October Newsletter

Az-Zahraa Islamic Academy

Dates of Interest

Mon. Oct. 5 - World Teachers Day & Terry Fox Run

Mon. Oct. 12 – Thanksgiving Day (no school)

Wed. Oct. 14 – Photo Day

Thurs. Oct. 15 – 1st of Muharram

Fri. Oct. 16 – Gr. 6 Immunization

Mon. Oct. 19 – Federal Election Day

Wed. Oct. 21 – Writing Assessment Day

Thurs. Oct. 22 – Interim Reports Issued

Fri. Oct. 23 – Provincial Pro-D Day (no school)

Sat. Oct. 24 – Day of Ashura

Sun. Nov. 1 – Clocks Change 1 hour backwards

Tues. Nov. 10 – Remembrance Day (no school)

Fri. Nov. 27 – Pro-D Day #3 (no school)

Bismillah.

Respected Parents / Guardians,

Salaamun Alaykum.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all Eid Mubarak during the blessed month of Dhul Hijjah, a month of many Eids! The

students, parents and staff have all been tremendously supportive and this has led to a very positive start to this new school year, alham-

dulill_h. The focus of the month of September has been building relationships, rekindling previous friendships and creating new ones.

We have had successful lockdown, fire and earthquake drills to ensure safety of all our students and staff in the event of an emergency.

We are proud of all the students, including those new to our school, who have been quickly learning classroom procedures, school expec-

tations and putting them into practice.

As we advance into October, the monthly themes are anti-bullying, brotherhood and unity. There will be special assemblies, projects and

presentations to encourage our students and staff to embrace these values and put them into practice as they are in line with the Sunnah

of the Holy Prophet(s) and his Alhlul Bayt (as).

As the second month of school commences, workload starts to increase and it becomes vital that parents assist and support in establishing

a time and space for daily homework completion. Homework is important for students who may need extra time to complete assign-

ments and to reinforce concepts learned in class. All teachers will be stressing the importance of daily reading. If your child says they

don’t have any homework on a particular evening, you can always engage them in reading and writing as these fundamental and crucial

skills will bring about success in all subject areas now and into the future, inshall_h.

Message from the Principal

October 2, 2015

18 Dhul Hijjah, 1436

Principal: Sr. Sukaina Jaffer

Theme: Anti-bullying

Islamic Theme:

Brotherhood & Unity

It was nice to see all the parents who were able to join us for Meet

the Teacher Night on Wednesday September 30, 2015. This was an opportunity to

meet your child’s teacher, learn about the program, their philosophies and expecta-

tions. If you were unable to attend, teachers will send home handouts and class

timetables with your child. Please check your child’s backpack if you have not re-

ceived these or contact your child’s teacher directly.

Meet the Teacher Night

Eid Breakfast and Special Gift Thank you to our generous and hardworking school board for hosting

another delicious and enjoyable Eid Breakfast today, Friday October 2,

2015, which coincided with Eid-e-Ghadeer. The Eid gifts were delayed

and will inshallah be distributed next week.

And from among you there should be a party who invite to good and enjoin what

is right and forbid the wrong, and these it is that shall be successful.(3:104)

Page 2 October Pr inc ipa l: Sr. Sukaina Jaf fer

The month of Muharram The first of the month of Muharram will inshaAll-h commence on Thursday Oct. 15, 2015. During these days students must continue to

wear their school uniforms with the exception that girls can wear a plain black scarf and boys can wear a black shirt under their sweaters.

Depending on the sighting of the moon, the day of Ashura will be on Saturday October 24, 2015.

Federal Election Day

The federal election will take place on Monday October 19, 2015. Are you ready to vote? In order to

exercise your right to vote and have your voice count, ensure that you are registered with your current address. There is important voter

information that can be found at: http://www.elections.ca/home.aspx

Immunization for Grade 6 The grade 6 students will be immunized on Friday October 16, 2015. If you have not signed and returned

the consent form, please do so as soon as possible.

Terry Fox Run AZIA students will participate in a Terry Fox Run on Monday, Oct. 5, 2015 from 3:00 - 3:25pm. Students are to come to

school in proper uniform and will have an opportunity to change if they wish. Parents are welcome to join us. We will use

this opportunity to highlight the values of perseverance, courage, and following your goals.

World Teachers’ Day Every year, the United Nations celebrates Word Teachers’ Day. We encourage students and staff to please take a

moment to thank, recognize, honour the teachers and educators who mentor, nurture and inspire us in our life

endeavours.

Writing Assessment Day Another important goal identified by the staff is to nurture the skills of writing. As an important measure of the suc-

cess of the writing component of our literacy program, students will be participating in two assessment days this.

The first assessment will take place on October 21, and the second assessment will take place in May. This will pro-

vide opportunities for teachers to track individual student progress. Advance preparations are not necessary, but

please ensure your child is at school on the assessment days.

One of our school wide goal as a staff is to turn reluctant readers into fluent and confident readers. Each teacher has estab-

lished a home reading program to achieve this target. Parents play a vital role in developing a consistent daily reading routine.

Role model and encourage students to read a variety of materials, including the recitation of the Holy Quran, on a daily basis.

Daily Reading / Qur’an Recitation

Photo Day This year, photo day for staff and students will take place on Wed. Oct. 14, 2015. Please ensure your child (ren) arrive in

clean and full uniform on this day.

Page 3 October Pr inc ipa l: Sr. Sukaina Jaf fer

Last week we experienced many students leaving early throughout the day due to illness. As the days become

cooler, we would like to remind parents to please send your children with an appropriate jacket to ensure they

can enjoy the outdoors without catching a chill. An extra pair of socks in their lockers or backpacks may be a

good idea in case they find their feet become wet after going outside for recess.

Dress for the Weather

Each day we are finding items such as water bottles, lunch kits, back packs and even uniforms that students leave

outside at recess or after school that are not labelled. Please ensure that all personal items are clearly labelled with

your child’s name so we can return it to its rightful owner when it gets misplaced.

Label, label, label...

Interim Report Cards At AZIA we feel that it is important to give feedback early in the school year regarding your child’s progress. Teach-

ers will be sending home an interim report card on Thursday October 22, 2015. Although this will give you an indica-

tion of your child’s initial progress, but we encourage you to contact your child’s teacher before or after this date if

you have any questions or concerns.

Province Wide Pro-D Day Friday October 23, 2015 the teachers will be partaking in a range of professional development opportunities. They will

be attending different workshops hosted by various provincial specialty associations. They will be bringing back ideas to

enhance many departments within our school including literacy, technology, extra-curricular, athletics, Science, Math and much more.

Please help us to meet the goal of having all students in complete uniform by Wed., Oct. 7, 2015. Thank you parents for ensuring that

your child comes to school each and every day in clean school uniform. We are grateful that our students identify themselves proudly as

students of AZIA by wearing their uniforms proudly. It brings great honour and recognition when students represent our school in full

uniform with the crest of the name of Lady Zahraa on their chests.

Uniform

The warning school bell rings at 8:25 a.m. and students should gather in the school assembly area at his time. Our morn-

ing assembly begins at 8:30 am and parents are always welcome to join. This is a time when duas are recited, reminders/

announcements are shared and important events are celebrated or commemorated.

The school day ends at 3:30 pm. A teacher will remain outside until 3:40 pm and we ask your assistance in please being prompt in pick-

ing up your child at the end of the day. On occasion, if you are running late, please call the office to advise us so we can bring your child

(ren) upstairs.

School Timings

Appointments / Signing In & Out This is a reminder that if your child arrives late or needs to leave early for planned appointments, please inform the class-

room teacher by emailing or providing a note well in advance so that preparations can be made for missed work. Last minute

withdrawals from the class cause interruptions and teachers may not be able to provide the necessary lessons missed. Also,

please come to the office to sign your child in when arriving late or out if leaving early. This allows us to keep account of all

students in case of an emergency. Thank you for your cooperation!

Page 4 October Pr inc ipa l: Sr. Sukaina Jaf fer

Nutrition - Healthy Snacks and Lunches There is a great deal of research that supports the fact that healthy eating practices developed at a young age continue

throughout adulthood. It leads to good physical health, students being more attentive during learning, minimizes mood

swings and promotes overall academic and spiritual well-being. At AZIA, we encourage parents to please help your

children by providing healthy snacks and lunches. Once in a while a treat is great, but we have noticed and are con-

cerned that too many students are bringing snacks and lunch items full of sugar and preservatives. This is detrimental

and has negative impact on their growth and learning.

There is no supervision available for students before 8:15 a.m. Please note that students who do come to school

before 8:15 a.m. will need to wait outside, including those who use the school bus.

We are still noticing students walking in the parking lot without a parent or an adult. We urge parents to please

walk your child to the “safe zone” near the entrance of the school. Children are often not aware of the vehicles

that may be trying to maneuver in the parking lot and are unable to see our little ones. We thank you for helping us ensure safety proce-

dures in the parking lot.

Safety of Students

Medications at School It is school policy that students are not permitted to bring over the counter medications. If this is required, please provide

the appropriate medication to the office for administering. If your child requires administering of a prescribed medication,

please ask the pharmacy for an extra medication label which will be placed on a form in the office. Please see Sr. Femida if

you have any questions.

Contacting Your Child or Your Child’s Teacher If you wish to speak to a staff member or your child during school hours, please call Sr. Femida at (604)274-7861 to

leave a message. We ask parents and visitors to humbly refrain from going towards any particular class, even towards the

end of the day, as this can be interrupting when teachers are trying to communicate important messages and complete

routines. We thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.

School Forms - Reminder If your child has not returned the following forms with your signature, please do so soon. These include: media release,

technology contract, contact information updates, and the agreement to uphold policies.

Illnesses As the season changes, many students will experience the common cold and flu. Please realize that although it may be

inconvenient to keep your child at home during an illness, they are often unproductive and sharing of germs is some-

thing we want to avoid. Especially if your child is coughing or is experiencing a fever, let them rest at home and recover

quickly. Thank you in advance for making the right decision and your understanding.

Grade 3 Class and Miss Yiu - A Special Thank You The grade 3 class has been under the very capable and loving care of Ms. Yiu since the start of this school year, while

Ms. Ibrahim was fortunate enough to make the pilgrimage of the Hajj. We would like to thank Ms. Yiu for all her

hard work in ensuring a smooth start for the grade 3 students and although we will miss her, we wish her all the best

as she peruses other passions. We will inshAll-h be calling upon her as one of our favourite TOC’s!

Page 5 October Pr inc ipa l: Sr. Sukaina Jaf fer

Islamic Calendar Orders - Grand Scholars This year’s AZIA student calendar project is titled, “The Beacons of Light - Great Islamic Scholars Past & Present”.

This delightful calendar features artwork by our grade 5 class from last year. It also contains the daily salaat sched-

ule, interesting facts and inspirational stories from the lives of these great scholars. Order forms will be sent out

next week so you can purchase a copy for only $15. The profits from this project will be used to purchase educational resources for the

school. Thank you for your support.

Alumni News Our Alumni students are the pride of our school and we are so blessed when we can share in their educational

and life journeys beyond AZIA. We would like to thank Sr. Hamidatabarak Al-Amiri and Sr.Amina Matar for

volunteering their time to assist teachers with material preparations.

We would like to congratulate Br. Zaahid Merali, a grade 12 student at Matthew McNair Secondary School in Richmond, for being

elected co-president of the student council. He has always represented impeccable leadership skills and an amazing work ethic. Zaahid

will undoubtedly do an amazing job in this role and continue to uphold the positive image and reputation of AZIA alumni.

Another Alumni we would like to recognize is Nabeel Husayn Jagani. Nabeel has been playing soccer long before he could walk and

talk and all the hard work and dedication has paid off. He along with the Surrey United Soccer Team have won the privilege of repre-

senting BC at the national championships from October 7-12 in South Surrey, BC. We wish Nabeel and his team all the best.

Lastly, we would like to congratulate Anwarali Rehmtulla for winning three awards in Toronto at the Al Wahda Sports Festival. He

played in the table tennis tournament in the singles and doubles divisions. He was runner up in both divisions and was named MVP for

the tournament in his age group.

If you know of any alumni who is perhaps a little shy and humble to share their success stories with us, please give us a clue so we can

follow-up and highlight their achievements in future newsletters.

We would like to congratulate the following students for demonstrating the “spirit of sacrifice” since the start of

this school year. Following in the footsteps of our Holy Prophet(S), these students were recognized at our Eid-ul-

Adha celebration assembly on Monday September 28, 2015 for showing qualities of “sacrifice” in their character and conduct. These

students were selected by staff and students because they express respect, empathy, courage and care as they place the needs of others

before themselves.

Award Winners:

Kindergarten: Hussein Daya Grade 1: Mohammedridah AlHsenawy Grade 2: Suha Azhar-Bowmar Grade 3: Noor Ferooz

Grade 4: Salsabeel Hassan Grade 5: Maison Al-Azawi Grade 6: Saaim Imran Grade 7: Ruqayyah Merali

“Spirit of Sacrifice” Award Recipients

October 2015

Anti-Bullying

Islamic Theme: Brotherhood & Unity

Dhul Hijjah 1436/ Muharram 1437

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 Eid Breakfast Hosted by the School Board

3

4 5 Terry Fox Run 3:00 - 3:25 pm

World Teachers’

Day

6 Shahadat of

Sons of Hazrat Muslim

7 8 Eid-e-Mubahila

9 10

11 12 Thanksgiving Day Holiday No School

13 14 Photo Day

15 1st Day of Muharram

16 Gr. 6

Immunization

17

18 19 Federal Election

Day

20 21 Writing

Assessment Day

22 Interim

Reports Issued

23 Provincial Pro-D Day

24 Day of

Ashura

25 26 27 28 29 30 31