MCC Academy News
February 2016
Upcoming Events:



Feb 2-5th, 4:15-4:45pm - JV Crescents Boys Basketball Tryouts: 
All 4th,  5th and 6th grade boys are eligible to tryout at Morton Grove Campus

February 4 - Mr. Broast Family Night - Dine-in or Carry-out and 20% will be donated back to MCC Academy. 7947 Golf Rd., Morton Grove, IL


February 4 and 5 at 4:15pm - MCCA Crescent Boys Varsity Basketball Games - Come out and cheer for MCCA as the Boys Varsity Crescents team plays local public schools Parkview Elementary and Lincoln Hall. 
Thursday, Feb 4: MCCA vs PARKVIEW @  4:15
Friday, Feb 5: MCCA vs Lincoln hall @ 4:15

February 6, 5:15pm (after maghrib) - Islamophobia Discussion
Join this important discussion at the MCC Chicago location. Bring an item to share for the potluck dinner. 4380 N. Elston, Chicago, IL

February 11 , 6:30pm - "Media, Marketing and Me"
Parent Seminar presented by Emmy Award-winning Media Professional Arjumand Khan at the  MCCA - Morton Grove Campus in the conference room.  8601 N. Menard St., Morton Grove, IL

February 11 - Deadline to Sign Up for Mobile Dentist Services for your Child (see below)


February 1 - June 2016 - 
New After School Kids Quran Program at Morton Grove Campus. Sign up is ongoing now through June 2016 (see right)

February 19 - Elementary School In-Class Spelling Bee

February 19 - March 25 - STEM-based LEGO Engineering Club for Kg-5th grade - R egister your child to participate. Please see flyer (right) for details. Additional section just opened so check online again for openings. Will meet at Skokie campus Thursdays or Fridays depending on your registration.


February 25 - Early Dismissal at 2:15pm - Students now enjoy a "No Uniform Day" on our Early Dismissal days to help remind parents to pick up their children early. This month, please have your kids dress in cultural attire in celebration of International Night that takes place on the evening of February 25th at Morton Grove campus (see below) 

February 25, 6-8pm - MCC Academy International Night: Stop by for a wonderful evening at the MCCA Morton Grove campus to learn about all the various cultures represented by our families including displays featuring cultural relics and homemade ethnic cuisine. The event is open to the public. Please especially encourage your non-Muslim friends and neighbors to attend to learn about a variety of Islamic cultures represented in our community. 

TICKETS ON SALE NOW - Space is Limited, Purchase Today!
MCC Academy Annual Dinner:
"Articulating our Faith through Education" 
Featuring Br. Azhar Usman as Keynote Speaker
Saturday, March 12, 2015, at 6:30pm
White Eagle Banquet Hall in  Niles, IL

To Purchase Tickets Online, Click Here

 

REMINDER: ATTENDANCE POLICY


If your child is not able to attend school for the day or for a period of time, please remember to notify the school. 

If your child will not be attending for the day due to illness or for any other reason, please call the school to inform them. You may leave a voicemail if the office staff does not answer the call. Please leave your child's first and last name, grade, section and reason for the absence. 

If your child will be absent for a period of time, please send an email to the child's homeroom teacher and copy [email protected] and include your child's first and last name, grade, section and reason for the absence.

MCCA Telephone Numbers
Skokie Campus: 224-534-7638
Morton Grove Campus: 847-470-8801

Thank you for your cooperation.
REMINDER: TUITION PAYMENTS

Monthly tuition is due each month by the 10th.  If you pay your tuition quarterly, please note that the 3rd Quarter payment is due on Friday, February 5, 2016.

Late payments will accrue late payment fee of $25 for each month payment is not received. If you have any questions about tuition payment, please email our accountant at [email protected].

A Note from the School Council

Assalamu alaikum,

Everyone in our MCCA Family is off and running as the second half of the school year begins.  We welcome the additional light each day- though not necessarily the freezing temperatures.

We are pleased that MCCA is part of the Family Action Network (FAN).  As part of FAN, our greater school community is able to share resources and access a wealth of knowledge and information from the Townships of Evanston and New Trier, as well as North Chicago.  The network brings together parents, educators, school administrators and other professionals.  Look for future notices of FAN events, inshallah.  As well, please enjoy the parent seminars sponsored by MCC Academy in coordination with our very own Parent Support Group. Last month, Mrs. Dilnaz Waraich presented on "Raising Digital Natives" - this was a very informative talk about how to help our children navigate the highly-connected world of today.  Thank you PSG for helping bring in such an amazing speaker.  

Thank you to our MCCA families for making the transition to our new drop-off and dismissal protocol an easy one.  Everyone's patience and cooperation is truly appreciated.  

Finally, this year's Annual Dinner is at White Eagle Banquets in Niles, IL. The event will be Saturday, March 12 at 6:30 pm.  Inshallah, the event promises to be an enjoyable look at the past year's accomplishments as well as a preview of future MCCA goals and events. Please purchase your tickets now as we do sell out and will not be selling tickets at the door. We have convenient online purchasing available via our school website. If you own a business and would like to advertise in our program booklet, please contact the office for more information.

As always, we value your  duas  and support.

Jazakallah Khair,

Farisa Hussain

Parent Support Group (PSG) Update

Save the Date!
International Night is Thursday, February 25, 6:30pm at Morton Grove Campus! This fabulous night featuring the food and cultural relics from many of the cultures represented here at MCC Academy is always a fun and enlightening evening. Plan to join us! More  info  soon to come!

Key dates:
Feb 4 - Mr. Broast Family Night (see below)
Feb 5 & 19 - PSG meetings
Feb 10 & 24 - School Store
Feb 2,9, 16, & 23 - Pizza Sale at Skokie campus. Pizza will be sold at two locations: Early Childhood entrance and Outside Gym.
Feb 3, 10, 17, & 24 - Pizza Sale at Morton Grove campus
Popcorn sales are on hold until further notice.

Alhamdulillah, half of the school year has already flown by. MCCA is in the 3rd quarter now.

Coupon Book:
Jazakallah to everyone who supported the school in purchasing this beneficial booklet. If you still have not had a chance to purchase your coupon book, please stop by the office. Limited number of books are still available.

Parent Seminar workshop:
Raising Digital Natives:Technology and Navigating Phones, iPads, Laptops, and tablets for Family Harmony was the Parent Seminar for the quarter which was held on   Friday, January 15, 2016 at 8:45am. Dilnaz Wariach did an excellent presentation for our parents on this topic for parents of this technology-savvy generation. Parents went home with many insider tips on how to deal with their children and their inclination towards technology. 


Mr. Broast Family Night - This week, Thursday, February 4th
Join friends and families from MCC Academy at Mr. Broast Restaurant this week Thursday, February 4th! Dine-in or carry-out your dinner and 20% of the proceeds from purchases by our families will be donated back to MCC Academy. Don't forget to mention you are with MCC Academy when you place your order. 

PSG Meetings: If you would like to volunteer for any event, please stop by at the PSG meetings, which are held every other Friday at Skokie campus from 8:45am to 9:30am. It is a great way to stay involved in school activities as well as make new friends. For questions and comments, please email Khadija Ahmed at [email protected]

MCCA In the News!

In today's news climate, it's always nice to see positive stories circulating in the media that reflect a true view of Muslims and Islam, and in our case, of the MCC Academy. AlhumdilAllah, lately our school has been featured in a variety of news stories reflective of the positive relationships we have with many in the broader community. Click on the links below to read these articles.



YouTube Poetry Pals Highlights

MCC Academy Parent Seminars Great Learning Opportunities for our Parents 

Last month, MCCA hosted two seminars geared toward parents as part of our Parent Academy. The first seminar, co-hosted by the Parent Support Group, was on "Raising Digital Natives" and presented by Dilnaz Waraich. This powerful talk highlighted the impact technology is having on our children, who only will know life in a highly-connected world. Mrs. Waraich presented research on this topic and tips to help guide our children through the digital world. 

MCCA business sponsor, Azzad Asset Management, presented a seminar on Halal Investing for College and Retirement. If you missed this opportunity, you can view the webinar version of this presentation online by  clicking here.


Don't miss the upcoming parent seminar for business owners or professionals looking to elevate their profile in the media. Presented by Emmy Award-winning Media Professional Mrs. Arjumand Khan, "Media, Marketing and Me" promises to leave you with a wealth of information to help your profile and/or your business. 

MCCA Resource Teachers Suggest Online Learning Opportunity for Students

LearnStorm, powered by  Khan Academy, is a learning resource that offers every student a way to succeed, no matter their level.  From January 29th through April 1st, students in grades 3-12 can master math skills on Khan Academy to earn rewards and recognition for themselves and their school. Khan Academy has a point-based reward system, so students can earn badges and rewards on their account. If students do not have a Khan Academy account, they need to sign up for one.  It's completely free!  When they sign up, or if they have an existing account, they must add my coach id:  maria.basith@mccacademy.org.  Tangible rewards will be given out if a student or all of the students from the school together do more practices and earn more points between January 29th through April 1st.  For more detailed rules about LearnStorm, click this link. 

I highly recommend parents to check out the above links to learn more about this amazing opportunity for your child to master more skills in math.  Together, let's build a community of lifelong learners and work towards getting MCC Academy trophies and awards! 

Maria Basith, MCCA Resource Teacher

Mobile Dentist Coming to MCC Academy
Sign Up by February 11, 2016 


We have invited Smile Illinois - The Mobile Dentists to bring its preventive dental care program to our Skokie Campus because we know how important good oral health is to our children's overall general health. 
 
 "We know that tooth decay is the most common chronic and infectious disease among children," state Margo Woll, D.D.S. and Marcy Borofsky, D.D.S.
co-directors of Smile Illinois-Mobile Dentists. We also know poor oral health causes other problems in children, such as diminished growth in toddlers, poor nutrition due to difficulty eating and an increase in bacteria in the blood and respiratory systems."  
 
A publication from the Centers for Disease Control states:  "Children receiving dental sealants in school-based programs have 60% fewer new decayed pit and fissure surfaces in back teeth for up to 2-5 years after a single application. Among children, 90% of decay is in the pit and fissures".
 
Smile Illinois-Mobile Dentists will set up a mini-dental office in our building and can provide dental examinations, cleanings, fluoride treatments and sealants (if needed) for all children who return completed forms.
 
Smile Illinois-Mobile Dentists can provide these services free to families who need financial assistance and it has subsidized fees for those who chose to pay for the preventive care.  No child is ever turned away from Smile Illinois-Mobile Dentists because of financial need. 
 
Signing up your children to see the Mobile Dental team is an easy way to get  necessary preventive dental care.  If you want your child to see the dentist on March 2, 2016,  just fill out the permission slip available in the office and return it to the school office by February 11, 2016.  This program is open to all MCC Academy students. If you have a child attending Morton Grove campus and you would like them to participate, you can bring them to Skokie campus on March 2, 2016, between 8am-noon for the services. 
 
You can learn more about Smile Illinois-Mobile Dentists by going to its website:  www.mobiledentists.com and watching the short video about the preventive dental care program. 

Annual Science Fair Results are In!

Assalamua'alaikum Parents,
Insha'allah you are all doing well and that this message reaches you with the best of intentions.  Alhamdulillah, our 7th and 8th grade students have completed the 2016 MCC Academy Science Fair with great success.  These students never cease to amaze me when it comes to their willingness to push their own boundaries when it comes to researching an area of science of their own interest.  I am proud of all of their accomplishments and I pray that they continue to triumph.  You can view photos of this year's Science Fair online on our school  Facebook page.

Every student from 7th and 8th grade, whether they won a place at school or not, has an opportunity to compete at the regional competition at Niles North High School on  March 5th.  I look forward to expecting a great turnout from our middle schoolers this year insha'allah.  

Congratulations to the following students that have received trophies and medals for the 2015-2016 school year at MCC Academy:

7th Grade:
First Place: Lejla Murati  "Multitasking"
Second Place: Aadil Patel  "Keeping You In Suspension!"
Third Place: Fatimah Qadri  "Lather Up!"
Honorable Mention: Mya Nasser  "What Affect Does Electricity Have on Wood?"

8th Grade:
First Place: Omar Abdeljabar  "Waste Not, Why Not?"
Second Place: Heena Sharief   "The Sun or The Stove"
Third Place: Hanna Choubkha   "Are Fingerprint Patterns Inherited?"
Honorable Mention: Ameera Abdeljabar  "Glow!  Glow!  Glow!"  

Again, I look forward to seeing as many of the middle schoolers attend the regional science fair at Niles North High School on  March 5th for another opportunity to show their mad science skills!  

Wasalaam,

Mrs. Saleh
Middle School Science Teacher 
Department Head



Principal Mr. Quadri Invited to Present at Qatar Foundation Education Workshop for Administrators


Last month, Principal Mr. Quadri and a team of three other faculty members from Harvard University presented administrator and principal training to 60 education professionals from the Emirates at a special four-day workshop called "Learn to Change the World" hosted by the Qatar Foundation held in Doha, Qatar. As a member of the Harvard University Principals Advisory board and a part-time Harvard University faculty member, Mr. Quadri focused his portion of the training on leadership within a school system.  MashAllah, this was a unique and phenomenal opportunity for Mr. Quadri to share the story of MCC Academy and how our school has grown and transformed over the course of more than 25 years and for him to glean insights from his counterparts also presenting at the workshop. 

Library Update from Ms. Bergeson

Things are cozy and fun this winter in the library! Winter stories are available to the children, in addition to wonderful displays on the tables and bulletin boards that reveal some of the exciting topics our students are learning here at MCC Academy!

This February in the library, our classroom activities will center around Black History Month and the important contributions that black Americans have made to our lives throughout history. Please talk with your kids about what they are learning as it reinforces that knowledge! In addition, Skokie Public Library is making several stops at our campus this month to do grade-appropriate presentations and puppet shows with our students!

March 2nd is Read Across America Day and the month of March is National Reading Month. We are going to focus on our love for reading that month! Students will be invited to take home a reading log from our library to log books (or books and pages read for older students). With extra time during Spring break, this will be the perfect opportunity for your children to read! Students will submit their logs at the end of the month to earn prizes and chances to spin the library wheel for bigger prizes! More details will follow later this month!

It is always a pleasure to work with your children and help foster their love of reading! Thank you for all that you do to encourage and help them!



Morton Grove Campus Neighbors from Congregation Solel Offer Warm Gesture of Friendship and Support

Our neighbors, Congregation Solel, visited us after school last Thursday and brought over many beautiful cards crafted by children from their congregation. The notes were filled with heart-warming messages of support and love for our school and masjid community. We have hung them at the entrance of Morton Grove campus so please stop by and read them upon your next visit! AlhumdilAllah, for the blessing of friendship. We are so thankful to our dear neighbors from Congregation Solel! 

Skokie Campus Teachers and Staff Honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a Diversity Potluck

MCC Academy teachers and staff at Skokie campus celebrated a belated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a "Diversity Potluck" featuring food from their varied cultures. Many contributed messages of hope to the "I have a dream" poster hung in the teacher lounge. MashAllah, what a beautiful way to celebrate unity and inclusion, ideals that are central within our Islamic faith. Thank you to 5th grade teachers Ms. Barkat and Mrs. Gomaa for  organizing. 

Crescent Boys Basketball Fights Hard through an Awesome Season

The MCCA Crescents Varsity team went the championship tournament with a regular season record of 6-2. In order to make it to the finals, the boys had to beat a tough and gritty team in Universal School. The boys fought through the adversity and were able to beat Universal with smart defensive tactics, team basketball on the offensive end, and keeping their composure throughout the entire four quarters. Once the boys beat Universal and secured their spot in the championship game, the only thing left was to see who their opponent would be. CPSA was able to beat IQRA to advance to the finals to play MCCA. CPSA was able to connect on four three-pointers in the final eight minutes of the game, open the lead to a large margin, and beat MCCA to win first place.
 
Coach Kadir shared, "The 'what' is the goal, the 'how' is the process, but the 'why' is where the secrets lie. It's important to distinguish that the 'why' is not the goal itself but the reasons why we pursue a goal to begin with. The 'why' gives us purpose, and it's the reason behind the mission and the vision. Therefore, our job as coaches, is to help define the team's joint 'why'. If the 'why' is not clear, people won't fight, won't push, and won't persevere. As an organization and as a maturing basketball program, we know what we need to improve upon as coaches and as players. It is time to execute in order to prepare for next season."


MCCA Middle School Spelling Bee is all the Buzz

The first round of the 2016 MCC Academy Middle School Spelling Bee, the in-class competition, was a great success! Students worked hard over the course of a few weeks to memorize a long list of advanced words, which was not an easy task. On January 7th and 8th, the sixth, seventh, and eighth graders competed to see who would advance to the school Spelling Bee Competition on January 20th. There, the finalists went through a series of rounds until one winner remained. 

Congratulations to our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners, as well as all of the participants. Everyone did a great job, and I am really proud of all of their hard work!  2016 MCC Academy Middle School Champs:

First: Aisha Siyadith, 8A 
Second: Hira Khan, 6A
Third: Maham Mahajideen, 8A 

Our first place winner, Aisha, will go on to compete at the  6th Annual North Cook ISC Scripps Spelling Bee on February 2nd. I encourage everyone from the MCC Academy community to attend this event to support Aisha and our school. The Spelling Bee will start at 7 pm sharp, and it will be located at  The Joseph Sears School, SD 38, in Kenilworth, IL. 


MCCA New Middle School Math Teacher Adding Up to a Great Addition to our Team

Mr. Llanes gets into the House Spirit, dressed in his House's colors 

It's been an amazing year thus far in Middle School Math with the addition of our new Math Teacher, Mr. Ray Llanes. Ray has been inspiring our mathematicians toward working at their best and keeping them striving full steam ahead. Our students are really connecting with Mr. Llanes and finding him to be an excellent teacher! Here's a little background on our new team member:

What is your professional background? 
I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering and a Master of Arts degree in Mathematics Education.  Before changing careers to teaching, I was a programmer.

Why did you decide to be a Math teacher?
I have always enjoyed solving problems, and I see math as a powerful tool to solving complex challenges.

What has your experience been working at MCCA?
Everyone has been great!!  Being the rookie teacher, all of my colleagues are constantly pulling pranks on me - they are taking my colored paper away from me!!

What have been your goals for your classes?
I want my students to be strong problem solvers and confident in their math skills.

What unique or new methods have you implemented in your classrooms?
The students really enjoy math challenge day on Friday, and we also have these "brain puzzles" for extra-credit.

How have you seen the kids transforming?
The students are becoming more resilient and determined in their work.  If they make mistakes, they try to figure-out the "fix" by themselves before seeing me.

Do you offer any tutoring and if so, when and where?
I am available for tutoring help during recess time on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays and a fter school on Mondays and Wednesdays.

MCCA Students Thriving in New Part-Time Early Childhood Program

In addition to our full-time preschool, prek and kg, MCC Academy offers an amazing part-time program that meets three days a week from 10am-2pm. This program, which launched this past September, has been an amazing addition to our roster of programs. Led by Mrs. Sabiha Patel with assistance from Mrs. Rania Abdelbari, this part-time experience has 4 and 5-year-olds learning the building-block skills for reading and math as well as Islamic studies, Quran and Arabic. Students in this program are progressing in leaps and bounds, mashAllah! Registration for this program and our full-time programs is on-going. Check out our  Facebook page  to capture a glimpse into this wonderful program.


Winter Art Projects Warm up Skokie Campus

MCCA Art Teacher Mrs. Nazia Sikander had her students busy this winter using their creative caps to work on various art projects! These projects showcase what they learned about shading and designs. 


4th Grade Students Visit Jewish School for Poetry Pals Program

Our 4th Grade students visited Chicago Jewish Day School last month during one of their Poetry Pals gatherings. They had the chance to see an original Torah from the WWII period. 


Elementary School Spelling Bee


Middle School Holds Annual History Bee

On January 7, MCCA Middle School had their annual History Bee. There were ten finalists chosen to compete in the competition. Students who scored highest on the history qualifying exam given to all of Middle School were able to compete as finalists. These ten students then competed against each other in a series of rounds on World History, American History, Ancient History, and Modern History. The champion of the competition was Wiaam Aggoun; in second place, Haroon Salahuddin; and in third place, Adnan Akhtar. Congratulations to all the winners and the finalists for participating in the bee. Other finalists included Adam Yousef, Hamza Ibrahim, Sana Mariam, Eiman Navaid, Amani Laliwala, Amin Wahdan, and Aisha Siyadath. The three winners will now take a qualifying exam in order to compete in regionals. If they excel there, they can qualify for the national competition. Please keep our winners in your duas. 



7th Graders Participate in Mock Congress Session

In order to better understand the legislative branch of government, especially the law-making process, 7th grade students participated in a mock Congress activity. Each student wrote their own law for the United States, then, taking on the role of senators and representatives, they attempted to pass their laws in Congress. Students had the opportunity to debate, filibuster, make changes, and pass and reject bills based on their understanding of the needs of the United States. Although students had fun in their roles, they also learned about the various complexities of the Legislative process. Towards the end of the activity, they also elected a president. Students certainly got a very tangible, participatory perspective of the electoral process of the United States. 

Students Get a Taste of a Real Arabic Breakfast 

Students 4th grade Arabic came together to experience a traditional Arabic breakfast as part of their vocabulary lesson in Unit 10. Students have been learning about traditional Arabic cuisine and what distinguishes an Arabic breakfast from any other. In order to emphasize what we learned about in class, students were invited to taste a traditional Arabic breakfast.  Students were immersed in the experience with traditional foods such as Olive Oil, Za'ater (thyme), olives, pita bread, Hummus, cheese pastries, Za'atar pastries, honey and Jam. 



Students Studying Great Women of Islam 


For the past two quarters in 7th Grade Islamic Studies, students have been learning about the famous women from our Islamic tradition based in Qur'an and Hadith. The end of the quarter will culminate with students enacting the important lessons derived from these notable women. Each group will collaborate to reenact events from their lives which hold meaning and relevance to the students' everyday challenges and struggles. InshAllah, students will walk away with a heightened sense of how the past impacts the future. 

Mrs. Patel, Mrs. Emma, Mrs. Aqueel - 3rd Grade

We missed our third grade students over Winter Break, and are so excited to be back with them to start off 2016! As most of you know, Ms. Aqueel is back! Alhumduillah, her mother is feeling better, and we love having her back in third grade. 

Over half of the third grade students have passed all their multiplication-timed tests, which is awesome. We are very proud of them to have accomplished this already. Long division and 3-digit multiplication is in full swing during our Math classes, which has been fun and challenging for the students.

We have been talking about holidays celebrated around the world in social studies and students have enjoyed learning about the cool holidays that are celebrated in the different cultures. They have also enjoyed discussing their favorite parts of their holidays at home. Looks like the third graders love getting numerous Eid gifts and the yummy food their moms are cooking when Eid comes around.... 

We concluded our Endangered Animals Science projects with presentations. The students did a phenomenal job on their posters. We were very impressed with their creativity. They are currently displayed around the school, so please do stop by to take a look! 


Mrs. Gomaa - 5A

On January 13, 2016, Mrs. Gomaa and Mrs. Barakat's 5th graders volunteered at FMSC (Feed My Starving Children) in Libertyville, IL.  FMSC is an organization that tackles world hunger by sending volunteer-packed meals to about 70 countries. These packages are used to help operate orphanages, schools, clinics and other building blocks of healthy communities. During our trip, the 5th graders were able to package 15,552 meals, feeding 42 individual kids in Haiti for an entire year! Alhamdulilah for such a successful and eye opening experience for us all. 
   

Mrs. Sheikh, Mrs. Baig and Ms. Bozai - 2nd Grade


Second-graders have been busy researching about specific animal homes. They learned that a habitat is where an animal finds food and water it needs to live. They were asked to do a 3D diarama project on a habitat, and present what they learned. We were excited to hear everyone's presentation. 



Mrs. Saleh - 8th Grade Science

Eighth-grade students were determining the speed and distance of a toy car using the formula; speed equals distance over time. 



Mrs. Metovic - PrekA

This month in Prek-A, we are learning letter sounds, how to skip count by 10's to 100, how to read three-letter words, write A-N and write numbers 1-13. Children brought in many interesting objects for letter L Show and Tell, as you can see a light and ladder! Pre-k A students love drawing pictures and they practice writing by writing their names, alphabet, sight words, and numbers. This month, we had a blast learning about different shapes. We played  shape bingo and made 2D and 3D shapes using play-doh.


Miss Malik - 1A
We have been celebrating diversity and discussed Martin Luther King.  As a class, we came up with our own dreams for the world. We also wrote about our favorite winter activities.

Mrs. Sharieff - KgA

This year, our Kindergarten class parents have an opportunity to come in every Friday to conduct an art activity for our students.  This allows parents to take an active participation in their child's classroom.  

KG-A would like to thank the following parents for coming into our class for the first half of the school year.  
In October, we had Mrs. Choubkha come in to have our students make beautiful book marks made of fresh flowers.

In November, we had Ms. Mahmood come in and make creative snowflakes, which are now hung in our classroom as well as outside of our class.

In December, we had Mrs. Hussain come in and make small water bottle aquariums. Mr. Hussain came in to do various art projects that represented the four seasons of the year.

This month, we have Mrs. Ahmad who had students make little sadaqa jars to reinforce and instill the habit of giving sadaqa.  

As you can see, each of these art projects were very well thought of and the kids enjoyed working on every single of them.  There were many more Alhamdullilah.  We have more parents who have signed up and will be dedicate their time and effort to come in.   Jazak Allahu Khairun!!  

Mrs. Malik - Preschool

Before winter break began, preschoolers were extremely busy. At the beginning of the month, the kids enjoyed the winter theme by creating various hands-on projects. They made crafts based off of stories read in the class, such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Five Little Penguins Slipping on The Ice, and Snowmen at Night. The students followed up by creating brown bears, penguins, and snowflakes. We then did the first group project as a class and built a snowman for our classroom. Each of the tables was assigned a portion of the snowman and in the end we put it all together to make one creation.   Our next theme was People Around the World. This is one of the most exciting themes for the children because they are able to understand the diversity in their class. The students created their Culture Book and presented it to the class. Throughout the week the children had mini projects. We learned how to count in several different languages. We even read some books in multiple languages that the children enjoyed. The children even learned the popular nursery rhyme 'Frere Jacques' in French. Mrs. Azami and Ms. Bozai visited the class and introduced their culture by showing the class how to make Mango Lassi (milkshake) and creating henna tattoos. To end this colorful week, we had a Preschool Potluck. The parents brought in food from their cultures and got to spend some time with their kids. The children and the parents enjoyed the experience.


Mrs. Ahmad - 1C


Here are some rid-bits from Mrs. Ahmad's pond:

Math - After learning ones and tens, we have been exploring and learning about, Addition and Subtraction numbers from 1-40. Students had an opportunity to be able to work in small groups and place numbers in its Tens place and its Ones place using a dice. They also participated in finding the missing number, number sequence and recognized different numbers in their word forms from least to greatest or from greatest to least! During our math centers, students were asked to work in small groups, to solve word problems and create their own story problems and then share it with their classmates.
 
Reading - Our class did a skit using high frequency words and reading the story "How Leopards Got its Spot." Students really enjoyed creating a skit and doing a performance in front of their classmates by putting the story in sequence from beginning to end. Students were exposed to different characters in the story, setting and morals.
 
Writing/Language Arts - Our young writers have been working very hard on practicing on how to write complete paragraphs on different topics. Our first graders have been hard at work working as a class to have class goals and finding ways to fulfill those goals as a team. Students explored and worked on brainstorming ideas on what goals as a class we can accomplish.
 
Students really enjoyed playing a game identifying nouns. They were expected to hear the words and sit down if the word being said to them is a noun or stand up if it is not a noun. Afterwards, students jumped into identifying different kinds of proper and common nouns. 

Social Studies - We have been learning about community helpers this week. Students had the opportunity to interview an adult who has a job (gets paid for) and answer questions about their responsibilities that they have at their job.



Mrs. Akbany - PreK-B

Prek-B listened to the story called, "Somebody Stole My Smile." It was about a little girl who lost her two front teeth and felt as is if she was missing her smile. Prek-B created their own "missing smiles." Students also discussed how to keep their teeth healthy by eating healthy foods and brushing at least twice a day.