Al Fatih Academy

Jum'uah Mubaraka!

Br. Awais Sheikh made some great connections between niyyah, ihsan and this month of Rabiul Awwal - he shared stories of how Prophet Muhammad ﷺ didn't just do something to get it done, but did it in the best way possible.

As this is Rabiul Awwal when the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born, on Wednesday Ms. Afeefa shared some of the ways we can show our love for him as he showed his love for us. One way to reflect on his character is to see what his room might have looked like.

How can we make our homes places of sakinah and salam?

&Salam

We want to hear from you!

Alhamdulillah for a successful start to the new school year! We are always working towards improving the overall AFA experience for our students and families. We welcome your feedback on how the start of the school year went for your family.

Please fill out this short survey (https://bit.ly/fallsurvey2023), which will be used to better the return to school experience for all families next year, inshallah. Your response will be greatly appreciated and beneficial, as well as completely anonymous.

Jazakallah Kheir!

Through nurturing, responsive and positive relationships, integrated character education, building social-emotional skills, and a strong emphasis on our core values, AFA provides a high-expectations learning environment where the whole child can thrive and attain academic achievement.

Learn more at www.alfatih.org

Wednesday, September 27th, is AFA Day and the theme is Greens & Jeans! AFAers can show their school spirit by wearing the color green! AFA spirit wear is also acceptable for AFA Days. Students may wear non-uniform trousers (cannot be leggings/jeggings/or form-fitting). Please make sure to adhere to the AFA Day Guidelines.

Salaam AFA Families!

Just a reminder that this is the last week to register for afterschool clubs! Registration closes this Friday, Sept. 29th.

Here's a list of the clubs available:
Chess (Grade 1-4) - Mondays
Chess (Grade 5-8) - Fridays
Aikido (Grade 2-8) - Mondays & Wednesdays
Inner Power Life Coaching (Grade 1-8) - Wednesdays

FYI:
- Programs start at 3:45pm on M-Th and 1:45pm on Fri.
- Pack extra snacks
- All forms can be found on the website: AFA Parents > Parents > Before/After School Care
- Or the AFA App: Go to Extracurriculars

Jumu'ah Mubarak!

Br. Suhail Farooqui reminded us in his khutbah about how Allah (s) has created everything with a purpose and a plan - even the amount of oxygen in the air is just right for us to breathe! By making intentions and planning at the beginning of our day, whatever we do has baraka in it and is more beneficial to us and others.

He also talked about our connection to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as the last messenger from Allah to give us important lessons even when we cannot meet him in person. It's a great start to Rabiul Awwal as the month the Prophet was born in!

And we are so very grateful to have the presence of this beautiful smile from AFA alum Mustafa Qureishi! He is a hifdh teacher this year in our morning program Alhamdulillah. He knows his way around the building and how to touch the hearts of his students through the Quran every morning!

We love our alums!!

AFA Core Value of Create Peace and Serenity is in action today and everyday!

What can you do to make peace happen?

- give a sunnah smile to 5 people! 😁
- draw a picture for someone 🖍
- listen to someone who is sad 👂🏽
- celebrate a joy with someone who is happy😂
- leave acorns on the playground for the squirrels and chipmunks 🌰
- take a deep breath or two or three 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♂️
- say salams in the most beautiful ways 👋🏽

Peace/salam is the way!

&Peace

This is a reminder that Middle School students will host our first Market Day of the year this Wednesday, September 20th, in shaa Allah!

What is Market Day?

Throughout the school year, classes host Market Day to raise funds for specific causes that are important to them. AFA students shop in the market during school hours with small change brought from home. Students can purchase student-made goods (bookmarks, bracelets, trinkets, etc), savory snacks, sweet treats, and other novelties.

Middle School students will be using the profits from their Market Day to fund meals for Embry Rucker Shelter.

What should my child bring?

Students should bring no more than $3-$5 in a sealable bag labeled with the child’s first and last name to spend at Market Day. Items are priced from $.25-$2. "IOU"s will not be given.

Jumu'ah Mubaraka!

Br. Jawaad Abdur Rahman gave us some important advice in his khutbah about what it means to be a Muslim.

Everyone has fitra - or the natural love for Allah that we are born with, we have aql or a mind to think and reflect about the signs from Allah, and finally, we have the Quran which has the words of Allah that help us be Muslims. All of these together make us believers and connected to Prophet Muhammad's ﷺ message.

This week 7th and 8th graders put their mind/aql to work by practicing different techniques on how to create sculptures out of cardboard. Maybe some of these will tell a personal story or experience they've had, maybe some will represent something historical or political?

They had to consciously and purposefully reflect on ideas to get their gears going and this is just the beginnings of a final project that all students from the school will vote on with various criteria.

Lots of math, science, and imagination are spilling into this Art class project and we can't wait to see all the creativity this takes!

One of our core values at AFA is to Build Community. We instill this in our students throughout the year through community engagement projects and group activities.

COMMUNITY (UKHUWA)
1. Foster and create relationships within our family, neighborhood, and world
2. Learn and teach about others to better ourselves

Today was our first school wide Community Meeting!

September's theme is Intention and purpose which is نية or niyyah in Arabic.

Purpose is the reason you’re doing something and intention is planning to do it.

We will also practice how to concentrate so our intentions and actions are strong and useful. We remind ourselves and each other about doing what is good.

When we know our purpose it also helps us make our goals, hopes, and dreams come true.

In shā Allah, we will try our best to be mindful of our thoughts, actions and reactions this month.

Look at that sprout from Ms. Afeefa's date pit!

Pizza Mondays start next Monday, Sept. 11th! Make sure to place your order by this Friday, Sept. 8th! Visit the AFA App or use this link to order: https://bit.ly/3ODA0sv

Celebrate Labor Day by knowing what's so important about workers rights!

Without the labor rights movement and dedicated activists, we would not have:

- the weekend
- child labor laws
- equal pay for equal work
- sick leave
- living wage laws
- workers comp
- health benefits
- minimum wage
- farm labor laws
- civil rights

And many more ways that make all our lives better.

These sweet AFA garden diggers are now high schoolers making a difference in the world in their own ways!

Jumu'ah Mubarak!

We were so excited to have AFA Alumni Br. Ammar Aftab as our khateeb today to remind us of how intentions are always connected to actions. Good works are most beneficial if they are done with a purpose to please Allah and be useful for ourselves and others.

He gave us "heartwork" to practice being mindful by making intentions even for simple things we do every day - like eating dinner so it will give us health and strength instead of just doing it because we have to.

And remember that even if we might sometimes mess up the kitchen trying to be helpful, Allah (and hopefully our parents) appreciate the good intentions!

Jumu'ah Mubaraka!

We are so blessed to start this year together Alhamdulillah!

Br. Awais reminded us today in our first khutbah that new beginnings, like a new school year, are a chance to strive for being the best we can in whatever we try to do. Allah loves the effort we make and gives us baraka for trying.

And he reminded us that angels take attendance in the musalla!

Also 3rd Graders did some intentional and compassionate practice on the playground this week. They found a worm in distress under the hot sun and saved him by finding shade and getting the worm some water so he could be hydrated and safe.

Alhamdulillah for our community of helpers, doers, thinkers and lovers of Allah at AFA! Worms included!

We can't wait to Build Community, Be Intentional, Create Serenity and Peace, Uphold Excellent Character, Practice Stewardship, and Transform Knowledge into Action together!

First Day Vibes!

Welcome to a Terrific Tuesday First Day!!

If you haven't already, make sure you log into your School Eatery account to order lunches for your child! The hot lunch program, run by School Eatery, will begin on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, inshallah. All options are halal and there are allergen-free options available as well

Make sure you select your lunch options prior to then. Lunches can be ordered up until 8am the morning of the delivery. We hope this will be a helpful solution for our families!

Salaam AFA FAmilies! We are so happy to welcome you all back to school tomorrow inshallah. Please review our welcome-back emails for reminders on drop-off, dismissal, the school dress code, lunches, and more!

See you all tomorrow, inshallah!

Join us tomorrow, Friday, August 18th, for our AY 23/24 Meet & Greet!
New Family Orientation begins at 10:15am and classroom visits start at 11am, inshallah.

AFA teachers and staff are in the building!!!

We are so excited to get everything ready for school to start next Tuesday and we can't wait to Meet and Greet you all this Friday insha Allah.

Teachers truly are planting the seeds for a new year of growing and learning!

Bismillah!!

We're hiring for the 2023/2024 school year! Do you think you would be a good fit for our team? Apply today at http://bit.ly/AFAJobs

Jumu'ah Mubarak!

As we travel near and far this summer break we remember Allah (s) guides our journeys and protects our paths.

Duas are a great family activity to learn and recite together. And traveling is a way of expanding our hearts and minds, Alhamdulillah.

Send AFA a postcard from your travels or tag us in your adventures away and in your backyard!

&Peace

Jumu'ah Mubaraka!

There's still plenty of summer left before school starts!

Here are some more ideas to have fun and make summer count with your family. Some of these are familiar to AFAers because we do them during the school year together, so it's even more exciting to continue them while we're away.

Let us know what else you're up to away on vacation or enjoying time with a staycation!

Jumu'ah Mubaraka!

We are so grateful for this time to rest and rejuvenate Alhamdulillah!

Here are activities AFAers have been doing at home and some while traveling - feel free to pass along!

Let us know what else to add to the list, and we'll share more ideas through the coming weeks.

Eid ul Adha Mubarak to all AFA Families!

A prayer especially for our children:

Ya Allah, watch over all our children with Your never slumbering eyes;

Embrace them tight with Your infinite Mercy and Love. Protect them from harm and from doing harm.

Surround them with goodness and make them able to bring goodness to each of Your creation they meet.

Let them see only enough moments of adversity to be stronger advocates for the weak.

We ask You to give refuge to all those fleeing injustice and persecution.

Ya Rabb, give lasting comfort to those in pain who are suffering in body or mind.

We ask that You guide us to nurture children

who are courageous, compassionate and competent

so they may make this world a true reflection of Your Beloved attributes.

Ameen.

AFA student art depicts unity in diversity around the Kaaba as we all represent the diverse beauty of Allah's creation.

Juneteenth is Today!

It's also called Emancipation Day or Freedom Day and at AFA we've made the commitment to learning and teaching about why this day matters to all of us.

See how we teach the whole child by teaching the whole of history.

See more at the National Museum of African American History and visit their extraordinary exhibits this summer!

https://nmaahc.si.edu/events/juneteenth

Congrats to our graduating Class of 2023! We wish you all the best as you take on high school next year, inshallah. Carry the AFA Core Values with you always and you'll be sure to succeed!
May Allah (swt) protect you and guide you in all your future endeavors.

This month’s theme is optimism and positivity. Optimism is expecting the best in ourselves and in others.

We find what is positive about everything so we can be stronger and more happy.

تفاؤل
Tafawul is to be positive and hopeful.

تَوَكُّل
Tawakul is to trust in Allah (s) to make things work out.

Throughout May month we will practice choosing to be positive and helping others be positive just like the Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) taught us.

Are you looking for an enriching summer activity for your child? Smartminds will be running a summer camp from July 3 to August 11! It's not too late to register! Use this link: https://mailchi.mp/7ac1d154e02b/summer-e-camp-6224620?fbclid=IwAR1NRwMEZ0RmYVsS-_SnBS0gSlFdCwLmu9dRYKwf4ti17vavCPiCz3ONAuU)

This year’s AFA 2022-2023 Yearbook is now available for sale!

Printed copies will be limited to the number of yearbooks ordered. NO EXTRA COPIES WILL BE AVAILABLE for purchase at a later date. Reserve your copy today!

Yearbooks will be delivered to your child's classroom on the last day of school, in shaa Allah.

Yearbooks can be purchased on the AFA App>AFA Store>AFA2022-2023 Yearbook

We are excited to host the AFA 2023 Field Day TOMORROW, Friday, May 12, 2023, at Al Fatih Academy! A huge THANK YOU to the AFA PTO for planning, coordinating, and executing this event for our school community this year! What an exciting way to SPLASH into SUMMER!

It's Career Day at AFA! So many young professionals are roaming the halls today, Masha'Allah!

TOMORROW IS CAREER DAY & MARKET DAY!

Students should bring no more than $3-$5 in a sealable bag labeled with the child’s first and last name to spend at Market Day. Items are priced from $.25-$2.

Students can dress up to represent a career of their interest! Remember, outfits should adhere to the AFA Day Guidelines and not have any parts that would distract the student or others during the course of the day. Students may wear non-uniform trousers (cannot be leggings/jeggings/or form-fitting).

Note: Students will be participating in all regular school day activities. Please consider this when choosing clothing or accessories for AFA days. Students should wear items that do not inhibit their ability to participate in class activities and be careful to not wear items that could get lost or damaged.

Can you guess what we are getting ready for at AFA?

Outside in nature to nurture ourselves!

Thank you AFA art teacher Ms. Nadia for involving our mind, body and heart to make dhikr, reflect on Allah's signs, appreciate the beauty of creation and capture this experience through artistic expression.

AFAers Love the Earth!

We did our annual Community Kindness Clean Up of Pinecrest Rd in front of the school.

Classes do a smaller version during the year but in April we practice Stewardship and being khalifas by having our friends and families collect trash and beautify the street together.

Neighbors thanked us for our work to help the Earth and we found some lovely surprises like a big patch of mint growing on the side! There were so many Big Gulp cups, and we don't know why!

Students shared how it's sad that people might throw trash out their car windows. And we talked about how even small pieces of trash hurt animals who live in the area.

Thank you to all who came out, Alhamdullilah we can be khalifas every day!

It's not too late! Classes start this Friday, April 28, 2023, inshallah.

Please register today for Chess Club (Grades 5-8).
https://alfatihacademy.factsmgtadmin.com/form/URCseMFTn?authToken=__token__