ISLA Updates, Winter 2019
ISLA Board
ISLA Retreat 2018: A Summary in Photos
Captivating sessions 
Inspirational messages 
Sharing personal stories 
Canopy walk atop trees 
Going on adventures 
Gaining resources 
Having fun 
Relaxing 
Engaging with material 
ISLA Board 
Enjoying nature 
Reflecting 
Afeefa Syeed, Principal of Al Fatih Academy and Noor Saadeh, of Noorart 
Islamic School Leaders from across the US
ISNA West Coast Forum
January 18-19, 2019 in Costa Mesa, CA
One of the defining features of Islamic schools is its mission to convey Islamic values to Muslim students who eventually internalize them and use them to guide their entire lives. At the 8th Annual ISNA West Coast Education Forum in Costa Rica, CA, presenters discussed how we can teach values to empower students.
Presentations ranged in focus from Arabic instruction, technology integration, leadership responsibilities, mindfulness, classroom discipline, 21st century teaching strategies, mental health and well-being, and more.
ISLA Board members were amongst the presenters, including:
- Dr. Seema Imam: Half-day workshop with four segments including
- Empowering Students: Being actively engaged and pedagogy for spirituality
- Every class can be a Maker Space
- Brave Teachers Teach with Technology in a Digital World
- The “Triple E”: Engage, Enhance and Extend Digital Teaching while Making Sense of Time Management
- Mussarut Jabeen: Best Practices for Islamic School Boards
- Dr. Shaza Khan: Improving Islamic Studies Classes: Focusing on Excellence, Relevance and Delivery
- Dr. Fawzia Tung: The ‘A’ In STEAM
In addition to practical and inspiring take-aways from each presentation, the ISNA West Coast Education Forum provides a space for Islamic school leaders and educators to network, learn about new opportunities for funding and professional development, and share common concerns and solutions. Given the unique challenges facing Islamic school teachers and leaders, the ISNA West Coast Education Forum serves an important role in helping Islamic school educators become more effective and empowered in what they do.
ISLA 2019: Increasing Capacity through Collaboration
ISLA is excited about the new connections we made in 2018. We have continued to grow our Islamic Educators’ Communication Network, an online community that shares ideas, questions, resources and opportunities via email.
We seek to continue our growth with more member schools and roll out an individual membership option for folks who are engaged in Islamic education.
We seek to collaborate with more organizations to build our own capacity to serve the needs of Islamic schools. Look out for updates from ISLA on how we will deliver on these goals, inshallah!
We thank Allah for honoring us with this opportunity, for granting us the successes we have witnessed, and for allowing us the ability to continue with this noble mission. May He continue to allow us to serve Islamic schools and educators across the US and further with ihsaan (excellence) for decades to come.
