Excellence, Wisdom, Mercy, Honesty, Charity, Diversity & Respect

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1 Thursday 29th March 2018 Excellence, Wisdom, Mercy, Honesty, Charity, Diversity & Respect As Salaamu alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh Welcome to another feature packed newsletter! This newsletter marks an important juncture in the recent history of the school as we can officially state we are a Good school. The OFSTED inspection in January was long awaited, over 7 years since the last one, and so much has happened in the education landscape in that time. Not only has the scrutiny on Muslim schools been immense but the standards we are judged against have moved much higher. This has meant that the school had to really develop and grow over the last few years. I am very proud of the recognition that the school community gained from this report. It is important staff know they are working in a good school, and that parents know that their choice of school is warranted in mind and not just in heart. We know however Good is just a label and we need to ensure that we are doing the best we can, lesson by lesson, day by day and week by week. That is the challenge I set myself and my school staff. I welcome the chance to make a difference to the children put in our trust. Ultimately we want to thank Allah for his immense blessing on us as a whole, we know there is plenty to do to take this school further so that we can grow and fulfil our school mission to inspire our students to achieve excellence in Islamic conduct and personality, to ensure they achieve their academic potential, and to develop each child to be an ambassador of Islam contributing to and serving the wider society that we live in. I ask for your continued support towards achieving our mission. Majid Ishaque Head Teacher Last day of term: 29th March 2018 School reopens for children : 17th April th instalment of school fees: Friday 30th March 2018 Last day of next half term : 5th June 2018 Ramadhan: It feels like yesterday when we were saying farewell to Ramadhan and now, in less than two months we will be greeting the next Ramadhan Insha Allah. For most of us we would already have started thinking about preparing for Ramadhan and how to make the most of it. The best way to prepare for Ramadhan is by reflecting upon its purpose, as Allah tells us in the Quran: O you who believe! Observing al-sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become al-muttaqoon (the pious). (2:183) In this ayah Allah Almighty mentions the objective of fasting in Ramadhan which is to make one s self gain in taqwa or piety. Therefore, Ramadhan is meant to transform us, it is meant to make us better Muslims, increasing in obedience to Allah subhaanahu wa ta ala and decreasing in disobedience. Taqwa is an action of the heart which should show in our actions, making us better Muslims.

2 PTA NEWS Assalamu alaikum, This term has been a busy and fruitful term for the PTA with lots of different things going on and organised. The PTA organised a FAMILY SPECTACU- LAR EVENT on Saturday 17 th March 2018 to raise money for Project Rebuild. Alhamdulillah it was a very successful event and we raised about 60,000 Masha Allah. I would first like to praise Allah the Most High to have made this event a success and then I would like to say a big Jazak Allahu khairan to all my volunteers for their continued support and help. Finally, I would like to say Jazak Allahu khairan to everyone who donated - may Allah reward you in this life and the hereafter. Ameen. Nailah Ashraf (Parent Governor & PTA chair) nailah@noorulislam.org.uk Had a fabulous time, great entertainment that was enjoyed by all! A fantastic family event, the atmosphere was amazing! Really enjoyed the talk and kids play, excellent event!

3 The evening included an amazing bubbleshow, the school children s production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, an inspirational talk from Imam Asim Khan and of course the fundraising which included an auction section. On display above was a very unique one off mural of the Ka ba, made by our very own Ustaadh Ishaaq. WORLD BOOK DAY The PTA organised different activities for World book day for key stage 1 and 2. The children had the opportunity to participate in different activities and games to do with books. The children really enjoyed themselves making bookmarks, writing stories, taking part in a Roald Dhal quiz and many other activities. There was also a book sale at the end of the school day.

4 SLIME CLUB! Sr Avia and Sr Nailah organised a slime club which was a big hit with all the children. They got to experience making different types of slime and got to see the chemical change once the activator is put into the glue. BROTHERS AND BOYS QUIZ NIGHT Ustadh Majid and Br Raza organised a quiz night to raise money for Project Rebuild. It was an amazing evening with a reminder by Ustadh Ishaaq, a challenging quiz and delicious food! The winning team was awarded with prizes. Some tips on preparing for Ramadhan: Make plentiful dua Persistently ask Allah to grant you the ability to make the most of Ramadhan. It is reported from some of the righteous predecessors that they used to ask Allah six months before Ramadhan to extend their lives to meet this month in good health. Then, they used to ask Allah for five months after Ramadhan to accept their good deeds committed in it. Therefore, you, by following their example, pray to Allah that He gives you an opportunity to welcome Ramadhan in good health and with a strong faith, and ask Him for help in worshiping Him, and for acceptance of good deeds. Work on your heart Try and purify your heart by increasing in seeking Allah s forgiveness. When we repent the black spots that accumulate in the heart are wiped away and the heart becomes purer. Take the example of the Prophet, peace be upon him who said: O people! Turn in repentance towards Allah and ask His forgiveness. I turn towards Him a hundred times a day. (Muslim) Forgive others Search your heart for any unresolved feelings against others, forgive and let it go. As Allah says: Let them pardon and forgive. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Quran 24:22 Start building good habits with your time now Use pockets of time to increase in the remembrance of Allah, whilst waiting in traffic or queuing up, walking, sitting and doing everyday tasks. Dhikr helps to polish the heart getting it ready for reaping the benefits of Ramadhan. Build your relationship with the Quran Recite the Book of Allah more often, looking at the translation or Tafseer, pondering upon it and following its rulings. Ask yourself when reciting, what does Allah want me to learn from this ayah? What benefits can I extract? Are there any action points I can take away from this? Identify your weaknesses or sins We need to recognise where we are falling short so we can work on improving ourselves and seeking Allah s forgiveness. Ask yourselves, what character flaws do I need to work on? Where is a lot of my time getting spent? How can I make some changes to areas that need improvement? Be generous in helping others Use whatever Allah has blessed you with, be it wealth, health or any other gifts to assist others as Allah will assist you. As the Prophet, peace be upon him said: Allah is in the aid of His slave, as long as the slave is in the aid of his brother. (Muslim) Allah will aid you in many ways, among these is that He will place barakah or blessing in your efforts, making things easy for you in this life and in the hereafter. Increase in good deeds in general Pray Sunnah prayers regularly, fast some voluntary fasts, give some extra charity etc. all of these will help get us the mode for Ramadhan so that it becomes easier to reap the benefits when the month does arrive Insha Allah. May Allah grant us the tawfeeq to gain the most from Ramadhan and make it a means for us to gain taqwa and enter Jannat ul Firdaus al A la, Ameen.

5 RECEPTION CLASS Dinosaur dress up The children have really enjoyed working on the topic Dinosaurs!! From dressing up as dinosaurs in the role play to becoming fossil finding experts. They have carried out many activities and have learnt a lot along their journey. We have had children that have been to the museum and brought back amazing facts that they have found out: Stegosaurus has a very tiny brain! (Aaminah Sayed) Dinosaurs are extinct means they are all dead! (Hafsa Naz) The children are also excited to go on the trip to Jurassic Golf. Researching fossils of different dinosaurs Islamic studies The kids had good fun when it started snowing! We had a short break outside our class when the snow began to fall and they had a good experience of it. We thank the parents for also sending in their pictures too!! Children have been learning how to write the Arabic alphabet independently focusing on position and correct formation.

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7 As part of their history learning on The Great fire of London, Year 2 were taken back in time to 1666 at St Paul's Cathedral. Through storytelling, they learnt about how the fire started in Pudding Lane and quickly spread. With the aid of role play scripts they acted out what it was like during the Great Fire of London. Children were able to explore some of the Cathedral s religious artefacts such as the high altar and the paintings in the dome. The dads who volunteered for this trip can be seen in this picture having a blast!!!!! In our DT lessons we made yummy gingerbread men! Children had fun making up their own stories and doing freeze frames with a guest from Word play. We learnt how to follow a set of instructions in literacy for making our own delicious sandwiches! For science we were learning about Living things and their Habitats. We became explorers in our donning hats and binoculars and compared the differences between things that are living, that are dead and things that have never been alive. The snowy weather didn't stop us from having fun and enjoying ourselves!

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12 AN INCLUSIVE SCHOOL Our teachers aim is to provide support in all areas of the curriculum so pupils are able to access the curriculum at their required level. The SEN department provides additional support where needed. This year the SEN department are developing the support for pupils in speech, language and communication skills. Children practice speaking in a small group before presenting in front of a wider audience. Here children learn to listen, take turns, and cooperate in social interaction groups. Amongst other techniques the sliding in technique enables children to build their confidence with small groups and then move onto target audiences. These are important life skills we are developing in our children. Remaining focussed and listening are key elements when completing independent tasks. Using tactile resources in numeracy so numbers are more meaningful. Children learn how to identify different emotions and how to express themselves in different situations. This helps to express their feelings in a positive and polite manner rather than holding their feelings in. The importance of understanding their emotions cannot be overstated.

13 By Ustaadth Ishaaq All Praise be to Allaah and may He send His peace and blessings upon his messenger and upon all those who follow him. In our quest to encourage our children to memorise and learn the Quraan we have produced an interactive display. Each child has a car with their name on it and they race against each other in memorisation. There is great emphasis here that every one is a winner regardless of how much they have memorised. Allaah The Most High, commands us in the Quraan with the following verse: {So race with one another in seeking to attain your Lord's forgiveness and a Garden whose width is as the width of the heaven and the earth, one which has been prepared for those who believe in Allaah and His Messengers. That is Allaah's bounty which He bestows upon those whom He pleases. Allaah is the Lord of abounding bounty.} [Hadeed:21]. When we see our peers striving to learn Quraan it encourages us also to increase our efforts. This was the way of the companions, may Allaah be pleased with them. One of the best ways to attain Allaah s forgiveness and mercy is to memorise and practice the Quraan. To further encourage our students there is a special section dedicated to our ex students who have completed their memorisation of the Quraan. Many of our present students remember them and look up to them as legends. They are truly legends for the massive sacrifice they made in order to be blessed with the whole Quraan, Maa shaa Allaah. Now is a good time to ponder and reflect upon our own efforts. The month of Quraan, Ramdhaan, is nearly upon us, are we planning what our programme will be with the Book of Allaah, or are we just planning Iftaar? The Prophet, peace be upon him, said Verily the one who recites the Quraan beautifully, smoothly, and precisely, he will be in the company of the noble and obedient angels. And as for the one who recites with difficulty, stammering or stumbling through its verses, then he will have TWICE that reward. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. So even the excuse of lack of proficiency in reading is non existent. Our children are making fantastic progress, maa shaa Allaah, are we to be left behind by them? The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: The Quraan is an intercessor, something given permission to intercede, and it is rightfully believed in. Whoever puts it in front of him, it will lead him to Paradise; whoever puts it behind him, it will steer him to the Hellfire. [At-Tabaraanee]

14 What could have been better than to start a new term with a whole school trip to Flip Out?! Everyone from pupils to parents who volunteered and staff were indeed very excited and had been waiting eagerly for this to happen. We all enjoyed the day and had so much fun together. This was organised as a treat for winning Beat the Street and we hope we will have more events like this to work together with our parents, staff and pupils. Ask the Teachers We started this new feature last term; we ask teachers the questions you dare not ask! This newsletter we have Ms Anisah and Ms Nusrat. Favourite colour: Rainbow Football team you support: Noor Ul Islam Primary football team! Greatest achievement: Whatever and whenever I ve challenged myself and worked hard! Most memorable achievement when you were at school: Performing in the school play as a main character! Most embarrassing moment: Now, that s a secret! Favourite subject at school: English Favourite verse of the Quran: Surah Al-Imran Ayah Favourite food: Waakye Favourite Dessert: Custard and Cake or Anything Free! Favourite computer game: What s a computer? Tell us a joke: Knock, Knock Who s there?...ketchup Ketchup Who?...Ketchup with me and I ll tell you (I am terrible at jokes) Places you would like to visit: Mecca. Life ambition: Jannah. Where do you see yourself in 10 years from now: Old.very old.. Ms Anisah Favourite colour: It really depends on my mood... Football team you support: Next question!!!! Greatest achievement: Helping some people out of poverty Most memorable achievement when you were at school: Winning first prize in a cultural event in secondary school Most embarrassing moment: I don t want to be embarrassed all over again thank you! Favourite subject at school: I enjoyed French and English Literature Favourite verse of the Quran: last 2 verses of Surah Baqarah Favourite food: Chinese (when someone else cooks!) Favourite Dessert: I will eat anything sweet... Unfortunately! Favourite computer game: Not my thing! Tell us a joke: What is the difference between a school teacher and a train? The teacher says spit your gum and the train says "chew chew chew". Places you would like to visit: The Amazon Forest although I'm terrified of bugs! Life ambition: To make a real difference in the lives of those who need help the most Where do you see yourself in 10 years from now: Retired on a beach house in Mauritius!! Ms Nusrat

15 Parent Tarbeeyah Workshops This half term saw the introduction of our Parent Tarbeeyah Workshops hosted by our Islamic Studies Department. The aim of these workshops are to help strengthen our home-school relationships and equip our parents/carers with useful tips. The first workshop was held on Tuesday 6th February 2018 on the topics of E-Safety & Nurturing by Ustadh Ishaaq and Ustadh Shahzaman. The second workshop was held on Tuesday 20th March 2018 on the topic of The Value of Time by Ustadh Hussain. Snippets of our most recent workshop included utilising one s time in an effective manner, the passing of time, making time for acts of ibaadah etc. We had 40 attendees for our first workshop and 35 for our second, alhamdulillah. We have received amazing feedback from parents who have attended and have gained great benefit. We look forward to hosting many more in the upcoming months! If you have any suggestions for topics you would like covered, please your suggestions to primary.school@noorulislam.org.uk. As part of our PSHE curriculum, we recently had a Road Safety Workshop at school. Children and staff really enjoyed the workshop as it was very informative and fun at the same time. Children took part in a role play acting as pedestrian and drivers whilst learning about road safety. We hope they grow up to be responsible road users.

16 Alhamdulilah our attendance level is improving and our current whole school attendance is 94.54% from the beginning of the year. Our aim is to pass the national level which is 95%. We are aware that with the vomiting bug, diarrhoea, scarlet fever and flu it was not an easy task to keep track of. However many of our children have managed to achieve 100% attendance and 100% punctuality this term MashaAllah and their names are listed below. Name Class 100% Attendance 100% Punctuality Hafsa Abdulkhaliq Reception 100% Attendance 100% Punctuality Zayn Chowdhury Reception 100% Attendance 100% Punctuality Syeda Aaliyah Ateeq-Ur- Rehman Year 1 100% Attendance 100% Punctuality Umar Khan Year 1 100% Attendance 100% Punctuality Binyameen Mushtaq Year 1 100% Attendance 100% Punctuality Emaadudeen Tanveer Year 1 100% Attendance 100% Punctuality Zakariyyah Chowdhury Year 2 100% Attendance 100% Punctuality Yusuf Ismail Year 2 100% Attendance 100% Punctuality Syed Ali Ateeq-Ur- Rehman Year 4 100% Attendance 100% Punctuality Assia Hadjilat Year 4 100% Attendance 100% Punctuality Medina Safa Khan Year 4 100% Attendance 100% Punctuality Aadil Afzal Year 5 100% Attendance 100% Punctuality Aaisha Maryam Ahmed Year 5 100% Attendance 100% Punctuality Zakir Hosenally Year 5 100% Attendance 100% Punctuality Hafsa Majid Year 5 100% Attendance 100% Punctuality Ayesha Dadabhoy Year 6 100% Attendance 100% Punctuality Rashidul Islam Year 6 100% Attendance 100% Punctuality

17 Dearest parents, As term ends we reflect over how quickly time has passed this term. With the days longer, we know that Ramadhan is around the corner and we pray inshaallah that Allah blesses us with meeting our returning friend in good health and good Eeman and that we benefit from this blessed month in abundance. Governors are really excited about the Umrah Trip collaboration with Apex and Al Noor schools. It will be an opportunity to all those going to make new friends and build links and ties with our fellow Muslim schools, as well as be the first international trip for Noor Ul Islam Primary School! A few Governors will be attending this blessed trip inshaallah and we request that you make dua for a safe return of everyone and an accepted Umrah inshaallah. The Governing Body have been busy this term, with a full Board Meeting at the beginning of January and unannounced, as well as scheduled Monitoring taking place in the school by all Sub Committees. Any concerns arising from those visits are immediately fed back to the Senior Leadership Team, and together we take a collaborative approach to address those concerns and at the same time challenge, scrutinise and review the actions. Governors would like to thank all staff, parents, pupils and volunteers who showcased our school to the Ofsted Inspector who came for their full Ofsted inspection in January. We all collectively work very hard for the sake of Allah to make our school the best it can be. We know that our work will inshaallah be rewarded and the new display of Quran Racers is a good reminder of the legacy and long term impact that Noor Ul Islam Primary School has. We also understand that as an Independent School we are measured under the Ofsted Framework which provides an overview of the school s progress and attainment of pupils as well as inspecting how the school is run through its Senior Leadership Team. We were extremely pleased that Ofsted recognised Noor Ul Islam Primary School as having met all Independent School Standards and graded us a Good. The Inspectors were very praiseworthy of pupils and staff and in particular the Headteacher who leads his team through vision, inspiration and encouragement. As Governors we would like to thank Ustaadh Majid for his leadership and we look forward to continuing to progress and develop as a school together. Governors would like to say Jazakullahu Khair to the Deputy Head Br Shazaman, who left this term to take up his most challenging post yet a full time dad mashaallah! We wish him well and look forward to his return inshaallah. We would also like to thank Ms Fatima who has left to pastures new. We thank her for all her efforts and hard work over the last few years and we wish her well in the future. We welcome Ms Rahima Khan and Ms Assia Khanom and wish Ms Ruqiya all the best during her maternity leave. Thank you to all parents, staff and pupils that have put in an amazing effort this term MashaAllah! Governors have been in and out of the Primary School this term and have seen some amazing work going on, including; the fantastic array of World Book Day costumes, the new Hifz Quran Racers display and all the busy preparations for the School Spectacular held on the 17 th of March. Most of all we enjoy the pupils telling us what they have done and what they have enjoyed. Well done everyone! Thank you again for all your support and we pray that you have a restful break with your families! All departments have been working hard on their fundraising efforts for Project Rebuild Mashallah. The annual charity dinner in January was held at the Walthamstow assembly Hall, where guests were treated to performances by the children s choir; Voice of Peace and nasheed artist Omar Esa. The Preschool held two messy play sessions which were sold out on both occasions and the Primary school held a superb evening of entertainment where they raised a fantastic amount for Project Rebuild. The Mosque Open Day held in February was a great opportunity to meet our local friends and community members. Attendees were given a tour of the new mosque site and they were all very impressed by the scope of the project. Noor Ul Islam is now part of Amazon Smile which donates 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible purchases to charity. Visit and select Noor Ul Islam from the list of charities.

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