Winter Coats Drive – Final Day
3rd & 4th graders are collecting jackets for local area distribution
Portrait Payments & Returned Photographs Due
Please follow instructions in the portrait packet and send back to classroom teachers
AFA’s 3rd & 4th graders are presenting Ramadhan & Hajj information to 4 Kindergarten classes at Hutchison Elementary School in Herndon, VA.
Friday, 22 December 2006
First Day of Dhul-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar
Re-enactment of Hajj for entire school at 10:00 - 1:30. Please join us!
25 Dec 06, Monday through 1 Jan 07, Monday
AFA Winter Break – no school.
31 Dec 06, Sunday
Eid ul Adha. Please check www.adamscenter.org for details regarding Salatul Eid locations, finalized day/s, and times.
Tuesday, 2 January 2007
AFA classes resume.
Principals’ Points
Assalamu Alaikum wa Eid Kareem!
Subhan Allah! The year, both lunar and common, is near its end. While many will be thinking of resolutions and reviewing the year, we at AFA will also be reminding ourselves of our Quranic obligations through various ways.
Firstly, students are busy learning about the rites of hajj, but even more importantly realizing that the story of Sayyidina Ibrahim and Sayyida Hajar is the story of a civilization. From Sayyida Hajar we learn the lessons of perseverance, unbending faith, the importance of pro-action and leadership. Students will re-enact her steps and realize how they too can strengthen these characteristics in themselves.
Secondly, to understand the sunnah of reflection and conscious decision making, students and staff will participate in a school-wide Peace Tree ceremony in January. We will all write statements about what we can do to be more peaceful, and remember the times we have not been so peaceful. Our school tree will have “leaves of peace”, and our shortcomings will be buried next to the tree.
What are other ways to help and strengthen our connection to each other? Here are a few samples of Kids Giving Salam projects that the whole family can participate in:
Planet Aid—the big yellow box in our parking lot is for used clothing. Bring your washed, bagged clothes and shoes and place them in the box. These go to organizations around the world to be recycled.
Toiletries for the homeless. As you travel, save those little bottles. We collect these for the Embry Rucker Shelter in Reston
Coat and jacket drive: these will go to Reston Interfaith, a local social services organization that works for all who need help.
l is also an obligation you can fulfill by donating to the school. Your contribution goes to furthering the establishment of an institution for our children, and their children’s children, insha Allah.
May Allah bless all of us with His rahmah during this time of sacrifice, prayer, and celebration.
Wasalam, Afeefa Syeed & Pervin Divlel
Al Fatih Academy 730 Jackson Street
PO Box 473
Herndon, VA 20171
Telephone: 703-437-9382
www.Al Fatih.org
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Box Tops War Ends Peacefully & Beneficially
Club News
Staff and Family News
For those of you with students in the Kindergarten and/or 1st & 2nd Grade Classes, you know of the fierce competition to obtain the most number of box tops for education points
Alhamdullilah, both sides ended the friendly competition well on Monday, December 19th, the final day of the “race collection.” Both classes combined their accumulated box tops into the school’s general collection jar, counted over 900 tops combined, and celebrated their achievements in marketing, imploring, and collaborating to reach a worthwhile goal to raise funds for school supplies. Box tops are worth 10-30 cents each, so AFA will get over $90 from this submission.
Stay tuned for the next race between the Main Campus vs the Grove Street Campus… _______________________
Reminders
Inclement Weather/Closings and Delays
AFA follows Fairfax County Public Schools’ policies for early dismissals and “closed--no school”.
AFA’s delayed openings are 1 hour earlier than Fairfax County Public Schools’ times.
Outdoor Recess and PE
Please dress students in layers of warm clothing to adjust for cold mornings and warmer middays afternoons.
AFA’s Hiking Club
May Allah accept the upcoming Hajj of our teaching assistants, Humera Ahmed [Kindergarten] and Amnah Taufique [3rd – 7th Grades] and may He make their pilgrimage easy, Insha’Allah.
Best wishes to Amnah Taufique as she begins her full time graduate studies at George Washington Univ. in the spring of 2007. We will miss her contributions to the upper grade students and teachers .
We send our duas for teachers Nouzha Ramdani [5th – 7th grades] and Sayyida Saadiq [Preschool & PreK] as they complete final exams and papers for their own classroom courses.
Please inform us of any news you wish to include in next month’s newsletter via email at info@Al Fatih.org. _______________________
After School Program
Beginning Monday, 8 January 2007
After school Class in Arabic & Islamic Studies
primarily for non-AFA children, ages 8 -12 years old
Mondays & Wednesdays 4 – 5:30pm at the Grove St campus
More information will be available during the first week in January.
held its 1st hike to Great Falls Park, VA on Sunday, 17 December 2006. The weather was wonderfully warm, alhamdullilah, so everyone – parent chaperones and students from PreK to Grade 7—enjoyed the magnificent views of the falls, the challenging and varied hiking terrains, and the company of family and friends!
Many thanks to Ahmed Kochaji for organizing and leading the hike and to the accompanying adults for carpooling and assisting on the hike.
More clubs to come in January!
AFA needs parent volunteers for 5 student clubs to start January 8:
Cooking, Sewing, Chess, Photography, & Kids Club
Clubs will meet Tuesdays &Thursdays from 3:45 – 3:45pm
Please see attached parent volunteer form. Earn hours and be a part of the excitement!
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Saberina Munawar
Faraz Ahmed
Pervin Divleli
Afeefa Syeed
Board contact info:
schoolboard@Al Fatih.org
The Al Fatih Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing the general direction of the school, reviewing and approving the school's budget, overseeing the school administration, and approving the general policies of the school.
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The Board consists of between 7 and 11 members who serve on a volunteer basis for designated terms. Board vacancies are filled upon nomination of an individual by any interested person --including community members, teachers, and Directors -- and selection of such person by majority vote of the current Directors.
Al Fatih Academy is a non-profit educational organization operating under Muslim Education Resource Council, Inc. MERCI.
Signing the purchase agreement!
From Al Fatih Academy Board of Directors:
As'salaamu Alaikum & Eid Mubarak!
On behalf of the Al Fatih Academy School Board, we would like to wish a safe voyage to all of the brothers and sisters that are making Hajj this season. Some of the Hujjaz this year are teachers at Al Fatih Academy, parents and grandparents of our students, and community friends. We pray that their Hajj is accepted, and we will wait joyfully to welcome them home, inshAllah.
In this past month, the school board has been working closely with our architectural team and legal team of advisors on the project to purchase Harding Hall. Through many meetings and conference calls we are beginning to document the plans for this project. We are initiating the zoning approval process and the design of our school building's footprint. It is very exciting to sketch the future of Al Fatih Academy so that it fits the needs of our students, our teachers, and our programs.
As we plan the scope of this project, it becomes more evident that our fundraising plan will drive our ability to develop the school building and facilities. With donations, pledges, and fundraising activities, we hope to make a strong down payment on the purchase price of this property. Please consider Al Fatih Academy as you make your year-end donations. You can look forward to March 2007 for our annual fundraising dinner.
We would like to wish everyone at Al Fatih Academy a blessed Eid ul Adha. We hope that the students and the teachers enjoy their restful Winter Break. We hope that our school families appreciate the added Quality Time in your homes. And we look forward to celebrating this Eid with all of you in the New Year! Eid Mubarak!
We look forward to gathering together for a
Spring Town Hall meeting in April 2007.
Wasalam.
Al Fatih Academy Board of Directors
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School Staff
PTA NEWS
Administration
Afeefa Syeed - Director
Pervin Divleli - Director
Abdur Rafaa Ouertani – Director, Arabic Language Program
School Wide Staff Amena Chenzaie – Language Arts Specialist
Batul Alsaigh – Physical Education Teacher
Kamila Barbour – Art Teacher
Nusaybah Ritchie – Peace Leaders Director
Nabilah Haque – Office Manager
Email contact for staff:
Firstnameintiallastname@Al Fatih.org
Join us!
PTA members are comprised of all parents and guardians of AFA students.
The second PTA meeting took place on Saturday, 16 December. We discussed the upcoming Eid ul Adha Potluck -- which needs a coordinator, and then worked on the Grove Street Campus computers and overall classroom cleanup.
The next scheduled PTA meeting will be held at the Herndon Fortnightly Library on:
Saturday, February 10th,
from 10am to 12pm
Meetings are held in the downstairs Meeting Room of Herndon Library. Mark your calendar now and please make every effort to attend, bring your suggestions, and help in whatever ways you can.
If you would like to coordinate or assist with the Eid ul Adha Potluck, please contact the PTA coordinators:
Soheil Mahboob at
momahboob@excite.com, or
Jasmin Mahal at jmahal@vt.edu.
Are you in the loop?
Please log on to www.Al Fatih.org and subscribe to the school e-list. A great way to find out what is happening, how you can be involved, and what to include in your calendar.
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