Assalam Alaikum,
Rain Rain Go away…. No, no, nix that…stay to replenish what we have used, and then come again another day… so my pre-k kids can go out to play!...Here we find ourselves in February, my my time flies fast, I find it hard to keep up sometimes! Happy reading!
Important Dates/Reminders:
Tues. Feb. 9: Field Trip to Seascapes Fish Store, Mountain View
Mon. Feb. 15-19th: Mid-Year Break, No School
Wed. Mar. 3: Field Trip: Marine Science Institute, Redwood City, $15
11:30-2:30, Please pick up children at 3:00 on this day.
*please log in and out
*take home artwork in cubbies
Progress Reports:
At the end of this month instead of parent teacher conferences I will be handing out progress reports to give the parents an idea of what has happened since the last conferences. After receiving these parents will still be welcomed to schedule an appt. for a parent teacher conference if needed.
Re-enrollment and Open Enrollment:
Re-enrollment will be offered to all students currently in the program. The deadline to re-enroll is March 15. After this there will be open enrollment to the general public which will be on a first come first serve basis. Please remember we have limited spaces available for next year, and they do fill up quickly. There will be a deposit of $50 recquired which will go towards your September tuition. Forms will be available after the Feb. holidays.
Last Month:
January was Rockin’!!!!, literally… experimenting with sound vibrations, trying to grow crystals, a rock hunt.. that was all cool, but nothing was as awesome as seeing the children’s faces light up as their volcanoes exploded…man… that’s what we want to see, excitement, enthusiasm, and the feelings of achievement the children feel when their projects come together! Dinosaur week was not too shabby either… earning their archeologist badges took some work, but boy did they deserve it. They dug to find fossils, which they “hypothesized” was a brachiasaurus because of the long neck bone… but put together the skeleton, and made plaster moulds of the bones, which was a lengthy but worthwhile process. We also reviewed our adding skills with our Dino-mite Dino-math! Well, as you see the projects come home, don’t be afraid to ask what was involved in making them, sometimes I can’t write about every detail in the class, but would love to share with you. Lastly, the kids were totally well behaved during the showing of Good night moon, and found the play quite entertaining and silly. As for Planet Granite, the pictures will be worth a thousand words, but I want to thank Liqa for her terrific climbing demonstration and skills!
This month:
We will be diving deep into the ocean blue to discover all kinds of sea creatures, the first week will focus on introducing some sea-life, location of oceans, and the letter O, the second week will revolve around knowing the ocean through our sense, mainly texture and sounds, the last week, will be about the beach and sea-shore. We will be acquiring our new “class pet” in Feb, to be chosen by the children, and a great opportunity to actually feel and see sea-life through the science institute.
Field Trips:
1. Seascapes: this is a fish store located off of evelyn in mountain view, the owner will be talking to the kids about salt water and fresh water fish, how to take care of them, and differences between fish and reptiles. The kids will help choose our class pet and we will be setting up our own school aquarium.
2. Marine Science Institute: The children will be taking a 2 hour tour of the tide pools and shore, and will be rotating between 4 centers in which they will be interacting with the marine life in different ways. The total cost of the field trip is $250.00, so I am asking the each child bring $15, to cover as much as possible, and inshaAllah the school will cover the rest. I highly encourage the kids, who do not regularly come on Wed. to participate for the very special field trp. All parents welcome to come as always. The timing will be 11:30-2:00, and we will expect to come back by 2:30. Pick-up at 3:00 for this day only!
Arabic:
MashaAllah, I am so proud of our children, Teacher Miral’s group will be finishing up Surah Takathur and will be starting Surah’s Asr and Humazah this month. Instead of surah review, on mon, wed. and fri, Teacher Miral has been focusing primarily on pronunciation of certain words and letters, and has been doing 3-Letter reading with the Fath-ha for the older children, including the half letters. Surah Review is done on tues and thurs, along with the vocab and letter review. Teacher Lubna’s group started Surah Lahab, and will cont. onto Surah Kawther, inshaAllah. The activity based listening centers have been key in helping them memorize so quickly and easily. Last month we did the letters Sheen for shaheena(truck), and Saad for sakhr (rocks), and Daad for dirse (back molar teeth). This month we will be doing Letters Ayn, Ghayn, and Faa.
The children are also doing well in speaking conversation style.. they so far can say: ma ismooka/ki, what is your name, isme ***, my name is **, kayfa halek, how are you, alhamdulillah, fine, ayna **, where is **, hiya/huwa hunna, he/she is there. We will cont. to practice this along with a new part to this conversation.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
January 2010/Dec. 2009 Newsletter
Newsletter January 2010/December 2009
Hooray for 2010! Happy New Years to everyone, may the year be filled with positivity, creativity, and much learning! Can’t wait to see all of you next week, missing all my kids, and looking forward to an AWESOME new year. We’ve had many things updated in the class and some new classroom materials just waiting to be used! Inshaallah Monday January 4th will start school as usual, please take some time to empty out cubbies, update change of clothes/art smocks, and emergency cards when you come!
Important Dates:
Friday Jan. 8th: Ice Skating Vallco Park, admission cost: $12
Wed. Jan. 13th: Play: Good Night Moon, Santa Clara University $8
Thurs Jan. 28th: Field Trip Planet Granite: Rock Climbing, please sign waiver form and leave copy of driver’s license.
Welcome and Farewell:
We would like to send our sincerest wishes to Ismaeel and his family who will be moving down south. We wish the all the best and many blessing in their new home. We are also sending our heartiest congratulations to Abdulsalam’s family who were blessed with twins this past month. May Allah bless their growing family! Ameen. We would like to also welcome all our new students who will be joining us this new year!
Parent Volunteers: Can you help out? Let me know!
Lamination cut-outs, Activity Prep cut-outs:
Description
Cut out pictures, words, etc. that will be used in the class activities,
Snack Shopping
Description
Go to Costco/grocery store to buy snacks/supplies that need to be replenished. All will be reimbursed with a check.
Arabic Activity Prep.
Description
Many of the Arabic games we use are made up, and we need help to cut-out pieces, glue, put together kits, etc.
Library Services
Description
Pick up books put on hold, or search for books related to upcoming themes, drop off books, at Santa Clara Library
Flannel Board Stories
Description
Cut out and glue pieces to flannel board stories ,make flannel backdrops
Last month:
Here’s a recap of Nov. and Dec.. November had us back in our community, looking into local spots and neighborhood helpers. One of the highlights of this unit was the creation of our own model city. Using wooden blocks, glue and screws and lotsa paint, the kids got together in pairs to contribute buildings and roads to the city. MashaAllah I was really really proud to see them create ideas from a plan on paper, intention, purpose, to an actual 3-D model. We made ginger-bread cars, and had fun with fire-safety. November brought us the idea of team-work and respect. Many of the art projects and p.e. games were focused on 2-3 people trying to achieve the same goal. We had 3 legged races, and tug-of –war being some of our favorites. The idea of togetherness was expanded to include our global community as it was the time of our blessed Eid al Adha. The story of Prophet Ibrahim was the foundation for building on trust and universal dependence on Allah swt. The children’s hearts went out to Hajjar and her desperate search for water. When all of this was translated into the obligatory acts of Hajj, the children not only understood what was going on, but they recognized the need to see all muslims as our Ummah!.
After Eid, we shifted gears into a fun experiment filled unit on water, ice and snow. We had 2 weeks of fabulous observations and “cool” art projects which included our penguins and shaving cream polar bears, rainsticks, ice balls, and sugar cube igloos. We postponed our field trip to the first week of January, to the ice rink, which I’m sure the children will love!
This month:
We will be off on a journey trekking thorough mountains and volcanoes. We will be studying rocks, crystals and even dinosaur fossils. We will explore the opposites of hard vs. soft and high vs. low. This unit will also include a Dinosuar unit, and explorations in sound, echoes and vibrations. We will be having 3 field trips this month, please be sure to keep track of the dates and let us know which ones you will be participating in.
Field Trips:
Ice Skating, Jan. 8th: We will be needing a 1:1 ratio for the children in order for them to have a great experience at the skating center. I am currently looking for any volunteers for Friday morning from 9:30-12 to join us at the Vallco Ice Chalet in Cupertino. If you know anybody or can come, please let me know. The cost for admission and rental is $12/child and adult. In case of any volunteer shortages, we may postpone this field trip one more time. Confirmation will be announced by Wed.
Jan. 13: California Theatre Center, Santa Clara University: Good Night Moon: Delight in this musical adaptation of the Margaret Wise Brown book that has been a favorite of children and their parents for over half a century. A small bunny goes through the gentle, reassuring ritual of bedtime as details from the wonderful illustrations by Clement Hurd come to life with lively musical numbers, colorful characters and tap dancing bears playing musical chairs in the Great Green Room. "Good night stars/ Goodnight air/ Goodnight noises everywhere!"
Jan. 28th: Planet Granite, Sunnyvale: To conclude our Rocks theme, we will be given a tour and a special rock climbing demonstration. All children need to have a signed waiver and a copy of parents drivers license, which will be returned to you. Children who are 40 pounds or more, will be allowed to attempt rock climbing.
Arabic: During November and December we added some great vocabulary: Daal: daira circle, Dhaal: dhikr: remembrance of Allah, Raa: raas, face, Zaa: zamzam: holy water, Seen: sahaab, cloud. Teacher Miral’s group finished surah Adiyat and Surah Qariah, and will be starting with Surah Takathur then Surah Asr. They are currently working on reading 3 letter words with the Fatha sound. We will be reviewing a bit more before starting the Damma sounds. Teacher Lubna’s group, finished Surah Ikhlaas, and will be moving onto Surah Masad.
Monday, November 2, 2009
November Newsletter
Newsletter Nov. 2009
My, my my, November starts with even more warm weather…what a trip! InshaAllah all this sunshine will help keep the colds at bay and rev up some energy for the coming winter. Woohooo…Bakrah Eid is almost here, and I can’t wait to teach the concept of Hajj. MA, Prophet Ibrahim’s story is the one of the few that I have seen have such a strong impact on the children. I look forward to a great November! Happy Reading…
Important Dates and Reminders:
Nov. 6 TBC, Field Trip to Library
Nov. 18 TBC, Field Trip to Fire Station
Nov. 25th: Eid Party
Nov. 25th: Scholastic Book Orders Due
Nov. 26-Dec. 2: Thanksgiving/Eid Holiday No School
*extra change of clothes
Updates:
Scholastic Book Orders will be available for those parents interested, and will no longer be passed out in the folder. Please ask me for the monthly catalogue if you wish to take a look or order.
Canned Food Drive: For last Eid, we collected coins in our Sadaqa jars and dollar leaves for our Barakah Blossoms. This Eid we will be collecting non-perishable and canned food items to be presented to Rahima Foundation to help feed people in our local area. Please periodically send canned food, or non-perishable items with your children. Each time something gets brought in we will be adding a person to our community poster which will be presented on the Eid party day! Lets encourage our children to share and give what we have with open hands!
Smocky Situation: I have to apologize for the lack of smocks this year, unfortunately the new ones haven’t come in yet. In the meantime, please send your child with an old t-shirt (adult size) that they can wear during art activities, to be kept in their cubbies.
Parent Conferences: JazakAllah Khair to all the parents who came in to talk with us. InshaAllah Khair with everyone on the same page, it will help to make the child’s transitions between school and home smooth and consistent. IA, we will have conferences again in the spring. Please feel free to email me whenever you feel the need.
Oh where, oh where has my cell phone gone?: well, I hate to say it, but its gone to the cell phone graveyard, and until I can find a replacement please call me on the school number 408-530-9550 to report absences, schedule changes, etc.
Journals: This month we will be starting our weekly journals, in which children will collect photos of themselves , and we will be writing dictation from the children, and keep their drawings to help them not only remember what they have learned, but encourage their writing, organization, and communication skills. InshaAllah they will be kept in class and will be sent home at the end of the year as their “year book”.
Eid Party: Please sign up for a dish, we will be having our party from 10-12, IA i’ll be bringing all the gifts, so please don’t send anything with the children, except maybe the food! We will be having an art activity, games and a presentation from Rahima Foundation!
Lima Bean Plants: will be sent home this week. To take care of your plant, please transplant to a larger container and keep indoors on a windowsill or sunny area. Water daily (to keep soil moist). Enjoy picking beans from the plant and encourage your child to count seeds inside, or to tell you the story about how the seed grew. Mashaallah they planted the seeds with a dua to Allah to make their plants grow, and by Allah they did! At the time I had told them the story about how one plant grows out of one seed, yet Allah’s Rahma makes the plant have multiple fruits, each fruit having multiple seeds, and each seed having the capability to produce so much.. this is Allah’s Rahma “Allah loves to give so He blesses us with more!”
Pumpkins: Please look to the recipes below to put your pumpkin to use. The children learned about respecting food, and made many observations on the pumpkin. This is the season where they see an abundance of this food, we wanted them to have solid truthful connection to it. To make pumpkin puree (as used in recipes) do the following:
1. wash pumpkin
2. cut into 4 pieces, remove seeds and stringy insides (bake seeds separately with spray of oil to have toasted seeds… yum!)
3. spray with oil, or butter
4. place on cookie sheet on 350^ and bake for 45-60 minutes until pumpkin is soft inside (you can easily slide fork in and out)
5. scoop out insides with spoon and blend
6. follow any pumpkin recipe, should yield about 1.5-2 cups of puree.
Last Month:
We ventured to the countryside where we enjoyed the coming of fall and spent a lot of time on the farm. Our goals last month included making observations with our 5 senses and comparing and contrasting two things. On the farm we learned about the letter “A” for apples, food that farmers grow that help our bodies, plants and what they need to grow, the circle of life from seed to seed, pumpkins (pumpkin math, cooking projects and scientific observations), “B” for bones, and Mr. Bones who needs milk/dairy to stay strong, Teeth:bones we can see, day and night animals(compare/contrast) including opposums, raccoons, bats, fox, and owls, mapping areas for farm animals, and comparing and contrasting ducks and chickens.
We had a great time with Dr. Radwan who showed us what it takes to keep our teeth strong and healthy. We thank him for his time and creativity with the children. On our visit to Hidden Villa the children explored the garden, tasting fresh food, and learning about composting. They loved feeling the sheep’s wool and running after the chicken. Our two guides did a great job helping the children to learn respect for food and animals. Lastly at the farmer’s market, the children had a blast identifying the different food groups and shopping together to make a complete meal. JazakAllah khair to all the parent chaperones! The artwork is being sent home through the cubbies, so please clear the cubbies out every so often!
Arabic:
The children have picked up many phrases and words in Arabic. Please try to use them at home also to encourage their responses and familiarity with the language. It’s really exciting for them to totally understand what is being said. MashaAllah you’r children are amazing! Here are some transliterations:
-Maa ismookaa(boy), ismookee(girl) what is your name?
-Ismee____________. My name is ______________
-Hal thureed(boy), Thureedeena(girl) haleeb?, Would you like some milk?
-Maa zhaa thureed(boy), thureedeena(girl)? What do you want?
-alaa: higher
-aseera: faster
(there are many more…I can email later)
Teacher Miral’s Group: We are working on the last few lines of Surah Adiyat, and will start Surah Qariah soon. We have been playing games to help the children associate the Arabic letters with their small form (in writing). We have done the letters that have already been discussed in class: Alif, baa, taa, thaa, jeem, haa, khaa, and will work on daal, dhal, raa, zaay, this month.
Teacher Lubna’s Group: Alhamdulillah the children have finished surah Naas, and will be working on Surah Falaq and Kawther this month. We have been memorizing with hand gestures to convey meaning, and the children have especially loved the jumping game.
This past month we learned thaa for thaalib, fox, jeem for jubn, cheese, haa for hissan, horse, and khaa for kharouf, sheep. Please keep the Arabic artwork at home, as it will inshaallah become a my first Arabic letter book for them that they made all by themselves. It will be a great source of review for the summer, not to mention a very cute keepsake!
This month: Our goals for this month include:
*expanding the observation process to include educated guesses and making conclusions
*continuing the concept of adding in math
*team games to encourage the sense of unity, belonging, and working together as an ummah
*cont. of maps: expanding the idea of a local map/farm map to a global map
This month we will be in the city, learning about our community helpers: where people work, and how they are part of our community, modes of transportation:cars, planes, boats, trains, animals etc, hajj, Prophet Ibrahim (A), helping those in need, our ummah, and lights and energy used in the city (neon, glow in the dark,light bulbs etc.).
Have a good one!
My, my my, November starts with even more warm weather…what a trip! InshaAllah all this sunshine will help keep the colds at bay and rev up some energy for the coming winter. Woohooo…Bakrah Eid is almost here, and I can’t wait to teach the concept of Hajj. MA, Prophet Ibrahim’s story is the one of the few that I have seen have such a strong impact on the children. I look forward to a great November! Happy Reading…
Important Dates and Reminders:
Nov. 6 TBC, Field Trip to Library
Nov. 18 TBC, Field Trip to Fire Station
Nov. 25th: Eid Party
Nov. 25th: Scholastic Book Orders Due
Nov. 26-Dec. 2: Thanksgiving/Eid Holiday No School
*extra change of clothes
Updates:
Scholastic Book Orders will be available for those parents interested, and will no longer be passed out in the folder. Please ask me for the monthly catalogue if you wish to take a look or order.
Canned Food Drive: For last Eid, we collected coins in our Sadaqa jars and dollar leaves for our Barakah Blossoms. This Eid we will be collecting non-perishable and canned food items to be presented to Rahima Foundation to help feed people in our local area. Please periodically send canned food, or non-perishable items with your children. Each time something gets brought in we will be adding a person to our community poster which will be presented on the Eid party day! Lets encourage our children to share and give what we have with open hands!
Smocky Situation: I have to apologize for the lack of smocks this year, unfortunately the new ones haven’t come in yet. In the meantime, please send your child with an old t-shirt (adult size) that they can wear during art activities, to be kept in their cubbies.
Parent Conferences: JazakAllah Khair to all the parents who came in to talk with us. InshaAllah Khair with everyone on the same page, it will help to make the child’s transitions between school and home smooth and consistent. IA, we will have conferences again in the spring. Please feel free to email me whenever you feel the need.
Oh where, oh where has my cell phone gone?: well, I hate to say it, but its gone to the cell phone graveyard, and until I can find a replacement please call me on the school number 408-530-9550 to report absences, schedule changes, etc.
Journals: This month we will be starting our weekly journals, in which children will collect photos of themselves , and we will be writing dictation from the children, and keep their drawings to help them not only remember what they have learned, but encourage their writing, organization, and communication skills. InshaAllah they will be kept in class and will be sent home at the end of the year as their “year book”.
Eid Party: Please sign up for a dish, we will be having our party from 10-12, IA i’ll be bringing all the gifts, so please don’t send anything with the children, except maybe the food! We will be having an art activity, games and a presentation from Rahima Foundation!
Lima Bean Plants: will be sent home this week. To take care of your plant, please transplant to a larger container and keep indoors on a windowsill or sunny area. Water daily (to keep soil moist). Enjoy picking beans from the plant and encourage your child to count seeds inside, or to tell you the story about how the seed grew. Mashaallah they planted the seeds with a dua to Allah to make their plants grow, and by Allah they did! At the time I had told them the story about how one plant grows out of one seed, yet Allah’s Rahma makes the plant have multiple fruits, each fruit having multiple seeds, and each seed having the capability to produce so much.. this is Allah’s Rahma “Allah loves to give so He blesses us with more!”
Pumpkins: Please look to the recipes below to put your pumpkin to use. The children learned about respecting food, and made many observations on the pumpkin. This is the season where they see an abundance of this food, we wanted them to have solid truthful connection to it. To make pumpkin puree (as used in recipes) do the following:
1. wash pumpkin
2. cut into 4 pieces, remove seeds and stringy insides (bake seeds separately with spray of oil to have toasted seeds… yum!)
3. spray with oil, or butter
4. place on cookie sheet on 350^ and bake for 45-60 minutes until pumpkin is soft inside (you can easily slide fork in and out)
5. scoop out insides with spoon and blend
6. follow any pumpkin recipe, should yield about 1.5-2 cups of puree.
Last Month:
We ventured to the countryside where we enjoyed the coming of fall and spent a lot of time on the farm. Our goals last month included making observations with our 5 senses and comparing and contrasting two things. On the farm we learned about the letter “A” for apples, food that farmers grow that help our bodies, plants and what they need to grow, the circle of life from seed to seed, pumpkins (pumpkin math, cooking projects and scientific observations), “B” for bones, and Mr. Bones who needs milk/dairy to stay strong, Teeth:bones we can see, day and night animals(compare/contrast) including opposums, raccoons, bats, fox, and owls, mapping areas for farm animals, and comparing and contrasting ducks and chickens.
We had a great time with Dr. Radwan who showed us what it takes to keep our teeth strong and healthy. We thank him for his time and creativity with the children. On our visit to Hidden Villa the children explored the garden, tasting fresh food, and learning about composting. They loved feeling the sheep’s wool and running after the chicken. Our two guides did a great job helping the children to learn respect for food and animals. Lastly at the farmer’s market, the children had a blast identifying the different food groups and shopping together to make a complete meal. JazakAllah khair to all the parent chaperones! The artwork is being sent home through the cubbies, so please clear the cubbies out every so often!
Arabic:
The children have picked up many phrases and words in Arabic. Please try to use them at home also to encourage their responses and familiarity with the language. It’s really exciting for them to totally understand what is being said. MashaAllah you’r children are amazing! Here are some transliterations:
-Maa ismookaa(boy), ismookee(girl) what is your name?
-Ismee____________. My name is ______________
-Hal thureed(boy), Thureedeena(girl) haleeb?, Would you like some milk?
-Maa zhaa thureed(boy), thureedeena(girl)? What do you want?
-alaa: higher
-aseera: faster
(there are many more…I can email later)
Teacher Miral’s Group: We are working on the last few lines of Surah Adiyat, and will start Surah Qariah soon. We have been playing games to help the children associate the Arabic letters with their small form (in writing). We have done the letters that have already been discussed in class: Alif, baa, taa, thaa, jeem, haa, khaa, and will work on daal, dhal, raa, zaay, this month.
Teacher Lubna’s Group: Alhamdulillah the children have finished surah Naas, and will be working on Surah Falaq and Kawther this month. We have been memorizing with hand gestures to convey meaning, and the children have especially loved the jumping game.
This past month we learned thaa for thaalib, fox, jeem for jubn, cheese, haa for hissan, horse, and khaa for kharouf, sheep. Please keep the Arabic artwork at home, as it will inshaallah become a my first Arabic letter book for them that they made all by themselves. It will be a great source of review for the summer, not to mention a very cute keepsake!
This month: Our goals for this month include:
*expanding the observation process to include educated guesses and making conclusions
*continuing the concept of adding in math
*team games to encourage the sense of unity, belonging, and working together as an ummah
*cont. of maps: expanding the idea of a local map/farm map to a global map
This month we will be in the city, learning about our community helpers: where people work, and how they are part of our community, modes of transportation:cars, planes, boats, trains, animals etc, hajj, Prophet Ibrahim (A), helping those in need, our ummah, and lights and energy used in the city (neon, glow in the dark,light bulbs etc.).
Have a good one!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
October Newsletter
Newsletter October 2009
Assalam Alaikum! This past month has been wonderful getting to know your children. MashaAllah, each offers something unique and exciting to the class. I know this year is going to be great inshaAllah! Hello October, Hello cold weather…so we hope! InshaAllah fall weather will kick in, so teaching seasons will make some sense to the kids! This is one of my most favorite seasons, as it captures the passing of time in a single leaf! Enjoy!
Important Dates and Reminders:
Wed. Oct. 14: Class visit from Dr. Yahya Radwan (dentist), 10am-10:30, parents welcome to attend.
Friday Oct. 16th: Field Trip Vallco Farmer’s Market
Week of Oct. 19-23rd: Parent Teacher Conferences
Wed. Oct. 28th: Field Trip Hidden Villa Farm
Fri. Oct. 30th: Scholastic Book Orders Due
Sign In/Out
The folder outside, is not just for licensing reasons, its also a communication folder. Please look to it for scholastic book orders, tuition receipts, incident reports, and other paperwork.
Cold/Flu Season:
Its that time of the year, that runny noses and fevers become common. Here is a quick reminder of illness guidelines:
Please keep your child at home if:
*persistant coughing and sneezing
*excessive runny nose, green in color
*fever: children may not return to school unless they are fever free for atleast 24 hours prior to school without the use of fever reducing medicine.
*lethargic, in-active behavior
If your child has something that maybe contagious, a docotor’s note is recquired before they can return to school.
We will try our best to keep hands washed and toys/area sanitized, please help to reduce the spread of illness by doing your part!
Parent/Teacher Conferences:
This is something new we are doing this year. We would like to work with the parents to help make an optimal learning environment for each child. These short 15-25 minute conversations will be used to create dialogue to assess individual needs, concerns, and celebrations of the child. We will be doing these periodically throughout the year. Please sign up on the Red clipboard for the best time for you to come and meet.
Receipts:
Did you know that your Pre-K tuition is tax deductable? We are a licensed day care facility with a tax i.d. and the receipts collected can be deducted from your returns…so don’t lose them!
Field Trips:
Alhamdulillah the kids did a great job practicing safety and listening skills at Raynor Park. We will be having more great fun outside of school this month, at the Farmer’s market we will be collecting food that will help different parts of our bodies
(protein for muscle, milk for bones, veggies for vitamins to organs, carbs for energy etc.) , at the farm we will be doing hands on chores to figure out what it takes to produce food for a whole community! We look forward to volunteers, if you would like to join us, please let me know ahead of time, thanks!
Last Month…
September, was busy busy learning about ourselves, our names and in particular a month long look at “our hands”. We went over the ideas of giving hands, helping hands, caring hands, gentle hands, hands that make, and feel, and create and count. Our classroom apple tree blossomed with leaves inscribed with the children’s personal explorations about their hands. September brought us to the end of Ramadan, with our specially collected “Baraka Blossoms” presented to Sr. Dian of the Give Light Foundation. She talked to the kids about orphan children, and our responsibilities to them. We also went on a treasure hunt to find mail for our mailboxes. JazakAllah khair for all the parents for helping to make this time so memorable for them. Their goody bags were brimming with treats! Our classroom “mailperson”, chosen everyday, would deliver mail to the all children, from the parents and teachers. They had a great time sharing stories about their families and exploring different textures at the sensory table. In the take home art, you will find projects including, our “hand book”, B is for bones, our Ramadan moons, various Arabic art, and any other drawings/paintings done.
This month:
October will bring us into the season change, explored through the obseravations of leaves, color mixing, and a continuation of our seed study. From learning about food that helps our bodies, we will be moving into the country to learn about farms as sources of food for the community. We will also, comparing and contrasting night and day animals, sounds, and colors. We will begin our Pumpkin study, as we learn about respecting food and appreciating its purpose, texture, and flavor as one of Allah’s mercies to us.
Arabic:
We are going through the alphabet in order and so far have covered Alif for um(mom) and ab(dad) , Baa for bayt (house), Taa for tamar(date), tin(fig), and tufaahaa(apple). Each letter has been introduced with a short song/rhyme to help remember the vocabulary. This month we will continue with, Thaa, Jeem, Haa, Khaa, and Daal. Children will now be grouped in Arabic with either Teacher Miral or Teacher Lubna. Teacher Miral’s group will start with Surah Adiyat and work toward the end of the Quran this year. She will be handing out homework sheets, to help review letter and small letter taught that week. All homework is OPTIONAL, and is only to be used to help the child review concepts, they will neither be collected or graded. As these older children get geared to read 3 letter words, its very helpful to become familiar with the half letters. Teacher Lubna’s group will memorize from Surah Naas and back up to the larger surahs. We use a tool called “active memorization” for the younger children, in which they participate in various listening, hand building, and movement activities to help keep them engaged while memorizing. Here is a weekly Arabic program schedule:
Monday: Teacher Miral’s Group(G1): Memorization, song, and half letter introduction
Teacher Lubna’s Group(G2): Memorization, song, and Surah review through Listening centers.
Tuesday: G1: Memorization
G2: Memorization
Both Groups do the song, and Letter intro and Review through an Active Game
Wednesday: G1:Memorization, song, half letter inro.
G2: Memorization, song,
Both do the letter art project
Thursday: G1: Memorization
G2: Memoirzation
Both do song, and pre-wrting/writing activities.
Friday: G1: Memorization, song, Active Game
G2: Memorization, song, Active Game
Both do Arabic storytime.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Newsletter September 2009
Assalam Alaikum,
Welcome to Tazkiya Preschool! We are excited to be starting school during this blessed month of Ramadan. May this month be full of dedication, sincerity, peace and blessings for us all… and may spirit of this month uplift us throughout the year. This month we will be discovering ourselves and getting to know each other with our theme of: In my heart. hPlease look to this website for monthly newsletters and updates/changes to our program. We also will be communicating through email and using a private Picasa account to upload pictures. JazakAllah Khair!
Important Dates/Reminders:
Mon. Aug. 31st: First Day of Class
Mon. Sept. 7th: Labor Day Holiday
Fri. Sept. 18th: Eid Party, In Class
Fri. Sept. 18th: Scholastic Book Orders Due
Mon. Sept. 21-Wed. 23: Eid Holiday
Sat. Sept. 26th: Eid Party and Back to School Day
Wed. Sept. 30th: Field Trip to Raynor Park
*last day to enroll is August 28th! Pleas make sure we have all your paperwork, immunization information and tuition checks! JazakAllah Khair.
“My first day!” :
Dear Mom and Dad,
I want to have a great day at school. I’m really excited to go, but I’m a little bit nervous too. Help me out, here are some things I need:
*Please walk me through the gate, and sign me in and out of the school.
*Don’t forget to bring my lunch, (I get very hungry!) My teacher will give me snack, (probably something healthy, but I’ll tell her I just want goldfish!)
*Oh yeah, my extra change of clothes, just in case I have an accident, or get too dirty
*How about you send me a picture of our family, so I can show my friends and teacher the people I love… and just in case I miss you guys too much, I’ll give your picture a hug!
*Wait, one last thing, please make sure my teacher has all your emergency information, and your cell phone number…I’m sure she’s very keen on keeping me safe!
Well, I love you, and don’t worry, I’m all growed up now!
Love…. Me!
Daily Routine:
8am-8:45 Arrival/Welcome
8:45-9:15 Circle Time
9:15-9:45 Activity 1
9:45-10:30 Arabic
10:30-10:45 Snack
10:45-11:30 Outside Play
11:30-12:15 Activity 2
12:15-1:00 Lunch/Clean Up
This schedule is to help keep the day flowing. Please note that all timings are NOT set in stone. We will stay flexible with the times to fit the best interest of the children.
Scholastic Book Orders:
Scholastic Books is an optional service provided by our school. The company offers books at low cost to the parents and rewards teachers with bonus points to get more books for the classroom and other learning materials. It is a great way to encourage your child to read and to build your own home libraries. If you do decide to order, please write all checks payable to “Scholastic Book”. Look to children’s cubbies, for the new offers every month.
Field Trip:
Since the children are new to the school, we will be having a simple field trip to the park to review safety and listening skills. We will be going to Raynor Park in Sunnyvale, from 9:30-11:30am. Please sign permission slip on the Parent Board. Parents welcomed to come. In general we will be having 1-2 field trips per month.
Eid Party & Back to School Day:
The last Saturday of September, the 26th, we will get an opportunity to meet again and enjoy the afternoon with all the families. Please bring a dish to share, and we’ll have games, treats and art activities for Eid. You will also get a chance to see your child’s work, and meet the teachers! On Friday Sept. 18th, will have our in class party, where the children will pass out treats for their friends. Please bring 10 of something (i.e. pencils, snack crackers, a picture they draw etc. nothing expensive, this should not be a burden to your budget!).
Welcome to Tazkiya Preschool! We are excited to be starting school during this blessed month of Ramadan. May this month be full of dedication, sincerity, peace and blessings for us all… and may spirit of this month uplift us throughout the year. This month we will be discovering ourselves and getting to know each other with our theme of: In my heart. hPlease look to this website for monthly newsletters and updates/changes to our program. We also will be communicating through email and using a private Picasa account to upload pictures. JazakAllah Khair!
Important Dates/Reminders:
Mon. Aug. 31st: First Day of Class
Mon. Sept. 7th: Labor Day Holiday
Fri. Sept. 18th: Eid Party, In Class
Fri. Sept. 18th: Scholastic Book Orders Due
Mon. Sept. 21-Wed. 23: Eid Holiday
Sat. Sept. 26th: Eid Party and Back to School Day
Wed. Sept. 30th: Field Trip to Raynor Park
*last day to enroll is August 28th! Pleas make sure we have all your paperwork, immunization information and tuition checks! JazakAllah Khair.
“My first day!” :
Dear Mom and Dad,
I want to have a great day at school. I’m really excited to go, but I’m a little bit nervous too. Help me out, here are some things I need:
*Please walk me through the gate, and sign me in and out of the school.
*Don’t forget to bring my lunch, (I get very hungry!) My teacher will give me snack, (probably something healthy, but I’ll tell her I just want goldfish!)
*Oh yeah, my extra change of clothes, just in case I have an accident, or get too dirty
*How about you send me a picture of our family, so I can show my friends and teacher the people I love… and just in case I miss you guys too much, I’ll give your picture a hug!
*Wait, one last thing, please make sure my teacher has all your emergency information, and your cell phone number…I’m sure she’s very keen on keeping me safe!
Well, I love you, and don’t worry, I’m all growed up now!
Love…. Me!
Daily Routine:
8am-8:45 Arrival/Welcome
8:45-9:15 Circle Time
9:15-9:45 Activity 1
9:45-10:30 Arabic
10:30-10:45 Snack
10:45-11:30 Outside Play
11:30-12:15 Activity 2
12:15-1:00 Lunch/Clean Up
This schedule is to help keep the day flowing. Please note that all timings are NOT set in stone. We will stay flexible with the times to fit the best interest of the children.
Scholastic Book Orders:
Scholastic Books is an optional service provided by our school. The company offers books at low cost to the parents and rewards teachers with bonus points to get more books for the classroom and other learning materials. It is a great way to encourage your child to read and to build your own home libraries. If you do decide to order, please write all checks payable to “Scholastic Book”. Look to children’s cubbies, for the new offers every month.
Field Trip:
Since the children are new to the school, we will be having a simple field trip to the park to review safety and listening skills. We will be going to Raynor Park in Sunnyvale, from 9:30-11:30am. Please sign permission slip on the Parent Board. Parents welcomed to come. In general we will be having 1-2 field trips per month.
Eid Party & Back to School Day:
The last Saturday of September, the 26th, we will get an opportunity to meet again and enjoy the afternoon with all the families. Please bring a dish to share, and we’ll have games, treats and art activities for Eid. You will also get a chance to see your child’s work, and meet the teachers! On Friday Sept. 18th, will have our in class party, where the children will pass out treats for their friends. Please bring 10 of something (i.e. pencils, snack crackers, a picture they draw etc. nothing expensive, this should not be a burden to your budget!).
Friday, May 8, 2009
Newsletter April/May 2009
Assalam Alaikum! What a wild time we’ve had this past month! We haven’t skipped a beat as we’ve danced around the world through rain or shine! Now, as we glide into the home stretch, we’re so excited to be finishing off our world tour with visits to Mexico, Peru, Australia, and Hawaii. InshaAllah this will be the last newsletter for the school year, and I want to thank all the parents for their trust and support, especially your patience and understanding in the past few weeks. We’ve had a great year, and I wish you all a fun filled summer!
Important Dates/Reminders:
Thurs. April 9th: Field Trip Clay Planet
Week of April 13-17th Spring Break
Thurs. May 7th: Field Trip to Lowes
Fri. May 8th: ALL Scholastic Book orders due
Wed. May 13th: Field Trip to Petco
Sat. May 16th: Hands on Art Festival Sunnyvale, 10am-3pm
Wed. May 27th: Parent Surveys Due
Wed. May 27th: Wheels Day, Field Trip Raynor Park
Thurs. May 28th: Waterslide Day Field Trip Parent Participation Required
Fri May 29th: Graduation Ceremony and Art Show 5:00pm Potluck
Fri. May 29th: Last day to Pre-Register for next year. After this date there will be a $25 registration fee.
Last Month:
March and April have brought upon new discoveries in math and art. In Egypt we learned about triangles as parts of pyramids. We also took a trip to the Rosecrution Museum in San Jose to see the origins of paper from papyrus. This lead to our own experimentation in paper making. From the deserts of Egypt we traveled down to Kenya where we learned some Swahili (Jambo, Habari Ghani: Hello, How are you?). We also patterned prints on our Kente cloths, practiced beats on our drums, and found ourselves on a safari full of jungle animals. We also spent some time soap carving and cooking up some African sesame cakes.
Later we traveled across the Pacific, to Mexico, where we found ourselves surrounded by the sounds and colors of this lively country. Not only did we eat snacks ranging the colors of a rainbow, we also tie dyed our own t-shirts. Through this activity and many other color mixing experiments, we found that combining primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) makes secondary colors (green, orange, purple and brown). We also spent some time pinching and coiling clay, and weaving pipe cleaners. Lastly traveling down to Latin America, we rowed a boat to the Rainforest. We imagined animals and our surroundings as we listenend to rainforest sounds, and put up our new bulletin board, “Rainforest Rainbow”. In a local pueblo in Peru, we found ourselves at a fiesta making black bean quesadillas, and wrapping goopy newspaper to form our “Earth” piñata. After exploring so many wonderful places on Earth, we can’t but help to learn how to take care of our planet.
This Month:
May brings us to the end of our school year, with explorations in the earth, bugs, volcanoes, oceans, space, recycling, and gardening. We want to tie in all that they have learned into some basic concepts we have been trying to reinforce throughout the year.
Exploration/Observations: comparing, contrasting, asking questions
Expressions: using art/words and imagination to demonstrate feelings and information
Respect: to each other, the greater world community, to animals and to the environment
Identity: self esteem through confidence in our abilities/skills, pride for our beliefs and morals as muslims, and the uniqueness of our being as Allah has created for us.
Arabic:
Teacher Miral has done a terrific job of introducing arabic as a language to the children. Not only does she talk to them in Arabic, the children have also learned songs and have read familiar books in Arabic. Their skills of recitation were refined with improvement in pronunciation and introduction to some basic rules of tajweed. MashsaAllah the children have finished Surahs Kawther, Asr, and Fatiha, and will be completing Surah Falaq before the end of the year! We worked on the letters Haa for hissan (horse), and Tha for thobaan(snake), Ayn for ankaboot(spider), Seen for samak(fish), and Sheen for shams(sun). Many of the children can recognize sounds associated with letters, and are on their way to learning the small (or half) letters as they are joined together. They are well on their way to reading soon and I recommend summer practice at home or with Arabic tutors. Fortunately, Teacher Miral will be having a summer session Arabic playgroup for this age to meet twice a week, 9:30am-11am. The fee will be $120/Month. Please contact her directly for details.
Parent Surveys:
We want to hear your comments and suggestions regarding our school. Please take some time to fill out the parent surveys that will be sent home in their cubbies. We appreciate your honesty and sincerity in this matter. All surveys due the last wed. of May.
Events for the Last Week of school:
Mon: Pajama Day: please send your children in their “night” clothes for some slumber party fun
Tues: Camping Day: get ready to sleep in tents outside, go hiking, and making our own food on the “fire” pit
Wed: Wheels Day: bring your bikes, scooters, or skates for a rollin’ good time on wheels at Raynor park. Please send a sac lunch so we can picnic at the park, and a water bottle to keep the kiddos hydrated.
Thurs: WaterSlides: Parent participation required, $4 children, $7 adult, swimsuits, towels, change of clothing necessary. Location: Sillman Activity Center. 6800 Mowry Avenue. Newark, CA 94560.
Fri: Graduation Ceremony and Art Show 5:00pm: Please sign up for the Potluck, and all family are encouraged to attend. Yearbooks passed out that night.
Have a great summer!
Important Dates/Reminders:
Thurs. April 9th: Field Trip Clay Planet
Week of April 13-17th Spring Break
Thurs. May 7th: Field Trip to Lowes
Fri. May 8th: ALL Scholastic Book orders due
Wed. May 13th: Field Trip to Petco
Sat. May 16th: Hands on Art Festival Sunnyvale, 10am-3pm
Wed. May 27th: Parent Surveys Due
Wed. May 27th: Wheels Day, Field Trip Raynor Park
Thurs. May 28th: Waterslide Day Field Trip Parent Participation Required
Fri May 29th: Graduation Ceremony and Art Show 5:00pm Potluck
Fri. May 29th: Last day to Pre-Register for next year. After this date there will be a $25 registration fee.
Last Month:
March and April have brought upon new discoveries in math and art. In Egypt we learned about triangles as parts of pyramids. We also took a trip to the Rosecrution Museum in San Jose to see the origins of paper from papyrus. This lead to our own experimentation in paper making. From the deserts of Egypt we traveled down to Kenya where we learned some Swahili (Jambo, Habari Ghani: Hello, How are you?). We also patterned prints on our Kente cloths, practiced beats on our drums, and found ourselves on a safari full of jungle animals. We also spent some time soap carving and cooking up some African sesame cakes.
Later we traveled across the Pacific, to Mexico, where we found ourselves surrounded by the sounds and colors of this lively country. Not only did we eat snacks ranging the colors of a rainbow, we also tie dyed our own t-shirts. Through this activity and many other color mixing experiments, we found that combining primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) makes secondary colors (green, orange, purple and brown). We also spent some time pinching and coiling clay, and weaving pipe cleaners. Lastly traveling down to Latin America, we rowed a boat to the Rainforest. We imagined animals and our surroundings as we listenend to rainforest sounds, and put up our new bulletin board, “Rainforest Rainbow”. In a local pueblo in Peru, we found ourselves at a fiesta making black bean quesadillas, and wrapping goopy newspaper to form our “Earth” piñata. After exploring so many wonderful places on Earth, we can’t but help to learn how to take care of our planet.
This Month:
May brings us to the end of our school year, with explorations in the earth, bugs, volcanoes, oceans, space, recycling, and gardening. We want to tie in all that they have learned into some basic concepts we have been trying to reinforce throughout the year.
Exploration/Observations: comparing, contrasting, asking questions
Expressions: using art/words and imagination to demonstrate feelings and information
Respect: to each other, the greater world community, to animals and to the environment
Identity: self esteem through confidence in our abilities/skills, pride for our beliefs and morals as muslims, and the uniqueness of our being as Allah has created for us.
Arabic:
Teacher Miral has done a terrific job of introducing arabic as a language to the children. Not only does she talk to them in Arabic, the children have also learned songs and have read familiar books in Arabic. Their skills of recitation were refined with improvement in pronunciation and introduction to some basic rules of tajweed. MashsaAllah the children have finished Surahs Kawther, Asr, and Fatiha, and will be completing Surah Falaq before the end of the year! We worked on the letters Haa for hissan (horse), and Tha for thobaan(snake), Ayn for ankaboot(spider), Seen for samak(fish), and Sheen for shams(sun). Many of the children can recognize sounds associated with letters, and are on their way to learning the small (or half) letters as they are joined together. They are well on their way to reading soon and I recommend summer practice at home or with Arabic tutors. Fortunately, Teacher Miral will be having a summer session Arabic playgroup for this age to meet twice a week, 9:30am-11am. The fee will be $120/Month. Please contact her directly for details.
Parent Surveys:
We want to hear your comments and suggestions regarding our school. Please take some time to fill out the parent surveys that will be sent home in their cubbies. We appreciate your honesty and sincerity in this matter. All surveys due the last wed. of May.
Events for the Last Week of school:
Mon: Pajama Day: please send your children in their “night” clothes for some slumber party fun
Tues: Camping Day: get ready to sleep in tents outside, go hiking, and making our own food on the “fire” pit
Wed: Wheels Day: bring your bikes, scooters, or skates for a rollin’ good time on wheels at Raynor park. Please send a sac lunch so we can picnic at the park, and a water bottle to keep the kiddos hydrated.
Thurs: WaterSlides: Parent participation required, $4 children, $7 adult, swimsuits, towels, change of clothing necessary. Location: Sillman Activity Center. 6800 Mowry Avenue. Newark, CA 94560.
Fri: Graduation Ceremony and Art Show 5:00pm: Please sign up for the Potluck, and all family are encouraged to attend. Yearbooks passed out that night.
Have a great summer!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
March Newsletter
Assalam Alaikum
Alhamdulillah spring is in the air, and hopefully some warm weather will come our way again. Enjoy!
Important Dates/Reminders:
Thurs. March 19th: Field Trip CDM for Musical Puppet Theatre
Thurs. March 26: Palo Alto Jr. Museum
(TBA)Persian cultural center
Friday March 27th: Scholastic Book Orders Due
*please sign in/out as it is a licensing requirement
*in April we will be working on environmentally friendly “recycle art” please save interesting canisters, papers, Styrofoam, light bulbs, etc.
Last Month…
Wow, there are a 180 countries in this world, and we’ve just begun by traveling to China, Japan, India, England, France, Russia, and now Italy. We probably won’t have time to get to all, but a few in each continent will be our goal. It’s been amazing to explore the different cultures through their music, food, festivals and famous landmarks. The children enjoy learning how to speak phrases and count in the various languages. In England we came across “Big Ben” and made our own clocks. The children did a great job making “observations” on the numbers, big hand and second hand. In France we made “Crepes” from the book “Crepes by Suzette”, and visited the Eiffel Tower with “Madeline”. In Russia we read a story about “Stefecha” who visits her grandparents and discovers the “Matryoshka Dolls”. We also made Russian Latkes with the eggs left over from our decorated faberge eggs, a famous art form from there. In our song we are learning called “We Speak…”, we added a new phrase, “when we “are in Russia we speak Russian, DAH, NYET (yes/no)” All the lyrics from this song will be at the end of the newsletter.
This Month…
With the beautiful spring weather coming up, (inshaAllah!) we will travel from Italy to to the Middle East, where we will be making observations on the desert regions. We will look into the Islamic art of tile mosaics, calligraphy and mosques. Specifically we will go to Iran and Egypt. Also we’ll make some middle eastern flat bread with regional spices. We will also be looking into the grasslands and jungle regions of Africa. We’ll be working on some African block printing, fried bananas, musical instruments and beading. We will incorporate the idea of opposites, navigational symbols, and regional folk tales, and triangle shapes and patterns. We look forward to our travels and can’t wait to move ahead.
Whats New?
There have been a few positive changes to our classroom. First we would like to welcome teacher Faizah who will be working with us daily from 10-1pm. She brings her warmth and experience to the children, who instantly have taken a liking to her. She will be starting full time after the spring break in april. Also, this month we welcome our new Arabic teacher, Teacher Miral. Teacher Miral will be starting March 16th and working until the end of the school year. She has her Ejaaza in the 30th part of the Quran, and will bring a new element of spoken Fusha Arabic to our class. We are very grateful to have such qualified new teachers working with us.
Arabic:
After having done review of all the Surahs for the past week, we focused on Surah Fil as the children needed a bit more practice with this one. We covered the letter “faa” for Fil, elephant. This month we will be moving onto Surah Kawther, Surah Asr, and Surah Falaq. Please remember to keep the surahs alive in the children’s hearts by singing them in the car or just listening to them. It should be a fun time, like group singing, as it will encourage them to remember Allah throughout their day and activities. Night time is also a good time, but we want don’t want them to associate “tiredness” or “going to sleep” with the surahs. I suggest at night time to have them pick their favorite surah to say, and listen to the 4 Kuls (even though we haven’t learned all of them yet) or the dua for sleeping. If you have any other suggestions or things that work for you, please let me know so we can share it with the group.
Volunteers
The classroom needs some volunteers with the following, please email me if you can help. Thanks
*cutting out flannel Arabic letters
*flannel scenic backgrounds (ocean, farm, jungle, swamp)
*snacks from Costco/Safeway
*various art supplies from Michaels/Office max/Morrison’s school supply
*primer/varnishing wood play area
*fixing damaged class books
*picture folders from National Geographics
Song Lyrics “We Speak…”
When I am in China (repeat), I speak Chinese (repeat)
“Nee how maa, Who how shei shei”
When I am in Japan, I speak Japanese
Ichi, Ni, San, (tan, tanna tun), Shi, Go, Roku, (tan, tanna, tun), Sichi, Hachi, Ku, Joo (tan, tanna, tun)
When I am in India, I speak Hindi
“Kya haal Hai? Bus teek taaak”
When I am in France, I speak French
Un, Dua, Tua, Kat, Senct, Sist, Sept, Wheat, Nuf, Due
When I am in Russia, I speak Russian
“Dah, Nyet”
Alhamdulillah spring is in the air, and hopefully some warm weather will come our way again. Enjoy!
Important Dates/Reminders:
Thurs. March 19th: Field Trip CDM for Musical Puppet Theatre
Thurs. March 26: Palo Alto Jr. Museum
(TBA)Persian cultural center
Friday March 27th: Scholastic Book Orders Due
*please sign in/out as it is a licensing requirement
*in April we will be working on environmentally friendly “recycle art” please save interesting canisters, papers, Styrofoam, light bulbs, etc.
Last Month…
Wow, there are a 180 countries in this world, and we’ve just begun by traveling to China, Japan, India, England, France, Russia, and now Italy. We probably won’t have time to get to all, but a few in each continent will be our goal. It’s been amazing to explore the different cultures through their music, food, festivals and famous landmarks. The children enjoy learning how to speak phrases and count in the various languages. In England we came across “Big Ben” and made our own clocks. The children did a great job making “observations” on the numbers, big hand and second hand. In France we made “Crepes” from the book “Crepes by Suzette”, and visited the Eiffel Tower with “Madeline”. In Russia we read a story about “Stefecha” who visits her grandparents and discovers the “Matryoshka Dolls”. We also made Russian Latkes with the eggs left over from our decorated faberge eggs, a famous art form from there. In our song we are learning called “We Speak…”, we added a new phrase, “when we “are in Russia we speak Russian, DAH, NYET (yes/no)” All the lyrics from this song will be at the end of the newsletter.
This Month…
With the beautiful spring weather coming up, (inshaAllah!) we will travel from Italy to to the Middle East, where we will be making observations on the desert regions. We will look into the Islamic art of tile mosaics, calligraphy and mosques. Specifically we will go to Iran and Egypt. Also we’ll make some middle eastern flat bread with regional spices. We will also be looking into the grasslands and jungle regions of Africa. We’ll be working on some African block printing, fried bananas, musical instruments and beading. We will incorporate the idea of opposites, navigational symbols, and regional folk tales, and triangle shapes and patterns. We look forward to our travels and can’t wait to move ahead.
Whats New?
There have been a few positive changes to our classroom. First we would like to welcome teacher Faizah who will be working with us daily from 10-1pm. She brings her warmth and experience to the children, who instantly have taken a liking to her. She will be starting full time after the spring break in april. Also, this month we welcome our new Arabic teacher, Teacher Miral. Teacher Miral will be starting March 16th and working until the end of the school year. She has her Ejaaza in the 30th part of the Quran, and will bring a new element of spoken Fusha Arabic to our class. We are very grateful to have such qualified new teachers working with us.
Arabic:
After having done review of all the Surahs for the past week, we focused on Surah Fil as the children needed a bit more practice with this one. We covered the letter “faa” for Fil, elephant. This month we will be moving onto Surah Kawther, Surah Asr, and Surah Falaq. Please remember to keep the surahs alive in the children’s hearts by singing them in the car or just listening to them. It should be a fun time, like group singing, as it will encourage them to remember Allah throughout their day and activities. Night time is also a good time, but we want don’t want them to associate “tiredness” or “going to sleep” with the surahs. I suggest at night time to have them pick their favorite surah to say, and listen to the 4 Kuls (even though we haven’t learned all of them yet) or the dua for sleeping. If you have any other suggestions or things that work for you, please let me know so we can share it with the group.
Volunteers
The classroom needs some volunteers with the following, please email me if you can help. Thanks
*cutting out flannel Arabic letters
*flannel scenic backgrounds (ocean, farm, jungle, swamp)
*snacks from Costco/Safeway
*various art supplies from Michaels/Office max/Morrison’s school supply
*primer/varnishing wood play area
*fixing damaged class books
*picture folders from National Geographics
Song Lyrics “We Speak…”
When I am in China (repeat), I speak Chinese (repeat)
“Nee how maa, Who how shei shei”
When I am in Japan, I speak Japanese
Ichi, Ni, San, (tan, tanna tun), Shi, Go, Roku, (tan, tanna, tun), Sichi, Hachi, Ku, Joo (tan, tanna, tun)
When I am in India, I speak Hindi
“Kya haal Hai? Bus teek taaak”
When I am in France, I speak French
Un, Dua, Tua, Kat, Senct, Sist, Sept, Wheat, Nuf, Due
When I am in Russia, I speak Russian
“Dah, Nyet”
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