Welcome to 5th Grade!

Dear Parents and Students, 


Assalamu ‘alaikum! From all of us on the 5th Grade Team, we hope that you enjoyed your summer break! We are excited to welcome you to the Fifth Grade and we look forward to seeing you on the first day of school (Wednesday, August 16th). The theme at GIS this year is "Perseverance to Excellence: Ihsan", and we will strive to instill this theme in our daily activities inshaAllah. Aside from all of the in-class activities, this year holds many adventures for our fifth graders, including the chance to join the GIS AAA Safety Patrol Team and the overnight trip to YMCA Camp Campbell in Boulder Creek. 


To our students: Fifth Grade is a wonderful time in your life. You will experience an incredible amount of growth and have many opportunities to excel throughout the year. The fifth-grade teachers will be working as a team to help ensure your continued development at GIS. Our goal is to help you work towards achieving skills such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. 


The supply list for the school year has been updated and can be found by following the embedded link. Please make sure that you have labeled all of your supplies and materials, and we hope to see all of you on Thursday, August 31st for our Back to School Night inshaAllah. 


Sincerely, 


The Fifth Grade Team

 

 Introducing your 5th Grade Teachers for the 2023-24....... 

Aliya Junaid

My students call me Khala Aliya. I am 5A homeroom and your child’s Math Teacher this year. This is my 8th year in Granada and my 21st year as a teacher. I have taught grades 2nd to high school students. I am a civil engineer & worked as an engineer for a few years in construction management. I also hold a bachelors in Mathematics. I enjoy nature, cooking, hiking, and exploring places with family. I am excited to be your child’s teacher and looking forward to a fun and beneficial year with them inshallah.

Sophia Asiff-5B Homeroom Teacher

Salam 😊! My name is Ms. Sophia and I will be your child's Language Arts and Social Studies teacher for this school year. This will be my 12th year teaching 5th grade at GIS. I was born and raised in Alberta, Canada, and graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Education in 2001. I look forward to getting to know your child this year inshaAllah. 

“Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Universe.” 

Zeba Haq

I am Khala Zeba. I will be your science teacher this year. I fell in love with teaching when I was an elementary student and would pretend to be a teacher back then!! I officially started teaching in 1985, I have been teaching since then!  This is my 20th year at GIS, and my 32nd year of teaching overall. I am excited to start the new year and looking forward to seeing you all inshAllah.


Samia Soubra

I'll be your child's Arabic Teacher for the non- heritage level. This is my 21st year at Granada Islamic School. I was born in Georgia & raised in Lebanon. I'll be teaching 5th non-heritage, 8th her. & Arabic 6 in High School. Also, I'll be the Arabic Department Head. I hold a

bachelor's degree in English Lang. & Lit., multiple and single subject credentials & Masters in Cross-cultural Teaching. I have 3 children: Ibrahim, Maryam, & Sarah. I enjoy traveling, swimming, skiing, hiking, reading children’s magazines & exploring new places. 

Dana Helweh

Assalamu Alaikum, 

I will be your child's Arabic Teacher for the Heritage level. This is my 12th year at Granada as a full-time teacher. I teach 5th-grade Arabic and 6th Grade Math & Arabic. I have a BA Degree in Mathematics, a Minor in Philosophy, MA in Educational Leadership, and 2 single subject Credentials in Arabic & Math. I am so happy to meet all of my students and I want them to know that each and every one of them is a uniquely special individual. I look forward to meeting you all, Insha Allah!

Assalamu Alaikum, 

I am Asmaa Almannai, I will be your child's Arabic Teacher for the school year. As a mother of 3 kids, born in the US, I am fully aware of what challenges both parents and kids face when learning Arabic, that’s why I always try my best to make the learning experience as fun and as simple as possible. I have a B.A. Degree in the Arabic language from Tripoli University and this is my 5th year at Granada as an Arabic teacher. I will be teaching 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, and 8th grade this year. I am happy to meet all of my students and I look forward to meeting you all, Insha Allah!

asmaaa@granadaschool.org

Imran Vaid

Assalam U Alykum,

 I will be your child's Quran Teacher for Level 1. This is my 10th year at GIS. 

Something about me:

 I am so excited to meet you all and have them in my class this year. Insha’Allah we will have a fabulous year connecting ourselves with the Holy Quran. I hope to see you all next week. 

WaSalam

      Zineb Nait-Mohamed 

         zinebn@granadaschool.org



Assalamu Alaikum,

My name is Zineb Nait-Mohamed and I am privileged to teach Quran and Tajweed for level 1. I have taught these subjects for the past 5 years at Granada Islamic School for grades 5 through 8. I have a  B.A in Biology.

I have been studying the Quran for the past 20 years and by the blessing of Allah SWT I was able to learn and get Ijazah for the 10 Qira'at of the Quran and  I am excited to share my knowledge with my students. 

I am from Algeria and have 3 boys. I enjoy going on hikes and love nature. 

I look forward to getting to know all my students and having a successful year with them. 

Judy Cha

Assalamu Alaikum!

My name is Judy Cha, and as the GIS Librarian, I will insha'Allah be sharing wondrous stories through picture books and novels with your child this year. In our weekly library classes, when we read and recall text, we will be delving into the author's purpose behind their stories, as well as doing activities to reinforce learnings. My goal with each lesson is for your child to gain newfound life perspective from their point of view. We also relate relevant story themes to our deen, and students share their takeaways, giving their insights to ties to a moral Islamic character as seen in the Prophet (saw). I have been working at GIS for the past seven years as the librarian, in addition to teaching research to middle school for the past five. I have my BA in Sociology from UCLA, and my Master's in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University. I love to play basketball, read, do creative writing, and study the Quran. I look forward to meeting new students in my class, and I hope to connect with your child on all levels on the GIS campus. Looking forward to another fantastic year!

Sahar Wazwaz

Islamic Studies Teacher

My name is Sahar Wazwaz, I will be teaching IS. 

I am a mother of three kids. I have my B.A degree in English language and literature. I was born and raised in Jerusalem/ Palestine.  I have been teaching Arabic, Islamic Studies, and Quran  in Granada for ten years. Islamic Studies is my favorite subject to teach. 

Looking forward to a wonderful year ahead of us. 

saharw@granadaschool.org




Coach Fatima Abdel-Wahab (PE)

My name is Fatima Abdel-Wahab, your son or daughter's PE teacher for this year! My years of experience as a student-athlete and teacher allow me to create a dynamic and diverse physical education curriculum that instills the love of play, practice, and partnership in every activity. My educational mantra is 'teach as you would like to be taught.' In other words, I combine the technical skills of movement and motor skills with the joy and spirit of childhood fun. On a personal note, I graduated from CSUEB in 2015 with a B.A. degree in Human Development. Since then, I have led youth groups for Muslim girls and taught P.E. at Islamic schools. My hobbies include walking on the beach and watching dazzling sunsets with my husband and two little girls.  

Sanam R (Computer Science)

Assalam Alaykum,

 I will be teaching Computer Science to grades 5 through 8. In addition, I am assigned to be a homeroom Co-Teacher for Grade 2B. I hold a BS in Business Administration (Accounting), a degree in Computer Information Technology, and General Education. In my professional career, I have worked at the Girls Scouts of America in Administration for over four years. I have taught at multiple Islamic schools for over four years and this will be my second-year teaching at GIS. I have volunteered for various causes to include women empowerment, social work, community projects, and civic duties, and served as a Board Member of an Islamic Association. I love nature, outdoors, cooking and learning Quran. With this year’s theme of Perseverance of excellence (Ihsan), I look forward to an amazing school year ahead.

  

Resources

Please check the links below for helpful resources:

School forms