Heavy weight of School's backpacks is becoming a major concern for the students, their parents and educators. Students carry heavy bags to the schools which results in serious disorders. According to the study, the weight of a bag should be below 10% of a student's weight to avoid problems, but as per the reports the average weight of a student's school bag  is 8 kg.

You tend to bend your back and neck forward when you carry a heavy bag. If you keep doing that for a long period it leads to bad posture. It also increases energy consumption and you start developing a structurally bad posture. This could result in decreased pulmonary volume and increase cardio respiratory parameters. However, the common problem is lower back pain. In addition, you can get neck, shoulder and upper back pain, breathing difficulties and postural deformities. Studies also found that the bags weighing 15% of a student’s weight could affect the overall posture of the child. As per reports, officials of the school education department have found that bag load in some of the districts was about 10-12 kgs in primary and 15-17 kgs in high schools.

Heavy weight backpacks can result in serious problems such as:

• Back and Neck Pain
• Damage Spin
• Poor lung function
• Muscles Pain
• Abnormal body posture
• Breathing difficult

What can be done to avoid these problems?

1.  Only 3 main subjects in a day ought to be conducted, each 2 periods instead of 6 subjects.

2.  Lockers should be provided to store sports equipment and books.

3. Restrict backpack stack to less than 5% of the body weight by utilizing school lockers, CDs and USB flash drives.

4.  Planning and legitimately conducting a time-table to reduce loading of school bags.

Following rules would be good for the child’s back:

1. Always wear both shoulder straps. If the backpack is high on your back, you can adjust the straps and the straps should be comfortable on your shoulders. If the backpack has a waist strap, utilize it. That makes a difference to transfer the weight more equally over the body.
2. A planned time table is the responsibility of the teachers, making sure that the students don't have to carry heavy books daily and carry only those books which are needed during the day. This way, students know which books to carry for that specific subject and keep the extras at home. 

Following measures should be taken:

1. Select a Backpack- If your child needs to bring their computer back and forth each day, you’ll need to find a bag that holds the laptop securely, allowing  the students to keep the weight of the gadget near their body.
2. Review heavy lifting guidelines-Parents should combat the battle of the heavy backpack by reviewing proper bag guidelines with your children:

• You should wear your pack with both straps around your shoulders.
• Store books in a locker or desk, at whatever point possible
• Clean out your bag frequently and dodge carrying unnecessary weight.
• Choose a bag that’s lightweight and properly fitted to your size.
• Lift loads with your knees and legs, instead of your back and shoulders

   3. Signs of Heavy backpack- Back, shoulder, and leg pain can all be indicative of a backpack that’s too heavy. First of all, if the pain is extreme or ongoing, your child should see a doctor. Back injuries are exceptional  in kids, but not unheard of.

Signs include

• Pain and inconvenience in the back, neck, or shoulders
• Numbness or shivering in the hands or forearms
• Wriggling and sitting unevenly, or trouble walking
• Fever, restlessness (due to pain), or weight loss
• Bowel or bladder problems
• Help Your Child Plan for better Health

   4. Pack a separate bag for after school activities and bring it along in the carpool whenever conceivable. If your kid is responsible for getting back and forth to post-school events, at that       point see if  they can store their spare bag in a classroom, locker, or office until it’s time to go.

Teachers always clear doubts and make the children confident. 

And automatically made online education easy by always motivating us. They help the students to understand and learn more and more and  make projects interactive. This leads to technological learning. These are a few  qualities that I like in the online teaching at the Orbis School.

Manas Pandey, Student 8 Sirius

Online education offers a lot of benefits. However, for a good number of students, online learning is uncharted territory. Student life comes with its fair share of challenges, including figuring out how to be productive from the comfort of your home. Here are some tips that mat help you to be productive:

1. CREATE A DESIGNATED STUDY SPACE: Setting up a designated place for studying will have a significant impact on your productivity levels. Choosing a room in the house specifically for this purpose will enable you to separate studies and everyday life. This way, your brain will be conditioned to focus more on learning.

2. CREATE A SCHEDULE AND STICK TO IT: Online courses provide you with flexibility. You get to determine when to keep up with your classes, do your homework, eat and sleep. However, if you are to stay productive, you should make a schedule for yourself and stick to it. A daily routine will help you stay organized, stay on track and avoid procrastination.

3. GET RID OF DISTRACTIONS:-Many distractions will come your way when studying at home. Minimizing distractions will help you use the available time wisely and work more efficiently. Block all unnecessary phone notifications, keep the television off, get off social media and get your other chores out of the way.

 4. UPDATE  YOUR TECHNOLOGY:-Technology is the cornerstone of online learning. To access your online lessons and stay productive, you must ensure that your computer and internet are up to speed. This will make it easy to conduct internet searches, save and open files, upload and download attachments, and get your coursework done quicker.

 5. DEVELOP YOUR TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS:-The flexibility associated with studying online can be a great disadvantage. Without being in charge of your schedule, all these tips mean nothing. Developing good time management skills will help you stay organized and go a long way in enabling you to overcome some challenges linked to distance learning.

 6. TAKE NOTES:-Watching lectures on a computer allows students the convenience of rewinding and playing the video again. However, taking notes the old-fashioned way will help you capture essential points, increase your focus and improve your critical thinking. Also, taking notes by hand allows you to put the content in simple and easy-to-understand language.

 7. TAKE INITIATIVE:-With remote learning, you will have to work harder to get feedback from your instructor. Interacting regularly with the instructor will help you set yourself apart from your classmates and benefit more from the course. This is why you should consider taking the initiative to keep in constant touch with the instructor.

 8. FORM VIRTUAL STUDY GROUPS:-Distance-learning does not mean you cannot work remotely with friends. Networking with your classmates will provide opportunities to learn new things and perfect your skills.

9. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF:-Online learning can take a toll on your mental and physical health. Taking care of yourself will help you to avoid burnout and remain productive.

 10. TRACK YOUR TASKS AND TIME:-To keep motivated, you will want to set goals and track both the tasks you need to complete and the time you take to achieve them. The aim will be to ensure that you spend your time productively so that you enjoy the benefits of studying online. Keeping track of tasks and time will require you to consider your schedule, deadlines, and study breaks. By monitoring how well you use your time, you will know the specific adjustments you need to make to stay productive.

Tanushree Parvati, Student 8 Sirius

“Take your time but don’t waste your time.” Due to the pandemic of Covid - 19, many people have been affected and so are the businesses, schooling sectors and many other fields. Online Classes are happening instead of physical classes. Teachers and students have started adopting technological tools that are effective and user friendly. Online Learning has no geographical barriers and gives access to a wider range of courses.

Life during the pandemic has taught us to focus more on personal hygiene, understanding the value of family and spending time with family. A positive piece this year has been the pause to reflect on how we can help ourselves stay in their homes. Virtual learning is one of the most important aspects of life during pandemics. We befriended Technology.  We, the children of ‘The Orbis School’, have been doing and enjoying various activities like Independence day, Republic day, Cultural fests on the online platform. We have got to know different ways to learn and communicate with each other. Teachers show us videos based on our syllabus and conduct quizzes, which I feel is more effective than having physical classes but due to this online platform, we are unable to meet and interact physically. It feels lonely but we all have to hold our hands and come out of this situation with flying colors. So let us join our hands, contribute towards the country by staying resilient and adaptable and help each other in this pandemic! 

Thank You.

Ranesh Muchapathi, Student  8 Sirius 

The Orbis School, Mundhwa

I love the way the online teaching and learning is happening at The Orbis School. Our teachers are not just taking care of academics but are also conducting the dance, music, physical education, art and craft classes smoothly. They are doing their best to help us get our concepts right and stay active.  I truly want to thank them as during these difficult times they stood by us and kept us busy so that we stay happy and energetic. The activity classes on Saturdays always attract the enthusiast in me.I learn new things especially art and craft classes being my most favourite. Though sometimes I do miss the physical classes as I could run to the teacher and show her my drawings and get instant appreciation. This however isn’t possible during virtual classes at times.However, I try to show my drawings and the craft activity to my teacher on the screen and many times we post it for them to get a photo clicked. At times this too feels great.  I enjoy learning all the subjects and even the way the teachers teach us during the classes. With proper instructions,  combined with fun-filled activities,  I learnt the concepts well and wrote my exams without any tension. So kudos to me and definitely to my teachers. 

Ranvitha Muchapathi, Student, 5 Deneb (Orbis2)

I love my online learning at Orbis as they are very interactive and my teachers use a lot of online apps.They conduct  many quizzes and games on Kahoot and all of them are very interesting and fun.I like this fun way of learning. All the teachers are very supportive and explain the lessons very nicely. Whenever I have doubts or I don’t understand anything, I just raise my hand and my doubts are cleared. Most importantly everyone gets a chance to answer in the class and if we miss then we get for the next class.The favourite thing about these classes is if I make a mistake they don’t scold but instead the teachers explain that we should learn from our mistakes. The list is endless as everyday I wait to join online classes and meet my friends and teachers.

Samruddhi Padmakar Surwade, Student 5 Deneb (Orbis2)

Schools are compelled to shut in an exertion to reduce the spread of Covid-19. The pandemic saw many parents/ guardians juggling careers while simultaneously supervising and observing their child’s learning from home. Out of those long months of disruption, both teachers and parents have  the opportunity to appreciate more completely the significance of a strong home/ school organization built on trust. But the increase in parental involvement in children’s learning ought to provide them relatively more of a say in choices that directly influence them.

Parents can empathize with the reality that children are feeling justifiably apprehensive and stressed about COVID-19. Comfort your children that the illness due to COVID-19  is for the most part gentle, particularly for children and young adults. Make them understand that the symptoms of COVID-19 and the disease itself can be treated. From that, parents can remind them that there are numerous compelling things they can do to keep themselves and others secure and to feel in way better control of the circumstances by frequently washing their hands, by not  touching their faces and by following social distancing.

Parents can offer in-person playdates through the internet. Parents can set their children up on video conferencing, like Skype or Zoom, so they can keep in contact with their friends or colleagues. If everybody is at home with each other all the time, having one on one time with each child could be a great way to create a closer bond.

Each parent must develop a habit of keeping constant communication with the teachers. With online learning, it has become much less demanding for families to have one on one contact with teachers either through their work emails or work phone numbers. Parents can utilize this time to plan a virtual meeting with the educator to catch up with your child’s progress.

Parents should set regular meal times to maintain a strategic distance from all-day grazing. Parents should serve 3 suppers and 1 to 2 planned snacks each day. When it's time to eat, they should have their children sit at the table and not in front of a screen. This way, children are centered on the food  and less likely to overeat. Parents should encourage their children to be active for at least 30 minutes each day. Parents should also let their children go outside to play.

A planned and concerted effort will help all to tide over these times more easily and meaningfully.

- School Editorial Team

The Covid 19 situation has brought about a revolutionary change in the educational sector the world over. Faced with the possibility of having to forgo a year of classroom education, the traditional chalk and talk teaching had to be shelved and new innovative methods of instruction were devised. So was born the online platform of teaching and learning. 

As with everything else, e-learning too comes with its challenges and its rewards. The online platform offers the advantage of access anytime, anywhere at the click of a button. Completing activities, assignments and accessing learning material can be achieved anytime and anyplace, thereby affording vast flexibility to the user. Why, you could be holidaying in a different city and still attend your classes everyday! In traditional learning, one has to follow a fixed schedule at a specific place and certainly cannot be physically absent. The familiar and comfortable environment of a regular schedule and a known campus offers comfort to the school goer. The joy of interacting with friends and teachers is what makes going to school or college a memorable experience. This can beat the loneliness that the online platform brings along  as a natural consequence of learning from home.

 The online platform offers a flexible pace as well as independence. One can work alone and of course the primary source of information is online content. One can fit studies around  work schedules and can immediately practice new concepts. Students can always access learning material such as module content, assignments and recorded sessions anytime during the course of their studies. In traditional classroom learning, the pace of teaching and consequently learning, is controlled mainly by the teacher as facilitator. Here, one can work together with  classmates and can  learn from them too. Social and Life skills are picked up in the interactive environment of the classroom, skills that last a lifetime and are invaluable in learning to interact with the outer world. 

- School Editorial Team