Al-Rahmah Newsletter June 22nd, 2012 Shaban 2nd, 1433

Al-Rahmah First High School Class Graduates

Nasreen Sawaan

Quratulain Asad

Ammara Maqsood

S U M M E R 2 0 1 2

Editorial It’s been a great year for Al-Rahmah School Alhumdullilah. Parents and teachers worked together to bring a lot of great programs like Sports day, Quran competition and Spelling bee. This is the spirit we need to carry on to the next year InshaAllah. PTSA will continue to work on collaborating with school administration, BOE and ISB to work towards improving the education standards at Al-Rahmah school. The biggest challenge facing the school is the expansion of middle and high school. We not only need funds for this but also a team of committed parent volunteers to work together towards attaining this goal. I implore all of you step forward to help build the future for our kids.

JazakAllah Khair,

Zoobia W. Chaudhry (Editor)

End of School year 2011-2012 By Daniya Imam 5th grade

This school year was one of the best It might be better than all the rest

So many things have come and gone With new excitements nearly every dawn

In this school year we happened to see Even Shaheer Imam won the county spelling

bee! We all had field trips and many tests

I think everyone hoped to do their best! For the finals we’ll have to study hard

Summer vacation will come as a reward Thank you my teachers for your guidance

Teaching many things like math and science Now that this great school year is done

Let’s thank Allah for all the fun And for the bright new school year that is

bound to come

Salihah Clayton

“Every cloud has a silver lining” - I lived my first 6 years in Nebraska. Living in a small town I didn’t have any worries, life was the best it could be. Moving to

Washington DC changed my life dramatically. I was suddenly exposed to many different realities in life. My elementary school years passed in a blur. I learned early on that taught me that when I strive for something only then can I achieve it. I started Al-Rahmah School in 6th grade it took me sometime to adjust, Now I think Al -Rahmah School is the best thing that could have happen to me.

“If a drop of water falls in a lake there is no identity. But if it falls on a leaf of a lotus, it shines like a pearl. So choose the best place where you would shine.” The drop of

water, that I am, is a strong Muslimah Palestinian, 16 years of age who shines best around loving people. This school has been like a second home to me; safe, sweet and warm. The teachers here have made me realize who I am and what my talents are. My intentions after High School are to become a teacher. This “home” will never be forgotten

“Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim.” Prophet Muhammed (PBUH). Without knowledge we can’t be successful and it will not be easy to live in this world. Knowledge helps

during times of hardship ease. I came to US at the age of 14. When I first came here I went to Landsdowne Middle School for ESOL classes. It took me 6-7 months to learn to speak English. After graduating from 8th grade I came to Al Rahmah. I studied for 3 years here and will be graduating June 2, 2012. I plan to go on to college and intend to be a Quran and Arabic teacher.

I didn’t quite understand myself, until I came here to Al Rahmah, my purpose in life, I saw through my classmates. The person

that I was, when I began here, has changed into someone who is now deserving of the utmost respect. I am satisfied with my self for now. From the day I was born, I was told, that I treated everything with care and love as though it would not last forever. As we rush to graduate I am reminded of this. My plans, to be a writer and attend Notre Dame University or Zaytuna College, are in the immediate future.

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AL-RAHMAH NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2012

Save the Date!

Sports Day Dr. Najila Abdur-Rahman

Thursday May 10th, 2012 was the Sports Day for the entire Al-Rahmah School. About two weeks prior to the event the students were randomly divided into four groups: red, yellow, green, and blue. Siblings and family members were assigned the same group colors. All grades participated from Kindergarten to 11th grade. The students along with their teachers walked in a parade-like fashion on the sunny, windy Thursday morning from the School grounds to the Western Hills Park on the corner of Rolling Road and Crosby. The full day of sporting events included 14 different events from Egg and spoon, and sack races to

Hurdles and 100 meter relay. The grades rotated through the different event stations throughout the day with breaks for snack and lunch. It was truly a blessing to see the children in their color coordinated T-shirts and sun visors having fun and cheering each other on as they exercised and participated with good sportsmanship. A

community member who lives in the area remarked, as she passed by, that they looked like a sea of happy Skittles! The parents and teachers also got a chance for some fun competition. The 6th – 8th grade boys competed in Tug of War with the male teachers and parents. The 6th – 11th grade girls also competed against the female teachers and parents. Definitely two of the highlights of the day were the 50 meter teacher/parent relays for males and then for females. The children cheered with great enthusiasm as they saw the adults compete! Brother Amir (gym teacher) and Brother Arif (the librarian) out did themselves creating the signs, hurdles and obstacle course items from PVC pipes. Sister Lisa and Brother Amir spent the last few weeks getting the children prepared for the sporting events during Gym class. Behind the scenes the Sports Day Committee

worked very hard purchasing equipment, and making plans for the day with the supervision of the PTSA and Sister Donna. Jazakhum Allah Khairun to all the Sports Day Committee members. Jazakhum Allah Khairun to all the wonderful teachers and parent volunteers that made the day truly enjoyable and fun filled for the children. KG through 3rd grade students all received participation ribbons for competing in their first Sports Day. The 4th through 8th grade students received 1st, 2nd, and 3rd position ribbons for their competitions. The final Al-Rahmah Sports Day Championship trophy went to the Yellow team for accruing the most points over the day for the placements of its team members in the races. This trophy will be displayed in the hallway of the school in the near future. Next year the trophy will be passed to the next team that wins! Mashallah, we were all very impressed with how well the students participated and gave it

their all in their events- which made them ALL WINNERS!!

As-Salaamu-Alaikum wa Rahmatulahi wa Barakatihu, Alhamdulillah, with the fifth and eighth grade graduation on June 7, the 2011- 2012 school term came to a successful close. This year has been filled with memorable firsts such as:

• The opening of our first science lab

• The first Arabic spelling Bee

• Sending a 3rd grade student to the Scripps National Spelling Bee

• Graduating our first high school class

It is the latter named event that is the focus of this article. On Saturday June 2, 2012, four remarkable young women (Quratulain Asad, Salihah Clayton, Ammara Maqsood, and Nesreen Sawwan) graduated from Al-Rahmah High School after a record three years of study. This historic commencement was attended by nearly three hundred persons,made up of family and friends of the graduates, as well as many community members. It was at the end of the graduate’s sophomore year, after realizing that they only needed an additional English course to meet the Maryland state requirements for graduating from a non-public high school that the four graduates unanimously decided to opt for early graduation by taking an additional English course online. These young ladies worked feverishly to complete their course by the end of the school term. Each one of them is to be commended for her diligence and dedication in accomplishing her goals. Because each of our four high school graduates is an honor student, there are many options opened to them. Two of the young ladies have decided to begin their college education at the Community College of Baltimore County, one will be attending Notre Dame University, Maryland, and the fourth graduate will, Insha’Allah, complete her hifz program before beginning college. The June 2nd commencement is a validation of Al-Rahmah High School. Three of the four graduates previously attended Al-Rahmah Middle School, graduating with the class of 2009. It is interesting to note that our graduates will be attending college in the fall while their classmates who attend public school, will be completing yet another year of high school. Parents and students must make the decisions that seem right to them, but all options should be considered. Al-Rahmah High School is state approved through twelfth grade. Undoubtedly in the future, students will opt to remain in our high school for four years however; the option for early graduation will remain available for those students and their parents who choose this option.

Principal’s Corner Sr.Laura Abdur-Rahman

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AL-RAHMAH NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2012

Al-Rahmah School Fundraiser

Al-Rahmah School annual fundraiser was held on May 19th, 2012. The Program was started with the expansion of school presentation by Br Faisal Abdur-Rahman. Keynote address was delivered by Moutasem Atiya. President of ISB Dr. Maqbool Patel lead the fundraiser and alhumdulliah raised 55,000 dollars.

Last Quarter’s Highlights Shaheer Imam participates in the Scripps

National Spelling Bee May 30th-31st

Quran Competition May 11th

PTSA arranged gifts for 35 teachers every day of the week. June 4th: Gift of plants along with inspirational quotes June 5th: Lunch June 6th: Gift of Islamic books June 7th: Mugs wrapped with tea and snacks June 8th: Breakfast This was followed by the dinner, on June 12th, hosted by Board of Education for ISB employees, including school and nursery teachers at Lal Qila. BOE also presented all of the ISB employees with gift cards.

Teacher Appreciation Week June 4th– 8th

Family Math Night May 23rd

PTSA Updates • Teacher’s appreciation week was conducted with

great success.

• Few parent members will be participating in the school construction committee meetings regularly.

• PTSA will lead in the preparations for 25- year celebrations for the Al-Rahmah School next year InshaAllah

• PTSA will continue to publish 4 newsletters/year • PTSA email: alrahmahschoolptsa@gmail.com

Dr. Anwar Khokhar

In the summer of 2011, the ISB Golden Age Committee was established to help us bring together senior members of our community and to better understand their needs and then, as an organization, work to provide comfort and support as best as we can. Alhamdulillah, within a short period of time, the committee have been blessed to accomplish many short-term goals and have begun planning to achieve our long team goals. Last summer was spent collecting surveys from our senior community to better understand their needs first-hand. It launched a Senior Transport service, which provides a shuttle to those in need for Friday, and daily prayers if possible. Monthly dinners at ISB has been started to help bring our seniors community together on a larger scale on a consistent basis. The committee is coordinating with area hospitals and is sending members to visit any Muslim patients admitted there. It has also established a Golden Age Committee Activity center on the ISB premises. This recently renovated space now serves as a great place for our elderly community to interact and spend time together in a vibrant environment close to the Masjid. By the incredible mercy of Allah SWT, the committee has made great strides within the past year. We ask you to please help us spread the word about this effort and to actively support both financially and with time so that we can continue to be in service of our community. For more information please contact the Committee Chair Br. Tufail Chaudhry at 410.888.7440.

Islamic Society of Baltimore (ISB) Feature

A profile on the ISB Golden Age Committee

Publication Committee

6631 Johnnycake

Road, Baltimore, MD 21244

410-719-0921

Summer 2012 Al-Rahmah Newsletter

Fifth and Eighth Grade Graduation Ceremony Sr. Laura Abdur-Rahman

Please dispose of this paper properly

Zoobia Wazir Chaudhry (Editor) Laura Abdur-Rahman Donna Khan Lisette Abdiruhman Karen Ebrahim

The fifth and eighth grade graduation ceremony is traditionally the last event of the school year. It is always a special event signifying that our students have reached yet another milestone in their school life. We are especially pleased that this year’s eight grade valedictorian, Junaid Malik, is the first 8th grade male valedictorian in our school’s history. The administration of Al-Rahmah School is indebted to the 5th and 8th grade graduation committee members (Deborah Cason, Amir Tauheed, Shaista Abassi, and Qadriyyah Tauheed) for the many hours they spent in the planning of this event. Highlights of the graduation program included:

v Keynote address by Br. Muhammad Jameel. v Alumni speeches by former graduates, Nuha Muktar and Umer Malik. v Valedictory speeches by Junaid Malik (8th grade), and Danyah Imam (5th grade). v Rose Ceremony dedication to parents.

The fifth and eighth grade graduation is always an event filled with smiles and tears. The smiles are for the joy of seeing students move on successfully to their next rung on the educational ladder. Tears are for the knowledge that some students will be leaving Al-Rahmah School to attend other

institutions. In the end we are grateful and blessed to know that our graduates are well prepared for the challenges they will face in the next phase of their journey, toward “excellence in education and excellence in Islamic manners.”

Left to right: Nuha Muktar, Qadriyyah Tauheed, Shaista Abassi, Deborah Cason, Muhammad Jameel (Keynote speaker), Faisal Abdur-Rahman (Chairman BOE), Umar Malik & Amir Tauheed

5th grade valedictorian Danyah Imam

8th grade valedictorian Junaid Malik