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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.