ALMEDA MASJID ISLAMIC SCHOOL (AMIS)
INFORMATION PACKAGE
Bismillah Ar Rahman Ar Raheem
To proceed, the Almeda Masjid Islamic School(AMIS) was established with the goal of encouraging children to love Allah, Islam, and the Prophet Muhammed(SAWS) while teaching them how to practice Islam.
There are many Islamic Schools across the city. They provide excellent services, and we are happy to join them in their efforts. Despite the number of schools, many children still do not attend any Islamic school. It is imperative that our children learn about Islam. We cannot expect them to know their religion unless we take the time to educate them.
One common reason that many parents give for not enrolling their children in an Islamic school is cost. AMIS will attempt by the Grace and Will of Allah to provide a FREE education to all students. Every teacher is a volunteer for the sake of Allah. We do accept donations to support the costs. If you would like to donate, please leave your donation in the blue donation box at the school.
In order to provide free classes for our students we have focused our efforts on three areas: Quran, Arabic, and Islamic Studies. We break these classes down into 30-45 minute periods. We provide many various materials for each student to help them master the curriculum including textbooks, worksheets, and audio CD’s. We also provide a weekly newsletter by email with web links for students and worksheet attachments that parents can print out. In addition to our classroom studies, we also provide a light snack and play time.
Daily Class Schedule
11:45 am Student Drop Off – all students must arrive before 12 noon.
12:00 pm 1st Period - Level 1: Arabic * Level’s 2 & 3: Islamic Studies
12:45 pm 1st Break - Prepare for prayer / Bathroom Break
1:00 pm Dhor Prayer – inside the masjid
1:15 pm 2nd Period - Quran Studies – inside the masjid with Sheikh Walid
2:00 pm Snack Time
2:15 pm Playtime / Bathroom Break
2:30 pm 3rd Period – Level 1: Islamic Studies * Level’s 2 & 3: Arabic
3:15 pm 4th Period – Review All Subjects
3:45 pm 2nd Playtime – Level 1 only. Levels 2 & 3 remain in class.
4:00 pm Dismissal – All students must be picked up on time.
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Attendance Policies
We put a lot of effort into preparing materials for each student. We cannot afford to spend the time and money each week preparing materials for students who do not show up for class. Furthermore, we turn away families when our classes are full. It is not fair to hold a space for students who do not attend on a regular basis. The school is for dedicated families who want their children to learn. We are not a free babysitting service.
School begins at 12:00 noon. It takes several moments to organize students and get their attention to seriously begin studies. Every time a late student arrives the teacher has to stop and gather materials for that student. It destroys the focus of the class when students arrive late.
For these reasons we will implement the following attendance policies:
2 Consecutive Absences: Dismissal from school
3 Absences per semester: Dismissal from the school. A semester is 4 months.
5-30 minutes Tardy: Tardy Warning - 3 Tardy Warnings = Suspension for two weeks
30 minutes Tardy: Student will not be accepted for that day. Equals One Absence
If you are already 30 minutes late, DO NOT BRING YOUR CHILD to school.
School Closure Schedule
The school recognizes that there are times during the year when families are busy traveling, celebrating holidays, or spending time together. We have a School Closure Schedule that allows families to take several days off from the school during the year. Dates are determined according to the schedule followed by the Houston Independent School District. AMIS will announce exact date in the School Announcements which are sent home weekly.
Spring Break - final Saturday of spring break during March
Summer Break One – first two Saturdays of summer break
Summer Break Two – final two Saturdays of summer break
Fall Break – Saturday following Thanksgiving
Eid Break – School closes for both of the Eids.
Winter Break – one Saturday during winter break.
Total School Days Closed: 9
Further closures may be announced during the school year. Please check School Announcements for closures. The school also makes phone calls to each family to announce very important issues such as closures due to weather or illness.
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School Announcements
“School Announcements” are done weekly. The “School Announcements” include very important information about school closures, upcoming events, changes in staff, changes in curriculum, school requests, etc. The school sends home a “School Announcements” paper every Saturday. “School Announcements” will also be posted on the door each Saturday. The “School Announcements” will also be emailed out each week. It is the parent’s responsibility to read the announcements and be aware of what is going on in the school.
Basic Level Outline
We have separated our students into three levels. The students are placed into levels according to two criteria; age and ability. All students age 4-6 are automatically placed into Level One. Students age 7-12 are placed into Level Two or Level Three according to their ability. The curriculum for Arabic and Quran is divided up according to each level. The Islamic Studies curriculum is the same for all three levels, although the materials used may differ according to student’s ages.
All Levels
Islamic Studies: The Five Daily Prayers - to learn everything necessary to perform the daily required prayers. Arkan Al Emaan –the Six Articles of Faith. Arkan Al Islam – the Five Pillars of Islam. Seerat An Nabi – To understand the basic facts related to the life of the Prophet Muhammed(SAWS). We hope to expand this level as the children learn and grow more in this area.
Level One
Arabic: To recognize, write, and pronounce each Arabic letter in its singular unjoined form. To learn the pronunciation and meaning of 3-5 Arabic vocabulary words each week.
Quran: To learn how to recite each of the following surahs with correct tajweed. To understand the meaning and importance of each surah. To develop a love for the Quran.
Al Fatihah * An Nas *Al Falaq *Al Ikhlas *Al Masad * An Nasr * Al Kafirun
Al Kawther * Al Maun * Al Quraish * Al Fil
Students are expected to learn 2-3 verses each week.
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Level Two
Arabic: Students in this level are of two categories; those who already know the Arabic alphabet and those who do not. We will focus on each student’s needs to teach the following: To write each Arabic letter in its unjoined and joined forms. To learn how to pronounce the sounds for each Arabic letter. To learn to recognize written Arabic words. To learn to write short Arabic words. To learn to pronounce and know the meaning of 8-10 Arabic vocabulary words weekly.
Quran: To learn how to recite each of the following surahs with correct tajweed. To understand the meaning and importance of each surah. To develop a love for the Quran.
Al Fatihah * An Nas *Al Falaq *Al Ikhlas * Al Masad * An Nasr * Al Kafirun * Al Kawther
Al Maun * Al Quraish * Al Fil * Al Kafirun * Al Asr * At Takathur * Al Qariah * Al Adiyat
Students are expected to learn 5-7 verses each week.
Level Three
The Arabic & Quran homework for this level is twice as much as Level Two.
Arabic: Students in this level are of three categories.
*can read Arabic with correct pronunciation while knowing the meaning of what they read
*can read Arabic with correct pronunciation while not understanding the meaning of what they are reading
*know the Arabic alphabet without any review and are ready to learn to read and write in Arabic words and sentences
We will divide the students in this level according to their ability. Students will learn to read, write, spell, understand, and pronounce 10-15 Arabic Vocabulary words each week. Students will learn to read and write sentences and paragraphs in Arabic. Students will learn to read and write selected surahs from Quran.
Quran: To qualify for Level Three the student must know the following surahs:
Al Fatihah * An Nas * Al Falaq * Al Ikhlas * Al Lahab * An Nasr * Al Kafirun * Al Kawther
To learn how to recite each of the following surahs with correct tajweed. To understand the meaning and importance of each surah. To develop a love for the Quran. To learn to read directly from the Quran with correct pronunciation. To write verses from the Quran.
Al Maun * Al Quraish * Al Fil * Al Kafirun * Al Asr * At Takathur * Al Qariah * Al Adiyat
Al Zazalaha * Al Bayinah * Al Qadr * Iqra * At Tin * Al Sharh * Ad Duha * Al Layl * Al Shams
Students are expected to learn 8-10 verses each week.
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Teachers & Staff
We are still developing our staff at the school. We currently have five unpaid volunteer teachers. Four of our teachers are fluent and educated in Arabic. Three of these instructors are professional educators with experience teaching Arabic. All of our teachers understand spoken English. Four of our teachers are present from 12noon – 4pm. One of our teachers is only present from 1pm-2pm.
Our primary Quran teacher is Estadh Walid. He is a Hafiz of the entire Quran with Ijazah(Diploma). He is the Imaam who leads the Taraweeh prayers during Ramadan and most of the daily prayers in the Almeda Masjid. He has been teaching children Quran inside the masjid for years. He has volunteered to teach our students every Saturday following Dhor prayers.
Teacher Student Ratio
AMIS is not a daycare facility. We do not provide babysitting or structured daycare. We are not licensed. None of our teachers are currently licensed in CPR, First Aid, or have any degrees or certificates in daycare or child supervision. In order to provide a safe environment for the students we must limit the number of children accepted into the school.
Texas state laws set limits on the number of children that can be supervised by one person. We have limited our enrollment well below the legal limits set by the law. We have a total of four teachers who are present for the entire school day. We are limiting our total number of students to 30. This will provide for the absence of a teacher. There will never be more than ten students present for each available teacher/supervisor.
In order to ensure that students receive the best education we are further limiting the number of students in Level One to eight. This leaves 22 open spaces for Level Two and Three. Once those spaces are filled, we will not accept any more students.
Basic Student Requirements & Disciplinary Policies
Students must meet some basic requirements to enroll. They must be at least 4 years old and fully potty trained and able to sit for at least 45 minutes. They must be healthy. Sick students will be sent home. They must respect all of the teachers at the school and obey them at all times. They must obey rules established inside the classroom to maintain order and ensure that each student is able to learn without distraction. They must respect the school and the masjid and never vandalize the property or any of the materials. Students who cannot abide by the school rules will be disciplined.
Disciplinary Outline
Verbal Warnings – 3 verbal warnings in one day result in a written warning.
Written Warnings – 3 written warnings per semester result in two weeks suspension
Suspensions – 3 suspensions per semester result in Expulsion
Expulsion – Student may not return to the school
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Disciplinary Outline Continued…
Send Home – Our goal inside the school is to try to the best of our ability to teach the children as much as possible within four hours once a week. We cannot spend too much time disciplining students within the school. For this reason, any student who disrupts classes may be sent home. Students who need this sort of discipline will be separated from the class and left to wait alone in another room until their parent arrives. This is the most severe form of discipline we will take within the school. Parents are responsible for taking whatever measures they feel necessary at home to correct problems and issues with their own child. Any student sent home three times within one semester will be expelled.
Educational Resources
AMIS provides many different educational resources for the students. The school implements the use of textbooks, workbooks, worksheets, CD’s, and many other materials inside the classrooms. We also provide a weekly newsletter by email. The AMIS Newsletter includes attachments of relevant worksheets that parents can print out and web links to various sites and online games that can help students learn Quran or Arabic.
Students and parents must be responsible for all materials. Students who damage books or other resources may be expelled from the school. Parents are responsible for keeping track of materials sent home. Lost or damaged materials must be paid for by the parents.
Complaints and Concerns
AMIS is operated on property owned by Almeda Masjid. We acknowledge gratefully the masjid’s permission to use tables, chairs, and facilities. May Allah reward the masjid for their generosity? Although we are located on the premises belonging to Almeda Masjid, the school is independently operated. We do not receive any monetary support from the masjid for materials or compensation of costs associated with the school. Parents who have complaints or concerns should speak to the school’s staff. Parents may speak with any of our teachers about issues related to the school. We will try our best to resolve any issues or concerns with parents.