Dear JCHYKs and Parents,
Hari Om! It gives us great pleasure to welcome all of you, new and returning students, to our class this year! We had an icebreaker opening class last Friday with active participation from many children, esp. our eager 10th graders! We look forward to a very fun, interactive and productive year of learning. This is a long message as it includes instructions and year long plans. Please read to the end!
Housekeeping notes:
1. Phones need to be turned off prior to entering class
2. Please bring your handbook that we should get today to every class.
3. A notebook and pen is recommended to take quick notes (will be helpful for you when there are pop quizzes ;)
Communication:
There is a link to join our WhatsApp group for both students and parents. Please join as most communication will happen through this group. Only class and Gita related relevant messages will be posted here. Once you join please post your first and last name. If you are a parent, please mention the name of your child along with your name. We will have to remove anyone who doesn't announce themselves for security reasons.
Curriculum:
This year we will recap the Mahabharata and dig deep into Chapters 1-6 of the Bhagavad Gita. We have a new handbook prepared by Chinmaya Yuva Kendra (ChYK) students under the guidance of Br. Shubhani ji and Swami Shantananda ji. It is a very well done set of lesson plans apt for the current era and we are looking forward to teaching from this guide. In addition we will learn to chant Gita Dhyana Shlokam, Aditya Hridayam and Chapter 12 and 15 of the Bhagavad Gita. They are both short chapters, we encourage all JCHYKs to chant in class and get comfortable reading the verses so you can participate in the Gita Chanting competition in March/April 2026.
Attendance:
We completely understand the busy schedules and competing priorities of our students. Having taught this age group for many years and engaged with 100s of JCHYKs as a parent and as a teacher, it is very clear to us that students who have regular attendance and focused participation, learn a lot in this class, that they go on to apply in their lives. The teachings in the Gita impact developing minds in profound ways - starting with self awareness and recognizing their own ego and lead to managing anxiety and reining in a wandering mind. Through the grace of Lord Krishna these children naturally develop resilience, discipline and faith. We encourage our students to take every opportunity to be in class and learn through the discussions. We promise to keep you entertained and give you the floor - most of the time :)
Request to Parents:
Although your children are high schoolers, your engagement continues to be a major factor in determining how much benefit they get out of this program.
- Please ensure children come to class by 7:00 pm
- Please read the messages posted in the WhatsApp group
- Please respond when we ask for your input, and nudge your children to respond quickly if they haven't
- Do enquire with your children about what was discussed in class. After every class they should be able to tell you:
- at least one story
- at least one concept (usually a sanskrit term used by Krishna in the Gita) that we discussed in detail or
- at least one takeaway which they can try to apply in their daily life
Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or suggestions.
Thank you,
Aruna and Sangita
