MCC Academy News
January 2015
Upcoming Events:

January 5:  School Resumes -  InshAllah, your children enjoyed winter break. School resumes with regular hours.

January 8: Spelling Bee Classroom Competition - Students will compete with their peers in their homeroom classrooms for a place in the all-school competition. All-school competitions will be held on January 15, for middle school, and January 20, for elementary school.

January 14:  Drama Club Winter Session Begins -  Register your 3rd-5th grade student for Drama Club, which meets on Wednesdays from 4:05pm-5:15pm at the Skokie Campus. 

           
January 19:  Martin Luther King Day -  NO SCHOOL

January 29: Early Dismissal Day, 2:15pm: Please pick up your child from school at 2:15pm. No after school activities or clubs take place on early dismissal days. To help alleviate traffic congestion, please note the following pick-up timings: Early Childhood pick-up timing is 1:55pm-2:15pm and Elementary and Middle School pick-up timing is 2:15pm-2:35pm.

January 30: End of 2nd Quarter


Save-the-Date
MCC Academy Annual Fundraising Dinner
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015


Important Reminders about Tuition
  • Monthly Tuition is due by the 10th of every month - late payments will incur a late charge.
  • If you would like to know the balance on your account or what your monthly payment fee is, please email our accountant at salik.rehmani@mccacademy.org
  • If you would like to make a payment via e-check or credit card, you can call the school office and ask to speak with our accountant, Br. Salik Rehmani.

A Note from the School Council


Assalamualaikum Dear Parents,

We hope all of our MCCA families enjoyed the winter break! This is always a nice time to reconnect as a family and recharge for the next half of the school year ahead. The MCCA Council is very thankful and happy that the school's accreditation visit proceeded without a hitch and we received the re-certification we had strived for along with many commendations from the team for MCCA's leadership, faculty and staff, as well our wonderful, exemplary community. Maintaining our accreditation with AdvancED and CISNA is the hallmark of a quality school, one that assures positive outcomes for our community. The MCCA Book Fair featuring both IQRA' and Scholastic Books was very successful, masha Allah.  The activity at the fair was brisk and lively all week.  Alhamdullilah, our MCCA family is well aware that children who read excel in school and life outside the confines of school. 


Save the date for the MCC Academy Annual School Fundraising Dinner, a mere short winter away on Saturday, February 21, 2015, inshallah. Please note: We will be sending home Annual Dinner tickets for you to purchase. Once you receive your family's tickets, please promptly return payment to the school office. If you'd like to help sell additional tickets, we'd most certainly appreciate your efforts. Your support of our Annual Dinner is vital for its success. JazakAllahkhair for your help!

 

As always, if you would like to contact the MCC Academy council, please feel free to email me at farisa.hussain@gmail.com or our Council Chair, Mussarat Khan, at mussaratjk@gmail.com.

Parent Support Group (PSG) Update

Key Dates:

Jan 9 & Jan 23 - PSG meetings at Skokie location - 8:45am.

Jan 6 & Jan 22 - Popcorn sale

Jan 13 & Jan 27 - School Store

Jan 22 - Giordano's Family Night

Coming up in Feb inshallah - ART WORKSHOP!! Watch out for more details. 

PSG is wrapping up the first half of the year with lots of good memories. Starting January 2015, meetings will be held the first and third Friday of the month at Skokie location at 8:45am. The following is a recap of December events as well as upcoming events to look forward to.


December: Coupon Card - Led by Farah Ahmed

Coupon Card has been launched! We are in full swing with having our friends and family buy these cards to help support your child's class activities. The children are also looking forward to their prizes according to how many cards they sell. They can receive a HOMEWORK pass, day to sit at the teacher's desk, or a FREE LUNCH! The card costs $20. It consists of $100 worth of savings. You will get a one time discount of $10 off of your purchase totalling $30. Our local businesses are eagerly waiting for customers to come support their business during the winter break. Please support the school and local Islamic businesses by purchasing this fantastic card.


December 11, 2014: Mr.Broast Family Night

It was a great way to spend Thursday evening with our friends and families for dinner at Mr.Broast located in Morton Grove. Families enjoyed Zabiha Halal dinner including their famous "Zinger Burger." Mr.Broast was extremely generous by donating 20% of the profits of the day's sales to MCC Academy. Alhamdulillah, MCC Academy showed support to our new Muslim business and helped raise $900.


December 17, 2014 - Chili Cook-Off - Led by Belinda Tibayan

Many teachers and parents showed up at our first Chili Cook-Off. We had 8 amazing chili contestants! Guests enjoyed a cold winter afternoon with hearty chili, cheese, chips, bread, and an assortment of desserts. Each chili was different and unique in its taste, smell, and appearance. Prizes were given to the Best Over-All, Most Unique, and Best Flavor. The winners were Belinda Tibayan, Thazneem Faiz, and Mrs. Hassan. Secret recipes were shared by some of our contestants for others to take home. Congratulations to the winners and thank you for all of the participants and volunteers to make this a fantastic event to look forward to every winter.


Hospitality Committee: PSG in collaboration with our Admins, have been helping families in times of need. Occasionally, throughout the year, we have requests from our parent community for some help. If you are interested in donating either your time or money to help families in need, please contact Khadija Ahmed at kfahmed93@gmail.com.


Upcoming Events: Giordano's Family Night - Save the Date: January 22, 2015!


Questions or comments? Feel free to email Khadija Ahmed at kfahmed93@gmail.com

Three Students Graduate from MCC Academy Hifth Program

MCC Academy is most humbled and grateful for the blessings and guidance bestowed upon the three young huffaazh who graduated from the MCC Academy Hifth program on December 4, 2014. InshAllah, may Allah swt continue to bless Ammar Siddiqui, Mohammed Abdul-Muqsith and Mubashir Khan and their families. The Dastar Bandhi graduation ceremony held at the MEC in Morton Grove was led by Principal Habeeb Quadri, Arabic and Islamic Studies Department Head Maulana Muniruzzaman, and Hifth Teacher Hafiz Ikhlas, and featured keynote speaker Haffiz Dr. Kamran Riaz. Mabrook and JazakAllahkhairun to MCC Academy Hifth Department Head Haffiz Faseeh Biabani and his team for guiding and encouraging these young huffaazh.
 
MCC Academy Earns Re-Certification from Prestigious AdvancEd Organization 




 

The MCC Academy received notice from the AdvancEd school certification organization in December that it will maintain its "certified" status. In the recent re-accreditation process, MCCA exceeded the average certification scores (from among more than 32,000 schools) in nearly all categories of the review and therefore retains its certification and excellent standing with the AdvancEd organization.

This is a most prestigious honor and achievement as AdvancEd is the largest, national education accreditation agency in the world. The organization conducts rigorous, on-site external reviews of PreK-12 schools and school systems to ensure that all learners realize their full potential by supporting school administration and teachers in providing guidance and specific parameters to encourage continual improvement.

As part of this process, MCC Academy staff conducted a comprehensive internal evaluation that included administering and summarizing the results of surveys of stakeholders, staff and students; compiling and submitting more than 200 documents and artifacts as evidence of our many achievements; and reviewing ourselves in a multitude of areas directly relating to administration, teaching and management of the school that included drafting detailed narratives summarizing our status in these areas.

The 5-member team from AdvancEd conducted their onsite review in early December. They spent hours evaluating 29 classrooms among both campuses as well as interviewing students, parents, teachers, staff and administration. In presenting their findings to MCCA on the last day of their visit, the AdvancEd team expressed their absolute appreciation for the environment and programs in place at MCC Academy. The lead evaluator, Dr. Bruce Lane, was especially moved by the warm and supportive climate among our community. "It is evident that everyone cares for each other. The kids are courteous and charming. The school has a heart." -- these are just a few of the nice comments that came from the team.

MCCA administration and staff appreciates the community's support and efforts in helping it continue it's mission of building character and developing minds of our young people. Please continue to keep MCCA students and staff in your duas. 







 

Girl Scout Daisy Troop Begins at Skokie Campus


Little girls got into the Girl Scout fun with the December launch of "Daisies," a troop for girls ages 5-7.  Led by parents Mahmooda Fatima and Rehana Bhaiji, the Daisy troop will meet bi-weekly to teach the girls positive values and life skills as they build friendship among one another and participate in activities that benefit the broader community. The girls learned the Daisy pledge and special handshake, did a team-building activity and enjoyed craft time at their first meeting. They will be joining their older sisters, the Girl Scouts, in selling cookies later this year. 
Catching Up with Our New Middle School Math Teacher Ms. Maria Basith

What is your education background?

Alhamdulillah, I double majored in Education and Biology with an endorsement in Middle School Math.  I have enjoyed the sciences ever since I joined an engineering program when I was in high school.  I was introduced to a variety of engineering fields that intertwined algebra, geometry, physics, and biology.  I knew that my passion for these areas would lead me to a career in working with math and other sciences.  As for my drive towards becoming an educator, I have had multiple teaching experiences that naturally led me to a career in education.  Teaching Qur'an with my mom at home, volunteering to teach Qur'an and tajweed on Sundays, coordinating and leading an Islamic summer class for youth, working with 2nd, 4th, and 6th graders in public schools all were experiences that enhanced my desire to work with students who value learning and education.  Alhamdulillah, even after beginning a career in education, I still volunteer to teach Qur'an and tajweed at the masjid near my home. 

 

What made you interested in working for MCC Academy?

First and foremost, the connection to the masjid.  Growing up, I was the only student in my school who wore a hijab and jilbab, and I did not have many Muslim classmates.  My connections to the masjid were rare and definitely not a part of my daily life.  I have always wanted to be a part of a Muslim community that has a strong connection to the masjid and values Islamic education. I knew, with the help and guidance of Allah (SWT), that I would finally establish the connection I so desired by working at MCC Academy. I also wanted to seek improvement and become a better Muslim through the help of such a blessed community, Inshallah.

 

How are you teaching Math to your students? What curriculum are you using and any other ways you are supplementing the curriculum?

I am using the Pearson textbook for my main source of information.  It has helpful examples and practice problems that are useful in the classroom and at home.  As a known fact, all information can never be found in just one source.  Therefore, I post supplements from a Common Core resource called Big Ideas Math to enhance the learning experience and to provide the students of MCC Academy with resources necessary to use math in their everyday lives.  The resources from Big Ideas Math help students view math in a more modern way, which helps to connect the classroom to the world of today. In addition, I use Khan Academy, a great free, Common Core resource for students to take charge of their own learning.  Khan Academy provides instructional videos that go through processes step by step.  It has a point system where students are able to complete activities to gain points, badges, awards, and metals for practicing skills.  Khan Academy also has a profile page where parents and students can track progress over time.  Other resources are available on my teacher web page. Inshallah, I am going to try my best to integrate these resources to help students become independent and lifelong learners.


 

Do you offer tutoring help to your students? If so, what are your tutoring hours?

Yes. My tutoring times are Tuesdays and Thursdays during lunch/recess and Tuesdays after school.  Other meeting/tutoring times can be scheduled upon request.  Students are encouraged to come and ask for additional help and assistance.  This ensures that students are taking learning into their own hands and are trying to become growth-minded students.


PHOTO BELOW: On December 6th, middle school students from MCC Academy competed in the Fourth Annual Junior High Mathematics Competition located at Regina Dominican High School.  
MCCA 8th Graders Present Khutbas and Khataras on Fridays

Stop by the school to listen to our 8th graders give their khataras and khutbas, one of their graduation requirements. Girls give khataras at morning assembly at the Skokie campus and boys give khutbas at a special jummah salah on Fridays at 2:30pm at the Morton Grove campus.  
Mrs. Suzan Wahdan - Arabic

Middle School students in Level-3 Arabic recently did a project about Arab Countries; they used a poster to present a country's flag, map, famous dish, cultural clothes, and they named the president and three tourist attractions. All students had the chance to present their country to the class in Arabic.
 
Fifth Grade Arabic B class students practiced writing their own poems in Arabic about a selected animal. After reading a poem to them about a cat, I asked them to use the vocabulary they learned to write their own poems on construction paper. Their work is displayed on the bulletin board by their class.

 

Mrs. Gomaa - 5A
President Obama Writes to Mrs. Gomaa's 5th Graders!
After writing professionally-typed letters to our role models around the globe, students have been receiving replies from the people they look up to. Recently, President Barrack Obama wrote back to a few of the 5th graders, and we are proud and excited to show and tell with the rest of MCC Academy! 


5th Graders Helping Feed Starving Children Around the World
On December 3, 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 22,248 meals, feeding 61 individual kids for an entire year! Alhamdulilah for such a successful and eye-opening experience for us all. 


Mrs. Saleh - Middle School Science

6th through 8th grade students have been working diligently on their science fair projects in the lab and at home.   I am very proud to see our students grow in their field of study.   May Allah give them success during the regional competition in March. 



Mrs. Pathan - 4A

Fourth grade has been learning about the Native Americans and first Americans that came to the United States. For students to completely grasp how Native Americans lived, we went on a field trip to The Grove in Glenview. Students took part in a discussion about Native Americans. Then, they broke into four groups and took part in hands-on activities such as: making and keeping a bracelet, crushing corn, playing games, and making a pretend fire.  The class learned a lot about the Native Americans' lives such as: their homes, clothes, how they used the majority of an animal for multiple reasons, and so on. It was a great field trip, and the students behaved well! 

After Thanksgiving Break, 4th-grade students went to Sacred Heart School for our kick-off event with Poetry Pals, an inter-faith program that connects youth of different faith backgrounds. Students introduced one another to each other. They learned about the Catholic faith and had a chance to sit in a church and ask questions. They also broke into groups, then smaller groups, and wrote poems about themselves. This helped the MCC Academy 4th graders and Sacred Heart 4th graders see the similarities and differences in things they enjoy such as: food, color, culture, and so on. Also, as we left, it was great to see that kids from both schools had made new friends. Sacred Heart was very welcoming and hospitable to the MCC Academy 4th graders. We cannot wait to host them at MCC Academy in a few months!

Finally, Mrs. Pathan and Mrs. Motiwala's class had started reading buddies. Our students were paired into mini groups and were given a Venn diagram to write down the similarities and differences between themselves as 4th and 1st graders. It was great to see how much the 1st and 4th graders had in common.  The 4th graders are looking forward to the next time they will be doing an activity with the 1st graders! 

Mrs. Taufique - KgC
Alhamdulillah, KG - C is progressing through our second quarter beautifully.  Our students are growing up in front of our eyes.  In math, we've learned to count by 10s, 5s, and 2s and have started addition and subtraction word problems.  We worked on several exciting art projects, including making whales and snowflakes.  In science, we are learning about different categories of animals, and what types of coverings they have.   In reading, we are so excited to be finishing up short vowel sounds this month and begin long vowel sounds.  We're also working on comprehension and grammar skills, like visualizing, summarizing, nouns, and adjectives, to highlight a few.  We're excited to see what Quarter 3 will bring us.  Please keep our students and teachers in your du'as!

















Mrs. Malik - Preschool

Preschoolers had a visitor. Ms. Eva from the Skokie Public Library came to the class to read to the children. Preschool started their new class activity for second semester, "Guess what?". The preschool children are required to bring an item from home related to the Letter of the Week. Students were divided into three groups and recreated the brick, straw, and wood house from the book "The Three Little Pigs." They are extremely blessed to have such generous parents. AlhumdilAllah, we recently received a train-table set, dress-up area, games, toys, and books as gifts to our classroom from some very kind and generous parents.
Mrs. Nabeel - 1C

Here are some tidbits of what we are learning in Mrs. Nabeel's pond:

In math, we've completed Chapter 7: Numbers to 20. The students learned how to show numbers 1-20 using a place value chart. During math centers students used our classroom ten frames to practice comparing numbers, showing place value and so forth. We also created our "Ice Cream Scoops of Number Sense" to help us practice using the given number in different ways. Students enjoyed using each scoop of ice cream to show the number's place - value, number sentences and ten frames. 

In writing and language arts, during our writing workshops, students worked on their "How to build a snowman?" project. Students wrote four simple steps to build a snowman so that everyone can enjoy building a snowman this winter. 

In social studies, we learned about using directions to help us read maps. We learned a little mnemonic device trick "Never Eat Soggy Waffles!" to help us remember North, East, South, and West. Then, students created their own classroom maps to show different areas in our classroom. 

I am extremely proud of my frogs for always trying their best. Wishing my MCC Academy family a Happy New Year!
Ms. Umar - Physical Education

For gym, students have been working hard learning the game of basketball by engaging in various dribbling, passing, and lay-up drills. For fitness, students have been enjoying weekly visits from a community yoga instructor, Mrs. Jaya Allada, who was introduced to MCC Academy by our parent volunteer Zainab Kazmi. Mrs. Allada volunteers her free time to work at our school and we really appreciate it! The students look forward to her yoga sessions every week and enjoy strengthening their bodies and relaxing their minds. We look forward to continuing yoga throughout the rest of the year, inshallah.

Mrs. Abdelmajid & Mrs. Musa - Arabic 


Second-graders are learning about Laam Shamsiya and Laam Qamariyya. We played a game between the two classes using blocks that had words containing Laam Shamsiya and Laam Qamariyya. The blocks were on the ground and next to these blocks there were two buckets: one was labeled Laam Shamsiya and the other was labeled Laam Qamariyya. The students were required to put the blocks with Laam Shamsiya words and Laam Qamariyya words in the bucket that each belonged to. This was a very beneficial and interesting game for the students, and they also had a lot of fun.

 

Mrs. Rahman - PreK-C


In Pre-K C we have been learning our alphabets and numbers. We now can write independently the letters A-J and numbers 0-9. Alhamdulillah, we have also been practicing how to count sets and use our fingers to add them "all together."  We focused on the letter "i" and made an art project in reference to a word that begins with letter "i" by making 3D igloos. The students all participated well and put in plenty of effort to make their 3D art projects look real. Please visit our classroom to check them out and recognize our students' efforts!

Mrs. Shaikh - 2A

My enthusiastic second graders have been diligently working  to learn new concepts and review previous ones. In science, children learned about different habitats and drew a habitat on construction paper. They also made a diorama of their favorite habitat. They are learning the traits of good citizenship and the process of decision-making.
 
Math has been fun this month. Children enjoyed measuring objects and weighed their mass on a scale. They are learning about volume and measured it using liters and milliliters.
 
They also visited Skokie Library and took a tour of the different areas and learned about services offered there. I would like to thank Mrs.Muzzamil and Mrs.Navaid for chaperoning. 
Mrs. Shariff- KgA

There has been a lot going on in Mrs. Shariff's KG-A class! In reading, we have been focusing on finding the main idea and details, comprehension strategies, as well as long vowel sounds.

In writing, we have started to focus on descriptive writing using details. Masha'Allah, our students have shown great improvement compared to the beginning of the school year.  They enjoy expressing themselves through writing in their journals.

In math, our students have been learning about positional words, which they use to describe relative position in a  sequence of events.

In science, we have been working on the Animal unit. We have been learning about different types of animals through various activities. They have watched videos, read books, and are currently working on their own Animal Interactive Journal.  Students have had the opportunity to research about an assigned animal and present their reports and animal crafts to the class.

Art has been incorporated with various subject areas.  Students have made long "o" ice cream cones, long "a" snakes, and long "i" kites in reading class.  In science, they have made parrots and fish and Thankful Turkeys.  

 

KG-A would like to thank the families of Yusuf Aadam, Luqmaan Quadri, Yumnah Motiwala, Zaynab Saudye, and Yousuf Rizwan for donating towards our wish list!
Ms. Iram Shaikh - Islamic Studies

Sixth-graders kicked off the beginning of the quarter by getting real! Students were able to learn that personal change and rectifying their bad habits is key in attaining good character. After picking one of their bad habits, students collaborated in groups to come up with skits that focused on ways to eradicate the bad habits that hold them back from having exemplary character like the Prophet (S). 
Miss Malik - 1A

We have had a busy few weeks.  In math, we started our study of place value.  We used play-doh to show groups of tens and ones.  We became experts on place value to ten so we challenged ourselves to learn place value to the hundreds and also started to perfect standard form.  We are always excited to learn new things.

Musa Baig's parents came in and did an art project with our class.  We can never get enough of owls and Mr. and Mrs. Baig helped us make snowy owls.  Aleena Khan's mom stopped by to read a few chapters of "James and the Giant Peach" to the class.

We had the chance to go to the Skokie Public Library.  The librarians gave us a tour around the library and even took us behind the scenes to the circulation room.  They did a read-aloud with our class. We left with goody bags from the librarians.  

We're looking forward to a lot more brain power in 2015, insha'Allah!
Ms. Bozai - 2C

It's been a busy and exciting month in 2C! In reading class, we enjoyed a silly story called "Click Clack Moo, cows that type." In math, we're learning about volume. In studies studies, we are learning about working together. In science, we wrapped up our unit on habitats and did a fun diorama project. We're also engrossed in a read-aloud called "The Chocolate Touch." We went on a field trip to the Skokie Public Library. And, of course, we still enjoy tons of projects and mystery readers! 


Do You Shop Amazon or Target? Both of these Businesses Offer Ways Your Shopping Can Support MCC Academy. Please See Below for Details:



Please Support our 2014-15 Business Sponsors
If you're interested in advertising your business on our school Facebook page, in our masajed, with a banner in the gymnasium and in our monthly newsletters,
please contact Jill Alali at 847-470-8801






Copyright © 20XX. All Rights Reserved.