HAWKS NEWS

NEW HORIZON SCHOOL, IRVINE NEWSLETTER/JANUARY 2017

The Leader in Me
by Uzma Said, Elementary School Director

New Horizon School, Irvine is in its fourth year of implementing The

Leader in Me program, a leadership initiative which supports the
schools vision of creating future leaders. Based on the well-known
work by Dr. Stephen R. Covey,The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the
program promotes leadership, respect, communication and time
management skills, all qualities that align with the 21st Century learning
skills. Recently, Third Grade took on Habit 2, the habit of Beginning
With the End in Mind and made it their own! The members of 3rd
grade understood Habit 2 more clearly through performing a short
play, based on an original story written by their teacher, Mrs. Shazia
Latif. In addition to providing students a wonderful opportunity to
practice theatre, the skit also enabled students to learn about a
rhyming poem and new vocabulary. The class had elections in which
candidates presented a speech as to why they would fit best for each
character position. Their classmates then took part in an election cycle to
determine who would play what character. The students put together
costumes and props, learned vocal warm-ups that are used by stage
actors, and understood how to project their voices. The
performance gave students an authentic experience of
what it means to set a goal and the necessary steps
needed to bring it to fruition. The play was presented at
the New Horizon Parent Associations first general
meeting to a packed audience!

Habit #3: Put First Things First

I spend my time on things that are most important. This means I say no to
things I know I should not do. I set priorities, make a schedule, and follow my
plan. I am disciplined and organized.

THE LEADERS BEHIND THE SCENES

by Dr. Dina Eletreby, Head of School

Although not in the spotlight, New Horizon School, Irvine would not be where it is today
without the generous and professional support provided by its Board of Trustees. These
unsung heroes and sheroes take on the role of Board Member as an add on to their careers,
families, social life, and other volunteer opportunities. Every Board Member gives generously
of their time and money to support New Horizon School, Irvine, and they hold the Schools
Mission in trust while assuring the financial health and sustainability of the organization. In
line with best practices, New Horizons Board of Trustees is self-perpetuating and is made up of
parents, alumni parents, grandparents, community members, and even individuals outside of
the community who have a needed skill or experience.

As 2016 came to a close, it marked the end of Yasmine Abdel-Aals term as Chairwoman. She
has done an outstanding job in that role over the past four years. Her knowledge as an attorney
helped to stewarded New Horizon and the Islamic Center of Southern California, its parent
organization, through a corporate and legal restructuring, moving away from a shared tax ID
with its sister schools in Pasadena, Los Angeles, and West Los Angeles and allowing for greater
security and autonomy for each entity. We also say goodbye to Magdy Eletreby who completed
his term on the Board and served the last year and a half as Vice Chairman. Magdy has been
instrumental in New Horizons expansion plans and for soliciting the significant funds
necessary to get the Upper School Campus project underway. I want to take this opportunity to
thank them both for their commitment in building a strong organization sure to positively
impact our youth for years to come.

I am happy to share that Motasem Benothman has been elected as the new Board Chairman
with the support of Roy Light and Burak Ozgur as co-Vice Chairs. We look forward to them
bringing their passion, insight, and experience to the table, insha Allah. May God guide them
and all the Board Members to serve and lead New Horizon into its next crucial phase of growth
and development.

2017 Board Members:

Motasem Benothman, Chairman
Roy Light, co-Vice Chairman
Burak Ozgur, co-Vice-Chairman
Shymaa Abdelaaty, Secretary
Yehia Dajani, Treasurer
Ahmad Alhakeem
Samer Arafa
Ghada Elbershawi
Babar Iqbal
Nader Ghosheh

If you or someone you know is passionate about and supportive of New Horizon School, Irvine, and would like to volunteer
by serving on the Finance, Development, or other Board Committees, please send a letter of interest and bio to
board@newhorizonirvine.org.

New FUNDRAISING
Horizon.

FOCUS

Annual Fund

Soaring to New Heights!

The Campaign for
New Horizon Irvines
Upper School Campus

We are very happy to report the

continued increase in support
for the capital campaign. As you
know, New Horizons Upper
School Campus project is an
important part of our
community vision. Not only will
the new campus be a place for
our children to continue the
excellent moral and academic
education they receive at New
Horizon, it will be place for our
families to come together for
community and spiritual growth.
Were so pleased to report that
weve raised nearly $18 million
of our $27.6 million goal.

We are so appreciative of
all the parents, families,
Board members, and staff
who participated in this
years Get it Done in 31!
Annual Fund Campaign.
The Annual Fund is a
critical cog in the New
Horizon wheel.Your
support keeps New
Horizons gears going!
Through the Get it
Done in 31! effort, the
New Horizon family
raised $76,525 and received 76% participation from parents,
staff, and our Board of Trustees collectively. We are so proud
to say that 100% of the NHPA, Staff and our Board of
Trustees contributed to the campaign. Congratulations to our
fourth-grade families who really shined with 87% Get it Done
in 31! participation.

Since the Get it Done in 31! Campaign, fundraising support has not
stopped! We hosted a successful Grandparents Day where we shared
Annual Fund and Capital Campaign updates and received several
generous contributions to support those efforts. New Horizon Irvine
families went wild for Jog-a-thon! Students and families raised
more than $30,000 for New Horizon and promoted healthy living at
the same time. Jog-a-thons overwhelming success brought overall
annual fundraising efforts to more than $100,000 raised.

We would also like to thank everyone

who included New Horizon in their
end of 2016 tax year giving. The giving
season is an especially important time
to support the philanthropies that
Follow us on
you love and we are grateful. To
date, the Annual Fund has
nhirvine
raised more than $140,000
and we have reached 94%
parent participation! Thank
you!
nh_irvine

To learn more about the capital

campaign plans and opportunities
please visit our website at
www.newhorizonirvine.org.

irvinenewhorizon

nhirvine

Preschool Spotlight & Important Dates

January
16th

MLK Holiday (No School)

25th

SLC Spirit Day- Wacky Wed.

February
8th

Science Fair Judging and

Awards

15th

Re-Enrollment Deadline
Here at New Horizon Preschool all
of our teachers work diligently to
create a language-rich program
that promotes children's talking,
reading, and writing. We have five
preschool classrooms, with
students from ages 2 1/2 to 5 years
old. At this young age students
demonstrate different abilities and
we provide a variety of
experiences and materials in
Language Arts.
Part of our curriculum includes
using Zoo-phonics and
Handwriting Without Tears. Both
programs provide the building
blocks for reading and writing.
Zoo-phonics is the preschool
phonological program of choice. It
uses animals drawn in the shapes
of the letters for ease in memory. A
related body movement is given for
each letter. This concrete approach
cements the sounds to the shapes
of the letters.The Handwriting
Without Tears program
incorporates hands-on activities
and multi-sensory teaching
strategies that build good
handwriting habits early.
The curriculum is age-appropriate,
developmental, sequential and
playful. When the students arrive
at school they have outdoor play.
There, they have the opportunity

17th-20th
for conversation with peers,
P re s i d e n t s D a y H o l i d a y
role play, and group games
(No School)
where they follow directions of
how to play. Then our students
22nd
go inside for a circle time
NHPA General Parent Meeting
meeting. They may share what
they did that past weekend.
The teachers may do a read
aloud. One student stated that
Curious George was his favorite
because he makes pancakes and
my mom makes pancakes.
During a read aloud the teachers
engage the students in age
appropriate comprehension
questions.
After circle time students go to
centers with a variety of hands
on activities. Some students
choose to use the light table to
trace their name. Others may
choose to play group games
like Alphabet BINGO. A
student chose to use the
Storytellers Box to create her
own story while also
answering, who, what, where,
questions. The grandma is riding
a bike in the house! the child
laughed as she told her teacher,
Ms. Claudia.
Every day the students attend,
they have fun while learning. I
like to paint pictures of myself!
Ms. Asras student exclaimed and

is
encouraged to express
herself when describing her work.
Ms. Fabiana made slime that
students enjoyed manipulating
while also engaging in
conversation with each other. Our
preschool students love to come to
school each day to see what fun
learning opportunities are in store
for them!

Muslim Youth Club (MYC & MYC2)

of MPAC Salam Marayati. His
message to our youth was to
take an active role in helping
define the Muslim American
narrative that will not only
positively impact our
situation here in the United
States, but will resonate
with the rest of the world.
His message was a simple
and profound one, by the

sheer fact that we belong to

The Muslim Youth Club
the Islamic faith, we are
(MYC) at New Horizon Irvine humanitarians by nature.
is more than a Friday night
This is the message that
hangout for Muslim youth in needs to be shown to the
the Orange County Area. It is world, and we, no matter
not only a place for our youth what our age or where we
to socialize, but to hear guest live, are the vessels of that
speakers talk about a range
message.
of topics concerning the lives
of our youth. From issues like The message of MPAC has
chasing your passions,
resonated with many of our
engaging and volunteering in MYC students and one in
causes and nonprofit
particular responded by
organizations as well as
turning words into action.
handling serious issues our
Alumna Noor Elbershawi
students are facing in the
worked as a creative and
times we live, the MYC
community outreach intern
provides our youth with the
with MPAC. This entailed
ability to connect with wellworking on all their
respected and esteemed
advertisements and Public
individuals from the Muslim Service Announcements.
and non-Muslim communities Additionally, she helped
who are positively affecting
organize events such as the
our immediate society. This
Homeless Feeding in central
connection is not just on
Los Angeles and the training
surface level but goes much
program to prepare Muslim
deeper, and such examples
youth to respond to any type
include hearing from and
of hate rhetoric. When
being inspired by members of asked about her experience
the Muslim Public Affairs
with MPAC, she states that
Council (MPAC), Save A Life
it was incredibly
Move a Heart (SALMA), and enlightening because of
Missunderstanding -- Two
how much I was able to
Faiths One Friendship.
contribute as well as create
awareness about
Just recently, MYC students
Islamophobia. We pray
had the honor of listening to
and hope more of our
the co-founder and President students hearken to the

messages of Salam Marayati

and follow examples of game
changers.

MYC is a platform that

enables its members the
opportunity to not only come
together, but to inspire our
youth to look at the world
from a lens beyond their
immediate selves.
Nevertheless, with words
comes actions, as our youth
are able to network with
esteemed community leaders
and become inspired to have
an impact on their
community. MYC is open to
all 6th - 12th graders. Second
session of MYC begins on
February 3rd, 2017. To sign
up, please go to:
www.newhorizonirvine.org/
news-events/myc/

HOW TO SIGN UP
FO

R MYC

MYC and MYC2 Regis

tration opens
soon! To be added to
the email
distribution list and
to receive more
information about up
coming events
for MYC and MYC2 con
tact:
okhan@newhorizonir
vine.org

SLC SPOTLIGHT
Keeping New Horizons Spirit Alive with SLC
Sponsored Spirit Day!
The kindergartners and sixth graders organized a school-wide
Pajama Drive. As part of Scholastics partnership with the Pajama
Program, a nonprofit organization that provides new pajamas and
books to children in needespecially those living in group homes,
shelters, foster care, and orphanages, they committed to matching
every donation we made with TWO BOOKS so that a child in need gets
both pajamas and books! The SLC wanted to congratulate and
celebrate the spirit of giving by ending the drive with a school-wide
Pajama Day!
Pajama Drive!

SLC Snack Shop 2017

The SLC Snack Shop is set to open in the new year. It will be serving
sweet and savory treats to students on Mondays, Wednesdays, and
Fridays during student breaks. Proceeds will benefit the Tuition
Adjustment Program. Bring $1 to enjoy a snack and support our New
Horizon family at the same time!

4th-6th Graders take a trip to Islah Academy

and LA Foundation

New Horizon & Islah Academy

One key function of New Horizon Irvines mission is to cultivate

empathy in our students, and with that character trait in mind,
make a positive impact our society. Eventually their impact is not
only felt locally, but the ripple effect of their actions resonates upon a
wider spectrum and makes the world we live in that much better.
As November was the month of thankfulness, our students practiced
gratitude in a way that reflected their Islamic character and
furthered their personal development of becoming empathetic
human beings whose actions reflect what is in their hearts.
On Thursday, November 17th, our 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students
had the opportunity to make a positive impact. They paid a visit to
Islah Academy and the Islah LA Foundation in South Los Angeles.
The Islah Academy serves a local demographic of Muslim youth and
is making headway in effectively serving Muslim children in the
inner city. During their visit, our students not only took part in
helping to feed and hand out hygiene kits to the residents in and
around the area, they interacted with students from Islah Academy.

Homeless Feeding & Hygiene Kit

Distribution

This experience was an extremely insightful opportunity for our NH

Irvine students to visit another Islamic school that is also making a
positive impact within their respective community. We would like to
thank our New Horizon community for supporting Islah LAs food
pantry through your donations of canned food and non-perishable
items.

THANK YOU
TO OUR
JOG-A-THON

NEW HORIZON PARENT

ASSOCIATION (NHPA)

SPONSORS!
FamVans
CodeSpeak Labs
Smaili & Associates PLC
Amana Mutual Funds
WestBanc Corp
Spectrum Construction
Dr. Ahmed Elgazar
Markah Legal
Irvine Orthodontics
Event Blossom
Brain Balance Centers
Coastal Kids Pediatrics

NHPA Recipe
Simple Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Butter
1 cup Sugar
2 Eggs, beaten
4 Bananas, finely crushed
1 1/2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 cup chopped Walnuts
(optional)

Directions:
Cream together butter
and sugar. Add
eggs and crushed banana
s. Combine well.
Sift together flour, baking
soda and salt.
Add to creamed mixture.
Add walnuts
and vanilla. Pour into gre
ased and floured
loaf pan. Bake at 350 degre
es for 60
minutes. Keeps well in the
refrigerator.

2016 Jog-a-thon!
Thank you so much for participating in our
annual Jog-a-thon event.It was an inspiring
day proving that a healthy lifestyle and having
a good time gotogetherwell. Parents,
students and teachers all participated in the
fun!TheChick-fil-A cow made aspecial
appearance and encouraged the students'
efforts. Whole Foods Market distributed
bananas and Trader Joe's supplied us with
water bottles. Much thanks to them and to
everyone for your support, donation and
cheers.
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
NEXT NHPA GENERAL MEETING IS ON
FEBRUARY 22ND @ 8:00AM!

YOUR NHPA
DOLLARS
AT WORK
OCTOBER
Potted Succulents Teacher
Appreciation Gift
NOVEMBER
Catered Breakfast for all
Faculty and Staff
DECEMBER
Catered Kabob Lunch for
all Faculty and Staff