index [] magazine october 2015.pdfindependence day celebration the rangammal school celebrated...
TRANSCRIPT
Index
JUNE
10TH
AND 12TH
STANDARD RESULTS
BASIC COMPUTER TRAINING FOR TEACHERS
THE NEW CHILDREN’S ARRIVAL
MADAM’S VISIT TO ENGLAND
JULY
VISITORS FROM ENGLAND
VISIT TO CIRCUS SHOW
CELEBRATING THE BIRTH DAY OF KAMARAJA
HOMAGE TO DR.ABDUL KALAM
AUGUST
INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION
SPORTS DAY CELEBRATION
SEPTEMBER
TEACHER’S DAY CELEBRATION
VINAYAGA CHATHURTHI CELEBRATION
10th
and 12th
Standard Results
In the 10th
and 12th
Standard, the children sit State
Board Exams which are crucial in determining their
futures. Before the exams, the students all received a
blessing and prayers of good luck from Madam, and in
March nine students from the 10th
Standard sat the
exams and we were delighted when we found that they all
passed with very good marks. The 12th
standard also had
thirteen students take part in the exams and they too
passed with exceptional marks.
One of the exams that the students sat was the
English exam, and in previous years the school has been
exempt from this exam due to the children’s hearing
standards. However, two years ago for the first time the
10th
standard were able to take the exam and just as with
all of their other exams, they managed to pass with very
good marks making us extremely proud. In addition to
this achievement, this academic year also, 10th
standard
sat their English exam passing with exceptional marks,
adding to our pride.
Basic Computer training for teachers
In the future the school is planning on
launching a digital class. In order to launch this
class, the teachers must have knowledge of basic
computer skills. Madam arranged a week’s course
of computer classes for the teachers, in which they
were taught simple computer knowledge such as
how to use Microsoft Office, Microsoft
PowerPoint and also how to work the internet. The school has three specialist
I.T teachers, who taught the course and the results were positive, with everyone
involved finding it very useful, and now all of the teachers are able to
competently operate a computer. The course was very worthwhile.
Enjoying
The new children’s arrival
This academic year, more than 30 new
children joined our school, and most of them
are less than 10 years old. Some of the
children previously studied at the regular
school, in which the classes were much larger
with approximately 40 students per class,
and as a result of this, the children with
hearing difficulties did not get the attention or support they required. Here
however, the class sizes are smaller, and so the children enjoy and benefit from
the environment much more.
Their parents are also happy that their
children can have a more appropriate and
beneficial education at Rangammal. Although at
first some of the children struggled to adapt to
the residential aspect of the school and the
separation from their parents, the teaching staff
were helpful and encouraging, and the students
are now comfortable and settled in. Madam has also given them three new sets
of uniform along with notebooks free of charge and the new students are
thoroughly enjoying being at Rangammal.
Madam’s Visit to England
In the month of June Madam visited to England for a
short break. As she is actively engaged in serving in the
hospital as well as in the school, it’s not easy for Madam to
leave her routine work and to go anywhere. Before she left
to England for a month visit, she arranged that everything
should go smoothly.
The children prayed for her safe journey and
she left. In England, Madam had a wonderful time
of sharing her service and the development in the
hospital and in the school with the sponsors. She
spent time with the SWT Members. She also was
able to meet her friends and share her experience
and challenges she faced in India. She had a good
time there and she returned to India in the second
week of August.
Visitors from England
In July, three young girls from England
Miss. Laura, Miss. Hugie and Miss. Nive visited
the Rangammal School. They stayed for a month
with the children. The children welcomed them
according to the customs of India. They were
delighted when they arrived. It was their first time
visiting India. The Three of them have just
completed their +2 and are ready to go to college. They spent time with the children
learning their way of life. They quickly mingled with the children and started teaching
them new games and English vocabularies. They shared their life in England.
They also taught middle school children a
folk dance which the children learnt quickly and
performed on the day they left the school. It was
fantastic to watch it. The visitors had a good time
tasting the spicy food. Though the weather was very
hot, they took pleasure in it. A small fare well party
was organized for them. Some of the children hung
around them and did not want to let them go. They were overwhelmed by the love of
the children. They left the school with great joy and many tears.
Visit to Circus Show
In July Rangammal School took the students to a
travelling circus show which was held in Thiruvannamalai. A
visit to a circus was an exciting thing to all the students. A huge
tent was erected there. The place was brightly lite with colourful
lights. The place looked like a wonderland. A special show was
put on only for our students. The students were accompanied
with their class teachers. The actors performed many tricks and made our children
laugh. Gymnasts performed many breathtaking feats.
Young girls rode single wheel cycles on ropes. Our children
enjoyed watching the dogs riding the cycle. All though there were
performing dogs (which Madam does not like to see) it is now
illegal, even in India, for huge animals eg. elephants or lions or
tigers to be used for such purposes. It was a new and wonderful
experience for our children. They can never forget it. Our older
children were very much attracted by the African youth’s gymnastic performance.
Our children were mesmerized by their wonderful dance. It was thrilling to watch an
old lady balancing her body over the cylindrical object simultaneously doing other
activities. Our students were much impressed by the items of the circus displayed
before them. They came out of the circus with full praise for it.
Celebrating the Birth Day of Kamarajar
The Rangammal students celebrated the birth day of
Mr.Kamarajar in a meaningful way. Mr. Kamarajar was the
former chief minister of Tamil Nadu. During his rule, he
maintained the highest level of personal integrity and led a
very simple lifestyle of Gandhi an Standards. The students
touched upon various issues and how things have changed so
drastically, especially he was opposed to caste discrimination.
Various competitions were also held to highlight the occasion.
This type of competition is useful for overall
development of the students. The winners of the
competitions were given prizes. The Head Teacher
spoke about the great work done by Mr.
Kamarajar. He was the one who introduced Free
Midday Meal Schemes and free school uniforms in
an attempt to eradicate gross distinctions in types of
dress, so all children look alike irrespective of the financial state of their family.
The children were so happy and proud learn about the life of a great leader.
Homage to Dr.Abdul Kalam
In July, The Rangammal children paid homage
to Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. He was the 11th President
of India from 2002 to 2007. He died after suffering a
massive cardiac arrest and collapsed during his lecture
at the IIM Shillong. It's a huge loss for the country. A
career scientist turned reluctant politician, Kalam was
born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied physics and aerospace
engineering. He spent the next four decades as a scientist and science administrator,
mainly at the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Indian
Space Research Organization (ISRO) and was intimately involved in India’s civilian
space program and military missile development efforts.
For his excellence and brilliance, he was awarded
the prestigious Bharat Ratna in 1998 and other awards.
Many universities have given him the honorary degree of
Doctorate. He was a constant source of inspiration to
countless children in the Indian sub-continent. He was an
icon and an inspiration not only as a people's president
but also as a scientist, missile man and a simple yet great human being. When he
visited Thiruvannamalai, our Rangammal children had an opportunity to perform a
cultural programme. He appreciated our children’s performance and they took a
photo with him. Our children paid him homage by offering special prayers for his soul
to rest in peace.
Independence Day Celebration
The Rangammal School celebrated India’s
69th
Independence Day with great enthusiasm and
patriotic fervor by putting on a cultural show at the
Collecterate. The programme commenced with the
flag hoisting ceremony by The District Collector, who
spoke about the importance of this day and urged the
students to become responsible citizens and prepare
themselves to serve the nation as good leaders and to remember the sacrifices of the
patriots and martyrs who laid down their lives in the freedom struggle. After that,
cultural programmes were held in the presence of the District Collector. “Unity in
Diversity” was the theme of our students’ cultural programme.
The District Collector appreciated our students’
performance by giving out prizes and shield. Other school
students also showcased the diverse culture of India by
performing dances from the States. Then all the students and
the participants pledged to serve the nation and contribute in
its progress. The highlight of the programme was letting off
the pigeons and oxygenated balloons as symbol of peace. It
ended with the National Anthem. It was a rich learning
experience for the students who cherished the value of freedom and patriotism. Sweets
were distributed amongst the students.
Sports Day Celebration
Celebrating Sport’s Day is a great fun and pleasure. The
senior students were very much interested and they took part in
the competition. The Head Teacher organized the sport meet
and he invited the normal hearing children from the regular
school who were of the same age to compete with our students.
Our children love cricket. Therefore, they played cricket with
them. The sports began exactly at 10 a.m. The Councilor of the town came and
inaugurated the game. 12 overs were fixed. Our children won the toss and chose to bat.
They did well and scored 106 runs losing only four wickets.
Ajithkumar from 12th
standard got 45 runs. He smashed
every ball he met. Then the normal hearing students started batting.
However they could score 60 runs only losing their entire wickets.
Two of our senior students, Suryaprakash and Murugan bowled
well and pocketed three wickets each. Our students won the match
with ease. The Councilor of the town gave our children Rs. 1000 /- as a winning prize.
The weather was very pleasant and everyone liked to be out of the doors. The school
ground was full of life and activity. Our students were full of joy on that day.
Teacher’s Day Celebration
On 5th
September, the Rangammal School celebrated
Teacher’s day. In India, it is celebrated every year to
honour the contributions of the teachers to the continuing
Development of our country. The 5th
of September is the
birth anniversary of a great person named, Dr. Sarvapalli
Radhakrishnan. He was originally a teacher and later
became President of India after spending some time in the
diplomatic service; he recognized how important it is to provide education to all
citizens of India irrespective of financial and caste position. Only then can a country
flourish and take its rightful place in the world. Without highly trained and dedicated
teachers this would not be possible. At Rangammal especially, as it is a residential
school, the teachers are responsible for educating the children not only in academic
subjects leading it is hoped, to a lucrative and fulfilling career, but in the wider aspects
of moral and social responsibility, so the child in spite of its ‘handicap’ can take his/her
place as a responsible productive citizen.
The Deepam Lion’s Club also joined in the
celebration. They gave mementos to all the teachers.
Madam congratulated the teachers on their service and
dedicated hard work. The teachers take her as a role
model using her example to develop social responsibility
and compassion for people less fortunate than
themselves. The Students arranged a cultural programme
for the teachers as a token of their respect and affection.
Vinayaga Chathurthi Celebration
Vinayaga Chaturthi is one of the most popular
festivals in India. It is celebrated annually on the birthday
of the Lord Ganesha (Vinayaga). Lord Ganesha is the God
of knowledge and wealth and called by the children as
Friend Ganesha. The Rangammal children decorated their
class rooms and drew beautiful pictures of Lord Ganesha
on the black board. Some of the artistic senior students made a large idol of Lord
Ganesha out of clay and placed it on the Assembly Hall where all the children gathered
together for the celebration. Madam also joined with the children in the celebration.
They prayed to Lord Ganesha for their studies and good
health and they offered a special prayer for Madam and all the
persons who are supporting them for their studies. A delicacy
prepared from rice flour, jaggery, and coconut, was an important
part of the celebration. These special dishes called Kolukattai and
Sundal were offered to Lord Ganesha and then it was served to
all the students. They enjoyed these special dishes and they felt at
home celebrating this festival.