When Mr Arun walked in on Saturday morning to have a brief session with the teachers none present knew exactly how effective he would be! However, within 5 minutes of his session he had the audience eating out of his hands!

The techniques used were so simple and clear that the instant result was amazing to say the least.

The fact that less than 1% of the brain is currently being used and the wonder of its potential if only put to more effective use was beautifully illustrated.

As teachers it became our moral responsibility to ensure that children are taught the right ways to stimulate both sides of the brain leading to everlasting learning and easy access of information stored in the cranium!

With the help of 2 or more short examples the teachers were taken through the process required to help students improve their cognitive skills.

The session proved to be a very useful one and an eye-opener in more ways than one about one's dormant potential that needs to be utilised to the maximum.

Mr Sushant Kalra - consultant for Risk and Incidence Management had a brief session with the Staff members at the Gerugambakkam Campus yesterday afternoon.

Informing the teachers of the necessity to be aware and take control of the situation in hand, he suggested various means of being aware and ready to face any challenge.

One of the methods suggested is the Calling Tree for instant communication among Staff members and parents which we intend to implement straight away.

A select group of teachers were taken to be trained as Internal Auditors for the ISO certification internal audits.

Taking the session Mrs Rukmani Shreedharan, ISO Coordinator gave the newly inducted staff auditors the nuances of auditing and the finess with which auditing had to be done.

A lengthy session it left the participants all the wiser at the end of it.

All the newly inducted Staff members were taken through an Orientation Program about the Smart_Class.

They were then shown the thousands of modules that are available for them as teachers to use in their everyday teaching of their subjects across any level they taught.

The teachers were later given ample time to go through and present any Smart_Class module they chose to highlight in the session.

Resource person Mr Venkat from Educomp Solutions - Smart_Class conducted the session for the teachers.

While the newly inducted teachers were busy with the introduction to the Smart_Class modules, the rest of the staff members from GST Campus and Gerugambakkam Campus met at the Seminar Hall for a session on Creativity - what it meant to be creactive and how to be a creative teacher.

The teachers were taken through the session wherein they were told how to identify creativity when they saw it, how to appreciate the same and how to nourish creativity among their students.

The Staff members were also taught to look at things in a different perspective that would lend to creativity.

Finally they were asked to work on making the Institution better than the best of all!

When technology comes knocking on one's door, we need to throw the door wide open!!

With the existing Smart_Class technology available in the school, it becomes mandatory for the teachers to be equipped with the knowledge of handling technology at its best.

With the computer lab no longer being the domain of just the Computer Science teachers, all subject teachers were encouraged to prepare and present power point presentations on any topic of their choice.

The obvious joy in being able to create and see instant results was evident in the eyes of the group that had gathered to present their presentations! Taking pride, the groups came forward to showcase their creation. Some were overjoyed at their new found knoweldge, others wanted more time to make a better presentation while almost everyone agreed that this was indeed something that they would be delving deeper into to get better and better at!

The computer science faculty were responsible for giving guidance and help to the subject teachers in their preparation and presentation.

Mr Ramachandran who had served as HOD at the PSBB School Nungambakkam for over 30 years took a session for the Primary Teachers and the Math teachers in the Effective Use of the Math Lab.  A pioneer in the setting up of the Math Lab himself, Mr Ramachandran has since them set up labs in over 250 schools across Tamilnadu.

In the session that was held for the teachers, he took them through the kit and the various topics that could be taught with the help of them.

Apart from the regular academic topics to be taught, he also had the Staff members caught in the magic world of math !

Dr Nirmala Pandit, closely associated with the MDA or the Madras Dsylexia Assocation addressed the Staff members of the GST Road Campus and the Gerugambakkam Campus jointly at the Seminar hall at Gerugambakkam.

Speaking on the given topic - 'How to identify and help children with learning difficulties', Dr Nirmala Pandit took the audience through simple ways and means of identifying children who may have difficulties be it in the area of reading or  writing. 

The session that lasted over 3 hours had a plethora of information shared through an Over Head Projector display followed by a question answer session. 

At the end of the session the facilitator congratulated the staff members for not only being an active participating group, but also arriving at the answers for most of the questions raised with the help of the group discussion themselves.

The staff members while thanking the facilitator said that the session had opened their eyes to the needs of the children and they were sure that they would be able to do a better job this academic year with the help of the tips given.

The Staff members of the Nursery section from both the GST Road Campus and the OMR assembled at the GST Road Campus to participate in a session wherein they were taken through the right tunes and rhymes taught at the Nursery level. 

Understanding the importance of Nursery Rhymes, the methodology to be put into use in the teaching of the rhymes, and the correct actions that went with the rhymes, the staff members enjoyed their session and got into the act learning and singing even as they enjoyed themselves doing so.

The Western Music masters, Mr Sudhakar, Mr Ramesh and Mr Khulayi Shareef conducted the session.

Mrs Shalini Prabhakar shared with the Nursery teachers the novel and unique teaching methodologies and practices that are in place in the Nursery Schools in the West Coast state of Los Angeles, USA.

In what turned out to be an extremely interesting session, the teachers were introduced to the various simple methods and day-to-day activities that could be put to effective use to enhance the  learning process in the children making it a successful conversion of play way methodologies that bring out the best in the learning experiences in the children.

Citing various examples and giving a deeper insight into child psychology, Mrs Shalini Prabhakar kept her audience rapt with attention till the end.

What a complete day it was!! One did not realise that the day had come to a close at 5 pm when all too suddenly the session on the Importance of Purna Vidya for both the Teacher and the Taught came to an end.

Conducted at the Gerugambakkam Campus for the Staff Members from the GST Road Campus, the Gerugambakkam Campus and the OMR Branch, by Swami Tatvanishtanandaji and Swamini Pramanandaji the day turned out to be an extremely enlightening one.

When the author of the Purna Vidya herself takes the workshop, how can it be anything but informative, exciting and absolutely enthralling!! Couple this with chanting of prayers, enacting and role play and a question answer session, it was a divine interaction!

Every staff member had been touched by Swamini and Swamiji's words of wisdom and now look forward to starting the academic year and the teaching of Purna Vidya with renewed interest and creative ideas.

On a hot Staurday morning on the 28th of May,  the parents of the children who have been admitted into Pre-KG for the academic year 2010 - 11 were taken through an Orientation Program.

A strong 250 plus crowd of parents beat the heat and the sweat to patiently go through the tips and pointers that were given to them.

The session began with a power point presentation on The PSBB Millennium School  - the Journey so Far! Highlighting the achievements of the School the parents were told of the salient features and the accolades the School had received in the past.

A presentation on what to expect from a 2 1/2 year old and what exactly one needs to be aware of was next.  This was interspersed with quick tips on how to react to children and keep their curiosity alive.

Parents were also told about the Play way methodology adapted in the School.  Information regarding teacher-student ratio, facilities provided by the school, details of transportation, reopening day and timings were also imparted.

Interaction with the parents was done through a communication exercise with volunteers and also a session of singing a rhyme and the importance of rhymes in the lives of the children was explained.

Questions asked were answered and doubts cleared to the satisfaction of the parents.

The session ended with the entire group singing Boogie-Woogie!!

While the Nursery Teachers were engaged in the Reach Out Program at the GST Road Campus, the other Staff members had assembled in Gerugambakkam to attend the Workshop on Understanding the ISO Processes and Implementation of the same.  Conducted by the ISO Coordinator Mrs Rukmnai Shreedharan and the Asst Vice Principal, Mrs Bhavani Baskar, the session proved to be a useful and important one, especially to the newly inducted Staff members.

While Mrs Rukmani Shreedharan took them through the processes, Mrs Bhavani eluciated the importance of maintenance of all records and registers and documents that will help in setting the processes in place.

Staff members have been asked to submit their report for the same coming Monday.

A four hour session on Rubrics and the Essentials of Evaluation was conducted on Friday, 28th May 2010 at the Seminar Hall at Gerugambakkam for the Staff members from all the 3 campus - OMR, GST and Gerugambakkam.

Mrs Vijji Mahalingam, Vice Principal - PSBB KK Nagar, along with 10 faculty members from the KK Nagar Branch belonging to various subjects and levels took the Staff members through the intricacies of evaluation.  Evaluation did not pertain to the correction of examination paper alone.  It encompassed numerous other aspects that together helped develop students holistically.

The session was an extremely useful one and would naturally be put into effective use by the Staff members.

Mrs Chandra Nagarajan, Vice Principal PSBB TP Road Branch conducted a workshop on the SCI Principles for the Staff members from GST Road and Gerugambakkam campus.

Taking the Staff members through the SCI Principles the facilitator told the assembled gathering of the unique interweave the principles had in everyday life.

At the end of the 4 hour session the audience was left wanting more and in amazement as to how four hours could have passed off so fast as if it were just four minutes!!

Mrs Rukmani Mothilal, Academic Advisor LLF addressed the Staff members of the GST and Gerugambakkam Branches who had assembled in the Seminar Hall at Gerugambakkam on the given topic Knowing the School Principles and Policies.

Enlightening the new teachers on the working principles of the school, Mr Rukmani Mothilal reiterated the rules and regulations to be followed by one and all. The Staff members were given an insight into the leave policies, the broad guidelines on the PSBB Methodology before a wrap up.

Earlier the new Staff members introduced themselves to one another and to their colleagues.

Mrs Chandra Nagarajan , Vice Principal PSBB Senior Secondary School, T P Road with an experience of over 32 years in teaching and administration condcuted the first in-service training session for the Staff members of both Gerugambakkam and GST Road.

Held at the Seminar Hall of the Gerugambakkam Campus, the Staff members were taken through a series of activities which helped them classify an agressive teacher, a passive teacher and an assertive teacher.

Giving important tips and guidance about how to be firm but kind, polite in giving instructions yet sounding clear about what one expected from students, and more importantly being a 'mom' to every student who spent almost 8 hours in a day with his teacher was put across through a series of activities, hand-outs and a power point presentation.

Clear and crisp in dialogue and concept, the teachers remained spell bound and did not realise the passage of time during the session.

Kudos to the facilitator for keeping the teachers so engrossed and for enlightening them on the new ways they could ensure discipline among the students.

Well begun is half done! The inservcie training for the academic year 2010 - 11 began turly well on 25th May 2010.  

Mr Shantanu Prakash, Founder Trustee of the Learning Leadership Foundation visited the Gerugambakkam Campus on Sunday, the 23rd of May, as he was not available for the Inauguration on The 24th of May.

Accompanied by Mr Sharad Agarwal, Trustee and President of the Millennium Group of Schools, Gen Kapur and Brig Vikram Singh from the Eduinfra team, Mr YG Rajendraa, Executive Management Representative PSBB Group of Schools, site engineers Mr N Saravanan and Mr Suresh, and the Building Contractors, Mr K Ramanujam and Mr Amrit Ramanujam, Mr Shantanu Prakash took a tour and survey of the Campus and the developments that had happened across a year since his last visit.

Inspecting the premises, Mr Shantanu congratulated the team for the efforts that had gone in in the construction of such an edifice, that he said looked more like an engineering college than a School!

He was happy with the turn of events and asked the team to complete any unfinished work and ensure quality in everything.

He wished the School academic team the very best and said they had a school to be proud of!

 Earlier in the day, Mr Shantanu Prakash visited Dr Mrs Y G Parthasarathy, Dean and Director PSBB Group of Schools.

School students from Chennai and Bangalore interact with NASA experts on Video Conference.

2008 marked NASA's (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) 50th year and as part of its golden anniversary celebrations, NASA connected with school students around the globe in an interactive distance learning session via Video Conferencing. Twenty schools—ten from the United States and ten from other countries—were chosen to participate in the live interactive distance learning programme and virtual birthday celebrations that were held on 13th November, 2008.

Two schools from India—the PSBB Millennium School, Chennai and Millennium School, Bangalore—participated in the live Video Conference from a Reliance World in their respective cities. Around 30 students of PSBB Millennium School, Chennai assembled at the Reliance World in Annasalai, Chennai and 20 of their counterparts gathered at the Reliance World located in J.P. Nagar, Bangalore.

Both the Reliance World locations were then connected to the Kennedy Space Center, USA. The live interactive session began with a welcome introduction by a NASA engineer and a scientist and a brief presentation on NASA's Distance Learning Network followed by a video clip about NASA @ 50 from Discovery Education Channel.

This was followed by a Q&A session with the NASA engineer and scientist. The students asked questions on topics ranging from NASA’s thoughts on India's space mission—Chandrayaan-1 to global warming and to what it takes to be a NASA astronaut and the NASA experts were more than happy to feed their curiosity.

The schools were then asked to wish NASA a Happy Birthday in their own unique style/tradition. PSBB Millennium School students sang the Happy Birthday song in eight different Indian languages and cut a cake. Millennium School students recited poems and presented NASA with a birthday card.

The session concluded with a presentation of the NASA Portal & Discovery's NASA @ 50 website resources.

For the students who participated in the live distance learning programme with NASA, it was a red letter day, fond memories of which would be etched in their minds forever.

Check out the following site:

http://www.relianceworld.in/bz_NASA_event.htm