The PTA has extended the deadline for the cookie dough sale until this Wednesday. The reason for this is because such few orders were received that even if prizes were given for the most cookie dough sold and to those students who participated, the school will make absolutely no funds off of the sales. 

Therefore, please make the effort to at least purchase some cookie dough for your family or reach out to your relatives/friends this weekend. Remember, these funds are used by the PTA to continue having events and activities for the students during the school day  and outside of school. 

Yesterday, we sent home a green slip of paper with your child which you need to fill and return to us in order for us to send home your child's pictures home with him/her. Without this paper, we cannot send home pictures as it is your agreement with Lifetouch that you will return the pictures if you do not buy them or you will purchase the ones you keep. You will have until this Friday to look through the pictures and make your purchasing decisions. (Therefore, it is in your best interest to turn in the green paper, with ALL of your children's names written on it, ASAP. If you write all of your children's name on one paper, you do not have to turn in one per child.) We have to then mail back your payments and returned pictures so that is why we need you to abide by this deadline. All purchasing information is in the package with the pictures. It is very simple and fast to purchase pictures, just follow the directions! 

Select students' artwork is being displayed at the Islamic Art Festival taking place today until 5pm at Masjid as-Salam (Champions Masjid). Please visit the art festival to see our students' work and support them. The students being featured and the type of art they produced are: 

Safiyya Patanam - Abstract 

Ayaan Aziz - Abstract 

Azda Kaudo - Subject 

Sadia Razzack - Subject 

Zayd Ali - Calligraphy Abdullah Fahad - Calligraphy

Mohsen Baig - Calligraphy 

Hajra Khan - Etch-Art 

Naila Zaman - Etch-Art 

Faryal Asim - Etch-Art

There are quite a few events happening in the coming weeks. 

• This week, we need you to turn in the green picture forms and make your picture purchase decisions by Friday.
• Next week, we have two days of school, followed by Thanksgiving break.
• The deadline to order December's lunches is Monday, November 30. If families do not order by that deadline, the PTA is instituting a new policy where families will be charged a $20 late fee.
• We hope to have an online Islamic book fair arranged for for the first week of December, followed by our annual Scholastic book fair week. 
• During that week, we will also have our annual Grandparents Day event (more info TBA) and blood drive. More information about the blood drive is coming up, but please save the date and tell your friends about it for now.
• Then, we will have one more week of school before winter break begins. 

We also anticipate some more events and definitely more fundraising gala meetings coming up and will announce these closer to the dates in separate emails and/or on our ILM Academy Facebook page (please like us if you haven't already!). 

The lost and found bin items are yet to be donated but will be on Monday afternoon. Therefore, please tell your child to go through the items and claim any that belong to them. There are still navy blue ILM Academy logo embroidered navy blue sweaters, water bottles, lunch boxes, and more in the bin. We have gone through it to return items to children if their names were on them. The rest are not labeled.

Please allow for our Safety Patrol officers and staff member to buckle your children in and walk them to the cars. Please do not get out of your car to collect your children, buckle/unbuckle them, or assist them with taking out their backpacks, etc. from the trunk. Our officers and staff will assist with all of that. This is to ensure our students' safety and help with keeping the carpool line moving efficiently.

We appreciate those parents who have been keeping their children home when they are sick and would ask that all parents do so. Sending sick children to school can spread illness and also potentially make your child's more sick due to lack of rest. Additionally, it is our policy that children who have fevers, vomiting, or diarrhea not be sent to school for a full 24 hours before they return. Please also be mindful of the number of unexcused tardies, early leaves, and absences your child is incurring over the year. For each hour your child is not present at school is another hour of curriculum advancement s/he is missing out on. It then takes more time and effort for your child, his/her teacher, and for you as a parent to work to catch up. This is not only for 1st-8th graders, but Montessori students as well.