Program - Islamic Society of North America · responsibilities she created and organized an annual Arabic camp (Ya Marhaba) during winter breaks and after school “Arabic Club.”

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6th Annual ISNA West Coast Education Forum

A Arabic Studies

IS Islamic Studies

T Teachers / Curriculum

L Leadership / Principal, Board & Administrators

Friday, January 13, 2017 Registrationbeginsat8:30AM

Program 9:00-9:30AMCaliforniaA

WelcomeSession.HolyQur’anrecitation&translation–JadDarwish

WelcomeRemarks.

• NecvaOzgur,ProgramChairofWestCoastEducationForum• HazemBata,ISNASecretaryGeneral

Emcee-BasharatSaleem,DirectorofConvention

9:30-10:15AMCaliforniaA

OpeningSessionAbriefdiscussiononconferenceandtheme.SufiaAzmat,RaniaEl-Sioufi,ReinhardKrauss

Sufia Azmat is theExecutiveDirectorofCISNA (Council of Islamic Schools inNorthAmerica),whichspecializes in Islamic schoolaccreditation.She isa certified teacherwithover20yearsofexperienceineducationandschoolleadership.Herteachingandadministrative experience includes serving as a teacher, department chair, divisionhead and a principal for a K-12 school. Sufia is an educational consultant whoseworkshops include Bullying Prevention, Counseling, Critical Thinking, DevelopingDecisionMakingStrategies,EffectiveCommunication,andPositiveSchoolClimate.SheisalsocurrentlytakingcoursesatBayanClaremontSchoolofTheology.

RaniaEl-Sioufi is thePrincipalofGranadaIslamicSchool inSantaClara,CAandhasservedasanadministratorofeducational institutionsforover10years.HerM.Ed. inEducationalLeadershipandAdministrativeServicesCredentialwereearnedwiththegoalofbringingIslamicschooleducationtothenextlevelofexcellence.Sheisastrongadvocate of student-centered classrooms and of incorporating technologicaladvancements in classroom instruction. Sr. Rania is a frequent speaker abouteducational,parentingandtarbiyaissuesinthelocal,national,andglobalcircuits.

ReinhardKraussisaLecturerattheCenterfortheStudyofReligionatUCLAwherehe teaches Judaism,Christianityand Islam.Healso is amemberof the facultyof theNewTheological Seminary of theWest, and of Bayan Claremont, aMuslim graduateschool inSouthernCalifornia.AnativeofGermany,hereceivedhisPh.D. inChristianTheologyfromtheUniversityofStAndrewsinScotland.Dr.KrausshasservedasthePresident of the Academy for Judaic, Christian, and Islamic Studies at UCLA, HarborInterfaith Services, and the South Coast Interfaith Council. He is a recipient of the‘Interfaith Courage Award’ by the Council on American Islamic Relations and theUnitedStatesCongress,aswellasthe‘InterfaithUnityAward’bytheSouthCoast.

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10:30AM–12:00PM Workshops(Pleaseseepages4-8forspecificdetails.)

12:30-1:30PMHuntingtonABC

LunchBreak(seelistofnearbyrestaurants)

1:30–2:15PM Jumu’ahPrayerKhateeb:SafaaZarzour

2:30–6:45PM Workshops(Pleaseseepages4-8forspecificdetails.)

5:15PMHuntingtonABC

MaghrebPrayer

I. Arabic and Qur’anic Studies

10:30-12:30PM2:30-3:30PMCaliforniaA

OptimizingtheLearningOutcomeinQur’anClassPart1–CurriculumDevelopmentIdentify thekeyareas in theQur’an curriculumand thedesired learningoutcome ineach area. Explore a skill-based model that integrates the Nurania method in theReading /Tilawa area, providing a set of benchmarks for different levels and agegroups.Part 2- Planning Essential knowledge and training to enable teachers to: design askill-basedannualplan;designaneffectivelessonplanandimplementdifferentiation.Discussiononhowtoinsurelearninginamulti-level/multi-profileclass.Part 3- Elements of Class Management This session presents elements of classmanagementandprovidestrainingtoQur’anteacherstoestablishclassroutine,designand implement individual, class and group activities, and effectively group thestudentsforvariedactivities.

Dalia El-Deeb graduated from Cairo University School of Medicine in 1986. Sheobtained aMaster'sDegree in Immunology in1989. She completedher residency atthe National Cancer Institute of Cairo, where she submitted a thesis for DoctorateDegreeinOncologicLaboratoryMedicinein1996.Dr.El-DeebmovedtoFloridawithher family in 1998. Dr. El-Deeb occupied a number of positions in Islamic/Qur’aneducationsince then.Shepublishedaseriesof IslamicStudiesbooks forElementarystudents and presented in a number of educational forums and workshops forprofessionaldevelopmentofQur'anteachers inseveralUSstates,aswellas inCairo,Jeddah, and Dubai. Dr. El-Deeb carries an Ijazah with Sanad of Qur'an recitationaccordingtothenarrationofHafsuponImamAasim.SheowesherQur'anEducationtoherteachers inEgypt(UstathaZainabHelmyQutb,SheikhMohammadFuaad,andUstathaMervatSaber)and toSheikhMohammadFarooqAlRaee, the founderof theNouraniamethodandheadoftheFurqanCenterforQur’anEducationinJeddah,SaudiArabia.Currently,Dr.El-DeebisthedirectoroftheHifdhprogramatBayaanAcademyof Tampa, FL, and director of Ahlul-Qur’anAcademy providingQur'an education forchildrenandadultsinTampa,FLandstatewide.SheisalsotheChairmanofNouraniaInstructionandCertificationinNorthAmerica.

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I. Arabic and Qur’anic Studies

3:45-6:45PMCaliforniaA

ReadingforAll:BuildinganArabicReaderProgram-Part1Given the dearth of leveled literature books in Arabic, teachers of Arabic seeking topromotereadingamongtheirstudentsneedtobeabletoidentifyreadingmaterialthatis age- and stage- appropriate and that is attractive and appealing to their students.UsingtheACTFLreadingproficiencyguidelinesasaframework,asetofcriteriaweredevelopedbyagroupofArabic languageexperts tohelp teachers identify children’sbooks in Arabic that are appropriate in terms of language, content and format fordifferentageandproficiencylevels.Theprovisionofleveledchildren’sbookinArabicisimportantnotonlytodevelopreadingskills,butalsotobolstertheoverallstudentproficiency in Arabic. The proposed criteria are also designed to help with thedevelopment of appropriate comprehension questions so that teachers are able toassessthelevelofstudentcomprehensionandrewardthemaccordingly.

Program-Part2Theaudiencewillbeprovidedwithavarietyofchildren’sstoriesandwillbeguidedtodeterminethelevelsofthereadingmaterialsaccordingtotheproposedcriteria.Usingthe criteria developed according to the ACTFL reading proficiency guidelines, thepresenterwill illustratehowanumberof leveledchildren’sbookswereselectedandhow the accompanying comprehension questions were developed to capture theessenceof the stories. The audiencewill alsowork in groups to comewith effectivecomprehensionquestions. Inaddition,participantswill learnhowto incorporate theprogram in their respective schools to enhance their students' reading proficiencywhileprovidinganenjoyableandcompetitivelearningenvironment.

Lina Kholakihas a Master’s Degree in Education from Pacific Oaks College inCalifornia.SheisacertifiedACTFLOralProficiencyInterviewtester“OPI”andACTFLWritingProficiencyRater“WPT”.Linahasbeenintheteachingfield forthepast20+years.ShehasexperienceteachingArabicfrompreschool-12thgradeandatthecollegelevel. She began teaching Arabic at New Horizon Elementary-Middle School inPasadena, where she remained on staff for thirteen years. In addition to teachingresponsibilities she created and organized an annual Arabic camp (Ya Marhaba)duringwinterbreaksandafterschool“ArabicClub.”In2001,Linawasappointedthelanguage expert and coordinator for Arabic teachers at the four New Horizoncampuses for the Bureau of Islamic and Arabic Education and for the AldeenFoundation. Lina taught at Cal State San Bernardino from 2006-2011; she wasappointedbytheUniversityofSouthernCaliforniaasthedepartmentcoordinatorandArabic instructor from 2011-2015. Currently she serves as a consultant of ArabicLanguageImmersionprogramatLAUSD,California.Linaistheco-developerof“ArabicLanguage Through Dialogue series”” LARC Language Acquisition Center, San DiegoUniversity. She also co-developed Hayya Natakalam Maan, a landmark program forteaching Arabic language following the modern standards for Early ChildhoodEducation.

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II. Islamic Studies and Character Development

10:30-12:30PM2:30-6:45PMPacificA

Formative Assessment in the Islamic Studies Classroom,GradingandEvaluation

This workshopwill empower teachers to focus on feedback rather than grades andevaluationaloneto improveteachingand learning. Aspecialemphasiswillbeplacedon making formative assessments fun and exciting for the students with the use ofinteractiveactivitiessothatIslamicStudiesclassescanbeengagingandmeaningfultothestudents. Inthesecondhalfofthisworkshop,participantswillexploreavarietyofquantitativeandqualitativetoolstohelpprovideaholisticframeworkforgradingandevaluationthatwillbemeaningfulforstudentsandparents. Participantswilllearnhowto calculate final grades for term-based report cards and design rubrics to provideanalytic data. Quran teachers will benefit from some ideas on quantitative gradingpracticestostandardizetheirevaluationprocess.

WhatisFormativeAssessmentandWhyisitImportantTeachers will be introduced to formative assessments and its relevance in theclassroom.

FormativeAssessmentToolsTeachers will learn about a variety of brain-friendly formative assessments andstrategiesthatprovidewaystogatherevidenceofstudentprogress.

FormativeFeedbackthatWorksTeachers will explore ways to elicit evidence of learning through classroomdiscussions and interactions. Teachers will discover methods of providing explicitfeedbackthatpromotesstudentlearningandengagement.

SummativeAssessmentanditsImportanceintheIslamicStudiesClassroomTeacherswillbeintroducedtoeffectivestepsofincorporatingsummativeassessmentsto provide final grades for students. Participants will be provided with models ofqualitative and quantitative assessment strategies to utilize a holistic approach togradingandevaluation.

TheIslamicReportCardTeacherswilllearnaboutcommunicatinggradesandstudentprogressthroughtheuseof learning targets and narratives. Participants will utilize multiple strategies forengagingstudentsintheassessmentprocesswiththeuseofportfoliosandrubrics.

AzraAli isthePrincipalofHudaSchoolandMontessorilocatedinFranklin,Michigan.Mrs. Ali holds a Bachelor's Degree in Education, a Master's Degree in EducationLeadership and an Education Specialist Certificate in Curriculum and Instruction. InadditiontoherleadershiproleatHudaSchoolforthepastsixyears,Mrs.Alihasalsohadadiverseclassroomteachingexperienceinelementaryandmiddleschool.AtHudaSchool, she has successfully implemented the IB Program and embraced theframework of Understanding by Design at her school. Mrs. Ali has delivered manysuccessfulworkshopsaspartofprofessionaldevelopmentintheareasofCooperativeLearning, Understanding by Design, Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction andMarzano's Effective Learning and Teaching Strategies. Mrs. Ali is dedicated toimprovingeducationbyofferingprofessionaldevelopmentworkshops to teachers toincrease student achievement based on the best practices and current researchmodels.

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III. Leadership and Administration10:30-5:30PMPacificB

DevelopingLeadershipSkillsLeadershipandTeamDynamics:HowDoesaGroupBecomeaTeamWhile the idea of establishing teams in schools sounds relatively simple, teacherleaders and school administrators rarely create educational teams that functioneffectivelyfortheexpresspurposeof improvinginstructionandculture. Thissessionwill highlight the elements of effective teacher teams and provide participants withspecific teaming skills that will enable them to facilitate the development of well-functioning teacher teams that improve the culture and student learning in theirschools.

HowtoMotivateandInspiretheTeachersResearchhasstatedthatoutsideofteachingandinstructionthesecondmostimportantfactor of success within a school is the climate and culture. Along with examiningresearchandtheperspectivesofvariousscholars,thispresentationwillalsofocusonprovidingindividualopportunitiesandadviceonbuildingastrongerschoolcultureandclimate with the individuals who have the key to the classroom learning; theTEACHERS!

DataDrivenDecision-MakingEffectiveleadershiprequireseffectivedecision-making.Usingdatatoinformdecisionsisthemostconsistentcharacteristicofeffectiveleadership,instruction,anddesign.Inthishands-onsession,weexplorethedifferentsourcesofdatathatcanbeusedinavariety of contexts and then how to apply a 4-step data analysis protocol to theprocess of informed, effective decision-making. Become trained and ready tomakedatayourmosteffectiveleadershiptool.

BlueprintforSchoolImprovementIn this session the presenter will introduce the idea of developing focus, creatingalignment, and establishing clear expectations and opportunities.Hewill provide ahandyworksheet fordeveloping these ideas.ParticipantswillwalkoutwithaclearunderstandingofhowtodevelopFocus,Alignment,ExpectationsandOpportunitiesalongwithapreliminaryblueprintofhowitwilloccurattheirschool.

5:45-6:45PMPacificB

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PanelofPresenters:HotTopicsQ&AInthissessionHabeebQuadriandOmarEzzeldinewillanswerquestionsandaddresshottopicsineducation.

Habeeb Quadri is an Educator, Author, and Youth Activist. He is an ElementarySchool Principal and part-time staff at Harvard Graduate School of Educationprofessional development programs. Habeeb recently has been appointed to afour-year term at the Harvard Graduate School of Education Principal AdvisoryBoard. Hehasco-authored fivebooksandpublished two others.Habeeb isboardchair of MYNA (Muslim Youth of North America) and board member of CISNA(Councilof IslamicSchoolofNorthAmerica).

OmarEzzeldine,Ed.D.hasbeenineducationforover15yearsandisaCaliforniaCertified Teacher. HisexperiencehasspannedfromteachingKindergartenallthewaytoteachinghigh schoolAlgebraandGeometry inpublicandprivateschools,includingIslamicSchools. His experienceincludesthreeyearsastheprincipalofNewHorizonSchoolinIrvine,Assistant PrincipalatTustinHighSchool,andPrincipalatAltaVistaSchool.Heisalsoanadjunct professoratUSCintheMastersinEducationProgram.Dr.EzzeldinereceivedhisB.S.from UCLA,hisMasters inEducationandCredential fromPepperdineUniversityandhisDoctorate inEducationalLeadership fromUCLA.

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IV. Curriculum and Instruction

10:30-6:45PMCaliforniaB

SocialEmotionalLearningSocialEmotionalLearning(SEL)isthe“missingpiece”inthequesttoprovideeffectiveeducation for all children, young people, and adults. It has been shown to have apositive effect in enhancing student achievement and is an important resource inreducingoreliminatingriskybehaviors.SELinterventionsproducepositiveattitudinaland behavioral effects. Research documents that focusing on SEL results inimprovementsinacademicperformance,SELskills,pro-socialbehaviors,self-esteem,bonding to school, and reductions in conduct problems and emotional distress. Thissession will examine what SEL is, the critical role it plays in student and schoolsuccess, fivedomainsofSELcompetence,andwillofferspecificstrategiestodevelopand implement Social Emotional Competence in ways that contribute to positiveclassroomclimateandstudentsuccess.

Session1-SocialEmotionalLearning

Session2-ExaminingtheElementsofSocialEmotionalLearning

Session3-ManagingEmotions

Session4-HandlingRelationships

Session5-CreatingClassroomCulturesthatReflectSocialEmotionalLearning

Pam Robbins is an ASCD independent educational consultant who works withpublic and private schools, state departments of education, professionalorganizations and associations throughout the United States and Internationally.Pam’s professional interests include Social-Emotional Learning, Peer Coaching,mentoring, brain research and effective teaching, learning communities, leadership,supervision, the leadership practices of Abraham Lincoln, and presentation skills.As an educator, Pam’s experience includes serving as a special education teacher,intermediate grades classroom teacher, high school basketball coach, and schoolleader.


IshaPrayer

Celebration Banquet & Award Ceremony 7:30 - 9:30 PM / Pacific C

BanquetEmcees:HazemBata&DeanaHelmyQur’anRecitation:ShaykhAsimBuyuksoyKeynoteSpeaker:ImamSuhaibWebb

LifetimeAchievementinEducationandCommunityServiceAwardRecipient:SamarKatbiEntertainment:AdelKamal&NewHorizonSchool

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Saturday, January 14, 2017

9:30-10:45AMCaliforniaA

Play,LearnandHaveFunUsingtheArabicLanguage

Languagelearningishardworkandeffortisrequiredateverymomentinclassandmustbemaintained for a longperiodof time. Therefore, integrating games into theArabicclassroomenhancesstudents’enthusiasmandperformance.Itwillmotivatethemtouseacquired target languageskills suchas listening, speaking, reading,andwritingwhicharethekeytoArabiclanguagelearning.Withthesegoalsinmind,itishelpfultoapplyeverydaygameswithintheclassroomsettingtoinspireandmotivatestudents.

Nacheda Baroud Tizani has a certificate in Early Childhood Education and hasbeen teaching Arabic at New Horizon School Pasadena for the last 19 years. Sheworked on designing the assessment booklet of “Hayya Natakallam Maan” andformatting pictures for “Lughati Al-Islamiyya”. In the past 12 years, she has been apresenter in various national conferences. She has been a master teacher, teachingArabic for high school students, in the Aldeen Startalk summer program for the lastfiveyears.SheworkedwithothervolunteerteachersinestablishingtheNationalArabicTeachers’ Association, and is a member on the review committee for theirnewsletter. She is certified through the Nuraniyah method to teach the Qur’an tostudents. Nacheda Baroud Tizani has been sharing her experience and tools inteachingtheArabiclanguagewithArabicteachersforsixteenyearsanditishergoaltoworkwithotherteachersofArabictoenhanceteachingtheArabiclanguage.

9:30-10:45AMPacificA

Strengthening Self-Identity for Leadership and CivicEngagement

Nowmore thanever,ouryouthneed todevelop leadership skills thatwill strengthentheirsenseofselfandguidethemtowardscivicengagementthroughtheirschoolyearsand beyond. The key to gaining these skills is for educators to provide tools thatstrengthencommunicationandconfidencebydevelopingabetterunderstandingoftheroleofMuslimAmericanyouthinoursocietytoday.Thistransitioncanonlytakeplacewhenwe,aseducators,counselors,andschooladministrators,engageintheactiveroleofguidingouryouthtowardsabettertomorrow.

Suzy Ismail is the high-school student adviser and the Public Speaking and CareerPlanningTeacheratNoor-Ul-ImanSchool.ShepreviouslytaughthighschoolEnglishatNUIandserved forover tenyearsontheBoardofDirectors.Suzy isalsotheFounderand Head Communication Counselor of Cornerstone, a faith-based relationalcommunicationcounselingcenter.Sheistheauthorofseveralbooksandspecializesinpresenting a range of communication lectures and diversity workshops at majorcorporations, conferences and universities. She received her BA in English,CommunicationandMiddleEasternStudies,herMAinCommunicationandInformationStudies,andattendedtheSchoolofCommunicationasadoctoralstudentinthefieldofOrganizationalCommunication.SheiscurrentlyworkingonherPhD.inHumanServiceswithafocusonMarriageandFamilyIntervention.

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9:30-10:45AMCaliforniaB

Reimagining the Science Classroom: One Verse at a Time,MuslimScientistsofTheGoldenAge,andtheirImpactToday

Our youth today are in need of understanding and appreciating the significance ofversesfromtheQuranandtheaccomplishmentsofourMuslimancestorsintheseculareducation.HowcanwehavestudentsgrasptheeminenceoftheversesfromtheQuranwhenlearningscienceintheseculareducation?HowcanwehelpthemgainknowledgeabouttheGoldenErainourhistorywhenIslamwasatitspeakintheadvancementsofallareasofsciencethat impactus today?Thiscanbeachievedthroughoneverseatatime to our youth and presented with the science behind the verse, fun facts, andengaginghandsonactivitiesthatcorrelatetotheNextGenerationScienceStandards

AbeerSalehisaMiddleSchoolScienceTeacherandDepartmentHeadatMCCAcademyin Morton Grove, Illinois. She has been teaching for nearly twenty years in both theChicago Public School System and in the Islamic School. Abeer Saleh is currently theDepartment Head of the middle school and spearheads the Science Olympiadcompetition,ScienceFairCompetition,andtheQuranandScienceclassforeighthgradestudents at MCC Academy. Mrs. Saleh was a guest panel speaker at an Inter-Faithprogram at theMorton Grove Library and featured in the ChampionNewspaper. Shebegantheclassnamed,‘QuranandScience’atMCCAcademy,whichledhertoauthorabookwiththehelpofHQConsultingtitled,“OneGiantStepforMankind,OneVerseataTime”. Abeer Saleh is in collaboration with Pearson Publishing Company, which willincludechaptersofherbookinthesecularsciencecurriculumInsha’allah.

9:30-10:45AMPacificB

WaystoAffordMore?WasteLess!

In our consumer society, we are typically focused on how we don't have enough tosatisfy our school's needs. What we should realize is that Allah has given us suchabundance,andperhapswehavenotanalyzedthemanyareaswecouldactuallysaveinordertospendonhigherpriorities.Let'sstrategizehowyoucanhavemorebywastingless!

Susan Labadi designs Professional Development training and curriculum contentthrough Genius School, Inc. She earned her M.A.T. in Secondary Social Studiesfrom National-Louis University and a B.A. degree in Psychology and Sociology fromNorthern Illinois University. Her expertise was developed at Islamic FoundationSchool, where she served 9 years as Instructor and Assistant Principal. She alsoprovides Accreditation Consultation and has reviewed schools in Illinois and otherstateswith AdvancEd,workedwith New Jersey Association of Independent Schools,and the State of Illinois. Susan has devoted social marketing and websitemanagement for the American Halal Association. She is a speaker onentrepreneurship, writer, editor, and promotional agent for her clients, and is anadvisor forDEFINE/LeaderLaunch, anafter-school, values-basedprogram.

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11:00-12:15CaliforniaA

BuildingProficiencyThroughPerformance:MovingStudentstotheNextLevelWhatdoesittaketomoveyourstudentstothenextlevel?Whatshouldyoubeworkingon tohelp themmove to thenext level? Focusingonwhata student "cando"ateachlevel of proficiency, you will have the chance to examine how educators can guidelearnerstoimprovetheirlanguageperformancethroughwell-designedexperiences,andeffectiveassessments.

Iman Hashem is ProgramDirector of Arabic Language at Occidental College ForeignLanguageProject.WithherbroadrangeofexpertiseinArabicforK-12,sheconsultsformajor educational institutions and participated in the delivery of the AdvancedDevelopment of Language Proficiency Program at the Language Acquisition ResourceCenter, designed a certificate program for teachers of Arabic and Arabic speakers atCalifornia State University – Fullerton. Mrs. Hashem has directed, designing andconducting STARTALK workshops and been a member of STARTALK educationadvisoryteamsinceitsinception.

11:00-12:15PacificA

Transforming the Islamic and Quranic Studies into the MostBelovedClasses

Statistics show that the Quran/Islamic Studies courses are among the most dislikedsubjectsbyyoungstudents.Wearefacedwiththechallengeofchangingthisprevalentattitude and transforming it into becoming one of the most liked subjects for ourstudents. The teacher’s role is most crucial to achieving this goal. Mastery of thesubject isaprerequisite, yet it isnotenough towin theheartsor theattentionof thestudents.AtUniversalSchool,theteachers,theadministrationandthestudentsworkasacohesiveunittohelpmakeIslamicandQuranicstudiesthemostbelovedclassesintheschool.

Tamer Osman completed his undergraduate studies at Buffalo State College inbusinessandeducation.TamercontinuedstudyingQuranandIslamicSciencesinJordanand Syria. He also completed the memorization of Quran under the hands of a localHafizofQuranfromBuffalo.HeiscurrentlytheDirectorofIslamicStudiesatUniversalSchoolofBuffalo,NY. Forover tenyearshehasbeeneducating theyouthof the localcommunity. Alongsideteaching full-timeatUniversal School,Tamerhas establishedayouth group that welcomes people of all faiths and backgrounds. Over the last fewyears Tamer has also worked with the youth from local gangs, helping themestablishingapurposein their life. ItisTamer’sbeliefthatwecanimprovethequalityoflifeofourchildrenthroughholisticeducationwhereneitherthebody,mind,norsoulisneglected.

11:00-12:15CaliforniaB

Using a Mobile Video App. to Communicate and ProvideLearningtoFamiliesIn this interactive session, thepresenterwill sharehow touse technology toenhancecommunicationsbetweenschoolandparentsasreflectedinasociallearningclassroom.The presentation will also demonstrate research-based evidence of the value inimplementing developmentally appropriate practice through social classroominteractions. The presenterwill share a step-by-step instruction about how to createvideos using theAdobe Spark software. Attendeeswill have an opportunity to createandsharetheirveryownsamplesoftechnology-basedlessons.

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12:15–12:45PMHuntingtonABC

DhuhrPrayer

(Continued)DoYourKidsPlayGamesinClass?GOOD!WorkWithItDoyourstudentslovetoplaygames?Aretheyintotechnology?WiththerecentadventofPokemonGO! It's clearkidsaredrivenbygames. In thepast,manyeducatorshavenoticed that their students have been into countless games and it's important forteachers to incorporate games to their curriculum to engage their learners. In thispresentation, participants will learn about Classcraft, a unique RPG-style game thatengages,motivates,andcreatesaproductivelearningexperienceintheclassroom

Hanaa El-Ansary is the Director of Preschool at NewHorizon School, Irvine. Ms. El-AnsarygraduatedwithaBachelorofScienceHonorsinBiology,fromCairoUniversityinEgypt.Ms.El-AnsaryholdsaMultipleSubjectsTeachingCredentialandMaster'sDegreeinEducationandTeaching fromAzusaPacificUniversity inOrangeCounty,California.Ms. El-Ansary has been an educator for over twenty-five years. In addition to herdirectorshippositionresponsibilities,shehasbeenteachingArabicandIslamicStudiestopreschoolersforthepast8years.

SabahSobhhasbeenintheeducationfieldforover10years.Balanceoftechnologyandnature is his passion as a result he thrives for equipping his students with criticalthinking skills alongwith knowledge in applied technology. Currently, he is a GoogleCertifiedEducatorandwillbeworkingonbecomingaGoogleCertified Innovator thisyear.Hisvisionistocreateacommunityofselfdirectedlearnersthathaveawakenedtotheirhumanpotentialbybalancingtechnologyusewithresponsibleproductivity.

11:00-12:15PacificB

Creating a Positive School Climate: Communication StrategiesforRelationships

Oneof thekey factors increatingapositiveschoolclimate isastrongcommunicationsystem.Thisworkshopwilltakeattendeesthroughdevelopingclearhierarchicalroles,setting routine communication protocols, and setting expectations among your team.Effective principal-board communication models will then be presented. The sessionwillendwithgoodcommunicationstrategiestohandlethemostchallengingsituations.

Rania El-Sioufi is the Principal ofGranada Islamic School in SantaClara, CA andhasserved as an administrator of educational institutions for over 10 years.Having beenraisedintheveryactiveNewJerseyMuslimcommunity,shehasastrongappreciationof the role Islamic Schools play in our communities. Her M.Ed. in EducationalLeadership and Administrative Services Credential were earned with the goal ofsupportingthatroleandworkingwithateamtobringIslamicschooleducationtothenextlevelofexcellence.Sheisastrongadvocateofstudent-centeredclassroomsandofincorporating technological advancements in classroom instruction. Sr. Rania is afrequentspeakerabouteducational,parentingandtarbiyaissuesinthelocal,national,andglobalcircuits.Outsideofschoolandherprofessionalactivities,shespendshertimewithherhusband,fourdaughters,andsonenjoyingavarietyofoutdooractivities.

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12:45–2:00PMPacificC

NetworkingLuncheon(withashortpresentation)This is your opportunity to meet and share with fellow educators and discuss thechallenges and successes of your respective schools. It will be an opportunity tocollaborateandlearnfromeachothertoo.EducationForumcommitteememberswillbeavailabletofacilitatethediscussionsifneededatyourtables.Therewillbetablesignsforthefollowingcategories.Full-time SchoolPrincipals and Administrators * Middle School Science and MathTeachers*MiddleSchoolEnglishandSocialStudiesTeachers*MiddleSchoolArabic,QuranandIslamicStudiesTeachers*UpperElementaryTeachers*LowerElementaryTeachers*PreschoolandKindergartenTeachers*PreschoolandElementaryArabic,QuranandIslamicStudiesTeachers*WeekendSchoolPrincipalsandAdministrators*WeekendSchoolTeachers*AssistantTeachers


HowtoStartaProfessionalArabicTeachingCareerThe aim of this presentation is to guide teachers on ways to obtain Credentials inArabic. The presenter will walk the audience step by step in how to obtain SingleSubjectCredentialsandhelpstrengthenanddevelopallteachers’abilitiesandskillsindelivering instruction, and teachArabic in theUS,whether a teacher is interested inbecoming a high school or elementary teacher. This presentation will provide anoverviewwithbothCBESTandArabicCSET. Itwill showsamplequestions from theCSET and will review some Arabic Language features. Finally, the presenter willexplain the impact of obtaining a single subject credential on improving classroominstructionandmanagement

Nada Shaath is experienced in Arabic educationwith emphasis on full immersion.She participated in the standards development for foreign languages (inCalifornia). She is OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) Arabic testing certified. Ms.Shaath has advanced knowledge of utilizing information technology to languageteaching. Currently Ms. Shaath works as an instructional Coach for the LosAngelesUnified SchoolDistrict.

2:00-3:15PMPacificA

BuildingEmpathyintheClassroomsEmpathyisacriticalskillthatwhendevelopedsuccessfully,greatlyimpactsastudent’sacademic,emotionalandsocialabilities.Empathyactsasadeterrenttobullying,oneofthecritical issuesfacingU.S.educationalsystems.Empathyalsocultivatesastudent’scharacter by developing understanding and compassion for fellow students, therebybenefittingtheoverallwellbeingoftheclass,societyandhumanity.Inthissessionwewilldefineempathyandreviewthefiveskillsnecessarytodevelopempathy.

Samah Abdallah is currently a certified second grade teacher at Noor Ul ImanSchool. Samah has been teaching second grade for 14 years. She graduated fromWilliamPatersonUniversityin2002withaBAinSociology.SheiscurrentlylivinginFranklinPark,NewJerseywithherhusbandandthreechildren.

Amina Soliman is currently a third grade teacher at Noor Ul Iman School. Aminahasbeenteachingthirdgradefor4years.ShegraduatedfromRutgersUniversityin2012 with a BA in biology and a minor in psychology. She is currently living inMiddletown,NewJersey.

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UsingArtIntegrationtoEnhanceCurriculum

In an educational era of fast-dwindling budgets and cuts across the board, the firstdepartmentstobecutareartandmusic.Luckilytherearewaystogetaroundhavingaformal art class by enriching academic classes with opportunities to learn arttechniques by pulling from the lessons already taught in the class, and building arelatedcreativeexperiencetoaccompanythem.Mona Abdala has been teaching at an Islamic school since 2002. She has aBachelor’s Degree in Public Relations and Visual Arts from Rutgers University. Shealsohasherk-5certification,aswellashercertificationinmiddleschoolEnglish.Sheis currently pursuing a Master's degree in Information Technology. Mona deeplybelieves that opening teachers' and administrators' eyes about the importance ofcreativeopportunitieswill greatly impact the livesof the students atIslamicschoolsacrossthecountry.Sheisdedicatedtoworkingwithteachersinordertohelpthemtodevelop some great creative ideas that they can use every year to enrich theircurriculumandchallengeaswellasbroadentheirstudents'minds.

2:00-4:45PMPacificB

CreatinganExceptionalBoard–Part1&Part2

This four-hour seminar will engage participants in learning the most recent bestpractices in school governing Boards. This is a comprehensive review of 10 basicBoardresponsibilities,the9stepsinthelifecycleofboardmemberdevelopmentfromidentifying new members, Recruiting Board members, to celebrating theiraccomplishments.TheSeminarwillalsoaddressbestpracticesinBoardmembertermlimits, decision-making, and the role of Boardmembers in fund raising. Part of thesessionwillalsoaddressBoard-Principalrelationsandhowthispartnershipcanworktobestbenefittheschool.ToolswillbepresentedtomeasureBoardengagementandconduct a Board assessment. Therewill also be a discussion of trends of nonprofitBoards around the country and what other communities are doing to increaseeffectivenessofthegoverningBoards.

Maher Budeir is a founder and trainer in Balanced Leadership Institute (BLI), aconsultingfirmdedicatedtoprovidingprofessionalleadership,planning,andfinancialmanagement training to Muslim nonprofits. He is a BoardSource® CertifiedGovernanceTrainer,withover20-yearexperienceworkingwithnonprofitgovernanceand fund development. He is currently working with several mosques and schoolsacross the country to address organizational issues, conduct professional boardtraining,andstrategicplanningsessions.Maheralsoservedon ISNA’sMasjidForum,andontheboardoftrusteesofseveralmosque.


IntegratingArabicLanguagewithCoreSubjects

In this session, the presenter will demonstrate strategies, activities, and authenticmaterials which teachers can implement in their classrooms in order to integrateArabicstudieswithcoresubjects, includingMath,Science,SocialStudies,Health,andPhysical Education. This session will highlight three communication skills:interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational. We will work in small groups toidentify strategies, topics, and the integration of Arabic language with the coresubjects.Presenterswill shareseveral interpretive, interpersonal,andpresentationaltasksandwilldemonstratehowthethreecommunicationskillsaresequencedinordertoreachculminatingperformancetasks.

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NahilIreiqathasover19yearsofexperienceindevelopingresults-drivencurriculumand delivering enthusiastic instruction of Foreign Language (Arabic) for elementary,middle, andhigh school children. Shewashonoredas runner-upTeacheroftheYearfortheSantaClaraSchoolDistrictin2006,andtheAlamedaCountyin2013.NahilisaninstructorwithSTARTALK.Inaddition,NahilworksasEducationSpecialistwithIEMandESLinstructorwithMUSD,California.

3:30-4:45PMPacificA

RevivingYourTafseerClass:MakeitProductiveandEnjoyableUnderstanding theHolyQur’anand stronglybondingwith it is an essential need forMuslim children raised in the West. With class time limitations, lack of clearbenchmarks, and - in many instances - lack of interest on behalf of the students, itbecomes a must for a Qur’an teacher to come to Tafseer class equipped with clearobjectives,effectiveteachingstrategies,andengaginglearningactivities.

This session presents teaching strategies that address students of various learningpreferences, making the student the center of the learning process. Among otherTafseerobjectives,itprovidesrecommendationsforvocabularyselectionandpractice,and introduces essential Arabic grammar and Word Morphology (Sarf) skills forunderstandingtheQur’an.Thesessionalsopresentsanumberofskill-basedlearningactivitiesensuringtheprogressionofacquiredskillsfrombasictohigherbrainfunctionbehavioralskillsonBloomsTaxonomy.

DaliaEl-Deeb,MD,isthedirectoroftheHifdhprogramatBayaanAcademyofTampa,FL, head of Ahlul-Qur’an Academy Tampa, FL, and chief Nuraniyah Instructor andExaminerinNorthAmerica.CarriesIjazahinQur’anrecitationaccordingtonarrationofHafsuponAasim.


MotivationHierarchy–MovingfromExtrinsictoIntrinsicIthaslongbeenheldthatmotivationiseitherintrinsicorextrinsicwiththebeliefthatintrinsicmotivationistheideal.Wewantstudentstodotherightthingbecauseitistheright thing to do and not necessarily because theywill receive an external reward: asticker;acertificate;aprizeorbecauseoffearofpunishment:apoorgrade;timeout;adetention. This session will delve into factors that influence motivation’s movementtowards the ideal and explore steps teachers can take to catalyze students towardsintrinsicmotivation.

SufiaAzmat(seeOpeningSession-page2)

SafaaZarzour, isthechairmainofCISNA(CouncilofIslamicSchoolsofNorthAmerica.He serves on the program committee of ISNA Education Forum He is an attorneyfocusingonissuesoflocalgovernment,educationandnonprofitlaw.

3:30-4:45PM CreatinganExceptionalBoardPart2(Continued–seepage13)


MaghrebPrayer

5:15-6:30PM ConcludingSessionJoinusforanexcitingconcludingsessionandwinfabulousprizes!HazemBata,SafaaZarzour,NecvaOzgur

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Documents

Program - Islamic Society of North America · responsibilities she created and organized an annual Arabic camp (Ya Marhaba) during winter breaks and after school “Arabic Club.”