A Day with Bal Ganesha 2 - Provided by Global Punjabi Association 2012

Childrens day out  Times of India - 17th Sept, 2012 Global Punjabi Association organised a movie screening for kids  Aspecial screening of the movie,Bal Ganesha 2,was organised by the Global Punjabi Association for underprivileged children.Held at Juhus Chandan Cinema on September 12,the event was attended by kids from Dilkush Special School,Rochiram T Thadani High School for Hearing Handicapped,Utkarsh Vidyalaya for hearing impaired,Shrutis School for the deaf,Juhu Gandhigram Mumbai Public School and KK Raj Popat High School. For most kids,this was a first-time experience.The movie hall,the Bal Ganesh air walker balloons,the release of thousands of balloons in the sky,it was heartening to see their smiling,upturned faces, said Raaman Khuraana,President of Global Punjabi Association.There was laughter,joy and a fun-filled atmosphere inside the movie hall. After the screening,the kids were given special take-away gifts by the organisers.Outside,a special bhangra performance,was organised by Tony Bachher,Harbinder Singh Matharu and Kulwant Singh Warha,members of the association.We were blessed for our efforts,when we witnessed a packed auditorium with 1,100 kids.We were delighted to see the kids having a great time, said Sherley Singh,one of the members who played a key role in organising the event along with Jatinder Singh Nagi and Jasvinder Singhji. Ms Vibha,a co-ordinator at Dilkush,stated,Saying that the kids had a good time would be an understatement,they had a fabulous time! The event was beautifully organised.    The Global Punjabi Association along with the kids    Raaman Khuraana

The ABC of education - Midday 23rd Sept 2012

The ABC of education

September 23, 2012 

MUMBAI  - Moeena Halim

Juhu Gandhigram's Mumbai Public School has seen a steep rise in the number of students at their English medium school. This year a group of very dedicated Juhu residents along with the Nagriksatta Ward 63 Association can claim responsibility

Walk into a classroom at Juhu Gandhigram’s Mumbai Public School (MPS) and you’re sure to be thrown off by the brightly coloured walls. Is this really a municipal school?

Nagriksatta Ward 63 Association (NSWA) along with a group of Juhu residents took over the running of the school about five years ago. So while the infrastructure is provided by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), setting up the English medium school runs is the responsibility of a group of social activists keen on giving underprivileged children the advantage of good education.

Nagriksatta Ward 63 Association organised a Sports Day function for the children of Mumbai Public School

“The children were only being taught in Hindi and Marathi. Our intention is to offer them an education we would like our children to have at private schools,” explains Sherley Singh, president, NSWA.

The NSWA took over the reins about four years ago, but this year they have seen an exceptionally steep rise in the number of students. “Today there are 600 students from pre-school to the fourth standard. In 2008, there were merely 180 students,” reveals Singh, clearly thrilled by their success.

“It is a huge development. I think it is because of the quality of education we provide. There are many other schools in the neighbourhood, which cater to the same audience. Instead of paying Rs 250-300 as fees, parents would rather send their children to MPS since its free,” says Singh.

The volunteers — teachers from Podar Educational Institution, Teach for India and other Juhu residents — are a committed lot bent on upgrading the school’s standards. They supplement the education provided by the BMC-employed teachers. The volunteers are expected to commit to teaching for a year and come to school everyday.

The NSWA also ensures that extra-curricular activities are regularly organised for the children. “We organised a full-fledged sports day, and an annual day where children performed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

“We also hold film screenings and recently, we showed them Bal Ganesh,” reveals Singh, explaining that the idea is to expose the children to as much as possible.

“In the future, we hope to replicate this at other schools in the area. But before we can do that, we need to get a little more systematic,” laughs Singh.  

Progress Report - 12th August to 31st August 2012

Progress report for the period 12^th August till 31^st August 2012

1. Pre primary Students on each day during assembly were taught the colours of our National flag and the significance about the same. As a craft activity all students made the flag using different techniques like paper crumbling, tearing and sticking and coloring etc.
2. Eid cards were also made by each student to give to their parents and friends on Eid.
3. Students were given lessons on health and hygiene. The concept of eating right and importance of vegetables and fruits in our life was emphasised. Students were fed fruit salad at the end of the lesson.
4. How to use the toilet was demonstrated using a mock toilet by the teachers.
5. A few students of the primary visited college fests like Malhar and Umang and at the latter event danced spontaneously on stage fearlessly when asked to by the Judges.
6. Efforts are on to help Teach for India fellows who are teachers in our school to start a book and toy library totally free of cost at Moragaon, a fishing village near the school,  and also promote  adult literacy especially for the illiterate parents of our students.
7. The teachers from PIE visited the school and performed a dance for the entire school. They also distributed Tshirts to all the pre primary students. Needless to say the kids were absolutely delighted.

SR NO.	NAME	AMT IN RS / MATERIAL PROVIDED
1	ANIL DESAI	7000/-
2	JALPA SHARMA	FRUIT SALAD FOR ALL THE PRE PRIMARY STUDENTS (800)
3	PINAKIN RACHH	IDLIS AND SAMBHAR FOR ALL PRE PRIMARY STUDENTS(2300)
4	AVNI MEHTA	220/-
5	SENGUPTA	1500/-

Progress Report - 13 June to 31st July 2012

At the outset we thank all the volunteers, staff and donors without whom the running of the MPS school would be impossible and truly look forward to your guidance and continued support in future.

We are fortunate to have such people who are dedicated to providing quality education and improving the lives of our students.

Please find below the progress report on the school for the period 13/6/12to 31/7/12

The new academic year began on the 13^th of June, 2012. The student strength of the pre primary and primary school is as under:

STANDARD strength of the pre primary school is as under: O 31/7/12	DIV	NO OF BOYS	NO OF GIRLS	TOTAL
JR KG	A	25	23	48
JR KG	B	25	23	48
SR KG	A	28	22	50
SR KG	B	29	21	50
			TOTAL PRE PRIMARY	196
I	A	19	27	46
I	B	19	27	46
II	A	21	24	45
II	B	22	22	44
III	A	28	21	49
III	B	26	23	49
IV	A	17	19	36
IV	B	21	16	37
V	-	15	16	31
			TOTAL PRIMARY	383
		TOTAL PRE PRIMARY + PRIMARY		579

In due course, the Nagriksatta has provided maximum assistance to the school in the following ways:

1. Teachers and Volunteers 

Paid Teachers and Volunteers have been provided by Nagriksatta to both the pre primary and primary school to ensure that there is at least one teacher per class in the absence of BMC teachers.

2. Note Books

This year text books for std II upwards has been provided by the BMC. However, no note books were provided and hence Nagriksatta provided the same to all the students. This included the single line books for different subjects as well as square line books for maths and drawing books.

3. Stationery

Students are also provided continuously with other stationery, especially pencils, pens, eraser, sharpeners, scales, coloured pencils, crayons and paints etc.

4. Physical Training, Art and Craft
Besides academics, students are taught art, craft and also engaged in Physical Training whenever possible (space and time constraints).

5. Contribution by BMC

Uniforms, bags, Tiffin boxes, and water bottles were provided to all the students of Junior KG by the BMC mainly due to the efforts of Sandipan Ghule the Head Master, who went around the schools in Andheri where excess uniforms were supplied last year and collected the same and provided to the new students. Now each child comes to school in a uniform.

6. Mid day meal scheme
Students of the pre primary who are not covered by the mid day meal scheme were provided with snacks in the month of June and from July onwards are fed sumptuous khichdi provided by ISKCON Food Relief Foundation by 2 main sponsors viz. Rotary Club of Mumbai Sea Coast and Bhagini Sanskar Parishad.
These 2 sponsors have committed to supply the same throughout this academic year. The cost involved is Rs 575/- per dubba and we are provided 4 dubbas daily (Rs. 46,000 per month).

7. Child Awareness workshop on Sexual AbuseNagriksatta approached Child line and they conducted a Child Awareness workshop on Sexual Abuse class wise with all students (IInd grade upwards). A follow up session will be conducted by them after 6 months.

8. Special children
A Sr. KG student Tejas Choudhary was assessed by Drishti courtesy Dr. Smita Desai and found to be mentally challenged. After much counseling the parents agreed to move him to a special school in the vicinity which caters to these special needs. Jennifer Baptist our Trustee used her good offices and secured his admission. Although some fees are charged they will be paid by Nagriksatta. Another sibling Vikas Mohato( a cerebral palsy patient) , brother of our student Shiva Mohato was taken to Topiwala Nair Medical hospital and examined by the doctors and Nagriksatta will assist in the boy getting the proper treatment from the MCGM medical hospital.

9. Handwriting competition
A hand writing competition was conducted for all the students of the primary section on the 31^st of July, 2012. Prizes will be awarded to the 1^stand 2^nd best student in each class.

Nagriksatta is immensely grateful to all the sponsors and donors with whose help we are able to provide quality education to the students. Please find below the list of sponsors:

Sr. No.	Name	Amt in Rs / Material and Qty
1	Rotary Club of Mumbai Sea Coast and Bhagini Sanskar Parishad.	Rs 46,000 per month (Providing food throughout this academic year)
2	Raichel Joseph Foundation	Rs. 15,400
3	Michele Baptist	Rs. 15,000
4	Anil Desai	Rs. 14,000
5	Suzi Mishal Govani	Rs. 11,500
6	Mr Lulla of Eros International	Rs. 11500 (stationery, art, craft and writing material)
7	Deepika Topiwala, Radhika Arora, Mehjabeen Barwani, Priti Gandhi and Sonu Babla	Rs. 9000 (note books and stationery)
8	Inner Wheel Club of Bombay sea Coast	Rs. 8500 (200 big drawing books and other sationery)
9	Vimal Thakor	Rs. 8,400
10	Mrs NeelimaWidge	Rs. 7500 (Education kit for pre primary)
11	Malovika Braganza	Rs. 3,000
12	Nimisha Manish Mirani	Rs. 2,300
13	Anu Goswami	Rs. 2,300
14	Nidhi Jawahar	Rs. 1,750
15	Vaishali Kotwal	Rs. 1,000
16	Ami Patel	Art and craft material for all the IIIrd, IVth and Vth graders on a bi weekly basis.
17	Mr. Arif Banatwala	Crayons and Paints

Thanking you,

Raksha Bandhan 2012

Janmastami 2012

Craft activity for Janmastami. Our very own Govindas this year