The month of March began with participation of our students and sports teachers in the Young Athletes Programme (YAP) at the Andheri Sports Complex in partnership with Special Olympics, Maharashtra. The students were provided with sports equipment kits sponsored by Hasbro. The parents also took the initiative in supporting this programme, encouraging the students and ensuring attendance for the training and the events. Our athletes showcased their abilities well, performing individually and independently.
On the occasion of Women's Day, our Principal, Ms. Fionika Sanghvi received well-deserved recognition from the organization MFA (My Financial Advisor), which felicitated her as an Empowered Woman, a woman who is a True Change-maker.
Women's Day was celebrated in the school with a workshop on make-up by Ms. Rashmin Maredia. The theme of the workshop was "Proud to be a Woman".
Post-graduate students of the Second Year M.A. programme in Clinical Psychology and Counselling Psychology of the S.N.D.T. University visited the school for training and exposure. The students provided very positive feedback after the visit, stressing on the "welcoming" school environment, and the atmosphere of acceptance, discipline, supportiveness and patience. The students were impressed by the wide range of therapies provided, the training in job preparation skills, and the opportunities for the students to explore and express themselves through the curriculum and the co-curricular activities. The S.N.D.T. students mentioned that the visit taught them to be non-judgmental towards parents and exposed them to alternative effective ways of connecting with the learners. They highlighted the fact that the school provided various therapy interventions other than just the mainstream ones.
On the occasion of Holi, the Visual Arts & Crafts Class presented a special assembly on the theme: "Har rang kuchh kehta hai". The assembly began with a song about the colours "Black and White", leading to the awareness of lack of colour-”Berang hai Zindagi". The performance then moved to a presentation involving the pouring of all the vibrant colours into jars, along with their symbolism. For instance Red symbolizes happiness and hope, Blue represents calmness and responsibility, Green signifies nature, life, growth, etc. The presentation depicted how mixing of two or more primary colours can create secondary colours, such as orange, signifying brightness and energy, and purple signifying royalty and luxury. Awareness was thus created about how colours can reflect moods and emotions. An energetic dance was performed on the theme of Holi: "Balam Pichkari".
This was followed by an interesting storytelling session. Dr. Shrilekha Hada, a homeopath and a devotee from the ISKCON organization along with her other companions from the Hare Krishna Temple at Babulnath, narrated the mythological story about the festival of Holi and about how Lord Krishna played Holi. Finally, the students, staff and guests did Flower Abhishek, and played Holi with flowers.
On the occasion of World Downs Syndrome Day, the school presented a Special Assembly with Ms. Sia Mirchandani as the Chief Guest. The focus of this Special Assembly was to raise awareness and to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (Trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Downs’s syndrome. The Special Assembly used the metaphor of "mismatched socks" to raise awareness about Downs Syndrome, the underlying message being that individuals with Downs’s syndrome may look different, but all of them fit in. This message was further reinforced with a presentation on a "matching" activity. This activity was performed with the parents followed by songs and dances. Our student Rahim recited a poem about Downs’s syndrome by Susan Jaques. The programme ended with everyone creating a beautiful tree by sticking on it pre-made hand-stamped leaves. The ultimate message was: "All of us have a hand in making this world a beautiful place."
A very important learning activity for the students was the Enrichment Educative Excursion, which provided learners at different levels with a range of enriching learning experiences.
Grades 1, 2 and 3 were taken on an excursion to RUSH, an indoor playhouse. Our young learners, who were full of energy and enthusiasm, thoroughly enjoyed themselves in a safe environment. The variety of activities helped in the development of gross motor skills, exploratory skills, planning behaviours and sensory needs. The students learnt to adapt to changes in the routine, and to interact in a new social environment.
Grade 4 and the Skills Enhancement and Pre-Vocational classes went on a one-day trip to a farm at Zhadpoli in Palghar district, where they experienced the serenity and simplicity of farm life as opposed to the hustle and bustle of city life. The learners were systematically prepared in advance for this experience, through a series of planned lessons that created an awareness of the activities that they would experience on the farm. They were also taught in advance to differentiate and compare aspects of city life and farm life, such as living in cottages, working in the fields, identifying agricultural equipment and farming activities, and recognizing farm animals.
The students were exposed to Warli paintings which depicted the daily life and rituals of the Warli community. A session was conducted where students were guided to explore this art form, in which they participated with great enthusiasm and interest. The session had a calming effect and enhanced their fine motor skills, their eye-hand coordination and their cultural awareness.
Another interesting session was clay moulding. This pottery session improved the students' motor skills, specifically the pincer grip, helping in bilateral coordination and thereby strengthening the hand movements.
The students thoroughly enjoyed the activity of fruit harvesting. They gained information about different types of vegetables, fruits and trees, and the harvesting activity enhanced their eye-hand coordination. The students were also exposed to unusual flavours during the fruitand-vegetable tasting activity, and they relished the flavours of radishes and star-fruit.
The Vocational classes went on an excursion to Lonavla. The students visited the Wax Museum, went on a chikki shopping outing and enjoyed themselves at the resort with a delicious lunch and refreshing juices. They participated in a series of fun games such as net cricket, ludo and air hockey. They also played the morale-boosting game of "Tags and labels". The excursion was a fun learning experience for the students.
Thus the EEE (Enrichment Educative Excursion) outings in the month of March focused on learning through dynamics and experiential learning, emphasizing the notion that learning is fun!
On the occasion of Women's Day, our Principal, Ms. Fionika Sanghvi received well-deserved recognition from the organization MFA (My Financial Advisor), which felicitated her as an Empowered Woman, a woman who is a True Change-maker.
Women's Day was celebrated in the school with a workshop on make-up by Ms. Rashmin Maredia. The theme of the workshop was "Proud to be a Woman".
Post-graduate students of the Second Year M.A. programme in Clinical Psychology and Counselling Psychology of the S.N.D.T. University visited the school for training and exposure. The students provided very positive feedback after the visit, stressing on the "welcoming" school environment, and the atmosphere of acceptance, discipline, supportiveness and patience. The students were impressed by the wide range of therapies provided, the training in job preparation skills, and the opportunities for the students to explore and express themselves through the curriculum and the co-curricular activities. The S.N.D.T. students mentioned that the visit taught them to be non-judgmental towards parents and exposed them to alternative effective ways of connecting with the learners. They highlighted the fact that the school provided various therapy interventions other than just the mainstream ones.
On the occasion of Holi, the Visual Arts & Crafts Class presented a special assembly on the theme: "Har rang kuchh kehta hai". The assembly began with a song about the colours "Black and White", leading to the awareness of lack of colour-”Berang hai Zindagi". The performance then moved to a presentation involving the pouring of all the vibrant colours into jars, along with their symbolism. For instance Red symbolizes happiness and hope, Blue represents calmness and responsibility, Green signifies nature, life, growth, etc. The presentation depicted how mixing of two or more primary colours can create secondary colours, such as orange, signifying brightness and energy, and purple signifying royalty and luxury. Awareness was thus created about how colours can reflect moods and emotions. An energetic dance was performed on the theme of Holi: "Balam Pichkari".
This was followed by an interesting storytelling session. Dr. Shrilekha Hada, a homeopath and a devotee from the ISKCON organization along with her other companions from the Hare Krishna Temple at Babulnath, narrated the mythological story about the festival of Holi and about how Lord Krishna played Holi. Finally, the students, staff and guests did Flower Abhishek, and played Holi with flowers.
On the occasion of World Downs Syndrome Day, the school presented a Special Assembly with Ms. Sia Mirchandani as the Chief Guest. The focus of this Special Assembly was to raise awareness and to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (Trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Downs’s syndrome. The Special Assembly used the metaphor of "mismatched socks" to raise awareness about Downs Syndrome, the underlying message being that individuals with Downs’s syndrome may look different, but all of them fit in. This message was further reinforced with a presentation on a "matching" activity. This activity was performed with the parents followed by songs and dances. Our student Rahim recited a poem about Downs’s syndrome by Susan Jaques. The programme ended with everyone creating a beautiful tree by sticking on it pre-made hand-stamped leaves. The ultimate message was: "All of us have a hand in making this world a beautiful place."
A very important learning activity for the students was the Enrichment Educative Excursion, which provided learners at different levels with a range of enriching learning experiences.
Grades 1, 2 and 3 were taken on an excursion to RUSH, an indoor playhouse. Our young learners, who were full of energy and enthusiasm, thoroughly enjoyed themselves in a safe environment. The variety of activities helped in the development of gross motor skills, exploratory skills, planning behaviours and sensory needs. The students learnt to adapt to changes in the routine, and to interact in a new social environment.
Grade 4 and the Skills Enhancement and Pre-Vocational classes went on a one-day trip to a farm at Zhadpoli in Palghar district, where they experienced the serenity and simplicity of farm life as opposed to the hustle and bustle of city life. The learners were systematically prepared in advance for this experience, through a series of planned lessons that created an awareness of the activities that they would experience on the farm. They were also taught in advance to differentiate and compare aspects of city life and farm life, such as living in cottages, working in the fields, identifying agricultural equipment and farming activities, and recognizing farm animals.
The students were exposed to Warli paintings which depicted the daily life and rituals of the Warli community. A session was conducted where students were guided to explore this art form, in which they participated with great enthusiasm and interest. The session had a calming effect and enhanced their fine motor skills, their eye-hand coordination and their cultural awareness.
Another interesting session was clay moulding. This pottery session improved the students' motor skills, specifically the pincer grip, helping in bilateral coordination and thereby strengthening the hand movements.
The students thoroughly enjoyed the activity of fruit harvesting. They gained information about different types of vegetables, fruits and trees, and the harvesting activity enhanced their eye-hand coordination. The students were also exposed to unusual flavours during the fruitand-vegetable tasting activity, and they relished the flavours of radishes and star-fruit.
The Vocational classes went on an excursion to Lonavla. The students visited the Wax Museum, went on a chikki shopping outing and enjoyed themselves at the resort with a delicious lunch and refreshing juices. They participated in a series of fun games such as net cricket, ludo and air hockey. They also played the morale-boosting game of "Tags and labels". The excursion was a fun learning experience for the students.
Thus the EEE (Enrichment Educative Excursion) outings in the month of March focused on learning through dynamics and experiential learning, emphasizing the notion that learning is fun!