page background

IFNSS Principal Newsletter

For Sunday, October 15th 2023

IFNSS Principal Newsletter For Sunday, October 15th 2023
zoom_out_map

عَنْ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي تَوَادِّهِمْ وَتَرَاحُمِهِمْ وَتَعَاطُفِهِمْ مَثَلُ الْجَسَدِ إِذَا اشْتَكَى مِنْهُ عُضْوٌ تَدَاعَى لَهُ سَائِرُ الْجَسَدِ بِالسَّهَرِ وَالْحُمَّى

Hadith of the Week: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The parable of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever.” Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6011,


بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

Assalamu alaikum respected parents,

I pray you are all well. 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 check out these great resources.


MORNING ASSEMBLY: Last Sunday (10/15), Our morning assembly was led by Sr Mariam Ahmed on the topic of understanding and helping our brothers and sisters with Special Needs. She read a stroybook to children that talked about the various abilities and unique needs children may have and how we can support them in sha Allah. We ended the assembly by making special dua for our brothers and sisters in Palestine.

PHOTO GALLERY

zoom_out_map
zoom_out_map

Morning Assembly w/Sr Mariam Ahmed

zoom_out_map

🍃🏵 🍃🏵 🍃🏵 🍃🏵

SPECIAL RESOURCES ON HOW TO TALK TO CHILDREN ABOUT EVENTS IN GAZA

Please check out these resources (books, activities, youtube videos, presentations) on how to talk to your children about Gaza.

NEW STUDENTS/ REGISTRATION

PLEASE NOTE that our 1st grade, 3rd grade, 6th grade and 7-8 grade Boys Classes are already FULL and we are sorry that we are not accepting any more students in the above mentioned classes. JazakAllah to all those parents who have already completed the registration process for their children. However, for any New Students whose registration is NOT COMPLETE, I strongly encourage parents to complete the registration as soon as possible, so we can officially add these students to our roster. You can do this by going to the IFN website at www.ifnonline.com. Next, Click on the "Education" tab in the top bar and click on "IFN Sunday School" on the left side bar. Next, you can go on the "Registration" webpage under IFN Sunday School where you can see the "Link to Register" as well all the "Helpful Documents" linked to help any of your question regarding registration and fee payment etc. Check out the 4 minute video below if you need additional help with registration.

Meet our Amazing Staff and Community Leaders ma Sha Allah!

Sr Eman Enaya - Quran & Arabic Coordinator, After School Arabic Program Lead, Daral Arqam Program Coordinator - An Excellent Leader & Educator, the "light" for our community ma Sha Allah, May Allah SWT always bless her and help us benefit from her wisdom and knowledge, Ameen

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.

🍃🏵 🍃🏵 🍃🏵 🍃🏵

NEWS YOU CAN USE!!

zoom_out_map

MESSAGE FROM Taha Tayyabi, Tarbiyah Circle Lead

Assalamu Alaikum Dear Community Members,
We are very excited to open registration for our redesigned high school youth program, Tarbiyyah Circle! Our program is organized by IFN young professionals and will be taught by qualified instructors who believe knowledge, mentorship, and community are the key ingredients in providing a healthy spiritual development for the youth. Our goal is to foster love for Islam and help them thrive as a young Muslims living in America using the teachings of the Quran and lessons from the Seerah.

Our program will be in the LRC from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays, starting October 8th. Topics will include Aqeedah, Seerah, diseases of the heart, Tafsir, Mental Health, Developing a Prophetic Community and more.
Please fill out the registration form below if you would like to sign up your teen:
https://tinyurl.com/TarbiyahCircleRegistration

JazakAllah khair,
Tarbiyah Circle Program
email: tarbiyah.circle@ifnonline.com
Phone number: 3128045206

Join Our Parent Announcements WhatsApp Group to Stay Informed!!

Exciting Updates for 2023-24 School Year

Separate Classes for 7th/8th Grade Boys and Girls

As most of you should be aware, this year we are excited to offer separate classes for 7th and 8th grade boys and girls such that 7th and 8th boys are combined in one class taught by male teachers and 7th and 8th grade girls are combined in another class taught by female teachers. This administrative decision was based on a thorough consideration of all the pros and cons, the specific needs of the students, and by taking into account the valuable input received from parents and staff members on the survey that was completed by parents as well staff in August 2023. See results of survey HERE. Our goal is always to make decisions that will benefit our students in sha Allah and create an optimal learning environment that supports our students' academic, emotional, and physical well-being. We understand that our community perspectives on this issue can vary based on cultural context, religious and personal beliefs. We respect any differences and value all feedback received. Please rest assured that our commitment to your child's education remains unwavering. We are excited about this change and believe that it will contribute positively to your child's growth and success. We understand that any change can be uncomfortable at first due to fear of the unknown. However, we encourage you all to approach this with an open and positive mindset and view it as an opportunity to learn, adapt, and discover new ways of doing things. Your attitude can influence the way you experience change and the impact it has on those around you. We pray that Allah SWT put His Barakat and “Khair” in this decision for our students, parents and staff. Ameen. JazakAllah for your ongoing support as we strive to provide the best learning environment for our students."

Differentiated Instruction for Quran & Arabic

Alhumdulillah, with the help of our Quran teachers team led by Sr Eman Enaya, Sr Zeinab Moutafa & Sr Ayesha Tanveer, we have updated our Quran & Arabic Curriculum this year to include more Tajweed in sha Allah. In addition, we are offering differentiated Quran & Arabic instruction to our students such that those who are ready for more challenge and memorizing longer surah's will be pulled out during the first two periods and will be challenged by Advance Quran & Arabic Teachers (Sr Eman Enaya & Sr Ayesha Tanveer). Also, those students who need extra help will be given 1:1 help by our Quran Accelerated Teachers who will provide additional help to students during their Quran and Arabic classes. This way we hope to meet the needs of all students in sha Allah who are at varying levels in their Quran recitation, memorization, and tajweed. Our Quran teachers have already started evaluating students and will be finalizing these placements over the next few weeks in sha Allah.

zoom_out_map

Opportunities for Parent Involvement

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

https://forms.gle/yzmiCst2JTystq5QA

Resources for Parents

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

Smore Templates
Smore is using Smore to create beautiful newsletters