The Parent Orientation Programme regarding the opening of the school, post-pandemic was conducted on the Zoom platform for the parents of the students of Classes VI-VIII on 12th, 16th and 19th February 2022. The sessions began with the Supervisor of Classes VI-VIII, Ms Vinita Gupta, welcoming the parents and then inviting the Principal, Ms Padma Srinivasan to address the gathering.
The Principal thanked the audience for their support and cooperation during these two challenging years of the pandemic and online school as well as assured the parents about all the safety protocols against COVID that are being followed in the school according to the rules and regulations of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority. She addressed the audience about the vaccination status of the school staff as well as the transport facilities which will be provided from the new session. She also requested the parents for their continued cooperation in the new session wherein both the health and safety of the students will be a priority to make the reopening of the schools seamless and joyful.
Post the Principal’s address, the Supervisor addressed the gathering and enumerated about the provision of COVID-safety protocols such as thermal scanning, hand sanitisers at various points in the school, regular sanitisation and cleaning of all parts of the school, etc. She also elaborated about the exam-related instructions and spoke about the measures that will be undertaken to bridge the learning gap of the students due to the online learning once the school reopens.
The school counsellors, Ms Kanika Madan and Ms Saloni Bhati, were then invited to address the audience and they spoke about the concerns regarding the socialisation, physical and mental health and academics that have occurred in students’ lives because of the challenging times of the pandemic. They emphasised on the importance of the role of the parents in being positive role models who would be able to provide a safe environment to the children in navigating their emotions while getting back to the ‘new normal’ way of life. Their suggestions included practising the three Rs – reassurance, routine and regulations, to maintain communication and to manage our own emotions in order to provide adequate support and guidance to the students.
The three orientation sessions also included a space for the parents to voice out their queries through the chat-box, which were moderated by Ms Madhurima Sarkar and Ms Kanika Chamoli. The queries consisted of a variety of issues such as transportation, learning-gap, uniforms, co-curricular activities, examinations, scholar badges, timings, etc., all of which were duly answered by the Principal and the Supervisor. The sessions concluded with a vote of thanks by the Supervisor who thanked both the Principal and the parents for their never-ending guidance and support.
