"Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work. "
~ H.L. Hunt ~
V-Excel News
Our Founder-Director, Dr. Vasudha Prakash, attended an experiential workshop on hypnotherapy conducted by the eminent
Psychiatrist Dr. Brian Weiss, at Austin, Texas.
A sizeable portion of time of the administrative staff of V-Excel was spent on gearing up for the inauguration of the
new center at Sastri Nagar. It was an exciting time for all of us as the V-Excel family is growing!
The rains played spoilsport to our plans of celebrating a traditional Diwali. It was a wet day and we couldn’t have the
fireworks. But thanks to the voluntary organization ALERT sweets and snacks were distributed to all.
Academy of Teacher Excellence News
Our ATE trainee Vaishnavi says, “October has been a hectic and lively month with our practical sessions with individual
kids. With each session we have been growing confident and creative with the children. Interspersed with practicals, we have
had sessions for clarifying doubts and guidance for doing effective sessions with children. We have also been busy submitting
our assignments on ‘assessments’, over which everyone has taken a lot of effort”.
Kaleidoscope Learning Center (KLC) News
School reopened on 4th October after the Dussera break. It’s been a rainy month with festival holidays interspersed
with forced rain holidays. Diwali the festival of lights was celebrated on a low scale with sweets and traditional clothes
but no fire crackers.
The classes primary 4, 1 and 2 went for a tour around the city and visited the important places like the police station,
hospital, etc.
Classes primary 5 and 3 had a science project day where the students and teachers set up a practical laboratory for a day.
They conducted various experiments on water.
Great strides have been made with Latha Aunty and the computers. Many children are showing great progress using the computer
both for learning and for communication. The star of the month has been Pranav! Congratulations Latha Aunty and Pranav!!!
Teachers in KLC are busy with home visits and in service training. This month’s topic was “Busy hands”.
V-Excel Remedial Center (VRC) News
October brought with it the wonderful festival of lights and sound Diwali. It was the exiting event of the month
for some of the kids and eagerly looked forward to. For the others who had sensory processing difficulties it were
a few days of sheer agony as the sounds and the lights overwhelmed their system. The teachers worked with the children
to ease their discomfort by telling them social stories on how to deal with the stress. Calming techniques were taught
and practiced. However well prepared they were, it was a difficult time for some of our children. Let us join together
in making the festivals enjoyable and fun time for all of us.
Rain exploded with a mighty crash and continued through the month. The teachers, therapists and parents have struggled
to keep the therapies going. The children have cooperated and tried to work hard even in the middle of torrential rains.
It has been a difficult journey for the children with learning difficulties to cope in school. The pressure from
learning the school curriculum when combined with the remediation required for them to bridge their gaps is sometimes
overwhelming for our children. Combine this with little or no understanding from parents and their regular school teachers
make it very difficult for them to cope. Their self-esteem is affected and it comes in the way of the children forming
meaningful friendships with their peers. Along with the remediation of the reading and writing skills, the teachers are
also focusing on helping the children strengthen the emotional self.
Interesting anecdotes from our classrooms
Bala enjoys the greeting from everybody in the remedial rooms and looks forward to the smiles.
Adish expressed his emotions and ideas by typing. It has opened out a floodgate of exploration of communication by
our teachers with the children.
Rahul enjoys the female company and in particular the fair and the lovely. He ignored the others effectively. It was
fun to observe him in class; the teachers have of course named him ‘The Romeo’.
Bridges Learning Academy
Rains have been incessant and attendance levels of both students and teachers have been low thanks to the rains.
The children of three classes: Primary IB, Primary II and Middle II went on a field trip to the local aquarium. The trip
was arranged as a part of a project done by CARESS which works in collaboration with the Inner Wheel club to spread awareness
of environmental issues among school children. The children had a lovely time as they saw the fishes being fed. This was
followed by a craft activity and the children made a huge collage of life under the sea.
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.
Why is the world like it is?
Why is the world like it is?
Everyone is different, special in their own way.
why does that not apply to me?
why do you look at me in that way?
I'm the shy one, problems I have many
you don't understand me
why is she different you ask,
Well I don't understand me either,
but I'm special in my own way.
I think and learn and do,
all in a different way.
just because I have a problem
People don't think before they say.
I try my very best,
but no one understands
I was blessed not burdened.
Don't you understand?
it's not my fault you know,
I didn't ask for this.
but try I will and try I mite
and triumph I hopefully do.
it takes awhile to understand
DYSLEXIA you ask
yes and I will make you understand
because special I am
but.....
Why is the world like it is?
~ by Kelly O'Neill, 17, dyslexic
