Ramadan 1434 July 2013 In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. We praise Him and seek His forgiveness. May peace and blessings be sent upon His final messenger, the Prophet Muhammad, his noble family, his companions and all those who follow them in righteousness, Ameen. As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh! On Thursday 4th July, a school inspector visited the school to give us an interim inspection. Since our last full inspection in July 2010 found that we are a very good, the school was put on a standard 6 year cycle of inspections, in line with governmental guidelines for the inspection of schools found to be good or better. However some schools on this cycle choose to have an interim inspection to give them a critical friend sooner than after 6 years! We are one such school because we like to keep trying to get better all the time! The inspector spent the day observing lessons and talking to school staff and ended the day sharing his findings with school leaders and Ustadh Daud Juneja, our chair of Board of trustees. We were delighted to hear his findings and equally delighted when he put them into an official letter to us. We have shared some of what he said with you below, so you can celebrate with us! As I went round the school, I was impressed by the consistency of the approaches to teaching, learning and discipline that I found in all the classes I visited. All lessons are well planned, to a common format, and carefully prepared with appropriate differentiation. Pupils respond well and stay on task, showing interest and enjoyment. Their behaviour is well managed with frequent and effective use of praise and encouragement. There are teaching assistants in all classes who are well deployed and make an important contribution to the pupils learning, giving extra challenge to faster learners as well as support for slower learners. Speaking and listening skills are developed well and good use is made of the frequent opportunities for paired discussion. The curriculum is well planned and coherent. procedures to identify and support pupils with special educational needs are well established and consistently implemented My brief visit to Al-Noor demonstrates clearly that the strengths of the school are solidly established. Masha Allah our Year Two and Six classes have outdone themselves once again. 96% of pupils gained a level 2 or higher in reading, writing and maths in Year Two, compared to national averages last year of 87, 83 and 91% respectively (this year s national figure won t be out for some time yet). 100% of pupil in Year Six gained level 4 or higher in reading, writing and maths, compared with a national figure of 75%. Masha Allah, 55% of pupils scored level 5 in reading writing & maths compared with a national figure of 20%! We were very sad to see Abu Hussain (Yr Five) Umm Aminah (Yr Four), Umm Hamza (Yr Three), Umm Hafs (Yr Four), Umm Yusuf (Reception) leave us today. They have made an invaluable contribution to the school and we will all miss them sorely. May Allah bless them in all they do next ameen! We are delighted however to welcome back Umm Younes to year One and warmly welcome Umm Rayhan (Yr Four teacher), Umm Muhammad (Yr Three teaching assistant) and Umm Farzana (Yr Four teaching assistant) to Al-Noor Primary, please join us making them feel at home! CALLING ALL FATHERS! Please don t forget to join the Al-Noor Foundation in partnership with Islamic Relief this Sunday 21 st July at Ilford Town hall at 6.30 pm for a fund raiser for Syria. Please note this is by invitation only and therefore you need to RSVP on the following number 07738 608580 if you would like to attend. HAVE A WONDERFUL RAMADHAN & EID! Pupils are due back to school at the usual time on Wednesday 4th September.
Thursday 2nd May St Anthony s visit Year 5 Friday 4th May Year 3 trip to Science Museum Wednesday 8th May Year 1 trip to Discover Centre Tuesday 21st May Year 6 trip to Apple Store Monday 3rd June BMX Stunt Show Tuesday 4th June Interschool Sports Day Thursday 6th June Year 6 trip to St Pauls Cathedral Monday 10th June Year 6 trip to Synagogue Thursday 20th June Year 6 careers day Monday 24th June Cycling activity day Monday 1st July Year 3&4 trips to Go Ape! Thursday 4th July Year 6 graduation OFSTED School inspection Monday 8th July School Sports Day Wednesday 10th July Transition Day Thursday 18th July End of Summer Term Tuesday 11th June Year 6 trip to Meadow Court Care Home Thursday 13th June Year 5 trip to Stubbers Thursday 13th June Year 6 trip to Gardens of Peace Saturday 15th June EYFS Parents workshop (Transition to Year 1) Ramadhan Qur'an Classes for Parents & Staff In response to parental demand, Al Noor will be launching Quran, Tajweed & Tafseer classes during Ramadan for Mothers and Fathers Insha'Allah. Over 30 mothers and fathers have already registered their interest Masha'Allah. Please note there are a limited amount of places, so in order to secure your place in the classes, please text your name and contact number to 07830264014 and be a part of some-
Students from Al Noor Primary School took part in the Interschool Sports Competition! It was a day filled with fun and laughter, team work and fantastic sportsmanship. Here are some of Tameem s thoughts from the day. When Falah was running in the race I was amazed! He was running really fast but the sad thing was he was about in 5 th place even though it looked like he was running at his top speed. Alhamdulillah Falah knew it was just for fun he was happy that he had fun and I think Umar, Abu Bakr and I were cheering the loudest for him. Rounders First place, Owais Elnaas Tug of war Second place, Faiz Butt, Hafsa Khan, Abdullah Malik, Tameem Elnaas, Eesa Khan, Muhammad aslam) X country Second place, Yusuf sheikh Skipping Second, Jihad Beheshti Long jump Second place, Noor Senour, Umar Amin, Ibraheem Imran Sack race Second, Aisha Mirza Overall Al Noor School came 5th! Umar Amin was doing the long jump. He told me he first felt nervous but then said bismillah, ran and jumped! We found out later he came 2 nd place! about 1.57m. He did really well mashaallah and with just a bit more practice and next year he might just get 1st place inshaallah. The truth is we couldn t see much as they were really far we could only see mini figures running then jumping but we still had fun. By Tameem Elnaas, Year 4
What are you going to miss about Al Noor? Abu Hussain: My two classes, the Ustadhs and the environment Umm Yusuf: I am really going to miss the environment of the school! The chittar chatter of children, the laughter from inside the classroom, how the adhan is called at salah. Umm Amina:Im going to miss teaching lessons! I have really enjoyed trying to come up with new and original ideas and teaching it in a way that everyone learns and has a lot of fun at the same time Umm Hafs:im going to miss the Islamic environment, having good people around me always offering a helping hand. Umm Hamza:im going to miss the children and our funny conversations! Im going to miss the people I worked with as they were always there to help me when I was struggling, offering reminders and kind words of advice. Who are you going to miss the most? Abu Hussain: no comment Umm Yusuf: I will miss the whole school Umm Amina:I think out of everyone im going to miss my class Umm Hafs:if I had to choose I would say my class as I have spent the most time with them Umm Hamza: the MOST? I don t think I can choose, Im going to miss the school as a whole very much. How many years have you stayed in Al Noor? Abu Hussain:I have been here for 2years Umm Yusuf: 4 lovely long years Umm Amina: 1year Umm Hafs:I haven t been here for long, I have been here less than a year Umm Hamza: I started working here 2 years ago.
How was your experience in Al Noor? Abu Hussain:My experience at Al Noor has been absolutely fantastic Umm Yusuf: It has been amazing! I m going to miss coming to school very much. Along with the children I was learning new things everyday too! types of people and learned a lot from them Umm Amina:This has been the best experience in my life Umm Hafs:This is the most fantastic experience ever and I will never forget it. Umm Hamza: My experience here has been absolutely brilliant! I met lots of different What has Al Noor taught you? Abu Hussain:In a nutshell it has made me more God conscious and closer to Allah Umm Yusuf:To gain pleasure from Allah Umm Amina: Umm Hafs: Umm Hamza: It has made me more patient, a harder worker and a lot more confident in myself How do you feel about leaving? Abu Hussain: Extremely sad, very sad, I m going to miss far too many people Umm Yusuf: I feel very sad to leave Umm Amina:very emotional and really sad Umm Hafs:I wish I didn t have to leave Umm Hamza: I feel sad when I think of the people who I won t be able to see every day anymore How did you feel when you joined the school? Abu Hussain:I was in two minds, I wasn t sure what to expect or anticipate Umm Yusuf:I felt very unsure of what to expect and extremely nervous! Umm Amina:I felt very happy and grateful to be working in such a great environment Umm Hafs:I felt very privileged Umm Hamza: I was very nervous as I didn t know anyone and worried I would make a mistake
Can you spot all the differences between both pictures??? TRY THIS
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The BMX stunt show featuring the pro BMX flatlander Lee Messelwhite, visited Al Noor to show the fun side of being on two wheels! Lee wowed the crowd of pupils with extreme jumps and spins on his stunt bike. The display included an inspirational talk on cycling, keeping active and how plenty of practice makes perfect! On Monday 3rd June, two BMX stunt experts were able to take time out and come to our school and show us many extraordinary bike tricks, such as: front wheelie, back wheelie, the phoenix and many more. The children were amazed by the stunning tricks of the BMX riders. We had to make as much noise as possible for them to continue doing more stunts, I m sure everyone enjoyed making lots of noise! On one trick, Lee Messelwhite kept falling off, he asked us if he should stop trying or carry on until he can get it right, We all cheered him on so he doesn't give up and in the end he did the stunt without falling off his bike! It taught us that with patience and lots of practice we can achieve what we want Insha'Allah. I'm sure everyone enjoyed the BMX stunt show. By Hamaas Khan, Year 5
Ramadhan is a holy month, it is also one of the five pillars of Islam. It is compulsory for all Muslim men and women. There are a few DO S & DON TS in Ramadhan. Do : Do suhoor because it is Sunnah. Read more Qur an. Do more zikr and pray more nawaafil. Do more good deeds. Share Iftaar with your neighbours, relatives and poor people. Don t: Don t get angry or start an argument/fight Don t backbite or slander Don t delay the time of Iftaar. Don t try to eat/drink anything before Iftar In Ramadhan, Allah (S.W.T) locks up all the big Shaytan s however the small Shaytan s make us do wrong a thing, that s why you should be conscious of your deeds. Doing a bad deed in Ramadhan is 70 times more sinful than doing a bad deed out of Ramadhan however doing a good deed is 70 times more virtuous. By Amaani Patel, Year 3
Pakora recipe
Insha Allah, if security clearance & safety allows, two senior trustees of the Al-Noor Foundation will be flown out to Syria refugee camps by Islamic Relief. The plan is to see firsthand the conditions out there & work closely with Islamic Relief to set up projects to really make a difference. A fundraising event has been organised for Sunday 21st July at Ilford town hall. 100% of all Zakah donations will go to the project and we will personally vouch for your donation. Please can you give priority to this appeal with your Zakah & Sadaqah this Ramadhan. The target is to raise in excess of 200k insha Allah. I would really appreciate you contacting me directly with your pledges and your du a. Only a maximum of 150 fortunate brothers will get a confirmed invitation to the fundraiser. To book your place contact me right away. We already have a large number confirmed.
School uniform reminder Our school uniform is compulsory. It consists of a navy blue sleeveless pinafore and shirt with pyjamas for girls and a navy blue thawb with pyjamas for boys. Pinafores and thawbs can only be purchased from the premises of the school supplier, Islamic Impressions retailer on Ilford Lane, Ilford. School Uniform during Colder Weather During winter, or whenever the weather is colder, pupils can wear the following garments under the standard school uniform to keep warm: Plain, collar-less, navy or white, long or shortsleeved tops under the thawb (boys) or pinafore (girls) Plain, navy pair of trousers/pyjama or thermal leggings (which can be white), under the pyjama. Substitute trousers without the school pyjama on top, are not acceptable. Incorrect uniform will be followed up in the first instance by the class teacher. Please refer to the uniform policy on the school website for further information. The School Office The Al Noor school office is a busy place full of action! The office staff deal with day to day queries such as absences & lateness, parental enquiries, children feeling unwell and most of all accidents. The staff are extremely dedicated in maintaining the smooth running of the school. To make it more efficient we have listed a few helpful reminders for parents: Reminder Office does not take phone calls between 1-2pm, you will be put through to voicemail where you can leave a message. Absence- If your child is sick or unwell please phone the school, so we can let the child's teacher know. You can email notes to absences@al-noorprimary.co.uk or write a note. Absent notes should have the child's NAME & YEAR. Child feeling Unwell- If your child is suffering from vomiting, please allow 48hrs before sending them back to school. STRICTLY PROHIBITED: Chocolates Sweets & crisps Fizzy drinks Glass bottles Fast food Food that needs to be warmed up Nuts and sesame seeds (including seeded burger buns) POSITIVELY RECOMMENDED: Fruit & Fruit Juice Sandwiches Cheese/fromage frais/ yoghurt Carrots/salad vegetables Orphan Sponsorship The blessed month of Ramadhan is now upon us and as you know, all goods deeds gain much more reward now than at any other time of the year. As part of gaining reward and helping the needy and orphans, we are sponsoring an orphan through Islamic Relief, Ameen, a five year old boy from Ghazza whose father died in 2008. To continue to sponsor Ameen we need to raise 420.00 by Monday to pay for his needs for the next year. If every pupil brings 2.35 each in to school, we should be able to do this insha Allah. Please do join in this noble task of helping an orphan and family in need. We know there are thousands of worthy causes and needy children across the world but Allah is Shakoor and loves any good we do however small, even if it is making a difference to one child and insha Allah, one family. Please send in 2.35 per pupil by Monday, 15th July with each pupil, jazakumullahu khair. RasulAllah, salallahu alayhi wa sallam said, "I and the person who looks after an orphan and provides for him, will be in Paradise like this," putting his index and middle fingers together. ( Sahih Bukhari)