After the exams, all teachers of Naveen School corrected the exam papers and gave out the results to our children. We had to say goodbye to our beloved children from class five as they left our school and embark on a new journey. Most of them join other schools to continue their studies. We already miss them and we wish them all the best. We are confident, that the innitial decisive years of their studies at the Naveen School have provided them with a reliable foundation for their future education. 

It is the middle of April and it has gotten very hot already in Varanasi with around 40 degrees Celsius! The lessons are therefor only held until 11 o’ clock in the morning. 

We have good news to share: Naveen School has a new teacher since the beginning of April, who is an experienced English and Science teacher. Mr. Vinay is doing a few minutes meditation with the children on a daily base where the children just relax from the studies. We welcome him to our team and we are looking forward to this new school session with him.

The school’s annual function that took place end of February was enjoyed by all the children, teacher and our beloved guests. The colours, decoration, music, dances and laughter made this day very special for everyone.

The final annual exams have started at the beginning of March.

Photos of the Annual Day celebration:

After the winter break the school reopened by mid-January, however, it was still quite cold then. On 26^th January Republic Day was honoured as that is the day India’s constitution came into force 68 years ago in 1950.

Now, February feels like spring and the weather has become more pleasant, although the mornings are still slightly cold. Our children at Naveen School have been revising their study course as they are getting ready for the upcoming final annual exams in March. Teachers are giving special assistance to children who need extra attention and care.

Besides, everyone here at Naveen School is looking forward to the school’s Annual Celebration Day that is taking place at the end of this month. The teachers and children are eagerly rehearsing and preparing for the dance performances, songs and plays and making the costumes and decorations. Watch out for our next post with pictures and news of the Annual Celebration Day : – )

After the Diwali break, the school opened again on 23rd October 2017. Children
were very joyous to be back and their faces said it all. Normal classes have
resumed. The teachers are correcting the exam papers and preparing the results
which will be declared soon.

The school bid farewell to Rachana Kannojia at the end of October, a beloved
and very devoted teacher who has been associated with this school for 7.5
years. She is moving away from Varanasi to another city because of her
marriage. Rachana’s contribution to the school was vital. She was not only good
in her teachings but was also good to keep discipline and still keep a very loving
relationship with the students. On 31st October, we organized a small get
together for her to say good-bye and everybody wished her good luck for her
new future. We are very grateful that we had her for such a long time with us.
Thank you Rachana, we will miss you!
Naveen school has a new teacher now, Sangeeta who joined on 9th November
2017. Welcome to Naveen School!

On 14th November, India celebrates Children’s day to increase the awareness
towards the rights, care, and education of children. The school organized various
games, dances, and activities. We had Petra from Holland coming over to the
school who brought delicious apples and candies for all the students and
staff. How thrilled the kids were! Petra thoroughly enjoyed being in the school
and got engaged in various activities which children were doing. She was really
touched by the innocence and smiles of these children. She enjoyed every bit of
it and so did the students.

On 15th of November, Sandra, a yoga trainer from Holland took a workshop for
teachers and taught them yoga. She taught them basic steps of yoga and
important asanas (yoga positions). We hope that the teachers now will already
be able to use this initiation to forward these practices to the children. We are
glad that a start for yoga was made in this way thanks to this beautiful volunteer
work.

The school is bustling with oodles of festive spirit as the children celebrated ‘Navratra’ and
‘Dussera’ two weeks ago and are all geared up for Diwali in the coming week. These festivals
mark one of the important celebrations on the Hindu festive calendar. The school observed
holidays from 28 Sep-1st October. The children usually go out to visit various pandals all over
the city and attend Navratri or Dussehra or Diwali Melas (fairs). At this time the entire city is
draped in various lights and the ambience and the vibe is very lively and enthusiastic. At school, children made Diyas (lamp) for Diwali. They decorated the classrooms and also took few home to decorate on the day of Diwali.

Keeping the festive spirits aside, the half-yearly examinations started from 7th of October.
For small children, the exams concluded on the 12th of October whereas for older kids the
exams concluded on the 17th of October. The children are writing the papers now for which they had started preparations a few weeks ago. At Naveen School, we do our best to not make examinations strenuous for the children and develop healthy competition amongst them. There are many revision classes which take place before the exams so that the students are well prepared for the course.

Break for Diwali is commencing from 18th October to 21st October.

We are extremely sorry for not sending a half-yearly report as promised but will be
sending out one in the coming months. We hope that through our blog you are getting updated with the happenings in Naveen School.

We wish you a very Happy Diwali from our end! Will share Diwali updates in our next post.

Keep reading and smiling

Every year on 5th September, India celebrates Teachers Day. It is celebrated to mark the
contribution made by the teachers to the society. It is the birth anniversary of Doctor
Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, who was a staunch believer of education, scholar, president
of India and a teacher. In Naveen School, the day was celebrated with so much vigor
and enthusiasm. The students were told about the significance of this day in the form of
stories. A small fun activity for students was organized by the school wherein the
students from class nursery to 3rd grade had to draw and paint and 4th -5th-grade
Students had to write about what they want to become when they grow up. Post this
activity, the teachers put on some music and the children danced and enjoyed. Also,
food stalls were put up where teachers made golgappas and jhal mudi (Indian snacks)
and students were seen enjoying those delicious items. The students and teachers
bonded really well and had a great time.

On Eid, an important Muslim festival which took place in the beginning of September,
was observed as a school holiday.

Other than this celebration, regular school activities are taking place. Examination
papers have been made and gone for printing. The teachers are completing the course
for the mid-term examination and also starting with the revisions soon. The
examinations will begin from 7th October. The students are also very excited about the
upcoming festivals Dussera and Navratra.

The extreme humid temperature was taking a toll and we decided to change the fans of
two of our classrooms which were old. We replaced them with new fans which brought
in a lot of respite to the students. Thanks to available funds we could acquire a new
inverter, an electricity producing device for time periods where electricity from the
municipality is not available.

Our organization is looking for an English teacher for our primary classes 1st-5th grade.
Please let us know if you know anyone who could help us. We also welcome
volunteers!
We would also love to know if anyone could teach the students Qi Gong or Knitting.
We would already like to inform you that we are indenting to change the corrugated iron
roof of about 6 classrooms to replace it with a cemented roof. The base of the building
will have to be stabilized as well in this process. We would be very grateful for any
support in this.
We will get back to you with more updates about it.

If you have been following our blogs and would want to know anything particular about
the school or activities happening around there, do write to us on office@widervision.org
It would be great to hear from you!

At Naveen School, the festivities have already begun as July and August marks the beginning of celebration and festivals according to the Indian lunar calendar. These months bring in a lot of festivities and joys to the children as well as the adults.

It started with Raksha Bandhan this time, which was on 7^th August 2017. Rakshabandhan is a festival of bonding with your siblings. At Naveen School, Raksha Bandhan turned out to be a fun activity where kids were seen making rakhis and posters. They were left to explore making rakhis and all of them turned out to be really good! Apart from the Rakhi making sessions, they were told about the significance of this festival in the form of stories from Hindu mythology. It is important for the children to know why these festivals are celebrated. 

It was then followed by Janmashtami and Independence Day. Janmashtami marks the birth of Lord Krishna. However, there was a school holiday on that day. The students in the school were told the stories about Lord Krishna and later as a fun activity, they made drawings of the stories they heard.

This year India celebrated seventy years of Independence. It is marked as one of the most historical days in India. Every year at Naveen School, we celebrate Independence day by hoisting the national flag, singing our national anthem and telling the children about the fight and struggle which led to this day. We also distribute sweets and snacks amongst children. The preparations begin way early at the school where kids are seen making flags and posters for the celebration on the day. They then decorate their classrooms and school with the things they have made. There is a great amount of enthusiasm, which goes into it, and it is so lovely to see the kids with a huge big smile! 

Special supervision is given to our teachers after the school hours by Vandana where teachers are explained how we want them to approach the children which mean basically in an encouraging and loving manner.

Naveen School is in need of a good teacher who can teach English and Science. We also would love to introduce subjects like Qi Gong or innovative arts&crafts methods. Please help us in spreading this news. If you can be of any help regarding this we are glad to hear from you. Thank you!

We will get back to you with more updates and happenings at the Naveen School next month! Hope you have been enjoying our latest posts from Varanasi!!

Hello, Everyone! Welcome back. Naveen Nursery School has reopened after its summer break. The school reopened on the 3^rd July whereas the school officially opened a bit earlier on the 28^th June.  It is a great delight to once again see the kids in the school with their happy faces.  It is a good sign as it shows that they like to be back in Naveen School and are fresh from the summer break!

In Varanasi, the monsoon knocked on the door right when the summer break ended for the Naveen Nursery School. The rains are such a respite from the scorching and sweltering heat that was there in the past three months. The rains have brought much relief to everyone as the weather is a bit more pleasant now. Especially, the children seem to be enjoying the rains and are doing fun activities like making and playing with paper boats and paper fishes.

Most of our fifth class students, who had to leave our school because their term ended, have now joined other Government Schools as this is mostly a cheaper option for them to be able to continue their studies ahead.

The school has resumed its normal activities and the classes are in full swing now. New admissions have also begun. Enrollment of children especially for the Nursery classes is taking place simultaneously. There is a new teacher in our school. We welcomed Pooja, who joined us this July and teaches the Nursery classes.

We all are looking forward to the start of the school again