Deens Academy Route to Excellence
Annual Theme 2023-24- “Ubuntu”
“Ubuntu is the theme of the year for Deens Academy in 2023-24”.
Standing in a queue , how often have we found ourselves jostled out of our turn; the reticent child who doesn’t scream for the teachers attention, even if he has an input, gets subdued by the clamour of the classroom; I have an electric ability to solve math problems, even as my pen nibbling benchmate struggles…
Ubuntu is that term which gives humanity its humaneness. People with concern, compassion and care for each other. An interdependence and an acknowledgement of responsibility for each other, fostering and sustaining differences & uniqueness .
Ubuntu – I am because we are.
An acknowledgement that in the collective prosperity lies my own progress. An acknowledgement of the fact that one has responsibility beyond one’s own self for the collective good.
Deens believes in Ubuntu of sharing, of justice, of interdependence and thus of collective change.
Annual Theme- 2022-23 – The Resilient Deenite
As we commence offline school after this unprecedented pandemic, students may already be experiencing many new stressors all at once, such as busy class schedules, extracurricular activities, projects, competitions, regular lectures after a long period of online school and social demands too. There difficult situations, setbacks and obstacles maybe demoralizing or even derailing. While some students are able to adapt and tackle obstacles that arise, others who lack resilience may develop anxiety, depression or unhealthy coping strategies.
This year Deens Academy is engaging in new activities to help children cope with these new norms and processes. In line with this concept is the theme for this year is “The Resilient Deenite”.
Our school community, students, alumni, teachers, parents are all reviewing strategies and incorporating activities to this goal.
Children in their peer groups learn to navigate challenges by recognizing their own strengths and weakness in their groups to work as an community to solve problems. This will be showcased in our weekly assembly student talks.
During the year we have added workshops for introduction to problem solving skills, Peer to Peer Storytelling and Connections, goal setting and career guidance workshops and last but not the least overall health and wellbeing.
Annual Theme 2020-21 – FIT DEENS
To suit the unusual needs during unprecedented times , we launch our Theme for the Year “FIT DEENS”.
Deens Academy takes a holistic view of fitness, integrating physical, emotional, and environmental well-being, fuelling the body, engaging the mind, and nurturing the spirit.
The theme activities will be infused seamlessly into daily routines of the children across all grades to include age appropriate activities. We hope to engage parents and the extended communities to adopt these fitness ideas to suit the changing environment.
Some of the activities planned would include
Physical Wellbeing : It is proven physical activity in a clean natural surrounding and feelings of connection to nature enhance psychological health and well-being. To this end we explore
- Social distancing behaviour,
- Personal care and cleanliness,
- Yoga,
- endurance & PE,
- Diet
- Focus on Good sleep and relaxation,
- positive body image
Emotional Wellbeing: Emotional fitness encompasses optimism, self-esteem, self-acceptance and the ability to share feelings. This is steered in with the help of our student counsellor, teachers and parent interactions. Some of the activities planned would include
- Reflection/ Gratitude/ forgiveness activities
- Mindfulness discussions and role play -.
- Discussions on resilience with affirmations
- Anger management-
- parents discussions during circle time
- Curiosity corners/Skill development discussions
- Story telling / student talk.
- Creativity/Blog writing
Environmental Wellbeing: An ongoing project at our school . We would reiterate best practice from previous years
- avoid plastic bags, reuse every resource,
- avoid overeating, no wastage of food,
- indulgence of buying unwanted stuff,
- address- wastage of water,
- switching off lights and fans,
- keeping classrooms clean,
- Community Outreach programs
Every three years we follow a theme based on which our various events are conducted. The details are displayed as posters and discussed in classes during circle time and life skills class.
In the past we have had theme’s like Women empowerment, Volume-Kum, I- Clean, Core Values etc..
Annual Theme 2017-2020
We have a conscious view of value acquisition and we are attempting to realise this through a multi-pronged approach. To create an awareness of their global responsibility, we have chosen Sustainability- Shtairyam, as our annual theme for this academic session. Students will debate and dissipate ideas regarding Sthairyam from the stand point of the environment, society and economy.
- Grades 1-5: Environmental Sustainability
- Grades 6-8: Social Sustainability
- Grade 9-12: Economic Sustainability
We continue our last years Core values theme and it is propagated by an award system for students who embody the Deens Core values .
