3rd GRADE

MARCH Character of the Month: 

HONESTY

Honesty leads to righteousness. Righteousness leads to Paradise. 

-- Bukhari

March 13—End of 3rd Quarter

March 16-20—Eid Break

March 26—Eid Festival 

March 26—25-26 Q3 Report Card available to parents, 1st—12th Grade

March 26—25-26 Semester II Progress Report available to parents, Pre-K1-KG

March 27—Daytime Parent Teacher Conference (No School for Students)

Please refer to the school website dupeoria.org and the weekly Friday email sent by school for more detailed information regarding upcoming events.

Jazakallah Khairun to the parents for their efforts in making sure that the Eid Gifts were sent in by Friday. In case your student hasn't already brought in the Eid Gift for Eid Gift Exchange, please send it in by Monday, March 9, 2026. 

Jazakallah Khairun for your support.

EID FESTIVAL 

We are excited to celebrate our 1st Eid Festival at DU, on Thursday, March 26. The day will include a longer assembly, in class crafts, book fair, and a student gift exchange within each class. Students will also participate in games/activities in the gym on a rotating schedule, organized by the H.S Student Council, so that everyone has an opportunity to take part. 

Students involved in performances will also have their final rehearsals. Parents will be invited to attend the student performances from 2:00 PM to 3:15 PM. In addition, the PTO will host a snack sale fundraiser at dismissal. Further details will be shared in a dedicated email closer to the event.

FURQAAN BOOKFAIR

We are pleased to host the Furqaan Book Fair on Thursday, March 26 for our students and parents during the school day, and on Friday, March 27 for parents and Peoria community members. 

This will be a wonderful opportunity to explore the wide selection of Islamic books and educational materials available through Furqaan Bookstore. We encourage families and community members to join us and take part in this event, as a portion of the proceeds will support the school. 

You may explore their website via Furqaan Bookstore USA.

ENROLLMENT FOR THE 2026-27

Enrollment for the next school year will open for current students and their siblings on Friday, March 13. As in the previous school years, the enrollment process will be online via the Daarul Uloom website and will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Open enrollment will begin on April 3.

DU SPORTS TEAM NAME AND LOGO COMPETITION WINNER 

The winner of the Sports Team Name and Logo Competition will be formally announced and recognized on March 26 during the schoolwide Eid Festival. This special acknowledgment will celebrate the creativity and effort demonstrated throughout the competition, and we look forward to honoring the winning submission in front of our entire school community. 

2026 QURAN COMPETITION

The Quran Competition is scheduled for the last week of March, with the final competition on Friday, April 3. Specific details regarding surahs, judging criteria, and schedules will be available this weekend on the Arabic/Quran page of your child's class website. 

MUSHAF BROUGHT TO SCHOOL

Since Ramadan has started, I have observed some students bring in their own copy of Mushaf from home. I greatly appreciate their enthusiasm and love for Qur'aan, however I would like to share with you some concerns:

• The Mushaf is to be brought in with your permission only. When a student brings in the Mushaf, I will assume that it is with your knowledge and permission.

• The school and I take no responsibility for the personal copies of Mushafs. I have observed that the students sometimes take it with them during recess and then forget it there. Loss due to the student's misplacing the Mushaf is not the school's responsibilty. It is on the student. 

• It is important that all Mushafs are clearly labeled with the student's name. 

• Rulings regarding proper handling of the Mushaf are reviewed at home prior to you giving them permission to bring it to school. This review may need to happen every couple of days as a reminder. 

• I am very supportive of fostering and encouraging the student's love for Qur'aan, however I am also put in the uncomfortable situation of taking the Mushaf away from the student because they are not focused on the work that is happening in the class. Recitation should only happen during free time.

• Only quiet recitation is permitted. When someone is reciting aloud, everyone present is required to be attentive. Etiquette require that we are mindful of other people. Our endeavor to earn extra rewards should not result in hardship for others.

Your support and help in this matter would be greatly appreciate.

WEEKLY REMINDER EMAILS:

Please see the Weekly Reminder Emails sent by DU office for details on the following topics:

• • • • • • Pick up Procedure Reminder 

          • 2026-27 Enrollment 

          • 2026 Eid Festival 

          • Student Eid Gift Exchange

          • Gift Exchange Format and Criteria 

          • Gift Wrapping and Submission  

          • Gift Assignment Process 

          • Student Illness Policy

          • Ramadan Tradition: Thawb & Abaya Fridays! 

          • Free Uniform Day Dress Code Policy 

          • 2026 Quran Competition 

          • Reporting Absence 

          • Late Pick-up 

If you are not receiving DU Weekly Reminder Emails, please contact the office immediately so you can be added and thus remain updated. I will now only be posting 3rd graded related details that are not mentioned in the school email to parents.

STUDENT EID GIFT EXCHANGE: DETAILS AND GUIDELINES 

In celebration of Eid, we are pleased to organize a student gift exchange on Thursday, March 26. 

Gift Exchange Format and Criteria 

• Gifts will be exchanged anonymously, with boys exchanging with boys and girls exchanging with girls. 

• Each gift must fall within the $15 to $20 range. This budget ensures fairness and inclusivity. The stated limit should not be exceeded. 

• Please avoid overly personal items such as clothing, perfume, or jewelry. 

• All gifts must be school appropriate and age appropriate. 

• Items that promote violence, inappropriate language, or unsafe materials are not permitted. 

• Food items are not allowed due to allergy considerations. 

• Gifts should be thoughtful and respectful of cultural and religious values. 

Gift Wrapping and Submission 

• Gifts must be placed in a gift bag and NOT wrapped. 

• The student’s name (the giver) should be clearly labeled on a piece of paper and placed inside the bag. 

• The administration or homeroom teacher will review each gift to ensure it meets the stated criteria. 

• All gifts must be submitted to the homeroom teacher no later than March 2. 

Gift Assignment Process 

• Students will be assigned a number at random by their teacher. 

• Each student will receive the gift corresponding to their assigned number. 

CHRONIC TARDIES

I have some students who are coming in late to school pretty much everyday. What might be a 5 minute tardy to you, please consider that time it would take for the student to get to the class from the time you dropped them off, then they have to unpack and put away things before they are settled and ready for class. So you are looking at additional 5 - 10 minutes of lost class time. Total 10-15 minutes of lost class time. The school assembly starts at 7:45. We are in the classroom at 8.  In the morning assembly, after morning recitations and Adkar, some important school based information is shared. Once we are in the room,  at the very beginning of the class, I share important information. For example, this Friday I went over what to expect during spelling bee. Some rules and expectations were clarified. Six tardies are considered 1 day of unexcused absence. Some students were not on honor roll list due to their excessive tardies and absences. Please let's make an effort to be here on time. Jazakallah Khairun for your support.

ROOM PARENT NEEDED

I am looking for a room parent for 3rd grade to help organize the following:

• 3rd grade Bake Sale in April (This will be 2nd and 3rd grade bake sale)

• End of School Year Picnic (during the last week of school)

The main duty of the room parent is to contact other 3rd grade parents and help organize the logistics and other details for the above mentioned events. This can be done from home. Yes, you can get volunteer hours for this. Please email me you would like to sign up for this or if you have any questions. Even if it is your first time doing this, I have found that 3rd grade parents are simply amazing in their support and sharing their experience.

Jazakallah Khairun for your support.

PLASTIC ZIPLOCK BAGS

When the students are unable to finish their snack, they ask me for a zip lock bag. I ask the students to leave the zip lock bags in their lunch bags for future use. Same goes for the zip lock bags in which the students bring money for bake sales. I ask them to store them in their lunch bags for future use. This is to teach the students not to waste and to reuse items whenever possible. Your support  and continued teaching at home would be greatly appreciated.

SCHOOL UNIFORM

Recently there has been an increase in uniform policy violations, particularly among our boys, and we want to kindly remind all families of the school's dress code to ensure a focused and cohesive learning environment.

Key Uniform Guidelines

Please ensure your child adheres to the following:

• Non-PE Days: Track pants and joggers are not permitted for any student.

• Elementary Girls: Must wear the navy-blue jumper with a light blue shirt underneath.

• Cold Weather Attire (Colder Weather):

  • Elementary students and Middle School Boys are only to wear a navy-blue sweatshirt in the classroom.

  • Middle School Girls are to wear a black sweatshirt over their abayas.

• Coats and Jackets:

  • Coats are not permitted in the classroom unless there is a confirmed issue with the HVAC system.

  • Elementary students should hang their coats in the cubbies outside their classrooms.

  • Middle and High School students should store their coats in their lockers.

Your support in reinforcing these guidelines at home is greatly appreciated. Consistent adherence to the uniform policy helps maintain a positive and respectful learning atmosphere for all students. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school office. Thank you for your cooperation!

COLD GEAR

With the shift to cooler temperatures, please remember to send your child to school dressed appropriately for the weather. It is essential that they dress in layers each day. This allows them to stay warm during outdoor activities and easily adjust their clothing as the temperature changes throughout the school day. Please ensure your child brings a jacket daily. Also, a specific reminder: all students should bring their navy-blue sweater with them every day. Thank you for your cooperation in helping us keep our students warm and comfortable. PLEASE LABEL ALL HOODIES, CARDIGANS, JACKETS, GLOVES, HATS, AND HIJABS WITH YOUR STUDENT'S NAME. Our Lost and Found keeps increasing because students can't identify their belongings. Please check Lost and Found on regular basis.

WUDU AND SALAH

We pray Dhuhr in school everyday. I need your help in this:

1. Please make sure that your student makes Wudu in the morning and then puts on socks after drying their feet. I have already reviewed the steps of Wudu in class and how to do masah (wiping over socks) especially in school. Your help and support in review and reinforcement would be greatly appreciated. The students do not have time to take their socks off to make Wudu, then dry their feet and put on socks. The students use the restrooms that are attached to the gym ONLY when they have recess. The restrooms in the school wing do not have sit-down Wudu making area like the gym ones. 

2. Please continue to review salah at home. We do go over it in school regularly. Any areas that we see that the students are struggling in, we reteach. 

3. The students were amazing during this Friday prayers. The boys who prayed in the men's musallah area got complimented by Ms. Saba Fatima. She supervises the boys during Salah. The girls were upstairs with me. We have 5 minutes discussion about the Khutbah after we came back to class. The discussion focusses on things they learned or remembered that were mentioned in the Khutbah. We did this the first Friday in school, and this last Friday the students couldn't wait to be back in class and share. I am glad to report that they were really  paying attention, and some remembered points from previous one.  

BLUE FOLDERS

The blue folders with the graded work be sent home on Mondays. Regular classroom work is to be kept at home, whereas quizzes and tests (or anything marked "please sign and return') are to be sent back with your signature on them. Please make sure that the folders are returned by Friday or following Monday at the latest. I can not send papers home without the folders. Email me if you have any questions about any paper sent home. 

In class, we follow the procedure for class corrections. The students for do their work in pencil, and then later we review together. This is when the students use the blue pens. They can correct any mistakes they made or complete questions they didn't do. Sometimes, I may even ask them to do one or two things extra as a review. As long as the students have corrected and finished their work, I do not take any points. If there are spelling mistakes, missing additional work I asked, or missing corrections, I take points off. They can see my work displayed on the Smartboard. So when you see classwork with work done in blue by your student, that is them doing corrections. This practice gives us an idea of what the students actually know without them worrying about the grade. 

VOLUNTEERING

Junior Achievement is one of those programs that 3rd graders love and look forward to. I am looking forward to a volunteer to lead this. All the materials are provided for. 5-6 sessions by the first week of December. We can work out a schedule that is convenient to you.

ROOM PARENT: Looking for someone to take this position. Their main job is to co-ordinate with other parents and organize events. During the school year, 3rd grade ha sthree main events: 2 semester parties and 1 bake sale.

AT HOME VOLUNTEERING: If you are looking for volunteering work that you can do at home, please let me know.

GUEST READERS/ ARTS AND CRAFTS: If you would like to come and read to the class or come teach art or craft, please let me know. We would love to have you.

Also, join the DU PTO! Their support make many things possible in school.

EARLY PICK-UP

If you need to pick-up your student early, I request you to please let me know if possible a day before or early in the morning the day of. I do not check my email at all when I am in the class. That time is for the students only. When I know in advance, I can make sure that your student is prepared and ready to go. Your support in this is greatly appreciated. Jazakullah Khairun.

DAILY PLANNER

On Friday, your student should have come home with a notebook marked as DAILY PLANNER. This is for every day communication. It is also help the students become more organized and independent when it comes to school. I would appreciate it if parents took a few minutes to check it everyday. Your initials would tell me that you reviewed the information sent home. More will be explained on "Back to School" Night.

LIABILITY WAIVER FORM

If you haven't yet signed liability waiver form for your student, please let me know. I can send the form home. It is one form per family.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Jazakallah Khairun for sending in the school supplies. Only the following school supplies are collected for community use in 3rd grade:

1. copy paper

2. Kleenex boxes/ Tissue boxes

3. Wipes

4. Pencils

The rest of the supplies are kept by the students for their own use. Each student has desk space and a drawer to store their immediate use. Extra supplies are kept in storage which they have access to should they need them. If later in the year, your student comes to you that they are running short on something, please note that your student was the only one to use them. Glue sticks are often the things many students run short of. If you want to take advantage of the ongoing clearance sales right now, I would highly encourage you to do so. I have already stocked up on this as back up supply.

WEEKLY QUESTION:

Dear 3rd Graders,

Do you want to earn an extra planner point? Click on the linked date below and answer the question(s) correctly. The question must be correctly answered by 8p.m. of Sunday, March 1, 2026.

FEBRUARY 28, 2026