Providing lifespan services to individuals with special needs...

Ramzan Celebration

The month of March was filled with joy and spiritual reflection as we celebrated Ramzan. Our activities were centered on the themes of Ramzan, with goals, worksheets, and pictures related to this festival.

Ramzan, is a major festival marked by fasting, prayer, and spending time with family and friends.

In our class, we embraced the spirit of Ramzan with various activities. The children were delighted singing songs related to the festival, exchanging greetings and blessings, and having lots of fun. They worked on worksheets that included cutting, pasting, and matching numbers, and they enjoyed solving puzzles too.

Teachers and children collaborated to create beautiful crescent moon and lanterns. We also engaged in role-play, experiencing moments like having a feast together, wearing new clothes, and greeting each other.

The month of March was truly special, giving the children a wonderful opportunity to immerse themselves in the festive spirit of Ramzan.

March 11: Women’s Day Celebration at V-Excel Nashik

V-Excel Nashik celebrated Women’s Day with fun-filled activities, including musical chairs and dumb charades. The event was filled with laughter and friendly competition, creating a joyful atmosphere. To conclude the celebration, everyone enjoyed delicious ice cream, making the day even more special.

March 13, 2025: Holi Celebrations Across V-Excel Nashik, VTU, and BLA

Holi was celebrated with joy and tradition across V-Excel Nashik center’s. At VTU, a Holi fire was lit, followed by puja rituals, marking the festival’s spiritual significance. At BLA, students danced to Holi tunes, made toran flags, decorated classrooms, and enjoyed a group coloring activity. The celebrations ended on a sweet note as everyone shared festive treats, embracing the spirit of togetherness and color.

March 21, 2025: World Down Syndrome Day Celebrated at V-Excel Nashik

V-Excel Nashik marked World Down Syndrome Day with engaging activities to spread awareness and inclusion. At VLC, children participated in various games and interactive sessions, promoting joy and teamwork. Meanwhile, at BLA, students watched Yellow, an inspiring movie, to raise awareness and to motivate them. The day was a meaningful celebration of diversity, resilience, and acceptance.

March 23, 2025: V-Excel Nashik Excels at State-Level Sports Competition

V-Excel Nashik students showcased their talent at the state-level sports competition for children with disabilities held in Nagpur, where participants from 22 districts competed. Seven students from V-Excel took part, with Kuber from BLA securing first place in the 25 m fast-walk competition and Anamika Pendharkar from VTU winning the 50 m swimming event. Both have qualified for the national level, bringing pride to the institution with their remarkable achievements.

March 29, 2025: Gudi Padwa Celebrated at V-Excel Nashik

Nashik, April 9, 2025: V-Excel Nashik celebrated Gudi Padwa with enthusiasm, marking the Hindu New Year. Students made and decorated Gudis, decorated the centers, and performed puja rituals. The celebration concluded with everyone enjoying prasad, embracing the festive spirit with joy and tradition.

March 30, 2025: V-Excel Nashik Performs Bhumi Pujan on Gudi Padwa

On the auspicious occasion of Gudi Padwa, V-Excel Nashik marked a significant milestone with the Bhumi Pujan of its newly acquired land, for its upcoming school.

The sacred ceremony, which began at 8:30 AM, was led by Mr. Dilip Kulkarni and Mrs. Alka Kulkarni from Mumbai, who performed the rituals as the main Yajman’s. The puja was presided over by our esteemed donors, Mrs. Uma and Mr. Suryanarayan, whose generosity and support have been instrumental in this endeavour.

Honoring the occasion with their presence were V-Excel Committee Members Mr. Jayant Bhatambrekar, Mr. Krishnakumar Rao, and Mr. Jagdish Gilda, along with Founder Trustee Dr. Vasudha Prakash, who has been a guiding force in V-Excel’s mission.

The event was further graced by Regional Director Jayanti Vishwanath, whose leadership continues to strengthen the organization. Representing V-Excel Solapur, Coordinator Mrs. Sunita Vaidya also participated in the ceremony.

This much-awaited moment was celebrated with trustees, teachers, centre coordinators, therapists, staff, and well-wishers, all coming together to seek divine blessings for this new beginning.

The puja concluded with the distribution of prasad and a breakfast gathering, making the day truly memorable for all the attendees. ✨🌿

Workshop on pre-preparation of puberty and Adolescence - 6th March

At the V-Excel centre we organized lectures on pre preparation of puberty and adolescence at age 6 to 12 year of child. Part one on Physical Literacy and sexuality. It was held on 6th March Saturday 2025. Lecture was conducted by Maitri foundation. Ms. Prajakta who works in an NGO on sexuality education for special children and Sujata Lohakare a parent of a special child and founder and trustee of Maitra foundation. Preparing a special needs child for adolescence involves early support, open communication, and understanding their specific needs. This includes anticipating physical changes like puberty, promoting independence, and building strong social skills. Establishing routines and structure, along with effective communication, are crucial for managing potential challenges and promoting emotional well-being.

They both gave information about physical changes and emotional changes of special children, how to deal with them and make them understand, parents should talk or communicate with child what should they do and not do in public places, what is privacy and where they are allowed to do their private things. Lastly, she asked parents to draw the body structure and mentioned the private parts also. More parents participated in the lecture, asked the doubts about their child and got satisfactory answers.

International Women's Day - 8th March

International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women. Spurred by the universal female suffrage movement, International Women's Day originated from labor movements in Europe and North America during the early 20th century.[5][6][7].

V-Excel teachers celebrated woman's day. They went out for lunch and enjoyed some fun activities.

Visit of Vasudha Ma'am - 9th march

Vasudha mam visited our V-Excel Centre on 9th March. She observed circle time, classes, visited Vocational training Centre and observed the classes. She conducted teachers meeting. In that meeting she addressed about how teachers should work happily with child, should be calm and positive. She said how to involve parents and work together. She told to understand parent feelings toward their child, what they expect from teachers and should work on it to make them feel secure about their decision. Lastly she said main motive should be to work together and achieve the goal.

Holi Dahan Celebration - 13th march

At our V-Excel Centre we celebrated Holi dahan on 13 march 2025. This ancient ritual celebrates the victory of good over evil, symbolized by the burning of an effigy of the mythical demon Holika. Observed on the full moon night of the Phalgun month in the Hindu calendar, Holika Dahan is a significant precursor to Holi. Teachers and students wore traditional dresses and made preparation of Holi dahan, fired the dahan and all prayed together.

Maitri Foundation second workshop - 22nd March

Maitri Foundation second workshop conducted on 22 march 2025. Part 2 working with child. Vidya Bhagwat mam conducted the workshop on Textures. She is a special educator and well-known counselor of precision foundation and Prasan Autism Centre at Pune.

She involved parents, asked them to name different textures and give examples of it. Parents participated very eagerly. She introduced textures through story and told parents to make stories on that. Later she discussed stories, answered questions by parents and shared how through story we should work with the child.

Exams - 24th March

Last week of March at V-Excel Centre we conducted exams. Time table was set and teachers revised with students and asked parents to practice at home also. This prepared students before exams and they did written exams properly.

Greetings from Anandam Special School!

March 17

New admission for June 2025

March 22

Lunch provided to our students, sponsored by Ms. Lakshmi.

March 25

Parents meeting for Buds, Blossom, Toddlers & OBE students.

March 26

Our teachers completed sign language course from Instructor Nithya, certificates were distributed for the course completion by the Manging Trustee of Clark special school, Dr. Srikanth.

Certificates & medals were distributed to students who participated in various events during the academic year 2023-2024 & 2024-2025 by Dr. Selvamani & Dr. Sriram HOD Department of Commerce D G Vaishnav College.

Course completion of Aari work, tailoring, fashion design & computer under the women empowerment skill was distributed to the participants of Batch 1,2 & 3.

March 27

Lunch provided to our students, sponsored by Mr. Pawan Kumar Singh.

March 29

Tamilselvan of NIOS Secondary section participated in the State Games Championship organized by the Special Olympics Bharat Tamil Nadu on 29th March at Melmaruvathur Adhi Parasakthi Institute of Medical science & Research Chengalpattu.

He won 2nd Prize in singles and 1st prize in doubles. He has been declared as a state level champion in Tennis.

The following Monday Tamilselvan was felicitated by the Trustees and Correspondent Sumati madam for his achievement in sports.

Learning Through Experience

Every Thursday, our center buzzes with excitement as we organize our tuck shop. This month, we decided to focus on healthy items, turning it into a fantastic learning opportunity for our students. Our star item? Green gram sprouts!

The process of making these nutritious sprouts was explained to all our vocational students in advance, as it takes time for the green grams to germinate. With the guidance of our teachers, the students carefully selected the best grams, cleaned them thoroughly, and soaked them in water for an hour. Then, they wrapped the soaked grams in a cotton cloth and left them to sprout for about 8 hours.

The next day, our students were thrilled to see the tiny sprouts emerging! With great enthusiasm, they packed and sealed the green gram sprouts into packets, ready for sale at the tuck shop.

This month's project was not just about making sprouts; it was about empowering our students. They learned valuable skills like preparation, socialization, and the basics of handling money. The entire process was filled with joy and excitement, and our vocational students gained a lot from this hands-on experience.

Child development history

Pre vocational student Sivarajan, aged 14 years came to our centre for assessment, by June-2024 with the complaints of difficulties in learning and behavioural issues. After assessment, we came to know that he had difficulties in the following areas.

*Difficulties in reading and writing.

*Difficulties in doing life maths, other life skills and in doing simple calculations.

*Difficulties in socializing and hesitation in participating in any activity.

*Behavioural issues - anger and emotion management difficulties.

We worked on the following areas

a) Functional academic skills.

b) Behavioural management - Anger management.

c) To promote, leadership and counseling.

d) To indulge in sports.

After one year of therapy and remedial classes, he is now able to

1)read and write simple words both in Tamil and English.

2)Now able to do simple calculation using calculator.

3) Actively participates in all Pre-Voc activities like paper bag making, turmeric powder packaging and instructed in tuck shop.

4) Learning to give balance and take appropriate money for the product.

5) Eagerly participates in all cultural performance, sports activities, gets encouraged and is enthusiastic winning prizes.

His academics is still taken care. Now he has become a school leader and gets motivated by offering help to all children and staff. Confidently participates in any task given.

Experiential Learning Trip: Exploring Culture and Healthcare

Our special needs children, remedial students, and young adults went on an experiential learning trip to a nearby temple and Sivameds MultiSpeciality Hospital, Pollachi. At the temple, they explored the architecture, participated in rituals, and engaged with the community. At Sivameds Hospital, Dr. P. Uthraraj, a renowned pediatrician, interacted with the students, sharing insights on healthcare and hygiene.Guided by teachers, students explored independently, gaining real-world knowledge and valuable life skills.

Handmade Product Stall at NGM College, Pollachi

OutReach Special School set up a handmade product stall at NGM College, Pollachi, with the support of our internship students. The stall featured soaps, herbal sambrani, bracelets, scented candles, lip balms, and other handcrafted items made by our special kids and young adults. The proceeds from the sales were utilized for their welfare and development, promoting skill-building and self-sufficiency.

NGM College – Internship Program

Students from the Department of Social Work (II MSW), NGM College, Pollachi, participated in an internship program at our special school as part of their fieldwork. During their time with us, they observed our individualized educational practices, interacted with students and teachers, and gained insights into special education and rehabilitation. The internship concluded with a discussion on their experiences and insights, helping to promote awareness and understanding of special education among future rehabilitation professionals.

Holi Celebrations 2025

Holi was joyfully celebrated at our school using organic colors made from dried flowers, handcrafted by special kids from V-Excel Learning Center, Nashik, Maharastra. This initiative promoted eco-friendly celebrations while encouraging skill development among the students. Adding to the excitement, students enthusiastically participated in a fun-filled activity of filling bottles with colored water, enhancing their motor skills and coordination while embracing the festive spirit. The event created a vibrant and inclusive atmosphere, allowing students to experience the festivity of colours in a safe and joyful manner.

Group Therapy Session 7

In our 7th group therapy session, we continued to engage early intervention students in structured activities to foster their overall development. Activities focused on Activities of Daily Living (ADL) training, helping students build independence and essential life skills. Concept development activities emphasized understanding directions to improve spatial awareness and cognitive processing. Catch-and-throw exercises were incorporated to enhance hand-eye coordination, motor planning, and reaction time. Students practiced balancing board activities to develop stability, core strength, and coordinated movements. Number concept activities supported numerical understanding. The session concluded with a food-sharing activity, promoting positive social interactions, turn-taking, and healthy eating habits.

International Epilepsy Awareness Day – Purple Day

International Epilepsy Day Awareness Program was observed at our special school to educate and empower our faculty. A special session was conducted by our physiotherapist, Dr. S.Kanaga Rajan Sir, on how to respond and handle situations if a student experiences an epileptic episode. He provided valuable guidance on immediate first-aid measures and effective intervention techniques. To show solidarity and raise awareness, our staff and students wore purple attire in observance of Purple Day. The session enhanced our faculty's preparedness and confidence in managing such emergencies.

Integration of Students from Guru Krupa Special School

OutReach Special School, Pollachi, in collaboration with Gurukrupa School, has taken a significant step toward inclusive education by integrating special needs students from their school into ours. With the support of Swami Vignesh, the correspondent of Gurukrupa School, this initiative aims to provide these students with a nurturing environment where they receive the necessary academic, social, and emotional support. Our efforts focus on fostering an inclusive learning space through teacher training, peer support, and specialized accommodations. By working together, we ensure that every child feels valued and has the opportunity to succeed.

Trustee Vist

Our Trustee Shri. G. Rajagopal and Our Program Director – Vocational and Rehabilitation Services Mrs. Usha Rajagopal from Chennai both visited our Abhyasa Kendra, Srirangam on 24th of March, 2024. They had a conversation with our Special Educator, Therapist, Skill Trainers, Support Staff and Vocational, Pre- Vocational Trainees and Remedial Students and had a look into the kitchen, therapy and academic activities. They were happy to see our work and our production items.

Experiential Learning Trip

On 14.03.2025, we took the children from our center to Uvari, a tourist destination located 75 kilometers from Nellai, for an experiential learning trip. 15 children, 5 parents, and the teachers all departed from the Perumalpuram center in a van around 9:30 am. At 11:30 am, we arrived at the Uvari temple (the self-manifested Lingam Shiva temple). Everyone prayed at the temple, and then we proceeded directly to the Kambala Matha shrine. This shrine is located near the sea, with the structure shaped like a ship below and an airplane above. The sea was in front, creating a very scenic view. The children were extremely happy seeing everything. We taught them about the sea waves and the fishing boats. The children enjoyed walking in the sand. Everyone was served lunch. After eating, we left from there and went to Manappadu, which was 15 kilometers away. We took them to the Diveesha (Divine) Lighthouse and explained its significance. We returned to the center by 6:30 pm. The parents expressed their gratitude to the center as well as the staff . For us, it was our maiden trip and we enjoyed thoroughly. 

This center that started on 7th June 2024 has seven students now. All the activities at this training center are being adapted and provided in a simple manner that suits the students. Every month, various festivals and outings are being organized for the students, where they can engage in activities they enjoy. (For example: activities related to different festivals and outings)Festivals such as Krishna Jayanti, Vinayaka Chaturthi, Pongal, Diwali, New Year celebrations, and birthday parties are being celebrated with the students at the training center.Every month, with the help of V-Excel Educational Trust, new activities are introduced and necessary documents for the children are being maintained in the center.

Last month, with the help of V-Excel Educational Trust, we met with the parents of each student and discussed the students' progress. The feedback from the parents have been really encouraging.The activities that the children are engaged in include ADL's, (Daily living activities), functional skills and academics to make them independent.

We are hopeful of bringing in more children who can benefit from this program.

Greetings from V-Excel-SAF Special School, Kolapakkam!

Birthday Celebration:

On March 14, 2025, we celebrated the birthday of one of our students, Dhanushree. During the celebration, we taught the children about birthday-related topics and helping making birthday card by writing their names on the card with various color balloon prints and singing a birthday song.

Theme of the month Ramadan:

Ramadan, an important festival of Muslims when they fast all day for the entire month of March. To help the children understand the tradition  and significance of the Ramadan fast, we provided  them festival-related assignments and the children were excited and eager to finish them . They also did artwork associated with the Eid-Mubarak celebration and learnt  a song on  Ramadan.

Mini Garden:

In our Kolapakkam center, a mini garden has been established with plants like portulaca, Vaadamalli, money plant, and guava, as well as medicinal plants like karpuravalli and tulasi. We educated our children about the significance and advantages of having a garden. The kids wait to explore and water the garden where they also learn to be in harmony with nature. We are hopeful of making a big garden with lots of plants .

Key highlights for the month of March 2025

• Women’s Day celebrations

• Commencement of the new vocational activity – Flower dust making

• Annual day practice

• Backdrop and props making for the annual day play

• Grundfos team visit

• Participation in SNEH Meet and Greet event

• Visitors

• Admissions

Women’s Day celebrations

On 08 March 2025, YES team celebrated International Women’s Day with great fun. The celebration was not only fun, but it also had very useful and meaningful sessions. It started with the participating women, parents, and staff members from YES and other units, introducing themselves with their names and its significance. This was followed by the fitness and self-defense training session by Mr. Kumar, Martial Arts and fitness coach. After this we had Ms. Swathi Rekha from Naturals conduct a session on basic makeup and useful hair and skin care tips. Ms. Swathi brought along 2 of her team members who did makeover for a few parents and trainees. It was very amazing to see the beautiful transformation. The celebration concluded with music and dance. The women who participated went home with happiness and joy in their heart and a takeaway gift in their hand.

Commencement of the new vocational activity – Flower dust making

At YES, we have started a new vocational activity of making flower dust from used flowers sourced from temples in the neighbourhood. This is in association with an organisation called Craftizen. Under the guidance of Ms. Nitya, KLC, who attended the training program at Craftizen, taught a few trainees and trainers from YES, the process of making flower dust right from sourcing the flowers, sorting and drying to powdering and mixing. This dust can be further used to make a lot of useful products like holi/rangoli powder, agarbatti and sculptures.

Annual day practice

The much-awaited annual day play is fixed for 05 and 06 April and the practice for the YES team started from 03 March. 11 trainees and 2 trainers were part of the play. All of them went to the head office for practice and returned to YES around lunch time.

Backdrop and props making for the annual day

As part of the annual day participation, YES team was given the task of making one backdrop and a few props for the play. Our therapist Mr. Vasanth took the lead for the backdrop and Ms. Girija took the lead for the props. One of our volunteers, Ms. Prasanna Narayani, also contributed by making a few props for the play. In all the activities many of our trainees were involved, which made it both a learning and fun filled activity.

Grundfos team visit

A five-member team from Grundfos visited YES on 14 March 2025. Ms. Apoorva, Ms. Kusuma, Mr. Ramesh and Mr. Anand came to YES to have a look at the vocational training activities and to meet the identified trainees from YES who could be considered for an internship at Grundfos. The meeting went very well and the team appreciated the efforts put in by the YES team towards empowering the special adults. They also understood the process and interacted with 3 selected trainees. It was discussed on how to take this forward and action plans were also decided.

As a follow up to this meeting, Ms. Gayathri from YES went to Grundfos along with one trainee to further discuss the internship process and guidelines were also laid clearly.

Participation in SNEH Meet and Greet event

On 20 March 2025, 2 trainees and 3 staff members from YES participated in the Meet and Greet event organised by SNEH. Apart from V-Excel getting recognised for the support, trainees and trainers from different units of V-Excel were also felicitated for their hard work and efforts. From YES trainees Mr. Dhanvanth and Ms. Dhennussa along with Ms. Divya Venkatesh and Ms. Vijisha got the certificate of appreciation.

Visitors

Social media influencer and young entrepreneur Ms. Selvi, along with her 2 friends, visited YES to celebrate her birthday with the team on 26 March. She cut the cake and had a great time clicking pics. She also showed her support by donating a token amount.

Admissions

March had 2 new admissions to YES making the count to 35.