Madina Academy
March 2021
Ramadhan is fast approaching. InshAllah, we will have a shortened schedule as we did last year: 8AM-1:30PM. Ramadhan schedule will be sent out shortly.
Also, Spring break will fall in the first week of Ramadhan: April, 12th-16th. Right after we come back from the Spring break, Middle and High school third quarter will end on April 21st. Please check Schoology regularly, and remind your child/ren to complete missing work/assignments.
Even though we have had a very different year this year, MA students have seized every opportunity to continue the school tradition; our students have won awards for History Day, State Science Fair, and we also had a winner for the Hassan Hathout Essay competition as stated below. In preparation for Ramadhan, students are facilitating fundraising projects for Islamic studies. Today, we had an exceptionally successful day with the 6th grade Non Uniform fundraiser! What a great start! Also today, students were in full swing pranking mood, with it being April 1st. Enjoy the pictures below and the rest of the student-led Madina Academy Newsletter.
Masuda Vohra
Events at Madina
This past month has been a busy month for everyone, especially the students. Some of the seventh and eighth grade students participated in our annual Connecticut Science and Engineering Fair and History Day. Salma Mahmoud in the 8th grade was ONE OF THE TOP THREE contestants in the Hassan Hathout essay competition! Well done Salma! With the help of Mr. Coleman, our science teacher, the 7th grade girls and boys both received 1st place honors in the Science Fair: 7th grade girls were awarded 2ND PLACE (Bayan Abed, Zainah Khaliq, and Noora Khalid) 7th grade boys cam in 3RD PLACE (Hamza Mhaidat, Shah Sheikh, Adam Afolabi ) It was their first year participating in it as well! Tasneem Zoghol took home a bunch of awards and prize money. Rejhan Ajdinoski, Yameen Ahmed, and Aanum Khan all placed 2ND in their respective categories for History Day. They are all headed for the state contest in April. It comes as no surprise that Tasneem Zoghol placed 2ND in her category for History Day and received 3RD HONORS for her project in the Science Fair. Madina Academy is proud to have such talented and diligent students represent them!
Spirit Week also took place this month from March 8th-12th. Many students enjoyed the different styles of non-uniform throughout the week, as well as the teachers. For Read Across America, students dressed up as different book characters on Wednesday March 10th.
STUDENT OF THE MONTH: LEENA RAZEQ 6th Grade
Leena Razeq in the sixth grade was a unanimous vote for her teachers for Student of the Month. Her perseverance and commitment to her work are what caught the eye of not one, but many teachers. Her hard work has paid off as she continues to excel academically in her classes. Keep it up Leena!
Interviews: Maryam Akbar by Haneen Abuteen
Maryam Akbar is a new student in the ninth grade who just transferred from a school in Pakistan and is planning to stay long-term. She is taking online classes at the moment but really enjoyed the school when she first visited it. We interviewed her about her experience at Madina Academy so far.
Did you feel welcomed when you arrived here?
“I felt very welcomed here. The teachers were nice and introduced me to the courses here. My classmates were also very nice to me. The one who welcomed me the most was Yasmeen. She told me things that I needed to know and I did not feel left out.”
What is your favorite class here?
“My favorite class here would be US history. In Pakistan, I took Pakistani history. The book for the class which is assigned by the government was pretty hard so naturally, I thought US History was going to be a pretty tough class but was actually surprised at how easy it was to understand. Another favorite class of mine would be Algebra 1. It is pretty easy to understand thanks to Ms. Amal.”
Is there anything specific that was difficult for you when you transferred schools?
“Nothing was difficult when I transferred schools but I live pretty far away from the school. It is about a 30 minute drive so if I were closer to the school, I would reach there earlier.”
Which school did you attend before Madina Academy?
“I attended a school in Pakistan called Grammar School Gujrat….Before that, I went to Haddam Killingworth Middle School and Haddam Elementary School when I lived here.”
Do you think you adjusted well to this school?
“Personally, I know how schools and the American society are like here, so adjusting into a school with a Muslim atmosphere was no problem at all.”
For Students by Students: Self-Help Article: By Ridaa Khan
Time Management
Trying to avoid procrastination can be difficult since we tend to do everything at the last minute. To help refrain from letting everything pile up, we can manage our time. Time management focuses on setting priorities and intervals of time in which we can do them to accomplish our goals. It improves productivity as well as efficiency. Some ways would be to organize yourself and set time limits for each task. If you get an assignment, it’s best to start the day it was assigned. Even doing a small part of it or just a little background research will reduce a little bit of the assignment everyday. Try keeping yourself in a constant cycle of reviewing your work so that the information is more familiar to you when you have a test. Planners are a popular way to help organize and manage your everyday tasks. They help to get in the habit of making schedules and planning ahead of time, which will benefit you in the long run. Being able to manage your time wisely allows you to accomplish your goals efficiently and take the strain off of difficult tasks. Managing your time leaves you with less stress, extra time for personal pursuits, and being able to set your goals.
Opinion Piece by Wali Shaikh
Madina Academy should incorporate the Arabic language into their curriculum because Arabic is the language of the Quran. It is a language spoken in 25 countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Arabic is so rich that the British council made it a mandatory language to learn. How do you teach it? The best way to teach a language is to teach words and phrases and begin speaking with your students.
“The parable of those who were charged with the Torah and then they failed to live up to it is that of a donkey laden with books." Even more evil is the parable of the people who gave the lie to the Signs of Allah. Allah does not direct such wrong-doers to the Right Way." Some of them did not understand the Hebrew language. For the others, they did not understand what the Torah was saying in its essence. Allah is telling us here about why we should not be like them and should understand the Quran.
Arabic is popular in many countries around the world. Millions of people speak Arabic worldwide. It is useful to know because most Arab countries are very successful. Teaching Arabic at Madina Academy will help the students become more successful later on in life. Teaching the Arabic language will give Madina Academy a chance to increase its income and popularity among the Windsor schools.
In my opinion, you should teach languages by speaking them to your students and cutting out a few minutes of class time for them to chat among themselves on one condition. They can only speak Arabic. I believe in this method because it builds an understanding of the language that you are learning. There is still one missing aspect, and that is homework. How do you assign work to your students that will allow them to learn fast and have fun while learning? The answer to this question is the website Memrise.com. It is a free website that lets you learn at your own pace. In my opinion, you should assign 20 minutes every week.
Arabic is a rich and diverse language because it is the language of the Quran, it is the second most popular language, and the way to learn it is by talking to your students and assigning the website shown above.
Opinion Piece: By Ridaa Khan
Transition to High School- Ridaa Khan
Transitioning from middle school to high school can result in some major changes which can be hard to adjust to at first, but gradually becomes easier throughout the year. It’s crucial to stay caught up with your work because it is easy to fall behind. In high school, you can’t get away with not turning work in on time. The classes will continue to get more difficult and the rules stricter. You have to put effort and time into your work. Making sure you understand how high school credits work and how many are required will help you decide what classes to take. There are definitely advantages that come with becoming a high schooler. You earn more privileges and get to participate in afterschool activities that you wouldn’t be able to in middle school. High school provides the material and guidelines to prepare you for college and more difficult assignments.
MARCH: POETRY MONTH
The combative thunder shouting, shrieking and screaming.
Behold the ornery little rascal taking a glimpse
at the rain, wanting to shout, shriek, and scream with the thunder. Soaking wet with
dark days and darker nights. Muddy shoes carrying the little rascal in the house. Running
away from the hurtful thunder crashing
down on everyone. The combative thunder shouting, shrieking, and screaming.
Remember When by Wali Shaikh
Trump wasn't suitable for president.
He suggested that we put lysol in people to fight Covid 19.
Why did he think that?
I remember that Biden wasn't much better than Trump.
He fell asleep during a conference.
How is that possible?
The people thought that they should choose the lesser of the two evils. So Biden won.
But who decided on the candidates?
List Poem: Wishful Thinking by Minal Khan
Wishing to be smarter,
Wishing to impress.
The perfect image in your head that you're trying to portray.
That little spark of hope in the
back of you head. That feeling of
defeat. Your mind in a daze
Your hopes of easiness and triumph.
Watch as that hope slowly fades away,
Wishful Thinking.
I Remember When by Faqiha Faheem
full of hope and joy.
But when the news came..
What did I do wrong?
I remember when I heard
the tragic, shocking news
of the anonymous death.
Why did my sibling die?
I remember when I had hope,
but darkness took over..
I remind myself that it's God's will
But, is it my fault?
Ms. Pam by Abdullah Khalid
We could talk and have fun.
It was the best time ever!
What would happen if she was here?
I remember when I took her for granted.
I never want to do it again.
When it happened, I scolded myself.
Would things be better if I didn't?
I remember when I saw her grave.
I opened the door for her, sadly,
I wish she was back,
and if she was, would I even write this?
Extended Cinquain: Chrome books by Ayoub Elemrani
Chrome Books
They are so slowWindows are much better
Even Mac Books are better
Chrome Books!
Chrome books
They don't even work,
What was Google thinking?
An excuse for a laptop
Chrome books
Chrome books
they are laggy, nobody seems to like them
We would prefer normal laptops, please
Chrome books
List Poem: Ramadhan by Salma Eid
I wake up early for Suhoor
I need to fast.
Ramadhan is an amazing month
In Ramadhan, we get beautiful lanterns
I go to the masjid, everywhere.
Ramadhan is an amazing month
I eat at Maghrib,
The ice cream truck comes after I eat,
Ramadhan is an amazing month!
Br. Abdul Malik Classes: Ramadhan Projects
Daily messages to send to the school community, sending a donation for poor children in Syria (non-uniform day), and creating Thank You posters/postcards to send to Hospitals
7th Grade
Creating and sending Thank You cards to the school's janitors and first responders, and planting flowers in the school garden. Each student donates $3
8th Grade
Sending a donation to the needy in Yemen (non-uniform day), and going to North West park to pick litter
9th Grade
Contributing own monies to sponsor an Iftar at the masjid.
10th Grade
Sending cards with messages of comfort to Nursing Home residents
11th/12th Grade
Ramadan Reminders (short talks) on Tuesdays and Thursday during Ramadan after salat
List Poem by Leena Razeq
Dogs
Wake up in the morning
dogs already barking
key and leash jingles
morning sun twinkles
The sidewalk is wet
dog isn’t done yet…
as i look down, i can’t
help but feel a tinge of regret
Smell of wet fur
Glasses a blur
tail is wagging
dogs a’ dragging
toys that squeak
silence i seek
