The month of February 2024 began on an energetic note, with involvement in Sports activities. Five students of S.P. J. Sadhana School from the Office Procedures class, Visual Arts and Crafts and Wood Art and Handicraft Departments, participated in the Special Olympics Maharashtra State Level Championship held at Nagpur from 29th January to 1st February, participating in events such as Basketball, Badminton, Bocce, Roller-skating as well as Swimming. Our students won laurels, bringing home 1 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze medal.
The Staff and students organised a Fun Day on 16th February. The PTA Committee members as well as parents and family members volunteered to help the students to participate with the various Fun Day activities. The staff of each class/department was involved in a range of fun activities such as: Bowling and Bingo for the Formative Years, Breaking the Pyramid for the Prevocational Class, Feeding the Monkey for the Skills Enhancement Class, Electric Fusion for the OPC Class, Craft Corner for the ABT Class, Test your Memory and Treasure Hunt in Sand for the OT Department, and many other activities.
Very appreciative feedback was received from families of the students, regarding the Fun Day activities. Presented below is feedback from Gayatri Pore, sister of Sanjana: "Thank you very much for giving me the chance to take the responsibility of OPC class for some time. I really enjoyed being with them, taking them to all the stalls and witnessing their joy while playing the games and winning prizes.
One thing that I starkly realised yesterday was that dealing with children with special needs in a school setting and making sure that they are safe and happy is a very challenging job. I realised how much energy and emotional strength is required to do this job, and that our teachers at SPJ have been doing it so efficiently for years together.
Even though I have a sibling with special needs, I realised how the role of a teacher is so different and how essential it is in shaping our students. I just want to express gratitude towards you, all the teachers and the staff of SPJ who have been taking care of the children and dealing with them in the manner that they deserve to be dealt with - at their pace and while understanding their needs. A big salute to SPJ Sadhana School for being a safe haven, which would never have been possible without you, your teachers and staff”.
During the month of February, the school acted as a learning resource and received Educational Visits from students of three institutions.
In order to gain an insight into the workings of a special school, the M.A. Second Year Clinical Psychology and Counselling Psychology students of the University Department of Psychology, S.N.D.T. University, Churchgate, Mumbai visited Sadhana School.
The second visit was by the students of the Integrated B.Ed., M.Ed., Spl.Edu. (SLD & ID) courses of the Amity Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences, Amity University, Uttar Pradesh.
The third visit was by the Teachers and Management Members of Andheri Mahila Parishad who run Shishu Kalyan Kendra School for the Mentally Challenged.
The students, teachers and management members from all three institutions greatly appreciated the experiential exposure, the observation of teaching sessions, therapies and facilities as well as the enriching discussions with faculty members of Sadhana School. They made special mention of the professionalism and dedication exhibited by the staff of Sadhana School.
The feedback forms from the students of these institutions also provided very heart-warming feedback. Apart from the excellent physical environment and the airiness, warmth and colourfulness of the classrooms, the feedback highlighted the well-defined curriculum, the unique interventions and therapies (such as hydrotherapy, snoezeleen etc.), as well as the multisensory/modality approach to learning and the individualised learning provided based on each learner's strengths and needs.
The visitors specifically appreciated the rapport established by the teachers with the learners and praised them for being patient, supportive, empathetic and unconditionally positive. The feedback also mentioned the excellent student-teacher ratio, which helped to make learning more effective, as well as the strategies for transition and the work experience through internship opportunities provided to the students.
The month of February ended with a warm and happy occasion, as the school felicitated Ms. Kashmira Vazifdar, Coordinator of the Enhanced Intervention Centre on completion of her Ph.D. Her dissertation, entitled "Mediated Self-Talk and Arts-Based Therapy as Facilitators of Social-Emotional Adjustment in Children with Special Educational Needs", drew upon her rich experience with her learners at Sadhana School and was the culmination of years of creative innovations aimed at enhancing the learning experiences of her students. The lovingly drawn cards and enthusiastically prepared decorations by students of the school was an endorsement of her 30 years of dedication to the school and the effectiveness of the therapies that formed the core of her dissertation. This achievement also reflects the encouraging and supportive environment provided by Sadhana School, to enable the faculty and the staff members to undertake such projects and to reach their true potential.
Thus the month of February 2024 ended on a truly celebratory note.
The Staff and students organised a Fun Day on 16th February. The PTA Committee members as well as parents and family members volunteered to help the students to participate with the various Fun Day activities. The staff of each class/department was involved in a range of fun activities such as: Bowling and Bingo for the Formative Years, Breaking the Pyramid for the Prevocational Class, Feeding the Monkey for the Skills Enhancement Class, Electric Fusion for the OPC Class, Craft Corner for the ABT Class, Test your Memory and Treasure Hunt in Sand for the OT Department, and many other activities.
Very appreciative feedback was received from families of the students, regarding the Fun Day activities. Presented below is feedback from Gayatri Pore, sister of Sanjana: "Thank you very much for giving me the chance to take the responsibility of OPC class for some time. I really enjoyed being with them, taking them to all the stalls and witnessing their joy while playing the games and winning prizes.
One thing that I starkly realised yesterday was that dealing with children with special needs in a school setting and making sure that they are safe and happy is a very challenging job. I realised how much energy and emotional strength is required to do this job, and that our teachers at SPJ have been doing it so efficiently for years together.
Even though I have a sibling with special needs, I realised how the role of a teacher is so different and how essential it is in shaping our students. I just want to express gratitude towards you, all the teachers and the staff of SPJ who have been taking care of the children and dealing with them in the manner that they deserve to be dealt with - at their pace and while understanding their needs. A big salute to SPJ Sadhana School for being a safe haven, which would never have been possible without you, your teachers and staff”.
During the month of February, the school acted as a learning resource and received Educational Visits from students of three institutions.
In order to gain an insight into the workings of a special school, the M.A. Second Year Clinical Psychology and Counselling Psychology students of the University Department of Psychology, S.N.D.T. University, Churchgate, Mumbai visited Sadhana School.
The second visit was by the students of the Integrated B.Ed., M.Ed., Spl.Edu. (SLD & ID) courses of the Amity Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences, Amity University, Uttar Pradesh.
The third visit was by the Teachers and Management Members of Andheri Mahila Parishad who run Shishu Kalyan Kendra School for the Mentally Challenged.
The students, teachers and management members from all three institutions greatly appreciated the experiential exposure, the observation of teaching sessions, therapies and facilities as well as the enriching discussions with faculty members of Sadhana School. They made special mention of the professionalism and dedication exhibited by the staff of Sadhana School.
The feedback forms from the students of these institutions also provided very heart-warming feedback. Apart from the excellent physical environment and the airiness, warmth and colourfulness of the classrooms, the feedback highlighted the well-defined curriculum, the unique interventions and therapies (such as hydrotherapy, snoezeleen etc.), as well as the multisensory/modality approach to learning and the individualised learning provided based on each learner's strengths and needs.
The visitors specifically appreciated the rapport established by the teachers with the learners and praised them for being patient, supportive, empathetic and unconditionally positive. The feedback also mentioned the excellent student-teacher ratio, which helped to make learning more effective, as well as the strategies for transition and the work experience through internship opportunities provided to the students.
The month of February ended with a warm and happy occasion, as the school felicitated Ms. Kashmira Vazifdar, Coordinator of the Enhanced Intervention Centre on completion of her Ph.D. Her dissertation, entitled "Mediated Self-Talk and Arts-Based Therapy as Facilitators of Social-Emotional Adjustment in Children with Special Educational Needs", drew upon her rich experience with her learners at Sadhana School and was the culmination of years of creative innovations aimed at enhancing the learning experiences of her students. The lovingly drawn cards and enthusiastically prepared decorations by students of the school was an endorsement of her 30 years of dedication to the school and the effectiveness of the therapies that formed the core of her dissertation. This achievement also reflects the encouraging and supportive environment provided by Sadhana School, to enable the faculty and the staff members to undertake such projects and to reach their true potential.
Thus the month of February 2024 ended on a truly celebratory note.