In the name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful Ahlul-Bayt Islamic School Newsletter October 2014 - Ottawa, CA Assalaamu alaikum dear friends Read it online at.. abischool.com Hajj to Mecca The Hajj (Arabic: ( Ḥaǧǧحج is a pilgrimage to Mecca (Makkah). It is currently the largest annual pilgrimage in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, an obligation that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to Allah (The One God). The pilgrimage occurs from the 7 th to 13 th day of Zul- Hujjah, the 12 th month of the Islamic calendar. Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar used in the Western world, the Gregorian date of the Hajj changes from year to year. Ihram is the name given to the special state of purity in which Muslims live whilst on the pilgrimage. The Hajj is associated with the life of prophet Muhammad (peace and prayers be upon him and his Ahlul-Bayt) from the 7 th century. The ritual of pilgrimage to Mecca, however, is considered by Muslims to stretch back thousands of years to the time of Ibraaheem (Abraham). Pilgrims join processions of hundreds of thousands of people, who simultaneously converge on Mecca for the week of the Hajj, and perform a series of rituals: - Each person walks counter-clockwise seven times about the Ka'bah, the cube-shaped building which acts as the Muslim direction of prayer; - Runs back and forth, seven times, between the hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah; - Goes to the plains of Mount Arafat to stand in vigil; - Throws stones in a ritual Stoning of the Devil. The pilgrims then shave their heads (for men), perform a ritual of animal sacrifice, and celebrate the three day global festival of Eid al-adha. Muslims usually use the same trip to visit the graves of and pay their respects to the Prophet of Islam Mohammad (pbuhhab) and the demolished graves of three of our holy Imams (pbut) in the Baqee in Medina. They also visit the graves of other martyrs and other Islamic holy sites and historic locations. Dates to Remember 2 Martyrdom of Imam Mohammad al-baakir (AS) 2 Pizza Day 3 PD day No school for students 4 Arafah Day (Muslim pilgrims spending the night on mount Arafah) 5 Eid al-adha (Happy Eid) 6 No School (in celebration of Eid Al Adha) 10 Eid Field trip 13 Eid al-ghadeer (Happy Eid) Thanksgiving Day - No School 22 Picture Day 25 First day of Ashura Please Recycle א א א Please Recycle א א א
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful Heartiest congratulations & warmest felicitations from the Ahlul-Bayt Islamic School family on the occasions of the blessed eids of Adha and Ghadeer May Allah return all Hajjs (pilgrims) safe to their beloved ones
Recognition To the family of Ahlul Bayt Islamic School, who worked very hard as a team to make our children feel welcome and excited about the new school year. To our school office administrator, Mrs. Aseel, whose dedicated work in the office was essential in starting the school year smoothly. To our teachers for preparing and organizing their classrooms and attending and participating in the three PA Days prior to the school year. To the principal, Mrs. Leila, for working relentlessly to put it all together. To the School Board for their continuous support to the school staff, and for their tireless effort and perseverance to provide high quality of education to our students. Religious/Civil Events The school community confirms respect to our non-muslim teachers and friends and their beliefs. We congratulate our teachers and friends, in advance, for their holidays and wish them all the best. In keeping with the Islamic beliefs of our students and their parents and the tenets of our community, however, the school does not celebrate or promote the celebration of non-muslim holidays for our students. That includes Halloween, Halloween Valentine s Day, Easter,..., etc. The school continues to realize and celebrate important Canadian and civil events. Teacher Professional Development Day Parents are asked to note that there will be no classes for students on Friday October 3 due to a Teacher Professional Development Day. Cold/Wet Weather The weather at this time of year is varied and unpredictable. Please ensure that your children are dressed according to conditions. Layers work best. We do not have the staffing to provide indoor supervision. Medication for Students Just a reminder that school staff cannot administer medication of any type, without a medication form. If you need this form please call the office and make arrangements to pick it up. Medications are distributed through the office and kept in a secure location. We have had a number of recent requests to give students Tylenol and we can t do this without a medication form completed and on file at the office. Meet the Teacher Night A note of appreciation to all of the families that took time out of their busy schedules to join us on Wed. September 17 for our Meet the Teacher Night. Labeling Children s Articles Label any articles sent to school, especially shoes/boots, sweaters, and jackets. Please put your child's name on anything we request from home. This prevents mix-ups and lost articles. Any time you send money/cheques to school with your child for field trips, special projects, etc. please put the exact amount in an enve- Teachers worked hard to prepare for this evening and we hope that everyone who attended found it to be helpful and inclass photos/individual photos and Graduation photos are formative. scheduled for Wed. October 22nd. A note of appreciation to all of the famiparents, please try to avoid this date when scheduling outlies that took time out of their busy side appointments. schedules to join us on this night. Information and order forms will be sent home afterwards. Picture Day
Imam Muhammad al-baqir is the 5 th A p o s t o l i c I m a m His epithet was Abu Ja'far and he was popularly titled "al-baqir". His mother was the daughter of Imam al-hassan Hassan. Thus, he was the only Imam who was connected with Sayyedah Fatima AzZ- Zahra', both from his paternal and maternal sides. Imam Muhammad al-baqir was brought up in the holy lap of his grandfather Imam Hussein for 3 years, and, for 34 years he was under the gracious patronage of his father, Imam Ali Zayn-u1 u1-abideen Abideen. The Holy Imam was present in Karbala' at the time of the gruesome tragedy of the wholesale massacre of his grandfather Imam Hussein and his companions. He also suffered with his father and the ladies of the House of the Prophet (Ahlul-Bayt) the heartless captivity and imprisonment at the hands of the devilish forces at the command of Yazid ibn Mu'awiyah. After the tragedy of Karbala', the Imam spent the rest of his life guiding people to the right path. The downfall of the Umayyads had begun since Yazid had slaughtered Imam Hussein. Yazid himself had completely realized the evil consequences of his deeds even during the short period of his rule. His son Mu'awiyah, the second, refused to accept the caliphate saying I cannot favor such a throne which has been erected on the basis of oppression and tyranny. The Holy Imam managed to collect the teachings and reforms of the Holy Prophet and his Ahlul-Bayt in the form of books. His pupils compiled books on different branches of science and arts under his instructions and guidance. In the excellence of his personal purity and godly traits, the Holy Imam was a model of the Holy Prophet and his great grandfather, Imam `Ali. His admonitions created a spiritual sensation among the Muslims in general. He was not only hospitable even to his worst enemies but also used to continually exhort them to the right path. He urged people to earn their livelihood by their own hard work. The 5th Imam gave much importance to convening majalis (meetings) in commemoration of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein. Kumayl ibn Zayd al-asadi, one of the most famous and highly talented poets of that time, used to recite the elegy of Imam Hussein in those majalis. Such type of majalis were also greatly encouraged by Imam Ja'far as-sadiq and Imam `Ali ar- Rida, the 6th and the 8th Imams. Imam al-baqir continued his preaching peacefully till 114 AH. On the 7th Zul-hajjah when he was 57 years old, Hisham ibn `Abdil-Malik ibn Marwan, the then ruler, got him martyred through poison. The funeral prayers for this Holy lmam were conducted by his son Imam Ja'far as-sadiq, the 6th Imam, and his body was laid to rest in Jannat-ul-Baqi' in Medina. Thank you note to Mrs. Abir Issa (sweets trays for the staff) Thank you to the generous donations for the language Arts program: Dr. Mustapha Mourad Mrs. Sara Houdrouge Mrs. Monira Kayhan Hajj Bassem EL-Cheikh Ali Special thanks to the following for donating time & money to purchase Eid gifts for the students : Mrs. Zeitoun Mrs. Faour Mrs. Hamam Mrs. Rimonda Mrs. Nisrine Zibara Mrs. Samar Wahab Mrs. Alaa Rida Mrs. Ikram Ridha 2 Anonymous parents Donations always welcome.. We are always accepting your generous contributions to upcoming Islamic events. Please keep us informed of any sales or deals on items that can be appropriate gifts for students.
The Importance of Home & School Teamwork Neither parents nor teachers working alone can do everything to help students learn. BUT, when parents and teachers are on the same team, children win every time. Here s how you can contribute to the partnership: DO NOT talk disrespectfully about the school or the teacher. Establish and enforce firm, fair & consistent rules. Respect for rules at home will translate to respect for learning. Support your school s policies for attendance, discipline, homework, etc. Come to every school event you can, including teacher conferences. Make sure your child knows that the teacher is in charge in the classroom and requires respect. October s Character Trait is Cooperation Cooperation means working together and getting along. Cooperating means to listen, share, take turns, and compromise. Cooperation means assuming positive intentions in others Cooperation means following the rules established by the group Cooperation means respecting the ideas and feelings of others Cooperation means valuing the contributions of others The benefits of cooperation are part of our everyday lives. Sports teams, families and almost any group will work far better together when they unite and make an effort to get along. September s Character Trait was Punctuality Students, who demonstrated this character trait throughout the past month were awarded character awards. Congratulations to the recipients of this character award: JK : Aseel Alhalal SK : Hussein Meshaal Gr. 1 : Hassan El-Cheikh Gr. 2 : Reem Atwi Gr. 3 : Jassim Nait Zerrad Gr. 4 : Layla Elkchirid Gr. 5 : Zainab Meshaal Gr. 6 : Ibrahim Kmaiha Gr. 7 : Serene Cheaito Gr. 8 : Zahraa Olleik Achieving Students Students of the Week - Primary JK: Jawad Atwi, Zahraa Nasrallah, Mena Ridha SK: Batoul Fawaz, Lina Nasrallah, Mohammed Elkchirid Gr. 1:Malak Kabbout, Shadul-Husayn El Zein, Manar Hodroj Gr. 2: Saad Mahmoud Saadane, Zeinab Lezzaik, Zahraa Hachem Gr. 3: Nerjes Kmaiha, Ali El-Hadi Zeidan, Malaak Fayad Students of the Month - Elementary Gr. 4 : Hadi Almisbaa Gr.5: Abdullah Ajaa Gr.6: Batoul Jomaa Gr.7: Reem Tehfe Gr.8: Fatima Kmaiha Congratulations to our New Student Council! President: Fatima Zeidan Vice President: Hadi Srour Treasurer: Zahra Ajaa Gr. 8 rep: Raneem El Hage Ali Gr. 7 rep: Reem Tehfe Gr. 6 rep: Batoul Jomaa, Zeinab Hamam
Our EQAO Results :) We are very pleased with our school s results in the Provincial Assessment of Primary and Junior students. The results reflect Grade 3 and 6 testing from last spring s EQAO assessment. We congratulate our students for their academic achievement, as well as parents and teachers for their collective efforts and results. Our school scored above the provincial achievement in all tests. Tuition Discount Referral Initiative [ UPDATED ] Introduce a new family to Ahlul-Bayt Islamic School and receive $125 for every referred student! Any family, with students in our school, can receive $125, in tuition fee discount, for every referred student, when they introduce a new family to our school. This initiative is subject to the following conditions: - Referred family must be new to our school; returning families do not qualify. - Referred students must complete one full school year. - Referral fee is provided in the form of a tuition fee discount. - This discount is awarded at the end of the completed school year. - $125 in discount is awarded for every referred student. Please spread the good word about your school. Help make it better for our community and our children. www.abischool.com Ahlul-Bayt Islamic School ا ع ا ت ل در Web www.abischool.com Phone (613) 526-0774 Address 200 Baribeau Street Ottawa Ontario K1L7R6 Email info@abischool.com Fax (613) 526-1941 Principal Mrs. Leila Rahal principal@abischool.com Full-day JK & SK programs. Individual attention for each child. Small class sizes for all grades. Private school discipline and work ethics. Arabic Language taught by native speakers. French as a 2 nd language starting from JK. Weekly group prayer (salaat Jamaah). Continuous monitoring of student progress. Innovative holistic education programs. High academic performance standards. Enrichment & remediation as field trips. A variety of activities & learning experiences. Qualified, dedicated, & caring teachers. Ontario Ministry of Education inspected school. Ongoing academic monitoring and assessment via ministry and other standardized exams. Ontario academic curriculum that starts at JK, covers Junior high school, and into high school. Islamic environment promoting good morals & behavior. Islamic Studies including Quran & Fiqh (Jurisprudence). Please check our website, or call us, for more information. We are happy to provide a guided tour of our school. Call us for an appointment.