CHILDREN’S DAY CELEBRATION

 “The children of today will make the India of tomorrow. The way we bring them up will determine the future of the country.”Children’s day serves as a reminder to renew our commitment to the welfare of children and teach them to live by their Pt. Nehru’s standards and example. He always wanted to promote a scientific and humanitarian mindset in children.

Children’s Day was celebrated at APS Mathura with zeal and exuberance as teachers were the organizers and participants. After the lightening of the lamp by our dynamic Principal, Ms. Anju Malhotra , the celebration started. Mr. Aakaash Jain was the News reader for the day and he brought the house down with his news report. Mr. Ashutosh Pachauri mesmerized the audience with his poem . ‘Quizomania’ was the next programme and the Quiz Masters were Ms. Divya Gautam and Mr.Gopal Krishna . Riddles were asked in the form of questions. Thereafter, Ms. Anju Lata and Ms. Mukta Dwiwedi conducted ‘ Fun with Quiz’. Last item was a scintillating dance performance presented by the teachers. The programme concluded with the proud announcement made by the Principal that our beloved veteran Ms. Rekha Gupta was awarded with Army Cdr’s Commendation Card for PGT English.In the history of APS Mathura, Ms. Rekha Gupta became the first person to be awarded with such prestigious award. In her pearls of wisdom, the Principal, Ms. Anju Malhotra congratulated ma’am and the staff. She also expressed her desire that good work will be continued. The celebration ended with sapling distribution to all the students.

The event was hosted by Ms. Poonam Rani and Ms. Sana Parveen. From plinth to paramount, it was a mesmerizing and captivating programme. In addition, the Army Cdr Commendation Card received by our reverent Ms. Rekha Gupta made our day. It was an exhilarating day for all.

WORKSHOP ON HAPPINESS AND MINDFULNESS

“Mindfulness gives you time. Time gives you choices. Choices, skillfully made, lead to happiness.” Mindfulness is the practice of purposely focusing your attention on the present moment—and accepting it without judgment. Mindfulness is a powerful wellness tool with a wide range of benefits but most importantly it leads to happiness. It’s a proven fact that Mindfulness is a key element in stress reduction and overall happiness.

It  was an extremely  mirthful day for the APS Mathura Faculty members as a gleeful workshop on ‘Happiness and Mindfulness’ was organized  at APS Mathura. The date was 8^th Nov.2022 and the  graceful Ms. Jyoti  Pande was the resource person. Ms. Rita Joshi , Zonal President AWWA, was also present there. The guests were  formally welcomed by Ms. Upma Bhargava, the CCA Incharge. After welcome, Ms. Rita Joshi, Zonal President AWWA, addressed the teachers.

MS. Jyoti Pande started  the session  with a small activity on ‘how to find out happiness in all great and small happenings in our life and how to be happy at psychic level – both intrinsically and extrinsically’.

She also threw light on types and effects of positive emotions. The concept of SPIRE ( physical, emotional, spiritual intellectual and relations wellbeing) was also elaborated. The audience was enlightened about some successful, mindful and happy personalities like Alina Alam –CEO of Mitti Café and Forbes under 30 entrepreneur award winner and Suhasi Mitra. Different ways of handling negative emotions were focused on. The concept of ‘you’ and ‘I’ was also pondered over. The participants were mesmerized by her story telling art as she connected everything with different stories. Her stories included  the story of ‘a Broken Pot’, ‘Tiger’s Whisker’ and ‘A Happiness Drum’. Though every story had different message,’ Happiness lies within’ was the basis of all. Singing of ‘SANI BONANI’, a South African song enthralled the participants.  The session concluded with recitation of ‘Chup raho.’

Vote of Thanks was given by Ms. Upma Bhargava , the CCA In charge. The session was attended by Mrs. Rita Joshi, Zonal President AWWA, Mrs. Khushpinder  Sidhu, the Principal, the Vice Principal and the teachers of APS Family. It was a significant, fantastic and fabulous session. The workshop had touched the participants’ hearts and enthralled their minds. The resource person’s  story telling art and the art of getting connected with everyone positively made everyone happy and mesmerized. The session left us with ‘your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties’.

WORKSHOP ON HAPPINESS

Different people have different interpretations of what the happiness really is. Prioritising happiness has not only become a trend, but the need of the hour. With all of us constantly in the search for bigger and better, we are losing sight of what’s truly important: ourselves. It has been rightly said, “Happiness…is not a destination, but a way to travel. It’s about how you drive, not where you’re going.”

In the pursuit of happiness for our students, a workshop on ‘Happiness For Students’ was organized at APS Mathura on 7^th November 2022. Ms. Jyoti Pande, an ardent educationist and psychologist for over 25 years, was the resource persons.

She is a Postgraduate and M.Phil. in Psychology from Bhopal University, and holds the distinction of being first in the order of Merit in both. She also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Psychological Counselling from the Institute of Psychotherapy and Management Studies, Mumbai, and a Diploma in Guidance & Counselling from NCERT Delhi with distinction.

She is a certified Teachers Trainer on Happiness from ICEP(Institute of Child Education and Psychology) Europe and a certified Happiness Coach from BERKLEY SCHOOL OF WELL BEING &HAPPITUDE. She is actively involved in the welfare of army personnel, and was heading the counselling cell in Bhopal Military Station. Given her passion for exploring new avenues that would help her to connect from others, she is now an established Story-Teller’ and helps people through her words.

The session started with an ice breaking activity ‘clap, snap and tap’. Thereafter, ma’am started conversing with the students. She shared few incidents of her childhood. First story of the session was a Japanese story- Tiger’s Whisker’. The moral of the story was ‘ the result will always be in direct proportion to the efforts you apply’.After the story, ways of mindfulness and fear of failure was elaborated on. Second story was a South African story-‘ A Happiness Drum’. ‘Happiness lies within ‘ was the moral of the story. During the session, the resource person recited two poems. ”The stories have a therapeutic effect on our minds and can be used for making our lives easier and better,”is her belief. She satisfied the queries of some students by deeply conversing with them.

The session was attended by Mrs. Sidhu, the Principal, the Vice Principal, the students of IX & XI and their class teachers.The session proved that storytelling not only enhances imagination , concentration  but also improves vocabulary and communication skills. The session concluded with a note, ‘Happiness is when your thought, words and actions are in harmony.’

REPORT ON JK INSTITUTE’S SESSION

‘A dream does not become a reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.’ For turning a dream into reality,  determination should be the students’ first priority. It  helps  to decide the course of action and  also helps  to plan the journey ahead. Also, it will help to take things slow and maintain a steady pace towards the dream.

In a ‘ nation of middle- class,’ the IIT & NEET dream involves clearing the  world’s toughest exam for guaranteed lifelong success. JK Institute Mathura, a leading institute for JEE and NEET aspirants organized a session  for preparing the students of APS Mathura , a hustle nobody trains them for, on 3^rd Nov. 2022 in the conference Hall. It was conducted through Zoom platform.

In the session Mr. Jugal  Kishore , the owner of the institute, explained the process of preparation to the students. He also answered  different queries of the students. The students were also explained the ways  of enrolling to JK Institute .

The session was attended by the Principal , Ms. Anju Malhotra , the Vice Principal , XII std students of the science stream and their Class Teachers. The session filled the students with zeal and enthusiasm. They left the hall with a determination to clear NEET and IIT JEE. 

DIWALI CELEBRATION AT APS MATHURA

Diwali symbolises the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. The lights of Diwali signify a time to destroy all our dark desires and thoughts and give us strength and zeal to carry on with our goodwill for the rest of the year.

 The celebration of any festival  unites the students  from every nook and corner of the school  irrespective of classes and houses as they get a chance to sit and watch the programme together. On 20^th October 2022,during the Diwali celebration, the students sat together and reflected like numerous lights illuminating the school.

The celebration started with the lightening of the lamp by our charismatic Principal, Ms. Anju Malhotra followed by the presentation of a bouquet by the Head Boy and Head Girl of the school. Thereafter ,a constellation of cultural programmes commenced. The first performance was Damodarashtakam by Madhavi Malhotra and the choir group in which Lord Krishna’s early childhood pastime of running from his mother was elaborated when she tried to chastise him for stealing butter.The audience was enthralled by  next dazzling  performance in the form of   Ganesh Vandana as it is believed  Lord Ganesha removes all obstacles that confront his devotees. Furthermore, a poem on ‘Us roz Diwali hoti hai’ was presented by a student of class VIII followed by a scintillating dance performance  on Gopi Geet, that is ‘Srimad Bhagavatham Canto-10, Ch-31’ was presented by the students. After that, an exhilarating  skit in the form of ‘Laghu Ramayan’ added a religious fervor in the atmosphere. A speech on Diwali  made the audience aware of the festival’s  importance. The audience was mesmerized by an exciting Garba Dance number. Prize distribution of the winners of ‘BOB Wonderkid 2022’ was the second last programme. The celebration concluded with a speech by our Principal. In her pearls of wisdom, the Principal congratulated the students for being a wonderful and disciplined audience and the teachers for maintaining the high standards.

The programme was hosted by Mahi Kapil and Nidhi of class XI  and attended by the faculty members and all the students of the school.. Such celebrations at school teach the students different values and  importance of the festivals. Not only this, they also learnt to differentiate between good and bad. After setting such high standard, many more celebrations are expected at school under the able mentorship of our Principal, Ms. Anju Malhotra.

THE LAUNCH OF MISSION LIFE BY PM MR. NARENDRA MODI

During his visit to Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated  in the 10th Heads of Missions Conference at Kevadia on 20^th October 2022. There PM Modi ji launched Mission LiFE which means Lifestyle for Environment .The  mission appeals to opt for “mindful and deliberate utilisation, instead of mindless and destructive consumption” of resources to save the Earth from the disastrous consequences of climate change.

During his speech , he raised the slogan ‘Only one earth’ while the focus area was ‘living sustainably in harmony with nature. Sir, further emphasized the principle of ‘Re-use, Reduce and Re-cycle’. The viewers were made aware of the challenges faced by our planet. Sir also made everyone aware of the dire necessity of human- centric, collective efforts and robust actions.  The programme ended with a pledge to make ‘LiFE-Lifestyle For Environment’ a global mass movement.

 This event was telecasted live on Doordarshan from 10:30 to 11:45 hrs. Under 10 UP Bn NCC Mathura, Commanding officer Col. N. Gojendra Singh, NCC Cadets of APS Mathura with Mr. Yogendra Ponia (T/O) and the Principal, Ms. Anju Malhotra, watched the programme live. All the cadets were in their uniform. In a nutshell, Mission LiFE borrows from the past, operates in the present and focuses on the future.

PARENTS’ ORIENTATION PROGRAMME

A student’s academic and all-round development is not just up to the school. The parents need to be involved at every step so as to keep track of the progress their ward is making over the academic year. Parent orientation programme aims to help parents voice their opinions and know about something new that has been introduced in the school for their kids. It also   discusses  various aspects of their ward’s  schooling.

To make the parents well acquainted about the happenings at school, a Parent’s  orientation programme  was conducted on19 and 20 October2022 for the parents of IX &XI students at APS Mathura in the conference hall. Different issues including the school curriculum was discussed. The parents were also familiarized with their wards’ learning process and how it will aid them in their careers in the future.The parents were also  informed about  their child’s progress as well as various passing criterion being applied at the school.  The parents were given a detailed understanding of how the grading works and what the children can do to improve their performance.

The programme was attended by the parents of IX &XI students. It helped the parents to ensure the overall development of their wards.

TALK ON CYBER AND JUVENILE CRIME

One of the consequences of COVID-19 pandemic was keeping the students out of classrooms, resulting in an unprecedented explosion of online education  and tools of information dissemination. Surge in video game and social media users raised pertinent questions about safety and security of minors.

All the dignitaries around the country are working together to help the Nation Builders. APS Mathura has always been wary of the existing problems in the society and this time, SSP Mathura joined us and spared his valuable time from his busy schedule for a Talk on ‘Cyber and Juvenile Crime’ at Tarapore Hall on 19^th October .He was formally welcomed by the C.C.A. In charge, Ms. Upma Bhargava.

Mr. Abhishek Yadav, Senior Superintendent of Police, Mathura has been the pass out of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel National Police Academy. Sir has more than a decade’s experience in leading complex and professional organizations across multiple domains and sectors. He is a recipient of the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry. Sir is a strong believer in a Healthy Work-Life balance paradigm.

Sir, in his words of wisdom, first defined Juvenile  and Cyber Crime. ‘Child in conflict with law’ was also described by him. Thereafter, he talked about passion. He advised the students to do whatever they are passionate about. He also pointed out that one single and small mistake can become a problem for rest of their lives. The audience was suggested to talk to someone they can rely. ‘Zero Drugs Campaign’ was also elaborated on.

The session was attended by the Principal, Ms. Anju Malhotra, teachers and the students of IX &XI. The session gave the students a realistic encounter of what all is out there, and what they might have to deal with. Overall, the students went home with newfound caution towards cyber and juvenile crime and were more aware of how to save themselves from them. The session ended with a note that ‘ repercussions are disastrous’.

DIYA PAINTING AND KANDEEL MAKING COMPETITION

“Art connects what words cannot.”Fostering creativity won’t just increase child’s chances of becoming the next Picasso but also helps them to develop mentally, socially, and emotionally. Creating art may boost young children’s ability to analyze and wield a paintbrush and their fine motor skills will also improve.

A diya painting and kandeel making competition was held at APS Mathura on 12^th October 2022  for the classes 1-V and VI-VIII respectively. Children were very excited to show their creativity in their own way. All of them used vibrant colours for the competition. They showcased their creative skills in painting diyas and making kandeels.

This fun filled activity witnessed an enthusiastic participation by all students. The result was amazing art work which was appreciated by the Judges.

WORKSHOP ON VALUE EDUCATION

‘Education remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.’ Value Education is the process by which people transmit values to others. Education at school also refers to the development of essential values in the students. Developing moral, cultural and spiritual sensibilities is an important part of this education.

APS Mathura always aims to provide quality education with an emphasis on holistic development and has always been a paradigm  of the  new dawn. To continue with this vision, APS Mathura proudly took the initiative by being the centre for a Teachers’ Enrichment Programme organized by CBSE on 15^th October 2022 . The resource persons were Dr. Nishi Sherawat from Oxford University Press and Mr. Ashok Edward from Delhi World Public School and the topic was ‘ Value Education’.

Dr. Nishi is an experienced CBSE & NCERT master trainer & curriculum developer.  She is an educator and content writer for language labs and is extensively involved in consultancy, training, and research in education. She is a speaker on many platforms on NEP 2020 implementation. She has been working with K12( Virtual Learning Programme) and higher education, Teachers & Children for the last two decades. Mr. Alok Edward is Presently working as the Principal of Delhi World Public School Agra. He also served  APS Ganganagar as the Principal and English teacher of St. Conrads Agra. He has been in the field of Education for the last 25 years.

After the formal welcome of the guests speakers by Ms. Ambika, the session started with the definition of values. The word ‘Respect’ was focused on. Thereafter, the participants of the workshop were given the most reckoning values on-individual-interpersonal-community-national –global level. Furthermore, the values according to Article 51A, which included Justice, Equality, Fraternity, Freedon, Unity of Nation, Secularism, Protection of Natural Environment, Scientific Tamper and Preservation of Heritage and Culture, were discussed. The attendees were also enlightened on different Eternal Values. Everyone participated in the discussion which was going on between the topic. The attendees were acquainted with different kinds of approaches to inculcate values among students. Live examples were also discussed.

Vote of thanks was given by Ms. Ambika. The session was attended by the Principal, Ms. Anju Malhotra, the Vice Principal, Ms. Sachin, Ms. Ambika and Mr. Vipin from APS Mathura and 40 teachers from different schools of Mathura District. Overall, the session was interactive, and  thought-provoking .The session helped the attendees to understand the way of imbibing values into the students. The session ended  with  a note ‘positive reinforcement by the teacher can do wonders for the students’.

WORKSHOP ON ‘INCLUSIVE EDUCATION’

A classroom is a place where a mistake is not to be feared but viewed as a learning experience. Inclusive education refers to the inclusion of all children in the education system regardless of their differences and disabilities. It values the diversity each child brings to the classroom and facilitates the learning of all.

Inclusive education has been included in NEP 2022, with CBSE recognising 21 types of disabilities.APS, Mathura is the embodiment of the new era, and hence a workshop on inclusive education was conducted on 14th October, 2022 from 9:15 am.

Dr. Rajeev Bhatt, Ms. Archana, and their team conducted the workshop. Dr. Rajeev Bhatt, a psychologist and learning disability expert, has been working in the field of mental health for the past 18 years. He has trained over 5,000 students and 12,000 teachers, with the topper of CBSE 2016 being his student.

Ms. Poonam Arora formally welcomed Dr. Rajiv Bhatt and his team. The workshop started with the examples of famous personalities who suffered from learning disabilities. Mr. Abhishek Bachchan, Mr Mahesh Bhatt were some of them. Types of Learning Disabilities were elaborated. Different types of challenges, we as teachers face, were focused on. Disabilities like- Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia and Dyspraxia were emphasised. Furthermore, the audience was enlightened about the indicators, roots and the master plan that should be followed to help these students. Positive reinforcements, functional communicating training and fading programmes were some of the management techniques emphasis was laid on . He also illuminated the audience on ‘how to teach the students with learning disabilities in the classroom’ with different examples. He also informed the audience that IEP (Individual Education Programme) is the last option in such cases. Teachers were also well acquainted about RPWD Act -2016 (Rights of Persons with Disabilities) and CBSE provisions for these students. Various cases were also discussed during the workshop.

Vote of Thanks was given by Ms. Poonam Arora. The session was attended by the Principal, Ms. Anju Malhotra, the Vice Principal, all the Faculty members of APS Mathura and Asha School Mathura. Overall, the session proved to be incredibly helpful for every participant and helped them improve and make the classroom atmosphere more inclusive. The participants went home with a new found feeling of inclusivity and aspirations to make the most of diversity.

NATIONAL HINDI DEBATE COMPETITION

Debate helps the students to build confidence for speaking in public and expressing their ideas eloquently. It can nurture rational thinking, manners, persuasion and organization of thoughts. The debate has the capability to engage the students in relevant learning and inspire them to be deep thinkers.

APS Mathura participated in National Hindi Debate Competition which was hosted by APS Noida on 10^th October 2022. Winners from all the Commands participated in the event. The topic was ‘कृत्रिम बुद्धि मानव बुद्धि की जगह नहीं ले सकती’. All the speakers persuaded and presented their views clearly connecting with the audience. Each argument reflected their ability to hold two different ideas in mind and still retain their ability to express their points. Debaters from APS Mathura impressed the judges with their debating skills. The Interjector also cross-questioned the participants. As a result, out of all the participating schools, APS Mathura bagged 4^th  position in the competition. Rohit from class XII , was adjudged the Best Interjector of the event.

Success didn’t come handy. The participants as well as the teacher in charges had to burn midnight oil, forego a bit of their leisure. We expect many more  successes  in future under the able mentorship of our dynamic Principal ,Ms. Anju Malhotra.