These sessions not only aid the school staff and parents to work together towards the growth and development of the students, but are also pivotal for parents to understand the principles of the school and purpose of various activities undertaken by the school.
These orientations for the Junior School were hosted by our honourable Principal, Brother E.V Miranda through Google Meets on the following dates:
1. 20th July- Class KG Parent Orientation
2. 21st July- Class 1 Parent Orientation
3. 22nd July- Class 2 Parent Orientation
4. 23rd July- Class 3 Parent Orientation
The meets were attended by the parents of the respective classes, Junior School Headmistress Mrs Ritu Kaushal, Junior School Coordinators, Mrs Anita Panda, Miss Vandana Sharma and other Staff Members.
Each Parent Orientation began with the prayer “I Need Thee Every Hour” as belief in the Divine is a key principle of the school.
Brother Miranda addressed the parents highlighting how online classes have become the ‘New Normal’ during the COVID crisis. There has been a sudden shift and the teachers have adapted to the switch with eagerness. Various devices like phones, laptops, tablets, computers, TVs are being used for the online classes. The parents had to make sudden arrangements for the same, and moreover spent additional time with their children as elementary school kids need assistance. Brother also spoke about his concerns regarding children, their health, safety and learning experiences.
A presentation was given on ‘Parent Responses to Online Class Feedback Form’.
This was followed by a presentation on ‘Cyber Security and Cyber Wellness’ by the team of Counselors. Ms. Nandita Kalra introduced the topic by addressing the importance of following a code of conduct during virtual classrooms. She elaborated on ‘Netiquette’ (Internet etiquette) which is a code of good behaviour in an online environment. Mrs. Sangeeta Tripathi talked about negative cyber behavior like addiction, hacking accounts, making fake profiles, posting private photos, etc., followed by positive cyber behaviour for parents and students like using devices in common areas, dressing appropriately, monitoring language, etc.
Mrs. Arti Bardhan addressed the cyber laws and POCSO Act.
In the end, Mr. Sumit Yadav talked about the importance of antivirus software and suggested some reliable antivirus systems. This was followed by a short video on ‘How can we Protect our Children from Cyber bullying?’
In the end the coordinators, Mrs. Anita Panda (classes KG and 1) and Ms. Vandana Sharma (classes 2 and 3) gave an informative presentation on ‘Competency Based Education’ (CBE) which has four major aspects-
1. Knowledge
2. Skills
3. Values
4. Attitude
The purpose of the Scholastic Curriculum was also addressed. Attaining learning objectives through project and activity-based learning was elaborated. The Coordinators highlighted the importance of developing reading and speaking skills, fostering critical thinking and presented how we are integrating UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in our online teaching.
The PPT also showcased pictures of students from classes KG-3rd doing art-based activities as a part of the art-integrated scholastic curriculum.
The modified methodology to assessments during online teaching classes – through Google Forms, projects and activities, were also shared with the parents.
The presentation was concluded based on the three important areas of online classes –
1. Routine – This included the unique school ID of each student to access classes, regulation of “online time” according to parental judgement
2. Attendance – The attendance must be filled for all subjects including scholastic and co-scholastic subjects
3. Cyber Security – It is essential to ensure good online behaviour, to not unmute during classes unless asked and to not store personal data.
In the end the queries and concerns of the parents were addressed in a question-answer session.
