Life & Times. of AYA. news. Look inside... Bismillahi-r- Rahmani-r-Raheem

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1 news Life & Times DECEMBER 2009 MUHARRAM 1431 CALENDAR of January 1 HAPPY NEW YEAR SCHOOL RESUMES 8 IPTA MEETING SEMESTER I EXAMS :30 18 NO SCHOOL 22 ENGLISH SPELLING BEE Look inside... New Teacher Spotlight 2 Middle & High School Updates 4 Elementary Experience 5 K-Building Kids... 6 Kids Corner 6 Awards... 7 Special Columns... 8 Newsletter Submission DEADLINE: Friday, January 29 th at 5:00P.M. Send submissions to ayanewsletter@ayatampa.co Congratulations to the Falah, Abdulmagid, and Alababneh Familes as they welcome their new babies into our community! Congratulations to the Box Tops winners: K5A: 478 K5B: 465 2nd Gr. B: 411 November's Total: 2,390 KEEP IT UP! Bismillahi-r- Rahmani-r-Raheem Dear Parents, Students, Staff & Community-Members: of AYA 5905 E. 130 th Ave., Tampa, Florida (813) Assalamu alaikum! As we enter 1431(and soon 2010), I hope that all of us have thought about what goals we would like to achieve in this new year. I would like to introduce to you Shaikh Ahmed, one of the two imams at Masjid Al-Qassam. Insha Allah, each month he will be sharing with us information about educating our children and raising them according to Qur an and Sunnah. Insha Allah, his series will tie into our Tarbiyah Program. Alhamdulillah, the program gives us the opportunity to share ideas and strategies with our parents and provides an open forum for our parents to give us suggestions. In response to this month s suggestions, we have started a weekly meeting for our teens with Br. Al-Inshiraah (Mondays 4 5 pm), where they can discuss topics of importance to them, get Islamic advice and share experiences. Please join us for the next Tarbiyah Program meeting Saturday, January 16th! Be a part of AYA s success! Wassalamu alaikum, Sr. Magda Elkadi Saleh Principal في تربية األبناء... بقلم الشيخ أحمد شرف المركز اإلسالمي تامبا الحمد هلل والصالة والسالم على رسول هللا وعلى آله وصحبه وبعد: فإن تربية األبناء في الغرب مسألة أسالت الكثير من الحبر وأقضت مضاجع جموع غفيرة من المسلمين في هذه البالد لذا أقول -وباهلل التوفيق- أو ال: قديما قيل : إن المصائب يجمعن المصابينا وهو ما ينطبق تماما على واقعنا فمشكاة المشكلة وسبب المعضلة واحد إنه مجاورة أمم ومجتمعات ال تدين بما ندين هللا به عقيدة وسلوكا ومنهجا ونظاما فتيارها جارف وتأثيرها وارف ليس العجب فيها ممن هل ك كيف هلك وإنما العجب ممن نجا كيف نجا وبعيدا عن مجالس المغتربين الخائضين في األحالم واآلمال أو المشتغلين بالخصومة والجدال أو المشغولين بالوظائف واألعمال نخسر في كل شوط من فلذات أكبادنا أضعاف ما نربحه بدخول غير المسلمين إلى اإلسالم وليس الخبر كالمعاينة فاألزمة جماعية وحلها ينبغي أن يكون جماعيا يشارك فيه الجميع - في بالد المسلمين وغيرها- بحثا عن مخرج لما وقعنا فيه وأوقعنا نسلنا فيه وهللا المستعان. انيا ال: إن بذلك للجهد واستفراغك للوسع ومكابدتك للمشاق في سبيل صالح ابنك و ابنتك هو امتثال لما أمرنا هللا به في كتابه: "يا أيها الذين آمنوا قوا أنفسكم وأهليكم نارا.." ]التحريم :6[ وأمره لنبيه -صلى هللا عليه وسلم- بقوله : "وأم ر أهلك بالصالة واصطبر عليها " ]طه :132[ وهو اقتداء باألنبياء الكرام في تربية أهلهم قال هللا تعالى- عن إسماعيل عليه - الصالة والسالم- : "وكان يأمر أهله بالصالة والزكاة وكان عند ربه مرضيا " ]مريم : 55[ إذا هي طريقة شاقة ال تستلزم صبرا فقط وإنما اصطبارا وغاية في الجلد والمثابرة دون يأس وقنوط ليال ونهارا سرا وجهارا بالترغيب تارة والترهيب أخرى بالكلمة الحانية والدعوة الخالصة والدمعة الدافقة والضمة الحارة بإهداء كتاب أو شريط أو الدالل ة على موقع إسالمي نافع ووسائل اإلصالح كثيرة لن نعدمها - إن شاء هللا- وهكذا فالجميع يتحمل وظيفة عظيمة إنها معالجة نفس بشرية بكل تعقيداتها وللحديث بقية.

2 New Teacher/Staff Spotlight by Jasmin Gutierrez and Yasmine Hussien The AYA newsletter has worked hard to introduce you to AYA s newest teachers and staff. This month, we would like to present Sr. Raghad Abu- Owaimer. Sr. Raghad graduated from the Zarqa Private University in Jordan, and received a B.A. in English Literature. When she came to the US from Jordan, Sr. Raghad knew that she wanted to help the Muslim community in Tampa. So, after she heard about AYA, she decided to sign-up as a part-time volunteer, and worked with Sr. June s Kindergarten class. After that, she decided that she wanted to work at AYA full time, and became an Arabic/Qur an/islamic Studies teacher in AYA s K4 and Kindergarten classes. Sr. Raghad teaches because she adores working with children. The only difficult thing she finds with teaching is that she has to use massive amounts of energy! Teaching young students requires her to make every learning experience as fun as possible. She finds no problem with dealing with her students. She admires that they are so eloquent for their young ages. Masha Allah they learn very fast and they think outside the box, says Sr. Raghad. Her students cherish her and they delight in the way she directs them. She uses art to help the students relate to the stories of the Qur an, and feels that her students have made great achievements with the new Al-Qaidah An-Noraniah program. The funniest thing that happened to her while teaching was, one day she asked the students in K5 to try to speak in Arabic, "formal Arabic," and one of the children raise his hand and told her, I know how to speak in Arabic, and said in a colloquial accent, "Cheef The teachers are "تشيف حالتش haletch, working hard with the students to get them to speak formal Arabic. by Ala Faria Sr. Samira Elsayed is AYA s new Administrative Assistant. I recently sat down with her to talk about the Student of the Month Awards Ceremonies. This is what I learned: What must students do to receive the SOTM award? Students must have all A's and B's, nothing below a C. They cannot be tardy to class more than three times. They should also have Islamic Athab, and should always try to help out and be respectful. Why do you think it is important for parents to come to assemblies (whether their children are being awarded or not)? Parents should always plan to come to assemblies to see class presentations, learn more about what students have been working on in school, and to find out more about what is going on in the upcoming month at AYA. It also makes children very happy to see their parents at school. Their presence shows the children they value their effort, and encourages them to become more confident when performing in front of large groups. Do you think it is easy to receive the SOTM award? For the younger grades, all of the students will get a chance to earn the SOTM award. It is important for parents to talk to their children about being happy for their friends, even when they themselves do not receive the reward. None of you is a believer until he loves for his brother (his fellow Muslims) what he loves for himself. (Sahih Muslim) It is more difficult for the third through fifth grade students to receive the award. They MUST show the above characteristics in order to receive this award. The middle and high school students earn Student of the Quarter awards, which requires an even greater commitment to academic excellence and exemplary behavior. What other kinds of awards do students receive each month? Some students receive monthly awards for the BOOK IT program, as well as the two annual Qur an competitions, the Science Olympics, Spelling Bee, Arabic Spelling Bee, and for the sports programs, among other competitions held throughout the year. by Ahmad Rifaie, Yezun Ali with excerpts by Tara Zekri The AYA School Store is a place where students can forget about school and be around something they love! The store has a large variety of drinks, chips, chocolate, and even ice cream! No one is a fan of spending money, but the prices are really fair. If you ever finish playing a sport game, and you are thirsty, you can quench your thirst at the school store. Gatorade is only a dollar fifty, and there are many delicious snacks to choose from! AYA opened the school store four years ago. It is important to have a school store on campus, because there should be a fun and safe place for students to hang out, and provide AYA with an ongoing fundraising venture to help support its students and activities. When you are visiting the school store there are a few things to keep in mind: Groups of boys and girls should not be in the store at the same time, and everyone should be courteous when they visit the store. Students are still able to leave their mark on AYA, by painting their handprint inside the store for ONLY $3. Finally, students may not owe more than $5 at one time in the store, so please settle your debts in a timely manner. SUPPORT AYA! SUPPORT YOUR SCHOOL STORE! Page 2

3 by Amjad Alshalabi During this school year, there have been a lot of sports programs at AYA. The new programs include: Middle and High School Flag Football, Middle School Boys and Girls Soccer, Tennis, Martial Arts, and Cross Country. I believe that these sports programs are going to get better year by year, and I think that it is going to be a big factor in making AYA one of the most successful schools in Tampa. I would like to see our students compete against schools other than UAF, like against public schools, because even though the UAF players are great opponents, we need more opportunities to grow and become stronger athletically. I hope that the AYA sports program continues to grow each year, add new sports and that this success will last. On Thursday, December 10 th, the High School girls soccer team had a game against UAF at Sligh. It was a big upset, as they lost 3-1. However, they played really well and made us all proud. AYA ALUMNIby Subrine Hijaz Br. Yasir with his cousins, Br. Adeeb and Br. Omar AYA s After School Sports Programs by Hussien Qasem Br. Adeeb is the head coach of AYA s new football program. Br. Adeeb wanted to be the head coach, because he thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to train students to have more athletic endurance, and to teach boys in our community how to play football in a disciplined manner. The program has been divided into two teams, A and B. Br. Adeeb feels that both groups have great potential, but team A is equivalent to AYA s varsity team, while team B is more like AYA s junior varsity team. Br. Adeeb said that it was not easy to choose which players were assigned to the different teams during tryouts. The quarterback position was especially hard to choose, because the position is based on best overall athletic ability. Br Adeeb has many plans for the both teams offense and defense. The offense needs to be more organized, and needs to learn how to execute the assigned plays. The defense has to learn how to play as one unit. The final item that both teams need to improve is learning how to follow instructions and to complain less! On Wednesday, December 16, AYA s Middle School Football Team played UAF. AYA won 34 to 14! TAKBEER! Br. Yasir Abunamous graduated from AYA in Alhamdulillah, he just graduated from USF in the Spring of 2009, with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Chemistry. He plans to apply to medical schools in 2011, but he is also considering studying Islamic Studies/Shariah at the Graduate level, either after medical school, or instead of it. Br. Yasir said that he can attribute his performance on the SAT to AYA's prep course (along with Sr. Naima's instruction), and he must give credit to the dual enrollment program that allowed him to transition smoothly into the college environment. He also mentioned that even though he did not spend a significant portion of his secondary schooling at AYA, the year he spent with his classmates and teachers allowed him to grow as a person in a number of ways. For example, had Br. Abdel-Majid not reprimanded him a number of times for falling asleep in class, he probably would not have acquired a fuller appreciation for the amount of effort teachers put into classroom discipline. On a more serious note, it was during his "stint" at AYA that he acquired the deep love and respect for activism that he currently harbors, as many of his high school experiences were pivotal in shaping some of the opinions that collectively form his worldview. What is his advice for students attending AYA? Don't run with knives. Socially speaking, busting out with a "Yo Mama" joke can only hurt you, despite what we were taught in the 90's. Find a multivitamin that suits your needs as a strong, independent student, and take it daily (I'm not talking about that ghetto Flintstones stuff...they may taste good, but I'm quite convinced it's just strawberry-flavored powder held together by human saliva). Again, on a more serious note, please, PLEASE value the time you have now. I know it sounds like the advice of a 90-yearold, but your youth (and by association, your time) is inexplicably priceless. Sure, have fun during these times, because you're just going to get busier later; but ALWAYS remember to use this time for gaining (useful) knowledge. Keep the Qur an close to your heart (and always strive to learn/apply the Sunnah). Always keep humility and Tawheed (Oneness of Allah) in mind (and in your heart); all beautiful things stem from there. Br. Yasir says that what he misses most about AYA is how carefree he was. When asked what his funniest memory at AYA was, he answered, If I had to choose one memory, I'd say it's between the time Omar Saleh and I got ISS for performing "stunts" with the school's shopping carts, and the time our class skipped school and the boys went to the Hillsborough River and dove in on a whim. (Don't tell Sr. Magda!) Page 3

4 Middle and High School Update One-to-One with Sr. Magda by Mizba Khan How do you think AYA students performed overall during the first quarter? I think that some students had difficulty with new classes the first quarter, but they are working harder now, and should do better this quarter. Since we are well into the second quarter, what advice do you have for the Middle and High School students hoping to pull up their grade point average? Pay attention in class, follow-up by reviewing the lessons at home, and make sure to ask the teachers questions about what you do not understand. Now is a good time to start going back and reviewing what you took 1st Quarter. Remember: Semester I Exams are only a few weeks away. Are there any upcoming events planned for the Middle and/or High School students? The MAS Conference is December 19th, and there is a program for the middle/high school students. We just came back from a great field trip to Sarasota (Mote Marine Laboratory for a tour and a squid dissection, and lunch and swimming at Coquina Beach). The 6th and 7th graders went to Kennedy Space Center on the 14 th, and the graders went to Sarasota on the 18th. The field trips are both fun and educational. It has been a very busy month. Are there any state-wide or county-wide scholarships or competitions that our students should know about? Math Counts and the Regional Spelling Bee, both for Gr. 6-8, are coming up in February. The Geography Bee is at the end of December. Is there anything that you would like to add? I think we have a great group of students who are rising to the challenges that we are giving them and who are getting stronger academically and spiritually each year. I think that our students need to focus on doing the best that they can do in everything, not for grades or recognition, but because that is what Allah SWT and our Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) have commanded us to do. English Class Website by Maryam Fahda, 11 th Grade Ayatampa.moodlehub.com is a new website that was created by our hard working and dedicated teacher Br. Buchanan, who took the initiative and time to design it. This website was setup specifically for the 10 th and 11 th Grade English classes. It enables us to access additional information regarding what we are learning in class. It helps us keep track of our assignments and reminds us of assignment deadlines. It expands our resources, and helps us depend more on ourselves. We are responsible for doing our work, and uploading it on the site so that everyone in our group can see it. What this does is it allows other people to read our assignments and comment on them. These comments should be constructive and offer helpful advice. We are given many chances to revise and resubmit our work after our classmates comments are given. Other than commenting on each other s assignments, we are also given weekly vocabulary and poems. I believe this website was a really good idea, because it keeps everyone connected, informed and engaged. 8 th and 9 th Graders at Mote Marine Laboratory 6 th and 7 th Graders at Kennedy Space Center Page 4

5 The Elementary Experience Busy Bees by Lama Mattar After sitting down with Sr. Hayat, AYA s Director of Elementary, I learned just how busy the Elementary students really are. She said that she was very excited because the students and teachers alike are working hard to achieve academic excellence and make AYA the best school in town. Everyone is especially focusing on Reading, writing and vocabulary building. Sr. Hayat also mentioned that the An Noranniyah method, adopted by the Qur an Department, is working very well to teach our students to read the Qur an well. She also told me that the entire Elementary Department participated in the Pete the Pelican Presentation where they learned about environmental issues. The second grade, the K5 A and K5 B classes went to a Petting farm. Also, to commemorate Eid-al-Adha, grades 1-5 went bowling and everyone had a lot of fun, Alhamdulillah. In addition, the third grade class is working hard on their Rain Forest project that they will display in building A on December 23, Insha Allah. Finally, I asked how our AYA representatives did at the Science Olympics. She said, Our students participated in the semifinals in the Science Olympics at MOSI and we appreciate their participation. They did very well; unfortunately, no one made it to the finals, but everyone is excited to compete next year! What I Learned from Pete the Pelican Pirate by Jihad Gomaa, 3 rd Grade I learned that when people litter they might harm other things. For example, when you throw a can in the water and if a pelican flies by, the pelican might think that the can is a fish. When it comes down to get it, the can can get stuck around the pelican s beak. People sometimes litter on purpose and on accident. When they do it on purpose, it is really bad. But when they do it on accident, it is not that bad. It still doesn t mean that you can do it! When you do not litter, you help the environment. There are other ways to help the environment, too. You can use the three Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle. So remember, THINK BEFORE YOU THROW and PUT WASTE ITS PLACE! by Mostafa Zayed, 3 rd Grade I learned that picking up trash can help people and help animals live safe lives. Keeping the earth clean, healthy and safe is important for everyone. So, if you see litter, please pick it up. Never throw trash in the water, or on the ground. Animals might eat the litter and die. Remember, if we litter, we are not protecting the animals, or the earth. So, let s do it together and save them both! Tell everyone you know that we should care about the animals and about the earth. Picking up trash can help a lot. Plus, you will not only have a clean earth, but you get hassanat, too. You will get ten good deeds for picking up one piece of litter, so why don t you try? I know we can do it! Page 5 Young Writers Poetry Winners The World as I See It by Layal Barakat I love the world with all the trees, The oceans, the flowers, and the wonderful breeze. The birds flying very, very high, Way, way up there in the big blue sky. The animals and humans live on the ground, If you want to find some just listen to their sound. God the greatest created us all, Some people are big and some people are small. The world as I see it is beautiful green, If you cut down trees, there won t be any seen. Let s work together to save the land, Children and parents hand by hand. My Dream for the World by Nadene Hijaz My dream for the world is for everyone, To be healthier, to be wealthier, And to be strong. For everyone to care, In the world so small. And for everyone to share, A life that we bond. Through thick and thin, For everybody to help and not to sin, And for everyone to be safe and warm, And less deaths and more babies born. Last month s answer to our Guess Who column: SR. TITA by Sofia Mekouar, 2 nd Grade

6 AYA student promising to Keep Waste in its Place! K-Kids in Action by Rula Hijaz The Early Childhood Department has been very busy this last month and a half. In order to keep up with professional development, the Early Childhood teachers attended the FCIS Conference, and received more training on how to prepare their students for Elementary school. Last month they had a few in-school field trips, such as Germaine the Germ, and I can eat a rainbow, which taught the students the importance of healthy eating. The students also met Pete the Pelican Pirate and learned about environmental issues. Finally, Ms. Jenn and Bess the Book Bus visited the students. Ms. Jenn read to the classes and gave each child his/her own book to keep. Sr. Maha mentioned that they are trying not to go on any out of school field trips due to safety concerns. Finally, the K-students performed their Hajj during the K-Building Hajj stimulation. They made all their Manasic (or duties) of Hajj and celebrated Eid. The ECD would like to thank the teachers in the Islamic Studies, Arabic, and Art Departments who worked so hard in preparing for this event, and all parent volunteers who helped make the Eid parties so wonderful. What would you do if you were the principal of AYA? Sr. Brianna Wootten s 1B Class by Mohammad Fahda and Abdullah Tamari If you could have any gift for Eid, what would it be? Sr. Manal s 1 st Grade A Class Amina Ahmad- Makeup. Nehal Ali- A makeup set. Hana Bondogi- Perfume. Shaam Daaboul- A pet fish. Adam Essoufi- Bakugan battle set. Asadullah Fayiz- A light saber from Star Wars. Bilal Gomaa- Hot wheels cars. Nadeen Hassan- Build-a-Bear, Issam Hatel- A thousand dollars. Lina Ibrahim- A doggy. Ameen Merie- A big dinosaur to step on the world. Abdullah Omar- Battle striker. Saji Rum- Race cars. Nader Sarsour- Ice cream Mohammad Ahmad: I would make school on Saturday. Qahtan Ahmad: I would tell everyone in school to stop yelling. Dana Barakat: I would let the kids do whatever they want and play all day. Muhammad Falah: Make fun day every day. Laith Hamil: I would let the kids do, wear and eat whatever they want. Hasan Harake: I would cancel school so we can have fun all the time. Khader Herbawi: I would make one big building so the Elementary; Middle and High school can fit in it. Hager Kamel: I would make school only 2 days a week. Adam Mansour: I would let everyone in school work all day with no playtime, except for my friends. Hedaia Mohammad: I want to be the boss and control everybody. Sanna Nassar: I would only let the girls play all day, and the boys have to work. Noah Shehata: I would make a building where teachers can chill and swim in the pool. Page 6

7 Students of the Month - October Raghad Swar K4A Mariam Mustafa K4B Angel Sanchez & Ridha Mohamed K4C Shahed-Fatima Aisheh & Nagam Saleh K5A Samah Quneibi & Zakareya Elsayed K5B Abdullah Omer & Nader Sarsour 1A Hedaia Mohammad &Khader Herbawi 1B Dina Irshaid & Abdul-Hakim Zekri 2A Rama Abdulmagid &Mariam Elsayed 2B Jihad Gomaa & Zena Omer 3 Rewhida Ahmad & Ahmad Ali 4 Taj Hussein & Fatima Bouarfa 5 Student of the Month - November Moayad Shehadeh K4A Hares Ibrahim K4B Adam Benabid & Hiba Mrabtaissa K4C Abrar Hamdan & Amal Nahhas K5A Suhaib Fariz & Amnah Taha K5B Saji Rum & Amina Ahmed 1A Hager Kamel & Mohammad Ahmad 1B Sana Chahbandar & Hassan Benbourenane 2A Mustafa Abulhaija & Khalil Khawaja 2B Ahmad Abdulmagid & Layal Barakat 3 Hussein Harake & Razan Merai 4 Ammar Mattar & Reham Ali 5 Students of the Quarter Mariam Mekouar & Sewar Quneibi 6A Hamza Bouarfa &Sarah Gomaa 6B Sabrina Awshah, Diana Mustafa, & Abraham Irshaid 7 Musa Khaled &Serene Mostafa 8 Sarah Quneibi &Rahma Elmohd 9 Yasmin Khawaja &Atef Rum 10 Umar Abunamous, Maryam Fahda, & Jaa far Harake 11 Hakeem Hijaz &Maram Yousef 12 Prinicipal's Honor Roll: Adam Mansour, Rama Abdulmagid, Ahmad Abdulmagid, Sanna Nassar, Danya Awshah, Layal Barakat, Asadullah Fayiz, Mariam Elsayed, Jihad Gomaa, Osama Gurwala, Sarah Gomaa, Sewar Quneibi, Sabrina Awshah, Abdulrahman Chahbandar, Abraham Irshaid, Serene Mostafa, Yasmin Khawaja, Ramy Mitwalli, Sarah Quneibi, Maryam Fahda High Honor Roll: Lina Ibrahim, Hedaia Mohammad, Abdullah Omer, Noah Shehata, Rita Benkirane, Abeer Hassan, Dina Irshaid, Omar Obeid, Omar Omer, Salam Twam, Abdul- Hakim Zekri, Laith Hijaz, Zena Omer, Leya Rum, Mostafa Zayed, Khaled Yousef, Dina Awshah, Hamza Bouarfa, Lara Mattar, Subhi Quneibi, Sarah Mari, Musa Khaled, Atef Rum, Haneen Saad, Rahma Elmohd, Lama Mattar, Bushra Annahas, Umar Abunamous, Jafa'ar Harake, Hakeem Hijaz, Noor, Tamari, Maram Yousef Honor Roll: Mohammed Ahmad, Amina Ahmed, Nehal Ali, Dana Barakat, Adam Essoufi, Muhammad Falah, Laith Hamil, Hasan Harake, Nadeen Hassan, Khader Herbawi, Hager Kamel, Nader Sarsour, Mina Arslan, Hasan Benbourenane, Sanna Chahbandar, Khalil Khawaja, Amine Medmoun, Sofia Mekouar, Eman Mustafa, Danya Yousef, Dana Ahmad, Zachary Ahmad, Nadene Hijaz, Razan Saad, Ahmad Ali, Amine Benkirane, Zaid Chefchaouni, Amro Hijaz, Aya Mari, Amin Nasr, Hebah Nassar, Fatima Bouarfa, Mariam Mekouar, Lana Sarsour, Elnaz Taherkalateh, Hanadi Abraham, Fatima Beydoun, Razia Fayiz, Safah Gurwala, Diana Mustafa, Sarah Rifaie, Areej Suleiman, Amani Taha, Isra Aisheh, Nadine Al-Ashker, Shaden Yousef, A'la Faria, Rula Hijaz, Mohannad AlAshker, Mahmoud Ali, Suzan Ashour, Omar Kazzoun, Saad Abufreijeh Page 7

8 By Rahma Elmohd Black: the absence of light. Yet we consider it a color. A color used to portray fear, doom and the unknown. Imagine closing your eyes and never being able to open them again. Imagine never seeing the sun rise or the sunset. What if you never got to experience the sight of a rainbow or see the faces of those you love? What would life look like in the eyes of a blind person? Imagine living in the unknown. Having a life filled with fear and confusion. Imagine life black. To you as the reader, it is hard, because the experience is limited by your imagination. And your imagination is based on experiences with sight. While to those who see nothing but this infinite darkness, it is extremely hard to imagine anything else. For them life is not seen, but heard and felt. Life has texture and smells that erupt emotions. The sun is known by its comforting warmth and its harmful burns, not as a large yellow ball in the sky. Most of us take for granted our gift of sight. I personally have given little thanks for the blessing of sight bestowed upon us by Allah. However, after an English assignment I did for Br. Buchanan, my very patient and consistent literature teacher, I ve realized that the simple working organ known as the eye, is one of the thousands of miracles that we take for granted every day. So, I ask for you to take this moment to say Alhumdulilah for the incredible blessing Allah has so willingly given us. I also ask for you to pray for those who struggle to live a normal lifestyle with a disability. And I also ask you to pray for those of us who feel it not necessary to thank Allah for their normal lives, for they are truly the blind ones. Hajj by Kamal Taha Hajj is the pilgrimage Muslims make to Mecca. It is the fifth Pillar of Islam, and is a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in the lifetime of every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. It takes place between the 7th and 13th days of Dhul-Hijjah. While making Hajj, Muslims must enter a sacred state called Ihram by performing certain cleansing rituals and wearing prescribed attire. During Hajj, people pray at the sacred masjid, Masjid Al Haram, then go around the Ka bah seven times, and try to kiss the black stone. Then they run between the mountains Safa and Marwah. The next day they go to Mina to perform the stoning of the devil, in which they throw Advice Column Dear Sr. Help out, I am in 8th Grade, and I'm about to start High School. I am super nervous and am afraid that I won t fit in, or get good grades. It is all I think about, and it is ruining my life. What do I do? Signed, Worried about High School Dear Worried about High School, I understand your situation. Everyone faces it sooner or later. Just remember: EVERYTHING COUNTS AND A SMALL MISTAKE CAN COUNT AS A BIG ONE THAT WILL STAY ON YOUR PERMANENT RECORD) I M JOKING! I remember when I was in the 6th Grade; I was not worried about High School at all. The closer it got, the more I didn't notice it coming. Finally, I reached the end of 8 th Grade, and what do you know, I was so worried. I kept thinking about it, too. Will anything change? Will my grades change? Will it be too tough to handle? All these questions started popping up in my head. I did not receive any answers until I finally faced my fear- HIGH SCHOOL. When I actually got there, I calmed down. There was nothing to worry about! So, just be calm, stay positive, and stay focused. Keep up the work you re doing, and Insha Allah you will be prepared for High School. Signed, Sr. Help out Rain Forest project sculptures Sr. Basima works tirelessly with all her art students, and is currently helping the 3 rd and 6 th Grades design a collaborative Rain Forest project. The project will be displayed in Building A on December 23 rd. Photos of the end result will be in our next issue! stones at the Ramy al-jamarat. After all that is accomplished the pilgrims celebrate Eid-ul-Adha by sacrificing animals and having a four day global celebration. Alhumdiliah, Br. Mahmoud, Sr. Khadija, and Sr. Zeinab went to Hajj this year. May Allah accept their journey and deeds. Page 8 AYA Eid Collage