Staff. It is mandatory
for children to wear their uniform during the Sunday School classes.
Review Policies
Please review this material upon enrollment for tuition information, health , codes
of conduct, and other information.
We request you to talk to you children about the importance of spiritual education
and development of Vedic values and good character.
Take time to review your child’s commitment before school starts and throughout
the year.
Please attend our periodical Parents Teacher Meeting in order to know about your
child’s progress and to give us your feedback.
Curriculum Events
Vedic Academy includes many events and contests in its curriculum to help
students develop strong social and communication skills, such as during the
festivals and other occasions, in which they demonstrate what they have learnt.
Achievement Reports
Vedic Academy provides two achievement reports during the year to keep you
apprised of your child’s progress. For the enrichment classes, we will award
certificates at the successful completion of the course.
Celebrations
Class photos are taken in spring for the Sunday School program. Students are
requested to wear the full required uniform for class photos.
All the classes will happen at the Krsna & Balarama room next to the kitchen.
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.vedic-academy.org
“Nurturing the seed of love & devotion in the hearts of the young children in
Bay area. We believe that education culminates in character & integrity.”
www.iskconsiliconvalley.com