Issue # 12 In this issue:   Academy of Teacher Excellence   Kaleidoscope Learning Center   V-Excel Remedial Center   Bridges Learning Academy   Other News February 1, 2006 The staff and students of V-Excel wish you a very Happy and Prosperous 2006! Thank you for your support! Academy of Teacher Excellence News On the brink of the final term of their Special Education course, the ATE trainees have taken on their exhaustive internship in full zip! Each trainee, for keen observation, had been allotted 3 children categorized as autistic, intellectually challenged and dyslexic respectively. Ensuing the observation, specific child-centric curriculum was planned and lesson plans drawn up, which are being evaluated by our Internal Supervisors. Overall, it is encouraging to see a batch of assiduous apprentices raring to go! Kaleidoscope Learning Center (KLC) News When school re-opened after the Christmas break on 2nd Jan, it was amusing to see many children pick up their stools and get ready for the practice. The simple fact that the Annual day was over and done with had escaped the minds of our eager beavers! For Pongal this year, each class painted a pot and the school gathered around the 'pongal pot' set aflame with a mock flame, a simple celebration in all. Revathy Aunty told the children why pongal is celebrated and then it was time for sing-along for all to rejoice! Moving on to a more scholastic note, teachers in KLC had their case conferences and presentations in the first two weeks of Jan, followed by presentations of Ms. Neela Chandramoli and Ms. Gudny Jonsdottiv on the 18th & 19th of Jan. These sprightly brainstorming sessions that involved all the teachers transformed into an amalgamation of ideas, with each teacher getting a better insight of every child. On the 'communication' front this month, KLC has seen a spurt of activities, thanks to intense efforts by Gudny, our AIESEC trainee from Iceland. She has been busy making sure all non-verbal children have their communication books, schedules and picture communication charts displayed in all classes. These are proving to be really handy and a structured time-out seems to be working well with many of our tantrum-throwers! January also saw the inception of a Yoga programme under the kind patronage of Krishnamachari Yoga Mandiram. Three volunteers come twice a week and have got our children started on simple yoga asanas. An invigorating exchange with Mrs. Raji Subbarayan, Dr. Baggeo's care-taker, opened the KLC teachers up to streamlining the Dr. Dog therapy for our children and they gladly welcome her inputs. V-Excel Remedial Center (VRC) News For the New Year, VRC's morning group at Mandavelli has a new dynamic teacher - Shashirekha, ably assisted by Lalitha in Occupational Therapy. Subhashini, Venkat and Nandini attended the Kolisko conference at Hyderabad in the second week of January. The goal was for them to introduce a fresh perspective to working with our children with Autism. They have returned acquiring noteworthy skills and knowledge primarily in Speech Formation, and various other areas of anthroposophy. 'Yoga' classes have been extended to the children of VRC along with KLC. Majority of the children at VRC are in the process of being reviewed at their respective inclusive schools. Parents and teachers are praying and working hard towards giving them the joy of remaining in their environment. Communication, with the children, irrespective of their condition, age, gender or response continues to be the focus for all at VRC. Bridges Learning Academy All work and no play will never find its way with BLA! The much-awaited Sports Day of BLA finally came to pass on the 20th of January at the corporation play ground nearby, amidst a lot of cheering for the children, who were categorized into 3 groups, with 3 events for each group. The day culminated in a Final Relay. It was heartening to see the children actively partake and even the teachers and other staff weren't spared from showcasing their sporty facade. Many thanks to the representatives from YMCA for their indulgent support in conducting the events and the over-all preparation. The Madras Dyslexia Association (MDA) conducted their Annual Conference 'Samyukth 2006' at the Dakshinamurthy Auditorium, P.S. High School on the 28th & 29th of January. All the teachers who participated in the conference were endowed with certificates. BLA had put up a stall showcasing pictorial reports and information about the various activities of the school, apart from 'Parent Testimonies' and an audio-visual short-film on the school that caught the attention of many onlookers. Other News ITC & V-Excel Educational Trust have embarked upon a project to ameliorate infrastructure and provide furniture to a set of 55 schools in the Coimbatore Rural District-sector. Christened 'Project Classmate', this collaborative brainchild is proposed to span over 3 years, covering more than 500 villages. 2006 V-Excel Educational Trust / Academic Concepts Be our advocate Tell a friend about us Contact Info :: India: V-Excel Educational Trust #1 Norton 2nd Street Mandaveli Chennai 600 028 Tel: 91 - 44 - 2494 2255 91 - 44 – 2495 6373 E-mail us or visit us at www.v-excel.org   Contact Info :: USA: Academic Concepts, Inc. 1403 Merrywood Drive Edison, NJ 08817 Tel: (732) 572-3748 Tax ID: 22-3632715 E-mail us Volunteer Info: Volunteers are an integral part of our success. Our most pressing needs are in the areas of occupational and speech therapies, and as teacher aides. We also require assistance in library management. If you have any of these and are interested in volunteering at V-Excel, please contact us. Stuttering * What is stuttering? Stuttering is when an individual hesitates, repeats, or prolongs sounds, syllables, words, or phrases. An individual might say, "I see..........a big cat." and hesitate between the words "see" and "a". When an individual repeats he/she may say, "My, my, my cat is brown." or "M-m-m-my cat is small." * What causes stuttering?: We do not know what causes stuttering. Children stutter for many reasons and these reasons can differ from one child to the next. Possible reasons for stuttering are: (1) Problems managing the coordination and timing of speech; (2) Certain kinds of emotional stress - either a single very disturbing event or a continuing pattern of stress; (3) The way parents and others talk to the child; and (4) The rate the child develops language. * Is stuttering caused by emotional problems?: Children who stutter are no more likely to have emotional problems than children who do not stutter. * Don't most children go through a period of repeating words? Stuttering interrupts the flow of speech. Almost all children go through a period of stumbling over words as they are working to master new sounds, words, sentence patterns, and the pressure of talking. These interruptions and variations in speech are usually not a cause for concern. When the stumbling become more frequent and severe it is time to seek professional help. * What should I do when my child stutters? Adult listeners can help children most by listening patiently and carefully to what the child is saying rather than focusing on how it is being said. Try not to say "slow down" or "take your time". Adults can also help a child by showing them how "slowing down" sounds rather than telling them to do it.