Message from Br. Souheil

Transcription

1 NEWS FROM THE NEST January 2013-Edition E. 130 TH AVE. TAMPA, FLORIDA (813) Message from Br. Souheil Assalamu Alaikum Students, Parents and Community Members, Even though each month at AYA can be described as a busy one, January has certainly felt quite industrious. Teachers, staff and students have been hard-atwork preparing for the end of the first semester. We started off the month with our in-school Science Fair, many classes took advantage of the nice weather and went on field-trips throughout Hillsborough County, and students used the month to diligently study for SEM I exams. So, to keep in this spirit, the theme of this month s newsletter is BUSY BEES. How many busy bees can you find throughout the pages? The month of February looks just as eventful, insha Allah. Students, teachers, staff and parents will be abuzz with school pride during SPIRIT WEEK, and I personally invite each and every one of you to our annual Fundraising Dinner. The dinner is a wonderful time for all of us to get together to celebrate AYA and everything that makes it more than simply a school, but a place of limitless possibilities. Hadeeth to Keep in Mind Enter the Scholastic Book Fair Kids Are Authors Writing Contest! Deadline to enter: March 15, 2013 February Events 1-Friday: Tarbiyah Program 1-Friday: Senior Bake Sale 4-6: In-Class English Spelling Bees 5-Tuesday: Tuition Due 7-Thursday: IPTA 2:40pm 11-12: Parent Conferences 12-Tuesday: Regional STEM Fair 13-Wednesday: STEM Fair Award Ceremony 14-Thursday: School Wide English Spelling Bee 15: NO SCHOOL/Staff Work Day 18-22: SPIRIT WEEK 21-Thursday: Pre-K SOTM Assembly 22-Friday: SOTM Assembly 23-Saturday: FUNDRAISING DINNER 26- Tuesday: Cap/Gown Picture Day Look inside... AYA Alumni 2 New Family Interview 3 Celebrating Students 4-5 Science Fair and Fun Pg 6-7 Arabic Page 8 Newsletter Submission DEADLINE: February 21, 2013 Please submissions to ayanewsletter@ayatampa.com Business Ads Welcome! ¼ Page Ad=$100 for 1 month Full Page Ad=$500 for 2 months! Visit:

2 By: Nermean Qasem, 8B NEWS FROM THE NEST JANUARY in Sr. Dunia Saed Have you ever wondered what happens to our AYA graduates? Well, I was able to meet and talk with Sr. Dunia Saed. She now teaches here at AYA, and this is what she said about life after graduation. 1. What do you like most about AYA? I feel like AYA is my second home. Everyone is very welcoming and open minded. 2. What did you do after you left AYA? I studied at USF and received a degree in Political Science. Now, I m a teacher here at AYA. I love my students and enjoy making a difference in their lives. 3. What advice do you have for the students? Enjoy every moment of high school, because these are the best years of your life. 4. What goals did you have before you left AYA? I wanted to finish school. I also wanted to stay close to family and friends. Maram Yousef, Class of 2010, and her brother, Hakeem Yousef, Class of 2009, both graduated with their bachelor's degrees from USF in December. Both received degrees in Biomedical Sciences. Congratulations to: Br. Baker and Sr. Senchal Ghanem, parents of Farah and Lily, welcomed their daughter, Julann, in November. Br. Mamdouh and Sr. Omneya Elsayed, parents of Basma, welcomed their son, Hady, in December. Br. Mamdouh teaches Qur'an and Islamic Studies at AYA. Br. Yamal and Sr. Jumana Abdelhafes, parents of Firas and Rim, also welcome their son, Jaad, in December. Br. Yousef and Sr. Bashayer Abdullah, parents of Fahad, Faisal, and Hashem, welcomed their son, Ahmed, last week. Br. Shaker and Sr. Kawther Alhadidi, parents of Jawad and Hadi, also welcomed their daughter, Batoul, this past Friday. Chocolate Rice Krispies By: Reham Ali, 8B Ingredients 6 teaspoons butter 6 cups of Chocolate Rice Krispies cereal 1 bag of halal marshmallows (can be found at local Arabic Grocery Stores) ½ cup of mini M&Ms (optional) Step-By-Step Penny Drive Congratulations to the 11 th Gr. and 4A classes! Over $1600 was raised by all the classes! Preheat stove on high. Melt butter in a large pot. Add 1 bag of marshmallows to butter. Add 6 cups of Chocolate Rice Krispies cereal to melted butter and marshmallows. When cooled, add ½ cup of mini M&Ms. Mix thoroughly. Place on tray of your choice. Put in refrigerator for 2 hours. Once cooled, cut into even squares & enjoy!

3 NEWS FROM THE NEST JANUARY POEMS Sr. Samira is one of AYA s new fifth grade teachers. She recently moved here from California, and I got a chance to ask her and her family a few questions about why they moved. First, I asked her what made her decide that she wanted to teach at AYA. She told me, It was by chance that I got the opportunity to teach at here but I am so happy it happened. I love teaching 5 th grade again, and my students brighten my day. I then asked her why she decided to move from California to Florida. She said, I actually lived in Florida before, but in the Orlando area. I heard that Tampa had a great Muslim community. Finally, I wanted to know if she had any advice to give families thinking about coming to AYA. She said, Moving to Florida is wonderful. You ll be living in the sunshine state, and AYA is a great school with an involved Muslim community. I also asked her two daughters Bayane (8th grade) and Hasna (10 th grade) how they liked AYA so far. They said that they really liked the people and the Islamic environment here. They also said, We LOVE the sunshine! Saajid Khan, 2B

4 NEWS FROM THE NEST JANUARY By: Ahmad Abdulmagid, 6B and Layal Barakat, 6B K4A - Lujayn Hamdan and Rita Tazi K4B - Aryam Safieh and Yusef Mhallawi K5A - Yara Ismail, Faizan Mohammad, and Jude Sullaiman K5B - Sulaiman Habib and Mazin Abdalla 1A - Zackaria Motrib and Adil Khan 1B - Wajd Binsalman and Brween El-Dahla 2A - Mohammad Soukieh, Su ad Macedonio, and Fatima Mohammad 2B - Mariam Mustafa and Jood Binsalman 3A - Mohamed Abdel and Abrar Hamdan 3B - Farah Ghanem and Dalia Qdeih 4 A- Nader Sarsour and Meryam Tazi 4B - Yazen Alkhyyat and Abdullah Omer 5A - Leeyana Saed and Karimah Ahmad 5B - Iness Morabi and Aliya Hack January was an amazing month of field trip adventures! K4 students went under the waves at the Florida Aquarium; the K5 classes played at Horse Power for Kids; 1 st graders baked pizzas at the California Pizza Kitchen; 2 nd graders popped into the Glazer s Museum; 3 rd Grade traveled to the Lowry Park Zoo; the 5 th graders saw a movie star, Winter the Dolphin, at the Clearwater Aquarium; 6 th Grade discovered the past at the Tampa Bay History Museum; and 9 th Grade visited the Hillsborough County Courthouse. The best part of all, everyone had so much fun!

5 NEWS FROM THE NEST JANUARY 2013 Nadeen Hijaz, 6A How do you feel when you make a goal? I feel so special and accomplished. 5 By: Ayah El Faouatih, 8B & Fatima Bouarfa, 8B Razan Saad, 6B What do you think about your new AYA soccer jersey? It s Huge!! But I like the colors. Suhaib Al-Dahla 6B Do you play on any other soccer team outside school? How do you feel before your games? I play on a team called Fusion, it is in New Tampa. Before my soccer games I feel nervous, but at the same time excited. Amjad Saad 7A By: Dana Fetais, 8B What team do you play on out of school? How do you feel before you play a game? I want to thank my mom for everything! I play on a team called Spartans. It s a soccer team. When I am about to play a game, I get this really good feeling. Since exams were at the end of January, I thought, why not interview some 1st Grade students and ask them to give the big kids advice on how they should prepare for exams? This is how it turned out: Nevin Tanoukhi, 1B: Study 3 or 4 times.. oh, and try your best to get an A or an A+. Wajd Binsalman, 1B: Umm, spell it, read it, study it, and understand it. Ibrahim Alnahdi, 1A: Everyday, if the teacher lets you, take your book home and study. Ali Fetais 1A: Go to Br. Sohbi s Tutoring Center and study! Dear Mr. President, My name is Areeb Khan, and I m a seventh grade student at the American Youth Academy in Tampa, Florida. I am a proud American Muslim that finds his patriotic identity questioned every so often. This issue bothers me every time I travel with my family overseas. On the way back, my father is pulled to the side by immigration to be cleared to come back home even though I am a born and raised American citizen. I feel like I am being treated like a second class citizen. While other foreigners traveling on a visa pass through immigration quickly, I am told to stand in a corner like a criminal until they clear us. The last time I checked my American passport, I could not find anywhere on it saying second class citizen, so why am I being treated like one? I also want you to know this problem is not just mine, but a common one to a lot of Muslim families all over United States. Everyone that travels has a story to tell. The security of my country is very important to me, but not at the cost of losing my civil rights. This makes us no different from a third world country where people have no freedom and are treated on the basis of status, race and ethnic groups. The worst part is that my baby brother, who was 9-months old at the time of travel was red flagged because his name is Abdullah. The immigration officer jumped off his chair when the phone rang on his desk after scanning my brother s passport. He had to explain to the superior that he is just a baby and so on It seems like just because of very few criminals, we, as a nation are losing our civil liberties. To me, this is the biggest defeat a nation can have. With all due respect, I, on behalf of my family and other Muslim brothers and sisters at large, request your attention to this matter.

6 NEWS FROM THE NEST JANUARY By: Ghadh Soukieh, 7A and Iman Ahmad, 8B Winners in bold will be representing AYA at the Hillsborough County Regional STEM Fair in February. Grade 3A 1st Abdul-Malik Zekri: Don t Phone Home While Driving 2nd Adam El Qadah: Rate of Speed Robot 3rd Suhaib Fariz: Can Magnets Help Plants Grow? 3rd Sadeel Hijaz: What Temperature Makes Crystals Grow Faster? Grade 3B 1st Lana Shada: May The Best Plant Win 2nd Abdul-Hakim Chefchaouni: White is right for glaciers to beat the heat 3rd Malik Shalabi: How to build up static electricity by rubbing balloon Grade 4A 1st Dana Barakat: Greasy Chips 2nd Saji Rum: Which paper towel absorbs the most? 3rd Malek Khawaja: Is Lighter Better? Grade 4B 1st Muhammed Falah: Eating Nails for Breakfast 2nd Hedaia Mohammad: Shapes vs. Labels: Which does the brain process first? 3rd Adam Mansour: Porcelain teeth vs. acrylic teeth Grade 5A 1st Abdul-Hakim Zekri: News Flash: Peripheral Vision Stops Collision 1st Khawlah Altoubah: Color Psychology 3rd Mariam Elsayed: Are washable markers really washable? Grade 5B 1st Danya Awshah: How does a Hovercraft work? 2nd Sofian Faria: Which cup keeps the drink the coldest? 3rd Sarah Nasur: How does the angle of a solar panel affect the performance of a solar car? K5 A & B: How Do Different Liquids Affect Teeth? Gr. 1 A &B: Do Seeds Grow Better in Water or Soil? Gr. 2 A & B: Which Nut Has the Most Energy? All around AYA, students can t put down their favorite reads. Iman Ahmad, 8B wanted to know what some of the students were reading, and this is what she found out: Sr. Alicia s 2B Class: The Vain Peacock Saleem Sekkkat, 2A: Double Fudge Ahmad Dibo, 2A: World Atlas Muhammad Mustafa, 2A: The Secret Dorm Malik Falah, 2A: This is the Tree Malik Abdelaziz, 2A: Afternoon on the Amazon Haneen Abunnur, 2A: Kitten, Kitten, Kitten Sr. Sandra s 3B Class: Blue Willow Sr.Samah s 1B Class: The Grand Old Tree What do you get when you string together gummy Lifesavers and pasta? Third grade students learning about skeletal vertebrates, of course! "The students enjoyed making models of vertebrates during science class. I enjoy seeing knowledge being absorbed by children and, through interaction, I feel I can achieve that." ~ Sr. Rosaylah, 3A

7 NEWS FROM THE NEST JANUARY By Akram Mohammad, 6B, Ahmed Kamel, 8A, and Rami Mari, 8B Hip-hop #1=Ahmed Kamel, #2=Rami Mari, #3=Nermean Qasem, #4=Iman Ahmad, #5=Ghadh Soukieh, #6=Layal Barakat, and #7=Reham Ali Busy Bees: 23 Today I went out of my [Noun] to go [Verb ending in ing ] and was mobbed by a huge crowd of [Animal]. I [Verb ending in ed ] to get out of there as fast as I could. I met up with [Friend s Name] and we went to eat at [Restaurant]. We left and went to the [Noun] and saw something amazing. It was a large [Adjective] [Noun] and we were in awe. Next, my [Noun (plural)] came up to me and asked for my autograph and I gladly did so. [Friend s Name] and I went to my [Noun] and to watch movies. We ate [Junk Food Item] and [Sweet Food]. We watched [Name of movie] and played [Game]. Photographers tried to take pictures of us, but my [Noun] kept them away. We had lots of fun and we [Verb ending in ed ]before my friend had to go home. ~ Allah always has something for you, a key for every problem, a light for every shadow, a relief for every sorrow, and a plan for every tomorrow.

8 NEWS FROM THE NEST JANUARY By Al-Dana Fetais, 8B. Motto of the Month Not praying Fajr = waste of a day Not praying Isha = waste of a night Not praying 5 times a day = waste of a life