Digital India Week Celebration

Digital Platform- A way to reach our dreams

Technology has made our lives easier allowing us to do things more quickly, efficiently and accurately. The vision of  Digital India programme  aims at inclusive growth in areas of electronic services, products, manufacturing and job opportunities. The vision of Digital India is centred on Digital Infrastructure as a Utility to Every Citizen, Governance & Services on Demand and Digital Empowerment of Citizens. Blue Bells Model School, Gurgaon, strategically merged the great move in the school curriculum by celebrating ‘Digital India Week’ from July7 to July10, 2015 to acquaint students with the vision of our honorable  Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. On July 7,2015 the students of  class IX conducted a special assembly wherein they presented a song, a talk on digital India and a street play.  The theme of the street play revolved around the impact of digital technology in human life. Along with the multifaceted opportunities that technology provides, the play also conveyed the message that students ought to be aware of cyber crime, hacking, morphing photos etc. and not to indulge or become a prey to it. Saloni and Simran of class XI delivered a talk apprising the dream and vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi who wants to bring a revolutionary change in the lifestyle of Indians and official transactions. Poster Making on ‘Digital Citizenship’ brought forth an amazing creativity from the students of class IX & X. Group discussions were conducted for classes IX & X on topics like Digital lockers, Large scale digitization. IT for jobs, Mobile as a digital identity,  e-transactions, e-governance etc.  Students active participation and sharing indepth knowledge was the hallmark of the group discussion. Parental participation in the week found an interface through a questionnaire on cyber safety and awareness. Ms. Chandan Dhawan, Principal of the school appreciated students’ efforts and conveyed that students should be more tech savvy in a positive away and should never be a part of any cyber offense. She also motivated students to think out of box and come out with innovative ideas for the betterment and progress of our country.

Child Protection Workshop

Childhood should be carefree, playing in the sun; not living a nightmare in the darkness of the soul’
There is nothing more contagious than the laughter of young children; it doesn’t even have a matter what they’re laughing about and this precious laughter and joy has to be nourished and nurtured with care and love. Blue Bells Model School, Gurgaon organized a workshop on ‘Child Protection’ on 26th May ,2015 for the teachers to ensure the safety of the students and empowering them with the rules and regulation of the school’s ‘Child Protection Policy’. The resource person of the workshop was Dr. Anjali Gandhi, a professor, Deptt. of Social Work in Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. She shared her rich experience in handling cases pertaining to child abuse. Through innumerable instances she emphasized the fact that children are innocent and trusting and they become easy victim of sexual abuse in the school, family and society at large. As such teachers play a pivotal role to protect them in the school if they become a prey to such heinous crime. She elaborately spoke on POCSO Act, adopted by India to safeguard children from sexual abuse. Dr. Gandhi also briefed on online safety so that teachers could guide the students properly for internet security. Dr.Alka Saxena, Asst. Director Health and Wellness highlighted Child Protection Policy statements to provide a clear picture to the teachers for ensuring students safety in the school. This policy applies to all employees and other person who comes in contact with the school system. She conducted a detailed discussion on the vision and mission of the school as far as students’ welfare is concerned. She apprised the staff about the safety measures taken for transport and even when students move out for picnic or any outdoor activities and other areas. She outlined the parameters to follow internet safety protocol and also updated the roles and responsibilities of ‘Child Abuse Monitoring Committee’ and ‘Core Committee Members’ to make children feel safe and secure in the school premise. The whole objective of today’s session was to protect children from harm and abuse and ensure their safety and provide a safe learning environment.  Ms. Chandan Dhawan, Principal of Blue Bells Model School extended her heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Anjali Gandhi for sensitizing the teachers about child abuse and how they could be safeguarded. She also thanked Dr. Alka Saxena for showing her profound concern about the children and apprising teachers about Child Protection Policy.

Bloom's Taxonomy for Instructional Leaders

The workshop started with a couple of Ice-breaker activity wherein we were told to familiarize ourselves with the children and not start the class at one go . Pictoral activities for the children are also another way of warming up the students for the day.
Next we were taken through various stages of Bloom’s Taxonomy with an initial introduction to the legendary psychologist Mr. Benjamin Blooms. We understood the three domains of the Texonomy-Cognitive, Affective and psychomotor-loosely described as the knowing/head,Teeling/heart and doing / hands respectively. Together all the three domains create a more holistic approach towards education. We approached a “Know What Learn” worksheet to understand the strategy from LOTS to HOTS.
We were told various strategies to keep the class attentive and busy with activities.
Various sub-rubrics from the cognitive table was identified and thoroughly discussed and was informed how to go about it from lower order thinking skills to higher order thinking skills.
Every specific terminology was thoroughly discussed.
Various reflection sheets were shown and discussed to understand the level of students clarity and understanding of the topic taught in class.
Along with course planning , it is also important to build rapport with students and support their learning. The facilitators are to continually use the VERBS to make them user-friendly to the children. In this process, we too can understand the level of the child’s recognition power according to Taxonomy chart.
Finally, a self-assessment was done to check our own understanding level for class intervention and Lesson planning

Hands On-DNA workshop

A workshop on DNA isolation was organized by Dr. Chhavi Thakur and conducted by ESCHERICHIA GENOMICS Pvt. Ltd. In Blue Bells Model School.
40 students from classes XI and XII of the medical stream enriched their knowledge on:
i) DNA extraction from plants, fungi, bacteria, blood etc.
ii) DNA gel electrophoresis
iii) DNA photographs for future analysis
iv) DNA photograph analysis
v) DNA finger printing exercise (used in forensic department)
The resource person was Mr. V.K. Singh. The students were provided with DNA isolation kit for the purpose of isolating DNA from various sources. Experiments were based on laboratory etiquette. Students worked with electrophoretic machine, Autoclave, PCR machine, vertex and centrifuge machine. It was an interactive session and an eye-opener for the young scientists in a broader prospect. It was a good hands -on learning experience and a perfect intervention for their brighter future,

Mother's  Day

Motherhood- all love begins and ends here
Of all the gifts that life has to offer, a loving mother is the greatest of them all. The bond between mothers and their children is one defined by love. Mother is an embodiment of compassion, care, sacrifice, perseverance and fearlessness. To honour this pious soul and mark her greatness, Blue Bells Model School, Gurgaon commemorated Mother’s day on May 9, 2015. The ceremony commenced with the lighting of the sacred lamp by Dr. Alka Saxena Asst. Director Health and Wellness, Blue Bells Group of Schools followed by the welcome song and shloka recital. Ms. Chandan Dhawan, Principal of the school, addressed the gathering and congratulated all the mothers for their untiring efforts and contribution in bringing up their children. She highlighted the fact that motherhood is a difficult task but invariably rewarding. Dr. Alka Saxena conducted a workshop on ‘Parenting’ to enable the mothers tackle and handle their wards more efficiently and competently. Through demonstrations and role plays she highlighted the issue that parents need to be patient and affectionate in handling and moulding their ward’s behaviour and boost up their morale and self confidence to cope up with any circumstances. Students entertained the special guests by presenting melodious song and well-synchronized group dance. A movie ‘Bluetooth’ was also shown to the mothers conveying the message that parents are the role models for their children, so they need to be alert and cautious in their own dealings because ultimately they imitate and follow their parent’s footsteps. The mothers were also involved in ‘Mood-uplifting’ activities which included balloon dance, ‘Thirakte Kadam’ and Bounce the Ball to know their power of endurance. The mothers rejoiced the memory game, ‘Train Your Brain’ and sang melodious song in ‘Mould the Melody’ round. Ms. Tanuja Sharma, a faculty member of Hindi department and Ms. Nitu Kumari, PET conducted a yoga session for the mothers for emphasizing the fact that yoga is indeed a stress buster and relaxes mind and body. Through the celebration, Blue Bells reaffirmed the truth that mothers hold the supreme place and they are to be valued and revered. The event ended with the presentation of vote of thanks by Ms. Mini Vasudeva.

CELEBRATION OF RABINDRA JAYANTI

Rabindra Nath Tagore has beautifully quoted - “Music fills the infinite between two souls.” Blue Bells Model School thought of proving the above quote true by organizing an Inter-House Solo Dance Competition on Rabindra Sangeet. The students tapped their feet to the rhythm of Rabindra Sangeet and mesmerized the audience with their amazing performance. The poem ‘Where the mind is without fear’ was shown to the students to understand the literal meaning of the poem. A poem written by Rabindra Nath Tagore was recited which spoke volumes about God’s ever presence and blessings on us. The speech on Tagore’s life gave an insight to Tagore’s life which was followed by a solo song presentation. The students also saw a documentary based on life of Rabindra Nath Tagore and to help the students understand the poet in a better way. The assembly concluded with a group dance on Rabindra Sangeet which brought on stage the beauty of blooming flowers and bees buzzing around them during spring season. The Principal, Ms. C. Dhawan, addressed the audience and appreciated the students for their efforts.

LABOUR'S DAY

Lets celebrate the labor that build up this Great Land
All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. To appreciate the contribution of workers, the students of  Blue  Bells Model School, Gurgaon commemorated  ‘Labour’s Day’ on May1, 2015. A special assembly was conducted by the Primary Wing  which  commenced on a spiritual note with the school prayer and shloka recital. The students delivered speech, recited poem  and presented  skit along with a dance group song that threw light on educating and supporting the labour in best possible way. They  made beautiful greeting cards to express their heartfelt wishes for them. The Middle Wing  students of Social Outreach Club organised interesting fun-filled games for the labourers which included balloon blast, mesmerizing musical presentation, song recognition, sponge bucket game, art and craft, quiz, races and musical chair. Senior Wing students made the day memorable for these employees by conducting volley-ball match for males and throw-ball for females. Few workers showcased their talent by delivering speech, singing song and reciting poem. Students felicitated them by giving away tokens of love and respect. Ms. Chandan Dhawan, Principal of the school addressed the gathering and extended her heartfelt gratitude to all the workers of the school and enlightened them with her thoughts to empower their children by all means. Middle Wing In-charge , Ms. Anshu Malika Kumar complemented  and applauded students’ and teachers’ efforts for making the event a success. She rightly quoted that it is labour indeed who puts the difference on everything and proposed the vote of thanks for their untiring and wholehearted contribution for the school.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAY CUM EARTH DAY

There is hope if people will begin to awaken that spiritual part of themselves, the heartfelt knowledge that we are caretakers of this planet.”
Keeping in mind the Earth Day and English Language Day a few activities were conducted in the Primary Wing of Blue Bells Model School. The students participated in TRASH TO TREASURE – a zero waste product designing activity and made wonderful items using waste cloth, paper, straws, ice-cream sticks, plates, C.Ds and a lot more waste products available at home. A campaign on Save Earth was also conducted by the Students’ Council in the whole school and the nearby area of the school premises. The students distributed pamphlets to educate the viewers about the dos and don’ts of celebrating Earth Day today and always. The SPELL STUDIO – an Inter-house spelling quiz was conducted to help the students enhance their vocabulary and word power. Tagore House won the first position by defeating Indira Gandhi House at the second position. The Principal, Ms. C. Dhawan appreciated the students for their performance in the Spell Studio.

Prize Distribution Ceremony

Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful’ 
Achievements are a tradition at Blue Bells. The institution believes in nurturing its genius and giving them the well deserved recognition. Blue Bells Model School organized a Prize Distribution ceremony on April 18, 2015 for the academic winners of classes III-XI, session 2014-2015.The auspicious occasion commenced with diya lightening by Ms. Chandan Dhawan, Principal of the school followed by a mesmerising musical presentation and a group song by the students. A group dance performance added joy and delight to the event. Anshita Raghav of class VIII presented a PPT on school’s history. The Principal of the school addressed the gathering. She extended a hearty welcome to all the parents present and congratulated them for their ward’s success. She rightly quoted that in order to succeed, one’s desire for success should be greater than ones fear of failure. She also underlined the fact that the students’ success was the sheer joint efforts of parents, teachers and students. The Principal and Senior Wing Incharge Ms. M.Aruna felicitated the achievers by giving away the prizes to them and conveyed the message that winners are not born winners but becomes one through hard work, dedication and commitment which are keys to success.
One another important event of the day was the exhibition was Ingenuity.
The students of Blue Bells Model School are creative, innovative and excel in all their endeavour. The students of classes XI & XII were given research topic on Block Printing. This was a project of British Council- International School Award in which students of class XI had compared the block printing techniques used in India, China & UK. They did thorough research on the motifs, fabric and printing techniques used in the three countries followed by a group discussion wherein the students had shared the information about the block printing of each country.
In sync with the same, the students of class XII had prepared  block printed articles ranging from bed linen cushion covers, pillow covers, table mats, curtains, sari etc. coupled with beautiful and fine embroidery stitches which is very unusual with mixhand block printing. The articles were printed and embroidered by students of class XII and designed by students of class XI. An exhibition “Ingenuity” was organized on 18th April 2015 to display all these articles in Blue Bells Model School. The exhibition was inaugurated by Ms. Chandan Dhawan, Principal of Blue Bells Model School. She appreciated and applauded the students’ creativity and vision in portraying their imagination through fine embroidery and block printing designs. Many parents and schools from Gurgaon visited the exhibition and enjoyed the opportunity of learning the skill of block printing on textile and needlework.

Safer Internet Day

Let's create a better internet together
Over the years, Safer Internet Day has become a landmark in the online safety calendar. Today’s young generation is tech savvy, but to have a proper knowledge of internet safety, Blue Bells Model School, Gurgaon, commemorated ‘Safer Internet Day’ on February 10, 2015. A special assembly for classes VI-VIII was conducted by the school’s Cyber Congress Team to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology amongst the students and protecting them from illegal and harmful content and conduct online. A Talk on ‘Safe Internet’ was presented by Anushka Pannu of class VII to make students aware of negative and positive aspects of internet use. A Street Play ‘Internet- Ek Naya Daud’ acquainted students with the serious issues pertaining to net surfing. The script was written  by Deepanshi of Class VIII and she rightly emphasized the fact that ‘A right click is a boon and a wrong click is a bane’ and students should be very cautious and alert while surfing net. A Power Point Presentation on ‘Dos and Donts’ by Varishti and Ridhika of class VIII lent an in-depth knowledge on cyber bullying and  social networking. Ms.Chandan Dhawan, Principal of the school addressed the students and appreciated  the efforts of Cyber Congress Team for bringing an awareness among the students on safe internet surfing.