Life & Times of AYA

Dear Parents, Staff, Students & Community-Members:

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh!

I missed seeing everyone at Eid this year; I was visiting family overseas. I hope that

everyone had as great an Eid as I had. From the pictures and articles in the Newsletter,

it seems that the Eid festivities went very well.

We are quickly approaching the end of the 1st Quarter, and we are seeing some

wonderful achievements from our students and our teachers. This is also the point in

the school year when the curriculum begins to get a bit more difficult, and some of the

students may begin to struggle.

So…what are we doing this year to make sure that struggling students get the help they need to become stronger and more confident students?

After-School Tutoring begins this week for students in Gr. 5 – 12.

By the end of the month, Tutoring will also be in place for students in Gr. K5 – 4.

We are beginning an English Language Learners pull-out program for students in

Gr. 2 – 5 who need to strengthen their skills in Vocabulary, Reading

Comprehension and Writing.

We will be starting Writing Workshops for our students in Gr. 1 -5.

We are looking into purchasing and having in place the following software by the

beginning of the 2nd

Quarter:

Fast Math, Brain Pop, Accelerated Reading & Accelerated Math, and

Criterion Writing

These programs will help all of our students achieve greater levels of mastery, and are

not intended only for the struggling students.

What are we doing for our more advanced students? The Gifted Pull-Out Program for Gr. 4 & 5 will begin this week.

We took 19 of our 10th

- and 11th

- grade students to HCC last week to take the

College Placement Test, which will then allow them to begin taking college

courses in January.

Preparation has begun for the Science Olympics. To enhance each student’s experience at AYA, we have also started the Qur’an Hifth

Club and the After-School Sports programs. Make sure to register your kids in these

programs! They are sure to enjoy them and benefit from them!

We hope that each parent will become involved in AYA’s activities and programs, and

will give us feedback as to how we can further improve them. The IPTA is the best

forum for this feedback and interaction. Become involved!

Wassalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,

Sr. Magda Elkadi Saleh

Principal

new

s

5905 E. 130th Ave., Tampa, Florida 33617 www.ayatampa.com (813) 987-9282

Bismillahi-r- Rahmani-r-Raheem

OCTOBER

Look inside...

NOVEMBER

2 IPTA MEETING 5 AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS BEGIN 6 PICTURE DAY 16 SOTM ASSEMBLIES 22 END OF FIRST QUARTER

23 NO SCHOOL/ Staff Day

CALENDAR of

The IPTA will meet on the first

Friday of each month from

8:30a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Going to

IPTA meetings is a great way to

earn family volunteer hours.

OCTOBER 2009 SHAWAL 1430

Tarbiyah Workshops/Interviews...2

Awards…………………………………...3

After School Clubs…....………...…...4

Eid Mubarak….……….……...……….6

Kids’ Corner………………..…...…….8

1 TIME CHANGE 6 IPTA MEETING 12 PICTURE MAKE UP DAY 13 SOTM ASSEMBLIES 20 NO SCHOOL/ Staff Day 25-30 NO SCHOOL/ Eid ul-Adha

Attention Students: The Yearbook Class is having a COVER CONTEST. The first place design will be on the front of this year’s yearbook. The runners up will have their drawings on the back cover. Please send electronic submissions to mramadan@ayatampa.com. Hard copies can be submitted to Sr. Manal’s mailbox, or handed to her directly. DEADLINE: is October 19th!!!!

Newsletter Submission DEADLINE:

Friday, October 30th at 5:00P.M.

ayanewsletter@ayatampa.com

American Youth Academy

Page 2

INT

ER

VIE

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Tarbiyah Committee

Sr. Hebah, 4th

Grade

By: Jasmin Gutierrez and Yasmine Hussien

Another one of AYA’s new 4th grade teachers is Sr. Hebah Biuk. She decided to teach here at

AYA, because she attended this school when she was in the 9th and 10

th grades. Sr. Hebah has

a Bachelor’s Degree in Science Elementary Education from the University of South Florida. She likes teaching the 4th grade,

because she loves that her students display their individual personalities at this age. She also likes watching them grow,

learn, and that they have different ways to solve problems. What she likes most about teaching is making a difference and

providing her students with the knowledge that they need to be successful in the future. She said that the hardest thing about

teaching is that there’s not enough time in the day. Sr. Hebah utilizes patience and determination to help her get through

each day. The funniest moment she had in class while teaching was when she tripped in class a couple of times. Finally, her

favorite color is blue.

And that is the 411 on a few of AYA’s newest teachers!

Br. Jeff Quick, 4th

Grade

By: Ahmad Rifaie and Yezun Ali

We had the opportunity to interview one of AYA’s newest teachers, Br. Jeff Quick.

He was more than happy to be interviewed and answered the following questions:

1: How did you learn about AYA, and why did you decide to work here? After seeing an ad about an open

teaching position, Br. Jeff wanted to work here, because he was impressed with the school’s reputation.

2. What do you like about AYA? Br. Jeff likes the religious environment the school offers its students.

3. What is your favorite subject to teach? Math Rocks!

4. What do you plan to do to help AYA become a better school? “Enforce the school rules.”

5. What makes a student successful in your class? Students will be successful if they do their class work,

homework, and listen to instructions.

6. What do you do in your spare time? “I teach tennis lessons and spend time with my family.”

7. What did you want to be when you grow up? An Astronaut!

Since most of us (parents & students) are suffering from this generation gap. It is the Tarbiyah Committee's

pleasure to bring you very important workshops to bridge that gap. Our goals are:

1- To develop a faith for daily living based upon Islamic teachings that enable our children to achieve their

highest potential as Muslim youth.

2- To help our children develop self-confidence, self-respect and an appreciation of their own worth as

individuals.

3- To help our children grow as respected members of their families and citizens of their communities.

4- To help our children appreciate that the health of soul, mind, and body is a sacred gift, and that spiritual

wellness, physical fitness, and mental well-being should be maintained.

5- To work toward interracial acceptance and understanding.

6- To help our children develop their capacities for leadership, and use them responsibly with their peers and

in community life.

7- To help our children appreciate beauty, diversity, and interdependence of all forms of life and all resources,

which Allah has provided in their world, and to develop an ethical basis for guiding the relationships of

human kind with the rest of Allah’s natural environment, the community at large, and the universe.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact Br. Mahmoud Gomaa, Assistant Principal

STUDENTS: You may be wondering, “What is wrong with my parents?” - They want me to do things they used to do twenty years ago.

- They do not understand that kids today are different than when they were young.

PARENTS: You may be wondering, “What is going on with my kids?” - They do not listen to me. If they do, they do it reluctantly.

- They do not like what I tell them, even though it is in their best interest. Please reserve

Friday, Oct 23rd, 2009 at 7:15 pm

in your schedule for our

first meeting.

American Youth Academy

Page 3

K4A: SALAH DEAN DABUS AND SABREEN AHMED

K4B: ABIER OBEID AND BELAL MANSOUR

K5A: ZANAIB MOHAMED AND OMAR SAAD

K5B: AZEEZA SAROUR

1A: ADULLAH FAYIZ AND ADAM ESSOUFI

1B: SANNA NASSAR

2A: SALAM TWAM AND OMAR OMER

2B: DANYA AWSHAH AND RITA BENKIRANE

3rd: LAYAL BARAKAT AND MOSTAFA ZAYED

4A: OSAMA GURWALA AND HEBA NASSAR

4B: KHALED YOUSEF

5TH: YASMEEN HASSAN AND AMIN TAHA

Category 2: Surat ul-Aadiyaat to Surat ush-Shams

First Place: Omar Omer, 2nd

Grade Second Place: Hasan Benbourenane, 2

nd Grade

Third Place: Abdul-Hakim Zekri, 2nd

Grade Participation: Adam Mansour, 1

st Grade

Participation: Abeer Hassan, 2nd

Grade

Category 3: Surat us-Saff First Place: Jihad Gomaa, 3

rd Grade

Second Place: Mostafa Zayed, 3rd

Grade Second Place: Hussein Mansour, 3

rd Grade

Third Place: Majd Merai, 5th Grade

Category 4: Surat us-Sajdah or Surat ud-Dukhaan First Place: Zena Omer, 3

rd Grade

First Place: Sarah Gomaa, 6th Grade

Second Place: Rashid Annahas, 7th Grade

Second Place: Abdulrahman Annahas, 10th Grade

Participation: Ameen Merai, 1st Grade

Participation: Razan Merai, 4th Grade

Participation: Bushra Annahas, 11th Grade

EIDMubarak!

By: Rahma Elmohd, 9th

Gr.

On the morning of Eid we wake up

to pray Fajr, wash our face, brush

our teeth and put on the wonderful

clothes that we picked out for this

fantastic day of Eid! We pile into

the car, with an excitement that

forces the car to bounce with pure

pleasure. The blessed words of

Allah(swt) ring through the car as

we drive up to the Masjid. Once

we exit the car a blast of joy gushes

out of everyone surrounding us.

Smiles are drawn on our faces. The

masjid court yard is smeared with

color, and compliments are

blanketed over us. Everyone

becomes silent as the Imam stands

for Salat ul-Eid, and we line up

shoulder to shoulder to praise and

worship the one and only Allah

(swt). Once the salat is over, we

gather together and congratulate

each other for a successful

Ramadan. The women sit and

catch up on the latest news while

the children rejoice! We look

around at this wonderful

community of ours and we know

that this Eid will a great one!

Category 1: Surat un-Nas to Surat ul-Qaari’ah Participation: Abdul-Malik Zekri, K4B Participation: Mamoun Zayed, K5B Participation: Nadeen Hassan, 1

st Grade

American Youth Academy

Page 4

2009-2010 Qur’an Hifth Club

AYA has established the Qur’an Hifth Club to help

increase your child’s memorization of the holy Qur’an.

WHO: K4-5th Grade students are eligible

WHERE: AYA classrooms

WHEN: Every Friday

TIME: 12:45-1:30p.m.

DURATION: October 9, 2009 to April 23, 2010

FEES: $100 (for the entire program!)

REGLISTRATION DEADLINE: WED, OCTOBER 7th

Surahs to be Memorized

Level 1: Surat An-Nas #114 to Surat Al-Balad #90

Level 2: Surat Al-Fajr #89 to Surat At-Takwir #81

Level 3: Surat Abasa#80-Surat An-Naba # 78 to

Surat Al-Mulk #67-Surat Al-Haaqah #69

Please see Sr. Nora in the Front Office for more

information!

After School Athletics Programs By: Hussien Qasem

The third season of AYA’s after school athletics

programs will begin this week. The school will offer some of the same sports as last year, and has added a few new ones. This year AYA introduces cross country racing, flag football, and the Little Stars Fitness program. Organizers hope to host individual and team competitions at AYA, as well as, play games on the road.

AYA will offer:

Boys’ Soccer: 1st to 5th graders

Girls’ soccer: 4th to 10th graders

Boys’ Soccer: Middle school students

Tennis: K3 to K5 and 1st to 3rd graders

Little Stars Fitness: K3 to K5 students

Martial Arts: 1st to 6th graders

Cross Country Racing: 4th to 8th graders

Boys’ Flag Football: 6th to 8th graders

This year, AYA will also accept students outside of the school to participate; however, they must pay an extra $50 registration fee.

If you are a High School student interested in being an assistant coach/aid, please contact Br. Souheil in the front office or email him at szekri@ayatampa.com.

Ahlul-Qur’an Competition invites

you to be a part of the April 2010 contest!

Choose a category that suits your age and abilities and start practicing now! Please remember, if you placed in a category before, you may not participate in the same category again. You may register by E-mail at: AhlulQuran.Tampa@gmail.com, or contact: Sr. Dalia El-Deeb at AYA, Sr. Fatma Blassy at UAF, Sr. Mona Hemid, or Br. Hassan Sultan at Sligh Mosque. Look for more information in February 2010, insha’Allah.

Level 1: Ten Juz’a of the Holy Qur’an

Level 2: Surat Al-Baqarah or Surat Aali- Imraan

Level 3: Surat Al-Anfaal or Surat An-Nour

Level 4: Surat Luqman and Surat Yaseen

Level 5: The 27th

Juz;’a

Level 6: The 29th

Juz’a

Level 7: The 30th

Juz’a

Level 8: Surat Ath-Thariyaat

Level 9: Half the 30th

Juz’a

Level 10: Beginners Level: 20 Suras from Ad-Duha

to An-Nas+ Al-Fatiha

Mark your

calendars

now!

He may be one of your teachers. Perhaps, he is a

math whiz or a P.E teacher. Someone that is big

now was once this small. He is funny and kind. You

could say that he is hard on the outside and soft

on the inside.

WHO IS THIS PERSON??

American Youth Academy

Page 5

Tampa Bay Sports

By: Hussien Qasem and Amjad Alshalabi

September 10, 2009

This Buccaneer’s season promises to be an exciting one. The new coaching staff has made a lot of changes to the roster, and hopes to build a stronger team. The Bucs have signed many new players, including Marcus Johnson. Johnson had been with the Vikings since the 2005 drafts, and shows a lot of potential for Tampa. The Buccaneers will not use Cadillac Williams or Earnest Graham, but will be utilizing C. Smith, Kareem Huggins, and B.J. Askew. The Buccaneers have also signed DB Jarrett Bouie and Center Jonathan Compass, from the Oakland Raiders. Rookie punter AJ Trapasso has been added to the team. In addition, the Buccaneers have fixed their red zone problem. A. Bryant and M. Clayton, the Bucs wide receivers, are ready, and the Bucs have finally resolved their QB problem.

To make sure that they were under the 75 man roster, the Bucs waived CB Marshall McDuffie and Guard Ryan Schmidt. Antonio Bryant is back from his injury and ready to play. Rookie wide receiver Sammie Stroughter has also worked on his punt returns. The Buccaneers offensive captains are Brian Leftwich and Jeff Faine, and the defensive captain is Chris Hoven. Will Allen has also been chosen as the special teams captain. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday for their season opener. Hopefully, the Cowboys will win, JK.

update: The Buccaneers just had the most intense games. The Buccaneers had two major problems. Scabby Piscitelli and Jermaine Phillips were not doing their jobs and they left the back wide open. Since they are safety and not line backers, they should worry about their zone and not where the defensive line is. If Mike Nugget and the special team had not missed that field goal, the Bucs could have had some motivation. Also, if Jermaine Phillips had been able to block for Mike Nugget, the Bucs would have been tied with the Cowboys before the half. The Bucs lost to the Dallas Cowboys: 34-21

In our opinion, new coach Raheem Morris has tried hard to get the team where they currently are, however he is forgetting about the defense. He has not made as much of a deal with the defense as he has with the offense, and it is hurting the team severely. We are not sure if it is because he is young, or because he is inexperienced. We hope that the Bucs will not suffer the same fate of the Lions. On September 20th, the Bucs also lost to the Buffalo Bills: 33-20.

There are 2500 known species of fish.

2700 languages are spoken in the world.

It took Leo Tolstoy six years to write War

and Peace.

The king of hearts is the only king

without a moustache.

The human heart creates enough pressure

to squirt blood 30 ft.

The elephant is the only animal with four

knees, and they are pregnant for 22

months.

Justin Timberlake’s half-eaten French

toast is selling for $3,000 on eBay.

Fifteen people have been known to be

killed by tilting vending machines in the

hope of free sodas.

The glue on Israeli stamps is certified

kosher.

The world’s youngest parents were 8 and

9 years old and lived in China in 1910.

Termites eat wood twice as fast when

listening to heavy metal music.

Fun Facts Random, Fun, and Fascinating

By: Rula Hijaz and Kamal Taha

Community News: WELCOME to the

newest members of our community!

Abdel-Hameed: proud parents are Sr. Hebah Atieya and

Br. Mohammad Hamdan

Jude: proud parents are Sr. Sahar and Br. Ayman Barakat.

Dalal: proud parents are Sr. Nawal and Br. Khaled Khaled

Rayyan: proud parents Sr. Ghadah and Dr. Ziad Taha

New Advice Column Assalamu alaikum everybody. My name is

Br. Helpout, and I will be writing a new

advice column for the AYA Newsletter. You

can ask about any problem you’re having,

school struggles, or anything on your mind. I

am here to give real-life advice from an AYA

student just like you. Don’t worry, if you

want to stay anonymous, your secret is safe

with me. JUST REMEMBER: DO NOT USE

YOUR REAL NAME WHEN EMAILING

YOUR QUESTIONS! To contact me, please email

your questions to: ayanewsletter@ayatampa.com

American Youth Academy

Page 6

American Youth Academy

Page 7

What’s Happening at AYA

First Graders Love Science!

By: 1st Grade A The first graders were very eager to start the new school year learning about the scientific process! We started by asking ourselves a question. We wanted to know if seeds really need water to grow. We did a little research and learned that plants need the sun, space, air and water to grow. We than gathered our thoughts to come up with a hypothesis, and Ameen Merai came up with the one we all agreed upon. Ameen eagerly raised his hand and said, "The seeds that we plant and water will grow, and the ones we don't water will die!" Then we started with the messy and fun part, actually conducting the experiment. We took lima bean seeds and planted them in our very own containers that we decorated in our special and unique ways. We then watered half of them, and the others stayed dry and crumbly. Some of us were upset that we didn't get to water our plants, but then again, we were trying to learn something. The boring part was keeping the data. We wanted to shout at Sr. Manal every time she wrote Day 1, Day 3, etc., but, finally, Day 7 had arrived. When we saw the seeds break open their coats and small sprouts emerged, we were super duper excited! We kept the data in our science logs. Maybe you can come by and check it out yourself!

A special THANK YOU to the following volunteers for doing a

wonderful job during AYA’s Adopt-A-Spot Clean-UP:

Abdulhaleem Ibrahim, 10th

Gr., Ahmad Abdulmagid, 3rd

Gr.,

Layal Barakat, 3rd

Gr., Rama Abdulmagid, 2nd

Gr.,

Saleh Alhammad, 2nd

Gr., Hakim Zekri, 2nd

Gr.,

Dana Barakat, 1st

Gr., Malik Zekri, K4B, Muhammad

Abdulmagid, Sr. Nadia Moumid, Sr. Diane Triggianni, and

Dr. Ayman Abdulmagid.

Phrases most used by AYA teachers: By: Jasmine Gutierrez and Sarah Quneibi

My Eid Days

Sr. Hanadi’s 1st Grade Islamic Studies Classes This Eid I had so much fun, because I got to go to the fun rides and I went swimming. I went to Busch Gardens. I went to eat ice cream. Lina Ibrahim, 1A.

This Eid I had so much fun, because I got to go the carnival. I ate ice cream. I had fun on the rides with my friends. Abdullah Omer, 1B.

This Eid I had so much fun, because I was with Nadir, Abdullah, Amena and Laith. I got Pokemon cards. I went on a fast and fun ride. I ate ice cream. Asadullah Fayiz, 1A.

This Eid I had so much fun, because I got to go to the carnival. I ate ice cream and went on the zero gravity ride. Daniel Khosrowabadi, 1B.

This Eid I had so much fun, because I got to go to Chuck E. Cheese. I went to a club house. I went to a restaurant. I got to go to someone’s house. Muhammad Falah, 1B.

Sr. Kariman- Iskity! Sr. Shabeah- Don’t Memorize! Br. Sohbi: Mash’Allah / Guys!

Br. Inshirah- Oh Oh!

American Youth Academy

Page 8

Sr. Alicia Hawari’s K4A Class:

If you could be any insect or animal, what

would you be? Why?

Serene Abulhaija: A butterfly, because they fly.

Sabreen Ahmad: A beatle, because…….

Shatha Ajaj: A bee, because I like bees.

Salah Dean Dabus: An elephant, because they have long

trunks.

Elyas Essoufi: Beatles, because they don’t sting.

Maryam Marie: A butterfly, because….

Maya Qudeiri: A butterfly, because they are beautiful.

Mazen Saghraoui: A spider, because I like Spiderman the

movie.

Yousef Shakweer: A lizard, because they have long tails.

Moayad Shehadeh: A rhino, because they have nice skin

(like armor).

Raghad Swar: A horse, because they are beautiful and run

fast.

Title- by:

By: Mohammad Fahda and Abdullah Tamari

Sr. Farah,Naz’s K4B class

If you could be any cartoon character which one

would it be? Why?

Nihal Abbu: Alphabet Barney, I don’t know why.

Walid Alqam: Batman, because he can fight.

Malik Falah: Sponge Bob Square Pants, because I

like him.

Dalia Hawari: Princess Diaries, just because.

Hares Ibrahim: Superman, because he fights and

flies.

Su’ad Macedonio: Tinker bell, because she flies.

Belal Mansour: Spiderman, because he makes webs.

Hiba Mrabtassa: Barbie, because she has nice

clothes.

Maraim Mustafa: Dora, because she has a monkey.

Abeir Obeid: Max And Ruby, I don't know why.

LaraTwan: Diego, because he saves animals.

Abdul-Malik Zekri: Transformers, because they

save the day!

We also had very busy day during our Eid party. We had a

workshop on how to make Eid cookies. The children

enjoyed working with the dough, cutting it using

different shapes, and decorating their cookies with icing

and sprinkles.

I would like to remind parents that the K4C class has a

different schedule from the rest of the K- building. The

drop off time is 8:00 am, and the pick-up time is 12:00 pm,

Monday through Friday. Arrivals after 8:15 am will be

considered tardy.

Insha’Allah, together we can make a difference in the

future of our children. Please, remember to read to your

child at least fifteen minutes a day. Also, make learning a

fun experience. For example, when you go to the store, talk

about different types of fruit and vegetables that you may

see and buy. Explore his/her personality by knowing

his/her favorite color, food, clothes, etc. Most importantly,

spend more valuable time with him/her at this young age.

Alhumdu’Allah, AYA’s third K4 class began on

September 23, 2009. We have a unique group of students

from all different backgrounds. On the first day, there

were a few tears, but a lot of joy and cheers from parents

and their children.

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