NEWS FROM THE NEST OCTOBER 2015-Edition 1

October Events

2- Tarbiyah Program & Movie Night

8- PK Student of the Month

14- PSAT Grades 9-11/Meet the

Administration Meeting

16- K5-5th Grade Student of the Month

20-22 Quarter 1 Exams Grades 6-8

23-Open House/End of Q1

24-Making Strides Against Breast

Cancer Walk

26-30 Breast Cancer Awareness Week

Look inside...

New AYA Staff Members 2

VIP of the Month 4

IB Programme News 5

Hajj Simulation 6-7

Eid Interviews 8

Fun Page 9

New Student Highlights 10

By Farah Ghanem

5905 E. 130

TH AVE. ●TAMPA, FLORIDA 33617

www.ayatampa.org ● (813) 987-9282

Dear Community Members,

This past month, students, parents and teachers had the

opportunity to partake in Hajj Simulation. The program was a

great success and a positive experience for all those involved! Page

7 will capture just a glimpse of what the event was like for those

involved.

The end of the first quarter is just around the corner, and

students will soon be receiving their first report cards. Please

make sure your children are doing everything they can to achieve

academic success. Grades can be viewed on Renweb at anytime.

Please contact Sr. Amani if you need help setting up a parent

account.

Meet the Newsletter Staff

Tala Abo Koura 8A

Shahed Aisheh, 6B

Ayla Charif 6A

Leena Elbasheer 6B

Farah Ghanem 6B

Aliya Hack 7A

Haneen Hasan 6B

Sarah Jaber 6A

Aaisha Jamal 6B

Rania Jamal 6B

Jana Kaloti 6A

Mariam Masud 6B

Hedaia Mohammad 7B

Eman Mustafa 8A

Dalia Qdeih 6B

Samah Quneibi 6B

Jenin Sabla 8A

Nagam Saleh 6B

Lana Shada, 6B

Nour Sullaiman 6A

Banah Swar 6A

Allah Taha 6A

NEWS FROM THE NEST | OCTOBER 2015 2

By Jenin Sabla, Mariam Masud, Hedaia Mohammad, Lana Shada, & Nagam Saleh

1A Teacher

Mrs. Good

What is your

favorite hobby?

I really enjoy

scrapbooking!

MS & HS Social Studies

& IB TOK Teacher

Br. Homam

What is your favorite

class you currently

teach? My favorite class

is Theory of Knowledge

(an IB class)!

Administrative

Assistant Sr. Tara

What do you think

of AYA so far?

AYA is my second

home! I am blessed

to be part of the

2015-2016 school

year!

2B Teacher Ms. Adams

What do you think of

AYA so far, in

comparison to public

school? The staff at AYA

is more supportive and like

a family. This makes it

easier to do what I

love…TEACH!!

4B Teacher

Sr. Ward

What do you think

of AYA so far?

AYA is a special

school with well-

mannered students!

MS English Teacher

Sr. Lobna

Who is your favorite

author?

I really like the

inspirational writing of

Yasmin Mogahed. She’s

also a VERY eloquent

speaker!

NEWS FROM THE NEST | OCTOBER 2015 3

**** CONGRATULATIONS to Sr. Ward, who just recently gave birth !!!!!*****

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Ayat & Haneen Hasan do a block in Haneen does a form. The girls get ready to do a kick. their Tae Kwon Do class.

Are your kids involved in afterschool activities that you would like to share with the AYA community? If so, please submit photos with a brief caption summary to labbasi@ayatampa.com so we can feature them in upcoming AYA newsletters.

MS Science &

Qur’an Teacher

Sr.Hanan

What is your

favorite class that

you are teaching at

AYA?

My favorite class is

Qur’an!

3A Teacher

Sr. Malikah

How is teaching at this

school different than other

schools you’ve taught at?

Now, I’m a homeroom

teacher. Before, I taught

Islamic Studies and Qur’an

at a weekend school. Allah

(SWT) is my favorite thing!

MS Math Teacher

Sr. Amel

What is your favorite hobby?

My favorite hobby is walking, because it

helps relieve stress.

NEWS FROM THE NEST OCTOBER 2015-Edition 1

Br.Abdulrahman Buffins

Each month, we will choose a V.I.P. (Very Important

Person) from the AYA community. Sure, teachers and

administrators work hard every day to provide us with a quality

education; however, many other individuals enrich our day-to-

day experience with the little…and big things they do! This

monthly piece will be dedicated to their incredible efforts.

This month, we have chosen Br. Abdulrahman Buffins!!

When our parents drop us off in the morning, he is the first

person that we see. Every morning, he magically manages ALL

the morning traffic and makes sure everyone is going in the

right direction. We can’t even begin to imagine what chaos

there would be without this special person!

Talking to him, we were really impressed by his upbeat manner

and positive attitude. He makes every day easier for us and we

greatly appreciate everything that he does. He is definitely an

AYA VIP!

THANK YOU, Br. Abdulrahman, for All of Your

Hard Work!!

How long have you

been working in

AYA?

I have been here

since 2009.

What was your

favorite memory

in AYA?

When I returned in

2014…It was nice

to be back!

What do you love

most about your

job?

I love to signal

people and enjoy

being busy during

work!

By: Reham Ali, 8B and Iman Ahmad, 8B By: Reham Ali, 8B and Iman Ahmad, 8B

NEWS FROM THE NEST | OCTOBER 2015 5

Ms. Angela Brinton begins her presentation.

IB Coordinator Jose Gonzalez and IB students listen to the time management tips given.

IB students consider which strategies might work best for their busy lives.

Last year, American Youth

Academy was awarded the status of IB

World School, joining the ranks of over

3,900 IB World Schools in 147

countries. As one of the world's most

respected pre-university courses of

study, the Diploma Programme will now

be offered to AYA's high school

students in their junior and senior years.

This month, the IB students

attended a workshop organized by IB

Coordinator Jose Gonzalez, ESE

Director Lupe Raymond, and ESE

teacher Elaine Velez. The guest

speaker was Angela Brinton from

SCOPE and the topic was Time

Management. The purpose of the

workshop was to help them effectively

deal with the anxiety that may arise

when balancing school work demands

with their social life. Students had the

opportunity to learn about a variety of

methods that will help them better

manage their schedules. Ms. Brinton

gave them tips on managing their time

wisely and suggested useful apps like

Google Calendar. IB students will

incorporate these strategies to become

even more efficient individuals.

NEWS FROM THE NEST | OCTOBER 2015 6

Hajj Projects & Activities Around School by Ayla Charif, Banah Swar, Sarah Jaber, & Samah Quneibi

Secondary girls fasting during the first ten Hajj projects fill the walls of AYA! Masa Al-Jubeh, from 5A, enjoyed days of of Dhul-Hijjah. using dolls to portray the Hajj pilgrims.

Mustafa Elsayed, from 4B, presents his stunning Ka’aba cake, and Aminah Khan enjoys a piece during the Hajj party.

Layali Ahmad enjoyed doing her project and hopes to one day have the opportunity to perform Hajj.

Aleyna Akkas thought it would be interesting to do a Hajj train for her project.

Hadya Khan liked learning about the Prophet Ibrahim during the creation of her Hajj handbook.

NEWS FROM THE NEST | OCTOBER 2015 7

Suhayla, Fatima, and Basmala recite the “Farewell Speech,” the Prophet’s last speech.

Br. Adulmajid, Br. Mamdouh, & Br. Hasan listen as Mustafa Elsayed recites from Surat Al-Baqarah.

5B sing “Ishrah Qalby” under the direction of Sr. Fadia.

Muzdalifah awaits the hujjaj. Hujjaj rest in Mina. AYA Seniors made this wonderful plane to fly the hujjaj to Mecca.

Br. Mamdouh leads the hujjaj in a dua for forgiveness at the stand of Arafat.

The hujjaj partake in rami al jamarat (tossing of stones).

Sr. Maha and family created these lambs that will be sacrificed.

The hujjaj performing tawaf around Al-Ka’bah

Hujjaj will soon prepare for al-halq (shaving or cutting).

The hujjaj drink Zam Zam water.

NEWS FROM THE NEST | OCTOBER 2015 8

Basmala

Jamal, 5B

Zahraa Omer, 1A

Judy

Daaboul, 3B

What is your favorite thing to

do during Eid?

Get my face painted

How are you celebrating Eid?

I’m going to the Eid carnival.

Are you looking forward to

Eid?

Yes! I can’t wait!

Are you planning to go to a

restaurant after Eid Prayer?

We’re planning to go to Ci Ci’s.

What do you hope to get for

Eid?

A China tea set

How are you planning to

celebrate Eid?

Go to the fairgrounds

NEWS FROM THE NEST | OCTOBER 2015 9

1

NEWS FROM THE NEST | OCTOBER 2015 10

AYA has so many new students this year, Alhamdulillah! On this page, six new students

do a mini interview with us. Please say hi to them if you see them in the hallways!

Elementary School

High School

Middle School

How do you like AYA so far?

It’s great because you have the opportunity to learn more about your religion.

What’s your dream vacation?

Paris, France

Do you think AYA will fulfill all of your needs?

Yes, InshaAllah, because it is similar to my other school.

What’s your elective this semester?

Geometry

What’s your favorite hobby?

Craft-making

What’s your favorite subject?

Science

What school did you come from?

Thonotosassa

How do you like AYA so far?

I think it’s a pretty good school.

What school did you come from?

Beverly Hills Academy

Who’s your favorite teacher?

Mrs. Michels.

What’s your favorite subject?

Math

Who’s a new friend that you’ve made at AYA?

Suhayla Faituri