Starting the New Year with The Lady of Light, Sayyeda Fatima’s (S.A), birthday celebration is a beautiful blessing. We also took time to honor our mothers on this day. Our students did an amazing job at our Mother’s Day Program! Their singing really lifted our spirits. On Mother’s Day, the children enjoyed having breakfast with their moms and giving them special gifts, which they crafted with love.
The new year brought us so much maturity, strength, and confidence. Our bonds with our friends are getting stronger with each passing day. As we are moving forward, we are discovering new areas of our classroom. After working with Practical Life, Sensorial, and Language, now we have started Math exercises.
The Elementary classroom welcomed the new year with a fresh outlook and greater momentum…Imam Ali (as) said, “To teach is to learn.” Nowhere are these words more put into practice than in the environment of a Montessori Elementary. The internalization of a concept or an idea is firmly placed once the child has gotten to the form of teaching another individual. That transfer of information from one mind to another is the bridge of intelligence.
(In these two primary levels we focus on the correct pronunciation of the Arabic letters and words, and on the memorization of a number of small Surahs and Duas the correct way. All Duas are from the Noble Qur’an):
Level One: (4 year olds and beginners 5 year old children) Children practiced Surah Al Nasr النَصر and Surah Al Masad المَسَد, they also reviewed all previous surahs.
In Mathematics, Grade 7 students continued exploring sufficient conditions to construct unique triangles which prepares them to learn about congruence Theorems in future grades. They also established a deep knowledge in the properties of special parallelograms which helped them solve problems in squares, rectangles, parallelograms, rhombuses, and trapezoids.
In Elective Nutrition, Grade 7 students continued to learn more about lipids as one of the main food categories in their diet. We discussed the importance of lipids as a source of energy and a precursor for many essential hormones and fat-soluble vitamins in our bodies, the dietary recommendations, visible and non-visible fat in food and some concerns regarding their excessive consumption and deficiency.
In the 9th Grade World History course, we are studying Unit 4 of the textbook, which is entitled “The Age of Revolutions,” with topics such as the political revolutions of Europe and the Americas in the 18th and early 19th centuries and the industrial revolution.
Saturday, February 17th, 2024: Parent Education #2 Event
Monday, February 19th, 2024: School Picture Day
Alhamdulillah! We thank the parents, families, and community for their continuing support and encouragement. If you have any questions, comments, or ideas, we would love to hear from you! Please leave your comments!
In Mathematics, Grade 7 students continued exploring sufficient conditions to construct unique triangles which prepares them to learn about congruence Theorems in future grades. They also established a deep knowledge in the properties of special parallelograms which helped them solve problems in squares, rectangles, parallelograms, rhombuses, and trapezoids. They then moved on to studying the Cartesian coordinate system as they identified and plotted points, represented linear equations as lines on the coordinate plane, and developed an understanding regarding the slopes of lines.
Grade 7 Group work , plotting the results on the coordinate grid and discussing them.
In Geometry, Grade 9 students related the understanding of special parallelogram properties to proving that parallelograms are squares, rectangles, or rhombuses and used them in solving problems. After that they moved on to studying similarity where they related lengths and distances in a dilated image to the pre-image using the center of dilation, and the scale factor on and off the coordinate plane. Then they described similarity in terms of rigid motions and dilation, by identifying the image of similarity transformations and identifying what kind of similarity transformation maps one figure to another. Lastly students connected the idea of similarity transformations to similarity criteria in triangles, and applied these criteria to find missing lengths and angle measures in real-world problems.
Grade 9 student exploring similarity in right triangle formed by an altitude.
By Mrs. Malak Charara, Science and Electives Teacher:
Our Upper School students were welcomed back after winter break, and it took us a while to settle back into our science lessons specially after the 2-day inclement weather as well! Grade 7 students were introduced to Geology as a branch of science that studies the Earth’s landforms and composition. We started learning about these various landforms and observed the rock formations in one of the seven wonders of the world “the Grand Canyon” as an introduction to the reminder of the semester’s lessons. Students learned about the human history of the Grand Canyon and the flood experiments of the Glen Canyon Dam.
In Elective Nutrition, Grade 7 students continued to learn more about lipids as one of the main food categories in their diet. We discussed the importance of lipids as a source of energy and a precursor for many essential hormones and fat-soluble vitamins in our bodies, the dietary recommendations, visible and non-visible fat in food and some concerns regarding their excessive consumption and deficiency.
Grade 7 students presenting their research assignment on keto diet, its benefits, and harms.
Grade 7 students tasting zaatar with olive oil and olives as good sources of healthy lipids.
In Biology, our Grade 9 student moved on to a new unit this semester to study more about genetics. We discussed topics like cell division and how cancer is related to cell cycle disturbance and touched on stem cells and cell differentiation. Gregor Mendel’s experiments on pea plants and the genetic principles that were concluded were also introduced and we learned about how our genes are inherited from one generation to the other and what role they play in shaping our physical characteristics and traits. Exceptions to Mendel’s principles were also discussed and applied to many human traits among us.
Our Grade 9 student worked on simulating segregation to further understand Mende’s law of segregation using red and white paper clips.
By Br. Yusuf Ali, English and Social Studies Teacher:
In Social Studies, the 7th Graders are studying Imperial China, with a focus on the political, economic, and technological developments of the Tang and Song dynasties. Each student volunteered to study one of the topics in each unit and prepare lessons on their topics, which they will present to the rest of the class.
In the 9th Grade World History course, we are studying Unit 4 of the textbook, which is entitled “The Age of Revolutions,” with topics such as the political revolutions of Europe and the Americas in the 18th and early 19th centuries and the industrial revolution.
In English, both classes are continuing our novel units. The 7th Graders are reading The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain, with a focus on analyzing character, plot, and setting. The 9th Grade class is reading A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, with a focus on theme, motifs, and symbolism.
I pray that you and your family are well and healthy Insha’Allah, I also wish all mothers and all fathers a happy and blessed Mothers’ and Fathers’ Day Insha’Allah Taa’la.
This is a summary of your children’s Qur’an work during the month of January, 2024.
Primary :
(In these two primary levels we focus on the correct pronunciation of the Arabic letters and words, and on the memorization of a number of small Surahs and Duas the correct way. All Duas are from the Noble Qur’an):
Level One: (4 year olds and beginners 5 year old children) Children practiced Surah Al Nasr النَصر and Surah Al Masad المَسَد, they also reviewed all previous surahs.
Level Two: (5 year old children) Children practiced Surah Quraish قُرَيش and Surah Al fil الفِيل. They also reviewed all previous surahs and practiced Dua Al Walidayin الوَالِديْن دُعَاء.
Elementary:
Group One (level two Qur’an):
Students continued practicing the Sukoon and all vowels which they previously learned. They also learned a new vowel (the Shaddah).
Our main focus at level two (groups two and three) is on improving student’s recitation of the Noble Quran’s.
Group Two (level two Qur’an):
Students are still practicing reading Surah Al Qyamah القِيامة and reviewing old Surahs (Al Infitar, Al Borooj,..etc).
Group Three (level two Qur’an):
Students are still practicing reading Surah Al Qyamah القِيامة and reviewing old Surahs. They also learned (reading and writing) some Qur’an vocabulary such as food2.
Groups Four and Five (level three Qur’an):
Our focus for groups four & five is on reading and Qur’an vocabulary memorization, and also on writing; our goal is to help children learn the most efficient way of Arabic writing, and to help them develop a sense of direction of their Arabic writing (which is opposite of the direction of English writing), and develop a sense of the right size of the Arabic written words.
Student are still practicing Surah Al Rahman الرَحمَن, they also reviewed old surahs and learned (reading, writing, and memorization) some Qur’an vocabulary such as clothing 1 & 2, and things in the Quran 1.
Upper School:
7th grade: Students are still practicing part one of Surah Al Kahff, they also learned many new Hadeeth of the Prophet and Ahlulbayt (as) (Hadeeth; Repenting from the sin & Hadeeth the Sincerity). They also learned many Dua’as (Dua month of Rajab #1 & #2).
9th grade: Students learned Chapters 5 (Actions in the sentence) of the No Nonsense Arabic book and practiced reciting the first half of the 29th Juza’ (تَبارك جُزء) of the Noble Quran.
Quran Studies Students Enjoyed a Special Day with Moms during January
Rajab Mubarak and Happy New Year to you all, ان شاء الله .
May this season bring us all closer to Allah (swt) and our Imam (ajtf) and farther from the distractions of this duniya, ان شاء الله .
The Elementary classroom welcomed the new year with a fresh outlook and greater momentum.
Teaching Others
Imam Ali (as) said, “To teach is to learn.”
Nowhere are these words more put into practice than in the environment of a Montessori Elementary. The internalization of a concept or an idea is firmly placed once the child has gotten to the form of teaching another individual. That transfer of information from one mind to another is the bridge of intelligence.
The technique and the mindset that involves teaching have many underlying factors for a child’s development. The first is being cognizant at their lesson. The child leaves the lesson with a thought that that concept is now theirs.
“Show me what you know.” The child can bring forth their knowledge through any medium. Art, writing, cooking, construction in 3D – their knowledge and creativity shows no limits but does convey their level of understanding. A brief conversation ensues and the great work commences.
As they are working with their own whims on their own wills, from this hard work, there is a great opportunity to relay this information to another. To say, in essence, ‘look at my discovery of learning!” This comes in many forms, from presentations to the class to presenting informally to a friend who needs assistance, one-on-one.
We always say that being perfect is for Allah (swt) and our Ahlulbayt (as). Perfection is our goal but it is never our current state. Even with mistakes, the child understands that to teach one must figure things out; and mistakes become a great tool of learning to be valued but hopefully not repeated.
With all these opportunities of acquired knowledge come other skills set. Akhlaq, intellectual development, communication, confidence, trust, and stewardship in their community. In working in a Montessori environment, your child is not given learning, they take it, and they take it to another level by teaching it.
Teaching the Class Through a Presentation on the Distributive Property
Teaching Young Friends Through a Lesson on the Dewey Decimal System
Teaching A New Technique on an Old Favorite
Teaching Through Your Passions – the NBA
Mother’s Day
We are blessed to have Sayyida Fatimatuz Zahraa (as) as a leader in our lives, الحمد لله . We were also blessed to have all of our wonderful mothers join us to honor them in the light of the Lady of Light during our Mother’s Day breakfast.
Helping Prep for Mother’s Day Celebration
The Holy Quraan Recitation During the Mother’s Day Breakfast
Figure 2Sheikh Al-Saadi Addressing the Mother’s Day Breakfast
January Celebrations of Life
Celebrating Najmah Through Her Timeline of Life
الحمد لله
REMINDERS
During this cold season, lips get dry and cracked, your child may bring lip balm to keep in their cubby.
Please label your child’s warmup dish to prevent your child from coming home with someone else’s dish.
Please ensure your child has a reusable water bottle with them every day.
Celebrations of Life: please make sure you sign up your child for her/his Celebration of Life. Please check your previous emails for more details.
As we have entered in 2024, I pray for the health and prosperity of all our families.
The new year brought us so much maturity, strength, and confidence. Our bond with our friends is getting stronger with each passing day. As we are moving forward we are discovering new areas of our classroom. After working with Practical Life, Sensorial, and Language, now we have started Math exercises.
In Montessori, Math is introduced through shapes, touch and feel. So when we say Math, it’s not only about numbers, it’s sensorial and language as well. For Example: we start Math exercises with Number Rods, they are red and blue. When we start we touch it and say the number. It goes from 1 to 10. It helps the child to understand the linear progression of numbers, it helps the child with visual sense as well. It also guides the child into the discovery of new concepts in number, measurement and space and the consolidation of more familiar ones through the use of Montessori designed concrete material.
Though we love doing the Math exercises but at the same time we are so much attracted towards the other areas of the classroom as well. As we are moving along we are unfolding the more complex lessons. Each material in the classroom has many lessons which increases the degree of difficulty and keeps challenging the child.
In practical life, from pouring and spooning now we are folding the cloth and preparing the snack. From grinding 1 spoon of coffee to 3 spoons of coffee, from getting scared of scissors to cutting the paper confidently.
We can not tell the depth of language as it is everywhere- but the good news is: now instead of listening to “I want to do this,” I hear “I want to do the metal inset” — and it is a big accomplishment !
For Sensorial learning, after exploring most of the material, we still have a lot of excitement. How in the beginning we would only build a pink tower, but now we put all the cubes all around the classroom and we use our visual sense and guess which cube will be the next to make the whole tower. We used to play a lot of distance games and bring me games. Now when we do Geometry Cabinet — we match the shapes and we say “Teacher, this is a pentagon.”
Therefore, you might not see them reading or writing or saying numbers in sequence, but they are moving forward in a very beautiful way.
Let’s wrap this up but not to forget and appreciate how wonderful and lovely it was to have all the mothers to have breakfast with us. It was such a beautiful day. May Allah bless our Mothers. Aameen!
Last but not least, this month we had Sister Fatemah Meghji on our campus and we truly enjoyed our story time with her.
Can not wait to see what next month will bring us!
Dearest Parents, Salāmun ʿAlaykum, May Allah bless you and your families.
Congratulations to you and your loved ones on the Auspicious occasion of the birthday of our beloved Sayyeda Fatima (SA), Imam Ali (A.S) and the month of Rajab.
May Allah (SWT) and the 14 Ma’soomeen shower their blessings upon us.
Starting the New Year with The Lady of Light, Sayyeda Fatima’s (S.A), birthday celebration is a beautiful blessing. We also took time to honor our mothers on this day. Our students did an amazing job at our Mother’s Day Program! Their singing really lifted our spirits. On Mother’s Day, the children enjoyed having breakfast with their moms and giving them special gifts, which they crafted with love.
Elementary students helping prepare the Primary classroom for Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day Celebration
As we think back on the past year, it’s incredible how quickly time has passed. When the children returned to school after their break, they brought with them a lot of excitement, making our learning space feel fresh and inspiring again. It was so nice to see everyone and hear about all the fun they had during Winter Break. The students were eager to get back to their schoolwork and easily got back into their usual routines. It seems like the break was exactly what they needed to rest their minds and look forward to spending more time with their friends and teachers.
In the Montessori environment, repetition plays a crucial role in every stage of a child’s development. It acts as a guiding force, leading children towards mastering specific materials and areas of learning. By engaging in repeated activities, children strengthen connections in their brains, which ultimately makes learning easier for them.
Above Photos: Sensorial Activities
Repetition takes various forms, such as following a daily routine. For many children, having a routine is beneficial as it helps them concentrate and learn effectively. It also aids in developing self-discipline and focus, ultimately empowering them to complete tasks independently. This independence fosters feelings of confidence and security in the child, contributing to their overall sense of well-being.
Above Photos: Practical Life
Geography/ Cultural
We’ve been exploring how animals survive in cold weather. We’ve learned about their different strategies, like hibernating, migrating, or adapting. Through books and discussions, we’ve delved into the Polar Regions, discovering fascinating facts about polar bears and penguins. We’ve also learned about the habitats of these animals and their unique characteristics, enriching our vocabulary and understanding of science.
In Geography, we’ve been fascinated by land and water forms. Using our land form trays, children have been pouring water to understand how different bodies of water are formed, such as islands, peninsulas, lakes, gulfs, and straits. We’ve also been using miniature animals to make connections between these landforms and where certain animals live. This hands-on exploration extends to larger maps, where children can locate and identify similar land and water features. They can then choose to trace, cut out, or paint these forms, further enhancing their understanding of geography.
Learning Land Forms
Language:
Children are beginning to write their own words, marking an important step in their individual development as writers. We’re guiding them in understanding the proper use of upper and lower-case letters, as well as the placement and spacing of words in a sentence. Students are really trying hard to remember capitalizing the first letter in a sentence, ending a sentence with a period, and remembering to use spaces between words. We have started to write 2 sentences when writing in our journals. It is amazing to see their growth!
The younger children continue to work with beginning sounds and making books, while others have begun word building with short vowels. Some of the older children have started word building using phonograms.
Reading is critical! Please read with your child every day. Whether your child is reading to you or you are reading to them, this daily practice at home is an important boost to a student’s decoding, fluency, and comprehension skills.
Math:
Many of our students are excelling in math, and it’s a joy to witness their progress.
With our younger ones, we’ve been using a variety of visual materials like beads, bears, ladybugs, number rods, and other sensory tools to make learning math engaging. One activity we’ve been enjoying is going on “number hunts,” where we count different objects and match them to corresponding sandpaper numbers. This helps children understand one-to-one correspondence and recognize numbers better.
We’ve also introduced the decimal system to our older students. They’ve learned the names of each category and the quantities associated with them.
Additionally, our older students have been working on addition, subtraction, or multiplication booklets. The aim is to memorize facts through repetition and hands-on experience with materials. They even create their own math books using strip boards to reinforce their understanding of these concepts.
Islamic Studies:
We continued our unit on the Ahl al-Bayt (A). We talked about Imām Alī (A), the second of the first five members of the Ahl al-Bayt (A). Kindergarteners worked on a craft of The Kaaba, the birthplace of Imam Ali (a.s.), and learned the importance of Kaaba, what is Qibla?, and Names of Salaat.
All the students are also memorizing the names of 12 Imams, and Salawat.
To emphasize what was learned in school, please try to do the following:
Talk to your child about Imām Alī (A) and how he was kind to everyone, especially children! Mention how he took care of all the orphans.
Story Time:
Every Wednesday morning, our Primary students have the privilege of spending time with our very own Sheikh Saadi. Last Wednesday, we had the honor of hosting Ustadhah Fatemah Meghji, who generously shared her time from her busy schedule to spend with our primary students and read a story about “Rahmah the Raindrop.”
Housekeeping:
Winter is in full swing; we do try and go outside whenever we can in winter. Please be sure to send your child prepared for outdoor play, and label all their belongings.
For your child’s well-being, we encourage packing a healthy lunch in their lunch box as deep-fried items or Nutella sandwiches are not considered healthy options.
We kindly ask that you refrain from feeding your child donuts, cupcakes, or candies, in the morning for breakfast. Feeding sugary items to younger ones in the morning is discouraged for several reasons:
Energy Levels:
Sugary foods can cause a spike in energy followed by a crash, leading to shifting energy levels throughout the day. This can affect a child’s ability to focus and engage in learning activities.
Behavioral Issues:
Consumption of sugary foods has been linked to hyperactivity and inattentiveness in children, which can disrupt classroom dynamics and hinder learning.
