Dear Maarif Families,

Welcome to the new school year! While 2022 has started a little nervously, here at Maarif we are excited and eager to get into learning.

One of the great things about a new year is the opportunity of a fresh start. We set goals for ourselves and how we want the year to be. Throughout this year our children will be delving into the values of our school and we welcome your stories, reflections, photos and experiences of school life at Maarif.

At Maarif our main communication channels to parents are: Fortnightly Newsletter, Sentral Parent Portal, School Facebook Page. Our newsletter, which is the main source of communication with our community, is emailed to our parents and distributed via the channels stated above. Don’t forget to make sure that you have the SENTRAL PARENT PORTAL app on your phone, and that it is active and functioning. If you have any issues please email Admin at admin@maarif.nsw.edu.au. It is the responsibility of parents to read any notes or communications and refer to them when you have questions. Our staff are often repeatedly asked many questions which have already been communicated, please ensure you re-read these notes before you call the school.

Thank you to all our families who are following the process of surveillance testing on Monday and Thursday morning before sending children to school. We know that some in our community contracted covid over the break and recently. NSW Health advises that 28 days after the initial positive test, that you may start testing. Surveillance testing is a measure put in place to give early warning as children can be asymptomatic or present with very minimal symptoms. It is highly effective if everyone is doing the right thing. Please remember that any positive tests MUST be reported to the school - please don't be afraid or worried (this information is used purely so we know what we must do to ensure the safety of all - not just children and staff). You will also need to notify your positive case with Service NSW using the app or website. Please contact us if you need any support - we are here to support in any way we can - without judgement.

We wish to remind parents that at any time we are available for questions about your child’s learning and progress. So please do not hesitate to email or call us to set up a time to come and have a chat with or without your child(ren) present.

I also warmly welcome all the new families joining Maarif this year and hope that your time at Maarif is a special one.

Best Regards,

Dr Zeynep Yaseen

Principal

drive safely slider - South Orange Country Day School

Safe Driving and Pedestrian Behaviours

Parents are asked to be considerate and patient during pick-up and drop-off times. All our surrounding streets are very active and require traffic to keep moving due to buses and the ever-flowing traffic on Gellibolu Parade and Percy Street, especially in the afternoons. Parents are asked to follow these practices:

Keep the flow of traffic going by moving on quickly.
If you cannot park and someone is not leaving within a few seconds, YOU MUST MOVE ON.
Pedestrians also have a responsibility to be safe. Walking behind or in front of moving cars is dangerous. Parents are asked to model responsible pedestrian behaviour.
Park in the parking bays across the school and walk to the school to collect your child.
If a school bus is coming up the street behind you, keep moving unless you are parking immediately.

We understand that these times of the day are frustrating, however, we must work together to ensure the safety of the children and all road users. Thank you.

APPLICATIONS FOR TEKNOFEST 2022 TECHNOLOGY COMPETITIONS HAVE STARTED!

The thrill of TEKNOFEST, one the world's biggest aviation festivals, is starting again to take people's breath away.

TEKNOFEST, which aims to raise awareness about technology and science throughout the society and improve Turkey's qualified human resources in science and technology, organizes technology competitions with the largest prize pool in the history of Turkey in 39 different categories from Rocket to Autonomous Systems and from Artificial Intelligence to Underwater systems in order to support young people's studies on the technologies of the future.

Differently from last year, Vertical Landing Rocket Competition, Barrier-Free Living Technologies, High School Students Climate Change Research Projects Competition, Hyperloop Development Competition will take place within TEKNOFEST 2022 Technology Competitions.

If you want to be a part of TEKNOFEST Aerospace and Technology Festival, which will be held in the Black Sea region from 30 August to 4 September 2022, you can make your application via the link below.

https://teknofest.org/en/

Students who are interested in participating in Teknofest have chosen 13 different groups. We wish them all the best of luck and hope to see them in the finals at Turkey!

Application Deadline : 28 February 2022

Year 7 students will have the opportunity to participate in NAPLAN practice during Saturday between 9.00 am to 12.30pm. These classes are designed to ensure that students are well prepared for the examination. The classes incorporate teaching NAPLAN strategies. Students also practice using past NAPLAN examination papers.

Students participate in a Progressive Achievement Test to determine the level of understanding they have in mathematics, reading, writing and grammar. The tests are used to determine intervention strategies to allow students to enhance their understanding of both content and concepts. PAT is used by the school to identify starting points for learning, target teaching and monitor growth. Students will be provided additional support in areas of concern.

You Can DO It!

Students will participate in You can do it program in the Secondary School. This program is Australia’s first and leading social-emotional learning program that maximises success, positive relationships, and wellbeing. Students will learn strategies to overcome stress of exams and homework in addition to Confidence, persistence, organisation, getting along, resilience.

Students in High School will have the opportunity to participate in excursion to Cumberland Youth Event week. As part of Youth Week celebrations students will participate in World Traditional Games.

This event is a high-tempo festival of sport and celebrates different cultures and develops leadership skills of young people. An Expo of Youth Mental Health Service Providers will be there as well.

Maarif_Family_Bulletin_1.pdf

Maarif_Family_Bulletin_1 _pdf 2.83 MB

Secondary School Orientation Day excursion

International Maarif School of Australia is delighted at the inaugural commencement of our Secondary School. In order to encourage friendship amongst the students, an Orientation Day excursion was organized to the Powerhouse Museum. Students were placed in their class groups and given ample time to socialise with each other during the day. During the excursion, students participated in a space program where they learnt wonderful information regarding space, how astronauts live in the International Space Station, how satellites functions. They were even able to see an actual engine that had been used by NASA. It is the only engine of its kind int he Southern Hemisphere.

Students also participated in an 'interface' program. They saw how technology had changed over time. Some students couldn’t believe what the items on display and how they functioned! In addition to fun and exciting activities, students were also able to walk around the museum with their class teacher.

By the end of the school day, most students seemed incredibly comfortable with their new classes and classmates. It was wonderful to see that students quickly developed rapport with other students. We wish our Secondary students' successful years at International Maarif School of Australia.

Mrs Adeba Qasim

Secondary School Coordinator

Well done to the students who have been selected as 'Student of the Week' during our Monday morning assemblies.

These students are selected for academic achievement and for modelling our school values.

	Week 1
7A	Khadeer Hasan
7B	Hale Caliskan
8	Aishah Saddiq

Year 7 English

This week students have been vigorously studying different perspectives from key historical identities from the past. Students are learning about identity and voice, and hopefully finding their own!

Year 8 English

This term students will be learning about fairy tales and how much of our modern society has been shaped by them. This week students are introduced to film techniques and methods in analyzing visual and motion texts!

Ms Kianna Kianian

English / HSIE Teacher

Year 7 History

This week students will be exporting some of the rich societies we have been built on and the methods we have excavated and maintained historical sites and artifacts. Students learn about how to calculate time and key strategies used by historians.

Year 8 History

This term students are learning about the great Ottoman Empire. This week students are diving into history by learning about how the Ottoman Empire came to be, and the rich art and culture they brought with them!

Ms Kianna Kianian

English / HSIE Teacher

Haydi Tanışalım!

“Merhaba, haydi tanışalım! Ben Neriman, 7. ve 8. sınıfların Türkçe öğretmeniyim. Senin adın ne?” This entry in Turkish can give some ideas about what we did in our very first two weeks at the International Maarif Schools of Australia. My students and I shared the same excitement, speaking in Turkish in an international school. For most of my students, it was their first introductions in Turkish. How great is that! I could see their excitement, but also nervousness and hesitations which were expected because these complex feelings always were and will be part of learning in a social environment, such as classrooms.

By the end of these weeks, we were able to identify the differences between Turkish and English alphabet, gained some knowledge on the socio-historical context of Turkish language, learned how to greet each other in everyday life settings, and more importantly, we started to establish a scaffolding learner community.

Turkish language activities are diversified and aim to nurture the needs of all students who have various levels of Turkish knowledge. For instance, the students with prior knowledge were able to engage with the introductions and greetings in a deeper level compared to other students through drama and peer-learning activities this week. In the coming weeks, we will expand our language knowledge and skills to be able to use Turkish numbers, make plans, and introduce family members in Turkish. I hope to see that my students will be able to use proper greetings in social encounters, will be able to introduce themselves in a variety of ways and make plans for their leisure times by the end of this semester.

As a Turkish teacher, I would encourage all parents to create environments/opportunities where students can practice Turkish outside of school hours regardless of their language background. Because learning a language, particularly Turkish, requires a holistic approach that include all aspects of education: teachers, students, parents, community, and possibly other institutions. In this regard, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me to enhance your child(ren)’s learning together.

Dr Neriman Coskun

Turkish Teacher

Technology

Students have been participating in a variety of tasks during TAS periods. Students have researched a variety of questions and presented their answers to the class. Students have enjoyed learning about the history of computers and what computers are used for. How technology has changed over time and the impact modern day technology has had on our lives. Students have also researched about how monitors and keyboards work.

Mrs Adeba Qasim

TAS (Technology)/ Teacher

Creative Arts in High School

We have hit the ground running in high school Creative Arts! Year 7 students can articulate the difference between ‘sound’ and ‘noise’, and how we can use both in our own compositions. They have also started investigating the elements of art, line and colour, and have applied this new knowledge to their own artworks.

Year 8 have begun to delve into the musical world of the ukulele, learning how to play and strum C Major and A Minor chords in the song, “Hey Ho” by The Lumineers. They have also learned about the unexpected history of the ukulele and listened to a few outstanding ukulele players. In art, Year 8 are consolidating their understanding of the elements of art as it is applied to Indigenous Art. We found it particularly interesting how Indigenous Australians have such a strong connection to their country and land, much like we have to Turkey!

Ms Emma Morgan

CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts) Teacher

High School Sports

Years 7 and Year 8 participated in a fitness bootcamp workout due to wet weather indoor sports arrangements. The students participated in many tough exercises including lunges, burpees, sit-ups, squats and lots more. There were lots of laughs and smiles as the students were all challenging each other. The students also participated in mini games which they found really fun.

In the coming weeks our school will be holding fundraising events and activities to raise money for students to use the PCYC facilities during wet weather.

To kick off our fundraising events the first fundraiser will be Jersey Day on Friday 25^th February 2022. It would be wonderful to see all students wearing their jersey.

Please remember to pack a hat, water bottle, antiperspirant roll on, and sunscreen each day in your school bag.

Thank you

Miss Zeinab Youssef

PDHPE Teacher

Sport lessons are given by Ms Zeinab Youssef on the following days. Please make sure your child is wearing thier sports uniform with sports shoes on this day:

Wednesday and Fridays

Year 7 and Year 8

Assalamu Alaikum wa rahmetullahi wa barakatuh,

All praise be to Allah (SWT) and may peace and blessings be upon His beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW), his family, companions and to all those who follow him.

As a Qur’an Assistance Teacher for class 7B, I was practising and listening to students recite words and verses from the Qur’an booklet. I was able to identity each student’s level of recitation and Insha’Allah will be practising with students according to their level of reading and going over certain tajweed rules as well as pronunciation of letters. I highly recommend and encourage our students to practice reading at home.

The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, "If anyone recites a letter from Allah's Book he will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets a tenfold reward. I do not say that ‘Alif-Lam-Mim’ are one letter, but ‘Alif’ is a letter, ‘Lam’ is a letter, and ‘Mim’ is a letter."

Keeping this in mind our students can try their best to learn and recite the Qur’an.

We pray that Allah (SWT) allows our students to keep the Qur’an in the centre of their lives and let the Book of Allah be the light of their hearts.

Mr Muhammed Ordukaya

Religious Education Teacher

Learning to read 'Madd' letters

Year 7 students are learning the Arabic letters with Madd letter Yaa, also learning to read the Arabic words that have Madd Letter Yaa that will enable them to read the Holly Quran correctly in Shaa Allah.

Use this link to practice:

https://itqaanseries.com/lesson-5b-lengthening-letters-yaa-exercise/

Please help your child with his/her learning, thanks for your cooperation.

Ms B. Mohammed

Quran Teacher

On behalf of Maarif, we would like to wish our students a very Happy Birthday who have celebrated their birthday during the month of January & February:

January and February Birthdays

Zaid AL MASHKOR
Moussa EL SADDIK
Yunis KOWAIDER
Alaa KREICH
Kaan SAFAK
Isaac AKDAS
Mariam ALI
Mustafa KARA
Ibrahim ZEIDAN

Celebrations and food

We love to celebrate our students at Maarif and accept that some families may want to share the special occasion of their child’s birthday with his/her class peers. As a school, we embrace this opportunity, however, would like to enforce a strict policy of not bringing in food or other edible item for these one-off occasions. It is important we cater to all students including those who have severe allergies by monitoring this closely.

If you would like to celebrate your child’s birthday, we would suggest an alternative to food and we thank you in advance for supporting the health and wellbeing of all students.

Dont forget your Hats!

All students are reminded to wear their hats during recess, lunch and sport. Please also remember to send a water bottle with your child every day.

Labelling

Please ensure that all personal items (clothing, lunchboxes, bags, etc.) are clearly labelled with your child(ren)’s name. Each year there are numerous items of clothing, especially hats and jackets that have no names or identification in lost property.

If there is no name, then we have a difficulty finding the owner.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Term 1, 2022 for High School Students	Monday 14 February to Thursday 7 April 2022
School Captains and Class Prefects speeches	Monday 7 March 2022
School Clean Up Day	Friday 4 March 2022
School Captains and Class Prefects announced	Monday 14 March 2022
National Day of Action against bullying and violence	Friday 18 March 2022
Harmony Day	Tuesday 22 March 2022
Last Day for Students Term & Students Iftar	Thursday 7 April 2022
Parent - Teacher Interviews	Friday 8 April 2022

Maarif_Academic_Calendar_2022.pdf

Maarif_Academic_Calendar_2022 _pdf 2.21 MB