IFNSS Principal Newsletter
Week of Sunday, October 29th, 2023
إِنَّ مِنْ أَكْمَلِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِيمَانًا أَحْسَنُهُمْ خُلُقًا وَأَلْطَفُهُمْ بِأَهْلِهِ
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2612
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
Assalamu alaikum respected parents,
I pray you are all well. We look forward to seeing our students tomorrow, November 5th, In sha Allah. Please REMEMBER TO CHANGE YOUR CLOCKS! (On Saturday Night, clocks are set back 1 hour, i.e. gaining one hour of extra sleep) in sha Allah.
MORNING ASSEMBLY: Last Sunday (10/29), Our morning assembly was led by Sr Mona Hamdan on the topic of "Do NOT BE A BLIND FOLLOWER" in the context of Halloween and how it is a pagan tradition. Rasullullah (S) taught us that every religion has its holidays. We, as Muslims, should respect these holidays, but we do not need to celebrate them. We have our own holidays that we
enjoy! Prophet Mohammad said, “He who imitates a nation is from them”.As strong Muslims with lots of knowledge of what Allah has revealed to us through the Messenger(S) we must stand for
the right and truth always, no matter what everyone else is doing. We shouldn’t be blind followers and say, “I did it because everyone else was doing it” Please see the Assembly Flyer HERE. All our students got "No Trick No Treat" Candy bags from Sunday School at the end of the day as a way to discourage students from going for trick or treat but still enjoy eating some candy in a halal way.
PHOTO GALLERY (Glimpse into Sunday School)
Morning Assembly w/ Sr Mona Hamdan
1st graders learning through art projects ma sha Allah
`1st graders learning names of Allah SWT through craft project
KG students practicing letters through puzzles
KG students learning through play
6th graders taking a Tajweed Quiz
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Meet our Amazing Staff Ma Sha Allah!
Br Ayaan Ahmed - Our extremely dedicated, responsible and passionate T.A. Ma Sha Allah! Our future leaders ma sha Allah!
This is one of my favorite sections of the Newsletter as I get to brag about our amazing team Alhumdulillah, who make Sunday School special. We are blessed and fortunate to have an excellent team of teachers and TA's who are very passionate and dedicated members of our community offering their valuable time and efforts to the noble cause of imparting Islamic education to our youth Alhumdulillah. Please refer to this FULL LIST OF TEACHERS for the 2023-24 school year along with their contact information. Our goal is help parents gets to know their children's teachers in sha Allah. Hence I will be introducing one to two teachers/TA's every week in my Newsletter Teacher Spot Light Section. See image below.
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NEWS YOU CAN USE!!
Increased Security Measures at IFN
With the current events going on, some of the parents have reached out to express concerns regarding security. I want to inform you that IFN is taking increased proactive security measures including increased security guards on premises during school hours and salah times, as well as locking of doors during these times. May Allah SWT protect our community and relieve the hardships of our brothers and sisters in Palestine. Ameen. I have added a Special Resources section on how to talk to your children about the events in Gaza, help them understand the situation better and ways in which we can help. Please feel free to check out these great resources.
Join Our Parent Announcements WhatsApp Group to Stay Informed!!
Opportunities for Parent Involvement at IFNSS
Parent involvement is essential for students development, leads to increased student achievement and success and offers many benefits. We highly encourage our parents to get involved at IFN Sunday School which is why we are offering several opportunities for parent involvement this year. These include the following:
1. Join Parent Support Group (PSG)
2. Become a Teaching Assistant
3. Become a Lunch/Recess Supervisor
4. Lead a Morning Assembly at Sunday School
5. Be a Substitute Teacher or TA
Please FILL OUT THIS FORM if you are interested in any of the above opportunities and we will contact you regarding next steps. Learn more about the above opportunities on THIS Document.
IFNSS PROCEDURES
Google Classrooms: Our teachers use Google Classrooms as the home to school connection to post announcements related to homework or classwork. All registered students have been invited to join their google classrooms. Please note that students have to be logged into their own IFN domain email accounts to access google classroom. I have attached Step by Step directions HERE on how to 1) access your child's IFN email account and then 2) use that to access their google classrooms. All returning students continue to use their existing IFN email accounts. We are try our best to create IFN email accounts for any NEW students who join us within 1 week of their start date. If you are having difficulty with your child's IFN email or Google Classroom, please reach out to your child's teacher and he/she will be able to help in sha'Allah.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR CHILDREN HAVE JOINED THEIR GOOGLE CLASSROOMS FOR ALL THREE SUBJECT AREAS i.e 1) Quran/Arabic, 2) Islamic Studies, 3) Islamic History. (Please note that KG through 8th graders have 3 google classrooms for each student. Pre-K students have 2 google classrooms for each student)
Morning Drop off begins at 9:30 and assembly starts at 9:45 in sha'Allah. Parents are requested to drop off their children at the front of the building and our staff will guide students to the Musallah area for assembly in sha'Allah. Parents can drive the car to the front of the building to drop off. Parents do not have to come inside the building for drop off as our staff will be at the front door to supervise students.
Tardy Procedures: We encourage all parents to drop their children between 9:30 - 9:45 as Assembly starts at 9:45 sharp. Classes start at 10:00 AM and any students who arrive after 10:10, need to check in at the office to get a Tardy pass. Parents are requested to bring their child to the office and NOT go straight to the classroom because it disrupts the learning of other students. If your child is late, they need to check in at the office to get a Tardy pass and one of our office staff will make sure they join their class.
Report Student Absence: If your child is going to be absent, please fill out THIS FORM to report their absence. Our office staff will check this form every week.
Morning Assembly. Every Sunday, we have our morning Assembly from 9:45 - 9:55 AM which is a great way to start the day. We begin with playing "99 Names of Allah SWT audio" which students love to listen to as they gather in the Men's Mussala and get seated in rows by their grade level and wait for the Assembly to begin promptly at 9:45. Our first Assembly of every month is run by Br. Imam Azfar which is a great opportunity for the students to get to know our Imam and benefit from his wisdom and knowledge. We also welcome parents and leaders from our own community to be the speakers for our Assembly. If you want to lead a morning assembly, please fill out the form linked above in the Parent Involvement Opportunities Section.
Lunch Procedures: All students get lunch at Sunday School (pizza and juice) and it is included in the Sunday School fee. Students can bring lunch from home if they want to but there will be no reduction in fee.
Bathroom Procedures: Students in grades 4th - 8th use a bathroom pass for bathroom break during any class period. Only 1 student at a time is allowed from a class to go for bathroom break. Students use a sign in and sign out sheet for bathroom break during class time and return to class promptly.
Cell Phone Policy: At IFN Sunday school, students are NOT allowed to use cell phone in the classroom during instructional time and all cell phones (if any) will be stored in “Cell Phone Boxes” for the duration of the class time and can only be used during breaks with teacher permission, at the end of class and during lunch/recess.
Salah Procedures: Dhuhr Salah is part of the Sunday School curriculum. We teach all students to respectfully pray behind the Imam and participate in "tasbeeh" and "dua" at the end. Parents who are in the upstairs musalla are requested to please go downstairs and wait in the lobby after Salah is done. TA's will bring all students down when they are done. We do not want the upstairs or lobby area to get too crowded. We appreciate your cooperation as we try to make the dismissal process safe for everyone.
Dismissal is after Dhuhr Salah at 1:30. Cones are placed in the front of the building to block the area for safety. Parents are requested to park their car in the parking lot and come to the front lobby to pick up their children. 4th through 8th grade students stand outside under staff supervision in designated areas and can leave when parents come to pick. Younger students in grades Pre-K through 3rd grade line up inside the lobby area and are escorted to parents as they come to pick up from the lobby. Please make sure to pick your children on time before 1:40 as our staff leave after 1:45 and we do not have enough staff to supervise students after 1:45. For any students who are not picked on time, parents have to come to the office and pick them from the office. We appreciate your cooperation in making sure dismissal is completed efficiently and safely for all students.
Early Dismissal: Please inform the class teacher and contact the Sunday School administration at ifnss.office@ifnonline.com for early dismissal requests. IF you are planning to pick up your child/children early please fill out an “Early Release Permission” slip at the office.
Lost & Found!Teachers try their best to remind students to take their belongings. However, some students forget their belongings. We have a Lost and Found Box in the Sunday School Office. If your child has lost some of their belongings, please be sure to check the Lost and Found Box which is kept in the Lobby at Dismissal Time. We dispose off/donate items that are not claimed. JazakAllah for your cooperation.
IFNSS Behavior Expectations
IFNSS AFTER SCHOOL OPTIONAL ARABIC PROGRAM
Alhamdulillah, IFN Sunday School has successfully run the Arabic program for the past 7 years which has been integrated within the Sunday School as an After School Program.
**The goal of this Arabic program is to provide children with proper building blocks to learn how to read, write and understand the Arabic language so that your child may gradually learn to read and understand the Qur''an in the best of manners, Inshallah.
**This program is optional for all grade levels.
This program started on Sunday 9/17/23 and takes place every Sunday from 1:40-2:50. There is a small fee to cover books and materials. Sister Eman and Sr Zainab are overseeing the program. For registration or If you have any questions about the Arabic Program, please contact Sister Eman at 312-813-0526 or via email, emanenaya@yahoo.com.
IFNSS MUHSEN PROGRAM
IFN Sunday School team proudly partners with MUHSEN (Muslims Understanding and Helping Special Education Needs) Non profit Program to support and include all students with specific needs. For specific questions, please feel free to contact MUHSEN Facilitators, Sr. Sadia Thiryayi <sadia.thiryayi@ifnonline.com> and Br. Shaaz Adeel <shaaz.adeel@ifnonline.com>
Forms to Complete
Parents, Please complete the following three forms if you have not already done so.
IFN Sunday School Parent/Student Handbook - please review.
1. Link to Handbook Acknowledgement Form
https://forms.gle/CS4VRUpVbR4WE3Ru8
3. Link to Photo Consent Form
https://forms.gle/uFdAQBF9RBXwB26r8
4. Link to Medical Emergency Form
Resources for Parents
Other Helpful Links for Parents to Keep Handy
IMPORTANT CONTACTS FOR EASY REFERENCE!!
You can call the IFN main phone number 847-406-3730 and then Dial Extension 222 for Sunday School Office
Principal - Sr. Saddaf Raheel - ifnss.principal@ifnonline.com
Co-Vice Principal - Sr. Samina Anwar - samina.t.anwar@ifnonline.com
- Co-Vice Principal - Sr. Muizza Suglatwala - muizza.suglatwala@ifnonline.com
Office Manager - Sr. Saba Fuad - ifnss.office@ifnonline.com
Registrar - ifnss.registrar@ifnonline.com
Education Committee Chair - Dr. Zafeer Ahmad zafeer.ahmad@ifnonline.com
IFN President - Br Ahmed Nader - ahmed.nader@ifnonline.com
IFN Vice President - Br. Mohamed Eslam meslam.mohamed@ifnonline.com
MUHSEN Facilitators, Sr. Sadia Thiryayi sadia.thiryayi@ifnonline.com & Br. Shaaz Adeel shaaz.adeel@ifnonline.com
Sunday School After School Arabic Program Coordinator - Sister Eman Enaya 312-813-0526 emanenaya@yahoo.com.
Tarbiyah Circle Program Lead: Taha Tayyabi : tarbiyah.circle@ifnonline.com Phone: 3128045206