Volume 7, Issue 5 | January 2016

Principal Diana Abdi

5110 Manor Rd.

Austin, TX 78723

Phone: 512-926-1737

Fax: 512-926-9688

principal@apacademy.org

Parenting Advisory

Is it a reward ... or is it a bribe? Your child has been studying hard all week and you want to reward her for her good work. But you’ve heard that you are not supposed to use bribes. So what’s the differ-ence? Simply put: Rewards are earned with good behavior; bribes are offered to avoid or stop bad behavior. Although the incentive or the “prize” may sometimes be the same, the distinction is an important one: • Rewards. When you give your child something desirable for her good behavior, you

are giving her a reward she has earned. Your child might be motivated to turn her assignments in on time if she knows she’ll earn the right to stay up later on Saturday night.

• Bribes. When you give your child something desirable in order to stop misbehavior, you are offering her a bribe. Your child might be whining about something she wants while you’re standing in a checkout line. It’s tempting to buy it for her just to get her to stop whining, and this will probably work—in the short term. However, you haven’t taught your child to stop whining; you’ve taught her that whining gets her what she wants.

Rewards make a child feel the pride that comes from a job well done. Bribes, on the other hand, make a child feel powerful. And once parents start down the path of brib-ery, kids learn to expect a “this for that” arrangement, while parents find themselves forever at the bargaining table.

Discussion for Problem Solving When your child ignores her homework, it causes stress for everyone—you, her and the teacher! Here are some things you can do: • Talk to your child. Find out if there is a specific problem. Does she find the work too

hard? Is there too much of it? If she’s avoiding assignments, it may be that the work is overwhelming her. Talk to her teacher about finding a solution.

• Be sympathetic. Don’t excuse your child’s homework avoidance, but do show her that you understand. “It looks like this is a tough assignment. Let’s go over the instructions together.”

• Adjust her homework routine. If your child isn’t ready to hit the books right after school, give her some time to play or relax first. Consider having her do homework where you can keep an eye on her, such as at the kitchen table.

• Don’t shield her from the consequences. You don’t like to see your child get into trouble, but you’re not doing her any favors if you rescue her when she fails to meet her obligations. If she doesn’t hand in her work, let her face the consequences at school.

• Celebrate her efforts. When your child finishes her work on time, let her know how proud you are. It will reinforce her good behavior and feel terrific!

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Use the power of expectations The Pygmalion Effect, also known as the “self-fulfilling prophecy” is a long-recognized phenomenon about the power of expectations. Studies have shown that when people are expected to behave a certain way, they tend to do just that. This is great news! It means that if you expect your child to behave well, he’s more likely to do so. Try it out. Say something like, “I bet you’re going to wait patiently in this long line.” Watch what happens. Apply this idea to academic situations … and see how often it works!

Source: R. Rosenthal and L. Jacobson, Pygmalion in the Classroom, Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

Combat boredom—explore the arts

Has your child developed a ho-hum attitude about school lately? Try nurturing her creative side! Research shows that students who are involved in creative activities do better in school than those who are not. Look for ways to expose your child to the arts. For example, you might:

• Attend a local play together.

• Visit a museum or art gallery.

• Explore acting, writing or art

classes at your community center.

Source: “New NEA Research Report Shows Potential

Benefits of Arts Education for At-Risk Youth,” Nation-

al Endowment for the Arts, http://arts.gov/news/2012/

new-nea-research-report-shows-potential-benefits-arts-

education-risk-youth.

Listen ... then let your child decide Your child needs to make an important decision—and you’re tempted to make it for him. But there’s something you should do first: Listen to his reasoning. He may come to the right decision on his own and gain critical problem-solving skills in the process. Consider taking these steps: 1. Rephrase what your child is trying to say. For example, “You’re embarrassed because you weren’t

able to stop the other team’s winning goal. Now you’re thinking about skipping the next game.” 2. Ask thought-provoking questions, such as, “If you don’t go to the game, how will you feel later?

How will your coach and teammates feel?” 3. Pay close attention. Take your child’s concerns and ideas seriously—but you have the final word.

Emphasize the importance of honoring commitments. When it’s time to sign up again, he can de-cide whether or not he wants to continue. For now, his team is counting on him.

Get the most from downtime together As your child gets older, hanging out with you may not come as naturally as it once did. But your time together is as critical as ever. To make the most of it:

• Skip the agenda. Simply enjoy being together. • Follow her lead. Ask what she would like to do. • Keep your tone positive: “I love how you read to your brother last night.” Don’t use this time together as an oppor-tunity to criticize.

What an opportune time to be reminded of the need for persever-

ance, defined as steadfastness in adhering to a course of action, a belief,

or a purpose – despite difficulties, failure, or opposition. The likelihood

that most of us will be touched by some adversity or difficulty at some

point in our lives is inevitable, whether on an individual or collective basis.

This is, and has always been, a part of human existence. Difficulties arise

in all facets of life and examples are numerous.

Such examples include: learning to excel at a new, but difficult in-

terest; persisting in becoming a champion athlete; meeting the challeng-

es of getting the best possible grades; preparing for upcoming competi-

tions; striving to be a better person; striving to break bad habits; being an

advocate for someone or something you believe in; battling a debilitating

ailment; being steadfast in faith when its being downplayed; making the

next prayer on time; doing more good than bad in preparation for the next

life. But life is all about tests, and about how we handle them. We’re, in

fact, designed to handle them. The following ayat from Qur’an make this

clear.

"Be sure We shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some

loss in goods, lives, and the fruits of your toil. But give glad tidings

to those who patiently persevere. Those who say, when afflicted

with calamity, 'To Allah we belong, and to Him is our return.' They

are those on whom descend blessings from their Lord, and mercy.

They are the ones who receive guidance." (2:155-157)

The beauty of it all is that we’re not without help or solutions. Also

mentioned within these ayat are both the key to dealing with difficult

times, and the reward of doing so. We are to patiently persevere. So

whenever you set your goals, work diligently toward them without giving

up. Be patient when you fall short of acquiring them the first time, or you

find some obstacle, or you’re afraid you’ll fail altogether. Just rededicate

yourself to the completion of your task and, most importantly, trust in Al-

lah (swt) to help you. There’s NO failure with His help and protection.

May Allah swt make us of those who respond to tests with beautiful and

patient perseverance. Ameen.

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Recite and Reflect

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Over the course of the years, we witness daily the growth of our students and the determination and dedication of the staff in teaching our students to take hold of their narrative in this country. Sunday, December 6th night marked such a moment.

The APA Student Council, upon hearing the terrible news of another mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, planned and orchestrated a vigil to honor the victims. Students, staff, and community members gathered together on Sunday evening to remember those lost and to stand against any and all violent acts. News channels came out to report on the student-led event.

Our students want to be agents of positive change and your support encourages them in this. Your support strengthens them in their Muslim identity, allowing them to put in practice the character lessons we teach in the classroom. Alhamdulillah, the positive feedback, via letters and phone calls, has been pouring in from people of other faith groups, including local Christian schools. They each shared messages of appreciation, respect, and admiration for the work of our students. Steps and actions such as this vigil illuminate the true message of Islam.

May Allah (swt) make each of our students a voice for positive change in this nation.

The vigil was broadcast on all major news channels, some of which can be found here : FOX, TWC. Furthermore, ABC’s Dateline also reached out to Austin Peace Academy for interviews with staff and students to discuss the current political climate in America. APA received national news coverage due to the proactive choices of our students, Alhamdulillah.

On Thursday, December 10th, our 2nd and 3rd grade students visited the oldest theater in Austin, Texas, the Paramount. The production company was presenting

their adaptation of “Peter and the Wolf.” The adapted story involved Petra, the granddaughter of Peter who also encountered a wolf that killed her best, animal friend, the duck. However, unlike her grandfather, Peter, she learned that the wolf was only trying to find food for her cub. She realized that animals and people have many things in common while supporting their family.

The presentation included three groups of performing arts companies which included the actors/actresses, musicians, and the puppeteers. The collaboration that existed between all three groups prove that teamwork is essential in all areas of work.

The Paramount Theater has many shows that are available to community members. Our students loved the theater, and were very well-behaved guests. Visit their website to find out if there is anything that might interest your family!

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January 5 JV Boys and Varsity Girls’ Basketball Tournament

January 9 UIL Debate, Blanco

January 11 Paramount Theater, 4th and 5th Grade

January 12 JV Boys’ Basketball Tournament

January 13 APA Annual Spelling Bee

January 16 JV Boys’ and Varsity Girls’ Basketball Tournament

UIL Debate. Burnet

January 18 No School

January 20 Elementary Science Fair

January 21 Middle/High School Science Fair

January 23 UIL Debate, Lampasas

January 29-30 JV Boys’ and Varsity Girls’ Basketball Tournaments

January 30 UIL Debate, Round Rcok High School

Find us on Facebook — Austin Peace Academy and on Twitter @TXPeaceAcademy

On Wednesday, December 9 students in the Lower School invit-ed their fathers to a morning of “Donuts for Dad”. The children loved practicing their songs, Quran and fatherly famous quotes nearly as much as the fathers enjoyed listening to them.

In addition, to enjoying donuts and time with their kids, dads sent the imperative message that family and education are priori-ties in their lives, even though the necessity of work often seems to dominate.

Thank you to the staff for encouraging the students, directing them in good, and for the amazing transformation to the mosque.