Semester in Review - Spring 2019

Assalaamu alaikum,

It's hard to believe we are more than halfway into 2019! The first half of the year was a whirlwind for us, as we prepared some students to graduate to the real world, and others to graduate to the world of Kindergarten.

There has been so much going on at the school, it's impossible to summarize in a short email. Below are just a few brief highlights from the past semester. We welcome you for a visit anytime!

-Dr. Haleema Shaikley

WASC Visit

It was WASC year! Following the accreditation committee's four-day visit and their review of the school, they praised CKS and renewed our six-year accreditation, noting that the school is succeeding and exceeding its peers at providing competitive, college preparatory education in a positive and nurturing Islamic environment.

AP Capstone Diploma

We are proud to be among only 2,000 schools which offer the AP Capstone program, a two-year course that teaches college level skills. Students who pass both years as well as 4 other AP exams receive the AP Capstone Diploma, a significant distinction recognized by colleges. This year was our 2nd year offering AP Capstone, and we awarded our first round of AP Capstone Diploma recipients!  

College Board Female Diversity Award

CKS is one of 4% of secondary schools that offer APs to receive College Board's Female Diversity Award for AP Computer Science Principles. The award acknowledges the work CKS is doing to engage more female students in computer science, which is necessary to ensure gender parity in the industry. 

Academic Competitions

Our annual Science Fair, Spelling Bee, and Speech Competition all happened in the Spring! All of these events feature panels of distinguished judges who have the very difficult job of reviewing competitive submissions and presentations. The events help develop students' knowledge, but also their confidence, self-esteem, communication, and public speaking skills. 

Saturday Circles

Responding to a desire from alums to stay connected to the Islamic and CKS community following their graduation, our Alumni Association developed Saturday Circles, biweekly gatherings of alumni & friends to discuss a range of Islamic topics. The discussions, open to the community, are always fruitful and thought provoking!

100th Day of School

We celebrated the 100th Day of School with flair! In addition to fun artwork and projects, our students dressed up like they were 100 years old. The winning classes (with 100% participation) received an ice cream party from ASB.

STEAM Camp

K-8 students participated in weekly exciting STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art & math) activities as part of our STEAM Camp, which is integrated into the curriculum in the 2nd semester, teaching them important subject knowledge through fun, hands-on activities. STEAM Camp also builds mentorship across grades, as the high school students coached and mentored the younger students through some of the projects, including dissection!

Field Trips

During the Spring we had several great field trips for students from all grade levels, including to the Chino Creek Wetlands, the African American History Museum, and the Claremont Colleges. We also had an incredible in-house field trip presented by the Mosquito & Vector Control District!

Toddler Qur'an

In furtherance of our desire to instill love of the Qur'an in young ones of all ages, we began a weekly toddler Qur'an class, during which young students ages 2-5 learn Qur'an and Arabic through fun and engaging activities, and also work on a variety of crafts and games. Our young students give this class two thumbs up!

Karate Lessons

Spring semester for our primary students means it's time for karate classes! They resumed their weekly lessons with amazing instructors from a local karate school. Karate not only teaches strength, it instills important values such as respect, confidence, and self-esteem.

Computer Lab Upgrade

Thanks to the support of wonderful donors, we were able to purchase of 20 iMacs and 10 Macbooks to upgrade and enhance our computer lab, and give our students better technology for classes such as AP Computer Science Principles and AP Capstone.

Spirit Week

Spirit week, a week during which activities, competitions, and pep rallies are held, is put on by ASB annually. The week, which allows students to engage in fun team-building activities, ends with a large pep rally where grade levels, organized into teams, compete against each other in a variety of games.

Birth of Fatima (as) 

To celebrate the birth of our beloved Fatimatul Zahra, we had a special day where guest religious speakers spoke to the students, then students made cards and paper flowers for their own mothers, and created tasbeehs to read the tasbeeh of Fatima (as). Students of all ages also played with clay and made pottery, which we fired in our own kiln! 

Red Cross Blood Drive

Our High School Red Cross Club organized a blood drive at the school, which parents, staff, students and alumni attended on a weekend to donate blood. Students set up, participated, and supported the blood drive, making it a huge success! 

Tutoring 

This year we added more tutors to help students who need extra support, in addition to the off-hours tutoring done by existing teachers. The tutors focus on Language Arts & Mathematics, and help enhance the skills and understanding of students so no one is left behind in the classroom.

Soccer Trips

In furtherance of our commitment to improving athletics, our students took weekly trips during Spring semester to Goals Soccer Center to practice and play soccer in large, professional fields. All grade levels were involved, and some 12th graders assisted our coaches in training the students, making every trip there memorable.

MSSC Book Drive

Our Middle School Student Council (MSSC) held a book drive that raised over $200. They used the money raised to create hygiene kits for a local homeless shelter, complete with personal handwritten notes. The experience not only helped others, it taught the students important lessons of service and humility. 

Kindness Doors

In April, recognized by the City of Pomona as the month of Random Acts of Kindness, we had a Random Acts of Kindness door decoration contest. Students collaborated in decorating their classroom doors with messages that fostered and encouraged kindness towards others.

20th Graduating Class

With many thanks to you--our parents, community members, staff, and supporters--City of Knowledge's class of 2019 has graduated. We are so proud of their successes, many of them graduating with honors, receiving recognition from the College Board including AP Capstone Diplomas and AP Scholar awards, and receiving scholarships to and acceptance into the nation's top universities including Pomona College, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UCI, USC, and much more. Congratulations to the Class of 2019!