‘Academic Excellence, Character Formation & Social Concern is a Must’- Rector Fr Vaz at PTA Meet of SAHS
“Academic Excellence, Character Formation & Social Concern is a Must’- Rector of St Aloysius Institutions- Mangaluru Fr Dionysius Vaz SJ at Parents Teachers Association (PTA) Annual General Body Meeting of St Aloysius High school- Mangaluru
Mangaluru: Yes, PTA General Body Meeting is an important event of school involvement, where parents get to know more about what takes place in school. It is an opportunity for the parents to become a part of the school improvement programme also. Parents play an essential role in shaping their child’s character. They can help in the kid’s educational journey by getting involved in school activities. This is where the parent-teacher interaction aspect comes into the picture- and for that matter, SAHPS has the best, energetic and active PTA, which has been involved in various activities for the betterment and growth of the students, along with the school.
It’s true, that a student can achieve a high level of academic excellence if he or she gets support from school as well as family. Teacher to student and teacher to parent interaction are paramount for the child’s success. Parents can help children if they understand what he or she lacks. Unfortunately, most of the studies point out that the factors like the language barrier, lack of time and resources act as hurdles in communication. Maintaining a positive environment during the learning session can be possible only when the student and teacher do not feel uncomfortable to interact with one another. Lessons need to be engaging to ensure students feel enthusiastic while learning. A positive working relationship between the tutor and parent can indeed help in improving the student’s academic performance. Regular interactions between the teacher and parent is a must to understand the kid’s challenges and strengths. It also improves mutual respect and trust between the two.
Today’s PTA Annual General Body Meeting of St Aloysius High School began with invoking God’s blessings through a prayer song rendered by a bevy of school teachers and parents, followed by Welcome address by Mahesh R Nayak-the Vice President of PTA. The hall was packed with parents, with moms all attired in glittering clothes, Zari Sarees, and jewellery, while Dads as usual just came in their usual casual attire, but all were full of enthusiasm and charisma in engaging themselves in the proceedings. The audio-video presentation of the Annual PTA report was undertaken by Sunil Lobo- the secretary of PTA. Seated on the dais were Fr Dionysius Vaz SJ-Rector of SAC as Chief Guest, Fr Gerald Furtado SJ- Headmaster of SAHS; Mahesh Nayak VP of PTA 2018-19; Sunil Lobo- Secretary PTA 2018-19 and Ms Rekha Fernandes- Vice President PTA 2019-20.
Students who exited from SAHS and were toppers in their academics, and also in Academic Value Education and Catechism were awarded during the programme by the dignitaries on the dais. Among the toppers in academics were Calvin Dominic Fernandes (English Medium) S/O Clifford Fernandes who secured 98.24 in SSLC; and Miss Raksha (Kannada Medium) D/o Shreedhar who scored 95.5. The names of the awardees were read by teacher Ms Sheryl Prabhu. Praveen Lobo who served as Physical Director at SAHS and Mahesh Nayak the Vice President of PTA were felicitated on the occasion.
Headmaster Fr Gerald Furtado SJ addressing the audience said, “We encourage our students to learn the basic /fundamental things, which is compulsory, like reading, writing etc. I urge parents to encourage their children to study well because academic performance is important here at SAHS. Also, your child should have all-round personality development because this is a plus point when you seek employment. You should also have emotional development, because here at SAHS we are all equal irrespective of caste, creed or family background. You are all as Aloysians, and we need to spread this harmony. Without basic knowledge, your child will not succeed. At our school teachers take good care of the students, in the same way, you need to take care of them at home also. Let the PTA help bring big changes in your child’s growth and success”.
Addressing the audience Fr Dionysius Vaz SJ, the Rector of St Aloysius Institution said, “PTA is needed to gain close relationship between parents and teachers. Try not to keep your child always inside the walls of your home; try to disclose your child’s potentialities; develop a power of observance and listening; communicate with your child as much as you can, then you can expect your child to be a great child. You should know that education is larger than studies. Your child should have three things- Academic Excellence, Character Formation; and Social Concern. Try to communicate with your children always”.
The vote of thanks was proposed by Ms Rekha Fernandes, and the programme was professionally compered by Parent Ms Jayanthi Padmanabh. In conclusion, these days parent-teacher meetings have been the main forum for communication between teachers and parents. Although parent-teacher conferences may be only one way in which parents and teachers communicate, they are often a good starting point and provide an initial encounter in which parents can get engaged. After all, the relationships built between teachers and parents, and the flow of information back and forth, will ultimately have the greatest positive impact on children.
