MCC Academy News
March  2017
 
Upcoming Events:






March 11, 6:30pm - MCCA ANNUAL DINNER
Please support the school by purchasing tickets and attending our Annual Dinner. Enjoy keynote speaker ISNA VP Dr. Altaf Husain who will touch upon our theme, "Our Families, Our Future," and children will have a blast in the babysitting room featuring a live animal show, special activities and food! Advance purchase tickets only. Purchase tickets online at  www.mccacademy.org  or in the school office.

March 18, 1:30pm at Morton Grove campus - "Know Your Rights" Workshop with Senator Dick Durbin - sponsored by the MCC/MEC Interfaith Outreach Committee, this is a vital workshop for both youth and adults. 

March 22, Skokie Campus - Junior Achievement Day for Elementary students
If you'd like to volunteer to help with JA, please email khaulac@gmail.com

March 23, Morton Grove Campus - Junior Achievement Day for Middle School students
If you'd like to volunteer to help with JA, please email khaulac@gmail.com

March 22-23, Morton Grove Campus - Middle School Book Fair -
MCCA Librarian Mrs. Bergeson is looking for parent volunteers to help with the Middle School Book Fair. Please email donelle.bergeson@mccacademy.org

March 27-31 - Spring Break - NO SCHOOL, Enjoy the break!  

 





 

REMINDER: TUITION PAYMENTS

Monthly tuition is due each month by the 10th.  Late payments will accrue late payment fee of $25 for each month payment is not received.

Please sign up for automated withdrawal if you have not yet done so.  If you have any questions about tuition payment, please email our accountant at salik.rehmani@mccacademy.org.

REMINDER: Sick Child Guidelines

As Salamu Alakum,
This is a reminder of MCC Academy's Sick Child Guidelines. P lease remember to keep your child home if they have fever, diarrhea, vomiting or fatigue.  When you send your child to school sick they are putting other students and the staff at risk of falling ill.  If you are concerned about homework and/or missing test, please know you can request homework be picked up and extra time to complete assignments.  Click here for link to the MCCA Sick Child Guidelines. 

May Allah (SWT) keep us healthy and safe during this interesting winter season.

Sincerely, 

Mrs. Plummer
MCCA Nurse
A Note from the School Council

Assalamualaikum MCCA Community,

Our MCC Academy Annual Dinner will held on  March 11, 2017 .  Tickets are still available.  The theme for this year is "Our Families, Our Future."  Dr. Altaf Hussain, Vice President ISNA, will be the keynote speaker.  We are expecting a full house again this year so please don't delay and buy your tickets before the event. There will be no tickets available for sale at the event...all tickets must be purchased in advance. Our children's babysitting room will feature a spectacular animal show with reptiles and much more including games and activities. We will also have a wonderful silent auction with beautiful items to bid on including Cubs and Bulls tickets, jewelry items, lovely artwork and more. We appreciate the support of our parents at this annual event. 

Congratulations to the MCCA Boys' Varsity Basketball champions. They were the winners of the Southwest Conference.  Earlier this year, our girls' team was featured on the evening news.  We are so proud of our students.

MCCA School Night at the Skokie Public Library was very well-attended.  Our families and students enjoyed readings by teachers and staff from the school.  Thank you Mr. Quadri, teachers and staff for your time and the work you put in to improving our children's education.  A big thank you to the Skokie Public Library for hosting us.

We were visited recently by the Malaysian Consulate.  Our students were able to visit with members and have a conversation with them.  It was so nice of the Consulate to honor us with a visit.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Musarrat Khan
MCCA Council Chairperson

PSG Update

Upcoming Events:
March 1 - Donuts with Dads/Dude for grades 1st and 2nd at Skokie Campus
March 11 - MCCA Fundraiser Dinner
March 22 -  Junior Achievement at Skokie Campus
March 22 -  No Uniform day for a 1$  at Skokie campus (fundraiser for 8th grade graduation)
March 23 - Junior Achievement at Morton Grove Campus
March 23 - No Uniform day for a 1$ at Morton Grove campus (fundraiser for 8th grade graduation)
April - International Night at Morton Grove Campus (Date and more information coming soon)    

Key dates:
March 10 & 24 - PSG meetings
March 17 -PSG Board meeting
March 7, 14, 21  - Pizza Sale at Skokie campus
March 1 & 15 - Popcorn Sale at Skokie campus
Pizza sales and Popcorn on hold at Morton Grove campus

For more details, feedback or comments, please email MCCFTSPSG@gmail.com.

NEW Spring After School Activities - Registration Open!

MCCA GIRLS SPORTS CLUB
GIRLS WILL ENJOY PLAYING A VARIETY OF SPORTS INCLUDING: VOLLEYBALL, SOCCER, ULTIMATE FRISBEE, AND MORE! TWO SEPARATE PROGRAMS....SIGN UP YOUR DAUGHTER ACCORDING TO HER AGE GROUP. 

      Middle School
      WHO:     6-8TH grade girls,  Open to MCCA and Public
      WHEN:   Thursdays from March 9 - April 20  (No Meeting on 3/30)         from  4-5:15 pm
      COST:   $35 per child (Financial Assistance Available)

      Elementary
      WHO:  2nd-5th grade girls,  Open to MCCA and Public
      WHEN: Wednesdays from March 8 - April 19 (No         
      Meeting on 3/29) from 4-5:15 pm
      COST: $35 per child (Financial Assistance Available)



MCCA MEDIA CLUB
WHO:     For Boys and Girls in 6th-8th Grades,  Open to MCCA and Public
WHEN:  FRIDAYS from  March 10 - May 5   (6 meetings, No Meetings on 3/31, 4/28) from  4-5pm
WHERE: Morton Grove campus
COST: $15



MCCA COOKING CLUB
Led by Ms. Zeenat Umar, each session will focus on teaching students on how to make quick, easy, and healthy meals without using a kitchen.
WHO:   Boys and Girls  Grades 4th-8th, 
Open to MCCA and Public
WHEN:   MONDAYS, on March 13,  March 20, April 3, April 10,  April 17  from 4-5pm (5 sessions)
WHERE:   MCCA - Skokie Campus
COST:   $25




MCCA BOYS PRAY & PLAY CLUB
Boys will enjoy Friday fun at the Pray-N-Play Club. They will have a short halaqa, pray Asr in the masjid, and then play a game or do an activity in the gymnasium or out on the field, weather permitting. This club will weekly on Fridays. 
WHEN:   Fridays, March 17 - May 19 from  4-5:30pm
 (no meeting on March 31)
WHO:     Boys grades 1st-5th,  Open to MCCA and Public
WHERE:   MCCA - Morton Grove Campus
COST:   $20



MCCA SPOKEN WORD CLUB
Led by MCCA Alumnus Amina Dzananovic, each session will focus on developing poetry writing, performance, and acting skills.  
WHEN:   TUESDAYS April 4, April 11, April 18, May 2, May 9, May 16  from 4-5pm (6 sessions)
WHO:     Boys and Girls  Grades 6th-8th,  Open to MCCA and Public
WHERE:   MCCA - Morton Grove Campus
COST:   $10




MCCA Alumnus Wins National Poetry Contest

Congratulations to MCCA Alumnus and Niles West Junior Suhaylah Syeda for her second place win (among 2,000 other competitors) in the Anti-Defamation League's Annual Poetry Contest. One of her prizes is a $1,000 college scholarship. Her poignant poem titled "I Have a Freedom" is incredibly timely and meaningful to all Americans of an ethnic or religious minority. Here is a link to Suhaylah reciting her poem at the ADL's dinner honoring all of the award-winners.
Skokie Public Library Hosts MCC Academy for Family Reading Night

Many thanks to the MCC Academy families that joined us last month at the Skokie Public Library for MCC Academy Family Night. Children enjoyed listening to many of their favorite teachers, staff members and Principal Mr. Quadri read to them. Our thanks to Skokie Public Library for hosting our school and providing such a lovely evening for the community.



MCCA Hosting Poetry Pals Interfaith Program Featured in Chicago Tribune Article

For the past 5+ years, MCCA fourth-graders have had the opportunity to make new friends and learn about other faiths through an amazing non-profit interfaith outreach program called Poetry Pals. Recently, our students along with Principal Mr. Quadri introduced their new friends from Sacred Heart Academy and Bernard Zell Anshe Emit Day School to the MCC masjid and spoke to them a little bit about our beliefs as Muslims. Chicago Tribune came out to cover this beautiful gathering of friendship. 
CLICK HERE to read the article.
Friends Make Beautiful Gesture of Support of Muslim Community

We are so thankful to our friends from the JCC who came out in support of Muslims last month during jummuah prayer. They created a beautiful line of support outside of the masjid with signs expressing their friendship and care for their Muslim neighbors. Our congregation was incredibly touched by this kind gesture.


MCCA Boys Basketball Team Wins Championship!

The Crescents Varsity Boys Basketball team finished the season with a 14-1 overall record and took home the 2016-2017 Southwest Conference championship. The Crescents defeated IFS in the first round of the playoffs and then beat CPSA in the semifinals to advance to the championship game. The Crescents faced Universal for the 2nd time in 3 years but this time the Crescents came out on top by a final score of 35-23 and  Hamza "Shorty" Khan took home the season MVP.

Last year, the Crescents lost on their home court to CPSA in the championship game. Coach Kadir said, "Losing last year is something that fueled us the entire summer and preseason to get better and be tougher. Last year we did not have a team identity, we did not embrace our roles. This year was different. We had chemistry, brotherhood, and endured every last bit of adversity that we faced. We really proved that our motto is true.. hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard". 

The Crescents all shared that this season meant so much to them because this was the group that started the "junior varsity" team 5 years ago. From this years team, all players but one 7th grader will graduating and moving onto high school.

Students Dress Like What they Want to Be in the Future for February Spirit Day

For the February 2017 Spirit Day, students came dressed to school like what they would want to be in the future in honor of the 2017 Annual Dinner theme "Our Families, Our Future" -- we enjoyed seeing lots of little teachers, doctors, engineers, a hafizah, a wrestler, bakers, scientists, interior designers, computer programmers and much more! We even had three second-graders dress like mini-Principal Mr. Quadri!


School Counselor Update:

Assalamualaikum MCC Families,

LIFE SKILLS ELECTIVE
We have recently started our new life skills elective for middle school students. The aim of this class is to help our students recognize and build skills that facilitate emotional intelligence through experiential learning opportunities. Our students are learning about assertive communication skills, decision making techniques, time management, conflict resolution, empathy, and many other topics. Role play, skits, debates, reflective assignments, and other such projects allow for students to not only learn these skills but apply them in real life situations. 

GIRLS POSITIVE SELF-ESTEEM WORKSHOP

Self-esteem and body image are rising concerns for children, leading to unhealthy self-perceptions, habits, and other concerns that can have negative impacts. This month, School Nurse Mrs. Plummer, Islamic Studies Teacher Ms. Iram and Gym Teacher Ms. Umar, and School Counselor  Ms. Latifi ran a workshop for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade girls to promote healthy body image. This interactive workshop addressed healthy lifestyle choices, fitness and nutrition routines to implement in life, sisterhood and self respect, and the importance of self-esteem and health in Islam. Students learned about simple everyday habits they could include in their lives to improve and nourish their self-perceptions. They learned the importance of fitness and healthy foods in their lives. They heard about the responsibility they have towards their minds and bodies as Muslims. Students also got to reflect on where their self-perception is now and how they can work to develop healthier ideas about themselves and encourage one another to be more positive about themselves. Societal ideals, pressures, and expectations were discussed and challenged as well. 

Ms. Sabaahath Latifi
MCCA School Counselor
MCCA Enjoys Visit from Malaysian Consulate

We enjoyed a recent visit from our friends at the Malaysian consulate. Our students got a chance to visit and speak with the representatives from the consulate.


Eighth-graders Lead Beautiful Morning Duas

One of the unique aspects of attending MCC Academy from early childhood through 8th grade is truly how much knowledge of deen students end up gaining through the steady and constant flow of knowledge gleaned year after year in this environment, mashAllah. Before our students can graduate in their 8th grade year, each must meet a minimum of criterion related to their knowledge of Islam including, at a minimum, memorizing Juz Amma, memorization of the 99 names of Allah swt, mem orization of specific duas, writing and giving a khutbah for boys/khatara for girls, and completion of a specific amount of service hours. As another graduation requirement, our 8th graders have been leading morning assembly dua, which they compose themselves entirely in English. This exercise is meant to teach our students how best to make a personal dua and that duas don't have to be robotic. Students learn to incorporate specific themes into their dua to make their dua most complete and pleasing to Allah swt, including the following:
o Praise Allah (SWT) (Comparison between you and Allah. Ex. Oh Allah, You are independent and we are dependent.)
o Thank Allah (SWT)
o Praise the Prophet (S)
o Make Dua for the Ummah in general (organizations)
o Make Dua for people who have helped you or deserve it
o Make Dua for people that have asked you
o Make Dua for yourself in the Hereafter
o Make Dua for yourself in the dunya
o Make Dua for what the Prophet (S) asked for
o Praise Allah (SWT) and Prophet (S) again

Students Enjoy 100 Days of School Celebration

Students and teachers came to school dressed to celebrate their 100th day of school for this year. We saw lots of 100-year-olds and other creative costumes among our students and staff. 

Middle School Literature - Mrs. Nada Gomaa


In literature, middle school has begun their novel studies! After every few chapters read as a class, Mrs. Gomaa runs a COMPREHENSION TRIVIA GAME on concepts learned from the readin, including major events, characters and their actions, critical thinking, vocabulary words, and reading skills covered throughout the week.  Groups compete to win house points as well as their chance to bring in drinks and snacks to enjoy during one class period. 

Novel Studies and Themes this quarter: 
*6th Grade- Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry 
Universal Theme: Society, class and racism 
*7th Grade- The Outsiders 
Universal Theme: Self identity and issues with peer pressure, social class and bullying. 
*8th Grade- The Giver 
 Universal Theme: The value and purpose of dreams, how to reach that "perfect world," and making sacrifices 


8th graders in Mrs Gomaa's literature class were posting elements of style in The Giver and discussed the effects these elements demonstrate throughout the story. Students noted the following elements: factual tone; first person point of view; unusual proper nouns; symbolism; repetition; precise word choice; sensory image; sentence fragment; descriptive vocabulary.





Once again this year, 6th grade students have enjoyed meeting with Morton Grove Public Librarian Brenda Glenn for the Famished for Fiction Book Club. In addition to awesome book talks about the GREATEST novels out there, every month Ms. Brenda does a raffle and book giveaway for students. The 6th graders get so excited about this because most of the books she gives away are not even published yet! We are truly so grateful for Ms. Brenda's time, support, love, and passion for literature!  Brenda's time, support, love, and passion for literature! 



Spelling Bee Results

We are so proud of how hard all of our students tried in the classroom Spelling Bee! Here are the finalists that will compete in the school-wide Spelling Bee on March 7th, inshaAllah!

2A
1st - Ali Farooqui
2nd - Zayd Mohammed
3rd - Zaina Syed
Runner up - Safa Hussain

2B
1st - Kareem Ismail
2nd - Fatima Shethwala
3rd - Aisha Mehveen
Runner up - Mariya Syed

2C
1st - Amine Chabou
2nd - Haadiya Ansari
3rd - Idriz Redzovic
Runner Up - Ahyan Ayub

3A
1st - Aleena khan
2nd - Sulaiman Mohiuddin
3rd - Asma Fatani
Runner up - Aizaaz Siddique



3B
1st - Bilal Rama
2nd - Muhammad Ur Rahman (Arsh)
3rd - Ibrahim Arif
Runner up - Sidra Ahmed

3C
1st - Kashif Yousufani
2nd - Hamzala Khan
3rd - Yusuf Mangera
Runner up - Abdurrehman Rana

4A
1st - Sameeha Haider
2nd - Zahra Akram
3rd - Zoya Muzammil
Runner up - Hassan Ahmed

4B
1st - Ayesha Navaid Ali
2nd - Hamza Kothawala
3rd - Ahmed Imran
Runner up - Nadira Bumi

4C
1st - Mohamed Chabou
2nd - Abdullah Mohammad
3rd - Zidan Ayoob
Runner up - Abubakr Mohammed
5A
1st - Noor Aqueel
2nd - Manha Minhajuddin
3rd - Zainab Syed
Runner up - Usman Ahmed

5B
1st- Haniya Khan
2nd- Furqaan Khan
3rd- Tarab Ahmed
Runner up- Afroz Syed

HIFZ
Saad Haider and Sheema Hasan (4th grade) 
Runner up Kamran Puthawala 
Laiba Navaid-Ali and Abdulrahim Rana (5th grade)
Runner up Zunaira Ansari



Nasheed Club Performs at Interfaith Event

The MCCA Nasheed Club led by Mrs. Silvat Sheikh performed at an interfaith event hosted by Open Communities last weekend at St. Nicholas Church in Evanston, IL. It's such a blessing to be surrounded by such welcoming and kind neighbors in the north Chicago area, mashAllah!




Mr. Llanes - MCCA Middle School Math

In Mr. Llane's middle school math class, MCCA students compete as teams to earn a coveted extra credit point. Students have to think quickly before their competitors snatch up the point first! 

Library Update from Mrs. Bergeson 

Asalaamu alaikum Parents,
Many wonderful things are happening this month in the library! Please see the LIBRARY CALENDAR for more details!

Library deadlines, lost books and fines, oh my!  During the fall, most of the students were not assessed fines for late books, though they were expected to pay for lost books. This semester, students  will be expected to pay a modest fine of .25 cents per week after the first week if their book is late. In addition, books that are damaged (by food or water, rips, siblings, etc.) will also need to be paid in full. 


Skokie Public Library visits Preschool & Pre-K! We were thrilled to have two children's librarians from Skokie Public Library come and read stories with our Preschool and Pre-K classrooms last week. The kids had a wonderful time. Thank you, Skokie Public Library! 

LIBRARY CALENDAR:
At the end of February or towards the first part of march, the 4th grade classes are going to present a special "Wax Museum" research project that they plan to set up in the library, where they will share the lives and contributions of Black Americans throughout history. In addition, there are projects on display about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from Ms. Barkat's 5th grade class and projects on Malcom X from Ms. Iftekaruddin's 4th grade class on the bulletin boards in the entrance of the library.


THURSDAY MARCH
2nd - Mark your calendars for THURSDAY MARCH 2nd , 2017 as we kick off NATIONAL READING MONTH and celebrate the NEA's "READ ACROSS AMERICA DAY!" Students will be invited to dress like a Dr. Seuss character or another favorite character from literature! Students in 1st - 5th grades will also be given a Library Reading Log they can complete for a prize to be awarded during the first week of April. We will also resume our tradition of "SPIN THE LIBRARY WHEEL" where students have a chance to win even more prizes! :-)
TUES & WEDS MARCH 21st & 22nd - MIDDLE SCHOOL SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR! There is a 2-day Scholastic Book Fair scheduled for TUES & WEDS March 21st and 22nd! VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED to run this fair. Ms. Bergeson will conduct training before the book fair. Please sign up on this document OR email your availability to donelle.bergeson@mccacademy.org The shifts are approximately 2 hours each (with set up, morning, midday, end of day and take down requiring the most help).

Thank you to each of you, for all you do to support our library, as well as your students' reading! 

Sincerely, 
Ms. Donelle Bergeson
Librarian/Resource




MCCA Hifdh Core Academics - Mrs. Sherin Saleh

4th grade Hifdh students had a blast with some real-life project-based learning! Students gathered data through surveys they conducted of their peers and staff members. Topics ranged from staff's favorite Salah to student's favorite sports. Students analyzed the results and reported their findings through several types of graphs. Weather data was also gathered through newspapers and other media sources. To wrap up  the unit, students spent time in the computer lab graphing one week of weather data. We concluded from our line graph pattern that Chicago surely has some wacky weather: summer, fall, winter and spring all in the same week!

-- Submitted by Mrs. Sherin Saleh, MCCA Hifdh Core Teacher
2nd Grade - Mrs. Sheikh, Mrs. Baig, Mrs. Bozai

It's been an exciting month in second grade! We celebrated being 100 days smarter! We had a day filled with activities, snacks, and games. We dressed up as if we were 100 years old and shared laughs with Principal Quadri as he came to assembly as a hundred year old man!    We enjoyed competing in our classroom Spelling Bee! Congratulations to the second grade winners: (2A) Ali Farooqui, Zayd Mohammed, Zayna Syed, (2B) Kareem Ismail, Fatima Shethwala, Aisha Mehveen, (2C) Amine Chabou, Haadiya Ansari, and Idriz Redzovic. We look forward to watching our winners compete in the all school Spelling Bee next month!   In math class, we've been learning about fractions. We learned how to read, write, and draw fractions, how to compare, add, and subtract fractions, and did a fun pizza fractions project!  In science class, we're learning all about the solar system. It's so interesting to learn about the planets, star constellations, and the the sun!   Keep up the great work second graders!!


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

February may be a short month, but for the kids in third grade it has been packed with activity.   Students in third grade this week have been wrapped up in reading the classic story by  Patricia MacLachlan, "Sarah, Plain, and Tall." The story about a woman who moves to the prairie to start a new life not only provides students with greater appreciation for historical fiction, but also ties in wonderfully with our unit on communities and geography in social studies.  In math, students have been working diligently on their unit on money alongside side memorizing their multiplication facts. MashaAllah, most third graders have met their multiplication goals and most other students are nearly there. We are so proud of the progress they are making. 

In honor of 100 days, students wrote short paragraphs imagining how their lives would be like if they were 100 years old and through the magic of technology, each child's picture was digitally transformed to look like senior citizens. Drop by the third grade hallway if you want to see all our adorable pictures on display. 

MashaAllah, even though we have been basking in the warm weather and sunshine our students have been super excited for their winter-themed STEM class. Students have put their engineering prowess on display by creating wonderful winter themed items.  There truly seems to be no limit to their creativity.


1st Grade - Miss Malik, Miss Ademi, Mrs. Nabeel

First-graders did various fun activities to celebrate the 100th day of school.  We had so much fun! Pepper visited 1-C! Thanks Ms. Kidwai for bringing in Pepper! Students enjoyed different 100th day challenge stations including a 100 lollipop-lick experiment! Students brought in a hundred of something to share with their friends!  Classes enjoyed dressing up as a 100 year old. Then students shared what their lives would be like as a 100-year-old person.

Ms. Iram Shaikh - Quran, Islamic Studies, Islamic History

4A Qur'an 
4th grade students went on a scavenger hunt. Not in the woods, the city, or even in the school, but in the Qur'an! After students were introduced to the Izhar rule, learned the letters associated with the rule, and its pronunciation through examples in Surah Nahl, they paired up with their classmates to become proficient in identifying and pronouncing the rule themselves. Students helped each other taking turns being a reader and properly pronouncing the rule while others took on the role of listener and audibly identifying where the rule took place in the Surah. The lesson culminated with a whole class reading of the Surah in which all students demonstrated their proficiency in identifying and reciting the Izhar rule.

4B Islamic Studies
I'm late to Salah! This is a common complaint of many Muslims trying to make the congregational prayer (Salatul Jam'ah). For the past week 4th grade students learned what makes a person late to the prayer and how to make up their missed rakahs (Salatul Masbooq). After reading and discussing, and clarifying misconceptions about Salatul Masbooq, students paired up to practically demonstrate how to make up their missed rakahs. Students were given a set of scenarios in which they were late to the prayer and had to show their peers how they would actually make up the rakahs and what to recite within it. Students role played Imam and Masbooq and became experts in showing what to do when you come late to the prayer. 

7A Islamic History
In their journals students created a simple T-chart identifying the type of person they want to be in the future in one column and the type of person Allah (swt) loves. After completing the chart students shared and discussed how the two columns relate  to each other and came to the conclusion that the people we want to become are those who are loved by Allah (swt). This journaling activity kicked off studying women in Islam and demonstrated how they all attained success in this world and the next because they possessed qualities that Allah (swt) loved. For the 7th graders the journaling activity highlighted how the actions of our pious predecessors can definitely impact our future as Muslims. 




4C Islamic Studies - Ms. Farah


Islamic Studies has been phenomenal in 4C! In these past few weeks, we have set measurable prayer goals and built upon them. We've learned about the life of Ibrahim and his family (peace be upon them all) and the incredible stories of unshakeable faith and sacrifice. We even tasted a miracle by drinking zumzum as a class! Students have also been filling out their "Jannah Realestate" worksheets - each day when we read all the sunnah prayers of the day, a house is built for us in Jannah!


Every  Thursday  in Islamic Studies, we discuss how lessons from the Sunnah inspire us. Recently, a student had a profound reflection. Here's a #GEM:
"Piety is in the heart. Someone may look like a really good person and a really good Muslim, but we don't know. And someone might not look really good but they might be a really good Muslim in their hearts. We should never judge anyone. Their piety is in their heart - we can't see it".

Here's hoping for more inspirational moments to come inshaAllah!
Preschool - Mrs. Malik

This month was packed with fun filled activities for the preschoolers. The children made bird feeders for the local birds at the Emily Oaks Nature Center. The kids learned one way they could help the animals during the winter season. Skokie Library reached out to the preschooler and sent Bridget, the librarian, read some fun stories to the kids. 

We went through many exciting themes such as opposites, the planets, and transportation. The children really enjoyed learning about the five senses. We read the story Mouse Paint that talked about three mice learning about the primary colors. As an activity we did some color mixing that allowed the children to see the primary colors turn into something new. The children also did some guessing games for figuring out the mystery item through smell or taste. 

The children also enjoyed some creative activities at The Kohl Children's Museum. They enjoyed the different exhibits; digging for dinosaur bones, playing in the water area, and went grocery shopping. The children also celbrated the hundredth day of school. They each received cookies that represented the smart cookies they have become.


4th Grade - Mrs. Patel, Mrs. Aziz-Khan, Mrs. Iftekharuddin

Fourth graders were so happy to read the kind thank you letters from their new friends from Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Jewish Day School who visited MCC Academy last month as part of the Poetry Pals interfaith program.




Physical Education Update - Ms. Umar

For PE this month, students have been very excited about starting basketball for their sports unit! We started off learning the different ways to pass the basketball including chest passing, bounce passing, and overhead passing. Students especially developed their passing skills when we played competitive relay games which helped them practice passing with speed and accuracy. We are now transitioning into dribbling and footwork. At the same time, in fitness, we have been working our muscles and getting stronger by doing fun partner workouts using a basketball while simultaneously practicing basketball skills! We look forward to learning shooting and defense in basketball in the upcoming weeks and continuing to improve our cardiovascular and muscular strength and endurance with many different types of exercises.


5th Grade - Ms. Barkat and Mrs. Rehman



Recently, 5th graders had a chance to get some major sawab! We took a field trip to Feed My Starving Children. This is an organization that sends dried food packets to countries all over the world in need of nourishment. Students did a wonderful job as we packed 60 boxes of food! This is enough to feed 36,000 people! A big thanks to our chaperones for helping us out and volunteering with us that day. 

Martin Luther King Jr. is an important role model for 5th graders. We spent time discussing his impact and his beliefs. Students had a chance to watch and analyze his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. They then took quotes that were important to them and created beautiful collages. Students also had a chance to write down their own dreams for themselves and for the world. Many spoke volumes about justice and equality, much of what is still relevant in today's world. 

Kindergarten - Mrs. Shariff, Mrs. Siddiqui, Mrs. Khawja
Kindergarten has been busy working on their 100 years old portrait for the 100th day of school. Then we had them work on their 100 day hat. All the kindergarten classes were scientists using M&M's and warm water to observe how the colors fade.  While the MCC had their spelling bee, we decided to do a fun spelling bee practice with our kindergarteners. It was a fun game for them.


PreK - Mrs. Fayyaz and Mrs. Metovic
This month in Pre-K A & Prek- B, we are learning letter recognition, letter sounds, how to skip count by 5's to 100, how to read 3 letter words, write letters A-P and numbers 1-15. Last alphabet letter we learned and practiced writing was letter Pp. We had Pajama day in reference to letter P and it was 100th day of school! Pre-K A & Prek-B students love writing, and they practice writing by writing their names, alphabet, sight words, and numbers. This month we also went to a field trip to Children's Museum. Pre-K A & Prek-B had a blast!