Circular No.

: VI10220-CIRNO219 Dated: 23-05-2020

Subject: Important Communication on Virtual Learning Sessions from June 2020-2021

Dear Parent

Greetings from VIBGYOR Group of Schools!

We hope all of you and our dear children are safe and healthy at home.
For some of our students across our schools, classes were already in progress, while for the rest of the
students, classes will begin in June 2020. Ideally, during this time of the year, many of us would have
been visiting our family members, relatives and friends living in different parts of our country, traveling
the world and having a break from our routine. But things have suddenly changed for all of us and we
seem to be living the new normal, confined to our homes.

We live in the hope that we will soon meet and the empty corridors of our schools’ buildings will soon
resound with the lively voices of our dear children.

Now, even as we await those glorious days, let us take you through what awaits us if the lock down
continues.

A little bit of history on Study from Home (SfH) Programme

For our Primary and Middle school students we ensured that they were gainfully occupied through the
revision and activity-based assignments sent for them week wise through this period, as part of the
Study from Home Programme.

How did we teach?

COVID-19 has changed the way we live, work and study. Keeping the safety and security of our students
and their best interests in mind, the Virtual Learning Platforms- Microsoft Teams and TCSiON (details
attached for your reference) were chosen for our learning programme, although we did teach using the
Zoom app for a brief period.
This integration was a win-win for all of us because, not only could students access academic material in
a safe environment but also teachers could receive an affirmation of learning through various modes
such as quizzes, polls and self-evaluation.
A fresh start…
The closure of physical learning spaces, i.e. the schools has given impetus to the movement of taking
learning outside the confines of the classroom. While technology is seen as the solution to address the
loss in learning time, there is a pre-disposition to hurriedly replace the brick and mortar model with the
virtual class in the given circumstances.

School students need a balanced blend of learning sessions with the teachers, as well as will need to
learn how to ‘Self- Learn’. VIBGYOR Group of Schools has designed a Study from Home (SfH)
Programme that meets the requirement of the learners as well as provides support to parents to keep
the students involved in learning while at home. In the Study from Home Programme, the focus point
remains learning but roles change. The student becomes an independent active learner, the parent
becomes a supervisor and the teacher facilitates learning. The SfH Programme is not just an Online
Learning Programme. It is a mix of hands-on activities, teacher-student interaction and peer-group
interaction.

The Study From Home Programme has two types of sessions:

a) Virtual Learning Sessions (VLS): These sessions are conducted by the teacher as per a fixed time
table through the Microsoft Teams (MS Teams) Platform, where students and teachers interact
in a real-time synchronous session.
b) Self- Learning Sessions (SLS): These sessions help students to self- learn independently with
some assistance from their parents. The self- learning session is asynchronous, i.e. there is
flexibility of time available to the student to complete the sessionat their own pace.

When will school begin and what will our school timings be?

Our tech team has successfully completed the backend integration processes and we plan to start
school, albeit the virtual mode again:
• Grade 1 to 6 from 4th June 2020.

Since we continue to be in lock down, we have created a timetable for every grade and section in order
to ensure that our students have a normal home-school day. A copy of the sample timetable for every
section has been attached for parents and students to get a glimpse of the plan designed for the
students. The final timetable will be uploaded class wise, on the parent portal, before we begin school in
June.

In order to ensure that we complete the portions and syllabi as per the expectations of the
Board/Council, regular classes will be held from Monday to Friday for grades 1 to 6. Suitable breaks will
be given to the students to navigate through the classes and adhere to the timetable.
Student engagement time

Grades Student Engagement Time

1 and 2 2 hours 30 minutes
3 and 4 3 hours
5 and 6 4 hours

Note: Please await the final timetables which will be shared with all of you shortly which will have
details of Start and End time.

Rationale behind the Timetables

We have created timetables keeping in mind several factors such as; staggered timing for Teacher Led
Learning Sessions at the Primary levels, so as to make it as convenient as possible for siblings who
attend the virtual lessons which may need the parents’ assistance.
The staggered timetable also keeps in mind the average attention span of students of a particular age
group as also the students who choose alternate or elective subjects in the secondary level.

The VIBGYOR Edge

The lessons for VLS Study from Home have been specially created and curated by the members from the
Curriculum Development team, the Academic Operations team and the team of teachers across our
schools. We have ensured that our students receive the best and learning objectives are achieved
through the implementation of this plan. Training and upgradation of teachers to handle this new
medium have been undertaken to assure seamless execution of teaching-learning across all the 38
schools of VIBGYOR.
In an endeavour to enable resources to be available to our students,the School Essential Kits will be
made accessible and can either be sourced by parents through the school or in exceptional areas maybe
home couriered as well.

What about SPA?

We have ensured that SPA lessons are included, keeping in mind the mental and physical fitness of our
students during these crucial times. SPA lessons have been planned and allotted through the week from
3:00 pm to 6:00 pm and from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm on Saturdays in the timetable. The SPA timetable will
be shared soon in which students will be assigned two SPA classes of half an hour each, per week for
grades 1 to 6.

How do I prepare to ensure optimum use of VLS?

Students will need a PC/ Laptop with the latest Chrome or Internet Explorer Browser to be able to
access the online learning sessions. An internet broadband capacity of 2 – 5 mbps will facilitate a hassle-
free and uninterrupted streaming of virtual classes. While the use of PCs / Laptops are recommended
for a best viewing experience, students can access the online content through tabs or a smartphone
given that these devices have the recommended browser and internet speeds.

How can I know more about what lies ahead?

A detailed circular for each grade will be uploaded with regards to the way forward, introduction of
teachers, assignments and submissions. A monthly staggered schedule of individual sessions for
interactions between the teacher and the parent will be scheduled and details will be conveyed through
the Teno App.

This year our staff continues to work incessantly without a break, through the summer vacation and
over weekends to ensure that the quality of lessons that will be taught in the virtual sessions is good and
enjoyable.
We look forward to your support and cooperation to make this new journey a successful one for our
students and for all of us.

Stay home, stay safe and let the learning continue!

Regards,
Swapnali Deore
Principal

Attached:

1. Etiquettes for Virtual learning Sessions

2. Microsoft Teams FAQs
3. Microsoft Teams Login ID and Password details message
4. Sample Timetable
5. TCS iON Digital Learning Information
6. TCS iON Message