“When God gives an assignment, It comes with His enablement –“
I had always experienced the truth in this adage at every new step I took and I willingly submitted to the Lord’s will.
“Teach me your ways, O Lord, I will walk in your truth”, in the words of the Psalmist. [Psalm 86:11]
I would like to begin this report on a note of thankfulness, to God Almighty for guiding me and my team through this year. I thank my community of sisters at Perambur for they have been a great support to continue Nano’s mission entrusted to me.
I thank the teaching and non – teaching staff of our school for their unending support. At St. Joesph’s, education lies not merely in the quantification of knowledge but more as in the formation of competent, committed, creative and compassionate students with a strong sense of social responsibility. Our school is a place where our children are encouraged to say, “I see it, I get it, I can do it.” Our philosophy of education has always focussed on meeting the needs of the individual child.
The academic year began on 1st June 2015. An orientation programme for the staff was conducted on 6th June 2015 Rev. Fr. Joseph Leo from Vazhikatti was our resource person. He spoke on the topic “Education – Kindling the flame, not filling the vessel.” The session was very fruitful and interactive.
Our class X students of 2014 – 2015 proved their academic excellence in the SSLC examination. Kavya Priya A.R. topped the list with a total of 490 out of 500. Our 12th Standard students also performed well. The School toppers were Sharanya Pandy C (1184/1200) with French as 2nd language and Revathy C (1152/1200) with Tamil as the 2nd language.
The investiture ceremony was held on 20th June 2015 with Sr Pia, the Headmistress of St John’s Primary and Nursery School, as the chief guest. Sister motivated our newly - vested captains to communicate effectively with other students and to carry out their responsibilities to the best of their ability. Mrs. Leema, Mrs. Prabha, Mrs. Sethani and Mrs. Praveena were appointed as house – mistresses for the four houses - St. Joseph’s, St. Teresa’s, St. Patrick’s and St. Anne’s.
Our Annual Inspection was held on the 9th & 10th of June 2015. Mr Joseph Selvaraj Inspector of A.I Schools visited all the classes and spent a few minutes interacting with the teachers and the students. At the end of the day, at a meeting with the staff, he appreciated the students for their active participation and the teachers for their effective teaching methods.
We believe that “a sound mind in a sound body” is the secret of success. The Annual School Sports Meet was declared open by Tmt. N. Kamini IPS (Superintendent of Police – Economic offences Wing, CID, Chennai) on the 10th of July 2015. Our Sports Day was centered on the topic “International year of Soil.” The opening ceremony, the march past and the drill were enjoyed by the audience.
We would like to place on record the achievements of a few of our trending sports stars.
On 26th Oct 2015 a Table Tennis match was conducted in M.B. Jain Hr. Sec. School, T. Nagar. Our seniors under 17, secured the 1st place in both the singles and Doubles matches.
In the State Level Interschool A.I. Sports meet held on 31st July 2015 in Nehru Stadium Chennai, our students made us proud by their performance. Deepika K. and Akshaya K. of Std. VII secured the 1st place in the 100 and 200 metres respectively and Edina Feblin P.Y. of class VII got the 3rd place in the 100 metres. They also got the 1st place for relay juniors. Hemah S. won the 1st place for High Jump and Edina Feblin secured the 2nd place for Long Jump.
In the National level Karate under 19 tournament, held on 21st and 22nd Aug 2015 in Bangalore, Aarthi of std. XI secured the 2nd place in Kata and 3rd place in Shai and Monisha of Std. XI secured the 1st place in Shai and 3rd place in Kata. In the under 17 category Vandana of Std. IX got the 1st place in Shai. Reena of Std. VIII got the 2nd place in Kata and 3rd place in Shai in the under 14 category.
At the School Games Federation of India - Nationals, held at T.T. Stadium in Bhopal, Janice Arul I. of Std. XI B secured the second place and was awarded a silver medal in the Fencing event.
In the Basket Ball SGFI, under 17 category, Sree Nithi .K of Std X was part of the Tamilnadu team at Chattisgarh. Our Basket Ball Senior Team participated in the ‘Fabula’ All India Basket Ball tournament conducted by Rajagiri schools in Kerala, and secured the 1st place. Monisha Kumari of Std. XII, Nishanthi M and Ishwarya J of Std XI participated in the 33rd Basket Ball Youth Nationals held in Bhavnagar Gujarat and the team secured the 1st place. In the 4th Fiba Asian Championship held at Indonesia, Nishanthi M. was the captain of the Indian team and the team secured 6th place.
We not only focus on academics but cater to the holistic development of students. To instill more interest in learning and to promote awareness of National and International events pupils are encouraged to conduct a Quiz once a week at the assembly.
The supervised study class for slow bloomers has helped to raise their standard of performance in the examinations.
As a part of the curriculum, every class was taken out for a one day educational trip which was a learning experience for the pupils.
17 Girl Guides attended the Rajyapuraskar test camp at camp Tonakela – Avadi from 15th to 17th July 2015, and passed the same.
Kalvi Valarchi Naal was commemorated on 15th July 2015. A special assembly was conducted by the students of the Tamil literary club. The assembly was based on the topic “Education for all.”
The 68th Independence Day of our Nation was celebrated on 15th August 2015. The students of Std X staged a special assembly. Mrs. Marguerite Rosair was the chief guest of the day. Mrs. Rosair unfurled the tri – colour and spoke on the responsibilities underlying the Nation’s Development.
Teachers’ Day was celebrated on the 5th of Sep 2015. A special Mass was offered for the teachers. The captains organized the cultural programme and made the day very memorable. Class – rooms were decorated and the children entertained the teachers.
Diwali, the festival of lights, was celebrated in our school on the 7th of November 2015. The children of class V staged a colourful and meaningful assembly.
A very touching Christmas play was staged by the exuberant students of Std. VI on 23rd December. The soulful music of Christmas carols filled our hearts with festivity.
On 20th December, the school with the Alumni conducted a get-together for the Blossoms. The children were treated to a delicious meal and presented with gifts, which they appreciated with smiling faces.
The Pongal festival was celebrated very colourfully with dance and song by the students of Std. VIII.
The 67th Republic Day was celebrated on 26th January 2016. Students of Std. VIII showcased an assembly on “Our Love for our Country”. Our Chief Guest V.V. Abraham SDB, shared a patriotic message with our students.
Cultural events and sports serve as platforms to showcase the multi – talents of our students and to bring out their latent talents.
On the 10th Oct 2015 we had a Fun – fair in our school. It was a day filled with fun. It was organised by the Alumni of St Joseph with the support of the teachers and parents. Actor Vijay Adhiraj and Rev. Fr. V.V. Abraham were our chief guests. The school campus was turned into a festive ground with games stalls and a food court and there was a lot of merry – making in the air.
School and home are complementary in moulding a child. We best pursue the wisdom of God, when we pursue it together “Success at school begins at home.” There is no denying this established truth. A seminar for parents was conducted on the 24th and 25th Aug 2015 with Mr. Sagaya Roy Anand an eminent speaker, as our resource person.
Mr. Anand shared a few tips with the parents on effective and meaningful parenting. He stressed on how to train children, in the way, they should go, so that even when they are old they will not depart from it.
Children learn more from observing “how we act, than from what we teach.”
The first Friday Mass celebrated every month inculcates in our students the need to get closer to God. We are thankful to the Parish Priest and his team at Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine – Perambur who take great interest in preparing the Eucharistic celebration. Retreats have been organized for our students from classes VI to XII. Our children are given the opportunity to receive the sacrament of reconciliation regularly.
Our nation lost an eminent and esteemed personality on 27th July 2015, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was a noble soul and an iconic leader – a man of the masses and the “people’s president”, as he was fondly called. As a mark of respect to his departed soul, we paid a floral tribute during the assembly. We deeply grieve his loss. May he enjoy eternal peace.
The corridors of our school undoubtedly echo with the wise words spoken by our experienced teachers and today, I extend my heart felt gratitude to Mrs. Valentine Dawson for her dedicated service in our Institution. She is also the recipient of The Best Teacher Award at the District Level presented to her by the Collector of Chennai. We wish you God’s blessing and a lot of Good luck in your future endeavors Mrs. Valentine. You will ever remain in our prayers.
Let us continue to walk together through the vistas of service, creativity, competence, commitment and compassion. “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” – for no matter what is before us, God is always behind us”. All glory and honour to Him!
Thank you and God bless you