“Opportunity is quick to pass on, and slow to come back.”
                         Imam Ali (a) Mizanul Hikmah

Salaamun Alaykum.

Wiladat Mubarak to everyone on the birth anniversary of Imam Hasan al-Askari (a). InshaAllah, we will celebrate the wiladat with some fun activities for students this Sunday.

Alhamdulillah, we had a successful fire drill last Sunday. All students and volunteers left the building in an orderly manner. Many thanks to all who helped to prepare for and conduct the drill.

This update includes:
1. Support for students, parents, volunteers
2. On Time Attendance Class Challenge
3. Community Service Award & Volunteering Opportunities
4. Nurturing Piety & A Resilient Muslim Identity
5. Key Upcoming Dates

See “Community Announcements/Events’ below for training opportunities open to students, parents, and volunteers.

Support for Students, Parents, and Volunteers
The conflicts around us and how Muslims are portrayed can lead to anxiety, fear, behavior issues and strong emotions. Alhamdulillah, we have volunteers who can help. See below for message by our volunteer Social Worker, Br. Ali Raza, of Jaffari Support Services (JSS), who can provide some support not just for handling the current world conflict, but also for other issues or life changes such as illness, separation or death of a loved one.

My name is Ali Raza Hasan Ali and I am the School Social worker at Al-Haadi Study Centre. I hope this message finds you in good health. I want to take a moment to acknowledge the significant distressing events that have been unfolding in Palestine. These events can evoke a range of emotions, concerns, and questions for members of our community. As the social worker at Al-Haadi Study Centre, I am here to offer my support and lend a listening ear to students, staff, volunteers, and parents, who may be feeling the impact of these events.

Ali Raza Hasan Ali
MSW, RSW, School Social Worker @ Jaffari Support Services
On-Time Attendance Class Challenge 
Quran classes start at 10:45 am. Help your child get the benefit of a full class of Quran and help your child’s class win the prize by bringing him/her on time.

• Challenge Period: Oct. 15 – Dec. 17.
• Criteria: 80% of students plus one teacher in classroom and attendance submitted by 10:55 am.
• The class with most number of Sundays which meets the criteria will win a free lunch on Jan. 7th.

Community Service Award Challenge & Volunteering Opportunities
Reminder: our Community Service Award Challenge runs for June 1, 2023 – May 31, 2024.  Here are some volunteering opportunities:
1.  Ages 12 & up: help out on Nov. 5 after 2:30 pm at Nasimco’s Empowered Teachers Workshop, to apply contact: secretariat@nasimco.org or Sadaf.Athar@nasimco.org

2. Ages 14 & up: be a Quran Tutor on one or more weekdays to help students learn to recite the Holy Quran; must be assessed at recitation level 12 or 13. Sessions are held via zoom between 5 and 6 pm. To apply, submit the Al-Haadi Volunteering Application form: https://forms.gle/MW3STaio5PkC9Q6N8

Nurturing Piety & A Resilient Muslim Identity

Halloween is coming up. Many look forward to going trick or treating and the candies, however, while this may appear harmless, families need to think about the long term implications and make an informed decision:
– participating in what is considered social norm in the wider society but is not aligned to Islam, can lead to a gradual deterioration of one’s religious identity, making it easier to be negatively influenced by other social norms which are not aligned to Islamic values.
– not participating in this can strengthen one’s religious identity and helps teach children that it is OK to be different as long as one’s actions are in line with the Will of Allah (swt).
– knowingly participating in, or rationalizing participation in activities which are not aligned to Islamic values can create doubts, feelings of guilt and have a detrimental effect on the soul.

Use the link below to access article compiled by Sister Sajida Somji, Sh. Khalil Jaffer, and reviewed by our Religious Advisor, Maulana Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi, which answers the following questions:
– Origins of Halloween
– Is it wrong to celebrate Halloween in Islam?
– Can we decorate our homes for Halloween?
– What if someone knocks on our door and asks for candy?
– If my teachers or friends ask if I’m going trick or treating, what should I say?
– What should I do if I am scared of devils or ghosts?
Link to Resources folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1o8C03TGj3-9R-9l00odL9PHwk6Pc_StM?usp=drive_link
If the above link doesn’t work, copy & paste the following on a web browser: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1o8C03TGj3-9R-9l00odL9PHwk6Pc_StM?usp=drive_link

Key Upcoming Dates

Nov. 5: Timetable change for G5-12 due to Daylight Savings Time End.
Dec. 3: Partnering for Success Parents Session

If you have any questions or suggestions, kindly send an e-mail to admin@al-haadi.ca.

JazakAllah,

Fatima Khimji    &     Amjad Datoo
Principal                    Vice Principal

Al-Haadi Study Centre
www.al-haadi.ca
Instagram: @alhaadistudycentre
AHSC Tech Support/Suggestion form: https://forms.gle/7yrnM2M8FVZCWaSQ8
AHSC Volunteers Application form: https://forms.gle/MW3STaio5PkC9Q6N8
To report an absence, send e-mail to Quran and Dinyat class email ids and absence@al-haadi.ca