PARENTS’ AWARENESS SESSION BY MS. SWETA SINGH

‘Our lives begin to end the day , we become silent about incidents that matter’.The subject, sexual assault, has always been overlooked. Discussion on this topic was considered taboo. Reasons may vary but nobody talks about it even today.

APS Mathura has always  been an exemplar of innovativeness. Time and again, the organization has proposed different workshops which are relevant to the present scenario. To make the parents aware of different types of assaults,reasons and how to keep their children safe, a session was conducted by APS Mathura on 6^th October 2022 at Tarapore Hall. The topic of the session was ‘Impenetrable Shelter’. It was conducted by Ms. Shweta Singh, PGT Psychology. The session started with an ice-breaking activity. Thereafter she explained the symptons of a hurt child and the reasons behind this attitude. Myths about Child Sexual Abuse and their types were also discussed. Parents were also enlightened about their role in such situations. Disastrous long-term effects were pointed out.The parents were also informed about recently made Counselling Committee and its members.The workshop ended with a note, ‘overlooking any assault is not okay — trying to make it disappear and knowing about it while not doing anything about it isn’t going to change anything. Children also deserve to be treated with respect.

The workshop was attended by all the staff members of the APS family, students of IX-XII and their parents. It was an eye-opener for all.

COUNSELLING SESSION BY MS. ANJU MALHOTRA,THE PRINCIPAL ,APS MATHURA

‘Whenever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition, emotion will one day become a reality.’ Any such session helps the students to deal with the issues like anxiety and stress as these are common these days.

To help the students and parents to deal with such issues and overcome them, a session was organized by APS Mathura on 6^th October 2022 at Tarapore hall and this time, the resource person was our charismatic Principal ,Ms. Anju Malhotra. The Resouce Person talked about mind management, importance of belief, impact of social media and parents’ role in a student’s life. She elaborated the different ways to spend quality time with children. Discussion was done on the inculcation of good habits among the children. Light was thrown on four stages of human life.

The session left everyone spellbound, as the ways discussed to deal such issues were ingenious and promethean.The session was attended by the students of IX-XII, the staff and the parents. The Chairman, Brig.PS Sidhu, VSM and some other dignitaries also attended the session. It was stimulating, provocative and impressive session.

MOTIVATIONAL TALK BY OUR REVEREND PATRON

“Don’t settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave all you had.” Impetus  is an important predictor of learning and achievement. Students who are more motivated to learn to persist longer, produce the higher quality effort, learn more deeply, and perform better in every field.APS Mathura has been the epitome of motivation and inspiration. The School Management and the staff always have faith in that.

In the same sequence , a counselling session for parents and students was conducted by APS Mathura on 6^th October 2022 at Tarapore Hall and our Patron Maj. Gen. Anand Saxena gave away his time for this cause. Maj.Gen. Anand Saxena was welcomed by the Principal, the Vice Principal ,the Head Boy,  the Head Girl and the NCC cadets of the school.

 At the beginning of the session, the Principal, Ms Anju Malhotra gave a detailed introduction of our Patron.Our  Venerated Patron is an Educationist. Sirholds three different degrees – M.Sc., MA(Philosophy) and Master of Management Studies He has joined the  Indian Army in 1988 and served various terrains in command and staff during his tenure.He is also a You Tuber and a writer. His fourth book will  be released in October.

 Then our Patron Maj. Gen. Anand Saxena admonished the audience. In his words of wisdom, he encouraged the students  to recognize their own potential . He also threw light on the Mental Garbage in the form of Social Media that the students are taking in these days. The students were enlightened on ‘why perseverance and passion is so important?’Circle of five Mental Garbage was brought into the notice of the students. Five habits that should be imbibed for a successful life were also included in the talk by our reverend Patron. The session ended with a note ‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, is not an act but a habit’. In the end, Sir, satisfied the queries of two students. He amazed the audience by including stories and examples from daily life.

After the session, Vote of Thanks was given by the CCA In charge, Ms. Upma Bharagava.  The session was thought-provoking, reciprocal and collective. It was attended by the staff, students of classes IX-XII and many other dignitaries including our Chairman, Brig. PS Sidhu, VSM.  The session left everyone speechless as if everyone fell short of praises .The takeaway from the session was ‘habit is the intersection of knowledge (what to do), skill (how to do), and desire (want to do)’.

VISIT OF OUR PATRON AT APS MATHURA

APS Mathura felt honoured when our Patron Maj. Gen. Anand Saxena visited the school campus on 1st October 2022. He was welcomed by the Chairman, Brig. PS Sidhu, VSM, the Principal, and the Vice Principal of the school. The Principal, Ms. Anju Malhotra, briefed Maj. Gen. Anand Saxena about the achievement and progress made by the school in different areas. Our Patron visited the renovated Chemistry Lab, the Biology and the Physics Lab. Sir also visited the Library, the Facility Room, Music and Dance rooms.

While talking to the staff, Sir, expressed his happiness to see the school thriving and flourishing. He shared his expectations with the teachers that they should be the role model for the students . He reminded us to follow the path of karma yoga. He insisted that the students should be allowed to express themselves. His visit left the teaching staff ever enthusiastic with an energy, all ready to take the upskilling of students to a whole new level.

WEBINAR ON ‘GOOD PARENTING’

“Children are like wet cement; whatever falls on them makes an impression.” A child is the greatest miracle of God. Every parent dreams to have healthy, intelligent and kind children. But to achieve this requires patience and active participation in their development. Good parenting is also an art that  has to be learnt by the parents. It also changes the child’s attitude towards life and reflects the values he/she was raised with.

A webinar on Good Parenting was conducted at Tarapore Hall on 22 September 2022. The resource persons were Brig. Sanjeev Kohli, Dr Rama Sharma and Dr. Sandeep Kelkar . The  workshop aimed  to help parents with good parenting tips . The workshop was attended by  primary and middle school teachers. Brig. Sanjeev Kohli discussed the challenges and questions which are faced by the parents while Dr Sandeep Palkar shared the tips on good parenting . Dr. Roma Sharma differentiated modernism and character analysis. Apart from this, ethics of good parenting , successful character traits and emotional quotient were also discussed.

The webinar concluded with a view  that Children are trustworthy, naïve ,hopeful but vulnerable. The course of their development determines their contribution in society.’ Their childhood should be filled with joy. Children aren’t the property of their parents. They have the right to be happy adults. “The  children are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.”

NORTHERN COMMAND INTER APS QUIZ COMPETITION

Quizzing is like a mini mystery to solve during a small break. It aims to identify talented students  and create opportunities to sharpen their skills. It’s also a unique and exciting way to motivate, inspire, encourage and reward children in their quest for knowledge . Quizzing is important to instill our students the values of knowledge, wisdom and compassion to make them astute citizens.

APS Mathura participated in Northern Command Inter APS Quiz Competition held on 23^rd September2022. The competition was hosted by APS Nagrota through an online platform. . A total of 12 schools from Northern Command participated in the event. Famous Adittya Nath Mubayi was the quiz master . APS Mathura team participated with zeal and exuberance. Their efforts and level of preparation could easily be seen in their answers. Our team secured the 3^rd position in the competition.

The alacrity of our Principal, Ms Anju Malhotra and hard work of the mentor Ms. Renu Singh helped the team members to keep their morale high. The event was just a stepping stone for the team as the sky is the limit .

NORTHERN COMMAND INTER APS ENGLISH DEBATE COMPETITION

 Debating is not about being argumentative as it is deemed to be understood, but a forum to discuss formally what one’s view is on a subject. And this free expression of views limiting to a laid set of rules is an enjoyable activity even if it involves engaging in a verbal challenge. 

APS Mathura  participated in the  Northern Command Inter APS English Debate Competition which was hosted by APS Jammu on 19^th September 2022. It was conducted through an online platform. Total 12 teams participated in the event. The topic was ‘ All citizens should be mandated to perform National Public Service’. Persuasive arguments, painstaking efforts, presentation skills, excellent articulation, out- of-the- box ideas ruled the competition.  The debaters from APS Mathura  flexed  their analytical muscles and their eloquent words impressed the judges and audience. The Interjector also cross-questioned the participants. As a result, out of all the participating schools, APS Mathura bagged 2^nd position in the competition. Madhavi Malhotra from class XII , was adjudged the best speaker for the motion.

Success in this event wasn’t possible without the alacrity of our charismatic Principal Ms. Anju Malhotra  and the continuous mentoring of Ms. Rekha Gupta , HOD English. They rightly prove every time that ’It is true that every effort is not converted into success but it is equally true that success doesn’t come without effort.’

HINDI DIWAS CELEBRATION

On September 14, 1949, the Constituent Assembly accepted Hindi in the Devanagari script as the official language of India. The first Hindi Day was celebrated on September 14, 1953; After the then Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru decided to commemorate this day as Hindi Diwas, the first Hindi Day was celebrated on September 14, 1953,

To mark the occasion, a special assembly was conducted on 14^th September. It was organized by the  Hindi faculty of the school. Regular assembly proceedings were done in hindi language only. A speech was also delivered to emphasize the importance  and use of the Hindi language in daily life. Everyone felt inspired and motivated to use our mother tongue. The assembly concluded with a determined pledge. ‘Let us pledge to give respect and first preference to our Hindi language! Happy Hindi Diwas.’