We are excited to introduce FVAMC Academy. This is our Center’s weekend learning academy for students K-12. Below is a brief narrative about FVAMC Academy.

In designing our educational program, we started with the question: “what would I like my child to be like at eighteen years of age relative to his/her character and relationship with Allah?” We then worked backward to the beginning to create a path that connects the end points.

The Education Committee believes that an eighteen year old graduating from FVAMC Academy should be someone who: loves God sincerely, is a model Muslim who espouses Islamic ideals and strives to practice them, is a caring and positive member of the Muslim and human community, has been empowered to make decisions based on Islamic values, draws strength from religion and community, is proud to be Muslim, and has formed quality life-long Muslim friends.

The mission of FVAMC Academy is to offer a quality weekend learning experience that is firmly rooted in our principle to serve God and build community and immersed in an atmosphere of mutual respect, compassion, and caring for all.

The Goal of FVAMC Academy is to offer students the opportunity to develop their relationship with and servitude to God (ubudiyah) and serve society through a responsible and effective citizenship.

FVAMC Academy’s core values are:

• Respect for all in the human family.
• Inclusiveness.
• Understanding of “others” through dialogue. and good works.
• Civic engagement.
• Being agents of change.

•  Aim 1 – Develop a strong Muslim identity and belonging to FVAMC. This means that students:
  • Develop resiliency through a healthy self-esteem, genuine love for and pride in their American identity and Islamic tradition, and moderation in their spiritually.
  • Develop a strong connection to the Muslim community by caring for it, taking responsibility for its continued well-being and growth, and drawing benefit from it. A community they feel “at home” in; a community where they feel wanted, safe, nurtured, respected, and valued for who they are; and a community that they can fall back on and know it is there for them when they need it.
  • Develop a strong peer support system and group of friends, with whom they share a common believe and value system, aspirations and sorrows, and successes and setbacks.
• Aim 2 – Develop a strong connection to the society at large. This means that students:
  • Understand and respect other faiths and value every fellow human being for who they are.
  • Are responsible citizens with genuine love and compassion for the well-being and prosperity of the homeland.

• Aqeeda (creed/dogma) through a thorough understanding of the five articles of faith: belief in God, angels, holy books, messengers, the hereafter, and Qada Wa Qadar.
• Rituals performed out of a deep sense of love and closeness to God and His prophet – peace be upon him – through practice of the five pillars of Islam: Shahada (testimony of the Uniqueness of God Almighty and the finality of the Message of Prophet Mohammad), Salah (prayer), Zakah/Sadaqa (Alms/Charity), Hajj (pilgrimage), Siyam Ramadan (fasting the month of Ramadan).
• Tawheed (Uniqueness of God) – its meaning and implications in our daily lives.
• Science of the Qur’an through reading the Qur’an in Arabic, study and memorization of Surahs (chapters).
• Seerah (Biography) of the Prophet and Islamic history; how Islam and Muslims have helped shape history in the areas of Mathematics, Science and Medicine.
• Islam and Muslim in America.
• Arabic reading and writing.
• Intra- and inter-faith study and engagement (higher level class).
• Outdoor Play/Socialization. Students will have the opportunity to participate in a host of recreational activities while school is in session in order to form and cement bonds of friendships.

The Academy is guided by a Board of Education from community members and parents. The Academy is directed by a Principal and Registrar. Classes are taught by qualified and caring teachers. Most of our teachers and staff are paid. Please refer to the Student/Parent Handbook for current teachers and staff.

Islamic education has traditionally been taught by conveying a fixed set of information to be memorized, rather than living experiences to transform one’s character. For example, a common methodology widely used today in weekend learning programs focuses on teaching the same topic across all grades, and gradually adding new material and nuances to each higher grade. The repetitive nature of this approach seems aimed at helping students memorize, or at least remember the salient points of the lesson. However, we believe this approach is deficient and short-sighted. First, teaching the same material every year will undoubtedly miss other material that may be equally important. Second, the repetitive nature and the perception by students of the information as being outdated and irrelevant engender boredom and disengagement from the learning process. It’s no surprise that many Muslims – young and old – treat Islamic education as an abstract set of information devoid of any relevance to their situation or daily lives. Yet when asked, most Muslims have no problem regurgitating the virtues and ideals of Islam. This gap between values and practice must be addressed if we are to engage our students again on their path to the beautiful tradition of Islam.

The Taribyah Project Framework was proposed in 2007 by Dr. Dawud Tauhidi to address this problem. The Tarbiyah Project Framework takes a more holistic view of the child and the educational system. It aims to impart transformative knowledge to the child in an integrative way with the expressed goal of bridging the wide divide between values and practice. As noted by the Dr. Tauhidi, “The project founders believe strongly that a program of Islamic values education is the heart of the Islamic education process and the best cure for the moral crisis of Muslim society today.” (For a detailed treatment of the Tarbiyah Project Framework, refer to APPENDIX 1.

Given the holistic and organic nature of this approach, FVAMC Academy has adopted the Tarbiyah Project methodology and will strive to implement it in all of its activities. We have selected the weekend learning book series published by the Islamic Services Foundation (https://www.myislamicbooks.com/ ), which designed its books/curriculum based on the Taribyah Project and field tested it at Bright Horizon Academy, a Full-time Islamic School in Texas. The Series is used at countless Weekend and Full-time schools. Their books are of the highest quality with professional graphics design and glossy paper. The books present material in an integrated fashion whereby Islamic history, Hadeeth, Quran Sciences, Seerah (Biography of the Prophet and history of early Islam) are discussed holistically. Each level has a textbook, a worksheet book, and a parent/teacher guide. Students will be required to purchase the textbook and workbook, whereas the teacher/parent guide will be optional, but highly recommended for parents who wish to be part of their child’s learning experience. They curriculum is divided into three age groups:

1.  I Love Islam Early Childhood – Level 5 (Elementary School Levels).
2. Learning Islam Level 1-3 (Middle School Levels).
3. Living Islam 1-7 (High School Levels).

In addition, we are offering an Arabic and Quran Enrichment Program (AQEB) that is open to all registered students in the second grade and older. In order to attend this class, students must be able to read and write fluently in English. This class will be held on Sundays immediately after the noon prayer and will comprise three levels: I-III. The goal of Level I is to teach the alphabets, along with the short and long vowels.  Students will master the Arabic alphabet and sound system and be able to distinguish and pronounce all Arabic sounds. In Level 2, students will build on what they learned in Level I and build up their vocabulary, naming the days of the week, months, seasons, parts of the body, birds and animals, colors, and counting one to twenty. At the end of the years, students will be able to read three- and four-letter words with ease. Level III is a continuation of Level II and will emphasize the grammatical and structural components of the language. Student will be able to understand spoken Arabic, read a variety of texts written in Arabic, and have limited ability to write and converse in Arabic.