Madina Academy

As salaam alaikum Madina Academy Parents,

The Spring 2024 NWEA MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) Testing Week is scheduled to start on Tuesday, May 28th, and conclude on Tuesday, June 4th. During this critical week, all Madina Academy students must participate in comprehensive assessments that measure academic progress and proficiency.

Attendance throughout this period is mandatory as these tests are critical to your child's academic journey. The NWEA MAP tests provide essential insights into your child's educational progress and are crucial to our holistic assessment of students' understanding and capabilities.

Please note that taking the MAP test is a requirement for promotion to the next grade level. We encourage all parents and guardians to ensure their children are prepared for the testing week, well-rested, and on time each day.

Thanks,

Dr. Ray Cooper

Principal

May 28th Enrollment/Reenrollment opens for new and returning

May 31st Pre-K/KG, Grade 5 Graduation

June 5th Elementary Classroom Awards (grades 1-4)

June 6th Field Day

June 8th Grade 8/12th grade Graduation

Principal, Dr. Cooper & Nurse Ismerelda worked hard to ensure every Madina student receives vision screening through Windsor Lions Club.

We are praying for the History Day Finalists going to National Championships in June! May You be Successful!

Marriam Haroun won First Place in the Law Day competition. The visual she created will remain in the Supreme Court room as a symbol of our unifying diversity as American Citizens. What a great honor!

Following Spring Break, Madina Academy PTS hosted an Eid party for all students. The day began with activities for the younger kids, like henna and face painting. Our PTS volunteers served delicious snacks (juicy watermelon and crunchy goldfish) while our high school volunteers worked at the activity stations, showcasing their amazing skills and talent! Outside, students enjoyed more activities, including volleyball, soccer, basketball, and an awesome bounce house. Biryani and salad platters were offered for lunch, followed by ice cream for dessert. Each and every kid left for the weekend carrying the best goodie bag yet! The PTS works so hard to make the year memorable for our students. We really appreciate the work they do!

On April 30th, the 11th-grade class hosted a Mad Acad Night. The event was a great way to bring the Madina Academy and the Muslim community together and have an enjoyable time in an Islamic environment. The 11th graders set up sports tournaments in the basketball and soccer areas as well as movies for people to enjoy. A wide variety of snacks were on sale, such as popcorn, cupcakes, chips, and more. The event was a great success and the class was able to raise funds for their senior trip.

The National Honors Society (NHS) is a student organization that equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to become leaders. After an extensive pause due to COVID-19, the Madina Academy NHS recuperated at the start of the school year. This year, our focus has been on fundraising for the Gaza Emergency Relief, a cause that holds significant importance to us and the community.

Recently, four NHS members had the opportunity to attend the Connecticut Association of National Honor Societies’ annual conference at Southern Connecticut State University. The conference emphasized the four pillars of NHS Chapters: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character. Various workshops provided insights into implementing and enhancing these pillars in both school and personal life. Additionally, a panel of speakers, comprising students from SCSU, shared their leadership journeys, inspiring us with their experiences.

The highlight of the conference was the election of the CANHS executive officers for the 2024-2025 term. These officers oversee all NHS Chapters in Connecticut and organize conferences throughout the year. Some of our own students bravely applied for these roles, and we hope for their success!

As an NHS member myself, I can attest to the impact of this conference. It has motivated us to strive for improvement within our organization and the broader school community. With NHS induction forms now available for interested high school students, we are eager to welcome new members and continue our journey of leadership. Together, we aim to make a positive difference in our school and beyond.

Dual Enrollment at Madina Academy offers Juniors and Seniors the opportunity to enroll in college-level courses at community colleges. This program enables students to start earning college credits during 11th and 12th grade, potentially entering college with many required courses already completed. As a result, students have more flexibility to pursue electives and even double majors in college.

Registration for the dual enrollment program has begun at Madina Academy, with upcoming 11th and 12th graders submitting their applications and selecting classes for the fall 2024 and/or summer 2024 terms. These classes are available in online, hybrid, or in-person formats at Connecticut Community Colleges. Additionally, Madina Academy has established a partnership with Southern Connecticut State University, offering students the opportunity to take two college courses at SCSU for free, with a total of up to ten tuition-free courses per year.

Mustafa Mutlu

1. What did you think of the Eid party?

“What I liked about the Eid party was how it brought all of us together for a festive time and to eat together as Muslim brothers and sisters. Activity-wise, I really liked going to the bouncy house, playing with my friends, and playing basketball (because I like basketball a lot).”

2. What level of standards do you need to get into MCC? (based on academic performances such as levels of GPA)

“I think educational-wise, you have to have a well-rounded education because what they do is they check your transcripts to see if they can accept you into these community colleges; however, it's not difficult to get in. You just need to be an attending student who likes to do their work and hands it in on time. If I could give a number for GPA-wise, I would say around maybe like a 3.0, you know but in the end, it's really if you're passing or not.”

3. What are your expectations for the college dual program experience?

“From my friends, I heard it's an amazing experience. I'm just a little nervous however, because the college-level classes might be more difficult than the classes I took in high school but you know, I'll do the best I can, and we'll see how it goes.”

Tasneem Haroun

1. How does the college dual program impact your overall experience in college? Does it help you predict what you may come across in the future?

“College classes did help me predict what I may come across in the future because they showed me what college classes are gonna be like once I graduate, except they're probably a little more different at UConn than they are at community college. It helped me, you know, get used to new people because in college you meet a lot of people not just the same Mad Acad students that I see every single day. It's actually better because I just go and take Chemistry from 12:30 to 3:15 and then I'm done with the day and yeah that's it.”

2. Do you think the college dual program impacted your education and future career?

“I do think the college dual program impacted my education and future career because now I don't need to take as many courses when I graduate you know if I graduated without taking these courses, then I would've needed to do so much more college classes but now I've lessened the amount of courses that I need to take when I graduate so instead of graduating in four years, I can now graduate in three years.”

3. What advice would you offer to current high school students considering participating in a college dual program?

“Definitely take three courses instead of two if you can do it if you have time because you can graduate earlier and take fewer courses when you graduate. Don't take too many like four or five and try to take as many online courses as you can. For Bio and Chem you can't take them online but take English online, math you can sometimes take online, so try to take that online.”

Q: I am trying to get closer to my deen, but I always end up comparing myself to others and it really discourages me. How can I focus on myself and not others on my religious journey?

A: Even those who are born Muslim have to find Allah. Sometimes, it can be harder for born-Muslims because we take for granted the religion we were born into. The fact that you are aware of your faith level is the first step. Comparing yourself to others, however, can be either damaging or productive -- it’s not so black and white. Comparing yourself to others can be negative when it gets you down and makes you think you can never achieve what they have. However, it can be positive when you use others as a benchmark for what you want to achieve and strive to be like them. Even the sahaba used to compare themselves to each other. Omar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) used to always look at what Abu Bakr (RA) used to do and think he was not doing enough in comparison. If some of the greatest people in the time of the Prophet used to compare, then it is hard to imagine us not doing so either. Instead, ensure that you remember you are at your own pace, and that the people you look at have also gone through this journey. Instead of viewing them as untouchable, change your perspective and see what they do as goals for yourself. If someone else is very punctual with their prayers and you aren’t, work bit by bit to reach that level. Use people as inspiration, and the best inspiration is the Prophet (SAW). Always remember that no matter how hard it is for you, Allah (SWT) promised us that if we come close to him by the length of a hand, He will come close to us the length of an arm. If we come to Him crawling, He will come to us walking. If we come to him walking, He will come to us running. Allah sees all your efforts, no matter how small, and you will be rewarded for them.

May Allah guide you and make your journey easy.

“I can’t really sleep anymore.”

“Why is that, honey?” My mom looks me deep in the eyes. Her hands lay neatly on our kitchen table, her three-day-old nail polish not even slightly chipped. The clock on the oven reads 11:56 P.M., and the horrible buzzing sound from the refrigerator just keeps getting louder and louder. I can feel it in my throat, in my chest.

I look away from her concerned gaze. I look down at my own fingernails, which are bitten down as far as they can be. I pull a hangnail, and it bleeds. Compared to her, I am not so put together. Reluctantly, I direct my attention back to her.

“I don’t know, Mom. I don’t really know how to explain it. You wouldn’t understand,” I tell her, my voice low.

“Oh, you think I wouldn’t. Try me,” my mom says, almost like she’s challenging me.

I sigh. She won’t let me leave without at least trying, so I give it a shot. “When I lay in bed and I shut my eyes, it’s like the darkness is closing around me. Like it’s getting tighter and tighter around me and if I don’t stay awake it’s gonna-”

“Take you in your sleep?” My mom interrupts.

I stare at her for a moment before asking, “How did you know?”

My mom shrugged. “I told you I might understand. There are no unique experiences, you know? What’s weighing on you so heavily is probably burdening so many others. You just can’t see it.”

“But Mom, you seem so… in control? If that makes sense? You always seem to know what you’re doing. I don’t get it, I thought your life was more or less perfect,” I said.

My mom laughed for a few moments before pausing to look at me. In a serious voice, she said words that would stay with me forever. “Honey, the only thing I’m in control of is what I pretend to be. No one’s life is perfect. You just get better at hiding it as you grow older. But I want you to know that I am someone you never have to worry about pretending in front of, okay? I’m always here for you. Let your walls down, okay?”

I take a deep breath and tell her everything that’s been on my mind. It feels like the boulder sitting on my chest has been lifted off.

Let’s see who can complete these spring activities in under 10 minutes!

1. What question can you never answer yes to?

2. What can you break, even if you never pick it up or touch it?

3. You see a boat filled with people, yet there isn’t a single person on board. How is that possible?

4. A man dies of old age on his 25 birthday. How is this possible?

5. What can you hold in your left hand but not in your right?

• Brits (British people) drink about 100 million cups of tea per day!

• Human teeth are the only part of the human body that can’t heal themselves.

• The Black Sapote fruit tastes like chocolate pudding!

• The real name for a hashtag is octothorpe.

• The letter “J” was the last added to the English alphabet!

1. Malakh is a name for what?

2. After the Mahdi arrives, smoke or fog will cloud the skies for how long?

3. How many times will the trumpet be blown at the end of time?

4. What was the first major battle in Islam in the time of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)?

5. According to ritual, a Muslim says Adhan and Iqamah into a newborn's ear. Into which ear is Iqamah whispered? (right or left)

1. A bottle.

2. A feather.

3. SWIMS.

4. Because it has Greece at the bottom.

5. A kitten.

1. Seven to nine years.

2. Total submission to god.

3. Shawwal.

4. Shirk.

What is the difference between Sunni and Shia Islam, and what events caused these two sides to split?

The first to find and email the answer to zainahk@madinaacademy.org wins a prize (e.g., small candy/chocolate)