MEMBER SCHOOLS

West Zone Member Schools Meet, 17 -19 February 2023

School leaders and teachers of 15 AFS Member Schools from West India gathered for this 3-day meeting to ideate and strategize on the opportunities for intercultural and global competence. The meeting was hosted by Viraj Shri Ram Centennial School, Boisar between 17 -19 February 2023.

Sessions during the meet were focussed on:

National Education Policy of India

Child Safeguarding Curriculum (POCSO Act)

AFS Programs

Sharing Best Practices

Leadership & Design Thinking

Astronomy, Stargazing & Storytelling

Thought Fodder & World Cafe

The meeting amalgamated widespread cultures from Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. The participating students had the opportunity to engage in activities specially crafted for them This was an exciting opportunity for the participants to connect with new cultures, ideas and people in a supportive environment.

29 students, 15 Educators and 11 School Leaders along with the guest speakers participated.

List of ParticipatingSchools

1 Central Public School, Udaipur

2 Dosti Foundation School, Thane

3 Jindal Vidya Mandir, Ratnagiri

4 Jindal Vidya Mandir, Salav

5 Jindal Vidya Mandir, Vasind

6 L K Singhania Education Centre, Gotan

7 Mayo College Girls' School, Ajmer

8 Pragnya Bodhini High School, Mumbai

9 Rajaram Kakani Sahakar Vidya Mandir and Junior College, Nanded

10 Rishi Valmiki Eco School, Mumbai

As shared by the Organizing Committee and Host School...

We at VSRCS completely echo what Mother Teresa said, “You have what I don’t, I have what you don’t, and together we can create magic..!”

It was a 3-day retreat for the participants of the meet at VSRCS. Hosting the West Zone Regional Meet of 2022-23 was a matter of pride and privilege for us. From the beginning, we ensured that these 3 days are worthy for the people spending their weekend.

We all echoed the statement by Mr. Jayant Lal when he said, 'As educators, let our focus be on not being popular but being effective!’

One of the highlighted sessions was an enriching panel discussion on NEP 2020 where the questions of why, how, and what of the policy were addressed. The panel included - Ms. Smitha Nair, an educator from Goenka Group of Schools, Ms. Seema Shaikh, AFS Regional Head, West Zone and Mr. Girish Dalvi, Educational Consultant, Dept of Education, South Australia.

Another event that added glimmer to the meet was the astronomy session by Ms. Mumtaz and her team. More than the sky what enchanted us was the curiosities and au fait of the students about what lies beyond the skies Their questions about supernovas, nebulas, star age, and Andromeda were rewarded with posters by the sky matrix

The event was made more memorable by the our young students who left no stone unturned to showcase the culture of Maharashtra via various dance forms like Lavani, Jogwa, Gondhal, Koli dance, Powada, etc. The Shiv Tandav Stotram sung by a young VSRCian on the occasion of Mahashivratri was an audio-visual treat for the audience.

Gratitude to all the coordinators, principals, and students who participated wholeheartedly. We are glad to play an instrumental role in being an abode where the bonds were formed under one roof with our diverse perspectives and designed a unified aim to march towards, with the newfound candor and camaraderie this meet gave us all!