A Y E A R I N R E V I E W

3 UNITY GRAMMARYEARBOOK 2019

ENJOYALL THE

UNITYGRAMMARMEMORIES


ENJOYALL THE

UNITYGRAMMARMEMORIES

Executive Messages

College Captains Message

Graduating Classes of 2019

Unity Grammar Staff Members

Parent Volunteers

Student Shurah Council

Junior School Departments

Junior School Events and Excursions

Senior School Faculties

Senior School Events and Excursions

Junior School Athletics Carnival

Senior School Athletics Carnival

Camps

Eid Festival

STEM

Robotics

Harmony Day

Gifted and Talented Program

Cambodia

Umrah

Indonesia Exchange Visit

Sports

Junior School Roll Classes

Senior School Roll Classes

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6UNITY GRAMMAR YEARBOOK 2019

Executive Messages

MESSAGE FROM CEO

Our vision at Unity Grammar is to provide the finest leaders and citizens of the future. Our Islamic faith drives the pursuit of excellence and a steadfast com-mitment to quality education. This year at Unity Grammar represented the com-mencement of several new initiatives, many which were in response to student, staff and community con-sultation. The College Board and I, together with our Executive team, have developed a 10-year Strategic Plan for Unity Grammar. This strategic plan focuses on 5 key priorities:

1. Islamic Faith2. Student and Staff Wellbeing3. Quality Teaching and Learning4. Community Engagement5. Sustainable Infrastructure and Operations

Throughout the year all staff have made valuable con-tributions to these 5 priority areas, which have resulted in many outstanding achievements. Some of these key achievements for 2019 include:

• The development of 6 targets towards providing the best Islamic Studies program in Australia

• An outstanding Ramadan program which culmi-nated with our exciting Eid Festival

• Visits to our College by Amal Kassir and Mufti Menk• The College Umrah trip to Mecca and Medina• The development of a K-12 Quality Teaching and

Learning framework which will prepare our teach-ers to deliver the latest techniques and methodol-ogy to allow our students to challenge themselves and think deeper about their learning

• The development of a K-12 Wellbeing Program that will be aligned with PDHPE and Islamic Stud-ies, and include important programs such as an-ti-bullying

• Leadership opportunities for students at a range of community events such as caring for people with disability, the aged and feeding the homeless

• Introducing a KPI and continuous improvement system for our committed staff

• Further improvements in NAPLAN results• Two of our robotics teams finishing in the top 10 in

Australia, then representing Australia at an interna-tional competition in the USA

• Increased levels of student participation and suc-cess in a greater range of sports

• The completion of a stakeholder (students, staff and parents) survey. This survey provided an op-portunity for all stakeholders to consider and pro-vide feedback on aspects of the College’s effec-tiveness. Findings from this research have informed proposed work for 2020 and beyond.

• An improved level of communication with our community

• The introduction of our College podcast ‘Unity Voice’• Our alumni service-learning trip to Cambodia• Preparation of a Master Plan, aiming to provide

new buildings and an outstanding new learning environment for our students.

These initiatives will bring long-term positive outcomes for our College. Unity Grammar continues to value a well-rounded education, one that emphasises a range of experiences.

We have placed an emphasis on student data track-ing from Kindergarten to Year 12 and this has assisted the College to begin the early stages of personalised learning for each student. Our goal has been to ensure every student is known.

The connection of our students in the life of the Col-lege and within the Australian community, continued to be a very important focus. Unity Grammar is charac-terised by a strong culture of the core values of integri-ty, sincerity and allegiance. These values enabled each student to pursue their Islamic faith and participate in College activities based to their own interests and abil-ity. We will continue to prepare students for life after school.

Unity Grammar values its community and continues to foster a sense of family in its engagement between stu-dents, staff, alumni and parents.

Thank you to our wonderful students, dedicated staff, supportive parents and committed Directors of the College Board who have contributed to the growth of our students at Unity Grammar and we look forward to continued success in the years to come.

Aaron BoydChief Executive Officer


Executive Messages

HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL

What a fantastic year it has been! Students at Unity Grammar have been provided with an array of learn-ing and engaging experiences that allows ever child the opportunity to flourish. Whether it was within the classroom, participation in a project, event or cele-bration, students were immersed in the learning.

Unity Grammar certainly left no stone unturned in 2019. Testament to this, is the students who partici-pated in the GAT project, sport competitions, Robot-ics, debating, community service and much more. They are the mirror of achieving student outcomes.

I would like to take the opportunity to show my appreciation to the dedicated staff we have in SS. Thank you! Thank you for planning and delivering enriching opportunities for our students and making every decision based on student outcomes.

2020 will be a year of further growth and develop-ment. The school continues to embark on the School Improvement Plan. The focus on Quality Teaching & Learning framework and a comprehensive Wellbe-ing program will see students participating in deep-er targeted wellbeing activities.

Thank you to the parents and families who put faith in the school and we look forward to building our relationships and interaction with you in 2020.

Please keep safe over the holidays, enjoy the break, spend it well with your loved ones and be certainly prepared for an even better and bigger educational journey next year inshaAllah.

MR WASSIM ZOABIHead of Senior School

YEARBOOK 2019

Executive Messages

HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL

Assalamu alaykum dear parents,

Looking back on this fast paced, highly productive term gives me a critical op-portunity to engage in gratitude.

I am grateful for the following programs, initiatives and events that helped build stronger connections between us and helped build staff and student capacity.

Swim SchemeOver 300 students participated in our annual Swim Scheme. As an is-land nation, it’s important to prepare our students to be safe in the water. Students learnt and practiced critical swimming skills during the week-long intensive program.

Grandparent’s DayOur first ever grandparent’s day was a wonderful opportunity for students to engage their adoring grandparents in the school. Through in class activities, story reading and performances, we showed our appreciation of the value grandparents add to our lives.

Harmony CupUnity Grammar has become a for-midable force in the sporting arena. Our stage 3 boys team and girls team went on to win and retain the Harmo-ny Cup shield in an extremely tough competition that stretched their sport-ing abilities.

Teaching and LearningThere has been a significant focus on enhancing the learning experience for students by upskilling teachers through targeted and strategic pro-fessional learning.

Book Fair & Premier’s Reading Chal-lengePromoting a love of reading is one of our big and ongoing priorities. When students love to read, this assists all aspects of their lives. The book fair and PRC are 2 ways this was achieved this term.

Celebrating Student LearningThe Year 6 Graduation, end of term certificates and medallions as well as end of year assemblies are examples of how we celebrate student success. We are so proud of our students!

MRS OLA ISSAHead of Junior School

8UNITY GRAMMAR


Executive Messages

HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL

Kindergarten OrientationOur incoming kindergarteners and their families engaged in 3 sessions designed to prepare them for a suc-cessful start to schooling. With the entire JS leadership team, counsel-ling team and executives on board, a great program was delivered.

RoboticsAt the FIRST Australia regional robot-ics tournament at Bossley Park High School, STEM Cells Z won the Inno-vative Project Presentation trophy and were one of 6 teams to advance to National FLL tournament set to take place at Macquarie University.

Wellbeing Show: Sticks and StonesAs part of our efforts to promote stu-dent wellbeing, the Sticks and Stones show engaged students in addressing the emotion of anger in a constructive and fun way. These shows are having a powerful and positive impact on our students.

Music IncursionThe first of its kind at UG, the music incursion allowed students to explore concepts within the scope of our Is-lamic ethos and stretch their knowl-edge and skills.

Gifted and Talented ProgramStudents in stage 3 were given the chance to engage in a yearlong pro-ject in an area of interest. The exhibi-tion showcased their impressive work and the process they went through to promote their understanding.

Consultancy SupportWe have engaged expert consultants to work with teachers to plan and deliver focused, engaging and stu-dent-centered programs in Science and Technology and other areas.


Executive Messages

HEAD OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

For much of the 37 years of Islamic schooling in Aus-tralia there has at times been an unfounded percep-tion that these types of schools are bastions of con-servatism with little or no interaction with the local wider community around them. The newly founded department of community engagement seeks to in-tegrate the students of Unity Grammar with their local communities and beyond.

Central to this has been a comprehensive approach to service learning which can be described as a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful com-munity service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.

During 2019 students in both the junior and senior school have been busy in a number of initiatives that gave them new experiences in the local community and beyond

Junior School

• Gallipoli Aged Care Home Visits• Youth Leadership day with students from public,

independent and Catholic schools• Youth summit with leaders from other Islamic

schools

Senior School

• Package and distribute food to Sydney’s homeless twice a term

• Collect and distribute sleeping bags to the home-less in Sydney

• Host a multifaith iftar with other schools from other faith traditions

• Participate in a variety of activities with • Prepare and serve food at the Uniting Church

Exodus Foundation for Sydney’s homeless with schools of other faith based traditions

• Host Indonesian exchange students• Prepare and distribute food hampers to needy

families• Community service in the Islamic and wider com-

munity• Perform the Umrah pilgrimage to the holy cities of

Mecca and Madinah• Deliver a humanitarian aid program with the Alum-

ni to impoverished communities in Cambodia• Attend leadership and community events at other

schools and community organisations• Participate in United Nations leadership forum• Visit NGO’s, members of parliament and other

community leaders

OSMAN KAROLIAHead of Community Engagement


Executive Messages

HEAD OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

• Start a podcast by the students for the Unity Gram-mar community

• Participate in team activities with Holy Spirit Catho-lic College as part of the Wise Up Program.

• Expanded the orphan sponsorship program to 72 orphans in 5 countries

Diversity is a key component of a successful commu-nity service-learning program. By working with people of different ethnicities, lifestyles, and socioeconomic statuses, a student’s learning and tolerance will in-crease and by serving in a diverse learning environ-ment, students are more likely to reduce stereotypes and increase their cultural appreciation. This can help students learn how to more effectively serve a broader array of people.

As a part of the community engagement experience in 2019 Unity Grammar established a number of key stra-tegic relationships with a variety of entities including

• Other schools• Community organisations and charities• Local government• Emergency Services (NSW Police and NSWSES)• Sporting organisations including the Canterbury

Bankstown Bulldogs and GWS Sydney• Business sponsors for the Cambodia and Umrah

initiatives.• Host local and international speakers including

Amal Kassir and Mufti Menk

A feature of community engagement initiatives has to be inclusive by involving as large a number of students to participate in activities.

I thank students, staff, parents and the wider community for their support in 2019 and look forward to another huge year in community engagement in 2020.


Executive Messages

HEAD OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

“Education is not preparation for life, it is life” – John Dewey

Recently, Forbes Magazine listed the “ability to learn” as the number 1 skill needed by students, now, and long into the future. Recognising the need to shift and refocus our traditional teaching and learning at Unity Grammar, the College made a commitment to invest in staff whose key responsibil-ity was to work with teachers to change the current teaching and learning paradigm.

In 2019, with the help and support of executives, Heads of Department, Coordinators, and teach-ers, as Head of Teaching and Learning, I began a collaborative journey of reimagining what learning might look at UG. Based on current research in soci-etal and education trends, we created a framework which encapsulates our vision for our learners. The Unity Grammar Teaching and Learning Framework will not only direct us in planning learning for our students, it will also guide us in building the capac-ity of our teachers.

RUQQIYA DEANHead of Teaching and Learning

While we have already begun the journey with all staff having learned about the Teaching for Under-standing Framework-- which sits at the heart of the UG Quality Teaching and Learning Framework-- we understand that effective change is slow. We need to bring all our teachers on the journey. To that end, we have in place a strategic plan with key annual milestones to realise our vision by 2023.

A significant factor which will help us to achieve our vision, is the upgrade and access to technology for both our staff and our learners: in 2019 the Col-lege replaced our student management system with a cloud-based system which allows for easier and improved tracking of student learning. As well, UG has been fortunate enough to be given access to free consultation from Microsoft to help us to use Teams as a Learning Management System. For stu-dents with BYOD access, it will allow teachers to better track student learning as well as provide a focussed way for students to seek help and support both from peers and teachers.

While in 2019 we laid the groundwork, in 2020 we envisage continuing to action the targeted strate-gies that we have planned to set up our students to succeed at the most important future skill—the ability to learn.


College Captains Message

COLLEGE CAPTAINS MESSAGE

Assalamu aalaykum wa rahmata allahi wa barakatuhu,

As the graduating captains of 2019, we firstly appre-ciate the amazing experiences and countless mem-ories Unity Grammar has given us. There has been no shortage of excursions, sport events, community service and in-school initiatives equipping us with the skills to be the finest leaders and citizens of to-morrow.

The ‘family’ bond this college has given us has made our final year of schooling so much more bearable – there has not been a shortage of smiles and laughter.

To all our teachers, on behalf of the Class of 2019, we cannot express our gratitude for absolutely everything you have done for us. From respond-ing to our late-night messages, getting through the inundation of marking and most importantly for greeting us with a warm smile every time we walked through those classroom doors.

To our parents there are not enough words in the English language to express our gratitude to all that you have done for us. Thank you for all the care, compassion, effort and love you have shown us. By the will of Allah SWT, we are the products of your hard work, effort, time and tears. For that we are indebted to every single mother and father, the driv-ing forces of our lives.

On behalf of the entire Class of 2019 - it is certain-ly with a heavy heart that we say goodbye. Whilst we are excited about the journey ahead we are also saddened by what we are leaving behind.

For the very last time, thank you to our Unity Gram-mar family – we promise to do our very best to make you proud!

Serene Khalaf & Aref Hafza2019 Senior School Captains


Graduating Class of 2019

YEAR 12 GRADUATION

On the 24th of September Unity Grammar bid farewell to the Class of 2019. Students celebrated the comple-tion of 13 years of schooling amongst proud parents, family, friends and teachers at the official Graduation Ceremony and Formal Dinner. Unity Grammar is incredibly proud of the graduating Class of 2019 and wishes them nothing but success in the HSC and beyond.



YEAR 12 GRADUATION



YEAR 6 GRADUATION


Staff

STAFF MEMBERS 2019

All Staff


Staff

STAFF MEMBERS 2019

Executive Team Photo

Accounts and Operations

Administration Team


All Staff Photos

STAFF MEMBERS 2019

Uniform and Canteen Staff

Board Members


Parent Volunteers

PARENT VOLUNTEER

Parent Volunteer

AsSalamu Alaykum,

As the head of the Unity Grammar parent volunteers I would like to extend my many thanks to all the Parents involved in supporting Unity Grammar in 2019. From the exciting excursions to the many fundraisers and sau-sage sizzles, the parent volunteers continuously go above and beyond to ensure the success of Unity Grammar. Looking forward to another new and exciting year in 2020.

Sincerely, Carly McQualter



JUNIOR SCHOOL SHURAH COUNCIL

Junior School Student Shura Council

Junior School Captains and Vice



SENIOR SCHOOL SHURAH COUNCIL

Senior School Student Shura Council

Year 12 Prefects



LIBRARY

Assalamu Alaikum

Another fantastic year in the library has come to an end. We have had many successful events including the Islamic Bookfair and Scholastic Bookfair. I thank all the parents that contributed to make them a success. We have also had our Premiere Reading Challenge and I was happy to give out all the wonderful prizes to all students that participated.

I was pleased to give Merit awards to all students that constantly borrowed throughout the year.



JUNIOR SCHOOL LEARNING SUPPORT DEPARTMENT

Literacy

Reading

Our Learning Support team have had the oppor-tunity to work with students from K-2 to enhance reading skills. Parents that have worked closely with classroom teachers and the learning support staff this year have seen steady progress. Students were required to attend 4 sessions per week with support teachers who implemented the MiniLit program. We have had ample success with this program over the years at Unity Grammar because it allows stu-dents to learn within small group interactions via ex-plicit and research-based strategies. The highlight has been seeing children enjoy reading and achieve grade benchmarks. We are proud of the welcom-ing and supportive tone staff have created in the Learning Support space this year and its rewarding to know that our students understand that ‘good readers are leaders and great leaders were al-ways readers.’

Comprehension

Students from year 2 were targeted to better pre-pare them for NAPLAN next year in terms of learning skills required to examine, analyse and comprehend a variety of texts. Literal and Inferential comprehen-sion progress was achieved through practise of pre-dicting, identifying the main idea or summarising, comparing & contrasting as well as retelling.

Numeracy

At Unity Grammar we have dedicated weekly ses-sions for in-class support across K-2. Establishing a solid understanding of number sense and concepts during the early years of formal education produces students that are confident to build on their knowl-edge, relate their learning to real-world problems and explore different methods to reach their answer. This year students have had the opportunity to ac-cess explicit teacher instruction, hands-on materials and new strategies like the ‘Bar Model’ to solve their problem in an accurate and methodical way. Mathematical concepts being taught include Num-ber & Algebra, Measurement & Geometry and Sta-tistics & Probability.

Finally, our coordinator release teachers in the Learning Support Department this year have deliv-ered many engaging programs across various KLA’s from K-6 and tracked student success via a pleth-ora of formative and summative assessments and checklists. The team has also worked closely with Enrolments to finalise new applicants joining the Unity Community.

Mrs Akkari, Mrs Kirsten, Mr Assaad, Ms El-Biza,Ms Afzal, Mr Rashid, Ms Rana, Ms Krayem


Junior School Events / Excursions

ASISSA REPRESENTATIVE ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

On Tuesday 29th August, 32 of our Junior School students progressed through to and participated in the ASISSA Representative Athletics Carnival. Our students performed exceptionally well, especially considering it was cold, wet and rainy!

We had our junior girls relay team made up of Su-mayya Hafza, Ayah Alhaboub, Zinnira Khodr and Jaiyana Arnaout come first in their event. Our jun-ior boys relay team with Jibril Ashraff-Khan, Zain El-Chami, Nabil Masri and Idris Ashraff-Khan came third in their event. Our senior girls relay team of Aaliyah Arnaout, Shahad Melhem, Kadija Dadoun and Alaa Wehbe took out first place in their event.

We had a great deal of success in the sprints with Ayah Alhaboub coming first in her 100m sprint event, Luqman Lahlouh coming first in his 100m sprint event and Zain El-Chami coming second in his 100m sprint event. Kamil El Maarbani, Abdulrahman Abdulrahman and Jibril Ashraff-Khan each came first in their sprints as well.



CHESS COMPETITION GRANDPARENT’S DAY

NSW Junior Chess League

On Monday 29th July, the Junior School Chess Club travelled to Canley Vale Public School for the prima-ry school chess teams competition. Our students competed against seven primary schools in a pool of 24 teams.

This is the first time UG has participated in the chess tournament. The fifteen contestants of our chess club team achieved a great result during six rounds of chess matches.

Our highest score was 15 points which put one of our teams in fourth place! This is an outstanding achievement considering it is our rookie year. Con-gratulations to the members of the Chess Club on this wonderful result.

At Unity Grammar, we value the families of our stu-dents and their contributions to enriching our lives. Student wellbeing is certainly enhanced when a con-nection between their home lives and school lives is forged and maintained.

Grandparent’s were invited to spend an afternoon with their grandchildren listening to songs and stories, sharing an afternoon tea, and spending time in the classrooms. Students proudly showcased their school, classrooms and friends as well spent time communi-cated their appreciation for their grandparents.

We thank the school community for its active in-volvement and support. We hope to see our grand-parents again soon.



CRICKET GALA DAY

Selected students across years 3-6 represented Unity Grammar in the T-20 cricket gala day. For many of our students it was their first time playing cricket. Throughout the event our student grew in confidence and began to outshine the opposition by demonstrating exceptional team work and individual brilliance. Overall both the junior and senior boys and girls teams were grand finalist. Well done Unity Grammar students on displaying a positive attitude throughout the event and showing excellent sportsmanship in victory and defeat. Well done to all students!



HEALTHY HAROLD

INFANTS CLASS CAPTAINS

At Unity Grammar, students are offered opportunities to experience leadership through various platforms. One such program is the Student Shura Council. In the infants department (Kindergarten to Year 2), students are selected on a term by term basis to be their class’ captains.

Term 3 Class Captains were presented with their badges in a morning assembly ceremony. We are confident that our young leaders will learn and demonstrate our core values of sincerity, allegiance and integrity.



HAJJ EVENT

To magnify the BEST days of the Islamic Year i.e. the first 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah and to commemorate the noble season of Hajj, the Junior School Islamic Studies Department hosted the inaugural ‘Reliving Hajj at Unity’. A memorable event where we transformed the school campus into our own miniature version of Pilgrimage, to grant our students a realistic, hands-on experience of the Hajj.

With students arriving to school dressed in ‘ihraam’, the ‘white tents of Minaa’, real Zamzam water and sheep on campus, all the while having the familiar ‘talbiyah’ sounded over the loud speakers, it was truly a memorable and emotional experience, describe by some as; “Tear-jerking”, “Moving”, “Unique” and “Phenomenal.” A big thank you to everyone who made this possible. Looking forward to next year’s event in-shaa-Allaah!



GALLIPOLI AGED CARE CENTRE

Students from Yr.3 – 5 accompanied by Mr Karolia and Ms Khoder visited the Gallipoli Aged Care Centre in Auburn. Students shared morning tea with the residents and read verses of the Quran, Nasheed and sang songs for all as well as engage in conversation about their lives. The visit ended with a tour of Auburn Gallipoli Mosque and a delicious lunch.



KINDERGARTEN 2020 ORIENTATION PROGRAM

On Friday 23rd August, our pre-kindergartens attended their first orientation session. While our pre-kinders enjoyed an introduction into the classroom learning environment, their parents and caregivers were involved in an informative and engaging session with the Head of Junior School, Mrs Ola Issa, and the school psychologist, Mrs Nisrin Kheir.



LITERACY, NUMERACY AND SCIENCE WEEK

In week 7, the Junior School participated in a wide range of engaging, informative and innovative activ-ities as part of our school wide Literacy, Numeracy and Science Week event.

Students joyfully paraded their costumes during our highly anticipated annual Book Character Parade. This year’s theme My Secret Strength brought out the most interesting characters from stories with var-ious strengths including courage, love and empathy. Additionally, for literacy, we had a Spelling Bee com-petition, a writing competition and book reading in the library.

For mathematics, the students absolutely loved the Maths Trails activities, which had students exploring the campus to resolve maths challenges. Along with this, students used their knowledge and understand of shapes and geometry to create artworks.

The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) were one of the biggest highlights of the week for students. Students used everyday ma-terials to solve STEM challenges by applying their science and maths skills.

Overall, the week was a wonderful success culminat-ing with a special morning assembly where we cel-ebrated the achievements of competition winners. We are very grateful to the committee who continue to elevate the schooling experience for our deserv-ing students.



MUSIC INCURSION

Week 7 was a melodic and musical week. Students from year 3 to 6, attended a music incursion that ex-tended their knowledge, skills and understanding of musical concepts.

Every grade had a specific theme that complement-ed their learning this semester. Students entered the hall with enthusiasm and excitement and engaged in a variety of sequential and planned tasks lead by Karen from Jellybeans Music.

Students played different percussion instruments, followed a designated scale (Minor, C-major or pen-tatonic), rapped a song related to their theme and created their own rhythm.

Each grade final performance was SPECTACULAR! It was a culminating performance that incorporated all of their learning achieved in the session. Stu-dents were exhilarated and proud of what they had achieved in music.

Faten OstaK-6 Creative Arts and PDH Coordinator



SOCIAL ACTION EXPO

SWIMMING CARNIVAL

On Wednesday 7th August, the Junior School captains, vice captains and service learning prefects visiting the King’s Preparatory School in Parramatta to attend an expo about philanthropy.

Philanthropy is an idea, event or action that is being done to better humanity. Charity is a form of philanthropy. The school’s representatives were given the opportunity to engage with other students about their philanthrop-ic endeavours.



SYNERGY DAY

On Tuesday 22nd October, Unity Grammar enjoyed a visit from the stage three students at Al Hikma Col-lege in Lakemba. The students were invited as part of a Synergy Day to foster relationships between the two colleges in a fun and engaging way.

The students were split into three groups and they were able to work with teachers from both schools on activities such as sports, wellbeing and a maths scavenger hunt. Ms Khan and Mr Said ran sports ac-tivities in the hall and the stadium. Ms Fayers and Ms McGinty enjoyed some calming, wellbeing time with the students on the grass. Ms Ayub, Ms Akamatis and Ms Khoder led the students on a challenging maths scavenger hunt.

Following the activities, it was beautiful to have Al Hikma students join us for prayer and a delicious sausage sizzle lunch. Students from both schools were then presented with certificates of participation and ribbons to celebrate their achievements. Unity Grammar would like to thank the Al Hikma teachers and students for visiting us and spending an enjoya-ble day with our year five students. We look forward to many more events like this occurring in the future.



WELLBEING SHOW

YOUTH LEADERSHIP DAY

Assalamu Alaikum Dear Parents,

Our students enjoyed a wellbeing performance, ‘Sticks and Stones’ focussing on managing emo-tions. Performers delivered their message through drama and songs with practical skills for dealing with emotions, controlling impulses and building respect-ful relationships. Students were encouraged to direct difficult emotions into positive pursuits and speak to trusted adults if they are feeling unsafe at school, at home or online.

Just walk away, put your hands in your pockets That’s where they stayTake a breath and start to count to tenThen you’ll feel better again.

Shana KhanWellbeing Coordinator

Year 6 Captains and Prefects attended National Youth Leadership Day in Darling Harbour, attended by many other schools where they learnt about resilience, goal setting and implementing plans to reach set goals. They heard from inspirational speakers including triple Olympian world record holder Cate Campbell.



YOUTH SUMMIT

Unity Grammar hosted its annual Youth Summit attended by Yr.5/6 students from 6 other schools. The theme this year was Racism. Students explored causes, consequences and solutions. Each school also discussed what they would do to promote diversity and understanding in their communities.



JUNIOR SCHOOL EXCURSIONS



MATHS

Assalamualykum parents/guardians and students,

2019, what a year it was. On behalf of the Mathemat-ics Faculty we would like to congratulate all our UGC students on their accomplishments and achieve-ments. We thank their parents for their ongoing sup-port and dedication. Those long nights and lengthy homework sessions. May Allah SWT reward you and your parents in this world and the next.

As Albert Einstein said – “in the middle of difficul-ty lies opportunity”, society interpreted this as an obstacle that others have tried to address and most likely abandoned. Our students would call this ob-stacle the world of mathematics, while the mathe-matics department would call it ‘potential’. It was this gap that the faculty aimed to bridge this year, from where we stood to where we wanted to be. We trialled many strategies and learnt a great deal along the way. With our dedicated and experienced team we shared experiences and ideas from our journey as teachers to make the UGC Mathematics depart-ment more robust and resilient.

Our students were given the opportunity to consol-idate their skills to ensure they had mastered them and apply their existing knowledge in more complex ways. Furthermore for the first time Stage 5 students had the opportunity to decide their mathematical journey by opting for either the 5.2 or 5.3 course and stage 4 teachers focussed on differentiation within the classroom.

The faculty would often discuss amongst each oth-er how enthusiastic our students were within classes and how they amazed us every day. Our message to our students past, present and future is; Have faith in yourself and more importantly have faith in Allah SWT because education is a gift that no one can take from you other than He who is the Lord of the worlds.

I would like to thank the mathematics faculty from the depths of my heart for their ongoing support in all new ventures and requests. It is an honour to work aside such professional and honest brothers. Mr Ha-jaj, Mr Naziry and Mr Ladkani, may Allah SWT reward you for all your efforts.

We hope our students have grown as young Austral-ian Muslim citizens and seen the beauty within the realm of Mathematics to make a change that their fu-ture selves will thank them for. Have a fantastic break.

Mr Omar KhanHead of Mathematics Department



ENGLISH

As we all prepare for our well-deserved holiday, to rest, relax and rejuvenate, we say goodbye to the 2019 Academic year at Unity Grammar. This year our students became journalists, authors, playwrights, poets and eloquent language learners. They ex-plored a vast range of texts, allowing them to expand their vocabulary, develop a stronger verbal and writ-ten expression, and tackle assessments with ease.

Excursions and extra-curricular activities were devel-oped, and students have had the chance to join in and share their ideas, to help their knowledge flour-ish. We saw the revival of a fantastic Public Speaking team, winning First place in Speaking 4 the Planet, as well as making the Semi-Finals in the UN Voice Public Speaking competition.

Our students never cease to amaze us, and the Lit-eracy Week presentations were no exception. Stu-dents participated in Spelling Bees, Public Speaking and Diorama competitions and witnessed the teach-ers dressed as book characters on the day. What a day it was!

We also had the introduction of a drama club, led by Ms. Elhassan where students were able to participate in script-writing, prop-making and acting. Students engaged in Islamic adaptations of historical events and hadith, as well as literary classics from the past.None of what the English department has achieved could have been possible without the hard-work and dedication of our valued staff members. Mr. Raabee Alomar, Ms. Natalie Elhassan, Mr. Mehmed Begic and Ms. Rayanne El-Masri, have worked tirelessly this year to bring the best out of each student, pro-viding them opportunities to succeed and added literacy assistance to ensure every student achieved their absolute best.

It is sad to see the end of another academic year; however, we look forward to the excitement of 2020 and what we have prepared for our students in the upcoming year. Thank you to the parents and stu-dent volunteers, for your support and assistance this year. You have been great!

Have a safe and restful break.

Kind regards,

Ms. Zaynab SalimHead of English (Acting)



STUDENT DAY AT USYD

LITERACY CLASSES

The week that passed saw our year 7 and 9 students participate in after school Literacy classes. Mr Begic and Ms Salim carefully deconstructed the expectations of exams questions and ways to respond. The coming weeks will have the students learning new ways to convey their message in written form, taking on persuasive writing and narratives.

Year 12 English Advanced and Standard students were provided the opportunity to attend various lec-tures at the University of Sydney to assist them in understanding their HSC modules and examination. It was a fun filled day allowing the year 12 boys and girls to wander around a university campus and ex-perience a typical day at a university.



PDHPE

At Unity Grammar all students in Years 7-10 complete the NSW syllabus in Personal Development, Health and Physical Education. In devising the program, the PDHPE Department has ensured it completes 16 theoretical components that cover a wide range of important topics relating to health, lifestyle, nutrition, first aid, relation-ships and decision-making. As children grow and develop, they become increasingly aware of the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. Through helping students identify and promote the principles of diversity, social justice and supportive environments, PDHPE equips our students to encourage better health for all.

One key goal is to improve student understanding of why fitness is important in their daily life, how it can be measured and ways to improve their current fitness level. To this end, we also host three whole-school carnivals each year in Swimming, Cross-Country and Athletics. In addition, we include over 25 different sports and activi-ties-based modules in our Years 7-10 practical curriculum.

In Years 11-12, students ‘study PDHPE to Higher School Certificate level. This is a fantastic course that contains stimulating and challenging content. It is different to but builds on the content of the junior courses.

Students attended and completed many beneficial workshops throughout the year that enhanced their under-standing and empowered them to make much wiser decisions. Year 10 students attended Be Street Smart Road Safety Program awareness workshop, Year 11 completed first aid course, Year 12 were visited by Cancer Council to raise awareness for cancer. Year 7-10 engaged in many engaging programs that revolved around adolescent development, nutrition, risk taking and being physically active.



VISUAL ARTS

WOW 2019! What an exciting year filled with lots of laughter, learning and lengthy cleaning sessions of the art room. From year 8 – 10 Visual Arts students developed fundamental skills in analysis, artmaking and over all experimentation.

Exploring different aspects of art world through drawing, printmaking, painting, clay work and graf-fiti. Students were encouraged to break boundaries and use their imagination to explore their creativity. The amount of skill and talent allowed certain indi-viduals to flourish and expand their love for the fine arts. A room without judgment (most of the time) was inhabited with no shortage of talent and imagina-tion, mixed with awesome personalities and strong individuals. It has truly been a pleasure teaching a wonderful, interesting and ambition bunch of young emerging artists – a truly memorable year.

May your artistic talents continue to grow in the coming years.

Mr Rijad SalkanovicCreative Arts Coordinator.



VISUAL ARTS



HISTORY / GEOGRAPHY / HSIE

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

By the grace of Allah, 2019 has been another suc-cessful year for the HSIE Faculty. The HSIE (History and Geography) Faculty challenges our students to develop values of social justice, empathy and in-formed citizenship. Our dedicated, qualified and ex-perienced teachers inspire our students to develop a culture of personal achievement through determi-nation and hard work ethic. Moreover, the subjects within the HSIE Faculty are lively and very interesting, allowing our students to analyse critically their place in this world.

Members of the HSIE Faculty are committed to creating respectful, independent learners so “in-quiry-based learning” is employed to enhance tech-nological, communication, literacy and participatory skills. A number of extra-curricular initiatives will be organised throughout the year to encourage a focus on civics and citizenship and ecologically sustainable development within our cohorts.

The HSIE- History and Geography Faculty incorpo-rates technology as a mode of enhancing learning, particularly through open-ended inquiries, graphic organisers, Web Quests, Web Logs and the use of Interactive White Boards in classrooms. Throughout 2019 our students participated in a wide array of competitions throughout the year. The first of these were the annual Geography competition which took place between 1st of April – 5th April 2019. Our stu-dents also participated in annual History Competi-tion, inter-school debating and much more.

Last but not least, I would like to acknowledge and publicly thank my wonderful team and very profes-sional HSIE- History and Geography Team. They are;

Mr A. Khan Miss H. El-Gashingi Ms TehseldarMs El-Masri

Thank you also to our wonderful parent volunteers who have always assisted with our excursions and ex-tra-curricular activities. We would not have achieved half of what we’ve achieved if it wasn’t for our parent volunteers and wider school community.

God bless.

Mr M. OmarHead of HSIE- History and Geography



YEAR 7 CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY EVENT

On Friday 1st March 2019, our wonderful and enthusiastic Year 7 students participated in the annual Schools ‘Clean Up Australia Day’ initiative run by the HSIE- Geography and History Faculty. The year 7 classes collected rubbish from all around our school grounds, surrounding streets and at Scott Memorial Park. Students learnt about what garbage could be recycled. Many classes reported that the grounds were already quite clean, but others found unusual garbage, including a pair socks at Scott Memorial Park!

Each year, hundreds of thousands of students across Australia take to their local streets with white and yellow bags and don their gloves to clean up their local communities including parks, beaches, bushland, waterways, streets and schools. Clean Up Australia Day is a simple way one can take action to clean up, fix up and conserve our prized Australian environment.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sheikh Arshad Khan, Mrs Dais, Mr Hajaj and Mr Khodr along with our wonderful Year 12 student leaders for their assistance on the day.

Last but not least, HUGE congratulations to our wonderful Year 7 cohort on a job well done!



As part of NAIDOC week, Yr.8 students recently visited the Muru Mittigar Aboriginal Cultural Centre in Rouse Hill. Thank you to uncle Kyle and aunty Latoya for allowing our students to better develop a sense of acknowledge-ment and respect for the traditional custodians of our country. This cultural awareness was part our Year 8 History Contact and Colonisation Stage 4 History unit of work for this term. Always was and always will be Aboriginal land. Unity Grammar acknowledges and respects our First Nations people past, present and future.

YEAR 7 HISTORY - INVESTIGATING HISTORICALLY

YEAR 8 HISTORY EXCURSION TO MURU MITTIGAR

Year 7 students completed a Cookie Excavation activity. Students loved acting as archaeologists as they exca-vated for fossils during this experiment! Using simple materials such as toothpicks and cookies, students learned about what it’s like to excavate fossils.



YEAR 9 HISTORY CANBERRA SITE STUDY

The HSIE- History and Geography Department un-dertook a day long trip to our nation’s capital on Friday 18th October 2019. While on our mandatory Stage 5 site study, all students participated in a va-riety of engaging educational activities focused on Australia’s history, culture, heritage, democratic val-ues and scientific progress. The venues we attended included the Australian War Memorial- which con-tains a wide variety of memorabilia from all wars where Australians have engaged in, Parliament House where students had the opportunity to see where the decisions of government are made as well as visiting the National Museum of Australia.

We would like to thank the Australian Government for their support of this very beneficial program through the PACER initiative.



YEAR 10 GEOGRAPHY FIELD TRIP TO COLLAROY

In Stage 5 Geography, students have been learning about environmental change and management, fo-cusing on coastal environments. To gain a better un-derstanding of sustainable management, staff from the HSIE Faculty decided to take our year 10 stu-dents on a field trip to Collaroy Beach in the North-ern Beaches to examine the human-induced envi-ronmental impacts on the coast.

Students were assigned instructors from the Coast-al Environment Centre for each group as they dis-cussed the dangers of rising sea levels and coastal erosion. Students also analysed the weather, took samples from the beach and talked about the nat-ural environmental services keeping the beach sus-tainable.

Student’s thoroughly enjoyed the outdoor learning experience as they learned about the importance of Coastal Management and the importance of pre-serving our coastal environments.



THE ANNUAL AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHYCOMPETITION RESULTS

It is with great pleasure to share with you all the amazing results of our students who participated in the annual Australian Geography Competition ear-lier this year. Our school was among 792 schools across Australia who entered along with over 73,500 students in this year’s competition. The National Geography Competition is a joint initiative of the Australian Geography Teacher’s Association along with the Royal Geographical Society of Queensland and is sponsored by Macquarie University. Our students were tested on their geographical skills and knowledge against students from all around Australia. I recently received the results and was very pleased with how our students had performed. We have a number of student geographers at our school who performed to a very high level in the competition this year with several students getting into the top 1% in their year level across Australia with 2 of our students in Maysa Maarbani (9BG) and Mariam El-Chahrouk (8BG) achieving a High Distinc-tion. Our students also scored 10 Distinctions and 22 Credit results making it one of our most success-ful National Geography Competition results. All in all, we had 47 students from years 7-10 en-ter this year’s National Geography Competition and here is a break-down of some of the other amazing result from our students:

High Distinctions

1. Maysa Maarbani (Year 9)2. Mariam El-Chahrouk (Year 8) Distinction

1. Faizan Nadeem (Year 7)2. Abubakar Alam (Year 7)3. Ayat Soltan (Year 8)4. Amina Al-Said (Year 8)5. Simal Shuja (Year 9)6. Fatima Shafique (Year 9)7. Alyssa Afiouni (Year 9)8. Ruqaya Ghazzawy (Year 10)9. Maalikah Omar (Year10)10. Walid Badaui (Year 10)

Credit

1. Malik Zoabi (Year 7)2. Adam Ykhmour (Year 7)3. Hassan Raja (Year 7)4. Haneefah Lawal (Year 7)5. Ibrahim Fakhre (Year 7)6. Ronya El-Dhaibi (Year 7)7. Karim Abdullah (Year 7)8. Hend Massri (Year 8)9. Daniya Syed (Year 9)10. Ibrahim Sakar (Year 9)11. Janine Rima (Year 9)12. Khattab Mohamad (Year 9)13. Sumia Moallim (Year 9)14. Zayn Maarbani (Year 9)15. Suhail Khan (Year 9)16. Hasan Farhat (Year 9)17. Mahdi Alhachamy (Year 9)18. Maryam Shafique (Year 10)19. Afeera Mohyuddin (Year 10)20. Naimah Hakim (Year 10)21. Yasmeen El-Mouhager (Year 10)22. Samuel Al-Sharan (Year 10)

Last but not least, I wish to acknowledge my won-derful faculty team members who prepared our stu-dents well for this National Competition. They are; Mrs El-Masri, Ms El-Gashingi, Mrs Tehseldar and Sh. Arshad Khan. Our students would not have received these amazing results if it wasn’t for these dedicat-ed teachers who in some cases gave up their lunch times to prepare our students for this National Com-petition. We can’t wait for the 2020 competition!



YEAR 11 SKILLS WORKSHOPS (MS. TEHSELDAR)

HSIE – BUSINESS STUDIES, LEGAL STUDIES AND COMMERCE

ANNUAL HTA YEAR 12 ANCIENT AND MODERN HISTORY STUDY SKILLS DAY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

Our Year 12 Ancient and Modern History students attended the annual HTANSW HSC Study Skills Day at the University of Sydney on Friday 7th June 2019. The HSC lectures were presented by experienced teachers and markers of the HSC, and therefore provided invaluable assistance to our students preparing for the HSC Trial Examinations.

In preparation for their yearly exams, students in year 11 participated in skills workshops, targeting specific key learning areas. Students’ experienced small group sessions with a detailed focus on HSC verbs, deconstruct-ing essays and questions, and definitive ways to respond in written form. The day was a success and students appreciated the main objective and the tailored learning experience. A great final run for year 11 and early preparation for year 12. Looking forward to holding many more of these workshops in the future.

This year was an exciting year for our students and faculty with many events that allowed the students to de-velop their engagement with the content. Some the highlights included:

• The Year 12 Legal Studies excursion to the Downing Centre District court where Justice Zahra ran a mock trial for our students.

• This Year 11 excursion to NSW Parliament House and the Police and Justice Museum. • Year 9 Commerce made a difference decorating and filling 100’s of shoeboxes for orphans affected by the

Syrian war in time for Eid El-Fitr. • Year 10 Commerce Girls visited the Local Court in Liverpool and were then invited to meet with the Mayor

of Liverpool Wendy Waller in Council offices. • Stage 4 & Stage 5 students participated in the Islamic Schools Debating competition with our Stage 4 team

making it to the final! • Year 12 Business students had some unique learning opportunities with their, “Sell the Unsellable” Mar-

keting task and a visit from David Broadbridge, writer of the Qantas case study to assist them in their preparations for the HSC.

• Parivash Nadeem won the 2019 Plan Your Own Enterprise Competition (PYOE) competition run by Eco-nomic Business Educators Australia and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand with Sereen Ali being shortlisted in the top 10. This was no easy feat with over 490 entries (415 Division 1 and 75 Division 2) from 640 students across 50 schools in NSW, with many being from selective schools and elite private schools across Sydney.

• Year 9 Commerce students held a Market Day as part of the unit Running a Business, donating profits to orphans in Lebanon through Human Appeal.



HSIE – BUSINESS STUDIES, LEGAL STUDIES AND COMMERCE



SCIENCE

Assalamlykum wa RahmatAllah wa Barakatu,

The Science faculty at Unity Grammar offers a wide range of sciences in the 7 to 10 years including Bi-ology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences and Physics and offers HSC Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

These subjects are taught by an amazingly dedicated team of professionals who are committed to creating independent, compassionate and respectful learners.

This year saw the introduction of the new Senior HSC syllabus which the students tackled with persever-ance and enthusiasm. The Science team would like to wish all our graduating 2019 students all the very best in their future endeavours.

As we farewell the 2019 HSC Graduates, we are re-minded of their hard work and tireless efforts through-out the year.

With ongoing commitment to quality education, our current HSC students are experiencing a range of in-teractive learning and engagement while accessing all aspects of the senior syllabus.As the year comes to an end, I would like to take the opportunity to thankyou my dedicated team:

Ms Farhana RahmanMs Asma DaisMs Hafsa Farooqi and Ms Atiea Ghulami

For their tireless efforts and devotion to our students throughout the year.Also, a very special thankyou to Dr Tareq Aldeen, whose dedication and knowledge enhances the ex-perience of all the junior and senior experimentations.

Lastly, I would like to wish everyone in our Unity Grammar family a safe and restful break and inshallah we look forward to seeing you all in 2020.

Kindest Regards

Ms Mariam Bernard HoD Science



SCIENCE


Senior School Events / Excursions

AMAL KASSIR

This year Unity Grammar was honoured by a visit from Amal Kassir who taught the Unity Grammar community that love will always triumph over hate, good will always triumph over evil and the human spirit will always rise in times of adversity.

Amal has spoken at numerous venues including Ted X, American Congress, White House Iftar, the European Parliament and United Nations. During her stay in Australia she toured Sydney with Unity Grammar students, hosted a special poetry event at Unity Grammar attended by 9 schools and she featured at a gala event attend-ed by the wider community performing her poetry and message of peace, love and goodwill to prevail for all humanity.

Thank you again Amal Kassir for your empowering words, they live on in our community.



AMUST

CYBER BULLYING

For 10 years Australia’s most trusted source for the Muslim community has been the Australian Muslim Times (AMUST) and Unity Grammar is proud to assist in the packaging and distribution of the paper as part of our community service program.

Liverpool Youth Liaison Police Officers joined the Junction Youth association to remind students on the impor-tance of decision making when it comes to technology and social media.

Particular attention was directed towards Cyber Bullying and the ramifications it has on the victims and the perpetrators.



DEBATING



EXODUS

Unity Grammar visited The Exodus Foundation in Ashfield twice recently to run a lunch service for 250 needy Aussies doing it tough including those without a home or shelter.

This event reflects the diversity and beauty of modern Australia, where an Islamic school working with a Jewish school and a Christian Church work together to help their brothers and sisters in humanity. We would like to thank all involved including community group Humans Unite who assisted with the lunch service as well as do-nating 50 sleeping bags for the homeless.

Whether it’s around the corner or around the world, service to humanity is a fundamental part of the Unity Grammar experience!



HOMELESS RUN

Each month Unity Grammar joins Brothers In Need to feed the homeless at Martin Place and surround-ing areas to help bring some respite to their condi-tion by also distributing sanitary products and en-gaging in conversation to address the loneliness felt by many sleeping rough. Care and compassion for others is the Unity Grammar way, not just in word but in action, whether it’s locally or globally with our orphan sponsorship and humanitarian alumni visits to Cambodia we strive to bring goodness to the world. That’s service in action, that’s Unity Grammar!



LITERACY DAY

In September, the Senior campus celebrated Na-tional Literacy and Numeracy Week with our Literacy Assembly. The assembly held our 1st Annual Public Speaking competition where we were honored to host Malaz Majanni and Muhannad Majani of One-Path Network who were our special guest judges. Congratulations to our competition winners:

Stage 4

Creative Writing Winner – Mona HafzaDiorama Winner – Jana Tabazza Public Speaking Winner – Marwa Aamir

Stage 5

Creative Writing Winner – Maysa MaarbaniPublic Speaking Winner – Nahida Hafza



LIVERPOOL COUNCIL MEETING

MS GONG RIDE

Maysa Maarbani, the winner of the Speaking for the Planet competition, was invited to represent Unity Gram-mar at the Liverpool Council Meeting to present her winning speech. A magnificent achievement and speech.

Unity Grammar senior girls worked as volunteers at the Sydney - Gong ride in which over 12000 cyclists par-ticipated to raise funds for MS. Students assisted at the finish line and in the distribution of medals and were outstanding ambassadors of our school and the community. The event also served as a fundraiser for the Unity Grammar humanitarian aid trip to Cambodia with our graduating Yr. 12 class of 2019 and our Alumni. Mr Karolia completed the ride on behalf of Unity Grammar and raised just over $7000 to fund our projects there including building homes, water wells, sanitation blocks and distribution of food packs. A massive thanks to Ms Kheir, Ms Alameddine and Ms Rahman for assisting and supervising the student volunteers on the day.



MULTIFAITH IFTAR

Ramadan is very much about sharing food and hos-pitality with all our family in humanity. The Yr 12 and Student Leaders Building Bridges Iftar hosted by Unity Grammar included students and staff from numerous schools and community groups including those of different faith traditions who made new friends, learnt more about each other and shared a meal over warm conversation whilst hearing inspiring messages of hope and compassion from students and guests. Unity Grammar in particular appreciates the support of the event sponsors Human Appeal International - Australia for contributing toward such a memorable evening.



PUBLIC SPEAKING

This year, the English Faculty is preparing students for the chance to participate in the UN Voice Competition which empowers students to discuss topics related to world issues and present their research, ideas and solu-tions in a stimulating way, to a large audience. Students will appreciate that public speaking is all about com-munication. What they say and how they say it will determine the effectiveness of their ideas and the influence they’ll have on their audience.

To this point, students prepared a speech over the school holidays about how extinction of animals can occur and how likely it is to occur by 2060. Students presented with such vibrancy and confidence and shared their ideas to a class full of students. It was their first official public speaking rehearsal and they all did wonderfully well. The following students will be participating in school public speaking initiatives and a select few will be chosen to come along to the UN for a more demanding aspect of the competition. They are: Maysa Maarbani, Ciraj Alazzam, Marwa Aamir, Mariam El-Chahrouk, Sara Arbili, Mohammed Arja, Kareem Taleb, Jannah Hijazi, Nahida Hafza and Eman Hafda.

Students will be assisted and supported by students in year 10. These students will help with research, voice projection, preparing and writing speeches, using ICT for creating vlogs/videos and creating podcasts to spread their message and solution. They are: Fatemah Sakar, Jasmine Ajaj, Ruqaya Ghazawy, Fatima Ghamrawi and Lena El-Merhebe.

Together, with myself, we make the UGC Public Speaking Team! So show us some support when you see us around and follow our journey to the UN to represent UGC as fierce competitors in Public Speaking.

Ms. SalimActing Head of English Department



SPEAKING FOR THE PLANET

SPEAKING FOR THE PLANET CELEBRATION



RAMADAN FOOD HAMPERS

SLEEPING BAGS FOR THE HOMELESS CAMPAIGN

He is not a believer who eats to his full while his neighbour remains hungry near him. (Baihaqi) In the spirit of Ramadan, Unity Grammar today distributed 76 Ramadan food hampers to needy individuals and families in Sydney. To be caring, compassionate and giving is all part of the Unity Grammar experience.

The Unity Grammar sleeping bags campaign in partnership with The Exodus Foundation is a wonderful col-laboration between a Muslim school and a Christian charity working together to help fellow Aussies in need. It is indeed a remarkable Australian story! We thank all our students, staff and families who have contributed a sleeping bag and acknowledge our friends in the wider community who supported the initiative. This includes the Kenawati family who provided 5 sleeping bags and Yesmine Yaghi from Humans Unite who contributed an amazing 40 sleeping bags herself and drove across Sydney to have them delivered! Together we can all make a difference!



WELBEING YEAR 9,10 GIRLS

Years 9 and 10 girls experienced an amazing spiritual workshop called Salat mindfulness: The pathway to success.

The Workshop utilised Physical, Mental and Person-al education to achieve a sense of connectedness and develop a sense of purpose to the spiritual act of Salah. Sister Basmah Al-Hably talked through the essentials of understanding the meaning of Salat and the importance of maintaining it in our every-day lives.

The girls were involved in discussion and activities surrounding how to strengthen the connection with Allah swt through prayer.

One of many lessons that were learnt in this interac-tive workshop was how to connect not only to our deen through prayer but to remain connected and to strengthen each other by reminding our closest, dearest friends and family about salah.

Unity Grammar thanks Sister Basmah Al-Hably for providing our students with the Salah Mindfulness workshop and inshallah we look forward to welcom-ing her back soon.

Kind Regards

Mrs Mariam Bernard Girls Wellbeing Coordinator



FEED THE NEEDY

MUFTI MENK VISIT

The Prophet Muhammad pbuh said “Charity will not diminish wealth” In this spirit Unity Grammar raised $10000 for Human Appeal International - Australia during Ramadan. $4000 was used to sponsor 800 iftar din-ners to displaced people in Syria, Somalia and Yemen. $3000 went to existing orphans we support in Lebanon and $3000 went to new orphans we sponsor in Gaza, Bosnia, Somalia, Indonesia and Bangladesh. We now sponsor 72 orphans and are working toward 100. This is in addition to support of local charities including feed-ing the homeless in Sydney. Unity Grammar spreading goodness and kindness from Austral to the world!

If you want to go far in life, learn to be very well man-nered and polite toward every single person that you come across - they are all Allah’s creation - Mufti Is-mail Menk.

One of many quotes and comments shared by Mufti Menk during his visit to Unity Grammar. Mufti Menk is amongst the worlds most influential Muslim scholars.

He reminded us during his visit on the importance of respect, good character and to never judge others by their race, faith or appearance and to serve humanity with kindness and compassion.

Mr KaroliaHead of Community Engagement



WISE UP PROGRAM

Unity Grammar spent 8 weeks on the Wise Up pro-gram with Holy Spirit College Lakemba. Students learnt about goal setting, resilience, following a plan, self discipline and nutrition. Many new friend-ships were made and both schools established a firm friendship that woill lead to further joint activities in the future. The program is an initiative of Lighthouse Community Support in partnership with NSW Police Campsie LAC, NSW SES Canterbury Unit, Lebanese Muslim Association, GWS Giants and the Canter-bury Bankstown Bulldogs and sponsored by Human Appeal International.



YEAR 7 ORENTATION DAY

It was great to invite all the Year 6 parents and stu-dents to the Year 6 Orientation Day and Parent Expo.Students and parents had the opportunity to engage with Senior School staff and engage in activities.

Parents were able to purchase uniform, learn more about the BYOD (Bring Your Own Devise) and re-ceive an important information pack.

We look forward to having the students start Year 7 in 2020 next year.



YEAR 8 MY HOME DISABILITY RESPITE CENTRE

Unity Grammar visited the My Home Disability Services Respite Centre in a program arranged by Brothers In Need. Students made waffles and en-gaged those we met with games, conversation and art. In term four students hosted the disabled cli-ents, carers and parents for a barbecue at the Au-burn Botanical Gardens



YEAR 9 FRIENDSHIP GARDENS WELFARE

It was great to invite all the Year 6 parents and stu-dents to the Year 6 Orientation Day and Parent Expo.Students and parents had the opportunity to engage with Senior School staff and engage in activities.

Parents were able to purchase uniform, learn more about the BYOD (Bring Your Own Devise) and re-ceive an important information pack.

We look forward to having the students start Year 7 in 2020 next year.



YEAR 10 CAREERS WORKSHOP

YEAR 10 ROAD SAFETY EXCURSION

Year 10 students are in the final stages of selecting subjects into Year 11. Mr Ajam completed careers work-shops to help assist students in making informed and correct subject selections.

The school has also purchased a program called ‘Job Jump’ that helps students learn more about different jobs, universities, degrees and subject selections.

Year 10 students attended the Be Street Smart Road Safety Program on Wednesday 11th September at Qudos Bank Arena, Australia’s largest road safety program. In attendance were 7000 other school students from schools across NSW. This was perhaps the most insightful and thought provoking excursion the students have attended, with a live crash scenario and speakers who have been involved in traumatic scenarios themselves. With the knowledge and experience gained from this excursion and the PDHPE road safety unit of work, our students are now equipped with the skills necessary to protect themselves and others on the road.



YEAR 10 WELLBEING EXCURSION

YEAR 12 MODULES DAY

Year 10 boys and girls enjoyed a glorious day out on the Thunder Jet. They experienced an adrenaline rush with a tour of Sydney’s harbour; this was to reward students for their fantastic behaviour and exemplary work ethic in term 1.

To further develop their understanding of the HSC English Standard and Advanced courses, Year 12 attended the University of Sydney Modules Day. They learnt to network with students from other schools and learnt an array of strategies to answer a variety of short answer and essay questions.



YEAR 12 HIGH TEA EXCURSION

As part of their Critical Study of Charles Dickens’s novel, Great Expectations, Year 12 Advanced Eng-lish students attended High Tea and learnt the et-iquette that would have been used during polite Victorian Society. Students were guided through the Royal Botanic Gardens learning how the Victorian period in England impacted Australia. They learnt about the various plants imported from various re-gions around the world particularly the Orient. The students also engaged with developing their under-standing of Natural Imagery and how this would be used in their creative writing.


Junior School Athletics Carnival

JUNIOR SCHOOL ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

The annual Junior School Athletics Carnival took place on Wednesday 31st July. While K-2 students participated in a wide range of novelty games su-perbly organised by Ms Alameddine, Years 3 – 6 students participated in track and field events. PDHPE team organised for students to participate in high jump, long jump, shot put and various track events. The Junior School staff and student volun-teers worked alongside the PE staff to ensure the day ran smoothly and successfully for our deserving students. Thank you to all involved and to the par-ents who made the journey to the venue. Age cham-pions and the winning house will be announced next week. All first placed students will be selected for ASSISSA representative team.


Senior School Athletics Carnival

SENIOR SCHOOL ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

Unity Grammar prides itself on balancing academic and sporting commitments that offer maximum op-portunity for our students. In 2019 our senior school students continued to be provided with countless events where they could not only showcase their sporting talents but unearth new skills, they never knew they had!

The Unity Grammar 7-10 Athletics Carnival. Every year our senior school students get the opportunity to display their skills in various track and field events. Students from 7-12 participated in a range of tradi-tional carnival track and field events including up to 1500m sprints, javelin, discus, shot put, high jump and long jump!

Athletics Carnivals are an important event in the Unity Grammar calendar as top performers are pro-vided the opportunity to participate alongside oth-er government and independent schools in the ISD athletics competition.


Camps

JUNIOR SCHOOL 5 – 6 CAMPS

Students in Year 5 and Year 6 went on camp from Wednesday 25th September to Friday 27th September. Camp was a fantastic opportunity for our students to develop important skills including cooperation, prob-lem-solving and resilience. The experience was infused with a sense of improved wellbeing, better communi-cation and a greater understanding of the importance of teamwork. Through activities such as archery, canoe-ing, rope climbing and bushwalking, students got to build their friendships through heightened awareness of the Islamic brotherhood and sisterhood.


Camps

JUNIOR SCHOOL 5 – 6 CAMPS


Camps

SENIOR SCHOOL BOYS CAMP

This year, 38 boys embarked on an amazing 3-days-and-2-night journey at the UGC SS Boys Camp for 2019.

Located at the picturesque Milson Island and sur-rounded by the great Hawkesbury River, their peaceful Fajr mornings were quite cold but their sunny days were as perfect as a postcard!

The boys had an amazing opportunity to discover so much about themselves, their peers, their teach-ers and the beautiful natural Australian environment around them. There were countless stories of boys facing their fears and being supported and encour-aged by their peers to challenge themselves be-yond their comfort zones. At the end of each day, the young men felt an abundance of satisfaction, an amazing level of newfound confidence and memo-ries that they will cherish for a very long time.

Between the giant swing, the ropes course, kayaking and archery, the boys enjoyed 3 meals a day and 3 special stops to reflect and thank Allah for his count-less bounties by performing the 5 daily prayers. The bush walk through natural Australian bushland, handline fishing on the wharf and the campfire with damper on the sandy banks of the Hawkesbury were even more memorable camp moments.

All the boys developed the positive habit of clean-ing up the eatery after every meal especially that we had the camp site all to ourselves and a special thankyou to those boys who volunteered to help Chris and Jimmy with the dishes.

I will use this platform here to give a shout out to the camp boys from K2, K3, K4a, K4b and K5! Also, the same goes for the boys from P2, P3, P4a, P4b and the P5! The camp would not have been as enjoyable as it was without each and every one of you.

Finally, a special thankyou for two extraordinary gentlemen Mr Rabee Alomar and Mr Ibrahim El-Ar-ja who offered the boys a wonderful blend of guid-ance as a professional teacher and the pastoral care of an older brother.

Yet another memorable milestone for the UGC SS Boys to enjoy and remember – looking forward to camp 2020!


This year has been an amazing year and to add to all the wonderful things that are happening around the school, we were also fortunate in providing our Senior School girls with their first girls camp!

Twenty three girls from across three year groups joined Ms Farooqi and myself at Wesley Vision Val-ley in Arcadia where we enjoyed activities includ-ing rock climbing, archery, flying fox, canoeing and crate stacking and enjoyed team building exercises such as orienteering, volleyball and sitting around the campfire.

We even had a visit from Mr Boyd and Ms Dais!Mr Boyd refereed the volleyball games and joined in to help take group 2 girls to a win.

Mr Boyd and Ms Dais also joined us on our bush-walking activity and spent the time listening to the girls talk about the activities they had experienced and answered their questions about the nature that surrounded us.

The girls enjoyed building new friendships and inter-acting with each other outside of the school setting.

Congratulations to all the ladies that attended, they were certainly on their best behaviour!

A huge thankyou to all the parents who entrusted Ms Farooqi and myself with their daughters and providing us with the opportunity to connect with them at a spiritual and social level.

All in all the experience was one to remember and I’m certainly looking forward to another amazing camp next year!

Mrs Mariam BernardGirls Well Being Coordinator

Camps

SENIOR SCHOOL GIRLS CAMP


Eid Festival

EID FESTIVAL

STEM

Another incredible Eid Festival at Unity Grammar! An incredible day of thrilling rides, variety of foods and amazing attractions all sealed with a spectacular fireworks display! We were thrilled to share the event with students, staff and their families. We also applaud those students who acted as volunteers at the Liverpool Eid Festival and those who assisted the MATW Foundation.

Students were given the opportunity to participate in Science, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) activities and challenges.

It was an amazing experience for all our staff and teachers.


Robotics

AUSTRAL REGIONAL EVENT

On the 12th of November 2019, over 100 students and staff from South West regional schools came to Unity Grammar to compete in the FIRST LEGO League Austral Regional tournament. It was a day of intense com-petition as the teams were judged on their core values, robots and innovative projects. Thank you to all the supporters who braved the heat to support the event. They include current and past students, parents, teach-ers, staff and Mohammed Nabi.


Robotics

1ST LEGO LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Two of Unity Grammar’s robotics teams, STEM Cells Y and STEM Cells Z, travelled to Houston, Texas, during the school holidays to compete at the FIRST Lego League International Championship. After months of preparation, the teams competed against over a hundred other teams from around the world. STEM Cells Z won 3rd Place for the Robot Program-ming Award, a phenomenal achievement for the team in their rookie season! A big congratulations to the team and their coaches!

During their visit to the USA, the teams had the opportunity to visit ILM College, another Islamic School, and interact with the students there. They were also fortunate enough to visit the NASA Space Center where we got to learn about the innovative technology and equipment NASA used into orbit, astronauts who landed on the moon and space suits from the past and present. The teams also attend-ed an exciting live NBA basketball game. After the competition, the teams and their families enjoyed some much-deserved leisure time and sight-seeing in Los Angeles.

It was an honour for the teams to represent Australia and Unity Grammar on an international stage. The experience was an amazing one for them, creating memories that will never be forgotten.

“The competition was intense but at the end of the day all the hard work payed of and we had an amaz-ing time being as a team. It was an opportunity that I would’ve never given up.” Mona Hafza 7G1 SCZ


Robotics

ROBOTICS INTERVIEW

Unity Grammar robotics teams were invited to SBS Arabic24 radio station to discuss their upcoming trip to Houston, Texas. Jessica Farhat and her coach Eaman Badaui of STEM Cells Z and Zayn Maarbani and his coach Riad Naanai of STEM Cells Y were live on the “Bayt Baytak” program. They spoke about their FIRST Cham-pionship Robotics preparations, why they have an interest in robotics and how our school promotes and runs robotics for the student body. Visit this link (goo.gl/X1bpkM) to listen to the interview in full, it begins at the 100.50 min mark.


Robotics

YEAR 9 ROBOTICS URC

Unity Grammar senior students were excited to participate in the Universal Robotics Challenge 2019 [URC] that is run by EduTech Australia and was held at the UTS: University of Technology Sydney. Students had the opportunity to build robots, engage with other teams and meet with industry professionals and educators. Mr Osman Karolia spoke at the event about the robotics program at Unity Grammar as well as opportunities brought by robotics and how it can contribute to a better of life for all people.


Robotics

SENIOR SCHOOL ROBOTICS TEAMS

Our two Senior School robotics teams STEM Cells X and STEM Cells Y recently competed at their regional tour-naments. Both teams were exceptional in their respective events where they both qualified for the regional Cham-pions Award. The Champions Award is the most prestigious award that a team can win in FIRST LEGO League. This Award celebrates the ultimate success of the FIRST mission and FLL Core Values. It encompasses Robot Design, Robot Performance, the Innovative Project and the FLL Core Values. The winner of this award will also be invited to progress forward from this tournament where they will compete in the National tournament at Macquarie University.


Harmony Day

HARMONY DAY

“O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.” (Q49:13)

Thursday 21st March marked Harmony day celebra-tions across the entire Unity Grammar campus.

Harmony Day is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultur-al or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values. Held every year on 21 March. The Day coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The ongoing theme of Harmony Day is ‘everyone belongs’. Harmony Day is a day of cultural respect for all. By participating in Harmony Day activities, we can learn and understand how all Australians equally belong to this nation and enrich it.

Why Orange?Orange is the colour chosen to represent Harmony Day. Traditionally, orange signifies social communi-cation and meaningful conversations. It also relates to the freedom of ideas and encouragement of mu-tual respect.

Senior school started its day by welcoming guests from Pymble Ladies College who came bearing har-mony day gifts in the form of people paper chains. These chains were individually decorated and took pride on our fence. Year 10 students exchanged their own decorated paper people chains which travelled back to the Ladies college to decorate their buildings.

To commence the day, year 9 and 10 girls joined Pymble Ladies in harmony day activities.

The girls enjoyed tug of war, potato sack racing and team building activities which not only strengthened the bonds between the students but also brought many students together in laughter and joyfulness.

The activities carried on with all year groups partici-pating in the activities throughout the day.

A huge thank you to all the families that contributed to the food stall which raised money for the families of Christchurch victims.


Gifted and Talented Program

GIFTED AND TALENTED EXHIBITION

The Unity Grammar school community held its annu-al Gifted and Talented student exhibition. Students showcased their impressive year-long projects on an area of their choosing.

They participated in a sustained, self-directed inquiry where creative new insights were generated and deep-er understandings were developed through in-depth investigation. Students demonstrated the skills, atti-tudes and knowledge required to complete a project over an extended period of time and certainly com-municated effectively, sharing their appreciation of the process of learning whilst taking pride in their accom-plishments.

Projects ranged from raising awareness of the plight of the endangered Tasmanian Devil as well as native flora to various books and texts; one being a non-fic-tion text written for children about astronomy, another fictional one written and illustrated by a GAT student, to a screenplay. We also had educational gameboards, self-sustaining plants, Islamic calligraphy, medical de-vice and sports skills student-friendly manual.

We are so proud of our gifted and talented students and are very grateful for their parents’ and mentors’ support.


Cambodia

11 days, 2 countries, 1000 food packs to feed a family for a month , 350 education packs, 11 water wells, 4 houses for families without homes, 3 toilets ... 1 unforgettable experience!

Well done to the 26 Unity Grammar students/alum-ni, staff, board directors, volunteers and AusRelief on an incredible effort in Malaysia and Cambodia! Much appreciation to all sponsors, donors and the Unity Grammar community who made this trip pos-sible. Community service and service learning are essential elements of the Unity Grammar experi-ence so that we nurture future generations to be tru-ly global citizens who contribute to the betterment of others locally or abroad to appreciate and value our shared humanity.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The believer’s shade on the Day of Resurrection will be his charity.” - Al-Tirmidhi “Whoever relieves a believer’s distress of the dis-tressful aspects of this world, Allah will rescue him from a difficulty of the difficulties of the Hereafter. (Muslim).

With thanks to all supporters, donors and official sponsors including

Binah GroupFastForm Group AustraliaICTechnologyThe Tax FactorBelco Aluminium Pty LtdMasnad HealthcareAhiida Burqini SwimwearBrotherhood Boxn ClubIndustrial Zone Real EstateKreative LandscapesBareWolf

CAMBODIA HUMANITARIAN AID SERVICELEARNING INITIATIVE


Cambodia

CAMBODIA HUMANITARIAN AID SERVICELEARNING INITIATIVE


Umrah

UMRAH

Unity Grammar recently visited Mecca and Madinah to complete the Umrah pilgrimage. Umrah is a spiritual voyage towards Allah that in return gives rewards to those who perform it. Umrah is performed with gratitude, intensity, desire and love. The feeling from performing Umrah is unique and it renews your mind and soul and purifies you from within.

During the journey students visited key landmarks including Mt Uhud, Al Baqia, Masjid Quba, Arafah and much more. Students also enjoyed a stopover in the UAE and visited key landmarks in Dubai and Abu Dhabi including the Sheikh Zayed Mosque and the worlds tallest building, Burj Khalifa


Indonesia Exchange Visit

INDONESIA EXCHANGE VISIT

Unity Grammar was honoured to once again host Indonesian Exchange Students from the SMAN 71 school in Jakarta. Now in it’s third year the program includes problem solving workshops, discussions, learning phrases in Indonesian, sport activities, classroom visits, salah, cultural performances and shared meals. Amongst many things learnt from the experience is that we are all members of a single humanity, inside our hearts we all speak the same language. Thank you for visiting us and safe travels Sman 71


Sports

BACHAR HOULI CUP

ISD ATHLETICS

Unity Grammar were valiant in defending the Bachar Houli Cup as reigning champions but it wasn’t to be. Congratulations to new champions Granville Boys’ High School and the GWS Giants for hosting another incredible AFL event for all schools. Thank you Jihad Dib for taking the time to attend and chat with our students, Gandhi Sin(Gandhi Sindiyan) from Campsie Police Area Command Clr. Bilal El-Hayek - Canterbury Bankstown Council Taha Marabani Fet-tayleh Smallgoods for the food and event sponsors Human Appeal International - Australia, a truly won-derful experience for all.

Students braved the weather and performed excep-tionally at the ISD Athletics Championship on Fri-day the 30th of August. A long running competition between independent schools from across Sydney. Some of the standout results include:

Bilal El Hallak 16yrs• Shot put 1st• Discus 1st• Javelin 3rdZayne Chamma 13yrs• Discus 2ndMona Hafza 12yrs• 100m & 200m 1stHaneefah Lawal 12yrs• Discus 3rdAya Beyrouti 13yrs• 800m 3rdAyah Nigroh 13yrs• 200m 2ndAsmaa Holali 16yrs• 400m 3rdNahida Hafza 15yrs• 400m 3rd

Our youngest competitor Mona Hafza in Year 7 al-most broke the ISD Championship record for the 100m and 200m track event only missing out by a mere second!

Well done to all students and their teachers! The ISD championships are a pathway to regional, State and Australian representation.


Sports

ISD BASKETBALL

ISLAMIC SCHOOLS ALL GIRLS TOURNAMENT

Selected students from Years 8-10 participated in the first ISD event of 2019! Unity sent out four teams who com-peted against local independent schools in Basketball. Some outstanding results all round with our Boys Opens team finishing 3rd all day – remaining undefeated with only one loss to Redham! We are extremely proud of our Unity Grammar students!


Sports

NRL COMP

On Wednesday the 25th of September selected stu-dents from Years 7-10 competed in the Western Syd-ney Islamic School Gala Day. Boys competed in tack-le whilst the girls got to play oz tag. All three teams finished the afternoon off undefeated and are com-mended on their efforts.

YEAR 8 - 10 TRI SLILLS

Selected year 8-10 girls took part in a tri-sport event, participating in a round robin style competition. They played soccer, basketball and cricket; versing teams from other schools. The girls showed great initiative, teamwork and sportsmanship. They enjoyed partak-ing in the events, and were able to apply their knowl-edge of the sport and practice good gamesmanship.


The atmosphere was electric at our second official Unity Grammar Swimming Carnival for students across years 3-12. This year the sports department focused on ensuring all students with various swimming abilities were able to participate in a range of events. Competitive swimmers were given the opportunity to showcase their talent across various swimming strokes whilst non-competitive swimmers were able to enjoy the day participating in novelty events. Some outstanding results all round with many of our junior school students qualifying for ASISSA representation! Well done!

Sports

SWIMMING CARNIVAL


Junior School Roll Class

1 GARNET

It’s been an amazing year watching each and every one of you grow. The year has come and gone so quickly I cannot believe the end is already here. I am so excited for your future and I wish nothing but the very best in the years to come. I know that each and every one of you will succeed in anything you put your minds to. Remember to always work hard and never give up! Good luck next year in year 2!

Love Mrs Yatim



1 LAZURITE

Dearest 1L,

We have had such a wonderful year of growth, Alham-dulillah! Every one of you came with your own story to tell and your own adventure to live. We learned to embrace each other’s differences and encourage each other to thrive.

Roukaya, Rouba, Mariam I and Zak, your persever-ance and commitment to learning has been awe in-spiring. You have taught us to never give up.Muhammad M, Aishah and Navayd your sense of jus-tice and willingness to challenge injustice has made our classroom a safe and joyful place to be. You have taught us to speak up when we see something wrong and that our actions, no matter how small, can make a difference.

Mohmad A, Jihad, Suhaib, Mariam E and Safiya, your unique personalities have added value to our class-room culture and your ability to think outside the box has made our classroom discussions interesting and thought-provoking. You have taught us to not be afraid to be ourselves.

Maisah, Ali, Zara, Saleh and Hamdan, you are com-petitive and driven. You have challenged us to go beyond what we are capable of and reach for the sky. Omar, Shayma, Malek and Zayne, you are optimistic and resourceful. When the learning got tough, you showed us how to find a way around it. There was always a way.

Juwayriah, Layla, Adam, Sayhan and Jasina your abil-ity to think creatively, coupled with your friendliness, have made you the most fascinating team players. You have showed us that leadership is not about be-ing boss.

May Allah protect you and keep you guided upon the path of righteousness.

Lot of love,

Ms Lazkani.

YEARBOOK 2019104UNITY GRAMMAR


1 PEARL

Dearest One Pearl,

I still remember the first day you walked in, all shy and timid as I called out your names one at a time. It did not take us long for your personalities radiate as the days went by. Your strengths became your talents and your weaknesses became your motivation to strive to reach your optimal potential. You did not give up, you soared high and climbed your mountains with all your might. We shared moments of roaring laughter and as the year came to an end, we shed tears as I watched you tread on your learning journey to Year Two.

I humbly thank Allah subhannahu wa Taala for bless-ing me with the opportunity to teach you and watch you grow little seedlings. May you all remain stead-fast on the deen and be amongst the saliheen In-shaAllah. With the fear of Allah subhannhu wa Taala in your souls and the love of Rasullulah in your hearts, you can accomplish everything that you set out for!

You will be dearly missed, 1 Pearl!

Miss El Kassir

YEARBOOK 2019 UNITY GRAMMAR105


2 CRYSTAL

Dear 2 Crystal,

It has been an amazing year watching each and every one of you grow. This year has come and gone so quick-ly! My dearest 2C you have blossomed into amazing resilient individuals that I’m so proud of. This journey has showed me how much you’ve all progressed through your challenges and experiences. Each of you have left such great memories and laughter in my heart. I know our time has come to an end but never forget to ‘shoot for the moon’.

I wish you all the best in the future.

Ms Alameddine



2 OPAL

My dearest Opals,

What an amazing year! It has been such a pleasure watching you grow and develop throughout our jour-ney in year 2. You all have accomplished so much and should be proud of what you have achieved. This year you have learnt the importance of giving to those less fortunate by fundraising for water wells in Cambodia, giving money for orphaned children dur-ing Ramadan and constantly contributing to the class orphan tin. May you all be rewarded immensely for loving for your brother what you love for yourself.

I loved watching you get in touch with your inner au-thor and see your creativity flourish. Your passion for reading and writing became inspiring and the excite-ment you all had when our class received a handwrit-ten letter from Aaron Blabey was quite memorable.

You all have a bright future ahead of you and I am honoured to have been a part of your schooling.

YEARBOOK 2019 107 UNITY GRAMMAR


2 QUARTZ

This year I have had the honour and opportunity to watch the students in 2Quartz learn and grow and change from day to day. We have had the opportunity to do, and experience so much. This year our aim was to work relationships, both academic, social and with Allah (SWT). 2Quartz worked hard to raise money for water wells in Ramadan, we had goals set to make sure our donation tins were full. On the education side, year 2 has explored many interesting topic areas concepts of empathy, respect and perseverance that have inspired minds and hearts. Students have taken part in gymnastics, swimming, excursions, incursions, wellbeing shows, peer support, as well as in class activities such as grandparents day. This term alone, students were tasked with re-developing the game of soccer to make way for children who were vision impaired. It’s with happy memories like these that we say goodbye, with great hope and expectations for what next year holds.



3 AMBER

You entered my classroom on the first dayAnxious and excited, finding your wayOur days were always filled with engaging lessonsAnd without a doubt, everyone loved their PEsessionsWriting, Reading, Spelling and AddingWorking hard and never stoppingExcursions and incursions were a treatBut most importantly we learnt to be respectful nd sweet

Thank you 3A for such a wonderful year

To me, you are all so dear!

GOOD LUCK NEXT YEAR!

Ms Maarbani



3 JASPER

It has been an eventful year with 3 Jasper and I cannot believe that our time together has come to an end. It has been an absolute pleasure to watch each one of you learn and grow into the wonderful students you are today. These pictures speak a thousand words, thank you for the memories!

Mr. Abbas



3 TURQUOISE

Dear 3 Turquoise

It has been an incredible journey and I am so proud of you. You have worked so hard and have made great progress. We have shared many wonderful memories and have also had fun learning!

You are all very special, and I want you all to know how I loved being your teaching, how fast the year did go! We did a lot of special things- We learned, we laughed, we cared. I always will remember you and all the fun we shared.

Thank you so much for a wonderful school year.

I has been my pleasure being your teacher, and I wish you the best of luck.

Mrs Chaarani



4 DIAMOND

I’m glad I was your teacherI’ve come to love you so.I can’t believe the end is hereI hate to see you go!Remember all the fun we hadIn all the things we did.But most of all remember You’re all very special kids!



4 MALACHITE

It has been an honour and a pleasure meeting and teaching such unique and exceptional students. The highlights of this year were; the excursions, gymnastics, swim scheme and the music incursion. There was a lot of laughter, learning and detentions! I had the opportunity to create a special bond with every student and form unforgettable memories. I wish all my students the best of luck in year 5, I will truly miss you.



4 RUBY

What a wonderful and intriguing year it has been!

Getting to know twenty-four different, unique personalities was my absolute pleasure. Every single one of you has brought a special touch to our class. I’ve enjoyed teaching you but most of all I grew fond of watching you grow into keen, inquisitive individuals conscious of your Islamic faith. We all persevered to achieve our best and never lost sight of our goals. Each time we accomplished a goal, we set new ones and strived to achieve them.I really hope that one day you can look back at this yearbook and reflect on the sweet memories and the learning you had made.

Remember “Every experience in life will teach you something. You just need to keep an open mind and open heart to see what lessons the world has to offer.”- Henry L. Doherty

4 Ruby, I bid you farewell and ask Allah to keep you steadfast on your path to success. Ms Osta



5 DANBURITE

This year has certainly been full of amazing experiences, many laughs, outstanding achievements and deep learn-ing. To the students of 5D, I must express what an absolute pleasure it has been to be at the helm of our year five ship. I have witnessed each of you go through the journey of setting goals for yourself and then working hard to achieve them. There have been many challenging times for each of you in your journey this year, but it has been inspiring to see the determination shown by Zinnira, Alana, Hamdi, Noor and Wael. It has been exciting to witness the academic achievements of two young men who are poised to make a difference in the world; Aymen and Afraaz. Your thirst for knowledge is inspiring to all those around you.

You all have the ability to be outstanding leaders, but I am especially proud of Jaafar, Mohammed A, Norah, Yasmin and Naadira who I could always rely on to set the standard for our class. To my quiet achievers; Layal, Layann, Asiyah, Bilaal, Jinan and Mahmoud, I urge you to keep finding your voice and let the world take notice of how amazing you are. To those who started the year as boys, but who are on the path to becoming wonderful young men; I am so very proud of how you have matured this year. Muhammad R, Nabil and Muhammad B; I look forward to seeing you continue to set goals and achieve every single one of them.

I wish you all a well-deserved holiday break and inshallah your achievements will continue in 2020.



5 MOONSTONE

5 Moonstone, this year has been fantastic! it is hard to believe that it is coming to an end. It has been an absolute pleasure being your teacher. What an ex-citing journey it has been for me to watch each and every one of you grow into responsible and mature students.

Throughout the year, you have shared your joys with me and made me laugh often, you have shared your thoughts and your feelings, you have made me proud, some of you have discovered yourselves this year –or who you want to be. Some of you have be-come leaders. Some of you have excelled with help-ing others. Some of you are still finding out your likes and dislikes.

All of you have made progress in some way.

I will treasure the wonderful memories we have shared, from our visit to the Sydney Observatory to our Stage 3 camp and every little moment in between.

Remember to always believe in yourself. I will miss you next year, but I know that you must move forward in order to accomplish the great things that your life has in store.

IT CAN HAPPEN. BELIEVE IT. WORK TOWARD IT.

And be sure to tell me what you accomplish!

I am grateful that I had the opportunity to teach you. Thank you for a great year!

Sincerely,

Ms Fayers



6 AMETHYST

Year 6 is the end of a milestoneIt’s the end of your Junior School yearsAfter that you’ll be in Senior SchoolAnd it will be time to shift gearsTo start building your futureBy always doing your bestUntil your good is betterAnd never letting is restTo 6A, I wish you successIn all that you set to doAll the best for the futureNo matter what you choose



6 KYANITE

6 ZIRCON

Dear 6KI’m glad I was your teacherI’ve come to love youI can’t believe the end is hereI hate to see you go.

I watched you learn and growAnd change from day to day.

I hope that all the things we’ve donehave helped you in some small way.

So, it’s with happy memories that I say

Goodbye 6K.

Ms Abdelwahed

Dear 6 Zircon, 2019,

Thank you to all of you for going a journey with Ms Afzal and I in the final year of your junior schooling. All of you are unique and brought different strengths our 6Z team which made it such a memorable year. I will you all the best for Senior School. I hope you all enjoyed being part of the 6Z team as much as us.

I am leaving you with a short message which we hope you will remember. One of the most important aspect of our lives. Teamwork: While sometimes it may not feel like it, know you are part of a team in various aspects of your lives. Know you make a difference no matter how small it may appear. Reflect and recog-nise just what impact you have on the whole. What sort of a team player are you?

“No snowflake in the avalanche ever feels responsi-ble.” Voltaire.

Ms Khan and Ms Afzal



K ADAMITE

Dear KA,

I am not ready to say goodbye to you. I will miss you dearly. You have all been such a special group of students who have shown me the extent of your potential. I am confident leaving you knowing you have achieved so much in your very first year of school. You are amazing friends, learners and Muslims.

Love always,

Ms Abboud



K EMERALD

To my amazing K Emerald student’s

In our time together, you learned what it meant to sit in a circle, walk in a line, hold a pencil, use scissors, zip up your coat, and be part of a group. You learned how to read, became Mathematicians, Scientists, Inquirers, and more. You learned what it meant to be a friend. You played with others, took turns, worked through problems, and practiced patience.

You smiled, laughed, and sometimes cried. Not all of our days were easy, but most of our days were filled with learning, excitement, and happiness. You gave me lots of hugs and high fives, and still called me ‘Teacher’ no matter how many times I told you my name.

Each and everyone of you has left a special spot in my heart that I will cherish forever.

Love

Ms. El-Asmar

YEARBOOK 2019UNITY GRAMMAR 120


K RHODALITE

KR

The year has gone so quickly,I can’t believe it’s done.We have laughed, learnt and grown,It’s been a lot of fun.

Throughout the year I have challenged you,with English, Maths and more.We have had some stories, sung some songs,and played some games and more.

I’d like to wish you happiness,and all the best next year.But most of all I want to say,I will always be near.



K SAPPHIRE

KS is the BEST class in the school! This is something you would often hear me say. It is true! You are all amazing and will forever hold a special place in my heart.

You have transformed from the frightened, nervous bunch at the beginning of the year to the confident and col-lected crew that you are now.

You have exceeded my expectations and made me very proud of all the things you have achieved. You are excep-tional writers, marvelous readers, talented speakers, splendid mathematicians and inquisitive scientists.

You are all kind, funny, caring and helpful. I feel very lucky to have had you in my class. I’m not ready to let you go, but I’m sure your next year’s teacher will be grateful to have you in theirs now.

We have become one big family and I will forever miss you!



7G1 MOUKAHAL

YEAR 8 BOYS

YEAR 7 GIRLS

YEAR 7 BOYS

7G1 has been an absolute pleasure to have and to teach! They are a lively group with so much positive energy and attributes. Greeted with their “Salaams” and lovely smiles every morning, 7G1 have much to offer. They are well disciplined and very respectful. I couldn’t ask to start my day with any other group! May Allah bless each single one of them and keep them on the straight path. Goodluck with your future studies 7G1! Keep up the amazing work!

2019 was a wonderful year with this group of amazing boys! I have seen you grow into fine young individuals since year 7. It was challenging at times, but you had the strength to complete 2019 on a positive note.

You have had a busy, and hopefully very rewarding year. Keep working hard and keep creating lovely memories of your time at Unity Grammar. Enjoy your time with your families and treat them well. Make sure you are back at school for the start of the year. Thank you for making our school a richer place!

Sh. Arshad

I cannot believe that the end of the school year is approaching so quickly. It has been a great year that has been filled with much joy and happiness. We have covered a lot of material and have gotten the opportunity to partic-ipate in many fun projects and excursions.

It has been my pleasure getting to know each one of you. Having your parental support was an essential part of the year. I would like to personally thank each and every one of the parents, and other family members who have taken the time to support us this year. Your dedication and support have not gone unnoticed.

Thanks again for a wonderful year.

Ms Asma Dais Stage 4 Girls Advisor

2019 was a marvellous year to look back on as the Stage Advisor of the Year 7 Boys. This year the focus was to assist them with the transitioning into senior school and developing their self-esteem and maturity.

To the year 7 boys, I hope that you found this year one to remember, a year where you challenged yourself further, met your goals, and took new opportunities. Make the most of summer coming up and be sure to start the new academic year refreshed and prepared for an even more outstanding year.

I am beyond proud to have seen the positive changes that have occurred this year at Unity Grammar and have been absolutely honoured to have served our school during such an eventful and exciting year.

Sh. Arshad



YEAR 9 BG

YEAR 9 GIRLS

Assalamualaykum 9BG class of 2019, parents and readers,

It has been an honour to see the students of 9BG grow into young men and women throughout 2019. Every morning started with a reminder to get out their reading books and be prepared for the day. They soon adjusted to the independence of learning in a stage 5 learning environment.

The year has been a mixed bag with lots of laughter, drama and endless stories. This classroom was claustro-phobic with the presence of such big personalities, outspoken characters and comical talents. I never had a dull moment with 9BG as there was always some form of entertainment in the midst of quiet reading every morning. Reflecting on my cohort of students, now I feel so humbled and proud of their growth. I look forward to seeing their continued growth in the future and thank each one of my students for allowing me to be a part of their jour-ney. You all will always be my ‘children’, no matter how old you become.

Your amazing roll call teacher, Mr Khan

YEAR 10 BOYS

I have thoroughly enjoyed my role as Stage 5 Boys Welfare Adviser over the past year. My main responsibility was for the wellbeing of our Year 9 and 10 boys. As a Stage Adviser, I have worked very closely with the school wellbeing team and classroom teachers to assist our adolescent boys with their learning in and outside of the classrooms. I am usually the first point of contact for parents in relation to any issues or problems about their son. Stage Advisers are dedicated and an integral part of the school community. We work closely with staff and parents to provide the earliest possible intervention that prevents problems for their child. We provide guidance for and promote the welfare of students in each stage group.

Our Year 9 and 10 Boys were encouraged to engage with the many opportunities available to them in order for them to actively develop initiative and motivation by contributing to the School Shura Council (SSC) or to a range of valuable Community Service Projects with the assistance of Mr Karolia. Our Year 9 and 10 Boys have an impres-sive track record in debating, public speaking, community service activities and extra-curricular activities which provide a diverse range of skills to develop confidence, competence and resilience.

Being the Stage 5 Advisor, I have learnt that the Year 9 girls are like a bag of skittles full of vibrant personalities and never knowing what you’re going to get. Over this year they were able to foster their friendships with one another and learn how to adjust to Stage 5.

Their excursion to the Friendship Gardens taught them the importance of establishing connections with others on both a personal and international scale. They also learnt the importance of Chinese New Year and the various traditions practised by other cultures.

The girls had shown great organisation in their Market Day and have learnt how to work together as a team in order to achieve their goal. Overall this year has allowed the girls to learn how to work together and develop friendships with others. I look forward to seeing their collegiality continue to develop in Year 10.



YEAR 10 GIRLS

YEAR 11 BOYS

This year the year 10 girls have been part of an abundance of community events and have grown in confidence and maturity. As their Stage Advisor, it’s been a great pleasure seeing them work together through various pro-jects such as creating paper chain people or succeeding in athletic competitions.

The girls were selected to meet other year 10 students from Pymble Ladies College and formed great bonds whilst learning about the cultural backgrounds of others. They attended a sermon and learnt how religious values are used to develop community engagement.

Touring Sydney’s Harbour on the Thunder Jet was exhilarating as the girls experienced a thrilling ride filled with constant stops and turns. They braved the cold harbour seas and laughed together despite the hiccups along the way.

Having some of the girls meet poet, Amal Kassir inspired them to pursue their own goals and learn that nothing is impossible. Thank you Emma for your steady hand with a camera and Nahida for your amazing poetry. It is truly inspiring seeing a girl with so much confidence.

The girls have been a wonderful group to have this year; I wish them the best of luck in Stage 6 and look forward to seeing them achieve their goals.

Year 11 boys 2019, a cohort that is unique. The boys value the meaning of education and the value of their friend-ship. Each and every student is unique, they all acquire traits that will lead them to a successful life by the will of Allah. The boys will always be special and dear to my heart as they are the first roll call class I have ever had. Witnessing their enthusiasm every morning and their willingness to help each other in times of hardship as well as lifting each other makes me certain that by the will of Allah their futures will be as bright and by acquiring the values of unity grammar they will grow on values of giving for the sake of Allah.

With one more year of schooling left , may their vision align with the vision of unity grammar and may they be the true leaders of tomorrow and may next year hold an abundance of awesome memories and terrific results for this cohort.

Mrs Raad



YEAR 11 GIRLS

The final chapter now begins as you enter Year 12 and what seemed like the longest time will fly by in 2020.

The first ever ‘founding’ kindergarten class of Unity Grammar! What a remarkable journey it has been. Across the past 12 years of your schooling journey you’ve ‘founded’ so much amongst yourselves - humour, generosity, wis-dom, patience, kindness and strength – but there’s no doubt that together you’ve found so much more! You’ve established a sisterhood that is unbreakable.

So many special memories have been shared and I can assure you that over the next few months there will be many more to add to the collection! You will face challenges far more difficult than you ever imagined however with the right attitude and approach, you will persevere and come out so much better for it.

12G it is never too late to start working towards achieving your end goal.

Always remember that hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard!

Lots of Love,Ms Alameddine (Stage 6 Girls Advisor).



YEAR 12 BOYS

Ms El-Gashingi

“An ordinary year became an extraordinary experi-ence thanks to these amazing group of boys”- Aref Hafza

This statement captures the essence of the Year 12 boys cohort. A cohort filled with a genuine love for each other for the sake of Allah. A cohort filled with a bunch of incredible humans who had vibrant per-sonalities. So, it is with a heavy heart and a tear in my eye that I say that the Year 12 boys’ schooling journey has come to an end. They brought G17 to life with their presence and humour. It has no doubt been a memory filled year that will forever be cherished. It was an honour witnessing these boys turn into the amazing young men they are today. Our school vision is to build the leaders of tomorrow. These young men are the epitome of our school vision.

May Allah make them beacons for this ummah wher-ever they may go or be.



YEAR 12 GIRLS

My Dear 12 G,

The journey has been long and arduous but finally you have reached the end. It is now that amazing point in your schooling journey where you can sit back and reflect on the wonderful personal achieve-ments that have paved your way in the path to be-coming accomplished citizens of this world. You have all worked very hard to arrive here and should hold your head up high with a sense of pride, self-satis-faction and gratitude towards Allah SWT. Along the way, you have found strength, unwavering support and guidance from your parents, teachers, peers and other loved ones who are now just as proud of your achievements and successes. As I reminisce my time with you over the last 4 years, I am filled with a kalei-doscope of emotions. Being a part of your learning journey has been immensely rewarding for me, and I am all the more, a better person because of it. It is genuinely heart-warming to see that you have all blossomed into young ladies who are self-assured, confident, resilient, inspiring, respectful, loving and understanding. There is not a doubt in my mind that your integrity and allegiance towards your faith will guide you towards more successes in your pursuit of excellence in the future.

I have to say that it is a bittersweet feeling to see you leave the Unity family as you will be sorely missed. I have relished every moment of my time with you all and your beautiful faces and personalities will forever be etched in my mind. I thank you for all the laughter and joy that have brightened up my days and pray that Allah SWT blesses each one of you with every goodness one can dream of. May you always stay true to yourselves and on the right path in your jour-ney through life.


70 Fourth Ave, Austral, NSW 2179

www.unitygrammar.com.au

1800 4 UNITY

A Y E A R I N R E V I E W - Unity Grammar College

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