Welcome to Al Fatih Academy

Latest Updates

• Update from the Dean of Student Services
• Welcome Back Message from Head of School
  

  al-Salāmu ʿAlaykum AFA Families,

  I pray you had a blessed summer and that Allah fills your homes with health and īmān as we begin a new school year. We’re excited to welcome you to our Back-to-School Kick-Off on August 17 (11 am - 1 pm; New Parent Orientation at 10:15 am) and to open our classrooms for the first day of school on August 20, in sha Allah.

  We are excited to share that our school-wide theme for the 2025-2026 year is “Awaken Hearts, Race to Good.” Allah says in Sūrat Āl-‘Imrān: “[There are those who] believe in Allah and the Last Day, encourage (doing) right and forbid (doing) wrong, and race with one another to all that is good. They are among the righteous” [3:114]. From this verse, we understand that we must commit to awakening our hearts (and the hearts of others) through firm belief in Allah and living a life in accordance with His divine guidance. We also learn that we must allow our awakened hearts not only to inspire good, but also to work towards goodness together. We hope that our entire AFA community will practice remembering Allah, setting sincere intentions, and reflecting upon our inward and outward states. We hope to provide opportunities for all AFA stakeholders to race towards acts of good, whether it be smiling at someone in the cafeteria, leading a service project for our neighbors, or using our learning to benefit others.

  The school building is full of positive energy as our teachers spend this week preparing their classrooms to welcome students. I am sure many of you are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to meet and learn more about your teachers. Be on the lookout, as teacher welcome letters will reach your inboxes shortly.

  As we work to continuously improve the experience of students and families at AFA, I am excited to introduce two new positions for this year:

  • Mr. Marcus Mayo has joined us as Dean of Student Services and Counselor. As a licensed school counselor, Mr. Mayo will help learners develop positive mindsets and emotional regulation, and partner with families and teachers to support the whole child. He will also provide weekly guidance lessons and organize monthly Wellness Wednesdays for parents (schedule to be announced soon, in sha Allah).
     
  • Ms. Nawal Eid has joined us as a K-8 Learning Specialist. In our efforts to expand our specialized education services, Ms. Nawal joins us with 14+ years of experience as a learning specialist. She holds a Master of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). She will be working directly with students who require more specialized academic interventions. She will also help train teachers on strategies that support learning across the school.
    Mr. Mayo and Ms. Nawal will be at our Back-to-School Kick-Off and will formally introduce themselves to families in separate communications.

  Finally, I’m hope you noticed our new dragonfly logo. Just as many great schools have an official logo (we have our iconic AFA medallion) and alternates for various needs, we hope our dragonfly logo inspires every one of us to SOAR (inspired by our six core values):

  Show Excellent Character
  Own Our Actions
  Act with Integrity
  Respect Ourselves & Others
   

  This year, we look forward to embracing our dragonfly mascot, launching an alternative line of school spirit wear, and organizing various sports and extracurricular activities. If any parents are willing to help us with such activities, please reach out to me and Ms. Aminata, our Programs Manager (info@alfatih.org).

  On behalf of the entire administrative team, I extend my dua for a blessed 2025-2026 academic year. We look forward to seeing you soon.

  Regards,

  Ustadh Ismail
  Head of School
  Al Fatih Academy

• End of Year Message from Head of School
  

  al-Salamu ‘Alaykum AFA Families,

  In sha Allah, this message finds you in the best of health and iman, having spent cherished moments with your family during the Eid al-Adha holiday. By Allah’s will, the end of our school year has coincided with the last month of the Hijri calendar. It behooves us to utilize this time to reflect on the year that has passed and to make intentions and initial steps towards improvement in the upcoming year. I hope to share a few of my thoughts with you below.

  Firstly, I extend my heartfelt thanks to each of you. Choosing where your children are nurtured is one of the most intentional decisions a family makes, and I am honored that you entrusted AFA with that sacred responsibility. Special thanks to our new AFA families for bringing fresh perspectives and energy that enriched our classrooms and community. For our families who have been with AFA for a while, I thank you for continuing to be anchors of support.

  Secondly, I would like to highlight some of the inspiring milestones your children reached this year. In every classroom, students tackled integrated thematic units built on rigorous skills and content standards, infused with Islamic beliefs and character. Some of my favorite units include 8th Grade's study of elements of storytelling in Surat Yusuf, 1st Grade’s Producer Fair, Kindergarten’s Healthy Food and Five Senses, 5th Grade’s Freshwater Science Lab, and 4th Grade’s Stamp Act Simulation. Along with opening young minds to great wonders, these daily inquiries cultivate the very competencies measured by national benchmarks. During the May MAP session, students in grades 1-8 scored in the 78th percentile for Math and 71st percentile for Reading, while grades 2-8 reached the 79th percentile in Language Usage. Beyond academics, students served the umma in various ways, including packaging roughly 1,000 sandwiches for the Embry-Rucker Community Shelter and over 10,000 dehydrated meals for Islamic Relief. To cap off the year, our successful Preliminary Visit in April from the Virginia Association of Independent Schools confirmed that Al Fatih meets key standards of excellence and is poised for full accreditation this fall, Alhamdulillah.

  Thirdly, I recognize that this year brought its share of challenges. These included staffing classrooms, navigating weather-related closures, and helping families as they face uncertain economic times. Your resilience and collaboration helped turn these challenges into opportunities to build community. Additionally, your feedback was vital in helping us identify areas for improvement. Your candid responses to our May Admin/Teacher Survey are already guiding our plan to improve the experience for students and all stakeholders. I appreciate how seriously everyone took the “Pie Ustadh” incentive. Alhamdulillah, over 50% of families responded to the survey during what is possibly the busiest time of the school year. Enjoy a video of me being pied and some pictures that highlight our impromptu lesson on mathematical pi (hey, integration is the order of the day at AFA).

  Lastly, this was my first year serving you as Head of School. I’m deeply grateful for the encouragement and backing you have offered me in my inaugural year in this role. Changes to organizational leadership can be both exciting and challenging. I have learned a great deal about the curiosity of our students, the dedication of our teachers and staff, the stewardship of our board of directors, and the deep well of support that exists within our parent body and the larger community. Looking ahead, I will work with our administrative staff to pursue the following priorities for the next school year:

  Proactive Communication & Transparency: I will provide more frequent updates, specifically regarding the strategic work of the Head of School. Additionally, our administrative team will work to pre-emptively provide more information regarding our decision-making process for various scenarios that typically arise during the school year. We are also exploring how we can offer additional formal and informal feedback channels to ensure we hear if the changes we are making are having the intended impact.
  Further Support for Students: We are actively working to hire additional administrative and counseling staff to holistically serve students' academic, physical, social-emotional, and spiritual needs. We hope that an expanded team will help provide every child with more personalized attention and give teachers additional support to cultivate a thriving learning environment.
  Clear Roles & Processes: As we refine our internal processes and expand our team, we will communicate an updated organizational structure that clarifies administrative responsibilities. We hope that this will streamline communication and ensure your questions reach the right person quickly, allowing us to serve you and your children more effectively.
  With the inspiring imagery of Sayyiduna Ibrahim fresh still vivid in our hearts after Eid al-Adha, I am reminded that Allah brought forth from a barren valley (Q14:37) physical sustenance (i.e., the well of Zamzam) and spiritual sustenance (i.e., the prophethood of Sayyiduna Muhammad ﷺ). Just as Zamzam arose where none expected water, and just as timeless guidance blossomed in what seemed a lonely desert, I trust that He will continue to grant Al Fatih Academy the tangible resources and spiritual nourishment needed to thrive. May our shared efforts become channels through which Allah brings forth new wells of knowledge, character, and community, sustaining us for years to come.

  Have a safe and blessed summer.

  Regards,

  Ustadh Ismail
  Head of School
  Al Fatih Academy

• AFA Fall Fundraiser 2024
  

  

  We are excited to announce our 2024 Annual Fall Fundraiser has begun!

   

  AFA Safety and Security 2.0!

   

  This year, we are looking to raise $75,000 to help support our Safety and Security Campaign 2.0. This is an upgrade to our current safety and security measures that have evolved as technology and needs have grown. With these funds, we will add additional cameras, upgraded security systems and technological bandwidth to support the needs of the school.

   

  Ask your friends, family, neighbors and community to Support AFA &  your child’s class by donating NOW!  Jazākum ‘Allāhu Khayran!

   

  BONUS:
  Classes reaching their minimum goal of $4,000 will receive $500 to spend directly on their classrooms

  The top 3 THREE classes to raise the most amount of money will earn a special classwide prize

   

  Your Donations are...
  *Tax Deductible (AFA is a 501c3 non-profit organization) Tax Receipts will be provided!
  *Sadaqa Jaariya, allowing you to receive continuous blessings, in shaa Allah!

• Welcome our Head of School Dr. Ismail ibn Ali