Newsletter Issue Nº 6 | October/November | 2017
Upcoming Dates 13-19 November Swimming Week 15 December End of Term 4 29 January Start of Term 1 (2018)
Term Dates Term 4: 16 Oct - 15 Dec
From The Principal
Assalamu alaykum warahmatullahi wa barakatuh Dear Parents, Guardians, caregivers and friends of IQRA. We are almost at the end of our first year at IQRA College. Alhamdulillah, throughout this period we have seen the school and particularly the number of students grow from strength to strength. We could not have achieved this great milestone without the support of our school community. We look forward for your continued support in the future Insha Allah. On Wednesday during Week 4 of the current term, IQRA College had its first ever sports day at Flagstaff Oval. We were blessed with a beautiful day, and the students thoroughly enjoyed the day. It was great to see the students display persistence, resilience and support for each other. I’d like to thank the organising committee, parents and volunteers for helping create such a memorable event. Towards the end of last term, we had the honour of hosting Prof. Dr. Rosihon Anwar (Faculty Dean of Usuluddin, Islamic University of Sunan
Gunung Djati, Bandung, Indonesia), specialising in Tafseer of Al Qur’an together with all his faculty member as follows: 1. Dr Ahmad Ali Nurdin, PhD (Lecturer in Political and Social Sciences), specialising in Islam in Politics in South-East Asia. 2. Usep Dedi Rostandi (Lecturer in Ushuluddin), specialising in Ulum AlQur’an and 3. Husnul Qodim, MA (Lecturer in Ushuluddin), specialising in Sociology in Religion. Islamic University of Sunan Gunung Djati, Indonesia.
They are currently involved in collaborative research with the new formed Centre of Islamic Thought and Education at the University of South Australia. (Continued on page 2)
In This Issue P.1
Principal’s Message
P.7 New Staff Introductions
P.2
Class Updates
P.8 Sports Day Photos
(From the Principal - continued from page 1) During their visit, they praised the curriculum and Islamic culture at IQRA College, and promised to try and establish linkages such as student exchange programs with our school. We look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship with the Islamic University of Sunan Gunung Djati.
Our weekly self-defence classes are continuing to be a hit with students, and we now run separate classes for boys and girls. Thank you to Sister Liza for volunteering her time to teach the girls.
The students have been learning about ordinal numbers in Maths, counting to 50 and back and learning to group objects in either two’s ,three’s or fours. In literacy, we are focusing on sounding out all the blends, identifying them and sounding them out in words. The students are getting into their writing skills and learning to write independently. They are working really hard to improve their reading skills but, this has to be an ongoing practise from the beginning. Kindly ensure your child is reading with you for at least 15 minutes on a daily basis. We are learning about living things and sustainability in Science and healthy eating in Health, so our class has decided to grow our very own fruit and vegetable garden! Last week, we planted strawberries and this week we are planting tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, melons, silverbeet, broad beans, chillies, eggplant and more. Reception A would like to say a very big thank you to Brother Shahrizan and all those who assisted in assembling our garden beds. Parents, if you have time to spare please feel free to assist us in this exciting venture.
In week 6, swimming lessons will be conducted each day at Blue Dolphin Swim Centre in Happy Valley. Please ensure your children bring the appropriate swimming attire as well as any necessary medication. During week 6 our Friday Jumu ah prayer will not open to parents and members of the public due to the uncertain times of our swimming lessons. Friday prayer will be open to the public again after week 7 insha Allah. We also urge our parents and members of the public to park their cars in the teacher’s parking area when they attend the Friday prayers. On a final note, I would like to give my best wishes to the families of our international students returning to their home countries next month Insha Allah. Jazakallah Khair. Shaheem Doutie Acting Head of School
Please remember to send your children in the correct uniform. Many students are still coming in with colour shoes and jackets. Young children need to bring in healthy lunches, please ensure your child has sufficient food packed for him /her for the day. Shukran.
Class/Teacher Updates
Wassalaam
Assalaam ualaikum (WRWB)
Mrs Zulekha Naby
Dear Parents, families & caregivers
Mrs Mohamed's Reception B Class
Mrs Naby’s Reception A Class
Welcome to all students new and old to Term 4. Hope you all had a restful break! In our class this Term, all students hit the ground running when it came to our work. They have been working really hard not only in class but, practising their reading at home. Well done and keep up the good work!
Dear Parents/Guardians, Assalamu Alaikum
It’s hard to believe that four weeks of term four have already passed! The past four weeks have been filled with learning for reception B, with both the children and myself enjoying ourselves greatly.
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In science, we have been learning about living things. Thank you to all parents who helped their children to create their “All about my pet booklets”.
The students went on to display fantastic sportsman ship and camaraderie. We hope to continue building these qualities in the playground at school.
In history we have been learning about our families, and in geography we have been learning about locations in places and their features on maps, and the rock art of Aboriginal and Torres-Strait Islanders, the original inhabitants of Australia.
W'salam Mrs. Hina Matloob
In Health and P.E. we have been discussing our feelings, and ways that we can all be safe in the community. Students have also enjoyed learning about counting and 2D shapes in maths class, as well as basic problem solving such as addition and subtraction. In English we have been having fun learning new words every day, as well as using jolly phonics to keep improving our reading and writing skills. Children have enjoyed playing fun literacy games for their guided reading. They have also been using interactive spelling workbook in ICT class to improve their spelling and typing skills. Sports Day so far, was most certainly a highlight of the term for all of us if not the highlight of the whole year. It was clearly evident that students in reception B and every student at the school, really enjoyed themselves. Congratulations to the red house for winning the inaugural and the first ever Iqra College sports day! On behalf of our class I would like thank all parents who helped out on the day. Best Regards,
Mrs McShane's Year 2 Class Dear Families,
Firstly, I would like to extend a big, warm welcome to our new students, Saja and Rania who have settled in well and are making lots of new friends. We are very pleased to have you join our class! Last week, the year 2's participated in an amazing sports day. Each and every student gave 100% effort to their activities and demonstrated that hard work and determination always pays off! In class, students have been learning all about the creatures of the Great Barrier Reef. They have written descriptive poems using adjectives and adverbs. Ask them about their creative work! This week we will begin learning about the endangered sea turtles of the Great Barrier Reef and how we can help to protect them. Students will write persuasive arguments on this topic and type up their work on Microsoft Word. In HASS, students will begin designing their own island with built and natural landmarks, a key and compass. Students are also excited to be designing and making a model of the Great Barrier Reef in Technology. A big thank you to all who have sent in boxes and other materials. We look forward to sharing them with you!
AssalamuAlykum,
With the end of term fast approaching, students will be working hard to meet their end of year targets in Mathematics and English. We will be concentrating on reviewing basic skills in the coming weeks so that all students are ready for Year 3.
The year seems to fly by, as we already find us in the last term of the year!
Thank you for all your support at home. Mrs McShane
Sahra Mohamed
Mrs Hina's Year 1 Class
The students came back relaxed and refreshed after the term break. For literacy, we have been learning new blends every week and exploring speech marks and antonyms too. For numeracy, the students are learning to interpret graphs, data and ordinal numbers. For science, They are understanding the importance of sense organs in our everyday lives. For humanities and social sciences, the class is working to make a diorama depicting their research on Kakadu National Park with its varied flora and fauna. The students have used ice-cream sticks to come up with a variety of artworks. For design and technologies, the students are working in groups to come up with a working model of a toy. The entire class is thrilled to participate in the self-defense classes organized every week. The sports day has been a roaring success where each house competed to outperform the other.
Mrs Ayoubi’s Year 3 Class
Assalamu Alaikum Dear Families, The Year 3 students have been busy preparing themselves for Sports Day, practising their chants and their physical skills to make the most of this day. Academically, they have covered many topics this term thus far including learning how to multiply large numbers using the vertical written method. They have also been introduced to long division and are beginning to understand the multiple steps required for these algorithms. Next, we'll be exploring the connection between fractions and decimals. In English, we've been looking at features of explanation texts and began drafting few written pieces that reflect this style of writing. (Continued on page 4)
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(Mrs Ayoubi’s Year 3 Class - continued from page 3) It was also a great privilege to represent IQRA College at the annual Premier's Reading Challenge Reception that was held at Adelaide Zoo. Our school was among the top achieving schools this year and therefore we were awarded with a certificate signed by the Premier and a bag of books.
they will transfer all those points into a coherent and cohesive piece of exposition.
We are looking forward to more exciting learning activities later in the term insha'Allah.
For Science, we are learning about the solar system, the different planets in the system and how it works. Students will be conducting research on the different planets. The findings of their research will be then shared with the class. Potential scientists in the making. And for Art, we are working on producing 3 Dimensional drawings. I am sure that the students will produce something spectacular.
Wassalaam, Mouna El Ayoubi
Wassalam Mr Zamri
Mr Hafner’s Year 4 Class
Mr Byrne’s Year 6/7 Class
We are mid way through Term Four and time is flying by. During this term Year Four students are excited to have the opportunity to participate in a range of physical activities including Sports Day and Aquatics. Although these are competitive activities a reminder to all students that good sportsmanship is always encouraged and expected. Let's make this term one with amazing memories for all who participate. In literacy this term, Year 4 students are exercising their creative muscles as they undertake a media arts project integrating elements of advertisement and persuasive presentations. Students will be creating their own theoretical iPhone/iPad apps and presenting them to the Head boss at Apple (me) for consideration of selling them in the App Store. They will be asked to create their own sales pitch including name, icon design, description and cost. They should be having a think about what their app might do and who would use it. I can't wait to see what they come up with! Stay tuned! In numeracy, we are continuing to improve our multiplication fact fluency up to 10x10 and their related division facts. We are also exploring numbers up to the ten-thousands place as well as learning key strategies for solving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division operations. As always diligent practise at home on fast fact fluency and mental strategies is always appreciated. Thank you for all the hard work you do in helping make your students education a successful process. Mr. Stephen Hafner
Mr Zamri’s Year 5 Class Assalamulaikum
We are at the final stretch for this academic year. It has been a wonderful and meaningful journey. Let me update you on what we are planning to do this term. For English, we are working on writing an exposition. To assist them, students will be participating in debates. They will try to convince the audience that their point is superior than their opponents, using persuasive and convincing languages. After the debate sessions,
Assallamu Alaikum,
Dear Parents/ Guardians, This term in the year 6/7 class we are investigating Graphing and position, Negative numbers, Measurement and time in Maths with a focus on patterns and equations. We looked at Area and perimeter. In English, we are looking at Biographies and Narratives, specifically plays and scripts. We also revised persuasive writing. What makes a good story and what audience it is for? What is a biography and Autobiography and why do people write them? In Art, we are finishing off still life drawing, Painting and Aboriginal Art and beginning Drama. In Science, the year 6/7’s investigated Animal Adaptations and Energy. We will try to understand our world from the tiniest atom up to the Earth. In Health, we are investigating Drugs and fitness. We will also look at the importance of team games and being a good winner and loser. In Geography, we are investigating Asia and the way land forms. This term we also started our Self-defence classes under the instruction of Brother Ayyub and Sister Liza. The students are enjoying learning new skills and increasing their fitness. We had a Sports Day this term and swimming in week 6. Our school is growing and flourishing due the support and enthusiasm of all staff, parents, students and volunteers. It has been a wonderful term of hard work and learning and we look forward to seeing you next year. Kind Regards, Grant Byrne.
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Mrs Soheir’s Arabic/Qur’an/Islamic Values Class Asalamu Alikum parents,
My name is Soheir Habib. I recently joined IQRA College’s teaching team to take on the role of teaching Arabic and Islamic studies for reception, year 1 and year 2 classes. I have a Graduate Diploma in Education from Adelaide University as well as Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Microbiology. I have worked as an Arabic and Islamic teacher in Adelaide for about three years as well as Science and Chemistry teacher for secondary schools. I am delighted to be working at IQRA College. During the first few weeks of teaching, it has been a pleasure to be able to spend an adequate amount of time learning about all my students. This month in Arabic, students learned the following: Reception Arabic letters and phonetic sounds, single words relating to pictures, objects and actions, long and short vowels, letter join to make words, nursery rhymes and numbers. Year 1 The students learned how to join letters to make words, read and write small sentences. Year 2 communication and conversation, grammatical form and structures such as verbs, pronouns, singular/ plural, prepositions to provide simple sentences and short texts on people, actions and events and feeling. The students start to read and write long paragraph and answer some simple questions. In Islamic studies, students learned about Values of Islam and the following: Reception Memorize surah Al-Adiyat for Rec A and Al-Homaza for Rec B. The students learned how to pray and make wudhu’ , duaa after wudhu, duaa when they wake up at the morning, duaa for entering and leaving the toilet and they learned Tashhud. The students learned about prophet Yunus story. The students practice reading in IQRA book helping them to practice the pronunciation of Arabic letters. Year 1 Memorize surah Al-Takathur. The students learned how to pray and make wudhu’, duaa after wudhu, duaa when they wake up at the morning, duaa for entering and leaving the toilet and they learned Tashahud. The story of the people of Elephant. The story of Abu Lahab. Five pillars of Islam.
Year 2 Memorize surah Al-anshqaq. The story of prophet Adam. The story of prophet Yunus. Thanks all Regards Soheir Habib
Dr Ahmed’s Arabic/Qur’an/Islamic Values Class Dear Parents, AssalamuAlykum Wrt,
I am delighted to be working at Iqra College. During these three months of teaching, it has been a pleasure to be able to spend an adequate amount of time learning about all my students. Every student has unique talents, experiences and personality to share as well as different interests and learning styles. My goal for our classroom is to be a community of learners based on mutual respect for individual differences and working together to make the rest of the year a successful and rewarding experience. This October in Arabic, students learned the following: Year 3- 4 Arabic phonetics and intonation, communication and conversation, grammatical form and structures such as names, verbs, pronouns, singular/plural, prepositions to provide simple sentences and short texts on people, actions and events and feeling, and memorize a lot of Arabic Nashyeed. Year 5-7 Arabic storytelling, summarization, make connections with spoken and written texts, pronunciation, intonation when communicating and interacting, writing conventions, grammatical structures, adjectives and adverbs, share and elaborate ideas and information and express opinions In Quran and Islamic studies, students learned about Values of Islam and the following: Year 3-4 Memorize from juz’ Amma, translate the meaning of short Surahs and understanding fiqh AlTaharah in Islam. Year 5-7 Memorize from juz’ Amma and Tabarak, understanding many of Quranic stories, and understanding the fiqh of prayer in Islam. Warm Regards, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmed Ragheb
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Premier's Reading Challenge Event
On Tuesday 7 November, two of our students (Shaheer Tareen and Shireen Dosky) represented IQRA College at the Adelaide Zoo for a special presentation hosted by Premier Jay Weatherill and other Premier's Reading Challenge Ambassadors. The presentation took place to recognise schools with outstanding achievement in the Premier's Reading Challenge.
Visitor Kiosk
The front office now has a visitor kiosk to record all visitors in the school building. All visitors and volunteers are required to sign in so they can be accounted for in the case of an emergency.
Dedicated School Number
Our school now has a mobile number if parents wish to send any SMS messages directly to us. The number is 0476 857 277.
Canteen News
Congratulations to all students who completed the challenge this year.
Parking on School Premises
Please take note that parking in the carpark (Carpark A) outside the school's main building is reserved for taxis and visitors. We ask that you park in Carpark B (as shown in the map below).
The school canteen has recently made a couple of additions to the menu: · Fruit Salad ($3.50) · Cupcakes · Large: Blueberry & Coconut ($1.20) · Medium: Plain ($0.80) · Small: Sultana ($0.50) We are accepting any donations of fruit to give away to students during recess and lunch time. Thank you to parents who already provided the canteen with fruit - the students certainly appreciate them during the warmer days!
Student & Parent Handbook A student & parent handbook has been emailed to parents. This book contains information on policies and the day-to-day running of the school If you would like a hard copy, please pick one up from the front office.
Opt-Out For Student Counselling
Alhamdulillah the school now has a counsellor coming in every Tuesday to provide support to students and assist with their development (see page 7 for more). All students are encouraged to use this service. However, if a parent/guardian does not wish for their child to see the counsellor, they must inform the front office and the administration staff will make a note of this.
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New Staff at IQRA College Meet Our New Counsellor
Asalamu Alaikum Dear Parents/Guardian, I would like to take this opportunity and introduce myself, my name is Amena and I have recently joined the IQRA college family as the school counsellor. My primary responsibility as a school counsellor is to promote the academic, personal, emotionl and social development of all students. I look forward to offering support to the students, staff and families. I will be working with students individually and do classroom observations if needed. My service is not limited but includes: · Support to encourage attendance, behaviour and learning at school · Personal counselling to help manage relationships with family, teachers and peers · Support to manage issues · Crisis responses · Course and career guidance · Advice, support and referral to therapeutic and other support services beyond the school Any student can request to meet with me or they can be referred by a teacher or parent. I encourage you to reach out if you have concerns regarding your child. If you would like for me to meet with your child please do not hesitate to contact me. I am looking forwards to be a resource for your child. My goal is to help your child to be successful academically, emotionally and socially. Kind Regards, Amena
Meet Our New EAL/D Teacher Assalamu Alaikum (WB)
I am appointed as the EAL/D (English as an Additional Language/Dialect) teacher in our college. This program is designed to develop Language and Literacy for students who speak mainly non-English languages at home. Students are assessed in reading (identifying sounds and blends) and writing, prior to the program so that lessons are differentiated to cater to individual needs. The EALD lessons run simultaneously with the English lessons and students come to the EALD class 4 days a week. Now just a bit of myself – I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in English and have been in the teaching profession for 24 years (17 years in Singapore and this is my seventh year teaching in South Australia). I am very keen to meet you so that essentially, we can work together in the best interest of your children. If you have any queries about your child’s progress in English, please feel free to make an appointment with me. Thank you Balgish Mydeen
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Sports Day 2017
On Wednesday 8 November, we held our first ever sports day. A big thank you to all the parents and volunteers who attended and helped make the day a huge success.
Address: 5 Majors Rd, O’Halloran Hill, SA 5158 | Phone: (08) 8298 2550 Email:
[email protected] | Website: www.iqracollege.sa.edu.au