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Volume 1 | Issue 11 NOVEMBER 2014

From Our Chairman’s Desk

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Dear Readers

Happy to share my thoughts through this newsletter.

We are happy to welcome Mrs.Usha Ramakrishnan Chairperson

of Vidya Sagar Chennai as our Academic Council Mentor.

Exam fear time in schools, campus recruitment time in colleges,

all amount to success and failures. It's time to check our ability

vs performance, many times performance of exam only takes in

to account rather than respecting the ability of the student. We

at helikx constantly believe when the ability is focused and giv-

en due exposure to children they gain self confidence and self

esteem.

Recent research and meeting 600 principals of Salem, Tirpur,

Erode and Karur and interaction with more than 2000 parents

through various workshop where once again two aspects were

constantly discussed first one is how to handle children with

learning problems, and secondly emotional problems of chil-

dren.

When it comes to college JOBLESS GROWTH is a challenging

issue. Again problem of behaviour issues and emotional chal-

lenges are on raise. Helikx school social work, counselling and

research department has various solutions to these issues out of

our 15 years of experience.

We have started training school and

college counsellors who can help in

schools and college to overcome

these trivial issues. We request

schools and colleges to utilize our

services, feel free to contact us for

our expert services. Happy to start

our first Assessment, Remedial and Counselling centre in URC

matriculation school, Erode, Counselling wing in Akchara Bala

Bhavan CBSE School, Attur.

Two days counselling program for college lecturers and profes-

sors of VRS Engineering College, Muthaiammal Arts and Sci-

ence, Sudersan Engineering College, we are associated with

these colleges to set up professional counseling wing, process is

going on.

Very soon our service will be available through online virtual

classroom and planning to start Counselling and Remedial Cen-

tre at Karur.

Encourage us with your feedback

Regards

Senthilkumar.G

www.helikxopenschool.org | info@helikx.com | +91-98427-33318 “Sharing is Good”- Share your views on our students works at

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AN OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK & RESEARCH DEPARTMENT OF

HELIKX OPEN SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITIES

A. N Arvinth Helikx Student Photography

2

H elikx is in

Sports Fever.

Students are

running here

and there calculating, plan-

ning, organizing and practic-

ing. The matter of fact is, it

isn’t just sports that they are

worried of, but something

else too. The sports fever

will be recovered by final

knot game where they have

to present what are the con-

cepts they have learned

while gaming, its formulas,

definitions and finally where

is it in their text books. Isn’t

it enthusiastic?

Games are always important

in a student’s life and a fu-

ture for better education

can be foreseen in ordinary

gamification and blending it

with learning can create

extreme learning environ-

ment where the gamer

knowingly or unknowingly

come across those ideas

which are still to learn in

their curriculum. The inter-

est in game based learning

has accelerated considera-

bly in recent years. Games

can lend the gamer them-

selves to cognitive, social

and problem solving skills,

those skills which are im-

parted to the students by

the educator with high

efforts in the present system

of education. Skills and

knowledge imparted by our

present education system no

longer creates success in

life. Using games in educa-

tion felt to me like a under

used idea and at this point

the idea become relevant.

We normally think of

games as being fun, kind

of trivial, may be some-

thing to pass the time, but

what if we thought about

them as a platform for

inventing the future of

higher education.The next

generation career will be

characterized by increased

use of technology, where e-

games can create an inter-

est to it. Brain research

shows that Non-Dyslexics

use the left brain when

reading. Brain scans reveal

an absence of activity in the

left brain when struggling

dyslexics attempt to read.

Research also shows that

when a dyslexic person

learns to read, the brain

activity is seen in the RIGHT

SIDE of the brain, and not

the left. The right brain

must learn to compensate

for the absence of activity in

the left brain.

So, how does this infor-

mation impact the way we

teach dyslexic students? The

right brain can be trained to

read! But the right brain

learns differently. Typical

teaching methods fail with

dyslexic learners. To train

the right brain to read we

must use, art, logic, creative

thinking, and hands on tech-

niques. Here Education in

Games acts as a therapy.

The psychology of gaming

should be better learned and

considered for this kind of

therapeutical purposes.

While gaming should not be

just gaming, but recreation

and education.

Education in Games acceler-

ates the learning , empower-

ing the student and raise

his self-confidence!

Alen Kuriakose Trainer, HSSW

EDITORIAL SPORTS DAY GLIMPES

3

P arents, teachers and coaches all want to give the

best to their children/ students and bring the best

out of their potential. Many times what we say to

encourage and bring the best out of our children

boomerangs and gives the opposite effects. In fact some of the

judgements, lessons, motivating techniques often send the

wrong message. The way we communicate to the children sends

out the message- it tells the children " how to think about them-

selves." For example praising a child about their talents gives

the message that "you have fixed traits and I am judging them"

this is also called "fixed mindset", at the same time validating

the efforts put forth by the children irrespective of the percent-

age of their success sends a different message, it implies that, "

you are a developing person and I am interested in your devel-

opment." And this is called "the Growth Mindset" Says Dr. Car-

ol Dweck.

Dr.Carol dweck is one of the scholars who thought why smart

people sometimes do not become great achievers. After years

of research she found out that smart people who are achievers

were not always risk takers because of their fear of failure. They

believed in fixed intelligence which prevented them from step-

ping out of their comfort zone to learn anything new or harder -

where they need to face failures or have to try harder which is a

natural path for learning. Due to the risk of looking not the

smartest they give up even without trying. Even as adults we

should have heard people saying " that's not my cup of tea" or "

I don't like to do it". The willingness to try something new and

learn comes from growth mindset where we always believe that

something new can be learned if "We put more effort".

Dr.carol dweck says that there are two mind sets that deter-

mine the way children learn and be resilient. The fixed mind set

are the learners who worry about and achieve less. They have a

fixed mindset that they are smart and they don't have to work

hard to learn something new. However the learners with growth

mind set believe that talent and intelligence are developed over

time, they don't worry about achievement because they believe

that they can achieve better if they work hard. They take chal-

lenge more willingly and achieve more over long haul.

The greatest benefits of being a learner with growth mindset is

the belief in the value of efforts and hard work. They feel smart

when they work hard. The learners with fixed mind set worry to

keep looking smart. And they believe it will be hard for people

who are not smart which is a very destructive belief. Learners

with growth mind set accepts mistakes and set backs they see

them as inevitable and are natural path for learning. Only the

fixed mind set learners give up or not try something new be-

cause of the fear of not looking smart among the people they

know. However the growth mind set learners know they will

learn something new even if it is tough their hard work will help

them learn.

Thus praising the efforts or the process builds a mind set that's

more willing to work harder for success. It makes the students

believe that they have not yet mastered a concept and they need

to work harder rather than think that they can't learn.

Reference:

http://community.mindsetworks.com/newsletter

Mindset of Dr. Carol Dweck.

A positive approach towards hard work and building success.

By Murugalakshmi Thirumalai , USA

4

D o we need exams??? Yes,

exams are important as the

results influence future spe-

cialized career, social posi-

tion and self–high regard. Every person

has own worst level of worry and worry,

which helps him/ her to accomplish the

best results. The thought of examinations

causes horrible physical conditions on

students like headache, nausea, nervous-

ness, sleeplessness, stress, tension, etc.

They experience nervousness and feel

stressed during the exam period. Tips to

Prevent Exam Fever

Believe in yourself. You are capable

of passing the exam. You wouldn't

have been given a place in the class

or on the course if you didn't have the

ability to do it.

Don’t just worry – take action! If you

don't understand some of your course

material, getting stressed out won't

help. Instead, take action by asking

the teacher or asking your class ma-

tes to help you understand the prob-

lem.

You must discuss the chapter learnt

with your friends as sharing of

knowledge is a good way of remem-

bering and it helps you a lot in learn-

ing new things as well.

Aim to do your best but recognize

that if you think that "anything

less than A+ means I've failed"

then you are creating unnecessary

stress for yourself.

Take a break. As soon as you notice

you are losing concentration, take a

short break – go for a walk, talk to a

friend or just listen to some music.

Then you will feel refreshed and able

to concentrate on your revision again.

Have a positive approach and think-

ing about the approaching exam. Re-

lax and energize your mind when you

feel tired of incessant reading.

Have self confidence and belief in

yourself but don’t be over confident,

have enough sleep which your body

needs, try in breaking the chapter/s

into points and sub points and learn

them for easy remembrance.

Eat healthy food and avoid fast foods,

soft drinks and too much of coffee or

tea intake. and place a time table for

studies well in advance.

Try to understand the notion of the

subject instead of blindly learning the

lessons by heart. Ensure that your

study has no disturbance. Move away

from that place by taking breaks.

Take breaks often by structuring your

time schedule. Every time you feel

fresh, study the boring or difficult

subjects first for few minutes and

then move on to easy ones.

Have trust in God and pray to him

genuinely,. Lastly, be honest in your

work so that you could be successful

in your exams.

Bear in mind that neither the world

would stop nor you are going to lose

everything in your life in case you

don’t write the exam well. It doesn’t

mean that you aren’t good in studies.

Remember, there could be many rea-

sons for not getting good marks in

the exam so never feel embarrassed

of less marks and just follow the

above tips to prevent exam fever.

Wish you all the best for your EXAMI-

NATION my dear students.

Grandma’s Receipe Mrs. P.V Ananthalakshmi,

Principal, Helikx Open School

5

Balance your child’s nu-

trients-add multiple vita-

mins that include vitamin

D, vitamin B12, zinc, cop-

per, magnesium, iron, calci-

um, and fish oils. These are

the things that help grow

normal nerves and keep

them working well.

Eliminate or drastically

reduce “fast foods” in his

or her diet. Fast foods

have been shown to in-

crease the risk of ADHD

behavior-related prob-

lems in both children

and teens. You should

add a minimum of two

fresh fruits and three

veggies per day. In addi-

tion, you should increase

their intake of protein-

meats, cheeses, and milk-

and decrease foods that

contain any type of sugar.

While eating and drinking

excess sugar doesn’t cause

ADHD, it is one of those

more than 54 things that

can mimic ADHD, causing

misdiagnosis!

Avoid what we consider

“toxic foods”. Those are the

ones that usually contain

lots of red and yellow dyes,

complex preservatives, as

well as large amounts of

caffeine and other stimu-

lants. Energy drinks and

what I call “small bottle

hits” or caffeine loaded

“high energy” power drinks

and supplements fall into

this group. Many over the

counter (OTC) drugs are

also stimulants and can

cause a child to “become

hyper”. So, you’ll need to

study the ingredients of

every OTC drug your child

takes regularly.

Make sure your child

gets at least 7 hours of

restful sleep each night.

Multiple studies over the

past two years have con-

firmed that anything that

interferes with normal

sleep can cause behavior

problems. If you suspect

your child has a sleep dis-

order, please see your doc-

tor as soon as possible for

evaluation. Some sleep

disturbances can be very

serious and may cause mul-

tiple medical problems.

Push your child to exer-

cise at least one hour for

five out of every seven

days. Enroll him or her in

some type of organized

high-energy requiring

sports activity, such as soc-

cer, basketball, tennis, or

football.

Many

behavior experts advise

physical activity to de-

crease ADHD impulsivity

and hyperactivity.

Limit telephone time-

television time-video game

time to a total of 75

minutes per 24 hours. Stud-

ies have shown that

playing video games

and texting messages

actually increases a

child’s impulsivity and

fosters a need for con-

stant and increasing

stimulation. Playing

video games has like-

wise been implicated in

ADHD hyperactivity and

the need for instant gratifi-

cation and what my teen

patients call “the need for

speed”.

Arrange for a lifestyle

coach-academic tutor who

will meet with your child

for at least an hour three

times a week. Many ADHD

coaching programs exist,

but the best are those in

which the coaching and

tutoring happen face to

face, not by Internet or by

phantom teaching (on

DVD).

Referance:http://

www.howtolearn.com/2011

/03/seven-natural-things-to-

help-adhd-behavior-without

-drugs/

“Seven things that help ADHD

behavior without drugs”

By Ms Jainy John,

Helikx School Social Worker

Helikx School Social work and Research

Department happy to spoon sore the

event and also participating in one of

the plenary session as resource person.

From Jan 28th to 30 more than 200

papers were discussed.

33rd National Conference On

Indian Society For Profes-

sional Social Work

Two Days Workshop

On School Social Work @

Bharathiar University,

Coimbatore on

December 22-23, 2014

6

Awake And Alive

By Ms. K.Sasireka,

Remedial Teacher Helikx Open School

L ike a bunch of flowers, kids come in many

different sizes, shapes, colors and fragrance.

It's not an easy task for the educators to instruct

numerous types of students, who enter a grade

with different types of skills,support systems, dis-

positions and talents. But, until now cherry pick-

ing has been a myth in most educational institu-

tions by most educators. The cherry picked once

enjoy the best of both worlds were as the rest

miss the boat. It's very essential for every educa-

tors and educational institutions to understand

that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. No

kid is an abbreviated piece of nothing. The once

who were left behind because of cherry picking

has a pup's chance and feels blue and worthless.

They also feel ignored, rejected and denied which

ultimately reflects in their behavior. It's about

time that we've got to sleep on it and be on the

ball. Let's put our foot down and break our legs to

get the ball rolling. Encouraging the kids without

cherry picking is part and parcel to bring about a

great change in the life of the students. Let's stay

awake and alive.

ehd; Kjy; Kjypy; ghHj;j miw gs;sp miw

mjd; Kd; ehd; ,Ue;j miw jhapd; fUtiw

vd;id Rke;j mtis fz;zPh; rpe;jtplkhl;Nld;

mk;khit vd; kdjpy; nja;tkhf epidf;fpNwd;

kW gpwtp vd;gJ cz;ik vd;why;

cdf;Nf kfdhf gpwf;f Ntz;Lk;

Gopi Krisna

IX Student Helikx

Pongal Celebration

Christmas Celebration

Origami session for our helikx

school children

Winners of Marathon

Students visit to Fine Arts College

Annual Day Celebration

Mrs and Mr.Ravichandran

Arrs School Correspondent and

Mr. Vijayaraghavan were the Chief

Guests

7

W hen a child has a disability,

much of his potential may be

used up merely handling stress.. There

could be internal stress, of not under-

standing his feelings towards his disabil-

ity, of wanting to present a more positive

image of himself to his parents and sib-

lings, on the one hand, and, external

stress of peer pressure, on the other.

Findings from brain studies done on peo-

ple show that under stress the emotional

part of the brain, functions in ways that

undermines the working of the brain's

executive centre, the pre frontal lobes.

This pre frontal area is the site of working

memory, the ability to pay attention and

keep in mind relevant information. This

working memory is vital for comprehen-

sion, planning, decision making, reason-

ing and learning- the very areas we are

concerned with in learning disabili-

ties’’We must address ourselves to these

factors as they impede children's learning

In them we must include their inability to

understand their emotions, and manage

them effectively and thereby get stressed,

and be unaware of it. There is a need to

first look at children holistically, at their

strengths, their disabilities, and into the

accompanying stresses that prevent them

from performing at their best

Enable them fill in their inner reserves

with new self awareness, abilities to with-

stand stress, even while working with

them to better theirperformance ,Only

then will we be truly enhancing their po-

tential to learn…The most powerful inputs

are those that speak to both the heart and

head……

In 1983, Howard Gardner postulated "The

Theory of Multiple Intelligences "which

redefined intelligence, telling people "its

not how smart you are –Its how You are

smart" and postulated eight different in-

telligences of which 2 were the personal

intelligences –the inter personal intelli-

gence and the intra personal intelligence.

Further to this in the 1990's came Daniel

Goleman 's intensive work in the area of

the personal intelligence which he named

the emotional intelligences -elaborating in

his books why it can matter more than IQ

There are five main elements to emotional

intelligence- self-awareness, self-

regulation, and motivation, as personal

competencies, and empathy and social

skills as social competencies

Personal Competence – determines how

we manage ourselves, and includes

Self awareness our own emotional

awareness.

accurate self assessment-knowing our

strengths and weaknesses,

self confidence which comes from a

strong sense of our self worth and

capabilities

self regulation which includes self

control, the ability to keep negative

emotions under check, trustworthi-

ness ,conscientiousness, adaptability

in handling change, and innovation-

being comfortable with new ideas and

approaches

motivation-including striving to meet

a standard of excellence, commit-

ment, initiative and optimism continu-

ing to pursue goals despite obstacles

and setbacks

Social Competence: empathy, an aware-

ness of others needs ,concerns , sensing

others feelings understanding the others

point of view, taking interest in what con-

cerns them ,sensing others development

needs and enabling them develop it social

skills including listening and communica-

tion skills, ability to resolve conflict, lead-

ership skills - inspiring and guiding oth-

ers ,and team building skills amongst oth-

ers . The combination of these competen-

cies makes for a formidable professional

While great emphasis is paid on the

knowledge and skills of professionals, it is

ultimately her emotional intelligence

which makes or mars her effectiveness –

and thereby a child stands to gain or lose

Emotional intelligence enables us to listen

and attune ourselves to the other non

judgmentally, even while managing our

own emotions effectively. Emotional intel-

ligence is an idea that can make the

difference

Emotional Intelligence Its Vital Role In Enhancing The Learning Potential

Of Students With Disabilities

Usha Ramakrishnan ,Chairperson Vidyasagar Chennai , Mentor Helikx Open School

Usha ramakrishnan first interactive session with Helikx parents. Redefining our teaching approach, Helikx open school re working according to

Multiple intelligence theory in full fledged. Getting ready for next academic year

8

SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK & RESEARCH DEPARTMENT

change lives.

COUNSELING

Emotional & Behavioral Problems in Children

Stress Management & Anxiety

Career Counseling and Personality Development

Interest Profile Assessment

Evidence based therapies

Psycho educational assessment for Children

Behavioral Assessment for Children

Parental Counseling and Guidance

SCHOOLS

Teacher Training in Early Child-

hood Education & Remedial

Teaching

Workshop on Art of Positive Par-

enting, Milestones Education,

Needs of Children

Life Skill Camps in Schools for

Teachers and Students.

COLLEGES

Two day Workshop on School Social Work

Workshop on Specific Learning Disability

Workshop on Counseling

Block Placement/ Internship / Field Visits

Customized Add on Courses

Life Skill Trainer Programme

CERTIFICATION COURSES

Certificate Course in Counseling for Teachers, Parents, Professionals & Practitioners

Certificate Course in Life skill for Teachers

Certificate Course on School Social Work

Certificate Course on Specific Learning Disability for Teachers & Parents

The Helikx Open School

Helikx traces its origin to the Helikx trust, the activities of

which spring around to imparting academic skills to stu-

dents, in particularly to those children with specific learning

disabilities. It is the first school in the district of Salem which

caters education and tracing for more than a decade of

experience in dealing, children with learning difficulties,

slow learners and ADHD students. These children may find

very difficult to read, write, spell and in math, when com-

pare to children of the same age group. Applying remedial

teaching based on learning needs and potential of different

students, with the team of trained teachers, psychologist,

social works and with unique methodologies.

Open School & Learning Centre Accredited Study Centre for NIOS

Contact us: Mr G Senthilkumar, Chairman Helikx: + 91-98427-33318

Email: gs@helikx.com

149, Alamelu Nagar, Pagalpatty, Muthunaickenpatty Road, Salem -636304. 0427-6532870

Hostel Facility Available