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Tarbiyah
Newsletter Issue 3
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakutuhu Dear Parents & Caregivers I am delighted to provide you with a half-termly update on some of the significant events at the Australian International Islamic College (AIIC). Like all Muslims worldwide, the Holy Month of Ramadan was observed by students at AIIC as a month of fasting (sawm), prayer and reflection. A commemoration of Muhammad's first revelation, I am impressed by the wisdom of College Captain, Aisha Ahmed Mohamed, and Vice-captains, Hana Abdirahman and Raihan Yates, in their newsletter report on the significance of Ramadan as one of the Five Pillars for the broader Islamic community (ummah). It was an honour to participate during Ramadan in the evening meal of iftar in the community and with colleagues following the evening call to prayer and the beautiful sound of Nasheed by our students. Today we completed NAPLAN tests for students in Years 3,5,7 and 9. As I shared in my letter to you recently, the purpose of NAPLAN is to provide evidence of student progress in literacy and numeracy. Teachers will now diagnose the data once released to identify strengths and weaknesses to improve learning in the classroom.
Please ensure you discuss your child’s personal NAPLAN report when you receive it later in the year. Every week of this term, I have witnessed student learning and participation in activities such as the Book Fair, Premier's Reading Challenge, AFL training sessions for the Bachar Houli Cup, Year 12 Career & Employment Expo and much more. Finally, let me thank you as you continue to support the school's COVID policies which follow QLD Health advice. Since Thursday 28 April 2022, there are no quarantine requirements for close contacts if they do not have COVID-19 symptoms. If your child has COVID-19 symptoms, keep them at home and test for COVID-19 as soon as possible. If your child tests positive for COVID, they must isolate at home for 7 full days from the date of the test. Your son and daughter can leave isolation after 7 full days and return to school if they have no more symptoms. Jazakallah, Andrew Taylor Principal
Grade 2D Newsletter Dear respected parents of grade 2D students, Ramadan Mubarak and welcome back to term 2! We hope that you and your family enjoyed a safe, happy and restful break over the holidays and that students are refreshed and revitalised to get straight back into learning.
In our classroom in term 1: English: we learnt how to write a Procedural Text and the five elements that constitutes a procedure. Maths: our focus was on Number and Algebra where we learnt counting, patterns and built our confidence to sequence numbers and skip count. Science: In this inquiry-based hands-on unit we predicted, conducted, observed and analysed various mixtures and its capability of combining with other substances. HASS: Students learnt about the impact of changing technology has had on their lives by participating in classroom discussions, completing activities and going to Beenleigh Historical Village for an excursion. Health: we learnt that everyone is unique and that our strengths and achievements are unique as well which contributes to who we are as individuals. Art: students developed skills in drawing, sketching, smudging and shading as they learn how to create a selfportrait. Towards the end of the term students participated in Harmony Day where they shared their delicious cultural food and showcased their exotic clothing. Students also got a chance to see the Book Fair and help out in Clean Up Australia Day at our college. Awards Day was fantastic. It was an opportunity to recognise students who demonstrated empathy, positive attitude, and academic excellence. Well Done to those students who got an award.
Greetings from Grade 4 Gold Coast campus. It was a rocky start to 2022 with several events keeping everybody extremely busy. Floods, COVID, Harmony Day, Ramadan, parent teacher interviews and just recently, NAPLAN. Pictures attached. NAPLAN meant several classes were changing rooms for the testing sessions and it was quite a challenge. Congratulations to Mrs Celahmetovic for how smoothly everything went and to the classes that were shuffled around to allow this important event to go ahead smoothly, with students being given the `best chance to perform at their best. A big thank you to Durack for the invitation to accompany them on their excursion to St. Helena Island. Our students were extremely disappointed not to be able to go due to timing issues but have cheered up with the thought that this coming week we have an excursion of our own planned. We are going to Brisbane to look at two of the oldest convict-built buildings still standing; Commissariat House in Willliam Street and the Windmill in WIckham Terrace. Whilst there are lots of old buildings in Brisbane these are the only two that remain that were built by the convicts who were sent to Moreton Bay as punishment in the 1800’s. ( I hope the rain has stopped by then ). A lot of the Units of work have been planned this term to allow the students the opportunity to work with one theme across different subject areas. As a teacher I have found this to be a wonderful way to keep the work flowing and the students interested. Assessment and reporting are just around the corner and this “continuity” should see a good result for all. All the best from the Gold Coast and may the rest of the year progress with a few less bumps along the way.
Allan Jameson Year 4
Year 5 Excursion By Suhaiba Yusuf On the 22nd of March 2022, All the year fives went to an exciting excursion to Mt Coot-tha Mt We were split up into four groups that included 5A, 5B, 5C, Logan campus and Buranda campus students. We also got booklets as our activity.
After that we all put away our heavy bags into a spot that we ate lunch. We all went to different areas. My group (5B) went to the Botanic Gardens. We were lead and instructed by a lovely lady called Ms. Frances. We were first taken to the Arid Zone which was very humid. Everyone was sweating. My class sat down on the steps and completed our booklets individually. When we finished, Ms. Frances told us the answers. We walked around spiky plants that we were told not to touch. We sat down next to the Banksia Trees and Ms. Frances told us the temperature that was 39°C, the Humidity was 30% and the Light reading was 208 000 lux. It was extremely hot there.
Next, we went to the rainforest - it was much cooler there. We saw lots of trees there. Then we walked on a bridge which led us to one of the trees with buttress roots. It was extremely cool. Again Ms. Frances told us the temperature which was 27°C, Humidity was 56% and the light reading was 15 000 lux. It sure was cold there. We went back to the meeting spot and ate our delicious lunch.
After lunch, we went to the planetarium where all the groups were together. We sat on these soft red and blue chairs. A nice man was talking about the Solar System and said, “In the night when all the stars appear the ones that move are planets because stars stay still, and planets move.” We also learned about the atmosphere and the planets in order surrounding the Sun. Everyone was concentrating and learning. When we were done, we said thankyou and went out. We packed our bags and waited for the bus. When the bus finally arrived, we went on and sat on our comfortable seats. We arrived at the school at 2:15pm and all of us were tired. We all went back to our classrooms. What a fun excursion we had!
11 Senior Biology All praises are due to Allah, the Lord, and Creator of All Things. Bukhari Hadith, quoting Abu Hurairah, says: “Everything in the human body is destroyed except the cell, Ajab Al-Zanab, and people will come out as per code in it.” In biology, the fundaments we outlined are that every living thing is made of cells, and everything a living cell does is done by the cells that make it up. Essentially, this was the topic we studied for Term 1, ‘Cells as the basis of life’. Our class is commendable for our learning outcome and achievements despite the obstacles we faced while adjusting to our first senior education. This can be reflective of our learning progress, as with the first lesson, we virtually dived into learning about cell structures, permeability, cell movement and macromolecules. I and the class were engaged in the simplicity and complexity of cells and organisms and the interconnectedness of life, in which many of us correlated our biological studies to Islam and the Quran’s mentions of life.
Abdallah observing plant cells through a microscope.
11 Senior Biology After the first week of virtual learning for year 11, we returned to our onsite classroom learning. However, we still were exposed to the digitally interactive notes provided by Ms Nahar to support us with the next notions we came across. We annotated, discussed, and learnt about cell survival, the properties and formation of saccharides, adaptations of metabolic activity, arrangements/ energy/ catalysts to control biochemical processes and the intriguing evolutionary theory, endosymbiosis. This theory again gave many of my peers the chance to participate and hypothesise, discuss, and rebut our opinions about the theory, like a true 21st Century scientist. I always looked forward to the science experiments we researched and conducted, as we were given the opportunity to primarily observe and explore the theory we learnt in class in real-world applications. It also forged a path for us to kinetically learn, while also emphasizing the accuracy of procedures as a scientist. My two favourite experiments so far in Term 1 were when we explored the effect of the enzyme renin at different temperatures, and when we observed our skin cells. I and my classmates were surprised by the results. I would say that these experiences enhanced my capability to research and experiment in the laboratory. Alhamdulillah so far Term 1 has been a remarkable experience and I am more fruitful with knowledge, and Inshallah Term 2 is also blessed with productivity and determination.
Kalima recording results from catalysed liver experiment.
Brisbane Careers & Employment Expo- 2022 AIIC registered for our year 12 students to attend the Exhibition on Friday the 22 May 2022. The expo is Queensland’s largest careers, training, education and employment annual event. The purpose of this expo is to connect our year 12’s who are looking for guidance, clarity and opportunities in their career. The expo features industry experts, employers, universities and RTOs.
Some of the benefits for our students are:
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Networking with potential local employers and education providers who provide apprenticeship
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Access to various free or funded courses advertised under a single roof
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Learn About Job Opportunities in Your Industry
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Expo consists of various industries and provides insight into courses
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Students can talk directly with the University representatives as well as TAFE and other RTOs
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Free Career advise
Secondary Student Council: Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakutuhu It is with great honour that we, the captain, and vice captains of this college, have the privilege to write in the college newspaper. The festival to Break the Fast – Eid-ul-Fitr
Our college was privileged with conducting the annual Eid Salah, wrapping up the beautiful and glorious month of Ramadan. It was beyond astounding seeing the number of Muslims who attended the Eid prayer in the early morning, which showed the strength of the Muslim ummah when it came to their deen and worship of their lord. There was a huge amount of people who attended the salah by the will of Allah, which reinforced our community values of unity. People of every culture and every race gathered for nothing but to raise their hands and worship Allah alone. Eid signifies togetherness among family, friends, neighbours, and relatives. It signifies the importance of a tradition. People are pepped up after the fasting period is over and greet each other 'Eid Mubarak' making celebration even livelier. May Allah shower his blessings on you at every step of your life. Ramadan Discussion Circle As part of residing in an Islamic environment, it is vital that the college introduces numerous programs that promote this Islamic atmosphere and recognize our Islamic festivities. During the blessed month of Ramadan our college had introduced a “Ramadan discussion circle” as a means of spreading the spirit of Ramadan and getting the students thinking about their actions and being more God conscious. These discussions also known as halaqa were hosted by our secondary teachers and students and were held during break time and were open to all secondary students. It was amazing to see many of our students attending and actively contributing. Some very engaging and beneficial topics were brought to the circle such as ways to seek forgiveness from the almighty, …. which united all the students to contribute and express their opinions. Inshallah, we will continue to develop beneficial Islamic--related programs and build from this successful Ramadan program to assist our students in strengthening their relationship with Allah and our beautiful religion. Every week different topics were brought up on which everyone would give their opinions and collaborate. The first topic was about two Arabic terms Muraqabah and Muhasabha. The meaning of these two terms is self-reflection and muhasabah is thinking of how we could have done something better than what we have done in that certain situation. Students discussed situations that they encountered and thought of ways in which the situation could have been dealt in a better way. One of the students mentioned a story about self-reflection. One day the prophet was sitting in the mosque, and he said to the companions that the next person to enter the mosque is person who will enter Jannah. So, when the person entered, he prayed his salah and left. One of the companions was curious as to what this person does which the prophet has guaranteed him Jannah. So, this sahabi went after him and asked him if he could stay with him for 3 days. After observing him for 3 days he started walking away with disappointment. The man stopped him and asked him his reason for staying with him for 3 days and leaving with disappointment. The sahabi told him the words of the prophet and said that I didn’t find anything special in you. You pray like we all pray, you give zakat like we all do, but I didn’t find anything special that you do which has led you to Jannah. The man replied after some thought that he does one thing that is different. He said he thinks about what happened in the day and forgives anyone who wronged him before sleeping. This story shows us the importance of self-reflection. In our halaqa sessions we discussed many stories relating to our topics. We ask Allah to accept our Ibaadah which we have done in the month of Ramadan and help us to stay consistent after Ramadan. Ameen.
Charity and Helping the Needy Giving charity is a major part of being a Muslim. Zakat, which is compulsory charity, is one of the pillars of the religion itself. In the Holy Quran, Allah says to “Cooperate with one another in goodness and righteousness” (Surah Al-Ma'idah, Ayah 2). The Australian International Islamic College community must be steadfast on this idea, as helping people is essential to a better, fairer world. There are many significant projects which the secondary student council of our college is putting forward. Many of these are planned to be in partnership with existing organisations such as Muslim Aid Australia, Human Appeal International, Merciful Servants, and Red Cresent. All which are excellent charity services, which have benefitted the global and local community many, many times. Our college is also planning to provide funding for important and helpful structures from water wells to mosques. In Sha Allah we can aid these programs and improve the welfare of a many people internationally.
Aisha Ahmed Mohamed – College Captain Hana Abdirahman - College Vice-captain Raihan Yates- College Vice-Captain