"The man who does things makes many mistakes, but he never makes the biggest mistake of all - doing nothing. "
~ Benjamin Franklin ~
V-Excel News
The V-Excel Center for Research and Rehabilitation was inaugurated by Shri. Nalli Kuppuswamy Chetti on November 1st. The center,
a joint effort by V-Excel and ESVI Sarada Foundation will have an Early Intervention Unit with Sensory Integration and
Neuro-Developmental Therapy, Psycho-Educational Assessment, Counseling and Vocational units, and a Job Developmental Wing.
Shri A. L. Somyaji, Former Advocate General, and presently the Chairman of ESVI Sarada Foundation was present at the occasion. Noted
cricketers, L. Balaji, and Sadagopan Ramesh, were also present.
Academy of Teacher Excellence News
Practical sessions of the Mental Retardation (MR) module came to a close with the first week of November.
Dr. Vasudha Prakash gave two very interesting lectures on Inclusion to the trainees.
The LD module began in the second week of November, with Mrs. Sudha Ganesh Chella conducting the classes. The trainees have
not only been observing at BLA, but also at Diksha, the remedial center run by Mrs. Chella.
The trainees have also had practical training with select children from BLA and have had their hands full with observations,
journal writing, and other assignments.
Kaleidoscope Learning Center (KLC) News
Kaleidoscope Learning Centre has been abuzz with activity. Children’s day was celebrated on 14 November with the parents
pitching in to dress their children up as national leaders, as Krishna, and even as a baker. In fact we specially mention the
pains taken by Arrvind Rajgopal’s mother whose hot cross buns were as attractive as the little baker who walked across the
school porch. The fancy dress was followed by a few games and a painting activity which was colorful and innovative. Children
of KLC walked across large sheets of paper with their feet dipped in paint. The children had a whale of a time while the maids
had to work hard to clean the feet and the floor after this exhilarating activity.
The school also got its first taste of marketing products made by the children. The opportunity was given by Infosys, Chennai.
With very little notice and under the guidance of Hana Elwell, our visitor from the USA, our little factory turned out gift-wrapping
paper, gift tags, notepads, pocket books, bookmarks and various other paper products. The highlight was the paintings and
collage work done by the students, entitled Imagination and Water. We acknowledge with gratitude the people at Infosys who made
it possible for our exhibits to be displayed and also entertained our children for a party in the evening.
Dr. Lakshmi Prassana and Dr. Michael from Hyderabad came and addressed the teachers on “The twelve senses” as part of the
in-service training for the teachers. It was well attended and extremely useful. We hope we will be able to incorporate much
of Rudolph Steiners anthroposophy basics in our class rooms.
V-Excel Remedial Center (VRC) News
We were visited by people training to be teacher aids for special children in the inclusive setting at Children Garden School.
A lecture on ‘Sensory Processing Difficulties and its Management in the Classroom” was delivered by our coordinator, Ms. Nandini
Santhanam. This was followed by an animated question and answer session and a tour around the school.
Some snippets from our classrooms:
Tejo fondly known as Jojo brightens up the class by motivating other children with his captivating smile and ‘You can do
it too!’ attitude.
Gayathri, who is in eighth grade, has learnt to receive and give complements gracefully.
Venkatesh learned to express his true emotion of jealousy when his teacher tried to give shared attention to another
child. You may ask what’s new.. Well the amazing thing is he did express it without any self injurious behavior that
he is famous for.
Sri Charan and Jagan, communicated about the difficulties they faced at school.
Bridges Learning Academy
BLA had its second in-service this month. The topic covered was formal and informal assessments. The workshop was done by
Ms. Viji Shanmugha. Participation was good and all the teachers had lots of questions on assessments.
A few children had participated in the Inter School Competitions organized by Andhra Social & Cultural Association in
connection with Children’s Day. Reshika won in her category of fancy dress competition.
Children’s Day at BLA was filled with frolic. The morning was spent singing, and painting and listening to the keyboard.
The afternoon saw the children gathered around Varun the keyboard teacher who was leaving BLA: he played songs for them as
they sang along and clapped.
The Inner Wheel Club and CARESS which had organized the trip to the aquarium last month gave participation certificates
to all the children who had gone for the trip. The children re-lived the trip and narrated incidents of the aquarium to the
Inner Wheel club members who were all praise of the art work that the children had done.
Twenty children of BLA went to Infosys as a part of the party organized by the company in connection with Children’s Day.
BLA had contributed in a very small way to the products that were displayed and sold by V-Excel that day. The children
enjoyed the long ride, and the party.
V-Excel Outreach
The Rotary Club of Kilpauk donated 15 wheelchairs and 15 tricycles to children with special needs at Villupuram.
Distribution camps were organized at various blocks in Villupuram district including, Kanai, Mailam, Vaanur and Melamalayanur
where aids and appliances where distributed.
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.
What is Sensory Integration?
Sensory experiences include touch, movement, body awareness, sight, sound, and the pull of gravity. The process of the brain
organizing and interpreting this information is called sensory integration. Sensory integration provides a crucial foundation
for later, more complex learning and behavior. For most children, sensory integration develops in the course of ordinary
childhood activities. Motor planning ability is a natural outcome of the process, as is the ability to adapt to
incoming sensations. But for some children, sensory integration does not develop as efficiently as it should. When
the process is disordered, a number of problems in learning, development or behavior may become evident. The concept of
sensory integration comes from a body of work developed by A. Jean Ayres, PhD., OTR. As an occupational therapist, Dr.
Ayres was interested in the way in which sensory processing and motor planning disorders interfere with daily life
function and learning. This theory has been developed and refined by the research of Dr. Ayres, as well as other
occupational and physical therapists. In addition, literature from the fields of neuropsychology, neurology, physiology,
child development and psychology has contributed to theory development and intervention strategies.
