Weekly News
January 4-8, 2016

In This Issue...
First Day Back     |     Order Lunches     |     Discounted Yearbooks     |     Coffee w/ Principal
Next Gala Meeting     |     Montessori Info Sessions     |     Calendar Change     |     Soccer Shots 
Resources

January 2016
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
27 28
Winter Holidays / No school (all week)
29 30 31 1
Priority Admissions Opens
2
January Lunch Order Deadline
3 4
First day back to school!
5 6 7
Montessori math and Arabic info sessions 8:15-9am
8
Gala meeting @ 8:20am
9
10
Discounted
 Yearbook Purchase Deadline
11 12
Coffee w/ the Principal 
@ 8:15am

Soccer Shots begins (1 spot left)
13
Term 2 Ends (report cards available the week after)
14
Term 3 Begins

Science Fair
 Judging
15
Science Fair  Judging
16
First Two Weeks of the Year!
oneMonday - First Day Back

Please remember our first day back to school will be Monday, January 4. On our old calendar, prior to the changes made in August, the first day back was Tuesday. These changes were made in August and new calendars had been sent home. Here is a link of the new calendar. You may pick up a hard copy at the school.
Order January Lunches

The deadline to order lunches for the month of January is Saturday, January 2. There are new lunches being offered in January. Read about them here and place your order before Saturday. 
Discounted Yearbook Purchase Deadline Extended

We have extended the deadline to purchase the school's 2015-2016 yearbook at a discounted rate to Sunday, January 10. The yearbooks are only $20 for soft cover and $25 for hardcover now. These prices will rise after January 10. Save money by purchasing your yearbook now either online or via check turned into the school. Please no cash.

Click here to order the yearbooks and use the ILM Academy code 12634916 to begin.
twoMontessori Info Sessions

Please join our Montessori teachers for an info session on the Montessori method of teaching math (at 8:15am) and the method of teaching Arabic as a second language at the Montessori level (at 8:45am) on Thursday. The math info session will be held in Ms. Mari's classroom and the Arabic one will be held in Ms. Tania's classroom. We Look forward to having you there!
Next Gala Planning Meeting

The next meeting for the gala's planning will be on Friday, January 8 at 8:20am. Please attend to see where you can help out with this year's gala. A lot of the meeting is updates as the bulk of the gala's decisions have been made but we still need man/womanpower to carry out some tasks. We look forward to seeing you there!
Coffee with the Principal

The next coffee with Ms. Zuhaira will be on Tuesday, January 12 at 8:15am. The coffees are different from one another so we encourage you to attend this one even if you attended previous ones as well. The discussion is about your thoughts on the school with Ms. Zuhaira. 

Please RSVP so we can make sufficient seating arrangements! 
Additional Items
fiveAcademic Calendar Change

An additional change we have made now is that February 15 will not be a parent-teacher conference day. It has been moved to February 22 because the gala had initially been planned for the day before Feb. 15, but we have now booked it for Feb. 21. The reason for this change was due to the unavailability of hotels and/or speakers for the weekend before.
Soccer Shots

You can sign up for the Spring season of Soccer Shots now if you have a child between the ages of 3-5 . Soccer Shots will begin on January 12 and go through May 10 (with no class on March 15 for Spring Break). They will be on Tuesdays directly after school at the playground. (You will have to come at regular dismissal time to pick up your child and take them to the playground.) The cost is $187 for a 17-week season, or you can pay it in 2 installments of $93.50. You can sign up now by clicking on the "Register Now" button at www.soccershots.org/houston. If you have questions, please contact Soccer Shots at 281.995.7208 or houston@soccershots.org.
Understanding Current Events and Answering Questions

When navigating the current political and social climate, our children have many questions. We addressed this topic during the Community Conversation event prior to winter break. If you were unable to attend, this document covers much of what had been discussed and you will find it beneficial in addressing this topic and navigating Islamophobia, insha'Allah.
Specific Admissions Instructions for You
threePriority Admissions for Current Students

All students currently in ILM Academy must re-apply for admission in 2016-2017. The reason for this is because we need to know now exactly how many students will be returning next year so we know how many seats we have open for new students. You must re-apply for 2016-2017 now, before February 29, which is when Priority Admissions will end. As current families, it will be very helpful to us if you apply sooner than later so we can project for the next academic year.

If you do not re-apply between now and February 29, it is very likely that we will not have space for your child for the next academic year. Therefore, if you are unsure about your plans for next year but returning to ILM Academy is even a possibility, you should re-apply in case so that the spots for your children are saved. We want all or our students to return next year and we want to be sure they get their seats. Additionally, applying after February 29 increases the application fee to $125. To avoid the fee and the likelihood of not having a spot for your child next year, please apply now.
 
The process takes a few minutes and we are here to help you complete it quickly and easily:
  1. Clickto start the application.
  2. Click on the 2016-2017 academic year.
  3. Log in using the email and password you've used in the past for admissions or enrollment.
  4. Begin your child's application and when you want to continue, a pink box like this will show: 
  5. Click on the check box in that pink window to continue because we need even our current students to apply as if they are new students.
  6. When the question "Are you applying for this student for the first time?" comes, answer no, and when the question "Does this child currently attend ILM Academy?" comes, answer yes. These questions sound obvious and redundant but they have a back end reason for being there.
  7. Complete the application and pay the application fee at the end of $65 via your bank or credit card. (Remember, the credit card incurs a fee so you may want to avoid that by paying through your bank.) You will only be charged the application fee for your first 3 children. If you have 4 or more children you are applying for, they will not have a fee to pay. (You will still have to enter your bank or credit card information for them, but you will not be charged.)
After this, you are all done! Some parents are running into a problem because they click on "Enrollment" At the top of the page and it asks for a setup code. Do not click on "Enrollment." You are doing "Admissions" for your child.
fourPriority Admissions for New Children You Want Admitted

For any new children you would like admitted into ILM Academy, the instructions are similar. You will start the application for 2016-2017 and fill out your new child's information. At the end of the process, you will pay the application fee. 

The additional step you will have to complete is turning in a copy of your child's birth certificate or passport. If you are applying for an ECC child, you are done after you turn in that document. If you are applying for a Montessori child, the child is done after completing an interview.  If you are applying for a 1st-8th grade child, the process is completed after turning in a Records Request and Applicant Evaluation , which are followed by an interview. 

Your children will receive first priority in the admissions process as they are siblings of your current students. However, please understand that if you have a child who can enter into Montessori level 1 this coming year, you should apply for him/her now. Applying the year after for Montessori level 2 makes it extremely difficult for us as level 1 students move up into level 2, thus filling all of the spots. 

The process is very step-by-step and we will help you along the way. We look forward to having more of your children at ILM Academy next year!
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