The Power of Pinkathon

How many of us are aware of the fight that multitudes of women have to prepare for every year? The fight for life, for freedom, for being an empowered, healthy individual – this is a battle that’s estimated to involve over 1797900 Indian women by the year 2020 against a single, looming threat – Breast Cancer.

This illness is the most common cancer among women all across the world, and the leading cause of death among those afflicted by it in our country. It’s time for all of us to come together, break through the stigma that surrounds it, spread awareness, and work towards the betterment of women’s health in India through solidarity and positivity. This is exactly what Pinkathon aims towards by focusing on physical and mental self-care through organising of women’s marathons all across the country. VIBGYOR is proud to be the Knowledge Partner of Pinkathon 2017 in Pune.

“VIBGYOR believes in the holistic development of students and the community, and Pinkathon is a platform where we can help the society bring awareness among the community. That’s why VIBGYOR is a Partner,” said Ms. Medha Nair, Principal of VIBGYOR Hinjewadi.

Pinkathon - VIBGYOR Team

The marathon took place on the 26th of November at Mulik Ground, with over 5000 women irrespective of age, interests or ability taking part in this movement. The event saw the involvement of mothers carrying babies as young as 2 months old, elderly cancer survivors who were present as Pink Sisters, children from the Blind School, as well as the participation of students, parents, and teachers from VIBGYOR schools in Pune. The venue was packed with energy on this day, with participants gearing for the various runs, or getting pumped up with Zumba routines.
Pinkathon - Parents

“What’s important is spending a little bit of time for yourself. It’s about realising your dreams, and removing the limitations that you have,” said Mr. Milind Soman, Founder of Pinkathon. “I believe that all of us must set a good example, and children today need to see people doing things that add value to life. Rather than telling them what they should be doing, we need to show it; so I’m very happy to see VIBGYOR parents running with their children.”

Success and happiness in the face of breast cancer begins with good health, personal understanding, and self-love. It is this inclination towards overall growth that makes VIBGYOR incredibly proud to be associated with Pinkathon this year. “It’s an honour for VIBGYOR to have joined hands with Pinkathon for such an important reason, i.e. creating awareness among women about breast cancer. I thank the parents, kids, and staff for taking part in this event wholeheartedly,” said Ms. Kavita Sahay, Vice-Chairperson, VIBGYOR Group of Schools.

With steady progress in spreading awareness about the importance of fitness, we hope to see a greater change in our society as we move towards women’s empowerment across communities.

Annual Sports Day with a cause celebrated at VIBGYOR High School, Kolhapur

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VIBGYOR High School, Kolhapur integrated their Annual Sports Day celebrations with a cause of supporting the mentally challenged students from Swayam School in Kolhapur. Mr. Vishwas Nangre Patil, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) and Kolhapur District Collector, Dr. Amit Saini were present as the Chief Guests at the event. Mr. Vishwas Nangre Patil presented a cheque of Rs. 30,000, on behalf of VIBGYOR High to Mr. Pramod Bhise, Principal and Mrs. Sadhana Ghatage, Secretary & Treasurer of Swayam School.

In the inauguration ceremony of the sports day, held in the school premises, students from the NGO were invited to be a part of the celebration. These mentally challenged students set the stage on fire by presenting dance performances with much vigour and enthusiasm for the students, parents and teachers of VIBGYOR High. These students also participated in a running race organised by the school to create a fun-filled environment for them. Students from VIBGYOR High too entertained them with various activities like dance performance, judo, gymnastics, etc.

Speaking about the event, Mr. T. Balan, Principal of VIBGYOR High School, Kolhapur said, “At VIBGYOR High, we constantly encourage our students to contribute towards the betterment of society. This year, we planned to celebrate our sports day with a difference, while further nurturing the thought in our students. We are glad to see the fervour in the young stars from Swayam School as well as in our students. I am also thankful to our parents for gracing the occasion with their presence.”

Swayam School, located at Kasaba Bawda road, Kolhapur, was established on June 25, 1990 with 6 students. The NGO, managed by Indian Red Cross Society, Kolhapur, has successfully completed 26 years of establishment having 115 students with them, at present.

Interschool Swimming Competition Organised On The Occasion Of National Sports Day Celebration at VIBGYOR High – Airoli

National Sports Day is celebrated across the nation on the occasion of Major Dhyan Chand’s birthday and VIBGYOR High made sure that sports forms the focal point of the day. VIBGYOR High School, Airoli, organised an Inter-school Swimming Competition, to commemorate the National Sports Day and promote swimming as a competitive sport amongst students. The event was held in the school premises on 29 August 2016.

150 students came together to participate in the competition, displaying their swimming skills in varied styles – Free Style, Breast Stroke, Back Stroke and Butterfly Stroke. The competition was held across 4 age categories, namely – U6, U8, U10 and U12 for both, boys and girls. Among the other schools who participated in the event, Pawar Public School, Oberoi International School, Hiranandani Foundation, Lodha World School and a few more featured on the winning list. The winners from each category were awarded with a certificate and a medal.

Mr. Kishore Iyengar, Principal, VIBGYOR High School, Airoli was all praises for the students who participated in the competition. Expressing his views about the event, he said, “At VIBGYOR High, participation in different sports is highly emphasised as we believe that it helps in building essential skills in students, while also helping them stay fit. On this special day which is celebrated as National Sports Day, we wish to pay a tribute to Major Dhyan Chand by hosting the interschool swimming competition in our school. I am glad to see the enthusiasm in the young stars.”

The table below lists the winners, the school they represent and the category they excelled in:

Event Gender Student Name School Timing

U-6

20 M Free Style Boys Vihaan Chaturvedi Lodha World School 0:22:12
Girls Alish Chaudhari Vile Parle Mahila Sangh School 00:20:17

U-8

20 M Free Style Boys Chetan Malonkar ICES International School 00:15:86
Girls Hargoon Vridi VIBGYOR High, Airoli 00:17:48
20 M Back Stroke Boys Chetan Malonkar ICES International School 00:17:59
Girls Joana Raphael VIBGYOR High, Airoli 00:22:50

U-10

40 M Free Style Boys Aryan Dinakaran Sri Ravishankar Vidya Mandir 00:27:44
Girls Bethany Furtado MIPS 00:29:53
40 M Breast Stroke Boys Aryan Dinakaran Sri Ravishankar Vidya Mandir 00:37:15
Girls Bethany Furtado MIPS 00:40:04
40 M Back Stroke Boys Aryan Dinakaran Sri Ravishankar Vidya Mandir 00:34:40
Girls Bethany Furtado MIPS 00:34:44
40 M Butterfly Stroke Boys Aryan Dinakaran Sri Ravishankar Vidya Mandir 00:29.43
Girls Bethany Furtado MIPS 00:32:62

U-12

40 M Free Style Boys Deven Kale VIBGYOR High, Airoli 00:29:66
Girls Shraddha Shetty Hiranandani Foundation 00:29:69
40 M Breast Stroke Boys Deven Kale VIBGYOR High, Airoli 00:43:91
Girls Shraddha Shetty Hiranandani Foundation 00:42:08
40 M Back Stroke Boys Deven Kale VIBGYOR High, Airoli 00:39:34
Girls Shraddha Shetty Hiranandani Foundation 00:41:97
40 M Butterfly Stroke Boys Deven Kale VIBGYOR High, Airoli 00:34:75
Girls Shraddha Shetty Hiranandani Foundation 00:36:81

Because dads mean more

Numerous studies have indicated that fathers play an important role in a child’s development, right from birth through adulthood. These studies indicate that involved fathers help children tremendously, like better language skills and lesser behavioural problems. Father involvement also leads to emotional and intellectual growth of the children.

We hear about a mother’s role in the upbringing of the child but a father’s role is equally important. A father brings unique contributions to parenting that no one else can replicate. Fathers communicate and parent differently from mothers and children need both brands of parenting to grow up as well-adjusted adults.

How can dads be more involved?
Sometimes, it can be as simple as spending quality time with the children. Quality time, however, does not mean you promise to help with homework but when you sit on the table, you are distracted with your phone, tablet, TV, etc. Quality time means disconnecting from technology, even if it’s for an hour, and focussing solely on your child. It needn’t just be homework. Maybe you can cultivate a shared activity or hobby; or have dinner as a family. Focus on the activity rather than the time spent; that is what will determine quality.

Many times, a mere presence goes a long way to raising happy children. You don’t need to do anything but letting your child know that as their father, you care and are always around for advice, as a sounding board, or anything they might need. That much is enough to boost a child’s confidence.

A father’s role is not just about disciplining. Going for parent-teacher meetings, asking how their day in school went, helping with their homework, cheering them on sport’s days and annual days, etc. shows that you care about their progress.

The bond between a father and child is special. Like everything else, it takes work to create that bond. There are benefits to being an involved dad, so consider using some of these tips to get more involved in your child’s life. Both of you will enjoy the benefits for many years to come.

VIBGYOR High School, Goregaon, celebrates double victory in the Don Bosco Inter School Basketball Tournament 2015

U-11 Boys and U-13 Girls Basketball teams of VIBGYOR High School, Goregaon, achieved remarkable success in the 2nd Don Bosco Inter-School Basketball tournament 2015 held on October 28, 2015. This is the second year of the tournament, which was organized by Don Bosco School, Matunga at its school premises.

The U-11 Boys team of VIBGYOR High School, Goregaon, won with an outstanding score of 31-19 against the Don Bosco Matunga School. Star player Arjav Shah, student of VIBGYOR High, was awarded the Best Player Trophy to appreciate his commendable performance in the tournament. Adding to the list of achievements of the school, Advait Jajodia, a part of U-13 Boys team, was awarded the Best Defensive Player of the tournament. In the final match, Arjav scored 10 points for the team, while Dev Premi, Kevin Chitania and Soham Jakhotia scored 4, 5 and 4 points respectively.

On the other hand, the U-13 Girls team of VIBGYOR High School, Goregaon, won with a score of 27-13 against St. Anthony School, Chembur. Champion player Tvisha Gala was also awarded with the Best Player Trophy for her exceptional performance in the tournament. Aakansha Jain, Tanya Shetty, Tvisha Gala and Anushka Bereja scored 10, 6, 4 and 4 points respectively achieving a glorious victory for the team.

VIBGYOR High has a specially designed curriculum for sports that provides professional training and guidance to the students imparted by skilled and expert coaches. The students are offered dedicated time-slots every week to enhance their athletic skills, helping them win at various sports competitions.

Creating reflexive and critical thinkers of tomorrow

By Ms. Kavita Sahay – Director, Schools and Academics, VIBGYOR High Group of Schools

Ms.-Kavita-Sahay
Today, meaningful, useful education is something all students need regardless of the career choices they will eventually make. Learning for the child takes place in many ways and the curriculum accords equal importance to what a child learns and the process by which he or she learns it. The curriculum recognizes that the child should be an active agent in his or her own learning and that the child’s existing knowledge and environmental experience should be the starting point for new knowledge. When children are accorded a positive school experience which includes development of their literacy, numeracy and communication skills, this in turn enhances their self-esteem and confidence and their motivation to learn is increased.

The main focus of our educational programme is on the HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT of the students, equipping them with the essential skills of the technically evolving 21st century. With this end in view, we have designed a unique curriculum that is based on the Principles of Integrated Learning and the Theory of Multiple Intelligences.

Our teaching methodology is an eclectic mix of cognitive and experiential and activity based learning strategies that cater to the three learning styles – VISUAL, AUDITORY and KINESTHETIC learners (VAK model). Our teaching modules are replete with Hands-on-learning activities, audio-visual aids, experimentations, investigations and research activities that form a part of the Enquiry-based and Project Based Learning Strategies.

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The above diagram represents the structure of the curriculum and the intervening methodologies that define the teaching pedagogy at VIBGYOR HIGH

Experiential Learning
Experiential learning is any learning that supports students in applying their knowledge and conceptual understanding to real-world problems or situations where the instructor directs and facilitates learning. This is a holistic perspective that combines experience, perception, cognition and behavior. Experiential learning teaches students the competencies they need for real-world success.

Enquiry based Learning
Enquiry-based approach to teaching and learning is its potential to increase intellectual engagement and foster deep understanding through the development of a hands-on, minds-on and ‘research-based disposition’ towards teaching and learning. Inquiry honours the complex, interconnected nature of knowledge construction, striving to provide opportunities for both teachers and students to collaboratively build, test and reflect on their learning.

Project Based Learning
The core idea of project-based learning is that real-world problems capture students’ interest and provoke serious thinking as the students acquire and apply new knowledge in a problem-solving context.

Multiple Intelligences
Multiple Intelligence forms the core of the teaching process at VIBGYOR High as we endeavour to create learning opportunities to cultivate each intelligence. A unit of study is approached from different perspectives in order to draw out the latent abilities of the student in each of the domains: Linguistic, Mathematical, Musical, Visual-Spatial, Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal and Naturalist.

Mind Maps
Mind Maps are based on the congnitivist approach to learning. This teaching methodology focuses on creating cognitive structures for learning that will facilitate understanding and easy recall. The use of mind maps train students to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, and aids in studying and organizing information, solving problems and making decisions in their later years.

VAK Model
This model consists of creating different sensory experiences to aid Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic learning. Through this model, the concept is internalized through activities that generate visual auditories and Kinestethic memories that form the basis for future learning.

At VIBGYOR High, we recognize the importance of making real world connections between the subject taught, and the students’ experiences, through these teaching methodologies that encourage the students to become reflexive and critical thinkers and active participants in a dynamically changing world.

Article by Ms. Kavita Sahay published in Career 360 magazine



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