Page 22 - DAIS Insignia 2020-21

CONSULTANT ADMINISTRATION

AND ADVISOR The year 2020 will be remembered as a year in

which our life took a quantum leap into the
future. What we had read in books and seen in
movies about life in the future is now a reality.
TO CHAIRPERSON worked - we were forced to rethink and redesign
Among many things, it changed how the admin
our tried and tested ways of doing absolutely
everything. It was in the midst of all the chaos and
unpredictability that we had to strive to maintain
calm & order and bring certainty in the overall
“Education is the most powerful weapon operation of the school – both on-campus and
virtually. Once again, the administration
which you can use to change the world.” department has gone all out as 'frontline
warriors' to efficiently serve as the central wheel
Nelson Mandela propelling other functions into effective delivery
of their services aimed to facilitate the core area Mr. Yassir Choonawala Mr. Anil Chaudhary
of teaching and learning, and our focus, as (Head of Administration) (Asst. Head of Administration)
At DAIS, besides pursuing academic excellence, we motivate our always, has been on ensuring the well-being of
students to be creative thinkers and life-long learners. We provide our students and staff.
our learners with opportunities for all round development, by The school moved from a physical campus to a virtual platform and kudos to our IT team for effortlessly supporting this
encouraging them to take part in activities other than pure transformation, by providing the laptops, iPads, graphic tablets and even Wi-Fi dongles to teachers having connectivity issues. All this
academics. Our aim is to prepare our students for life, and to be was backed up with prompt support to the teachers so that their classes could go on seamlessly. A note of appreciation to all the
teachers who took up the challenge and conquered the use of various equipment and software in a short span of time, to continue
ready to face the challenges of tomorrow.
their teaching as if they were pros at it and there was nothing amiss.
Each learner is identified, nurtured and encouraged, so that he/she On the other side, we were getting the campus ready to reopen with appropriate covid protocols and equipment in place to meet the
is able to reach their full potential. The student is the primary focus highest possible safety standards. All the equipment and systems were put to test when the year 10 and 12 standard students came in for
in everything we do at the school. their examinations. We are proud to say that not a single student was infected. Just to brief you, there was a rigorous testing process in
place, 7178 RT-CPR tests were carried out (including home collections for students & staff) and 1,926 rapid antigen tests for staff and
High quality teaching at the school is emphasized throughout and students coming to school. There was a facial recognition device capturing the attendance and temperature of anyone entering and
the faculty undergoes continuous professional learning to enhance exiting, there was UV scanning of all bags at the entrance, there were automatic sanitizers spread all over the premises, signages and
their skills. They plan together in their professional learning teams, directional arrows were put all across the campus to maintain social distancing norms, and wherever possible air-conditioning ducts
were fitted with UV light to destroy the virus. In all classrooms, we kept air purifiers fitted with UV light. Students and staff were
and we are currently working towards becoming a Professional prohibited from using public transport as per our covid protocols and for those who had issues here, we provided sanitized school bus
Learning Community. services or cars to bring them to school and drop them back. To maintain the campus, all the staff, namely, security, house-keeping,
canteen, maintenance (carpentry, gardening, electricity, plumbing, air-conditioning), transport, and IT, were not only quarantined in
Year 2020-2021, saw the sudden outbreak of the pandemic, which
separate premises before coming to school but also stayed in specially provided apartments so that they could remain safe and ensure the
has caused upheavals in everyone's life. Schools have been forced safety of the children. 10 flats with 40 rooms were acquired to house our teams.
Ms. Zarene Munshi to shut down and have started working online. The canteen team fed all the staff 4 times a day in school as well as in their quarantined apartments. The security team had the
(Consultant and Advisor to the Chairperson) additional responsibility to inspect the medical clearance of all persons who entered school, which they did diligently. Over and above
In these difficult times, our parents have been our strength and we this, the medical team arranged for hospitalization of staff as required and provided online support to staff who needed to be home
thank them for believing in us and supporting us throughout. quarantined. They worked tirelessly, following strict testing procedures to ensure that no one who was infected entered the school
premises. They also coordinated the vaccination of 558 staff and their family members.
Our priority through these difficult times has always been the mental wellbeing of our children and we have worked hard to
reach out to our students as much as we can. We are tremendously grateful and wish to extend our appreciation to the entire support staff and medical team for showing
persistence, courage and commitment, while providing the necessary support to keep educational facilities functioning. The sole
Feedback from parents and our learners has been very encouraging and we soon realized that it is not the white board or the focus and constant emphasis was on the well-being and safety of the staff, their families and the students. Every single member of the
black board that is important, but it is the teachers who create magic, together with their learners. team worked relentlessly and tirelessly for the school while managing challenging personal and family situations. Their collaborative
efforts created a huge difference and made things possible.
Our heartfelt gratitude to our Founder & Chairperson Smt. Nita Ambani for having personified our school Motto,' Dare to The report will be incomplete without a sincere thanks to Reliance Industries Ltd, Reliance Foundation HN Hospital, Seven Hills
Dream and Learn to Excel' by gifting us this beautiful Temple of Learning called DAIS. Hospital, Jio World Centre and Swadeshi Complex, without whose support in these crucial times, we would not have been able to
provide safety and care to our students, staff and their families.
We also have amongst us, our very own Mrs. Isha Ambani Piramal, who has taken over as Vice Chairperson and is doing such a
marvellous job in taking DAIS to the next level of 21st Century Teaching and Learning. We sum up this annual report with hopes and prayers in our heart that infection rates and fatalities caused by the second wave of the
coronavirus pandemic are on a downswing and will subside soon. We look forward to welcoming each and every one on campus as
The variety and creativity so visible in the articles in our magazine INSIGNIA, represent the talents of our students and faculty at DAIS. soon as it is possible.
Nothing can adequately express our heartfelt and deepest gratitude to our Chairperson Mrs. Nita Ambani and
Congratulations are due to the entire team for their dedication and hard work for putting together this magazine. Vice Chairperson Mrs. Isha Ambani Piramal, for holding our hand in the response planning and also going above and beyond to
support our student body, staff and their families in these unprecedented times. Because of such a strong support system and
My warm wishes to each and every member of DAIS and may we together continue this journey on the road of excellence.
psychological safety, we are stronger and even more united than ever. It is because of your support and care that we and our family
They say, ''Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today,' and I could not members are able to weather this crisis situation.
agree more. With best and warmest wishes for safe times ahead!
Yassir Choonawala
With best wishes,
(Head of Administration)
Zarene Munshi Anil Chaudhary
Consultant & Advisor to the Chairperson (Asst. Head of Administration)
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