RSA December 2015 Newsletter: Where Learning Never Stops

Jazakum Allah Khair all parents who attended our first marking period open house. Meeting with teachers and inquiring about your child/children's academic growth is one of the most essential ingredients for our children's successful academic journey. If you still did not receive your child's report card, please contact the school and schedule to meet with your child's teachers.

We also encourage RSA parents to constantly stay connected with their child's teachers. Please always log in to Sycamore Account and stay updated with grades, assignments and upcoming projects.

	Tarbiya Lectures at RSA: What makes our environment unique is that in addition to teaching our children Science, Math and English we are also working to cultivate the spiritual growth of our Rising Stars. Sheikh Muhamed Moussa hosted the first of many Tarbiya sessions with our students, the topic at hand - respect.
In addition to inviting public speakers from our community to lead discussions, we will also be hosting a weekly halaqa, or a circle of knowledge. In these weekly gatherings we will be discussing the seerah, or the life of our beloved Prophet (PBUH).

	College Planning Starts at RSA RSA's annual College Fair In keeping our sights on the future, RSA held its annual college fair. Representatives from near and far colleges and universities came to speak to our students about the possibilities which await them.
Preparing for college..Preparing for life..

	Ilyas & Duck Reading Storytime Funtime What could be better on a Sunday afternoon than story and activity time? Not much! Students and community members enjoyed a fun filled session with Illyas and Duck author, Omar S. Khawaja. Jazakum Allah Khair to all of the community, students and teacher volunteers for making this event a great success! Mashallah!

	3rd Graders Use the Light Rail Sr. Tamam brings the textbook to life with this lesson on transportation in the community!
Have you experienced the Light Rail? RSA 3rd graders have! They enjoyed a light rail ride to Hoboken, had lunch with their friends and enjoyed the beautiful view of the waterfront..

	Breaking News from 3rd Grade!
RSA 3rd graders are learning about current events worldwide. They will soon begin to record their own news reports based on the events they are reading in their monthly Scholastic News! Stay tuned!

	4th & 5th Graders Visit the Drumthwacket New Jersey's Governor's mansion in Princeton is where you can find our 4th & 5th graders! The day was packed with fun informational sessions on the states of New Jersey and the life of children in the colonial era!
Surely an experience our Rising Stars will carry with them for a lifetime, inshallah.

	RSA's Journalism Team at Columbia University Stay tuned for the launch of The Rising Times. Our team spent the day at Columbia's Scholastic Press Association's annual conference learning about what makes a great school paper. It was a fun-filled NYC day, alhamduallah!
Stay tuned for the first print issue of The Rising Times! Coming soon!

	History Class Students' Trip to the United Nations
The 9th and 10th grade students attended a Youth discussion on Climate Change in the United Nation, where they learned about the effects of climate change, the efforts made by the international community to combat it, and how youth can help. They have even decided to employ some of these methods at RSA!

	7th Grade Science Explorations
Sr. Hebatallah's students explored the differences between animal and plant cells by building their model cells then showcase all the organelles they learned about. Modeling scaffolds students' learning!

	1st Graders Visit the Science Lab and much more...
First graders explore eating plants' parts and hunting for nouns within the school's hallways.

	Arabic Instruction with Project Based Learning
What better way to learn about the deep traditions across the Arab world than the pickling of olives?! Sr. Razan brings a generations' old tradition to the classroom, mashallah!

	Pre-K Parents and Grandparents Breakfast
Opening the link of communication between our students' families and the school supports higher academic achievement. Nothing would be better than inviting parents and grandparents to celebrate our theme of the month " My Family".

	Arts Integration in Literacy Instruction in Pre-K
Early childhood cognitive skills are enhanced by hands on learning. Arts integration increases student engagement and motivation in a positive learning environment.

Parents Make the Difference..

Monthly newsletters with tips to positively contribute to your child's academic journey.

Click the links below to access December editions:

Elementary School Dec 2015 Edition

Middle School Dec 2015 Edition

The Mission of

Rising Star Academy

Rising Star Academy aims to provide an inclusive educational environment, where students of diverse backgrounds feel safe and inspired to become life-long learners. RSA nurtures academic excellence and strong Islamic values of character, leadership, faith and community in a positive learning environment.