From Knowledge to Action: Our Sunday School Vision

I'm open this open H open open house for Sunday School in NCC to Sun thank you for coming in this open house and now I introduce teachera she will beginning and start this open house because she is responsible Sunday school welcome sister to thank you all for coming to this event in I will give you some information about the Sunday school and what we've been doing and you know I think details that you are in need to know inshal what we decided is that I will be responsible for the Arabic language will be responsible for the Quran teacher will be in charge of the Islamic Studies we are me teacher and sister J and other volunteers U teacher Samir also are helping with the Islamic Studies as well so I would to start with our main goal for the Sunday School what we saw is that you know we would to whatever knowledge that the students are learning we would like to transfer the knowledge into action and this is what we are trying to do we are teaching Islam but we want the students to apply what they are learning we are teaching Arabic and what I'm doing actually is I'm integrating Islamic Studies Quran and Arabic all as one subject together to facilitate the students understanding of the Arabic language and to make them able to understand and read Quran in an easy way this is our main goal for this Sunday school is to for our students to start insh applying what Islam is asking us to do we don't want this knowledge that the students I know this I know this but I don't do it so inal we are encouraging the students to apply what they're learning an example for that our first lesson was we gave the students we want to teach them the manners the ad the ethics and from there we gave them the principles of and we are encouraging the students every time they come to Sunday school to apply what they've learned we always remind them to make we always remind them to make we always remind them to follow and apply what they've learning so this is the main goal of the Sunday School I know that your expectation is high as well as us for us you know our expectation is high but insh we will work together to make this Sunday school successful without your help it's not going to be a successful Sunday school there are few topics that I would to discuss as I said for the Arabic curriculum inal I've been using this book and it's actually the author is Dr mahm MD Muhammad and it's seems that it's American open University publisher he is an expert in Arabic language and if you look at the book it's actually contains lots of vocabulary lots of grammar but not in a sense of a grammar grammar but you know to help the students make sense of what what they are reading and learning the vocabulary and how they can use it so this is insh T I'm using it for the upper level we have like different levels so I'm using it for the upper level teacher Z who's teaching Arabic for the younger kids she's using something different beside this book I'm actually using this book and it does have the basic or the foundation for Arabic there are lots of basic that the students need to understand to facilitate their understanding of Arabic and how to use it so in I will be using these two books beside other resources as you saw you know we are I'm giving a hands out for the students I encourage the students every time to bring these hands out back with them every time they come to the school and I told them be responsible I encourag them to bring folders with them I encourage them not to lose these papers so I want your help to remind your students to remind your kids to bring whatever hands out was giv to them or we giving to them you know in the previous lessons or previous Sundays for the grouping the students it seems that it's still challenging for us every time we have a news students we are trying our best we are not yet sure about your kids level we are trying our best we still need more time so please be patient with with us and insh if you have anything regarding or any concern regarding your kids please do not hesitate to come and talk to us this is for the grouping and alhamdulillah we have almost over I don't know up to now over 880 students so we are thinking maybe in in the future in the maybe like a month or so in to close the registration or to stop the registration because as you see know we don't have that much facility we don't want you know to really like have the students each classroom to be very crowded this is for the grouping for the attend please please especially for women please come to Sunday school we are here we are putting the time and effort we are working hard really to educate your k please come on time please remind your student to bring their materials please you know like tell them that you know how important for them to be to come to Sunday school it's really very important so without them coming and without you encouraging them you know it's going to be hard so please always come on time and encourage your students or or your kids in to come inshal I asked the students of their main goals for coming to Sunday school and most of them they said they want to learn Quran and they want to read Quran in we will make it happen will we make it come true in if we are consistent and are coming good time to in this is for the Arabic Department after that I would in to introduce teacher who's in charge of the Islamic Studies and please for those who don't know me my name is m so teacher has already already covered the part about the the overall plans and goals so I will just go stretch forward to the Islamic Studies part and discuss or present what plans I have for Islamic Studies so I basically divided the Islamic Studies into three main or four main parts the first part is about we already started teer J and myself started talking about which covers the part of and when I say AA it's just like what fit their level not the I mean it's it's really when when people say a is really scary or I don't know so when we say AA we just our goal is to to have them understand what l mean and what the Oneness mean that's all so that's one part and I think it's really important the second part is on the practices so we have planed to teach them about Salah and all like practices that are necessarily especially for this age and as they're growing they should know how to pray correctly and how to understand to understand Z and understand all the other practices the the third one is which is really important at this age so we will talk about the manners of using bathroom manners of sleeping manners of all the manners in Islam that's also I think it's very important and then the the fourth part is the s we will cover we started talking about the the of the Prophet the the stories of all prophets and then we will start soon talking about the prophet the life of the Prophet Muhammad s Alam so these are the four parts that we are focus and it's for me it's not I know those kids go to school and they have tons of homework so the way I'm doing it is I don't want to make it overwhelming to them so I'm not giving traditional homework you won't see them coming with papers or anything I'm not a fan of papers anyway so but that doesn't mean I don't give homework I give homework in in different forms for example if we're doing Salah I might create a chart for example and have them you know Mark whenever they because we are emphasizing to pray five times and to pray on time so the the task might be instead of memorizing how many Salah in or how many instead I as teacher pointed out our main goal is to turn all this into practice into real you know to leave Islam not to just know Islam so this is the main thing so instead of asking them to memorize the the number of on different Sal different prayers we ask them to to do the prayers and to to Mark to to watch themselves either self ass yeah there observe themselves self assessment and self observation so the same is for like the manners if for example we're talking about respect elderly we I might like form another childart and ask them to you know just by the end of the week when when they come next time how many times have you done something during that past week to an elderly or to your parent so and so on so basically I don't want we want them to love it to love and to want to come back every Sunday instead of making it overwhelming and they you know scared them away because we know they they they have they already have a lot of other responsibilities other homework and so and if you have any questions any ideas any you are welcome we are open to anything it's not yeah it's our job and it's everyone's job and thank you very much for bringing them and that means a lot that means you you care about them and I think this is the the only resource it it might be that there are many other resources where they can learn about the religion but this is a good opportunity for them to come here and to inshallah there's something that will help them in the future thank you so much I would I would also to introduce teacher who's in charge of the younger group so for coming and we hope the kids inshah doing good here actually the kids I'm getting for for them the from the Quran from and foric inshallah we are giving them from the letters and I do have some samples here to show you and I know some of the kids are getting their homework to their parents so that's a good thing but some of them they are forgetting them so we hope that you tell our kids to keep in charge of that and there's some of the examples of the Arabic of the letters and also it's practicing how to write the words and also for the Islamic Studies I am using a book called Hadith it has some of the very short Hadith that everyone can understand it's about how to use the bathroom how to wear the clothing and stuff that and how to go to the mid and what you say and also we are giving them some of the Prophet story especially Prophet Muhammad sahu alai wasam and inshallah we are going forward for the other thing and if you have any question please feel free to ask or if you have any idea we are welcoming anything what I would to add to what we said couple of things I forgot to mention that U all of us we are deciding to teach the same ccul which mean Islamic Studies all the levels are getting the same topic except you know its details you know like some of the levels are getting harder or you know more in details than the others based on their level and based on their capability on their needs so this is what we are doing even for Arabic we are doing kind of know we are all doing the same thing for Arabic Islamic Studies and for Quran we also divided certain suras for the levels and what we are doing is if you think that you know your son will come let's say that he's in Abu bakik and we name them based on the let's say that your son in abak level it doesn't mean that we are going to start from the smallest or the shortest Surah in the Quran which is so what we did is actually we divided the the last 30 J into sections or into level and that's this is what we are doing for the Quran what we thought is that Quran is Quran we want to challenge your students we wanted to challenge your kids and you know if your son is is learning it's the same as if he's learning at the end it's Quran beside learning Quran inal we want them to understand the meaning of the aat and the meaning of the words and this is insh our job that's why you know like I'm using this book to help the student the Arabic so the students will build their knowledge of the vocabulary that it's from the Quran so in this is what we are doing in addition I would also to talk about the behaviors what we decided is we came up with a system which is we are creating this Sunnah Point what we are doing each students is getting this charm what we are doing is we are encouraging your kids to start applying and do more Sunnah and based on that you know at the beginning of my lesson every time I distribute this the paper and each students will come and you know he will say you know I did that I made the Sunnah I was doing that and based on that he would get points based on these point at the end in we are going to create a sun store and the students based on how many points they got they can get a prize that you know match how many points let's say you know a prize worth seven points the students should have seven points to earn that prize so this is what we are doing so we are trying in to make the Sunday school you know a systemat you know a whole system Arabic Islamic and Quran all integrated inshal and we would to make it in successful maybe some of you you don't know me but and others they know my name is I'm actually originally from Syria I earned my master degree in education from University of Phoenix I've been an Arabic and Islamic teacher at the alhuda school for 3 years and then I became the principal for the last four years or the last maybe no for four years I've been a principal and then I I'm now I'm I'm now not part of ala school so inshah tal we will make it successful with your help don't think that we can do it by ourself okay please if you have anything regarding Islamic Studies here's the person teacher okay if you have anything regarding the Quran here's the person if you have anything regarding Arabic it's me so please come to me if there's anything you know like is hard to Sol or something please yeah for the younger kids sorry I forget her but in come to us what we are doing in we will have questions if you have any question please feel free to ask and we are in will try our best to answer you and insh we will start the discussion or the question but I have some worries about the the kids living because there is a huge number in the class and I feel that you don't give each and the each person the time he needs because I think in know in this age they need more concentrating in especially in writing the letters and getting to know don't forget that they are taking English language and Arabic language at the same time so I think they have they need more some more efforts in that yes do you have plan for that yes insh as I said insh for the students number in the future we are going to stop the registration and we need to focus on those who are really coming for what we are thinking let's let me talk about you know the attendance for those if we feel that you know some of the students are really not coming then we read we need really to reserve that spot for others parents or for other students who are really willing to put the time and effort to come to the Sunday school so in for the number of students what we are doing is as you said you know for Arabic Department I'm giving the hands out and as I said you know I'm giving it to the to the three levels what we are doing is what I'm doing is I'm trying my best to know exactly their level and yeah you know some of the students some of the upper level we've already finished the first packet but for the younger level I couldn't finish it just because of what you are saying I totally understand that their needs and it's different but in we will try to do it and we give us certain time there is a suggestion that you know we felt because we felt as a faculty we felt the same we are thinking of extending the Sun the time of the Sunday school and instead we're thinking Okay so so what we are thinking is in and it was from teacher suggestion is because of what you are saying because of the time we are thinking insh T to maybe to add maybe half an hour or an hour but we need to yeah establish everything we need to make sure that the students are coming we need to make sure that you know like those whom we need to focus on and then they will be here every Sunday you understand what I'm saying so it's it's a mutual thing it's from us and from the parents as well but in it's in our consideration and we we I understand that just give us you know the time be patient I always say you know I don't have this magic sticks okay it's Sunday school it's only 3 hours per week per week we are trying our best two hours I know two y from okay and I extended already so I'm I'm I'm shorten it now it's two hours okay oh yes for volunteers okay okay there is another thing insh I know that you are volunteering right sister so in this will also help us as a teachers insh so may you may pull some of the students and you can work with with them one onone this is something in that we will do it and as I said we are still we need still time to organize everything okay so be patient with us any other question have a question possible by examp the things the kids when the kids go up to his home you know he will never remember all the things example what he do in the bathroom so if you can write it in some paper or give it with the kid and the parents who will work with them or another thing another thing there possible to post it in the website of the mid that's me the people they will go inside this website and the third suggestion if there is possible to write the schedule not for all the year let's say for the all the month for four time yes in the in the M website so the people want come they know what the student I appreciate your input and I think it's very important inshal insh in the future we will start in sending messages through emails or text messages and insh we will have do you want to talk about that question yeah when I said I don't give homework it doesn't mean I don't ever give homework or send anything home but what I said is I'm trying to make it attractive for them so they can come back right so so but what I said is I don't give them a kind of traditional homework so for example if I'm teaching the maners of using the bathroom for example I can instead of writing something down or giving something that will make them feel overwhelmed I will we'll do a project okay a project for example that involves drawing coloring something that kids love and maybe the they will do a type of decoration and hang it in in front in the bathroom door with the like the the I the Dua of youing the bathroom right so when they do something this leave me they will remember it KS that's my my suggestion if you give them Dua for the sleeping believe me I will let them every day right okay we right we we had a talk with the board brother Ahmed jabin and he's he's on process of making a page right from the website on for the Sunday School there will be a page for the Sunday school and we will post all everything even like newsletters the plan lesson plans the topics everything that we do here we will post them but I'm talking only about the the kids not the parents like I don't want the kids to hate the school the the Sunday school that's that's that's the what I'm talking about it's not but every if you need they will will be the website the page that will be the resource for the parents okay and it will have everything Us in the website and in the Facebook this is very important can I answer are you happy any any other questions that's a beautiful I have a library from car it's to the and they have to fix it so please two or three person because it's very heavy yes bring to put the book brother for that I really appreciate your support and in this is also know it's going to be an encouragement for others to support the Sunday school I can't fix it so yes don't worry we will help you the way that you the way that you are helping us we will help you and Allah put it as a reward for you any other question yes I would love to hear from the students really yes okay in the Quran part on that period say name I think there should be a new strategy of learning quaning okay do you have an idea what do you mean by that maybe writing it down yourself or oh writing the ayat Yeah okay or the I think it's a good idea if it if it helps you then do it my personal thing okay.