"“Self-importance is our greatest enemy. Think about it--what weakens us is feeling offended by the deeds and misdeeds of our fellowmen. Our self-importance requires that we spend most of our lives offended by someone. "
...Carlos Castaneda
V-Excel News
The V-Excel Hobby Club met at Senmozhi Poonga Park on 4th February 2012. Children enjoyed the colorful surroundings; it was an excellent place for shooting and they made the most of it! The group of about 10 included those from our Center and a few from Clarke School. The trainer helped them all with a quick practical session and tips on taking good photographs.
The photo album of the Hobby Club at first trip (Gandhi Mandapam) is available in V-Excel's front office in Mandaveli. You can also view the photos on our V-Excel Facebook account. The next photograph class is planned to be in IIT or Theosophical society, after the Annual day function in March.
The KJI workshop took place on 13th, 14th and 15th January 2012 with 34 participants. Our expert trainers Dr. Vasudha Prakash and Mrs. Gita Bhalla conducted this workshop at Vidhya Mandir School, Mylapore. This time we showed videos to the participants presenting various activities for development of special children. It demonstrated how simple activities can serve as powerful and effective teaching tools.
The Nashik and Tirunelveli Centers are now serving over 25 students with learning difficulties and developmental disabilities. A combination of therapy and special education inputs is required and we have engaged respective professionals to offer the specialized services
Kaleisdoscope Learning Centre
Grade 1 had their Open Days between 20 - 22 Feb. It was followed by a discussion with the parents and John, Neha, Uma and Divya. Reading and writing programs are being customized and developed for Grades 1 - 3 and the pre-vocational. We hope that with this concerted effort from the teachers and help from the parents, the children will now be able to move on with their reading skills.
The annual day practice is in full swing. Every day brings forth new insights into the children's emerging characters and their increasing capabilities. In one of the practices last week, Eru the creator needed to put a crown on Jupiter's head. On finding that the prop had not been placed in time, Eru gracefully took off his own crown and placed it on Jupiter. He was applauded for his presence of mind. In another instance, some of our under sea creatures refused to imitate the movement of the teachers. Everybody stopped short a bit exasperated till it came to be that each one wanted to choreograph their own movement and do their own thing. The emerging personalities of the children, their visual memory and sequencing skills are some of the positive outcomes of repeated practices. What is also emerging is a lot of discipline (waiting for turn), tolerance of the weather and the power cuts where the children quietly perform even without a really audible narration and cueing. The entire process of getting the Annual Day performance together has had a unifying effect on the entire Centre. From the front office to VRC, BLA, KLC, the OT Dept., Kannan and Prabhu are all joining hands towards making sure that the event becomes a great success!
Academy for Teacher Excellence
The course on Counseling Skills was open for all those interested in helping professionals acquire basic communication and listening skills. We had ten enthusiastic participants with diverse backgrounds for this course. The course was for four full Saturdays, with emphasis on practical experience.
Early Intervention Unit
We conducted workshops for our EI parents over two weekends. The topic covered were
Importance of early child hood development
Play therapy
Communication in early child hood
Self-help skills - with particular emphasis on feeding
The sessions covered both, the technical and the practical aspects, and were very useful for the parents.
A school review meeting was conducted. All those children ready for attending regular school in the next academic year were identified. Their parents have been counseled and the list of identified schools that would benefit their children was shared with them. The admission process is now going on for these children in regular schools.
Consultations and Assessments are in progress for enrolling children who could be integrated into the early intervention program for the next academic year.
Bridges Learning Academy
The children participated in the Sports Meet conducted by the Inner Wheel Rotary Club of Chennai. BLA children participated in all the events and bagged maximum number of prizes. Gift hampers were given to all the children and teachers. It was a well-organized event and was a valuable experience for our students.
As a special treat to the children for their initiative and success, the class teachers prepared breakfast on 13th of this month. It was a kind gesture on their part. The children reciprocated by thoroughly enjoying it!
We have been speaking with schools and parents for mainstreaming our children. In this context of inclusion, we are happy that one of our students has been confirmed admission in the Children's Garden School.
As an educational trip, our children were taken to the city's first and oldest mall, the well known Spencer Plaza. The children had a gala time in the Landmark, Reynold's Writesite and the food court.
Annual day practice is going on in full swing and keeping our students busy and happy
V-Excel Remedial Centre
VRC Children were taken on a field trip to Anna Centenary Library at Kotturpuram on 18th February. Eight children from VRC and their three siblings formed the group. The public Library has a wonderful children's section that hosts an array of books, puzzles and games for kids. Designed thoughtfully with bright colours, cozy furniture, and airy reading nooks, it is the perfect atmosphere to introduce children to the fascinating world of reading. Our children were very excited by the stimulating environment. They took some time to explore the place and enjoy the ambience. Then a few settled down with books of their choice ranging from folk tales, to books on dinosaurs/cars; one young scholar demanded an encyclopedia! Very young students enjoyed books with audio and tactile effects. A few wandered around admiring the huge illustrations from the popular Jungle book. We adults were equally fascinated by the environment and it was an engaging ninety minutes that we spent at the library.
Last Month we completed five assessments and held meetings with the parents to discuss the difficulties of their children and the remedial program that would address their needs. One of the children was from Bhutan whose parents chose to come to V-Excel after a detailed research on the internet. He was brought to us for a comprehensive assessment and for custom-designing a suitable short term intervention program.
Rural Outreach Program
Inclusion is one of the key goals for children with special needs. Our team was busy this month with school visits and home visits to evaluate if the children were well-adjusted in the settings.
This month some of our senior Special Educators from our rural program on Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan have been busy training other junior special educators, day care center and resource room coordinators, regular school teachers, therapists etc. for advancing their knowledge and application of techniques in the field.
Vocational Training Unit
With the Annual day coming up in March, the trainees have been working with a deep sense of dedication, interspersing their practice sessions for the program with their vocational training. Every student in the vocational unit will play a part in the annual day event; every single one has displayed a remarkable amount of contagious enthusiasm!
We welcome back our clinical psychologist, Ms Nithya, who was away on training. She seems to have doubled the zest and zeal she has always had for her work at V-Excel. Our trainees have been looking forward to their group therapy sessions with her.
Teachers and parents attended a Falun Dafa workshop this month, delivered by Mr. Sanjeev Bhalla, an experienced practitioner. Participants reported feeling very relaxed and calm at the end of the workshop in which a few breathing techniques and some slow energizing movements were taught.
Counseling and Assessment Unit
The Counseling department saw two initiatives this month. One was the Level 1 course in Counseling Skills and the other was an Art therapy session for a select group of parents. Both were very well organized and genuinely appreciated by the participants.
The Art Therapy is a five session therapy. It is being conducted on every Monday. Three sessions have been completed and two will be done in March. The objective has been to provide an opportunity to the parents to relax and get in touch with themselves. The art forms included drawing, charcoal, and wet-on-wet with water colours. The parents enjoyed the space where they could let go of their worries and feel calm.
One of our consultants finished a three year Camphill course on Curative Education this February.
Our corporate counseling and individual counseling continues as usual. We also had a workshop with a corporate this month on Relationship Management where the dynamics of personal and professional relationships, and their intertwined nature, were talked of. It was a very interactive session.
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
V-Excel Center for Research and Rehabilitation
(In assocation with S.V. Sarada Foundation)
50 Sreyes, M.G. Road
Shastri Nagar, Chennai 600 041
Tel: 91 - 44 - 24522061
91 - 44 - 24521986 E-mail us
Academic Concepts, Inc.
1403 Merrywood Drive
Edison New Jersey 08817
Tel: (732) 572-3748
Tax ID: 22-3632715 E-mail us
