"If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence,
it is India!"
Romaine Rolland
V-Excel News
Independence Day, invariably, stirs patriotic feelings in each one of us, especially as we celebrate this special day with
pride. This year, our Chief Guest for the occasion was Mr. Philip Joseph - General Manager and Circle Head, Indian Bank. Our Guest
of Honour was Dr. S. Sunder, Consultant Physiatrist and Medical Director. Our Guests spoke about being a proud Indian and how to be
a responsible citizen, irrespective of age. We thank them for joining us in commemorating this significant event.
Our children presented a cultural program on 15th August. The children’s costumes, representing our tricolour, were a treat to
everyone’s eyes! Diverse landscapes of our country were highlighted and great leaders from various states were saluted for their
valuable contribution to our country’s freedom and development.
Our Founder Director, Dr. Vasudha Prakash, was invited to give a talk on Hypnotherapy at the Rotary Club of Madras Chennapatna
at Hotel Savera. The talk, being on a very off-beat topic, triggered a lot of curiosity and interaction.
We take this opportunity to thank Hindustan Unilever Ltd. and Wabag Ltd. for extending their support to us. They organized a
collection drive for old clothes in good condition and donated these for our SSA project in Villipuram district of Tamil Nadu.
Kaleisdoscope Learning Centre
This time Independence Day was celebrated amidst rain. The staff, students and parents who attended displayed rich enthusiasm
as children outlined the various land forms of India through movement. The majestic Himalayan range, the Indo Gangetic Plain,
the Peninsular India with the three water bodies, the Eastern and Western coast and the Great Indian Desert were all moved to
music and formations by the children.
Initiated by Block Three, the entire school followed suit, converting the place into Gokuldham, the place that Krishna was brought up.
Classes were remodeled into villages and our BalKrishnas lived the life of little cowherds for four days. The celebrations of
Gokulashtami concluded on 31st August with the pot breaking by dressed up Krishnas.
The in-service training on 13th August had the staff playing vigorously the game of Gilli- danda. The session has yet to be
concluded as the explanation of the game and experience is scheduled for the next in-service.
Gita Bhalla and Puja Bhalla, who attended a workshop in Hyderabad came back and presented the highlights of the five-day workshop
to all staff on the Friday. The focus of the workshop was ‘developing your inner path towards professional and personal growth’
Onam celebrations were held in the school where all staff and students made a huge poo-kolam (a traditional rangoli
with flowers) under guidance of one of the teachers, Saradha.
Our volunteer from Germany completed his tenure with us and we had a community lunch for him. Lorenz, a young boy of 19, worked
with practically all children across the classes and had the older children look up to him as a role model; he also endeared himself
to the younger lot. We are surely going to miss him and we place on record that Lorenz was a much valued member and a well
adapted individual in our midst. Thank you Lorenz for thoughtfully making a small gift for each one of us with your own hands
before you left.
Academy for Teacher Excellence
•The month witnessed a lot of activity among the teacher trainees at the ‘Academy of Teacher Excellence’. The trainees started
their observation sessions at the Kaleidoscope Learning Center with an aim of understanding children with Autism and the various
teaching methods employed by the special educators. They also began their first practical work in which they had to conduct an
in-depth case study of a student with autism.
Trainees participated actively in the question answer session on ‘Anthroposophy’- an approach used to teach children with Autism
at the Kaleidoscope Learning Center.
Guest Lecturers from ‘We Can’ and ‘Sankalp’ special school were invited this month to talk to trainees on topics such as
‘Communication problems of children with Autism’, ‘Augmentative Communication’ and ‘Teaching Methods’. Video clippings related
to the above topics aided understanding of the trainees. Apart from the lectures on ‘Autism’ and ‘Human Development’, lectures
in other areas of the syllabus commenced, for e.g. ‘Family and Community’, ‘Curriculum & Teaching’ and ‘Therapeutics’.
An interesting series of Book Reading Sessions was started with the aim of promoting emotional well-being and self-growth
among the trainees through books which provide worthy insights. The first session began with the book ‘Understanding Emotional IQ’
by Dr. Jyotsna Codaty.
Early Intervention Unit
The month of August had the Early Intervention program is going on in full swing with different therapists assigned to the
old and new students. We have also initiated Sensory play into their program.
For children inducted into the program this year, we have introduced the Home program. Aligning with the customized requirements
of every child, we have begun training the respective parents on activities of daily living such as toilet training, eating and brushing.
A general meeting with all the parents took place to clarify various administrative issues. Given that the children who come to our
Unit are very young, in the age group of 0-7 years, we are extremely alert about their pick-up and drop, parent involvement,
handling of absenteeism, change in schedule, safety measures, etc.
Parents and special educators have been oriented on various aspects of phonic reading and sound blends. We also began reading
and writing sessions for children going to school.
Bridges Learning Academy
Children from our school went kite flying to the Corporation grounds. With colourful kites up in the air, the children’s excitement
was at a peak!
From 9th to 13th of August, our students were busy doing rigorous practice for the Independence Day on the 15th. Our children
performed a beautiful dance drama that day depicting the ‘Struggle for Independence’. The entire program was well-appreciated by
the parents and guests.
We had an internal feedback meeting with our Director, Dr. Vasudha, followed by a Parent-Teacher meeting on the next day. Each child
was individually discussed in terms of his/her academic progress and development of overall personality, and the review was shared
with the parents.
V-Excel Remedial Centre
Students were taken to Aringar Anna Zoological Park as a field trip. The long drive in the van was a lot of fun. The most
thrilling experience was that of the Lion Safari and the Zoo ride were thrilling; children were very excited. After relishing a
packed lunch, the children were still not ready to leave and enjoyed playing together in the park.
When we work with children for a short while during the one-on-one remedial program, we understand some specific aspects. What
helps in deeper work with the child is a more comprehensive understanding of each student. One of the ways to do this is visiting
their homes and meeting the parents in their setting. We planned such home visits this month and have made a good start.
In the in-service program the next grade level in Ghilli Dhanda, a traditional game, was initiated. The teachers practiced the
game so that they are proficient before introducing it to the children.
Rural Outreach Program
We completed two sets of 10 medical assessment camps across the 10 blocks of Villipuram district. Our special educators have
been busy in organizing and completing all the necessary coordination with doctors and suppliers.
The urgent needs of children were identified and orders are now being placed for 620 spectacles, 145 hearing aids, 81 calipers,
37 wheelchairs, 26 walkers, 3 crutches and 9 tricycles. Being a Government program, all the orders are placed at prescribed suppliers.
Vocational Training Unit
Mrs. Indu, a member of the RCI (Rehabilitation Council of India) from Delhi, addressed teachers and parents about managing
emotions in special children. She brought out the importance of this acceptance at two stages, one at birth and next when they
are turning into young adults. She pointed out that caregivers and trainers alike tend to get impatient at this adolescent stage.
They too need space and do not want to just comply with what we want them to do. Her message was – “give them space and see their
skills emerge and blossom”. The meeting was well attended and the participants felt greatly benefitted.
Independence Day was celebrated with great cheer inspite of very heavy rains. Mr. Prakash Natarajan, one of our founding members,
was the Chief Guest. It was a nice occasion for us to welcome him back to India. We would like to thank all the singers - Aditi,
Vaishnavi and Varsha, besides the teachers, and staff, who made this program complete with their enthusiasm and melodious singing.
We concluded the event with the national anthem.
The screen printing unit executed a sizable external order for the first time. 200 letterheads, and 800 visiting cards were printed
by the trainees. We are really proud of their work and hope to further refine their skills in this area.
We are very happy to share with you that Subashri, one of our students, has started interning at ‘Bookz and more’, a library in
the neighbourhood. She goes there three days a week for two hours each time. This is a significant achievement as it is truly a step
towards inclusion and independence.
30th and 31st were days of hectic activity in the VTU. Our German volunteer Mr. Andrei, our office staff Mr. Vimal and our VTU
Coordinator Ms. Dorothy were given a farewell party. Lunch was served as part of the get-together and the food was entirely
prepared by the trainees of the VTU under the able guidance of Ms. Charu, the kitchen in-charge. Parent Support Group came along
to bid goodbye. It was a meeting with mixed feelings, joy of performance and sadness at parting.
The trainees put together an album of their good wishes for Ms. Margaret Buch, one of our committed volunteers, on the occasion
of her 50th wedding anniversary. It is indeed commendable that each student took special efforts and either drew or wrote to her.
Counseling and Assessment Unit
It was a busy month with celebrations on 15th August and other various festivals! There had been some addition to counseling
clients from the other sections of the organizations as well as from the corporate sector. Counseling for parents is going on well
and the response this year has been much better due to increased openness. We have started counseling for students of our ATE
course and that is well received by them; in fact some of them have even sought it on their own.
We had a chance of taking part in the health camp arranged by a multispecialty hospital for Standard Chartered Bank. Students
conducted small paper pencil tests for anxiety, stress etc. to create awareness. Dr. Vasudha Prakash addressed the people attending
the camp regarding health and its relation to stress.
One of our counselors has been going for observations to a regular preschool as per the requirement of the school. The objective is
to see if that the process of early identification of delays commences at an early age and appropriate remedial measures can be taken.
Contact Information
V-Excel Educational Trust
#1 Norton 2nd Street
Mandaveli Chennai 600 028
Tel: 91 - 44 - 24620243
91 - 44 - 24956373 E-mail us or visit us at www.v-excel.org
Academic Concepts, Inc.
1403 Merrywood Drive
Edison New Jersey 08817
Tel: (732) 572-3748
Tax ID: 22-3632715 E-mail us
