Introduction
IALFM Sunday School is a non-profit school founded by the community for the community. We have been serving the community since 2000. Our mission is to provide an age appropriate educational program to our students from Pre-K thru 6th Grades (4 to 11 years old) based on the principles of basic primary & secondary education encapsulated in a rich Islamic atmosphere. Classes are held at our premises located at 3430 Peters Colony Road in Flower Mound, Texas. We strive to provide an enriched supportive environment through exploration, discovery, and creativity under the guidance of trained & caring staff to help foster learning in our students. Our goal is to prepare students to conduct themselves as responsible and respectable citizens of the community, the nation, and the world at large.
We work hard to serve the community by maintaining affordable tuition rates & providing need based tuition fee waivers in the form of scholarships thru ERF Program. All of this is possible through the generous help provided by volunteers from our community, who work as a team to operate our school. All functions of the school are run by a team of volunteers, starting from Administrator to Teachers, Teaching Assistants & Substitutes. As an independent non-profit school we receive no financial support from any level of government and depend entirely upon tuition, fees, donations, volunteers, and fund raising activities to balance our annual operating budget. As tuition fee income alone is not sufficient to cover the entire cost of operations, we therefore appeal to our community to assist us in maintaining and more importantly enhancing the services IALFM Sunday School provides to the community.
The long term growth and sustainability of this institution depends entirely on the generosity of our wonderful community. We invite you to explore different projects that we have to find out more about how you can get involved through the available programs. We are always looking for volunteers to actively participate in our Sunday School Committee and provide teaching & administrative services in different roles.
Levels & Graduation Requirements
The school has developed curriculum for four levels. Students attend each level for two years. Students are eligible to begin Level 1 if they are at least 4 years of age by September 1 at the start of the school academic year. Although students remain in the same level for two years, they do receive different instructions each year as we use different set of books. Below is a description of the classes. Students graduate upon completing two years of level 4 or entering the 7th grade in their regular schools.
Levels, Age Groups & Grades
Level 1: 4 to 5 years old on September 1 (Pre-School/Pre-K & Kindergarten)
Level 2: 6 to 7 years old on September 1 (1st & 2nd Grades)
Level 3: 8 to 9 years old on September 1 (3rd & 4th Grades)
Level 4: 10 to 11 years old on September 1 (5th & 6th Grades)
For grades 7th and up, IALFM is launching a new program called Pillars Academy which will replace level 5.
Schedule
At present, there is only one session of our Sunday School. We have operated two sessions in the past to accommodate more students.
School starts at 10:30am and ends at 1:45pm.
The session consists of two 75 mins classes, one each for Quran & Religion, a 30 mins break for snacks (cost is included in tuition fees) in between the two classes, and 15 mins Dhuhr Salah with congregation. Sunday School timings do not change due to Daylight Savings Time (DST).
Study Materials
The school uses a variety of study materials, including books by Yahiya Emerick, Iqra, Islamic Services Foundation and other notable scholars. Parents are responsible for the cost of all books (a textbooks lending option is also available), while some study-materials like pencils, etc. are provided by the school (included in supply fees). All students are required to use a standard Sunday School Canvas Bag for books and study materials. We do manage a collective buying process for books & other supplies for parents. When available, we also offer used books in good condition at 50% discount to parents on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.
Textbooks Lending Program
Starting with 2018-19 school year, to minimize the cost of Sunday School education for our community, we are offering a Textbooks Lending Program for students where they can lend all textbooks for only $10 per year. They will still need to buy workbooks. We have also removed unnecessary workbooks from curriculum, especially ‘Arabic Writing Workbook’. For some levels we will also provide printed worksheets without any charge. See more details below about this program.
* As in the past, parents can arrange for books themselves or buy new or used books from us
* Starting with 2018-19 school year, they will also be able to rent textbooks from us for just $10 per year
* Parents will still have to buy workbooks
* If borrowed, the textbooks will be provided to students on the first day of school and will be taken back on last day of school
* If we lend them a used book, and it gets damaged, parents can replace it on their own and if not possible, they will be charged half of its cost for replacement. For new books, replacement cost will be its full price
* Administrators will decide extent of damage and related charges, we will be lenient in this process as we want more adoption of it for the long term benefit of the community
* Minor acceptable wear/tear will not result in any fees or fines
* We intend to use donated books for this purpose from the community and where needed, we will purchase new books to provide to students
* This will help parents in saving time they spend in looking for books among our community and re-use/recycle the existing books that we have available within our community. One textbook can easily be used multiple times, from 2 to 4 years
* This will especially be helpful for anyone new in our community and is still building relationships with other community members
* We will use the rental fee that we collect to maintain this books depot for upcoming years ensuring program is self-sustaining
* This year the total price of textbooks range from $38 to $57 for different levels at our school
Let us know if you have any suggestions to make this program even better for our community or if you have any questions for us! (Send us an email at sundayschool@ialfm.org)
Extra Curricular Activities
IALFM Sunday School is dedicated to providing a nourishing atmosphere with a balanced curriculum. We have many exciting workshops planned for the students this year like Calligraphy workshop, Self-Defense workshop, and Anti-Bullying workshop.
Basic Curriculum Overview
IALFM Sunday School’s curriculum is age-based and consists of topics like basic lessons in Ethics & Human values, short stories to teach basic Principles of Life, Good Qualities of a Human Being, how to establish Healthy Habits & basic Arabic language in Levels 1-3. Levels 3-4 focus more on World Cultures and Arts, the History of Islamic & other Empires of past and the Contributions of Muslims to the Modern World. Students also receive primary level instructions in reading and writing basic Arabic as a second language. As students enter higher grades, more comprehensive details on these subjects become an area of greater focus in their classes.
Level 1 (ages 4 or 5)
* Memorizing Surahs: Al-Fatiha, An-Nas, Al-Iqlas, Al-Falaq, Al-Kauthar, Al-Lahab, An-Nasr, Al-Kaafirun, Al-Maun, Al-Quraish, and Al-Feel
* Identifying and writing letters of the Arabic alphabet in their basic form
* Describing Attributes of Allah, the 5 pillars of Islam, and the beliefs of Islam
* Demonstrating basic Islamic Adab
* Describing the stories of some of the Prophets mentioned in the Qur’an
Level 2 (ages 6 or 7)
* Recitation & Tafsir of Surahs: Al-Fatiha, An-Nas, Al-Iqlas, Al-Falaq, Al-Kauthar, Al-Lahab, An-Nasr, Al-Kafirun, Al-Maun, Al-Quraish, and Al-Feel
* Identifying and writing letters of the Arabic alphabet in their various forms
* Describing stories of some of the Prophets mentioned in the Qur’an
* Describing the Attributes of Allah, the 5 pillars of Islam, and the beliefs of Islam
* Identifying deeds as Halal or Haram
Level 3 (ages 8 or 9)
* Recitation & Tafsir of Surahs: Al-Humaza, Al-Asr, Al-Takathur, Al-Qariah, Al-Adiyat, Al-Zalzala, Al- Bayyina, Al-Qadr, Al-Alaq, and At-Teen
* Sounding out words with short vowel sounds
* Describing the Five pillars of Islam
* Describing ways to worship Allah
* Events in the life of Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
* Describing ways to increase Iman
* Practicing Islamic adab
* Properties of good Islamic character
* Islam’s influence on cultures around the world
Level 4 (ages 10 or 11)
* Recitation & Tafsir of Surahs in Juz 30
* Phonetically sounding out words with various phonetic rules
* Rites associated with Salah and Ablution
* Strengthening an Islamic identity
* Reviewing the lives of the Prophets
* Describing the character of some of the Sahabah
* Describing Islam’s influence on the arts
* Listing months & events of the Islamic calendar
Fees
Tuition fee for 1st Child: $75/Month
Tuition fee for 2nd Child: $45/Month (40% discount)
Tuition fee for 3rd Child: $35/Month (53% discount)
Tuition fee for 4th Child (and more): $25/Month (67% discount)
Registration Fee (one-time charge): $50 (for 1 Child) & $100 (for 2 or more Children)
Supply Fee: $25 per Child
Payment:
- On the Registration day, you will be required to pay Registration & Supply fees along with the cost of all books that your child/children may need for their levels.
- Fees payment can be made via:
- ACH Debit Payments from your Bank (you will need to provide your bank account info)
- Personal Check (post dated checks required for tuition fee payment for entire academic year)
- Credit/Debit Card or
- Cash
Notes:
- Tuition fee also includes cost of snacks provided to children during break in each session
- Fees will also be utilized to pay for Speakers’ honorarium on special events (generally two such events are planned every year), Volunteers Appreciation Luncheon & technology needs.
- Cost of books is not included in the Tuition fee. It is a separate expense and varies depending on the level your child is enrolled in.
- Tuition fee is due on the 1st of each month, beginning in August, and ending in May.
- Late fee of $10 may be charged if tuition fee is not received by the 5th of each month. This includes declined credit/debit cards & NSF checks. Additional bank fees may also apply.
- There is a 10% discount, only on tuition fee, when paid in full (9 months), at the beginning of the academic year.
- For families in need of any financial assistance, our masjid may provide assistance through an ERF Program. Please talk to the Sunday School Administrator if you want to apply for tuition fee assistance.
Grading Policy
Students are awarded at an Annual Graduation Ceremony based on a combination of their performance in the following areas: Attendance, Homework Assignments completion & Test Grades. Tests are administered every semester (2 semesters), for a total of two tests a year. The overall grade is comprised of Attendance (30%), Homework Assignments (30%) & Tests (40%). For any homework assignments that are turned in late by the student, points are deducted. No make-up homework can be turned in after the date of the Semester test. Homework assignments are provided to students for the entire semester period on a sheet. Although our teachers are encouraged to notify parents and students when they are missing their homework, a lack of notification from the teacher does not constitute an excuse for missed homework. Teachers’ contact information is provided so that parents have the opportunity to contact the teacher to ask any question about their child’s homework assignments. Report cards are also issued to communicate students’ progress.
Dress Code
Female students are expected to wear hijab inside the masjid at all times. Should a female student forget her hijab, extra hijabs are available for borrowing at the masjid. Male students are expected to wear pants and shirts with sleeves while inside the masjid. If shorts are worn by male students, parents should provide a thoub to wear on top of their clothes. Students should avoid tight clothing, tight leggings & short tops. All children are expected to dress neatly and conservatively with no pictures of people or animals on their clothes. If a student comes to school dressed inappropriately, they will be politely reminded of the dress code. However, continued failure to follow the dress code will result in a notification to parents and disciplinary actions.
Attendance Policy
Although students benefit most by attending class every Sunday, the school realizes that children sometimes become ill or have to travel with families on weekends. Therefore, students are allowed up to two excused absences in a year. An absence will be considered excused only when a written note for student is sent by parents via e-mail at sundayschool@ialfm.org. Please note that you must send the note via email before the end of the day on that Sunday that was missed by student in order for the absence to be considered excused. The parent or child is responsible for asking about make-up homework and bringing completed assignments to the teacher. Students with perfect attendance, i.e. no excused or unexcused absences will be eligible for the ‘Perfect Attendance Award’ on Graduation Day. Perfect attendance also includes participation in competitions (where applicable and notified). If a student misses a test and needs a make-up test, student or parents may approach the class-teacher or administrator to arrange for that at a mutually agreed upon time and place. Administering a make-up test is solely at teacher or administrator’s discretion.
Frequently Asked Questions for Parents
We highly recommend that all parents should also review the FAQs over here.
Staff
Our school is run entirely by volunteers from the community. Volunteers are utilized to complete the following tasks and/or fill the following positions to operate school.
* Classroom/Snacks Break setup, supervision & clean-up
* Clerical duties
* Classroom Assistants in Training (for 9th -12th graders)
* Classroom Assistants
* Substitute Teachers
* Classroom Teachers (for Religion & Quran)
* Sunday School Committee Members
Interested in Volunteering for Sunday School?
If you are interested in volunteering for our Sunday School, please complete & submit the Staff Registration Form on our website.
Sunday School Committee
See more info on Sunday School Committee over here.
Contact & Feedback
You can contact the Sunday School Committee or any of its members by sending an email at: sundayschool@ialfm.org
Academic Calendar
Calendar for current academic year is available here.