Principal Diana Abdi

5110 Manor Rd.

Austin, TX 78723

Phone: 512-926-1737

Fax: 512-926-9688

principal@apacademy.org

Principal’s Newsletter

Contents

School Connection

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Assalaamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatahu,

Dear Parents,

SubhanAllah, another year for APA completed - and what a year it was, masha'Al-lah. In December, we commemorated our 20 Year Anniversary with an incredibly successful and memorable Gala event - and we look forward to commemorating many more years together, inshaAllah.

Most importantly, our students have enjoyed another fabulous year. They have ex-celled in so many fields, it is impossible to list them all. This includes academic achievements, but at the very core stands the character and spiritual development of our students, which improves with each year. It permeates so much of the daily activities and curriculum of APA.

Our staff's commitment to educating the whole child made this past year possible and we are indebted to them for their dedication, Alhamdulillah. We extend this gratitude to our parents, as well, for your support, prayers, and for entrusting us with your children and pray that Allah SWT guides us in our efforts always. With the end of the year also comes staff changes and family moves. We would like to take this opportunity to wish those students and families leaving us this year all the best in their new schools and homes. We want to extend our sin-cere thanks and best wishes to staff members who will be leaving us for different assignments and other leaves. Every day is a blessing at APA, Alhamdulillah. And as we are in the wonderful month of Ramadan, may Allah swt grant us the blessings of this Ramadan, fill our days with accepted fasts, our nights with accept-ed prayers, and the moments in between with remembrance of Him. Ameen. I ask, humbly, that you share part of your ZAKAT with APA. Finally, the first day of school is August 14th, 2018 and parent/student orientation is August 11th. Have a blessed summer and keep APA in your prayers. JazaakumAllahu Khair, Principal Diana Abdi-M.Ed

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From April 30 to May 4, Creative Action graced the Austin Peace Academy campus with its presence. The well-trained staff from Cre-ative Action offered enlightening and enriching lessons on real-life issues to foster self-empowerment and compassionate choices. They met with students in Kindergarten through 5th grade for a week-long series to provide a thorough understanding of topics.

APA Elementary students honored their beloved moth-ers on Wednesday, May 9 with the Muffins for Mom event. Each Elementary grade presented a different piece to recognize their mothers and then invited the mothers back to their classrooms to enjoy a muffin breakfast together. Thank you to all the mothers who took the time to come out. We hope you feel honored everyday.

APA in ActionAPA in Action

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Student Council hosted its Annual Poetry Slam on Saturday, May 5 at Space12. This year’s theme, Slam Against Silence, was inspired by Malala Yousufzai’s quotation: “When the world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.” The audience enjoyed a powerful recitation by Junior Sumeya Aliyu, fol-

lowed by a performance by local artist, Imaad Khan. The entrees were in-credibly talented and brought forth the best of the Austin community. Con-gratulations to the Student Council for another outstanding event.

Student Council hosted Teacher Appreciation Week during the first week of May. On Wednesday and Thursday, the board came up with creative and sincere awards for each staff member to recognize their different talents and dedication.

Austin Peace Academy has an amazing team of staff members that expand minds in the classroom, cheer on students at competitions, mentor in the halls, and laugh alongside them on the fields. May they al-ways be guided and be the motivating forces behind positive change in our community.

APA in ActionAPA in Action

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APA in ActionAPA in Action

On May 10-11, the entire Middle School participated in a spiritual retreat at Inks Lake. The two-day outing included workshop activities, team building, spiritual talks, and bonding through fun and adven-ture. The students love the opportunity to spend this time with their classmates, away from other dis-tractions and provides them a rare chance to reboot.

Teaching a class about the Afterlife to Austin Peace Academy high school students is one of Sh. Attia Omara’s favorite experienc-es. Students visited the graves and reflected on the contributions of our community members who preceded us and made dua’ for them. Most importantly, students reflected on; what will accompany them in the grave (good deeds), and what we will be remembered for when we depart this life? The prophet SAW said, “Visit the graves, for they will remind you of the Hereafter.” (Ibn Majah)

Third grade students engaged in the story-writing process by laying out their own stories. They drafted and edited their stories, and completed it with illustrations. The authors then shared their com-pleted pieces with the younger APA scholars.

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On Tuesday, May 15, Ms Sumayra’s third grade class and Ms Nusrat’s second grade class ventured to Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve off of 360 for a day in nature. A tour guide lead them on a hike on the preserve’s trails. They paused to enjoy the waterfall at the end of the trail. The students learned more about the natural ecosystems of the preserve through the guide’s words and with hands-on activities in the St. Edward’s Research Center facility.

The fifth grade class went on an urban adventure just a few miles south of campus exploring East Austin by CapMetro. During this exploration we made one bus transfer each way and were hyper aware of our colorful community attributes while seeking out items on our Bingo cards along the way. A few items included a historical service station renovated into a Pe-ruvian restaurant along with a mural of a famous Latina musician whose beret has a hidden word painted inside.

Our first destination was the George Washington Carver Cultural Center where

we explored not only the historical significance of its namesake, but also the his-tory of African Americans within Texas and Austin. Specifically, the Juneteenth holiday, first library within the city relocated from West to East Austin due to seg-regation and a specially designed memorial sculpture garden with stone timeline.

Next, we went next door to meet with the youth librarian at the George Wash-

ington Carver Library. Upon our arrival, we sat to enjoy the pizza delivery from our Read A Thon championship classroom prize. During this time, we were treat-ed to an entertaining and educational presentation about Summer Reading with an unveiling of our sixth grade assignment, Refugee. Additionally, we learned about the variety of ways we can keep up with reading electronically and were impressed by the importance graphic novels have on our brain development.

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On Saturday, May 5th, Austin Peace Academy students traveled to Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX to compete at the PSIA "A" State competition. Twenty-four APA students participated and they returned with great success, masha'Allah. Elementary School placed 4th, masha'Allah! This is an amazing accomplishment for Elementary. Elementary: Amina Monk 6th Place Art Memory Hamza Rahman 1st Place Dictionary Skills Sumaiya Khwaja 2nd Place Mathematics Sumaiya Khwaja 5th Place Number Sense Azmeel Farook 3rd Place Spelling Waleed Haider 1st Place Vocabulary Middle School: Malaika Beg 5th Place Impromptu Speaking Jabir Ubaydullah 4th Place Number Sense Jenna Nour 5th Place On-Site Drawing Congratulations to all who participated! Special thank you to the chaperones and organizers.

Rushmia Hoq, Varisha Masroo, Raneen Aljamal, and Ms Nahed Abougalala traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylva-

nia in May to compete in the International Science and Engineering Fair, the largest science competition in the world. Approximately 1800 students from 81 different countries attended. At this competition, the girls had the opportunity to broaden their horizons by meeting and bonding with students from all over the world. They also had the opportunity to participate in an extremely competitive environment, unlike anything they have ever experienced before. The girls were competing against nearly 90 students in each of their categories and were judged all day by a total of around 15 judges each. It was incredibly taxing and competitive but they found it to

be a valuable experience. It was very inspiring to see our Muslim daughters competing with some of the most scientifically attuned minds from around the world. Alt-hough, they did not place it is such an accomplishment to have our stu-dents there in the first place. Being able to represent APA as well teach others about the beauty of our school and about Ramadan was amaz-ing for them. Rushmia and Varisha received a special award, and getting a special award, which at such a large-scale competition is astonishing. We pray that more of our students can experience this op-portunity in the future as well inshAllah.

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APA in ActionAPA in Action

The Austin Peace Academy staff and faculty, joined by School Board members, celebrated the end of the year with a delicious lunch at P.F. Chang’s. The staff enjoyed the opportuni-ty to refresh in the midst of finals week and exam reviews. We are incredibly blessed for the dedication of our teachers, administration, and the support of the School Board.

The Elementary School delight-ed in a visit from local firemen during the last week of school. The students toured the truck and spoke with the firemen.

On Saturday, May 12, Austin Peace Academy hosted it’s Field Day and Parent Cook-Out. It was a day of fun, outdoor activities for the students and a chance for parents to reconnect at the end of the year. Parents also had the opportunity to review ITBS/ITED scores with their children's teachers. Thank you to all who attended to make the day a success and who worked hard in organizing the activities and delicious barbecue.

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Ms Sara Kora’s Daycare Program commemorated the end of its year with a wonderful event with parents and toddlers spending the morning together. Ms Kora put together a touching and sentimental video reflecting on the children’s growth throughout the year. After, the parents delighted in cake with their munchkins to end the year on a sweet note.

On May 22, Ms Reem’s Pre-K3 and Ms Dima’s Pre-K4 classes officially progressed to the next grade level for Fall 2018. The year included incredible growth for the students with exciting learning opportunities that involved hands-on experiences and self-exploration. Ms Diana shared the day with the students to congratulate them on a successful year at APA. Thank you to Ms Reem and Ms Dima for providing our students with a nur-turing and enriching educational environment.

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On May 22, Kindergarten through Fourth Grade participated in the Elementary School Awards and Pro-

motional Ceremony. Students were recognized during the event for various achievements they accom-plished throughout the year. These recognitions included Honor Roll, placing in the Qur’an Competition and PSIA District and State. Our young scholars blossomed throughout the year and we are proud of their hard work and effort. The event started with recitation by one of our hifz students, Azmeel Khan.

A special thank you to the teachers for another memorable year. Thank you to Ms Shabana and her

helpers who decorated the space wonderfully.

APA in ActionAPA in Action

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On Saturday, May 26, Austin Peace Academy graduated its eighth Senior class. The day also recognized the 5th and 8th Grade graduates and award recognitions for 5th through 12th grade students. Honors recognized include: A and A/B Honor Roll, placement at UIL, Qur’an Competition, MIST, or PSIA Dis-trict and State. The morning’s events included wonderful speeches by Senior students Amal Mahmood, Maryam Khawar, and Hadeel Alju-bouri. Senior Arian Noor received the highest APA honor: Legacy of APA. Congratulations to all award recipients and graduates! Thank you to the teachers and staff for a successful commencement ceremony.

APA in ActionAPA in Action