s Life & Times new of AYA Newsletter... · Life & Times of AYA ... checklist of what to improve in....

EVENTSEVENTSEVENTSEVENTS

� RAMADAN……………….2

�PARENT INVOLVEMENT........3

Life & Times of AYA

Dear Parents, Staff, Students & Community-Members:

Assalamu alaikum & Ramadan Kareem!

This is the first issue of the Newsletter, but it is definitely not the first time I

am writing you.

Masha’Allah, we are less than one month into the year, and we have

already had one Hurricane day, several IPTA Meetings and a huge IPTA

event: Last Saturday’s Iftar, which, I think, was a huge success.

And the new buildings…Have you seen the progress? Masha’Allah, it

seems like they weren’t going anywhere for the longest time and then,

suddenly, the majestic Gr. 1 – 8 building was up with a canopy

beckoning everyone to come and see AYA and all that it stands for.

The former Da’wah Center, an open space just a week ago, has now

been transformed, seemingly overnight, into the new High School and

Administration building.

Enrollment is up…Student morale is up….Teachers and students are

working hard…Parents are happy! It truly is a great time to be at AYA!

May Allah swt continue to bless our efforts and guide our hands as we

work to make AYA the best school it can possibly be!

We thank you for your support and trust.

Wa jazakumullahu khairan,

Sr. Magda

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5905 E. 130th Ave., Tampa, Florida 33617 www.ayatampa.com (813) 987-9282

SEPTEMBER

Look inside...

OCTOBER

� RAMADAN CROSSWORD.…6

1 Labor Day, No School 2 Ramadan Begins 6 IPTA Iftar 12 Elementary SOTM Assembly 19 IPR’s sent home 21 Qur’an Competition 22-25 Parent Observation Week 26 Parent Conferences/No School 26 AYA Fundraiser 29-30 Ramadan & Eid Vacation

1-3 Ramadan & Eid Vacation 6 Students Return to AYA 10 IPTA Meeting 15 PSAT (Gr. 9-12) 17 Elementary SOTM Assembly 23-24 First Quarter EXAMS 27 No School

SEPTEMBER 2008 RAMADAN 1429

The submission deadline for October’s Newsletter is Friday,

October 7, 2008.

CALENDAR ofCALENDAR ofCALENDAR ofCALENDAR of

Page Page Page Page ----2222---- American American American American Youth Youth Youth Youth AcademyAcademyAcademyAcademy

Every year Ramadan comes by and we all have

the “I want to be a better Muslim” thought. Well,

in order to get started you have to make a

checklist of what to improve in. Remember,

Shaitan is locked up-so you have 30 days to

improve your unhealthy habits.

1- Eat, drink, and be moderate

2- Give a $dollar a day in charity…maybe more

3- Memorize 4 new Surahs of the Noble Qur’an

(1 surah per week)

4- Attend Taraweeh Prayers

5- Stop swearing and/or backbiting

6- Call or email your loved ones (wishing them a

happy Ramadan)

7- Go on a technology diet (meaning spend more

time in Ibaddah)

8- Read at least 20 min from the Qur’an a

day..maybe more

9- Forgive everyone who has hurt you

10- Remember, if someone angers you, just says

“Allah-huma-ini-saem”, that way you keep

yourself away from bad sayings or actions.

Hadeeth of Muhammad (saw) about Ramadan:

Abu Saeed Khudari (Radiallah anho) relates that Rasoolullah (saw) said: “During each day

and night of Ramadan, Allah sets free a great number of souls from hell. And (from) every

Muslim, during each day and night, at least one prayer is certainly accepted.”

Building Update

Alhumdu’Allah, the building is almost

finished, and we are still on schedule to

move in after the Eid Vacation, however, we

are in urgent need of $500,000 in

Ramadan. Please give all that you can! For

more information about the building fund,

please go to: www.BuildAya.org. Thank you!

There will be an AYA Fundraising on

Lailatul Qadr between

Isha and Taraweeh. Friday, Sept. 26.

RAMADAN Checklist


HIGHER GRADES Kids whose parents are involved in their education get better grades and have higher test scores. And the more parents are involved, the more their children seem to benefit. A study of parents highly involved in the educational process showed that their children were more likely to improve in reading and math.

BETTER BEHAVIOR Kids develop better social skills and show improved behavior when their parents are involved at school. Studies have also shown that kids are less likely to skip school, less disruptive in class, and more likely to do their homework when their parents are involved. One study showed that when dads are highly involved in schools, their children enjoy school more and are less likely to be suspended, expelled, or required to repeat a grade.

IMPROVED EDUCATION Research shows that parent involvement can help improve the quality of schools, raise teacher morale, and improve a school’s reputation in the community. Involved parents gain the respect of teachers; as a result, teachers have higher expectations of their children. Involvement pays off in the long term, too: Children stay in school longer and are more likely to continue their education after high school.

You don’t have to log hundreds of volunteer hours for your child to benefit; however AYA does request that you commit to at least 20 per year. Please ask in the front office or attend the IPTA meetings to find ways to get involved that fit both your schedule and your interests.

Involvement is easy.

5 Reasons to

Get Involved

For more of these helpful tips, visit SchoolFamily.com—and help your kids make the most of their school year.

What if you could help your child enjoy school more, get better grades, or reduce behavior problems at the same time? Reams of research has shown that regardless of parents’ income and educational background, their involvement in education helps their kids do better in and out of school.

Parent involvement can be as simple as helping with math homework or reading a book together at bedtime. Going to parent-teacher conferences is important, but taking the family to a school/IPTA sponsored event makes a difference, too. More involvement is better, but you don’t have to be president of the IPTA or run the school carnival. As long as your actions show that you value education, your child is likely to respond. Here are just a few of the reasons you should get involved in your child’s education:

INCREASED CONFIDENCE When students feel supported at home and school, they develop more positive attitudes about school, have more self-confidence, and place a higher priority on academic achievement. Children of involved parents are more likely to feel that they’re accepted, included, and respected at school.

PARENTS BENEFIT, TOO When parents become involved in their children’s education, they become more comfortable in the school building, gain confidence in their parenting skills, and feel more capable of helping their children learn. They’re also more likely to continue their own education.

t is easy.


HELP SUPPORT AYA

You’ll be able to earn cash for your school just by buying the books that you

love! When you begin your shopping at the Box Tops Reading Room, you’ll earn up to 6% on purchases made online at Barnes & Noble. Go to: www.boxtopsforeducation.com

HONORS ENGLISH BY: SR. DJAMILA

The honors sixth, seventh, and eighth grades are reading

Overboard, a novel set on the tropical island of Sumatra

during the month of Ramadan. One student has pointed

out a mistake in the shahada statement in the book, while

others have read past this inconsistency and are enjoying

reading about Muslim characters who are portrayed as

religious and devout.

The honors ninth and tenth grades are getting a taste of

tragedies with Antigone and Julius Caesar. They have

listened to a historical rendition of Kawlah and her brother

Deraah and are busy writing their own play, based on

these facts and infused with theatrics, modern

dialect, and drama. The final product should prove to be

a creative, collaborative, original literary work.

The eleventh and twelfth grades are learning about early

British Literature, for instance, Beowulf, The Seafarer,and

The Canterbury Tales. They have compared some of the

epic heroes of the Anglo-Saxon period to Martin Luther

King, Barak Obama, and Hillary Clinton.

**************************************

Box Tops for Education has helped AYA

earn over $1000 in the past year. Let’s up the goal this year to $1500!

Ways to contribute are: Clip Box Tops from your favorite products Look for the 10¢ Box Tops coupon on hundreds of your favorite products from General Mills. And now, you can find Box Tops on brands like Ziploc®, Kleenex® and HUGGIES®, too! Shop at your favorite online stores At the Boxs Tops Marketplace, you can shop at over 60 online stores including JCPenney and Lands' End. A portion of every qualifying purchase is donated to your school - all at no additional cost to you!

IPTA IFTAR

Alhumdu’Allah, we would like to thank all our

wonderful parents for their generous

contributions and help during the IPTA

sponsored Iftar Dinner. Thank you!


The Third Annual Ramadan Qur’an Competition will be held on Sunday, September 21, 2008. All registration forms must be submitted to Sr. Tita on or no later than Monday, September 15, 2008.

All students in the community are invited to join, so please hurry and register NOW!

For more info, please contact Sr. Tita at (813) 987-9282, or email her at [email protected].

Science Night AYA will be hosting a Night of Science in October. There will be science project demonstrations, information about the upcoming school science fair, and an open floor questions/answers forum.

Look for more information in the weekly memos in the upcoming weeks.

AYA

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AYA

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GLES

AYA

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AYA

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IPTA Elections

The IPTA officer/coordinator elections will be finalized by the end of the September. Meet your new officers during the next general meeting in October and learn about new ways to get involved at AYA. Since the issue of the time and date of this year’s monthly meetings is also on the ballot, please keep an eye out for the official time of October’s meeting in the weekly memos, or on the AYA IPTA Yahoo! Group. If you are not already a member of the AYA IPTA Yahoo! Group, please contact Sr. Tara at [email protected] to be invited.

Volunteer Handbook: New Procedure

Family sign-in sheets have been made for EACH family, so when you volunteering on campus, please sign-in on your family’s page. If you are simply visiting the school, you must also sign-in, but can do so in the AYA visitors’ log. Remember anytime you are on campus, you must sign-in in the front office and get the appropriate badge (volunteer/visitor). Please Remember: attending IPTA meetings counts toward your volunteer hours.

AYA Kids’ Corner * * * *


Down

2. The evening meal, taken after

sunset to break the daily fast.

3. The sunnah is to break your

fast with water and ______?

4. The pre-dawn breakfast meal

eaten before beginning the

daily fast.

6. During this period, Muslims

must _______from food, drink,

and smoking, among other

things.

8. Arabic word for Crescent

Across

1. Festival at the end of Ramadan,

in celebration of completing

the month of fasting. This takes

place on the 1st day of the next

month, Shawal.

5. The 27th night of

Ramadan (known as

the Night of Power)

7. special prayers offered nightly

during Ramadan

9. Ramadan is a very important

month for Muslims. It is a time

of inner_______ ?

10. Arabic word meaning fasting

Ramadan Crossword- by: Safa Ibrahim

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AYA’’’’S Voice: 1st Graders

What Do You Like Best About Ramadan?

1- Saleh Alhammad: I like praying with my mom!

2- Rita Benkirane: that we behave…

3- Dina Irshaid: You get to have Suhur with your whole family!

4- Tha’er Hijaz: Ummm…playing games with my brothers

5- Omar Obeid: Seeing your friends…

6- Abeer Hassan: I enjoy fasting…in Ramadan!

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