Hello dear readers,
Welcome to another week at Avinya where we hear from Anuki about how things have been going in the classroom during the past week.
Ho ho ho! Christmas is almost around the corner! But before we get into the Christmas spirit, l will give you a small recap on the sweet chaos that happened here at Avinya last week. We started off the week with the ‘Grand Avinya Cook Off’ which was the end product of our “Fun with Food” project. The cafeteria was filled with a number of junior cooks and chefs with their chef hats and aprons. They were either chopping vegetables, stirring interesting concoctions or decorating plates.
The food varied from dumplings to cheese burgers to kimbaps to burritos and the list goes on. The aroma of the sizzling spices filled the air and everyone was quite eager to get a taste of the fusion food made by the students. The cook off ended with a healthy competition among the classes where we had the pleasure of Mr. Chris Bernet, General Manager of Pizza Hut gracing the occasion to judge the innovative and creative dishes and drinks presented to himf.
The final products not only celebrated cuisines of other countries but also gave learners the opportunity to showcase their critical thinking abilities, creativity, collaboration and teamworking skills.
To top it all off, we also had a fantastic session on Food Safety and Food Standards conducted by our Judge, Mr Chris Bernet.
Have a look at some pictures below on some of the mouth watering creations!
From culinary delights to crafting compelling CVs, next, we started our new project “Make your Mark”. This project is very important to the students because it gives the students the opportunity to create a strong visual impression and personal brand through their CVs and social media platforms like LinkedIn. We also had Ms. Ruwandie Perera once again as a guest speaker. She talked to the students about Image and Branding and how important it is to make a brand of one’s self and gain self confidence.
Finally, let me tell you that amidst all the work, we have not failed to keep up with the Christmas spirit. The Dolphins class did an amazing job in spreading festive feelings all around. Their assembly had a bag of surprises like a fun quiz, dances, carols and even their very own Santa Claus who showed up in a very unique mode of transportation!
We hope to have an even more enjoyable week next week with more education and more festivities!
– Anuki
Thank you Anuki for the enlightening update from AD!
Christmas, Christmas time is here, time for joy and time for cheer wooo! December (and Christmas) at Avinya is in full swing and not just because Dee started walking around with reindeer antlers since the 1st 😀 Along with the Christmas cheer, we have some interesting updates to share with all of you.
Avinya recently underwent some organizational restructuring, a change that reflects the collective ‘navel gazing’ of the past few weeks. This realignment aimed to position individuals in roles that leverage our collective expertise and strengths.
Dee remains the Head of Empower, tasked with overseeing all academic matters and serving as the primary contact for anything related to the Empower Program. She will also be responsible for overseeing matters related to Educators with regards to curriculum management and addressing any questions they may have.
In an exciting turn of events, Ilma ascends to the position of “Principal of Avinya Academy, Bandaragama.” She will be the main contact point for Educators regarding day to day academic and admin related queries as well as student related matters. We all want to extend our heartiest congratulations to her as she steps into this new role and let her know that we believe in her utmost dedication to the students and Avinya! To delve deeper into this recent role, we’ve conducted an interview with her to shed some light on her aspirations and vision for Avinya.
Thanks Ilma! We look forward to this fun journey ahead!
On to the other changes, Geeth takes the helm as the Head of IT Vocational Studies, while Nalaka assumes responsibility for all administrative and financial aspects, ensuring the smooth operation of Avinya’s operational affairs. Yujith, as the Head of IT, spearheads the management and optimization of our systems.
Sanduni and I continue to contribute to Academic Integration, which has been rebranded as Academic Services (We are still AI at heart!). Our roles encompass support for academic and student services and everything in between. Throughout these changes, Anju remains at the helm as the beloved Executive Director, ensuring stability despite the restructure.
The restructuring is not merely a reshuffling of titles but an active effort to increase the efficiency and effectiveness within Avinya. We believe some definition and order will allow us to operate better as the wheels of the same cog but that doesn’t mean we’re all not ready to step in and be whoever and whatever Avinya needs when required! After all, we are one big, happy and sometimes borderline crazy family!
As part of these ongoing efforts of Team Academic Services, Sanduni and I recently conducted a workshop on the student recruitment process. We had an amusing experience watching all the Educators along with Geeth and Nalaka try to unravel the entirety of the Student Recruitment Process. We are all better for it as this provided us all with the opportunity to understand the process A-Z, as well as clear up any doubts and take note of suggestions to improve the process. We injected an element of fun with a roleplay activity, with participants taking on different personas to address issues encountered with previous recruitment drives. While chaotic, the activity fostered healthy debate and discussion, allowing the team to address any further questions effectively.
On the heels of the workshop, we conducted our first set of interviews for the Empower 2024 Batch A yesterday! We had both hopeful applicants and Educators eagerly anticipating yet another thrilling start. Although this may be our third round, the excitement never gets old!
All in all, it’s been yet another crazy, fantastic week, brimming with change and enthusiasm. Thank you for reading and please join us again next week!
– Sinalie
