"“Your time is limited, don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinion drowned your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."
...Steve Jobs
V-Excel News
The V-Excel Hobby Club was launched on 28th January 2012, its first activity being a Photography class. A few IT Executives volunteered to teach our children to take photos using a digital camera. Open to all special schools, we began with 10 students who were asked to take ten pictures of the scenery they liked. They have really done a good job and the pictures are posted on our Facebook.
In association with Kuruvilla Jacob Initiative, V-Excel held workshops on 4th, 5th, and 6th January 2012 with 35 participants from 16 different schools. Our expert trainers Dr. Vasudha and Mrs. Gita conducted this workshop; feedback suggests that the training was well received by all the teachers.
A workshop on Public Speaking and Presentation Skills was conducted for all V-Excel staff on 28th January 2012 by two very experienced orators Dr. Vasudha Prakash and Mrs. Shobha. They focused on various aspects such as having eye contact, body language, delivering message, dressing style, do's and don'ts and the like. Benjamin Zander's video demonstrating effective public speaking was shown. Also highlighted were essentials of a presentation using powerpoint. Participants were asked to volunteer and speak on an assigned topic, followed by comments from the participants themselves. There will be a follow-up workshop in April 2012.
The satellite centers at Nashik and Tirunelveli have seen an increase in enrolments this month. The programs as well as systems are getting better organized over time. With an increasing awareness of our Center, we are getting referrals from nearby schools.
Kaleisdoscope Learning Centre
Two batches of children from grade 3 and 4 stepped into the next grades in a ceremonial and significant ceremony. The graduates felt the honour and the responsibility of their next grades and now KLC has its first grade 4 and 5 respectively.
Pongal was celebrated in the Center and this time the festival activity was led by the akkas (helpers) who made pongal (a special sweet dish) in the mud pot while all the teachers and children looked on.
The annual day theme has been finalised and the Story of Creation unfolds amidst movement, drama and the unraveling of the children's spirits. Every year we move forward in the process and this year we actually had children audition for playing the parts. The other notable fact has been - children volunteering to do certain roles and adding their own special touches to their movements.
Sanjiv Bhalla, a Falun Dafa practitioner, made a visit to the school and was on the premises for three days. Parents and teachers saw the presentation and practised the Chi Gong exercises demonstrated by Mr. Bhalla. Falun Dafa is a process of purifying both mind and body, and teaches one to attune themselves to the universal principles of Truth, Compassion and Forbearance. We hope that all our children, teachers and parents greatly benefit from this experience.
Academy for Teacher Excellence
We have started training in Psychology for four students who are appearing for the online degree in Masters of Psychology. All our Counseling and Assessment team members have had an experience in academics are happy to get back to teaching mainstream curriculum.
Our first Certificate Course in Counseling Skills (Level 1) will begin next month. The emphasis will be on the basic skills required for a 'solution focused' approach to counseling. The program will effectively integrate theory and application of the concepts and strategies taught. Spread over a total of 24 hours, 6 hours per week, the classes will be conducted on 18th Feb, 25th Feb, 3rd Mar & 25th Mar 2012. (Saturdays) between 10 a.m.- 4.30 p.m.
Persons eligible to apply for our Counseling Course includes administrators, teachers, counselors, special educators, nurses, Bachelors/Masters in Psychology/Social Work/Counseling, and Individuals with a Certificate/Bachelors /Masters Degree in Counseling who need practice in counseling skills. The course fee is Rs.5000/- per student. Interested persons can contact our office at 91-44-24956373/24620243 for further details.
Early Intervention Unit
The process of identifying children who can attend regular schools is in progress. They will then be on the wean-off program till end of this year.
Sensory play is conducted on regular basis to facilitate development and provide exploration.
We addressed all the parents and impressed upon them the importance of facilitating overall developmental skills, as against teaching academic skills, during early child hood. This is one of the most challenging areas for the parents to accept.
Group sessions with specific goals for social development and peer interaction have been facilitated. For the older children, group play was conducted with the aim of promoting speech and for language development. It was also a way of providing them a platform for expressing themselves and having fun in the process.
Bridges Learning Academy
The new year was ushered in with great hope and enthusiasm and as usual resolutions and promises were made by all the students.
Kummi attam (dance) was performed by teachers and the children on Pongal. Dr. Vasudha Prakash and her daughter Aditi also joined in the dance. Pongal was cooked in an earthenware pot which was decorated with vermillon and flowers.
A meeting was arranged between the parents and Dr. Vasudha Prakash to discuss the inclusion of BLA children in the schools. It is a matter of immense happiness that many of our children are ready to move back into mainstream. One of the children will be taking the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) route, which allows certain academic exemptions for the students.
The annual day (scheduled for March) practice is on in full swing. Children are going for two practice sessions per day for an hour each.
V-Excel Remedial Centre
We welcome the new Special Educator, Molly Sinha, who has joined us as a new remedial teacher. She brings with her the experience in working with school inclusion aspects.
We completed three new assessments and shared the findings with the parents. Two more student assessments are being done. We also conducted review meetings with three parents to discuss the remedial plan for their child. All the parent s felt really encouraged by their child's progress.
Molly Sinha and Jayanthi Srinivasan, our remedial teachers, attended an in-house workshop conducted by John Miller explaining the twelve senses and their relevance.
Pongal was celebrated with great enthusiasm. The children painted a pongal pot and we cooked chakkarai pongal and made an offering to the Sun God. Our remedial student Sankaran chanted shlokams and all the other children joined in actively.
Rural Outreach Program
Across all the nine blocks of Villipuram, we conducted disability awareness camps. The modus operandi of reaching the public included street plays, procession, etc. More than 500 persons participated in each camp. Our representatives went to many villages in remote areas of the district.
We also successfully completed medical camps in all the blocks. Based on the assessment by different doctors, a list of medical appliances required for the persons with physical disabilities was made. The distribution which began in January will carry on in February too. This month we distributed 792 spectacles, 200 hearing aids and 240 motor aids like calipers, special boots, and wheelchairs.
Vocational Training Unit
The trainees ushered the new year with great joy when they returned to the vocational training unit after the Christmas break.
Samarth our marketing outlet for the trainees was restarted with all our products on display.
Students painted the mud pots and decorated it in the traditional way for Pongal. Over a well-lit fire the sweet Pongal was prepared; the joyous mood and environment continued while the teachers, staff and trainees had a happy lunch time together.
The trainees participated in a workshop in Kalakshetra organized by the Aseema Trust, wherein around 200 students from various regular schools participated. The theme for this year was 'recycling'. Our trainees too collected plastic waste, created a spider and spider web using them to symbolize how we are all entangled in the use of plastic.
Three trainees were selected to be a part of the hobby club. The trainees were taken to to a scenic location for a photography session with digital cameras. The trainees had a wonderful time when they were asked to click photographs from various angles.
The in-service training for the staff on 'Public speaking and Presentation skills' was very helpful for all. We look forward to many such development sessions.
Counseling and Assessment Unit
The month of January was getting back to routine after the holiday. Our weekly group play therapy classes for school began as usual. The children are now busy practicing for the upcoming annual day.
We have many new enrollments for individual and marital counseling. The referrals are coming from the corporate sector and also from some homeopathic doctors. Our reach is slowly widening and encompassing the general population outside the school.
Dr. Vasudha and one of our teammates conducted a workshop for an IT company on 'Managing relationships at workplace'. With immense pressure and competition in offices, this is becoming a major challenge for many executives.
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
The V-Excel Hobby Club was launched on 28th January 2012, its first activity being a Photography class. A few IT Executives volunteered to teach our children to take photos using a digital camera. Open to all special schools, we began with 10 students who were asked to take ten pictures of the scenery they liked. They have really done a good job and the pictures are posted on our Facebook.