Aisha

Aisha was one of the first students at Al Qamar. She spent 8 years here and after completing her 10th IGCSE, moved to another local Chennai school.  Here is what she has to say about her Al Qamar experience

There was a lot of freedom in Al Qamar. We got to do a lot of fun and unique stuff like writing novels or selling crafts at PTA’s. There were field trips and lunch parties, reading competitions and Ramadhan collections. Because there weren’t many students everyone knew everyone and the teachers were really warm and approachable.  

Classes were fun too; in Potpourri we’d study tongue twisters, do role plays and generally have a blast. Everyone looked forward to that one class. FOSS, on the other hand, was all about experiments: levers, pulleys, solutions, etc. In the optics class, I remember us taking a bunch of measurements and readings and finally making our own telescopes. Al Qamar truly promoted out-of-the-box thinking and self-learning. We were encouraged to observe, to question, to research.

The thing that stood out about Al Qamar was its funky uniqueness. We made our mark and were proud of that. 

Whether planning our own parties or designing magazines, we did things differently. School was more than lessons. A whole lot more.

Alyina

Alyina came to Al Qamar in its 3rd year.  After completing her 10th IGCSE, she moved to another local IGCSE school. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor's in Psychology in Chennai. Here is what she has to say about her experience. 

I'm Alyina, a former student of Al Qamar and Al Qamar's first graduate. 

I joined Al Qamar when i was 12. My English was very poor and I had a hard time framing sentences. Aneesa Aunty and Nasreen Aunty patiently taught me and improved the skills which I lacked. I was exposed and encouraged to read books which enhanced my writing skills. Alhumdullillah after that my English and other skills were elevated and kept getting better. 

As I am learning psychology, UI recognise all the new techniques and applications Aneesa Aunty has used in her teachings. They were more towards humanistic approaches. Unlike many other schools, Al Qamar recognises each child's capacity and interest, and develops the child according to his/her needs. They treat everyone equally with great care. All my teachers have been friendly and understanding. They never gave up on me and kept encouraging me till the end. 

At Al Qamar I was exposed to a lot of science and humanitarian work. I had an opportunity to meet a lot of speakers who talked about their experiences in their field. Each one had unique experience to share and I have learned a lot from them! 

Thanks to my teachers and friends in Al Qamar, I have become a better and a knowledgeable person. I thank the Almighty for giving me an opportunity to have studied in this institution.

Nuha

Nuha joined Al Qamar as a tiny Montessorian and stayed till the end of 2nd grade when she moved to  the US. Here is a brief description of how her al Qamar experience helped her in her new school:

• Winding up and Cleaning up after has helped me organize and maintain my work.
• Cursive handwriting helped me get the best handwriting in all my classes.
• Reading- my reading level is the highest in my class; level X.
• Geometry lessons helped me understand the concepts quicker.
• Memorization of surahs helped me in my maktab work.

• What does she miss about Al Qamar
• *Miss my friend- shameema.
• Miss the ‘no homework’ school.
• Miss the Islamic environment.
• Miss the field trips.
• Miss Aneesa Aunty, Aysha Aunty, & Barvin Aunty.

Shaheel

Shaheel joined Al Qamar as a tiny Montessorian and stayed until the end of 4th grade when he moved to Australia. Here is what his parent has to say about how his Al Qamar experience helped him in his new school:

Shaheel is living in Sydney and studying 5th grade. He had a smooth transition to the new school environment due to the adaptability taught at Al Qamar. He is par excellence among his peer group. He excelled at the English language assessment for non-English speakers, which is testimony for Al Qamar teaching standard. To top it up self learning is the greatest quality imbibed which helps him to thrive in every field of his interests.

Almir

Almir came to Al Qamar in Montessori and stayed Grade 2 when he moved to the US. Here's what his mom says about his experience at Al Qamar :


"When Almir joined Al Qamar Academy after completing LKG,it took sometime for him to settle down in the new school.He wasn't willing to sit down  and work.Had it been a normal school,he would've been forced to sit down to work,and I'm sure that compulsion and force would've been detrimental to his learning!

                                                            

But in Al Qamar,he was left to himself for a few months, with the staff patiently waiting for his willingness and readiness to work!Finally one fine day when he  felt like learning,he sat down for hours together with his teacher ,who was sincere and happy to teach him,and learned so many concepts in math!Alhamdulillah,he grasped the ideas and developed a clear understanding!His teacher in his current school in the U.S was amazed by his math talents when she was told  that he had completed only 3 months of first grade!His learning of math at Al Qamar the montessori way has also helped him to do mental math!

At the start of the academic year, in math NWEA testing which is done throughout the U.S,he surpassed the required level,alhamdulillah- the patient wait during his initial days at Al Qamar was worth it!

He was also tested for his reading skills in NWEA testing ,and he simply sailed past the required level,alhamdulillah-the culmination of regular reading of books in his previous school, Al Qamar Academy,where emphasis is on reading based on the belief that books open out one's mind to thinking!

The current school also encourages reading and they have programmes to ensure that every child reads daily.Al Qamar had READING POT wherein kids received rewards for reading!
            
 He had no problems in communicating as well, Alhamdulillah, thanks to the English-speaking skills he had acquired in his previous school. In Al Qamar Academy, students are presented with opportunities to prepare and present topics all by themselves during the OPEN DAY and other occasions,and stalls are set up by  small kids themselves acting as tiny entrepreneurs.All these boost their confidence levels which reflected in Almir's confident conduct in his current school in the U.S.
                                                                
The 2nd grade English language classes had writing of a higher standard than the Indian syllabus and Almir had to raise his level to keep up with the challenge. Alhamduliilah,he did that and surprised his teacher. Again, the 'WAIT AND GIVE THE CHILD TIME TO DO IT WITHOUT PRESSURISING' policy adopted in Al Qamar made Almir and I work as a team  and overcome the difficulty and accomplish!

When we admitted our kids into Al Qamar, we were seriuously discouraged by the management to avoid television and gadgets for the kids ,and we are  now conscious about that. We are definitely seeing the positive result of it and IT'S THE DUTY OF THE PARENTS TO HELP THE KIDS READ REGULARLY AVOIDING T.V AND GADGETS. WITHOUT THIS IMPORTANT ROLE OF THE PARENTS, IT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO SEE THE POSITIVE RESULT AND IMPROVEMENT IN THE KIDS.

Shahana

Shahana joined Al Qamar in Montessori and stayed until her 4th grade when she moved to the US.  Here is what Shahana and her parents have to say about the Al Qamar experience:

"My name is Shahana. I am in 5th grade right now. I have studied in Al Qamar for 4 years among the best teachers and friends. In Al Qamar, I have experienced something may be I would have never experienced in any school. I have lot of amazing things learned in these 4 years. First of all I did not use any books but only materials to learn. Everytime we started our day, we used to make a big circle and recite surah Al Fatiha. And of course we prayed Salath ul Dhuhr. I miss all of these and also combined classes with seniors and juniors.  I have experienced visitors coming to our classroom and sharing their memorable experiences with us, especially in Ramadhan, when we had visitors from other countries to talk about it. Al Qamar taught me something special that I can make use anywhere I go. Like I use it here in my school now. They taught me not to "by-heart" but understand anything before learning. Also made me ask questions until I understand. This strategy helped me a lot in my school now. I love Al Qamar and miss a lot."

Shahana's parents:

"As proud parents of Al Qamar we ought to say that, the principles and values you imbibed in her are ineffable. As always we are proud to admit that these values and principles of Al Qamar are protecting her from distraction. Modesty and Chastity is something she  takes along with her only because of Al Qamar. To her, it  has always been an exploring and experiencing things rather than just learning. Thanks for inculcating in the knowledge of Duniyah and Aqirah. If ever be the reason to return to India that would always be for Al Qamar."

Saliha

Saliha was with Al Qamar from Grade 5-9 before she moved to another IGCSE school in Chennai.

Here's what Saliha has to say about her time at Al Qamar:

I was at al Qamar from grade 5 - 9 and I could easily tell it is a place very close to my heart since I met some of my closest friends or people I could call family there.

If I could tell somethings from AlQamar that has helped in my IGCSE papers would hands down be the potpourri classes which were the interactive sessions of English. My papers felt like a cakewalk Alhamdulilah because of those (thanks to Nasreen Aunty ).

I thoroughly enjoyed all the entrepreneurship opportunities our school used to provide us with like setting up our own stalls and etc., which I don’t think most other schools would let you explore. 

I once had a question of what was the right way to hold a pencil, and anyone else would’ve told me to just hold it however I found it easy or something, but Aneesa Aunty told me to conduct a research and gave me personally signed letters using which I could go to random other schools to sample children and other specialists in the field. She supported me for two years in this project and helped me present it in a national level science fair. 

The amount of support and resources the school would provide is possible towards your passion is unlimited. Being a small school the teachers felt like family and the school like a second home.

Alum Updates: Aahil

 After completing grade 4, Aahil had to move to another school the reason being our sudden move to the U.S.He was enrolled in a public school in the state of Michigan.  Alhamdulillah, he had a wonderful start in school-he already was well above the required levels in reading and math in the NWEA testing which is done throughout the U.S. Have to give credit to his previous school Al Qamar Academy in Chennai as his reading skills were enhanced there. Al Qamar Academy stresses and encourages reading,and steps are taken to enthuse the students in that direction.READING POT was one such initiative! 

The LITERATURE CLASSES at Al Qamar were of a high standard where the focus was on comprehension, and the texts the students were exposed to had a high standard of language.In his current school,he has regular comprehension worksheets,and he has been doing well,the base for that already laid in Al Qamar!
                          
The science classes in Al Qamar were really good-the students made to think and give their inferences,contrary to the general Indian system where the solutions are spelt out by the teachers.The science classes here in Aahil's current school are experiment-based which is in line with his previous school, Al Qamar.
                   
Alhamduliilah,Aahil has been a confident boy in his current school, working independently with a little help at home only when he really needs it.SELF-RESPONSIBILITY of students is what Al Qamar has been focusing on which is based on  its strong belief that it is what will produce strong individuals!

Having been  exposed to good spoken-English in Al Qamar ,he faced no difficulty in communicating in his current school in the U.S.Got to know that this academic year,potpourri classes were introduced ,and the students there are benefiting immensely,developing a wholesome personality!

When we go back to India from the U.S,like all parents,our concern is to find a suitable school for our kids and our wish is to get back into Al Qamar or find one which is similar to Al Qamar in its child-friendliness,encouraging unlimited reading and exposing the kids to different activities through field trips so that they grow into confident,articulate adults,inshaAllah!
         Knowledge of the deen and the dunya is what we look forward to as Muslim parents and Al Qamar is well in that direction.

Sustainability @ school - a visitor's perspective on Al Qamar

Just found this write up from way back in 2014 ... and extremely pertinent given our wonderful experience today at the World Cafe.  Thanks a lot Narasimhan!

http://www.eai.in/blog/2014/02/sustainability-schools-an-interesting-visit-to-al-qamar-academy-chennai.html

How might we redesign Environmental Education in Schools - World Cafe

Al Qamar was one of the 5 schools invited to participate in a discussion on how to integrate environmental values in the 15 years of education for children.  The discussion was organised by OpenAct. Other schools included HLC, PSBB, Asan Memorial and KV.  Schools were represented by school heads, teachers and students. Experts from the field, educational consultants, activitists and journalists made up the rest. Abdullah Ibrahim and Hasna Jabir of Grade 5 represented Al Qamar.

Three critical questions were brainstormed - what is our dream for environmental education, what are the obstacles to these dreams and what can we do to overcome the obstacles.

A fantastic bunch of ideas were generated - from the importance of communicating the importance of environmental education to parents, getting Corporate funding, creating change in our communities, creating awareness of local flora, fauna and the threats to these.  

At the end, each of the groups presented their responses. Abdullah Ibrahim was one of the representatives for his group and spoke extremely well MashaAllah.

The children are going to take the lead in creating environmental consciousness in the school.  To start off, they're organising a World Cafe style discussion with their peers next Monday, InshaAllah.  Watch this space for more.