Our Lady Queen of the Missions School, Salt Lake

Website
Website : https://qmssaltlake.org/new/

Address
Address : 260A HB block, Salt Lake City, Sector-III Kolkata-700106
Contact : 033 2359 8969
Email : olqmssaltlake@gmail.com

School Motto
Virtue & Knowledge

Our Lady Queen of the Missions School is an English medium School (ICSE/ISC Level) catering for the upliftment of the girls irrespective of caste, creed and religion. The School is recognized by the Educational Department of Government of West Bengal and is affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination.

Bengali and Hindi are taught as Second languages and French as third language.

Aims
The aim of the Institute is to provide an integral formation to our pupils so that they can grow towards human maturity and conscientize them towards their vital role in the life of the society for which, as adults, they will have to share responsibilities. In school, the young girls of any religious family find scope within their own cultural milieu to reflect on their lives in the light of their faith and to develop not only in knowledge and skills but also in the wisdom which is the fruit of reflection on life and its lessons. As they grow towards human maturity they are enabled with the help of the Divine Spirit and the support of the school to find meaning and purpose in their lives and are inspired to live and work for the building up of a just and fraternal society.

While preparing the students for the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (ICSE) and the Indian School Certificate Examination (ISC) we endeavour to develop their intellectual, moral and spiritual potentiality, helping them to grow into integrated persons with self-esteem and positive values in life. We strive to expand the students’ mental horizons by promoting and strengthening intercultural experiences, and instill in them the awareness of equality, social justice and world peace.

Vision
We, the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions are called to live the Gospel Values in the spirit of our charism, honouring our multi-cultural & multi faith reality. We commit ourselves therefore to impart value based education principally to women & girls with special emphasis to the less privileged, developing their full potentials in their quest for excellence. We also provide an environment which enables the development of strong and responsible women, faithful to values and respect for themselves and compassion for others.

Co-Curricular activities
• Art and Physical Training
• Arts and Singing
• Debate
• Drama
• Games
• Indian Classical Dances
• Music
• Quiz

Facilities - Check addenda below

History
OUR LADY QUEEN OF THE MISSIONS SCHOOL in Kolkata was started on 1st August, 1946 with 5 students and today it has grown into a full-fledged ICSE & ISC School with its branch at Salt Lake. The Foundation stone for Our Lady Queen of the Missions School at Salt Lake was laid on 9th February, 1997 and the school started functioning in April 2001. Today it has grown into a full-fledged school, forming the destiny of more than 1500 girls in the city.

Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions is an International Missionary Congregation founded by Euphraise Barbier on 25th December 1861 in Lyons, France. 

A daughter of a labourer Adele Euphraise Barbier was born to Louis Desir Barbier and Jeanne Adele Le Clere on 4th January 1829 in Caen, France.

The Christian faith and religious upbringing had a great bearing on her. She loved God and desired passionately to be a missionary to foreign countries. In 1848 Euphraise entered a new missionary Institute known as the Sisters of Calvary which was established at Cuves.

Euphraise had dreamed that this Institute would help to fulfill her hope of becoming a foreign missionary. But, her desire to be a missionary to foreign countries was realized and so she decided to leave the Sisters of Calvary and return to France looking for other possibilities. The Marist Fathers were looking for an excellent religious who will receive and form young women for mission to New Zealand.

Euphraise was invited to fulfill the new plan and thus Institute de Notre Dame de Mission was established in December 1861 in Lyon, France. Euphraise wrote: [The Sisters'] "special end of this Institute is to aid humbly and to the best of their ability to extend the Kingdom of God by devoting themselves to the instruction and Christian education of children and women," Euphraise Barbier sent her first missionaries to New Zealand in 1864 and other departures followed at regular intervals to Australia, England, Wallis, Tonga and Samoa in Oceania, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Vietnam.

Since then the Congregation has spread across to all five continents covering 24 countries in the world. The newest missionary insertions are South Sudan, Laos, Odisha in India, Thai-Myanmar borders, Kazakhstan and Taiwan. Our priorities in mission are among the poor and the marginalized, especially women and children. Our approach to mission is an insertion among people after the example of Jesus journeying with and sharing of who we are and the little we have.

In India, we have 20 schools and a college spread across from the North East state of Meghalaya to Kerala providing quality education to girls along with social and pastoral work. Most of our schools, clinics and social work centres serve the poorest of the poor from all faith, traditions and cultures. Euphraise Barbier lived in a real world and lived life with enthusiasm even though she had to overcome many difficulties as the Foundress of the young Institute. She was a woman of great depth, prayer and who passionately loved God. She was familiarly known as "The little Mother". Despite her health having been undermined by privations and illness, she had great enthusiasm for life.

Euphraise had a delightful personality with virtues of gentleness, simplicity, humility and generosity. She wrote on these virtues so that the Sisters and the pupils in the schools could imbibe these in their life. She was also admired for her kindliness and incomparable charity.

The final stage of Euphraise Barbier's pilgrimage on this earth approached rather rapidly. Her strength was often sapped by illness; nonetheless, she remained active till the end with the concerns of the young Institute. On 18th January 1893 at the age of 64 death gently carried her to God whom she loved.

Today, after 158 years of service to the Church and society the Sisters continue to keep alive Euphraise's vision for her congregation "to extend the Kingdom of God".

ADDENDA (06 May 2021)

OUR LADY QUEEN OF THE MISSIONS SCHOOL
Our Lady Queen of the Missions School being one of the prestigious schools in the city religiously believes in the all-round development of its students. Therefore, activities like Talent Contest that constitutes of Eastern Singing, Western Singing, Eastern Dance, Western Dance, Debates, Science Quiz, Maths Quiz, Elocution and News Reading are held from time to time to promote their emotional, spiritual and cognitive skills.

CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME
Children are constantly encouraged to contribute towards a better, cleaner and safer environment by participating in poster making, green plantation. They are initiated to plant saplings in their spaces in order to generate in them sensitivity towards their environment.

The School arranges for an S.U.P.W exhibition each year in its campus wherein students are encouraged to showcase their expertise and knowledge in various subjects, innovative ideas of science, recycling and reusing the waste products etc.

EXCURSIONS AND EDUCATIONAL DAY TOURS
Excursions and educational day tours to places of Scientific Interests like Dockyard and historic importance like Raj Bhavan, Thakur Bari, various production factories etc. are held for the young learners to help them enhance their knowledge of their own country’s development and heritage.

Besides these programs, Children’s Day, Teacher’s Day, Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti and all other such significant festivals of national interest see great pomp and enthusiasm and most significantly the Labour’s Day is proudly celebrated by our students wherein they get to pay gratitude and to thank their helpers in school.

MANJARI
The School strongly believes that there is no bigger joy than the joy of “Giving” and our students actually practice what they are taught by teaching the not so privileged little children of the School’s tiny wing Manjari for the underprivileged girls of the nearby dingy slums hence fulfilling their responsibility towards Society and Humanity at large.

THE INVESTITURE CEREMONY
The Investiture Ceremony followed by the Foundation Day are the two most prestigious events organized by the School. While awarding and honouring the meritorious students of the school for their academic excellence in the ICSE and ISC exams is followed by the formation of the school council takes place in the previous event, our eminent founder Euphrasic Barbier is fondly remembered for her works and contribution towards the congregation in the latter.

THE DAAN UTSAV
The Daan Utsav is one of the most remarkable festivals of our school wherein students enthusiastically put up food stalls, sell, buy hereby indulging themselves in noble cause of raising funds for the upliftment of the poor and needy.

CHIAROS QURO-CQ
Light bounced off the shaded glass…..myriad hues were reflected… soft silhouettes fell on the canvas…and in the corner of the dark room, a Chiaros Quro painting was created. The dream of hosting an inter-school fest has its origin way back in 1997, when the plus-two section was started in park circus. Finally, the dream became a reality in 2005. With a series of “Yes” and “No’s”, with more things going wrong than right, it was truly an interplay of light and shade and hence the nomenclature “Chiaros Quro…and then there was light.”

With an array of celebrity judges and extremely innovative list of Q’ Names, it is indeed a star studded annual event providing a platform for all to showcase their talents. With a strong belief in the multi- dimensional capabilities of all students, our fest has promoted healthy competition and rich learning experiences. Today CQ has a strong foothold in the city’s school fest circuit by becoming more than just a fest, it is a journey that defines integral part of the school life for all students…because here we believe that each and every associate of CQ is a member of the extended QMS family.

INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES PROVIDED BY OUR LADY QUEEN OF THE MISSIONS SCHOOL, SALT LAKE

SMART CLASSES
Classrooms of our school are installed with interactive panel displays. It helps in effective classroom teaching and digital learning. Classrooms are equipped with other equipment as well, such as, laptops and overhead projectors. New technology tools like Interactive LED boards are used for visualizing and teaching.

LIBRARY
Our school has a well-stocked library with an impressive index of titles, covering fiction and non- fiction, periodicals, magazines and newspapers. Students are encouraged to make full use of these facilities in order to inculcate a love for books and the habit of reading from an early age. Internet facilities are available for research and study. The libraries are managed by well qualified personnel.

STEM & ROBOTICS
Our school is one among the very few schools in Kolkata that is privileged to have the facility of Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) integrated experiential and research based learning through Robotics, Drone and Futuristic Technologies. This is to help students not only perform better in academics but also to become mindful problem solvers of the future.

LABS
Our school is well equipped with spacious Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Computer Labs. Technology is used to make teaching and learning meaningful and fun.

AUDITORIUM
The multi-purpose auditorium at our school provides an ideal space for school assemblies, events, stage productions and Inter-School activities etc.

EXTRA CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Sports and Games have always been an integral part of our school. Students are encouraged to take part in all outdoor and indoor games. Apart from sports and games, students are encouraged to be part of Scouts and Guide Programme, Social Work, Art and Craft, Music and Dance etc.

SECURITY SYSTEM & CCTV
The safety and security of our students is our priority. In order to provide a secure environment for our students, the school has CCTV cameras installed all around the school building and campus at strategic points to ensure safety for children at all times.

Source: Our Lady Queen of the Missions School, Salt Lake