ICB August Newsletter 2022 (1)
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Fauget<br />
Capital<br />
<strong>August</strong> <strong>2022</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />
Our Vision: Best School; Best Learning Journey<br />
I’m extremely proud to announce <strong>ICB</strong> won six of<br />
Australia’s inaugural Crescent Awards - the equal<br />
highest number - and finished runner-up in another six<br />
categories.<br />
It’s tremendous recognition of how our passionate<br />
staff – both teaching and administration – and<br />
our talented students, are working together to achieve<br />
positive outcomes, not only for the college,<br />
but the broader community.<br />
The Crescent Awards for outstanding Muslim learners,<br />
educators and schools, which I was fortunate<br />
enough to attend, were presented at a gala dinner in<br />
Sydney on <strong>August</strong> 6.<br />
(6) Outstanding Contribution to Teaching<br />
Winner: Rukhsana Ashraf (Primary)<br />
(7) Curriculum Winner: Craig Burchell– Futsal<br />
Excellence Program; Runner-Up: Maneesha<br />
Iqbal, Fauzina Nabi, Mohammed Shah,<br />
Aanisah Buksh, Suraiya Girach (Primary)<br />
(8) Learning Environments Winner: Sakinah<br />
Greenhouse Gardens<br />
(9) Wellbeing Winner: “The Hub”<br />
Ali Kadri<br />
CEO Islamic College of Brisbane<br />
THE FULL LIST OF <strong>ICB</strong> AWARDS<br />
(1) Academic Impact Award (Secondary) Runner-Up:<br />
Amna Dawood<br />
(2) Sporting Impact Award (Secondary) Winner:<br />
Yasmin Hijazi; Runner-Up: Danya Mustafa<br />
(3) AMUST All-Rounder Award (Secondary) Runner-<br />
Up: Yunus Shuaib<br />
(4) AMUST All-Rounder Award (Primary) Runner-Up:<br />
Hannan Dawood<br />
(5) Distinction in Beginning to Teach Winner: Ebony<br />
Kerrigan; Runner-Up: Nisa Johnson
PAGE 02 I <strong>August</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />
Sporting celebrities call in on students and staff<br />
A big “thank you” to Australian cricketer Usman<br />
Khawaja, and former AFL Star Bachar Houli for<br />
taking the time to visit the college – and inspire<br />
us about the importance of teamwork, and how<br />
to achieve our full potential and perform at the<br />
highest level.<br />
Both Usman and Bachar have known adversity<br />
and experienced the knockbacks of the<br />
challenging world of professional sport.<br />
They are also well versed in how important it is to<br />
remain focussed, maintain a good work ethic<br />
and display desirable traits like tenacity and<br />
determination.<br />
Both are consummate professionals, who took<br />
the time to chat and were more than<br />
happy to pose for what seemed like endless<br />
photos! Everyone walked away feeling<br />
invigorated and full of confidence to tackle any<br />
challenges that may lie ahead.<br />
In fact, Usman posted this message on social<br />
media: “Enjoyed visiting the boys and girls at<br />
the Islamic College of Brisbane today. Some<br />
very cool, smart and funny kids around. Love<br />
the mix of religion and Australian culture<br />
coming together. Something I can definitely<br />
relate to!”<br />
A left-handed top order batsman, Usman<br />
Khawaja became the first Muslim and<br />
Pakistani-born Australian to receive a cricket<br />
Test baggy green cap. A reminder his<br />
foundation will be running an after-hours<br />
coaching session at the college on September<br />
7. You’ll need to accept the EVENT on Parents<br />
Lounge to ensure your son takes part, and if he<br />
does, he’ll need to wear his PE uniform and<br />
have a water bottle and hat/cap.<br />
Bachar Houli is a former Australian rules<br />
footballer who played 232 games over a 15-<br />
year career with Richmond and Essendon in<br />
the Australian Football League (AFL). He is a<br />
three- time premiership player with Richmond.<br />
In his retirement speech last year, Bachar, the<br />
first devout Muslim and third Muslim overall to<br />
play in the AFL, said:<br />
"Not only did I want to play as many games<br />
as possible, but I wanted to educate<br />
Australia, about my faith (and) about the<br />
religion of Islam, the religion of peace. I<br />
hope I have left a sense of peace in<br />
everyone’s heart.”<br />
Our Mission Statement:<br />
We believe every student has an inherent potential to achieve great results.
PAGE 03 I <strong>August</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />
"We can compete with the best"<br />
After a two-year break due to COVID-19, the<br />
Australian Islamic Schooling Conference was<br />
held on <strong>August</strong> 6 at Greenacre, in New South<br />
Wales.<br />
I was among a group of Islamic College of<br />
Brisbane teachers and school leaders<br />
privileged to have been able to attend, and<br />
contribute to important discussions at the<br />
conference, the fifth organised by the Centre<br />
of Islamic Thought and Education (CITE) -<br />
University of South Australia.<br />
What’s clear is that Islamic Schools in Australia<br />
are showing that academically, we can<br />
compete with the best. <strong>ICB</strong> can also attest to<br />
the fact, they are becoming increasingly<br />
attractive, as enrolments increase.<br />
This year’s theme was, ‘Islamic School Renewal<br />
in Practice.’ In response to feedback from<br />
previous years, the conference showcased<br />
practitioners; teachers and leaders who are<br />
leading renewed projects in their schools<br />
rather than research and theory.<br />
The presentations were most topical ranging<br />
from behaviour education, student diversity,<br />
integration, pedagogies of engagement,<br />
wellbeing to assessment and these insightful<br />
and impactful research projects provided<br />
motivation and direction for everyone in<br />
attendance.<br />
It is most encouraging to both confirm and<br />
affirm the progress of <strong>ICB</strong> and the<br />
distinction we are landmarking. At <strong>ICB</strong>,<br />
innovation is occurring every day in our<br />
classrooms, as our diverse and inclusive<br />
systems continue to evolve and adapt.<br />
I’m proud to say we are currently meeting all<br />
our goals by collaborating and renewing our<br />
policies and practices (among other things). I’m<br />
excited about what’s to come – and being able<br />
to build on the momentum which will lead to<br />
even bigger and better things in the years<br />
ahead.<br />
<strong>ICB</strong> Chief Learning Officer<br />
Susan Scott
PAGE 04 I <strong>August</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />
<strong>August</strong> Student of the Month Awards<br />
It gives us great pleasure to announce Yara<br />
Abu Hussein, who is in Year 11 and Year 5’s<br />
Tehreem Fatima are the winners of our<br />
<strong>August</strong> awards.<br />
Yara, 16, said she was “surprised” and<br />
“shocked” to be crowned <strong>ICB</strong>’s Secondary<br />
Student of the Month. “I certainly didn’t think<br />
I’d win it, but it feels good to be appreciated,”<br />
she said.<br />
And she’s certainly appreciated by her<br />
teachers and peers, who say Yara is an<br />
“inspiration”.<br />
A dedicated and enthusiastic member of the<br />
debating team for several years, her hard-work<br />
has helped create an in-school debating<br />
competition, now in its third year. Yara is also<br />
a mentor to younger students, with the number<br />
of debating teams increasing – due largely to<br />
her efforts.<br />
“I have a lot of younger friends and I like to talk<br />
to them, and help them get into debating and<br />
adjudicating,” she said.<br />
With Chemistry her favourite subject, Yara said<br />
she aspired to do well in all her studies<br />
because “getting a good mark is like an<br />
adrenalin rush – it’s amazing”.<br />
Primary Student of the Month Tehreem’s secret<br />
to success is simple. The 10-year-old likes<br />
helping people, they then start helping others –<br />
sparking a feel-good domino effect.<br />
“Once, I started working with another student<br />
on a hard maths question, which I didn’t really<br />
understand either,” she elaborates.<br />
“So, we worked it out together, and we started<br />
helping others in the class and after a while<br />
they caught up, and those students began<br />
helping other students.<br />
“It was like this connection of kindness,<br />
and everyone started encouraging each<br />
other and making each other happy”.<br />
Head of Primary Iram Khan said Tehreem – a<br />
class captain for several years whose favourite<br />
subjects are Maths, Science and Art – had<br />
displayed exemplary behaviour.<br />
“She’s recently qualified for a scholarship, and<br />
continually demonstrates respect to her<br />
teachers and her peers,” Ms Khan said.<br />
“She always comes up to us with a big smile<br />
and does things without having to be asked,<br />
which is a wonderful character trait and sets a<br />
good example to her peers”.<br />
“I’m a better student now than when I started<br />
here in Year 8, when perhaps I wasn’t as<br />
focussed as I should have been,” she said,<br />
adding she’d just endured an “all-nighter” to<br />
complete a biology research assignment.<br />
“My advice to other students would be<br />
don’t be afraid to ask questions, and be<br />
nice to the staff, because that helps<br />
develop mutual respect – which goes a long<br />
way”.
PAGE 05 I <strong>August</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />
Getting to know some new faces in the <strong>ICB</strong><br />
staffroom - and classroom.<br />
Damon Venner<br />
Mohammed Abdullah<br />
In his first job since graduating from the<br />
University of Queensland, Damon Venner, 22,<br />
is relishing the “hands on” environment in the<br />
classrooms of <strong>ICB</strong>.<br />
“I’m so fortunate to get this job and in the six<br />
weeks I’ve been here, it’s been so easy to<br />
assimilate into the school community,” he said.<br />
“The children are fantastic, and I’ve got a<br />
wonderful support network around me which is<br />
helping me develop my cultural and religious<br />
knowledge”.<br />
Damon, who is one of the non-Muslim teachers<br />
at the primary school, said he had watched<br />
some “educational videos” to help immerse<br />
himself into his new surroundings.<br />
“I’ve been warmly welcomed by the school<br />
community,” he said. “Every day, I talk to other<br />
teachers in my cohort, and just getting their<br />
feedback has assisted tremendously.<br />
“I’m loving it here, and <strong>ICB</strong> is incredibly<br />
hands-on. For example, we had a Science<br />
Day recently and the students really<br />
enjoyed it, because they were able to<br />
experience different activities with<br />
different teachers, which I also believe<br />
helps build respect - which makes<br />
managing their behaviour somewhat<br />
easier”.<br />
11-year-old Mohammed Abdullah has<br />
embarked on an amazing journey, since<br />
recently arriving in south-east Queensland with<br />
his family from Pakistan.<br />
Having travelled from Lahore, the capital of<br />
the province of Punjab and Pakistan's second<br />
largest city after Karachi, jet-lagged<br />
Mohammed was enrolled just 24-hours later at<br />
our college.<br />
And after three weeks of settling into a new<br />
school, in a new country, he’s flourishing.<br />
“I was a bit nervous, but I really felt welcome<br />
at <strong>ICB</strong>,” he says, his English is amazing<br />
considering that until a short time ago, it was<br />
his second language.<br />
“Compared to my old school (in Lahore), it’s<br />
really big and there are a lot more students -<br />
but I’m really enjoying it”.<br />
Mohammed, whose favorite subject is Science,<br />
is flourishing on the soccer pitch. He’s also<br />
learning so much about life in Queensland,<br />
outside class.<br />
“For the first time ever, I went to a beach<br />
on the Gold Coast and had a swim and it<br />
was great,” he said.<br />
Mohammed is now going with the flow<br />
generally in life, as he moves in a new<br />
direction and continues to embrace change –<br />
and the uncertainty associated with it.
PAGE 06 I <strong>August</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />
Some important dates to remember:<br />
(P) Primary (S) Secondary<br />
September<br />
1 September Year 4 and Year 1 Excursion (P)/ Parent teacher interviews (S)<br />
2 September Student Free Day/Primary Planning Day (P)/ Parent teacher interviews<br />
(S)/Year 12 Formal (S)<br />
5 - 9 September Book Week and Parent-Teacher Interviews (P)<br />
5 September Year 10 mentoring program<br />
7 September Student-led assembly & R U OK? Day<br />
8 September Year 10 Respectful Relationships workshop (S)<br />
12 September Prep Readiness and Enrolment (P)/Year 3-6 Sports Carnival (P)<br />
13 September Prep Readiness and Enrolment/Year 5 Excursion (P)<br />
14 September CEO’s Awards (P)/Years 7 – 10 Talk Money workshop (S)<br />
15 September Year 5 Excursion (P)/Prep Readiness and Enrolment (P)<br />
16 September Term Ends/Prep Readiness and Enrolment (P)<br />
Heartfelt thank you to teacher!<br />
We’d like to highlight Rafay Qureshi’s passionate note to PE teacher, Nazeem Smith, who Rafay<br />
says is the “best cricket coach ever”. Rafay, who is in 5C and dreams of becoming the “best<br />
cricket player in the world”, says he appreciates the time and effort Mr Smith invests in the<br />
students’ practice sessions. Rafay’s kind words were certainly welcomed by Mr Smith, who like<br />
all our staff, works every day to help our students reach their full potential.
PAGE 07 I <strong>August</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />
A reminder we want you to share your story<br />
ideas and perhaps send in some short articles<br />
(150 word maximum) telling us about your<br />
experiences at <strong>ICB</strong>, or some fun facts about<br />
the college.<br />
Please email us on ideas@icb.qld.edu.au<br />
BEFORE the last week of each month!<br />
Islamic College of Brisbane<br />
45 Acacia Road, Karawatha QLD 4117<br />
T + 61 (7) 3841 3645<br />
Islamic College of Brisbane<br />
@islamiccollegeofbrisbane<br />
Islamic College of Brisbane<br />
<strong>ICB</strong> Official 3<br />
icb.qld.edu.au