1-28-2022
Assalamu Alaikum Dear Parents,
Alhamdulillah, things seem to be falling into a normal routine. Students are back in class and have embraced in-person learning with great enthusiasm. They have started working on the science fair, spelling bee and the Quran competition.
In the spirit of improving instruction, our teachers have started the first round of weekly Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings which are designed to target a specific skill within a subject.
Teachers collaborate and come up with recommendations to implement during the week to come and
meet again to discuss the efficacy of the recommendations they agreed on and the challenges they
faced.
So far, we had a PLC about:
Gathering a Writing Portfolio” in middle school: Pre-writing with graphic organizers, using a writing rubric, first draft, peer editing, final draft and student self-reflection.
The writer’s workshop in the elementary school” (was rescheduled for next week. This PLC will target the methodology of teaching writing.
Interpersonal activities” in the Arabic class: We at TIA have adopted the ACTFL (American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Language) guidelines in our Arabic classes. The Arabic PLC was about how to develop interpersonal activities. For the next two weeks, the Arabic teachers will not only be preparing the interpersonal activities but also using and implementing them in the classroom.
One of the challenges that Arabic teachers face is the lack of supporting materials and
resources needed to support Arabic instruction. The teachers prepare the supporting material
themselves which is time consuming and challenging at times.
I have been conducting individual post-observation meetings. After observing each teacher in the
classroom, I meet with them to discuss the lesson and give my recommendations. MashaAllah! I have
been impressed with our teachers and their level of professionalism.
My goal for sharing these activities is to give you a window into what we are doing at TIA beside the
obvious and to allow for open communication and inclusion of all TIA’s stakeholders.
We, at TIA, are committed to our mission of Excellence in Education which takes effort, time, and
patience.
Term 1 Report Card
Reports Cards for Term 1 will be sent home next week, in sha Allah. Please review and reach out to the teachers if you have any questions or concerns.
Healthy snack
We would like to thank the parents for sending in healthy snack this week. This week was Health Awareness Week which is a good opportunity to remind and encourage your children to take healthy snacks to school and to make better choices.
Please avoid sending sweets and chocolates to school as it affects the concentration level and keeps the student hyperactive through out the day.
Early Release Day
Friday, February 4th is a half day and dress-up day (nice loose fitting clothing). Please ensure that the Islamic dress code is followed. No jeans, shorts, tight / short dresses or heels. Boys are not allowed to wear hoodies, jerseys, sweatpants or jogging pants.
Dismissal will be at 12:00 p.m. sharp. Please make arrangements to pick up your child(ren) on time.
A Message from Student Council
JAK TIA families. Thank you, and may Allah (SWT) reward you, dress you and prettify you with garments from Jannah as you helped with this project to help the refugees.
On Saturday, January 22nd, Student Council members dropped off the collected items. MSA your generosity did not only cover clothing, but it also included baby needs and goodie bags. Students in school made over 150 counts of goodie bags for the
children of those in need. May Allah reward you all! A great thank you to ISGL masjid for their efforts with us to facilitate the process of this project.
Also, hot cocoa was a success with your support MSA! Students had fun and were happy. It was very heartwarming to see them like that again after two years Alhamdullilah!
TIA’s Annual Virtual Fundraiser
You are cordially invited to our school's 21st Annual Fundraising event on
Sunday, Feb 27th @7:00 PM, please Mark your Calendar
In lieu of the omicron virus, in sha Allah we are staying virtual for the second consecutive year. The event will go live on our website, https://www.tiapeace.org/ at the specified day and time.
Please be involved and help us make this event successful.
Drop-off Parking
We would to thank the parents for helping us with the change we made to the drop-off routine and for being careful while pulling out from the parking lot. Our teachers really appreciate it especially during the frigid temperatures in the morning.
We would also like to remind you to park in the parking lots while you drop off the kids not blocking the driveway. There will be cones put up in the driveway and we request you to park in the lot within the cone area. Also please watch for children who walk past your car. Please remember to respect the ONE-WAY signs and not enter from Oakland Avenue and not exit to Arnold Street. These are safety concerns that put you and other parents/students at risk.
Sister Noura’s Annual Qur’an Competition
The Islamic Academy for Peace is pleased to announce that Sister Noura’s Annual Qur’an competition will resume this year in sha Allah. Details for signing up for the competition have been sent through the parents' group email and through Jupiter. If you are interested in having your child(ren) participate, please fill in the online form in the email no later than Feb 11th.
COVID Testing update
Alhamdulillah, the results from our school's pool testing (PCR) for this past week were all negative. We want to thank the parents who are being very cautious and not sending their children even if they have slight symptoms. The results from the testing show that these precautions have a positive impact to stop the spread. We request parents to continue to be cautious and proactive to help us stop the spread.