TPA Buddhism Class

On August 9th, 2008 the Sixth Tibetan Parents Association (TPA) handed over the administration of the weekend school to the CTAO.

The TPA members held a series of meetings over a long period of time regarding the future of TPA.

Since 2001, the TPA executives are elected every year and the 6th TPA’s term came to an end on 6th July 2008. As an unincorporated body, TPA does not have governing rules or by- laws. Instead of holding another election and imposing this important task on some unwilling candidates, we have taken the responsibility on ourselves in the best interest of the school and our community to propose to the mixed 14th and 15th executives of the CTAO to take over the responsibility of the Tibetan school.

When we took charge in 2007, there was some uneasiness in the relationship between TPA and CTAO which is not at all conducive to the administration of the weekend school.

We have seen during our one-year tenure that a separate administration of weekend school is not viable and not needed. As a separate entity, the Weekend Tibetan school administration faces serious neglect financially. After Gangjong Choedhenling is acquired, it is appropriate that the apex body takes responsibility for the Tibetan school housed there.

TPA sent a Tibetan letter to the president and the executives of the 14th CTAO in the middle of June and sought a reply by no later than 27th June 2008. If the CTAO desires that the present system of running Tibetan school by the TPA and it’s annual election continue, we were ready to hold an election as it is done every year. For a long time, we did not hear from the CTAO. On August 2, 2008, CTAO agreed to take over the weekend school.

The sixth TPA welcomed CTAO’s positive consideration of our request to incorporate Tibetan Language Classes under the purview of one of the main responsibilities of CTAO. Indeed, if there is one thing that should top the list of priorities for our community today, the Tibetan class should rank first and the foremost.

TPA was set up in 2001 and modeled after the same kind of structure we have in parts of India. As an unincorporated community organization, TPA does not have any memorandum or articles. A Tibetan governing rule was signed and came into effect sometime in 2003-4. The rules were not followed thereafter. The idea was that the CTAO Education Coordinator would be the main authority on all issues concerning the Tibetan school, at that time looking after both dance and music and language programs. However, the responsibilities of day to day running of the school was given to the elected President of the TPA and his committee of four to five members elected annually. This would mean a big gap in the distribution of authority and responsibility.

However, the subsequent committees went on to elect their members and even opened a bank account.

The sixth TPA was proactive in it’s dealings with the CTAO, placing our community first. Sixth TPA actively supported the new dance and music program under the new music teachers led by Gyen Topgyal la. TPA provided all the costumes, musical instruments and TPA president Mr. Ugyen Norbu helped supervise the dance and music program in the summer of 2007 at Parkdale. The former members of the TPA dance group became core members of the program. In October 2007, TPA moved the weekend Tibetan school to Gangjong Choedhenling and as requested by the executives of CTAO donated 5055.00 Dollars towards the project, which will benefit the school with five classrooms.

For more information, please check the news section.

We have recently started distributing Tibetan school textbooks to the children. Textbooks are loaned against a deposit of $20 and workbook (where available) and handwriting books are provided as compliments. Textbooks are to be returned at the end of the academic year to claim the refund of the deposit. Damages will be charged.

Some students have already received these textbooks. Teachers are developing syllabus and lesson plans based on the recently drafted curriculum. The academic year, hopefully will commence from Saturday July 12, 2008. Textbook is compulsory for every student. So please send $20 with your child during the next Saturday.

Sixth TPA members and the teachers have spent almost a year to accomplish the drafting of a curriculum for the school. Now it is upto the parents of the children who are currently enrolled and the next administration of the school to start from where we have left. Parents cooperation and support is vital to this initiative to take root.

All current students have paid their dues and advance fees. Those students who do not pay fees will not be admitted to the classes.

Due to the lack of response from the public to the announcement of sponsoring prize monies, we are forced to cancel the planned lottery to be drawn on July 6, 2008. Instead, TPA has passed a resolution to hand over the administration of weekend school to CTAO. Please read the news section for further details.

Beginning Saturday January 5, 2008 and every Saturday thereafter:

10:00 -11:00 AM Prayer Session and Lecture on the prayers by Geshe Jigme Lodoe

11:00 – 11:45 AM Tibetan Classes

11:45 – 12:00 PM Break (TPA provides a drink)

12:00 – 1:00 PM Tibetan Classes continue

1:00 PM – bagged Lunch from Home

1:30 – 4:30 PM Tibetan Music and Dance Classes

Tibetan Parents Association
CTAO

TTC Directions are as follows:

From Dundas St. W or Lansdowne Subway Station, board the westbound train. Get off at Islington Ave. Station and take the stairs for bus 110 Islington Ave. South. Get off on Titan Road. Walk a short distance on your right to the centre.

PLEASE REMEMBER:

We won’t admit students without collecting any elapsed fees and fees for the next six months i.e. January 1 to July 1, 2008. So please check your previous receipts for any elapsed fees or bring enough amount in cash/check when registering your kid on January 5, 2008. Monthly fees is $10.00

Registration will begin by 10 am.

Here’s the Rogers Coverage on Tibet: Part 1

Part 2

Tibetan Parents Association has ordered 1500 Dollars worth of Tibetan textbooks, Storybooks and Calligraphy books from the Tibetan Cultural Printing Press in India. This large consignment will arrive shortly in time for the classes to be held at Gangjong Choedhenling in the new year.

We are planning on a new curriculum based on the textbooks and the learning experience here. Not all material will be suitable for all the classes. We will develop a curriculum that best reflects the nature of the weekend school and we will regroup students into classes according to their skill level. We can’t keep someone who doesn’t know the alphabets in class III.

Following is the list of toppers of our annual examination held on December 1, 2007.

Class I

First Position – Tenzin Kalsang

Second Position – Tenzin Norzin

Third Position – Tenzin Tsetan

Class III

First Position – Tenzin Rangdol

Second Position – Tenzin Yonten

Third Position – Tenzin Kalden

Class V

First Position – Tashi Yangzom

Second Position – Sonam Wangyal

Third Position – Tenzin Lhadon

Class VI

First Position – Tenzin Samphel

Second Position – Tenzin Khenrab

Third Position – Norbu Tsering

Recent News:

• Tibetan Parents Association of Toronto donated $5055.00 towards the Gangjong Choedhenling Community Center Project. As part of the project, the community will have five classrooms for the Tibetan language program run by the TPA.

• Tibetan Parents Association has donated $3432.32 worth of musical instruments and costumes to the CTAO Tibetan Performing Arts program. The amount is determined after deducting one year depreciation. The TPA will no longer run dance and music classes.

• The priority before the 6th TPA committee members is to establish a viable and vigorous curriculum for the Tibetan language program. TPA envisions an examplary program in the future once the classrooms, textbooks, teachers and the curriculum are in place. A proposal to purchase $1500 worth of textbooks and Tibetan reading materials from Tibetan cultural printing press has been completed. Once the new regime is adopted, students will be assigned to classes according to their skill levels and annual tests will determine their promotion to the next level of class.

• A resolution passed by the TPA committee on July 21, 2007 required the PTA to merge two groups of learners into other classes. These groups previously shared space with other classes and seen as not the best way to conduct lessons. As a result, two of our teachers were asked to stop teaching for the time being. However, they were encouraged to rejoin once classroom facilities are in place in the new cultural center. The resolution was passed to solve present difficulties in terms of space, discipline and learning.

• The same resolution required the Tibetan Language program to adopt a new prayer regiment. The new regiment called for the induction of the standard Tibetan school prayer book instead of the existing one. It was pointed out that the school prayer book was specially designed for the children and that His Holiness has repeatedly emphasized it’s importance and relevance to the children in terms of saying and understanding the prayers. Presence of a lot of mantras and transliteration into English were seen as major drawbacks of the existing book. However, children still say the same important prayers including “ode to manjushree” which is beleived to dispel ignorance in young minds.