The Edonian Spring 2024

W E L C O M E

Welcome to Issue 26 of our Spring magazine!

It has been an eventful 12 weeks at Eden. The shortest terms are the most intense.

We say goodbye to PE Subject Lead, Ms Knight & English Teacher, Miss Igiebor. They will both be missed.

We have raised over £30K for charitable causes this year. A huge thank you to everyone who supported.

Mr Janoff & Mrs Ayub

Zainab Imran, Juwairia Butt, Inaya Irfan, Maimunah Kola, Naeemah Ayub, Faizah Hussain, Aaila Ahmed, Zubeda Landi, Iman Shabbir, Aaliyah Patel & Khadijah Zahid

Email us at: theedonian@egwf.staracademies.org

s a y ’ s

Considering the theme of this issue is “Travel”, this prophetic teaching seems befitting: “Whoever travels a path in search of knowledge, Allaah will make easy for him the path to paradise.” Hadith (Sahih Muslim 2699)

This reminds us that there is so much to learn from the creation of the Almighty and travel truly does broaden the mind As a school we strive to gain knowledge and will go to all lengths to support our pupils in their endeavour to gain knowledge and become successful Through our shared Islamic heritage we learn of Ibn Battuta, a Maghrebi explorer from the 14th Century who was the most travelled explorer in pre-modern history, having travelled further and longer distances than his contemporaries Marco Polo and Zheng He combined. Ibn Battuta was very insightful and is known to have said “Who lives sees, who travels sees more ” So, travel does give us new experiences and opens our mind to new possibilities

It is wonderful to see the that our students in pursuit of knowledge have harnessed lots of opportunities and experiences this term; from CyberFirst, where we have won the award for the most number of teams entered for the 3rd consecutive year The Cyber Explorer Cup a national competition where our team came 13th in England We have had the UKMT –Intermediate Challenge (Year 9 – Year 10), where we achieved 5 gold, 9 silver and 19 bronze awards Our KS3 Football teams are also taking the borough by storm

In order to pave our path to Jannah we also focus on our students’ spiritual journey. This term we welcomed Ramadhaan – the month of Mercy. A Spirituality Day was organised to prepare for Ramadhaan, students learnt about Ramadhaan around the world and how to make the most of the holy month. Students also learnt about the two most influential and inspirational women of Islam – Ummahat al-Mu’mineen Khadijah and Aa’ishah (ﺎﻨﻬﻨﻋﷲﻲﺿر).

This Ramadhaan we are continuing to raise money for those affected by war especially children in Gaza and Syria, as well as supporting struggling families who are a part of our school community. We have also made Eid hampers for local care homes and shelters to share the blessings of Eid.

With fasting comes the breaking of the fast we held our annual Big Iftaar where guests, staff and alumni students spoke of the importance of faith, staying true to your values and serving the community

The upcoming holidays will allow families to focus on the last 10 days of Ramadhaan, our students will be able to participate in Qiyam ul-Layl and observe Laylatul-Qadr with rigour; and then welcome in the joyous occasion of Eid al-Fitr to mark the end of Ramadhaan

We pray that you have a blessed Eid, filled with mercy, love and happiness with your nearest and dearest Eid Mubarak!

Year8SafetyFirstWorkshops

Year8AmazonAWSProject

Year9BrilliantClubbegins

CYBER STARS

Our School's Proud Achievements in National Computing Competitions

Our school's dedication to excellence in the realm of cybersecurity has once again been brilliantly showcased in this year's CyberFirst Girls Competition For the third consecutive year, we have led the nation with the most team entries, a testament to our commitment and enthusiasm for the field. This remarkable achievement was recognized with a £500 cheque and a prestigious trophy, adding to our school's growing collection of accolades

But our success didn't stop there. In the fiercely competitive league round, our talented Girls secured the 13th place among schools across the UK Considering the schools ahead of us were exclusively grammar schools, known for their selective nature and high academic standards, this accomplishment speaks volumes about the skill and determination of our students

in addition to our triumphs in the CyberFirst Girls Competition, we ventured into the Cyber Explorer Cup Competition, where our students demonstrated their prowess and resilience once more, securing the 15th position in the UK and an impressive 13th place in England This achievement is particularly noteworthy as it underscores our students' ability to excel across different facets of cybersecurity, showcasing their versatility and comprehensive understanding of the field

Additionally, our girls extended their journey of excellence in IDEA Awards and participating in the Perse Coding Competition, where they continued to collect accolades and successes

As we celebrate these accomplishments, we are reminded of the importance of fostering a passion for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) among young girls to pursue interests in areas where they are traditionally underrepresented.

Mr Swati

On the 7th of March our staff and pupils celebrated World Book Day. Staff and students spend the entire year planning outfits and over the years they have become more creative and elaborate We love how groups of students and staff come as whole casts of books The Scholastic Book Fair was set up in the library with Ms Shaddock and her team of librarians

LEAPING FORWARD THROUGH THE LEAP YEAR

The New Year rolls around, it's no longer 2023, and 2024 has brought a gift with it: an extra day. But when is this day and how did it come about? Well, most people know that a year has 365 days in it, but did you know that that’s not the full sum?

First of all, a year in the Gregorian calendar, the most universally accepted one officially used by the UK, defines one year as one full orbit around the sun. A year, or one full orbit of the sun, actually consists of 365 days and 6 hours. You might be wondering what happens to these extra 6 hours. Well, they add up over the years: 6 hours from 2021, 6 hours from 2022, 6 hours from 2023 and finally 6 hours from 2024. If you do the maths and add them all up, it equals 24 hours, the exact time for one day. Every 4 years, these 6 hours culminate into one day, which is added onto the shortest month of the year.

This year, February will have 29 days. The leap day is Thursday 29th February. Now what can you do with this extra day, and what do people around the world do to celebrate it? Well, in places like Ireland and Finland, there’s a unique tradition where women turn the tables and propose to men! In other places, the leap day holds not-so-fun connotations, like in Italy where the leap year is considered unlucky, and it's said any marriages in the leap year will end in divorce. Or in Scotland where being born on the leap day will lead to misfortune according to superstition.

Away from the doom and gloom, how can you make use of this extra day? After all, you can do a lot in 24 hours! Most people go on fun outings, usually to do with nature. You can visit a zoo, hike through a forest, go to a park, a beach, or just do fun activities and visit family! Some activities could include treating yourself to a relaxing self-care day, doing origami or tackling another DIY project.

Now, did you know that Olivia Yang, Ferrán Torres and rapper Ja Rule were all born on the leap day? Do you know anyone or are you someone who was born on a leap day? It’s rare but would make for a cool fact about yourself!

One last fun fact is the next leap day will be on Tuesday 29th February 2028, plenty of time until then, so make sure that when you reflect on that day, you have many wonderful achievements to look back on.

Zainab Imran

As the next set of holidays approach, many of us are preparing for a quick getaway. Travelling is a highlight of many of our lives: something to excitedly count down the days to. However, with the joys of journeying to different countries, there are also many downsides: travelling can have much greater consequences and risks that a lot of us don’t consider or we simply neglect to focus on the simple joys of a holiday

Starting positively, travelling to developing countries can greatly benefit their economy It boosts local economic activity, which in turn funds the development of the country and tourism opens up thousands of jobs for local residents of the destination Having visitors also encourages keeping the native culture and natural environment alive so that people can explore new landscapes and lifestyles However, the opposite can often occur – destroying nature to make room for hotels, airports and new attractions can cause severe habitat loss for local animals, leaving them in unnatural situations

Cultural exposure also greatly benefits those travelling; it opens your mind, showing you new and varied ways people live around the world This allows you to become less ignorant and more aware of different lifestyles, making you more emp and understanding But staying somewhere without a sense of familiarity can homesickness, especially for long getaway isolating feeling can almost ruin a holiday an you regretting it. Personally, this happens rarely. I’m often longing to go back when I’m

Travelling, especially solo, can boost your confidence incredibly. By putting yourself out there into new unfamiliar countries, you push yourself out of your comfort zone. Challenges often arise while travelling: losing luggage, miscommunications and general stress Language barriers are also an issue, causing difficulty with navigation and general enjoyment This issue can completely make or break a holiday, especially if travelling as a person who’s less comfortable with talking to strangers in your own language! But, by overcoming these, you sharpen your problem-solving skills and experience situations that can aid your future self Travelling helps develop you as a person and exposes you to new and unpredictable dilemmas, teaching you skills to help you navigate the twists and turns of life in the future

The Edonian Travel Survey

Here at Eden, we conducted our own survey, collecting data from both students and teachers to discover our most popular destinations

Unsurprisingly, due to the high number of pupils and staff from Pakistani backgrounds, the number one most visited country was Pakistan, with 52% of respondents having visited and 72% of those visits having been to Lahore Many of us travel to visit family, indulge in the flavourful cuisine and appreciate the intricate dress Pakistan also features a range of landscapes, with mountains like the Himalayas in the north and coastal areas in the south!

Coming in at number two was Saudi Arabia. It is a holy land where many of us go or hope to go for the Islamic pilgrimages, Umrah and Hajj. The respondents also commented on the rich history of the land, captivating them when they travelled.

Inaya Irfan

BRITISH SCIENCE WEEK

March means it is Brittish Science Week. Ms Saleban and the Science faculty spent the week bringing Science learning to life and creating fun, engaging and interesting experiences for pupils. Over 50% of students go on to study STEM related subjects at when leaving Eden. Experiences like these are designed to spark their interest and make Science fun!

UKMT Intermediate Challenge

The results for the UKMT Intermediate Challenge, which some 50 of our Y9-11 pupils participated in last half-term, have been released Our pupils did very well, achieving a total of 19 Bronze, 9 Silver and 5 Gold awards The UKMT challenge is composed of very challenging maths problems, and achieving a Bronze or Silver is no easy task, let alone a Gold

Two of our pupils, Farwa Ahmed (Y11) and Aaila Ahmed (Y10) achieved a high enough score to be invited to compete in the upcoming Kangaroo challenge Insha’Allah our Year 7/8s do just as well, if not better in the UKMT Junior Challenge on 25th April 2024.

Mr Uddin

Year 9 (Silver – excellent for their year group)

Janna Saliman

Ruhm Ali

Year 10 (Gold)

Aila Ahmed

Noor Benemara

Maymunah Kola

Zainab Chamad

Year 11 (Gold)

Farwa Ahmed

40 student/staff visited Birmingham, 31 have visited Manchester, 26 Cambridge and 25 Oxford.

31 students and staff have visited France

25 students and staff have visited Spain

13 student and staff have visited New York

8 teachers and students have visited Florida.

only 1 staff member has visited California

6 students and teachers have visited Venice, Italy

39 Eden students and staff have visited Pakistan in their lives

33 students and staff have visited Saudi Arabia

By: Aleena Zahoor and Juwairia Butt

(All numbers based on respondents to our school survey)

25 students and staff have visited Egypt

3 teachers and students have visited Indonesia.

2 teachers and students have visited Australia.

8 teachers and students have visited Malaysia.

12 teachers and students have visited India.

FAITH

Maualana Muhammad Dalvi

The Last Ten Nights of Ramadan

This year, the last portion of Ramadan will fall into the Easter holidays and as such, we will be able to devote more time to our worship of Allah Ta’ala. The final ten nights of Ramadan are particularly important to us as Muslims due to the immense rewards they contain In fact, ʿA’isha (may Allah be pleased wit her) narrated that when the last ten nights would begin, the Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) would prepare himself to undertake religious activities, stay awake at night (for prayer and devotion) and awaken his family (Bukhārī and Muslim) Thus, what things can we do during our holidays to utilise this time well?

1. Seeking the Night of Decree (Laylat al-Qadr)

The Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Seek the Night of Decree in the odd nights out of the last ten nights of Ramadan ” (Bukhārī) In another hadith, he said, “Whoever stands up in prayer during the Night of Decree, with faith and being hopeful of Allah’s reward, will have their former sins forgiven ” (Muslim) Likewise, the Qur’an has highlighted that worshipping Allah during this night is better than 1000 months of worship (approx 83 years!)

2. Giving Charity

This was the month in which the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) would give charity the most In fact, giving charity during the last ten nights multiplies the rewards, especially if your donation aligns with the Night of Decree

3. Supplication

This is an important part of Ramadan and crucial to a successful month. Supplications during this month are readily accepted by Allah but the chances of them being accepted are far superior during particular moments For us, it is particular important to pay attention to supplicating to Allah Ta’ala at the time of ifṭār, on the day of Jummuʿa, and during the nights

I pray to Allah Ta’ala that He accepts our Ramadan and pardons our shortcomings. Āmīn.

The Big Iftar

As in past years, Eden held an Iftar event to celebrate Ramadan. We had many guests - alumni, teachers and current students - all who attended from 5:30 to 7:15, joining in to break our fasts together and enjoy a lovely feast. We also read a collective dua for the people in Gaza to mark the celebration of Ramadan.

The feast consisted of dates, samosas, pakoras, pastries, biryani, chicken tikka curry and a wide range of delicious drinks. Not only did the food taste great, but the presentation of the canteen was a splendid achievement, deserving of our appreciation. A huge thanks goes out to the staff, the lunch ladies and Ms Bashir for organising this wonderful and memorable event!

Juwairia Butt

NETBALL TEAMYear7

This year, the Year 7 Netball Team made Eden proud by winning many matches including a recent win against Lammas school The team started out strong, receiving the first toss-up and scored the first goal in the first half of the match Eden scored two goals in the first half – resulting in them being equal with Lammas within the 7minute period After a quick break and jersey switch, the girls scored another two goals, while Lammas only scored one The final score was a close 4-3 with Lamas almost scoring a goal on the whistle

The team fought all the way through the face-paced match and as their Wing Attack said, their performance “ made their dream and Ms Knight’s dream come true ” Some of the Eden players were interviewed after the match and they all described the match in one word: “tough ” It was a hard-fought competition with many fouls and so after the game the girls mentioned how they felt relief after the intense match – a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.

The Wing Attack felt “over the moon” and that it was her team’s “dream came true” after scoring, while the Wing Defender expressed how “she knew she could do it.”

Faizah Hussain

Janna Wins Community Captain

Year 9 pupil Janna received Leyton Orient's Community Captain as part of the PL's More Than a Game Campaign This is down to her embracing every opportunity we have thrown her way over the last two years, attending the after-school club, representing us at tournaments

SPRING TERM WEEKLY WINNERS

Congratulations to our Reading Wise Weekly Champions!

Year 7

Hiba Bhatti

Aroush Akif

Lina Madache

Umme-Habiba Butt

Aiza Khalid

Zahra Hadi

Year 8

Sumaiya Khan

Falak Malik

Lolina Ruthowska

Safiya Daya

Jaysha Siddiqui

Ifra Afzal

Maryam Surti

Inaayah Ali

Year 9

Rua Suleman

Khadija Zahid

Shahad Dahir

Maajidah Said

Tanimah

Choudhury

Khadijah Zahid

Jaspreet Kaur Visits Year 7

This March, Year 7 had the chance to meet and talk to the well-known author and poet - the inspirational Jaspreet Kaur Jaspreet discussed the physical and mental journeys she had to face while writing her book, “The Spaces in Between ” It’s a book that takes you on a journey through the daily life of a child living in the vast bustling city of London and struggles with anxiety and stress; but she soon learns that there are many small things in life that can counteract the pressures of the city

Addressing a generation that struggles a lot with mental health, this book aims to help year 7’s to understand and handle the different challenges they will face as teenagers At the back of the book, Jaspreet designed a helpful mind map that shows the different coping mechanisms that you can adopt when anxious, including finding a safe place to rewind, doing breathing exercises and spending time with loved ones

Throughout her life, Jaspreet often felt alienated and outcasted from society as she never felt represented in the books and TV shows she watched. This led her to start writing about her feelings in journals, which she recommends to anyone who is struggling, and made the characters in her own writing more diverse.

Year 10

Maariyah Pirbhai

Mariam Mahmood

Zainab Chamad

Bushra Joomunbaccus

Simra Hussain

Mariam Mahmood

Zainab Imran

Year 11

Khadija Javid

Safiyyah Kazi

Vania Irshad

She highlighted her love for multiculturism in London and how important this is to make everyone feel included and welcomed

As she grew older her passion for writing increased, which in turn meant she started to create her own book It took a whole 7 years for her to publish the book “Brown Girl like Me” She shared with the year 7s some key ingredients to become a successful writer Some of these included: keep your own work safe, accept constructive criticism and read books to gain inspiration and vocabulary.

Year 7 also had the opportunity to watch recordings of some of Jaspreet's most famous spoken poems, “Our Game Too” and “The Moment”.

By Khadijah Zahid and Aaliyah Patel

We are delighted to share yet another remarkable achievement by our Computer Science Girls in the recent Cyber Explorer Cup competition. Securing the 15th position nationally and the 13th position in England, the following four girls have showcased exceptional talent and determination. It's worth noting that among the schools from STAR, only Eden Manchester appeared in the top 50, securing the 47th position. We won another £500.

Congratulations to the following students:

Maimunah Kola -Year 10

Aaila Ahmed - Year 10

Khadija Dada - Year 9

Jaysha Siddique - Year 8

On the 22nd of January, year 10 and year 11 drama students visited the National Theatre in Waterloo. This was the first GCSE drama trip for the year 10s, and some of our own Edonians went along, namely Faizah and Aleena. The day’s programme consisted of a few master classes and workshops that culminated with a lively performance of the musical play Kin.

Students arrived at the theatre midday and kicked off with a student conference and an interview with Lyn Gardener, a theatre critic, and an ex-writer of The Guardian. After a short break, the students had a workshop with Gecko Theatre Company where they had sneak peeks at the performance of the play Kin and did drama exercises with some of its actors and actresses. Students had the opportunity to watch Kin for the evening performance.

Kin is a musical-based play about immigrants, played by immigrants. The show was aimed at higher education students, but the incredible performance was appreciated by many of the school drama students as well. The students found the day a success and many would love to experience something like it again.

Faizah and Aleena

R E V I E W S

Wonka

Wonka: The story of the famous Willy Wonka, from Roald Dahl’s Charly and the Chocolate Factory! Have you ever wondered where Willy Wonka learned to make his chocolate? Or when he first opened his chocolate factory? Or who helped him and why he went into making chocolate? If so, then Wonka is a great movie for you!

When I first heard that this movie was going to come out, it seemed like it was going to be just another version of Charlie and a Choclate Factory However, it's completely different You get to witness Wonka's struggles as a chocolate maker, learn who got in the way of his success, and get a peep into his amazing briefcase, which –SPOILER ALERT- expands open to the size of a small TV!

This movie also introduces us to the very first Oompa Loompa and how he was banished from his tribe and began stealing from Willy Wonka! Overall, I’d rate this movie a straight 5/5 stars as it includes comedy, which is unarguably a key ingredient in many great films!

By Naeemah Ayub

Elemental

By Juwairia Butt

Do you want to watch a cute, romantic, animated film about the elements? Yes, that’s right elements! This action packed, fun film has exactly what you need

In Element City, fire is not welcome, the water elements hate the fire elements and vice versa No one knows what happens when they touch but it doesn’t seem good The main characters Ember, a fire element, and Wade, a water element, find themselves in an adventure to fix Embers dad’s family business As they work together to stop the shop from getting shut down, love sparks between them, but they can never be together. If this sounds like the right film for your Saturday night, then definitely check it out!

In my opinion the film was very good, and the suspense will leave you aching for answers. I found it quite romantic and sweet. Overall, I would rate the film 4 stars because of the very sweet feeling it left me at the end. However, the thought of more elements mixing crossed my mind more than once and I would have liked to see more themes.

Divine Rivals

Divine Rivals is a fantasy novel that takes place in a war setting when the god, Dacre Underling, wakes after 234 years with one aim: to kill fellow goddess, Enva Skyward.

Journalist Iris Winnow’s family has been torn apart by the war, with her mother struggling with addiction, and her brother halfway across the country, fighting for Enva. Ambitious Iris is intent on securing the position as columnist at the Oath Gazette, but has a big rival: Roman C. Kitt, a talented writer who is heir to one of the founding families of the city.

Between time spent verbally sparing with Roman and trying to help her mum, Iris’ only escape is writing letters to her brother which she slips under her wardrobe, from where they disappear, in the hope that they reach her brother, but she has a surprise in store.

By Maimunah Kola