Dear Maarif Community,

Thank you for another wonderful and productive school year. I am delighted to be the principal of this wonderful school. As we move towards the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, I feel so fortunate to be part of this community of students, parents, teachers and admin staff.

I am also delighted that teaching and learning were overwhelmingly seen as the things we do best. I have also listened to the constructive feedback and particular areas, like parent communications, which will now be a focus for us for the next school year. I am also grateful for the time and care that so many of you took in responding to our recent Parent Survey. I would like to say thank you for all the kind words and best wishes that have come my way throughout the past year.

Many thanks to those parents who have helped out with our activities. We could not do it without you! Some of these events require a huge and ongoing commitment of time and energy. It is much appreciated.  

I want to personally thank the students who have come to the end of their Maarif journey this year, for being a part of our community, and I wish you all the brightest of futures. Thank you for all your hard work throughout the school year.  I am so honored to be your principal; you make me proud and I am grateful for your joy, and amazing talents.

I would also like to thank our wonderful staff team for their hard work throughout the year, and especially for their support throughout these last few weeks of term. That experience could not occur without the endless energy, skills and devotion of Maarif teachers. Our admin staff, Ms Tulay who greets all visitors, answers the phone and completes all the unseen admin tasks that keep the school functioning. The work load at the end of the year is quite overwhelming and they continue to smile throughout. I am sure you would wish to join with me in wishing them a happy and restful holiday break. On a sad note, Mr El-Sabeh will not be with us next year due to a career change. We wish Mr El-Sabeh the very best in his new position. 

Wishing you all an enjoyable summer break and I look forward to seeing you all in 2021.

Dr Zeynep Yaseen

Principal

Throughout the week Kindergarten take part in developmental play where they are given the opportunity to choose from a variety of activities. The aim of the play based-education is to support children to become happier and healthier learners. The activities allow students to collaborate, share and build friendship through developmental play while learning.

Mrs Julie Brennan

Kindergarten Teacher

Year 1 students did great job making marks on their rainbow chalk paper whilst imitating Margaret Greig’s famous painting of the Bushland on carboard. We spoke about the different features it has and then the techniques she has used to guide the students in their drawing.

Year 1 students did a great job investigating how many Mobilo blocks fit into different sized containers during our Maths lesson. They worked in small groups to discuss and estimate how many blocks will fit inside these various containers. The students did a great job showing good teamwork skills and recording their findings for their Volume and Capacity lesson!

Mrs Ulku Turkmen

Year 1 Teacher

Year 2 students have been exploring the concept of ‘3-digit Numbers’ in Mathematics. Students were given the opportunity to apply the split strategy method to demonstrate separating the hundreds, tens, and ones to add accordingly.

Year 2 students have been exploring the concept of ‘Mass’ in Mathematics. Students were given the opportunity to use playdough and weigh a certain amount in one pan whilst observing the weight on the other pan to maintain an equal balance.

Mr Rachad El-Sabeh

Year 2 Teacher

Year 3 have been learning all about money. They have learnt the skill of using different combinations of coins and notes to make an amount of money.

Year 3 have been learning about the relationship between the Earth, Moon and Sun. Students created their own 3D model of the Earth, Sun and Moon, depicting their scaled sizes and positions. Using their model, students explained the movements of the Sun, Earth and Moon and provided reasoning for the causes of day and night. They did an outstanding job.

In mathematics, students have been learning how to order fractions in ascending order. In groups, students were given cards marked with fractions and were required to place themselves in order without communicating with one another which allowed students to develop their problem solving skills.

Students have been creating a range of artworks this term. One of their favourite artworks was a drawing with one-point perspective. This drawing included a horizon line and a vanishing point, as well as 3D buildings. Students used coloured pencils to complete their artworks.  

Ms Amel Mehana

Year 3 Teacher

Students of Year 4 are focusing on sustainability and what are the strategies they can apply to achieve a sustainable world. To anchor the concept, Year 4 students painted their sustainable city using newspaper. The concept was to reuse newspaper in their artwork and not waste the paper.

Students are learning about different dance movements in class. They arranged themselves into groups of 3-4 & prepare their dance. It was an activity that made them responsible of their own act and choosing their music. It was a wonderful activity for them to engage in music and dance. 

Students this week started focusing on coding in Science and Technology. It is a great experience for students to learn problem solving skills. There were very involved and helped each other out throughout the session.

Students of Year 4 are very proud of their artwork representing sustainable city using paint and old newspaper.

Mrs Samira Asad

Year 4 Teacher

Got Game

This term, students have been fortunate enough to be engaged in activities based on fitness and resilience, dance and rhythm and ball sports and ball skills run by Got Game. Year 5 have loved every week even when physically they are challenged. Each week, they have a mix of cardio based exercises through games and precision and skill through field exercises such as shot put.

Unity Through Diversity

What happens when you call upon the creativity of 14 Year 5 students and give them a tribal mask and a range of paints and natural materials? You get to see abstract art come to life in the most beautiful way. The boys and girls of Year 5 have finished their tribal masks and they are proudly hanging in the classroom. Each mask represents the unique individuality and expression of creativity within our class, unity through diversity.  

Patterns, Rhythm, Symbols and Music

In Music this term, students were given the opportunity to pare back the layers of music. Students were introduced to patterns using different pictures and symbols. They were then introduced to the transition from a pattern into a body percussion piece. Once students understood that concept of patterns and rhythm, they were able to play out the rhythm on the keys of a piano. As an introduction to time, students were given 4/4 and had to create an 8-count piece. Good news is, they are ready to be introduced to writing their own musical piece of 16 counts.

Pillowcase Project

As part of Year 5s Geography and Science topics encompassing natural disasters, we arranged for Australian Red Cross to deliver a disaster resilience education program called the Pillowcase Program. The workshop was delivered by trained Red Cross volunteers.

Designed to help children prepare for, cope with and respond to an emergency, the workshop included a discussion about the importance of being prepared, as well as interactive activities to help students prepare their minds for an emergency and consider what to pack in an emergency kit.

Line Dancing

As part of our Creative Arts program, Year 5 engaged in class dance lessons. They learnt the ‘Nutbush’ dance and a step dance to ‘5, 6, 7, 8’. A line dance is a choreographed with a repeated sequence of specific steps and all students dance in a line or row. They dance in the same direction and in their own personal space. Year 5 did a wonderful job and loved learning the steps; so much so that Year 3 were intrigued and joined in the fun for a couple of lessons.

Mrs Olivia Peach

Year 5 Teacher

Kindergarten

Body Parts

Kindergarten students learnt body parts with lots of activities.They matched body parts with the pictures,they learnt Baş, Omuz, Diz, Ayak (head ,shoulders …) song.

Kindergarten students made head parts with the items found at home and introduced them in the classroom.

Food and Drinks

Kindergarten students learnt some food and drinks with the online games. Not only they learnt the words but also they had fun with games.

Eller Yukarı

At the end of the year performance, students sang a Turkish song, Eller Yukarı. With consistent effort, they made a perfect performance.

Year 4

Recipe

Year 4 students were asked to prepare a video that they can  share a recipe of their favourite food. Students watched the videos and learnt how to make cacık, coconut balls, menemen, pasta, etc.

Survey

Year 4 students made a class survey to find out ‘The Most...’ in each category. After the survey, they reported the results by making sentences that start ‘Sınıftaki en ….’

Year 5

Year 5 students made restaurant dialogues with the real food sent from parents.

They first created their own menus with prices.

Then they became a customer and waiter.

They ate the food they orderd and asked for bill.

Treasure Hunt

Year 4 and 5 students did a Treasure Hunt.
The students had to read the Turkish clues to find the treasure.
Whilst having lots of fun during the treasure hunt the students’ ability to follow instructions, problem solving skills and spatial awareness also developed.

Mrs Aysegul Seyma Akdemir

Turkish Teacher (Years Kindergarten, Year 4 and Year 5)

Year 1

Ms. Pamuk organised a variety of activities in the Year 1 Turkish classes. Students sang songs, made painting, watched the videos of Turkish teacher and prepared videos by themselves.

Every week they had reading time, game time and free time activities which make Turkish classes full of fun and development for them.

They learned many new words about life in nature, camping, and food. We repeated the old words we learned in every lesson and played matching games. Year 1 has been a fun-filled year. Great events will continue at Maarif next year.

Year 2

The most exciting Turkish class for Year 2 was the class they which the learned new games. They loved occupation games and were very excited while playing.

They listened to Turkish fairy tales and learned new words with these characters. They also remind to weather conditions in Turkish. Year 2 learned a lot of Turkish song and sing everyday end of the Turkish classes. They did not understand how time passed with online Turkish games and Term 4 passed rapidly. They also cmpleteted their portfolios and they did really good job.

We all look forward to more learning and the fun activities in Year 3.

Year 3

We continued our games with Year 3, it became their favorite marble game. During this period, we talked mostly about Turkish culture and geography. They learnt about some important places in Istanbul and Ankara. Although they haven't learnt all of them yet, they got off to a great start. We have completed our portfolios with the activities we did after our topics. It was a great year, we look forward to Year 4.

Miss Esra Pamuk

Turkish Teacher (Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3)

Years 3, 4 and 5

The Pillars of Salah!

In our Islamic Studies lessons Years 3, 4 and 5 learnt the importance of obeying Allah and to follow the way our Prophet Muhammad (saw) would pray salah. Students learnt that we thank Allah through prayer, and the pillars of salah were explained in detail. We then practiced these pillars of salah which you can see in the photos below. Mashallah all students are now ready to pray salah, as they did their best at performing these positions which included: Takbeerah, Qiyam, Ruku, Sujud, Tashahhud and  Salam.  Well done students!

Activity Time!

Students in Year 4 and 5 learnt the meaning of “khushoo” in salah and the importance of having concentration when you start praying. We did an activity where they guessed what things we must abandon when we put our hands up for Taberaah, saying “Allahu Akbar”. In order to concentrate we need to abandon certain things, so we put stickers on a student’s hand with these actions so we know to stop doing these things, and remember we are standing in front of Allah.

Here is a video for those who want to follow praying 2 rekat of salah: https://youtu.be/v2gx24YqI68

Lets learn to Read Quran!

Quran recitation made easy!

During the school holidays you can revise the letters and rules of reading the Quran with this very easy to use, interactive Quran recitation app. Alhamdulilah, it’s an excellent app which allows your child to listen to the correct pronunciation from a Shaykh located here in Australia. It also has voice recording feature allowing your child to record their voice and compare thier pronunciation with His. I really recommend this app as its free to download and very beneficial.

I have included the links below.

Android: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=ireadquran&c=apps

Apple:  https://apps.apple.com/au/app/ireadquran/id1003701018

Here is a short introduction video about the “ireadquran” app:

https://youtu.be/VVCHHAmGUvM

For those who wish to access the lessons from a laptop or computer, please use the following link, as the audio lessons are available via this website: https://itqaanseries.com/qrme-book/

Thank you parents for all your help with your childs Islamic Studies education journey, and Inshallah you will all have a Wonderful and Safe Holiday!

Wassalam.

Ms Gulcan Aksu

Islamic Studies Teacher

A big Congratulations to our Leadership Team who were voted by their peers earlier in the year. Students who were not elected for these roles this year can put themselves forward for other leadership roles next year. Our Leadership Team collaborated with other students in the school and had valuable input in making decisions for events that took place this year. Well done, team!

Well done to the students who have been selected as 'Student of the Week' since the recommencement of our Monday morning assemblies. These students are selected for academic achievement and for modelling our school values. 

Week 4

Kindergarten - Said Berk Akdemir

Year 1 - Sara Cirikka

Year 2 - Beyza Aygun

Year 3 - Atakan Birer

Year 4 - Cemile Atabay

Year 5 - Ahmed Haouchar

Week 5

Kindergarten - Ibrahim  Karaca

Year 1 - Zubeyr Ha

Year 2 - Harun Coskun

Year 3 - Zeynep Demiryurek

Year 4 - Hesna Cetiner

Year 5 - Nisa Bedir

Week 6

Kindergarten - Uthman Maaliki

Year 1 - Rukiye Aydogan

Year 2 - Burak Kale

Year 3 - Ayman Kocak

Year 4 - Rayan Ali

Year 5 - Yusuf Unal

Week 7

Kindergarten - Yunus Aksoylu

Year 1 - Aleena Khan

Year 2 - Ziya Ciyim

Year 3 - Ahmet Anmak

Year 4 - Adem Lok

Year 5 - Adem Akgun

Week 8

Kindergarten - Yunus Aksoylu & Sayid Kudusov

Year 1 - Arqam Yaseen

Year 2 - Aisha Maaliki

Year 3 - Maryam Saidi

Year 4 - Aliya Ozbaglar

Year 5 - Mansur Uzun

Week 9

Kindergarten - Irem Badem

Year 1 - Fatima Niazi

Year 2 - Kaan Emirosmanoglu

Year 3 - Emre Sonmez

Year 4 - Semih Acar

Year 5 - Yusuf Sama

This year we were unable to have parents attend our end of year event due to COVID-19. However, the performances were recorded for parents and friends to enjoy. Please enjoy some of the photos from the day.

Yearly reports and portfolios have been sent home today. You will be able to see all the improvement your child has made in his/her classwork across all Key Learning Areas this semester.

Summer holidays are here! Below are some activities you may be interested in.

Maarif Turkish Summer School

PCYC School Holiday Programs

https://www.pcycnsw.org.au/auburn/activities/holidays/

School Holidays Activities - Sydney

https://getoutwithkids.com.au/school-holiday-activities-sydney/

We wish all our families a safe and happy holiday. We look forward to seeing everyone back on Monday, 1st February 2021. Teachers will be waiting for their students :)

The summer school holidays are here and students are going to be using technology even more. 

Please click on the link below to watch a short video by Behavioural Specialist Jason Gibson about 'How to Put Safety Fences Around Technology Use'.

https://vimeo.com/431359206/be5970e9ab

On behalf of Maarif, we would like to wish our students a very Happy Birthday who have celebrated their birthday during the months of November and December. 

Students:

November

Emre Gulce

Ibrahim Halabi

Adem Uzum

Hale Caliskan

Ayse Sultan Akdogan

Azra Coskun

Melisa Seyrek

Yusuf Sama

Hesna Cetiner

Aisha Maaliki

Emirhan Aksoylu

December

Amima Ali

Cemile Atabay

Akalia Duran

Rayan Ali

Ahmed Ciyim

Tansel Akdas

Term 4: Monday, 19 October to Friday, 18 December 2020   

School Office will close: Friday, 18 December 2020

School Office will re-open: Monday 18 January 2021

Term 1, 2021 for Students: Monday, 1 February 2021 to Thursday, 1 April 2021