"“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark."
Michelangelo
V-Excel News
We are happy that V-Excel is once again teeming with a lot of noise and laughter, given that our special school has
reopened this month after the long summer break.
We screened a premier of the new Tamil movie ‘Dasavatharam’. The event was a planned charity show that saw encouraging
response. We are very thankful to our Trustee Mr. Kandaswamy Bharathan who was instrumental in organizing the program. We would
also like to sincerely thank Mr. Aascar Ravichandran, the film producer, for permitting us to screen the movie.
Kaleisdoscope Learning Centre
The school reopened with unprecedented enthusiasm and energy this year with the teachers ready with their curriculum
and their new tools for their classes. The orientation on 9th and 10th was a culmination of the effort put in by some
of the enthusiastic staff members who got the school organized during the holidays. A special mention and thanks to
Sowmya Sarathy, Neha Bhalla, and Jayanthi Srinivasan who, with the help of Kannan, organized the school.
Jayanthi Srinivasan has taken over as the Coordinator of KLC and we welcome Chitra Natrajan and Kavita on our staff.
This year we welcome 15 new children in our midst. We do hope they allow us to become friends with them and they have a
fruitful stay at KLC.
The start of the year saw many meetings and orientation programs such as June 9 & 10 - Teachers’ orientation,
June 13 - Parents’ orientation, June 18 - Ancillary Staff Orientation, June 25 - Volunteers’ Orientation.
On 19th June, KLC celebrated the Founder’s Day. We conducted an Art activity, involving the whole school, in which a “Tree
of children” was created and put up at the entrance of the school.
While assessments, planners, displays, and a general dressing up of the classes is underway, we would like to record that
this year we have added three classes. The new time table and structure of the school is now based on the child-centric
philosophy advocated by Anthroposophy. The basic methodology adopted is also in line with Anthroposophy, on which all our
teachers had received intensive training at the end of April by Dr. Lakshmi and Michael.
Students of Stella Maris College (Fine Arts – III year) have once again agreed to have our school as their project for the
coming year. They have promised to make “Story Kits” for the school.
Bridges Learning Academy
The new academic year has begun. It is wonderful to be back in school, seeing the enthusiastic and smiling faces of
our dear children. They regaled us with interesting tales of how their holidays had been spent.
This year has heralded a host of changes, starting from physically shifting to the rooms upstairs. We, at BLA, have
decided to revamp the system, to make it more child–friendly. The first step was to change the textbooks in all the
subjects. This is an attempt to make learning an interesting, yet challenging experience. In addition to the Brain Gym
exercises, eurhythmic movements have been incorporated in our morning assembly sessions.
One of our students, Farook A Mohammed has been admitted in Standard IV at St. John’s Matriculation School. We wish
him all the very best in the years to come. Annie George from St. Patrick’s, and Shashank from B.S. Matriculation School,
have joined BLA this term.
Our students will be assisting Mrs. Vasanthi, Kitchen-in-charge, in preparing a host of delicious items for the Tuck
Shop every Friday. This is a part of life skills program. They are eagerly looking forward to these sessions.
Academy of Teacher Excellence
We are gearing up for the next session of the one–year Diploma Course in Special Education, recognized by Rehabilitation
Council of India (RCI). At present, 12 students have enrolled for the course, and we are expecting few more enrolments.
The course commences on 2nd July 2008.
In response to the popular demand, we are planning to start a course on Learning Disabilities (such as Dyslexia) from
16th July 2008. This is a very comprehensive course which will include both theoretical and practical training. The
duration of the course is three months.
Rural Outreach Program
From this year we have increased the number of Special Educators working under the Government Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)
Scheme from 22 to 32. This includes ten new teachers added on to take charge of the ten day-care centers set-up in Villipuram
District of Tamil Nadu.
Appliances such as wheelchairs and calipers were handed over to the special children at Villupuram. Honourable Minister
for Education, Thiru Ponmudi, distributed the appliances to the children.
Counseling & Assessment Unit
The new academic year has begun with a lot of enthusiasm. The Counseling calender, both in school and at the Vocational
center, is full for the term. With the increased awareness, referrals for Play Therapy and parent counseling, our ‘clients’
have risen substantially this year.
Association with outside agencies has increased referral to the private clinic as well. This year we have developed a
concrete program to impart certain specific life skills which are required for interpersonal communication in the Vocational
unit. The Counselors will deploy drama and mock scenarios as techniques to impart the required skills. Children and their
groups have been seen to enjoy their weekly sessions of such training.
We are also planning to facilitate a Parent Group with the help of Special Educators for this unit. This group will
eventually become a self-help group and will take up issues close to the parents’ heart. Parents themselves will share their
experiences and help each other about effectively dealing with their children. Initially, Special Educators and Counselors
will facilitate the group to build closeness and trust within the group.
Contact Info :: India:
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
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.
India Autism: Trying Tradition
In India, old ideas are giving new options to treating autism. Liz Neisloss reports on that country's approach.
Hailed as the best pre-schools in the world by Newsweek magazine in 1991, the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood
education has attracted the worldwide attention of educators, researchers and just about anyone interested in early
childhood education best practices. Today, the Reggio approach has been adopted in USA, UK, New Zealand, Australia and many
other countries.
Loris Malaguzzi (1920-1994) founded the 'Reggio Emilia' approach at a city in northern Italy called Reggio Emilia.
The 'Reggio' approach was developed for municipal child-care and education programs serving children below six. The approach
requires children to be seen as competent, resourceful, curious, imaginative, inventive and possess a desire to interact and
communicate with others.
The 'Reggio' vision of the child as a competent learner has produced a strong child-directed curriculum model. The curriculum
has purposive progression but not scope and sequence. Teachers follow the children's interests and do not provide focused
instruction in reading and writing. Reggio approach has a strong belief that children learn through interaction with others,
including parents, staff and peers in a friendly learning environment.
