I S S U E 8 0 A P R I L / / A L - H I D A Y A H

o u r m i s s i o nAl-Taqwa College aims to produce good ref lective self-directed learners who have problem-solving skills and critical thinking abilities. It aims to be a place where the individuality of each person is recognised, and where that recognition is ref lected in the College’s curriculum diversity and f lexibility, diverse teaching strategies and student centered processes. The College aims to create a school environment that instills in students love and obedience to Allah (swt) in accordance with the sayings and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) and enables them to benefit from the teachings of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh).

M A Y

04 School Tour - 9.15am10-12 NAPLAN Testing

16 Curriculum Day16 AGM

Important Dates

Message from the Principal A S S A L A M U A L A I K U M W B T

Again, a very warm welcome to Term 2 as we started off for another hard working 11 school weeks. I would like to thank all staff, students, ex-students and parents/guardians including business associates for their support and care during Term 1. We look forward to a challenging and fruitful Term 2. With your continuous support of course, we can achieve and overcome anything, inshaAllah.

M A R C H V I S I T O R S

Imam from AlbaniaBr Mohammad Hallak invited Imam Rejab Idrisi along with other Imams from Albania who visited the College on 21 March. The aim of the visit was to address our students about unity, respect and procedures, as well as being good, practicing Muslims. The Imams also had a tour around the premises and were overwhelmed with the development of the College and our community. I thank Sheikh Abdel Azeem, Mohammad and other team members for their warm hospitality to the visiting Imams.

Al-Hidayah

A L - T A Q W A C O L L E G E N E W S L E T T E R

Q U A L I T Y E D U C A T I O N for Q U A L I T Y L I F E

I S S U E 8 0 A P R I L / / A L - H I D A Y A H 2

Three visiting Imams addressed our students and the community during Friday prayers at Al-Taqwa Masjid.

Y I I S I ’ S A N D A L - H A R A K I ’ S V I S I TOur Indonesian sister-school students (YIISI) involved in the Sentul Immersion Program, visited us for about 2 weeks. It was pleasing to note that they left with good memories of our own students and staff including their experiences whilst in Melbourne. YIISI’ students and teachers were inspired with new educational ideas throughout their classroom interactions. They also enjoyed camp at Camp Coorong, and visited places of interest whilst sightseeing in our state.

The coordinators, Ms Muslimah and Ms Lomo conveyed their thanks to our teachers and students for their friendly warm and caring attitudes fostering good relationships. YIISI would like to reciprocate by extending an invitation to our students and teachers to visit Sentul in near future.

The coordinators, Ms Muslimah and Ms Lomo conveyed their thanks to our teachers and students for their friendly warm and caring attitudes fostering good relationships. YIISI would like to reciprocate by extending an invitation to our students and teachers to visit Sentul in near future.

Ms Lomo (bludescarf) with YIISI Immersion group at the hall.

YIISI students: Arya, Ayuda and Muhammad at the Farm

College’ ladies and Al-Haraki’s members including our YII’s rep.

I S S U E 8 0 A P R I L / / A L - H I D A Y A H 3

The College also hosted a visit from Al-Haraki School Jakarta, on Tuesday 15 March. The Al-Haraki visiters were Br Edi Suryo Broto, Advisor of Akbar Foundation; Sis Zaviera Wahyuni Handayanii, Secretary of Akbar Foundation; and Sis Mowdi Vidiyani, teacher and Head of Administration. They visited classrooms, led by Ms Rima Kanj, to learn about the Australian Curriculum. They were interested in the school’s history, structure and activities. They were impressed with our College’s development and showed keen interest in bringing over their immersion program students. InshaAllah, we look forward to future interactions and will keep in touch with each other.

Token presentation L-R Sis Rahany, Sis Zaviera, Br Hussam Hallak, Br Edi Suryo Broto, Sis Mowdi Vidiyani and Sis Rima.

D E B A T E I N Q A T A R – T H I R D I N T E R N A T I O N A L A R A B I C D E B A T I N G C H A M P I O N S H I P

We had four lucky students participate in the Third International Arabic Debating Championships this month. Our team of 4 students, Hamza El Houli, Ali Elhawli, Abdul Rahman Hassan and Hussain Hammad were chaperoned by teacher, Mr Abdulaziz Al-Nofeai and Mr Hallak, our Principal. It was a great experience for our students to have participated. The Competition was organised by the Qatar Debate Center. My heartfelt thanks goes out to our Islamic Department Coordinators, Br Abdelaziz Al-Nofeai and Sis Rabab Soueidan for their efforts in organising our participation.

Participants from Al-Taqwa, Melbourne, Saudi’s trainer and Qatar debate team.U M R A HOur students’ Umrah Program has been postponed to the end of the Year.

Presentation of token by our Principal, Mr Omar Hallak to Dr Hayat Al Marafi, Director of Qatar Debate Competition.

I would like to wish those who are doing Umrah, a good and smooth journey to Mecca. May your sincerity and Amal be blessed abundantly by Allah (swt), and all your doa be granted. Ameen.

W A S S A L A M U A L A I K U M

O M A R H A L L A K

Principal

I S S U E 8 0 A P R I L / / A L - H I D A Y A H 4

Dear Parents, Students & FriendsA S S A L A M U A L A I K U M

B U I L D I N G C O M M E N C E M E N T L I M I T E D

C A R P A R K I N GThe new secondary girl’s building will start construction soon therefore parking will be reduced during this time. We ask for all users to be patient and courteous to staff and other drivers whilst construction is in progress. The reduced parking may contribute to increased traffic, so please be mindful of this and perhaps leave home 10 minutes earlier to ensure your children arrive to school on time. 2 0 1 7 E N R O L M E N T SThe Administration Office is accepting enrolments for 2017. If you have younger children starting in prep next year, enrolments are now filling up. If you know of any family members or friends who are interested in attending Al-Taqwa, we are happy to answer any queries on 9269 5000 or visit our website at www.al-taqwa.vic.edu.au

E A R L Y D I S M I S S A L S F R I D A Y SThe College has noticed a dramatic increase in families requesting early dismissals after Jummah prayers on Fridays. Our classes finish at 3.20 every day and we highly recommend that students do not leave early. This causes great disruption to the classroom and other students. Your children therefore miss over an hour of valuable learning time when leaving after prayers.

L A T E A R R I V A L SMany students are still arriving late to school on a regular basis. As a reminder, the primary students commence their classes at 8.50am and the secondary students commence at 8.45am. This means that students are expected to be at school at least 10 to 15 minutes before their class starts.

R O A D S A F E T YThere has been a significant increase in staff noticing that children are not restrained correctly in cars when entering and exiting the College grounds. For your child’s safety please ensure that they are wearing their seatbelts before moving your vehicle. This is not only a safety hazard but also an offence not to wear seatbelts.

Safety CornerD E A R A L - T A Q W A C O L L E G E F A M I L Y

Hope you are enjoying a great start to term 2. An important reminder to ensure that parents and guardians that send their children/Teens to school by bicycle need to ensure that helmets are being worn at all times whilst riding. Safety helmets save lives and protect a child/Teen’s head, neck and brain. Please ensure that you fit helmets correctly and choose the appropriate size for your child/Teen. Check for damages and replace as needed and always purchase the safest Australian quality assured products.

Also, we are now progressing into the colder months, it is most important to ensure that your child/Teen is wearing warmer clothing and have their full winter uniform daily to protect them from the icy chill that is soon coming.

Thank you,Y O L A N D A S U T H E R L A N D

HR/OHS Manager

a m e s s a g e f r o m a d m i n

AttentionStudents must attend school on time. Classes commence at 8.45am for Secondary students and 8.50am for Primary; therefore students are expected to arrive at school between 8.30-8.40am for preparation.

No early dismissals are permitted during the following times: recess, lunchtime or during ANY prayer times. A L L A P P O I N T M E N T S S H O U L D B E M A D E O U T S I D E S C H O O L H O U R S .

I S S U E 8 0 A P R I L / / A L - H I D A Y A H 5

A L H A M D U L I L L A H ,

Alhamdulillah, the Accelerated department has completed the selection process and welcome to the following students:

U B A I D

Grade 5 Accelerated Maths

Y A H Y A

Grade 6 Accelerated Maths

Z A I N A B A N D W A L I D

Year 8 Accelerated Maths

M A I D A H

Year 9 Accelerated Maths

We would also love to share some of the work samples our students are producing during their lessons.

a c c e l e r a t e d l e a r n i n g p r o g r a m

Qatar DebateAl-Taqwa College participated in the Qatar debate that was held on the 8-15 April in Doha Qatar. Representing Al-Taqwa College were Hamza of Year 12, Ali of Year 11, Abdirahman of Year 9 and Hussein also of Year 9, alongside Mr Abdulaziz and our beloved Principal Sheikh Omar Hallak. Each year the Qatar debate brings together hundreds of debaters from 50 countries, the debate is held in order to promote the Arabic language, the language of the Holy Quran.

Countries that participated in the debate this year included Brazil, America, Austria, Canada, Uk as well as all the Muslim countries around the globe.Al-Taqwa College members competed furiously against native speakers of the Arabic language, our students practiced and prepared themselves for the debate well and were able to win some debates against fluent Arabic speaking countries. The Al-Taqwa College team encouraged by Mr Hallak, were able to put up a good fight.

Our team’s involvement in this year’s debate enabled our students gain experience and skills to take back to their peers at school. The Team were adamant that next year Al-Taqwa College will bring home an even bigger success. Well done to all the boys and a big thank you to our beloved Principal who facilitated this successful event.

I S S U E 8 0 A P R I L / / A L - H I D A Y A H 6

Al-Taqwa Before and After School Sports Program(run by BlueChip)Mid last term, our grade 4, 5 and 6 students were provided with the opportunity to partake in the Before and After School Sports Program specifically designed for our College. The Program sought to provide our students with a robust sports platform upon which students were encouraged to improve on their fitness and health, whilst promoting sportsmanship and teamwork.

The program was run and facilitated by an experienced coach, Brother Charles Parker, head of BlueChip Athletics, has worked with our students in attaining the key skills required to compete in professional level Basketball, Soccer and Softball.

To ensure students were well balanced both athletically and academically, participating students attended a compulsory once a week homework club provided to our students at no extra cost.

Here is what some of our students had to say about their experience in the program:

“Since I started going to basketball, a lot has changed, like my fitness. At first, I couldn’t run that much and I used to get tired easily. But now since these basketball classes, I got used to it and I actually like it! Also we become more flexible and strong. At first I didn’t even know how to play basketball. But since taking these classes, I finally know the ‘language’ of basketball. I also learnt about focus. Since getting taught how to focus, I even focus on the school classes much better now! After a few classes, you’ll really look forward to them, like me!”

Simrah 5A

“The afterschool program is a wonderful program. It gets children off the couch and be active. We play a lot of games and have fun. No matter what the weather is like we can always count on the wonderful teachers to make new friends and get along better at school”.

Hind 6C

“The afterschool soccer club is a great way to get new skills and get some new buddies. I’m proud that I’m in it. Our coach, who is from BlueChip, is named Charles Parker. He used to play for the NBL basketball championships. Soon we will be having tryouts, and there will be two teams representing our school on the field. Hope you join!”

Mazin Bakri 4B

I S S U E 8 0 A P R I L / / A L - H I D A Y A H 7

Counsellors’ CornerA S S A L A M U A L A I K U M W R W B

Welcome back to Term 2! Do you know what your child is doing online? The Counselling team is excited to present our first Parent Seminar for the year on Wednesday 4 May where will be discussing “Online Safety”. Come join us:

• Do you know what your child is doing online?

• Would you know how to keep your child safe online?

• The dangers of the online world

• Hear from the Australian Federal Police

Most children have access to a tablet/ipad/phone/computer, and unfortunately the reality is that children will be accidentally exposed to inappropriate material. Find out what steps you can take to minimise risks and protect your child.

Hope to see you for this important event!

N A A Z I A S Y E D ,

on behalf of the Counselling and Welfare Team L U C Y V E R W E Y ,

M A H A S A L E H ,

R U Q A Y A A L M I R G A N I &

I B R A H I M A B D E L - H A F I Z .

Our counsellors can help your child develop their self-understanding and self-confidence, motivation, decision-making, goal-setting, planning and problem solving, interpersonal relationships, communication skills, respect for others and more.

Grade 4-6 NewsA S S A L A M U A L A I K U M P A R E N T S ,

Welcome back to term 2, a term that promises to be very busy and filled with different educational and extra-curricular activities.

Grade 5 students will be sitting NAPLAN Testing from 10-12 May in the areas of reading, writing, spelling, grammar and maths. Students and teachers are working very hard

in class on revising NAPLAN style questions, papers and concepts in preparation for the testing. We wish them all the best. After NAPLAN Testing is over, we think the grade 5 students deserve a bit of a break, so the Upper Primary Department has organised horse riding and archery lessons for boys and girls in this year level and notes will be going out regarding this.

Our grade 6 students will soon be undertaking (from 16-20 May), an educational tour of the nation’s capital. Students will be given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the nation’s capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding of $30 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate Program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion.

On April 20, two upper primary debating teams and two subs trained by Ms Obayda (Debating and Media Domain Leader/5F teacher) participated in the Fitzroy Regional Debating Day at Fitzroy Community Primary School. Our students took part in two prepared debating topics and one secret topic that they only had one hour to prepare for. Our students won a debate in each category with an overall of three wins. Aysha 5A and Shayaan 5E both won best speaker in their debating categories, while Manhal won overall best speaker for Al-Taqwa College. Congratulations to our debating team and we wish them all the best in the next round of debates.

Selected Captains and Vice Captains visited the Shrine of Remembrance on Friday 22 April to participate in Melbourne Legacy’s 85th ANZAC Commemoration for students. The Governor of Victoria will address the students and other guests. Two students from our school, along with other school will be laying a floral wreath as a tribute from our school. Stay tuned for photos of the event.May Allah (swt) make the months of Rajab and Shaaban a blessing for you and your families.

R I M A K A N J , Head of Teacher and Student Services Grades 4, 5 & 6O L G A R A M A H I , Assistant Head Grades 4, 5 & 6

I S S U E 8 0 A P R I L / / A L - H I D A Y A H 8Registrar

Jenny Dunstan

Parent Liaison Of ficerMichelle Dimech

Enrolment Off icers Susan McAsey

Enas Ali Transport CoordinatorSameh Aghbash

Accounts ReceivableMalak El-Ashey

Fadile JekaAccounts PayableJanice Mudge

201 Sayers Road, Truganina 3029 t 9269 5000 f 9269 5070 e adminoffice@wicv.net w wwwal-taqwa.vic.edu.au

A L - T A Q W A C O L L E G E C O N T A C T D E T A I L S

A D M I N I S T R A T I O N P E R S O N N E L

The Islamic Schools of Victoria (Werribee College) Trading as Al-Taqwa College ABN 32 079 146 958

Students leaving in 2016If your child/children are leaving Al-Taqwa College in 2016 please complete the section below and

return it to the Administration Office as soon as possible.

Name:_______________________________________________________________ Class in 2016 : _______________

Name:_______________________________________________________________ Class in 2016 : _______________

Name:_______________________________________________________________ Class in 2016 : _______________

C O L L E G E T O U R STours of the College are available by appointment only. If you wish to visit the School and view our

facilities, please contact the Administration Office on 9269 5000 to arrange a booking.

2016 College tours are held on Wednesdays commencing at 9.15am on the following dates

4 M A Y 1 J U N E

1 3 J U L Y 3 A U G U S T

7 S E P T E M B E R 5 O C T O B E R

2 N O V E M B E R

B O O K I N G S A R E E S S E N T I A L

This is a great way to see the College in action and meet various key staff members.

ABN 76-172-192-277

Houda BadawiB . A . ( M E L B ) , B . B U S . A C C ( R M I T )

One-on-one lessons, specifically tailored to your child’s needs, in the convenience of your home

15 years experience in the private tuition of students from Prep to Year 12

Expertise in teaching all aspects of English literacy, including grammar, punctuation, spelling, reading and writing

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Ph: 0422 089 031

English  Tutor