MCC Academy News November 2016

Upcoming Events:

November 7, 9am-5pm - Skokie Campus Parent Teacher Conferences (NO SCHOOL) Sign up for Parent Teacher Conferences is available online via our school website at www.mccacademy.org. Each teacher has a sign-up link where you may sign up to meet with the teacher at any available time. November 8, 10am-6pm - Morton Grove Campus Parent Teacher Conferences (NO SCHOOL) - Sign up for Parent Teacher Conferences is available online via our school website at www.mccacademy.org. Each teacher has a sign-up link where you may sign up to meet with the teacher at any available time. November 9 - Picture Re-take Day - If your child needs to have his or her school picture retaken or if they were absent on picture day, please make certain you inform your child's teacher that he or she needs to have a photo taken on this day. Please make certain your child is dressed in regular school uniform. November 23, 4-5:30pm - Middle School Girls Volleyball Tryouts - Led by Coaches Medina Skenderi, Suha Moten, and Amerah Alkhatib, the Girls' Volleyball season will run from Nov 28 - Jan 21. Practice will take place after school on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4-5pm. November 24-25 - Thanksgiving Break (NO SCHOOL)

New Student Application:

MCC Academy encourages prospective families to apply early for a seat to any of our programs, full-time or part-time early childhood, elementary school or middle school. Please register any of your children who you hope to have attend MCCA and help spread the word to your friends and family if they are interested in their child attending. To apply: You many stop by the office to register your child or you can download the application here . Drop off application to either office.

REMINDER: TUITION PAYMENTS

Monthly tuition is due each month by the 10th. Late payments will accrue late payment fee of $25 for each month payment is not received. Please sign up for automated withdrawal if you have not yet done so. If you have any questions about tuition payment, please email our accountant at salik.rehmani@mccacademy.org.

A Note from the School Council

Salaam alaikum MCCA Community, How time flies. I cannot believe we are at the end of the quarter. We've enjoyed many fun events thus far, including Hajj program, Unity Day and Family Reading Night. It's nice to see all the parents who attended Family Reading Night this year. We are thankful to the PSG for planning and hosting this event every year. It's important to encourage children to read. In October, I was able to meet with the PSG representatives a couple of times. You have two representatives on the school council who bring your concerns to the council. Sometimes we are able to address them right away, and at other times we need to meet again to go over details. In October, Principal Mr. Quadri and I met with the PSG parent representatives to discuss hot lunches and the Arabic curriculum. We discussed and explained why we do not teach conversational Arabic but rather focus on Quranic Arabic. The curriculum was explained. Mrs. Ibrahim and Mrs.Faiz will report the details of our meeting at the next PSG meeting. Please try to attend PSG meetings and continue to work with your amazing parent representatives who are doing a great job keeping the council informed of your compliments and concerns. Cold weather has crept upon us. Please make sure children are dressed in layers. We would like to have healthy students with perfect attendance. Sincerely,

Mrs. Musarrat Khan

MCCA Council Chairperson

PSG Update

Upcoming Key Dates: Key dates: 11/11,11/18/2016 - PSG meeting 11/1, 11/8, 11/15, 11/22,&11/29/2016 - Pizza Sale at Skokie campus 11/3, 11/10, & 11/17/2016 - Pizza Sale at Morton Grove campus 11/2 & 11/16 & 11/30/2016 - Popcorn Sale in Skokie 11/2 & 11/16 & 11/30/2016 -Popcorn Sale in Morton Grove

The 2016-2017 school year is moving along well. Dairy Queen: Oct 13, 2016 Alhamdulillah for the beautiful weather. Fall is upon us and we've had some amazing weather. PSG sponsored a fundraiser via Dairy Queen. Our students had 3 flavors to choose from: Oreo, Cookie Dough, and Strawberry. Oreo flavor was definitely the most popular! JazakAllah to all who participated and ordered the blizzards. Kudos to the P-k A grade class for the most orders. If there are other flavors you would like to see in the future, please let one of the PSG members know. Led by: Amira Kashif Boxtops Collection: JazakAllah Khair to all who have turned in box tops from various products. PSG is still counting all of the boxtops! InshaAllah, the results will be in soon to see who collected the most boxtops. Winning class will get an ice cream party! Keep collecting those box tops until next time! Led by: Saba Kaiseruddin and Rasha Ali Fall into Reading: Oct 31, 2016 PSG hosted its 4th Annual Family Reading Night program at the Skokie campus. There was something for everyone to enjoy. As in previous years, this year's event was well-received by the community. Teachers and parents read stories to our little ones up to 4th grade. 5th thru 8th graders had a fun game night. And while the children were being entertained, there was a parent seminar for the adults. Drinks and snacks were provided for free. Led by: Faiza Sayed, Khaula Chaudry and Urooj Ibrahim Throughout the year, PSG has a Mama Maria pizza sale at Skokie campus every Tuesday. Morton Grove campus pizza sale is every Thursday. There also will be a Popcorn sale at both campuses every other Wednesday in a month. If you would like to volunteer for any event, please stop by at the

PSG meetings, which are held every other Friday at Skokie campus from 8:30am to 9:15am. Upcoming Events: Family Restaurant Night: 11/17/2016 Stop by Mr.Broast Located on 7947 W.Golf rd. Morton Grove to enjoy dinner with friends and family Or, take a carry out and have a No Cooking Day for mom! Mention MCC during checkout. Portion of the proceeds will be donated to MCCA. Coupon Card: Launch Date of 11/16/2016 PSG has collaborated with some really great local vendors for another year's worth of coupon savings. Each booklet will be $20 but will contain nearly $200 worth of savings. For more details, feedback or comments, please email at MCCFTSPSG@gmail.com.

PART-TIME PROGRAM A GREAT NEW ADDITION

TO OUR EARLY CHILDHOOD DEPARTMENT

The MCC Academy Part-time Dual Language Early Childhood program is now in it's second year, mashAllah. The program, taught in both English and Arabic, meets Monday-Thursday from 10am-2pm and focuses on teaching the 3 Rs (Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic) while placing a special emphasis on early second-language skills in Arabic. Students also Quran, and Islamic Studies skills. Details: Location: MCC Academy - Morton Grove campus Ages: For children ages 4 and 5 years old (PreK, Kg) Timing: Monday - Thursday, 10am-2pm To Apply: You many stop by the office to register your child or you can download the application here. Drop off application to either office.

World Famous Spoken Word Poet and Actor

Boonaa Mohammad Visits Middle Schoolers

Spoken word poet and actor Boonaa Mohammed was in town last week promoting his new movie Tug of War, an effort against extremism. He stopped by MCC Academy for an impromptu performance for our Middle School students. Students were treated to a set of four spoken word poems with powerful messages about being confident in one's deen and having reverence for Allah swt. He then encouraged students to take their own turn at the mic. They all thoroughly enjoyed meeting

this amazing artist!

Delegates from Indonesia Visit MCC

Academy On behalf of the US State Department, principals from schools in Indonesia were visiting Chicago and stopped by MCC Academy to learn new, innovative ways to teach Islam in a full-time school setting. The delegates were incredibly impressed by the unique methods we use to teach Islam to our students to build understanding and practice and to encourage both reverence for Islam and leadership within the deen. They enjoyed learning new ways to weave Islam into the entire education experience through various methods such as: service projects, character-building incentives such as our middle school "House" competitions, Student of the Week, Islamic Scientists coursework, Student-led Jummuah Khutbah and Khateras, Sunnah of the Week, Islam in Society coursework, Interfaith programs and more. We enjoyed meeting and hosting our guests.

Visit from MUHSEN and Global Deaf Muslims

Helps Students Empathize with Disabled Last week, MCCA Middle School students participated in service activities and presentations that revolved around understanding, accepting, and including people who are different. The focus was becoming more aware and empathetic to those with disabilities. The day began with a visit from Global Deaf Muslims who taught our students some sign language in order to communicate with Muslims who are either hard of hearing or are deaf. Students learned how to sign various phrases, such as "Assalamualaikum", "Mashallah", and "Subhanallah". Students learned the alphabet and were challenged to spell out their names for the audience to guess. They learned that each country and region has its own sign language. Later that day, MUHSEN (Muslims Understanding and Helping Special Education Needs) volunteers shared with students how Muslims with disabilities want to be accepted for who they are and want to be seen for their personalities, and not their disabilities. Salma Hussain and her team from MUHSEN set up various activities to help

build this understanding. Students watched a video and took notes. One group was provided a note-taking guide and were able to write with their dominant hand, another group was asked to write with their non-dominant hand, and the third was asked to take notes without a guide and with their non-dominant hand. This activity gave students some perspective on learning disabilities and how learning is a struggle and a challenge for many. The second activity involved physically restricting students while tossing a ball, either by sitting, by closing their hands into fists, or playing with only one hand. After this activity, students had a clear understanding of how physical disabilities are not only physically restricting, but also can impact social interactions. The third activity focused on visual and hearing impairments. Students were blindfolded and asked to draw a picture while others were mouthing words to a partner to figure out. Students commented that we take the gift of vision for granted, and should sincerely thank Allah (SWT) for such a valuable ability. The fourth activity was a TED talk from Sam Berns, a 17-year-old boy who wants to be seen for his personality and character, rather than his disability. Students had an opportunity to hear from a child with a disability with similar interests and similar aspirations. Lastly, students conducted an activity where they became event planners. They were given various scenarios, such as "How would you help your friend who is blind who came to watch a school basketball game?". They were then asked to list all of the accommodations and steps they would take to help that person with a specific disability. Students reflected on our school architecture and mapped out ways they would improve the school to accommodate for various disabled peers and classmates. Students walked away with a better understanding about various disabilities in order to accept and help those in need. Allah (SWT) has blessed many of us with abilities we take for granted, and to show our thanks to Allah (SWT), we need to use our abilities to help and include all types of people. HOUSE UPDATE: Baitul Ansaar won the First Quarter House Competition! Members of Baitul Ansaar will receive prizes all week. All house points are now reset to zero. Therefore, middle school students are encouraged to participate and remain an active part of any and all future opportunities to earn house points. One such opportunity is coming this Monday, October 31st. Middle School students will be awarded house points for attending

game night. Look forward to many similar opportunities to help your house win for Second Quarter! -- Submitted by Ms. Maria Basith, MCCA Resource Teacher

Hifdh Students Celebrate Friday Cafe Social

The MCCA Hifdh students enjoyed their first "Friday Cafe Social" this past week. This new program is designed as an incentive to encourage positive character and behavior throughout the month during Hifdh academics classes. Since our hifdh students don't have a lot of time together each week for secular

academics, this program helps to encourage them to stay on task and keep them from being distracted. Students will be invited to Friday Cafe Social by invitation only if he or she has displayed exemplary behavior throughout the month. The social meets for 45 minutes every last Friday of the month. The students have time together to play games, chat, enjoy their favorite snacks and socialize with one another. Some students even chose to read a book from our classroom library

during their social time. Alhamdulilah the kids enjoyed it and they looked forward to it all month long! -- Submitted by Mrs. Sherin Saleh, MCCA Hifdh Academic Teacher

MCCA Students Win Big at ICNA Young Muslims

Quiz Competition On Saturday, October 22, 2016, MCC Academy hosted the ICNA Chicago Young Muslims Quiz Competition. Alhumdollilah, more than 100 kids participated from grades 1 to 8 from all over the Chicagoland area. The competition ran from 11am-4pm. Students competed at four levels (level 1 -grades 1 and 2, level 2 - grades 3 and 4, level 3-grades 5 and 6, level 4-grades 7 and 8) in the following categories: Islamic History, Seerah, and Surahs. First, children took a written quiz. Then, the top five contestants in each category went on to participate in an oral quiz. Students won various prizes, including tablets, laptops, bikes, books, gift cards, and more. All kids who participated received a Holy Quran as a gift. Winners from MCCA included: Level 1- Zayd Mohammad (1st place), Haniya Alam (3rd place), Yumnah Motiwala (4th place) and Level 2 winners - Rayyan Ahmed (1st place), Ayesha Navaid (2nd place), Maryam Kansara (3rd place). Also, there was a Parent Seminar and Quiz games by Imam Musa and Dr. Sabeel Ahmed. Judges included Imam Mangera and Dr. Sabeel Ahmed. Overall, this was a great learning experience for both children and adults. We hope to see more quizzes like these in future.

-- submitted by MCCA Parent Aaliya Rana.

Morton Grove Librarian Ms. Brenda Leads 6th

Grade Book Club

MCCA regularly enjoys visits from our local librarians! Last month, MCCA Literature Teacher Mrs. Gomaa arranged for Ms. Brenda Glenn from the Morton Grove Public Library to stop by to give an infomercial on FAMISHED FOR FICTION, a new in-school book club for MCCA 6th graders. Any interested 6th graders

can join. Book Club

will meet once a month on a Tuesday during lunch/recess time. See details on the flyer! Ms. Brenda brought several books to introduce to the students and did a free raffle where a couple students won books.

Students Get into the Cubs Spirit MCC Academy students joined in the Chicago Cubs excitement by sporting their Cubs gear for Spirit Day on October 27, 2016.

From MCCA School Counselor Ms. Latifi Assalamualaikum MCCA families! MCC Academy teachers and staff make every effort to create an environment for our students that encourages kindness, community, and respect amongst one another. We want students to feel safe and

comfortable in our school so that they can have the most conducive learning experience! When a child is feeling burdened by issues they might be having with a friend or classmate, they may turn to you for help or guidance, or simply a sympathetic ear. If your child approaches you to share with you any struggles they might be having, here are some tips on ways you can help guide your children through any bumps in the road when it comes to peer relations:

Show your child that you are happy that they have opened up to you. Tell your child: "I am so happy you came to discuss this with me."

Listen to everything. Sometimes your child may not have the language or vocabulary to describe what their struggle is. You may have to read between the lines to understand what is really going on.

Help your child identify the problem, the people involved, and the role they, themself, played in this problem.

Depending on the type of problem, ask your child if there is a solution they can come up with and execute. "What are your choices in this situation?" "What can be done now?"

Replace "no" or "don't do that" with "What is a better choice/decision?" "What could have been done differently?"

If applicable, ask your child to speak with the teacher or counselor at school.

If needed, speak directly with teacher, counselor, or admin about the issue.

Miscommunications and misunderstandings among peers will happen; it's common in children's social dynamics. We want our students to develop skills that will allow them to resolve these issues in a healthy and productive manner. Giving them the opportunity to come up with solutions on their own, with your guidance, promotes critical thinking, problem solving and conflict resolution skills, resilience, confidence and more. As MCC Academy's school counselor, my job is to promote these skills as well as ensure that all students have a safe space to express themselves. I encourage students to come speak with me about anything that is on their mind. I also encourage ongoing communication with parents and

staff. Please feel free to reach out to me via email with any questions comments or concerns at sabaahath.latifi@mccacademy.org . Sincerely, Ms. Sabaahath Latifi MCCA School Counselor

Middle School Social Studies - Mrs. Barkat Our 7th grade American History class recently finished learning about the original thirteen colonies during their foray into American history. To help students really delve into the material, they each designed a travel brochure about the colonies. They used school iPads to research their assigned colony and collate information regarding geography, history, reasons for founding, resources, culture, religion, and social life in their colony. Then, they brought forth their marketing skills by designing a brochure to convince other students to come to their colony. Lastly, they prepared for and presented a three-minute persuasive speech inviting other students to their colonies, similar to a modern timeshare presentation. While watching the presentations, students filled in a chart regarding the important aspects of each colony in order to remain engaged during the presentations. Students practiced many valuable skills such as effective research, collaboration, marketing and design, and presentation. -- Submitted by Mrs. Sadiya Barkat, MCCA Middle School Social Studies Teacher

Spectacular STEM Courses Get Started Our Elementary students will be participating in a special STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) course this year. Each of these students will take a six-week course where they will build and learn using a Lego system to learn about various engineering and construction concepts. Many of the contraptions students will build are motorized. Students are introduced to new scientific concepts and vocabulary. This STEM program is run by Bricks 4 Kids, who have conducted similar programs in many other schools throughout the Chicago area. Alhumdullilah for the MCCA PSG for funding this special program, allowing our students to benefit greatly.

Bullying Prevention Month Highlighted

Importance of Kindness and Acceptance MCCA School Nurse Mrs. Hadessa Plummer led our school's Unity Day effort on October 19, 2016. Students dressed in orange to symbolize their unity in standing up against bullying. This special day helped our students understand how bullying is wrong and hurtful and reinforced the importances of being kind and accepting of others. They watched a video that helped kids to understand how to recognize bullying behavior, they learned how to seek help if they felt they were being bullied and how to help their peers if they ever see them being bullied. It was really beautiful to see our students come together to support this amazing cause.

MCCA Girl Scouts Participate in Open Mosque

Day Mrs. Belinda Tibayan's Girl Scout Cadettes participated in the Open Mosque Day held at MEC earlier in October. The girls set up a table with photos of their events and spoke to guests about how much girls from MCC Academy have enjoyed being part of Girl Scouts. It was exceptional to connect with our guests over Girl Scouts, a wonderful All-American interest that we all share admiration for.

Middle School English - Mrs. Elmasri Students combat bullying this month through positive thinking and words. We talked about being different with Ms. Latifi, and how we can accept each other's differences. Using the grammar learned in Language Arts, students write notes about the topic.

Middle School Science - Mrs. Saleh

7th grade students learned to extract the DNA from a strawberry. They learned that strawberry DNA consists of 8 chromosomes. Using the filtration method, they were able to see DNA! 6th grade students have been studying both renewable and non-renewable resources. They are working on a STEM project that has each student engineering an electric race car. They started with the initial construction of the vehicle that will soon be working on solar energy. They also designed windmills and are using these to figure out a method to lift as many pennies in the least amount of time. 8th grade students have been studying about ions and worked to identify how salt water can conduct electricity using metals such as zinc and copper. They were 'lit' up with joy as they witnessed the light bulb shine without having the metals touch.

Middle School Literature - Mrs. Gomaa In literature, after completing our short stories and unit on plot development, middle schoolers watched scenes from award winning films including "Back to the Future," while recording elements of plot that they viewed. Elements included: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution.

3rd Grade - Mrs. Patel, Mrs. Aqueel, Mrs. Qureshi Third Grade Teacher Mrs. Emma Qureshi arranged for NLU professor and scientist Vito Dipinto, or "Dr. D" as he is fondly known, to visit third

graders to conduct a fun science experiment. As the original inventor of Pop Rocks candy, Dr. D talked to the students about how he invented this fun kid's treat. Each student got to do a "baggie reaction" with baking soda and citric acid as he interweaved his story of how he invented the "pop" in pop rocks. Dr. D will be coming back to do a science story time with Kindergarten and first grade students. Thank you Ms. Emma and Dr. D! We look forward to seeing our new friend again very soon!

Preschool - Mrs. Saima Malik Preschool kicked off the Fall season with some Fall activities. We did some marble painting art and created some colorful Fall leaves. Preschool also went to Didier's Farm. This gave them the chance to experience the Fall weather firsthand. They navigated their way througha corn maze, enjoyed a fun hay ride, and got to pick their very own pumpkin to take home. The class also made some family picture frames with colored pasta. When learning about their body they made footprints and handprints that they got to take home.

Boys Football Club Attracts 30+ Participants!

Last year, with the help of Ali Tai and Coach Kadir Oz, the MCC Academy Athletic Department introduced a new after school sports club for middle school boys called CAFL or Crescent Athletics Football League. The boys get to choose their own teams through a draft, name their teams, assign positions, and develop key leadership and sportsmanship skills. This is the second year that CAFL has been running and thus far, it's off to a great start. Currently, CAFL has 30+ student athletes heading into week 4 of their flag football season. The boys meet every Friday after school from 4PM-6PM through November 11th.

Girls Basketball Team Heading into Playoffs

The MCCA Crescents Girls Varsity basketball team had a shaky start to the season with an opening week of back to back losses, but as the weeks have gone by it seems like nothing can stop these girls. The girls are currently sitting in second place in the Southwest Conference with a 6-3 record. With the playoffs just two weeks away, the girls are looking to stay focused and to keep their 5-game win streak alive. With MCC Academy joining the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) this previous summer, the girls will have a chance to go down state for sectionals and regionals if their record holds up. Lead by Coach Medina Skenderi and Coach Amareh Alkhatib, two MCCA Alumni, the Crescents are looking to bring a championship home this season.

Boys Basketball Team Starting Season with

Renewed Energy and Great Attitude!

The MCCA Crescents Boys Varsity basketball team opened practice on Thursday October 20th. The team has a new and reenergized feel that has become contagious amongst all the boys. After coming off of two straight appearances in the championship game ending in losses, the boys are looking to put an end to that and to change the culture surrounding the team. This year the Varsity team has been split into two teams; Varsity A - MAROON and Varsity B - WHITE. With MCC Academy joining the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) this previous summer, the boys will have a chance to go down state for sectionals and regionals if their record holds up. The boys first game tips off on Saturday November 19th against CPSA, the team they lost to last winter in the championship game. Lead by Coach Kadir Oz and lead assistant Coach Buraq, the boys will look to redeem themselves and

bring the championship spirit back home this season. Coach Kadir said, "This years team does not have to be coached on effort. Obviously those desires have been instilled at some point already. This group wants it, bad. This team is motivated and has a genuine enthusiasm because they are invested and have all bought into the system. All we are are trying to do is keep the legacy alive".

4th Grade - Mrs. Iftekharuddin

Students in Mrs. Iftekharuddin's 4th grade class read a book called "More Parts," which tells a story of a young boy who is extremely paranoid because he hears idioms all day and takes them all literally. It has several illustrations of what the boy imagines as he hears these idioms (such as, "break your heart" and then he thinks his heart is actually going to break). To help students better understand idioms, her students picked one and illustrated it. The objective of the assignment was for students to understand idioms as phrases that mean something in a particular language and culture, rather than meaning something literally. The students learned that sometimes writers use idioms to illustrate a certain feeling or a certain idea in a way that simply stating it would not do. Learning to use idioms will help students become better and more comprehensive readers and writers. The students illustrated what the idiom would actually look like if people literally meant what they said. For example, "it's raining cats and dogs" had a picture of cats and dogs falling from the sky.

Hifdh Secular Studies - Mrs. Sherin Saleh

Hifdh students recently wrapped up their unit on Columbus. Students incorporated math and reading skills along with the social studies theme. They each wrote an acrostic poem that was submitted for a national poetry contest that the rest of middle school is participating in.

2nd Grade Islamic Studies - Mrs. Alqudsi In second grade Islamic Studies, we recently finished a whole unit about Salat. Students learned about timings, positions, rakaat, khushoo and tasbeeh. To end this chapter, we enjoyed making our own tasbeeh using lovely patterns. The children had fun while learning and gaining more good deeds.

2nd Grade - Mrs. Sheikh, Mrs. Baig, Mrs. Bozai

Stop, talk and walk! Students in second grade took a stance against bullying. Students learned a bully won't stop until they are stopped. They understand that when someone is bothering them consistently they should use their words and stay stop! We did a writing activity on what our role is as a bystander, as well. In class, students also acted out various scenarios of unwanted situations. Together, we came up with possible solutions. Furthermore, students participated in a group poster contest and made anti-bullying signs. The librarian will announce the winners soon. Lastly, the entire school wore orange to represent kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. Say no to bullies!

News from Quran Teacher Ms. Iram Shaikh

The struggle is real in 4B. Students have been reading and discussing the struggles that the Prophet (S) and the Sahabah faced after migrating to Madinah. As students read, they made self-to-text connections and highlighted how although their struggles are much different than that of the Prophet (S) and the Sahabah, they still strive in the path of Allah (Swt) as best as they can. Students wrote and drew pictures comparing and contrasting their struggles to the ones depicted in the Seerah and came up with strategies to overcome them. The students truly exemplified that Allah (Swt) guides those who strive in His (swt) path.

Kindergarten - Mrs. Shariff, Mrs. Siddiqui, Mrs.

Khawaja

Kindergarteners enjoyed an exciting month of October. Students had a blast at the farm! They also had a chance to make their own pizzas. And, they wore their orange with the rest of the school in celebration of Unity Day.

Quran Teacher Ms. Nida Kidwai

Last month in Qur'an, we had a unit that focused on learning Tanween Dhammah. The students enjoyed spelling out the sounds of Tanween as I wrote it out on the board. Because we are now through learning all of the 3 Tanweens, we are now addressing ourselves as "Tanween Professionals!"

5th Grade STEM Course Exciting and Fun

The 5th graders in Ms. Barkat and Mrs. Rahman's classes have been participating in the STEM program held at MCC Academy. STEM is a program consisting of content in subject areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. We have two presenters from "Bricks 4 Kids" named Ms. Katie and Mr. Logan who present the students with information on special types of energy and the Laws of Motion. The students are instructed to use legos to build and create a model which is later connected to a motor to run. So far the students have made gear mechanism, drawing machine, and spinning tops. Check out the pictures

below to see the fifth graders in action at their STEM program!

1st Grade - Ms. Malik, Ms. Adhami, Mrs. Nabeel

Students did an amazing job representing our class during morning assembly on a Friday last month. Students created their sentence buddies to help them remember how to write complete sentences in first grade. 1C had Yusra's mom come in to read with us. For Reader's Theater, students acted out City Mouse and Country Mouse. For math, we are learning about addition facts to 10. Students enjoyed using M&M to practice writing addition

sentences. The first graders learned about fire safety when members of the Skokie Fire Department came to our school. The students in 1A have been enjoying STEM class sponsored by PSG. 1B and 1C are anxiously awaiting their turn. We are so proud of our first graders. Keep up the great work!

Physical Education - Ms. Umar

Alhamdulillah, grades 1-8 had a great start to the year in P.E. with Ms. Umar and Coach Kadir. Students have had the opportunity to learn about the foundation of health and fitness and had a chance to work together with their peers in many different fitness games and activities. As an introduction, students learned the warm-up exercises and stretches we will be doing all year long. Among the other activities we did during first quarter, we are learning about the five components of fitness and creating posters as a group project; learning how to measure heart rate and testing it out after performing various aerobic exercises to see how much heart rate can fluctuate depending on the exercise being performed; taking a fitness assessment with a partner using various muscular and cardiovascular strength and endurance exercises as well as a flexibility test, which will be used to form fitness goals for the next quarter and determine winners for the P.E. Hall of Fame; and playing fun fitness and team-building games like relay races, circle dodgeball, tunnel tag, blob tag, and "steal the baton" to stay active and practice cooperation and good sportsmanship. The goal for students is to continue developing their fitness skills, practicing teamwork and having fun!

Pre-K - Mrs. Metovic and Ms. Fayyaz

The year has started great with our students. We learned letters Aa- Dd and numbers 0-3 and had many exciting activities involving those numbers and letters. We love Fall, we made a nature box and we collect different colored leaves. We had a great opportunity to meet the firemen and explore inside of the fire truck. That was super fun! Not done just yet ,we did something else that was super cool, Prek-A & B went to Didier farm! Everyone had a blast and was super excited to be on the hayride. That's all for now until next month inshAllah!

4th Grade - Mrs. Patel, Mrs. Khan, and Mrs.

Iftekharuddin

Fourth-graders finished off first quarter with a great end. We met with our friends from Poetry Pals and proudly shared key aspects of Islam with them. Students worked on black-out poetry with the famous poems of Shel Silverstein and Kazim Ali. We are looking forward to meeting with the other fourth grades of different faiths. In math, we wrapped up with fun math games that reviewed multiples and factors. 4C's star of the week Sumeja brought in her pet parrot to the class. Our new STEM course had the kids focusing on energy. Students worked in groups to create their final products.