Education Palestine Project #7684

Al Aqaba Kindergarten: Haj Sami's Dreams Made Real

by Rebuilding Alliance

Project Report | Feb 10, 2023
Parents are happy with the kindergarten

By Maria Syed | Analyst and Strategist

Children of the kindergarten

Thanks to your support, three teachers continue to provide kindergarteners with state-of-the-art education and also work on their social skills. Currently, 70 children are enrolled in kindergarten.

To assess the performance of the kindergarteners, parents of kindergarteners were asked to share their experiences. Rebuilding Alliance and the kindergarten were heartened to see outstanding feedback from the parents. Many parents have noted a marked change in their children, especially a boost in their confidence level and social skills.

The mother of four-year-old Joud said that Joud suffered from a speech disorder and did not talk much no matter how hard she tried. “Now, Joude speaks very well and has overcome his shyness. He has many friends and comes to kindergarten. A smile does not leave him.The teachers had a huge role to play in Joud's progress, they encouraged him to repeat after them, first words and then whole sentences.”
“I am the mother of the child Majd. Before joining the kindergarten, Majd did not like to interact with anyone. Kindergarten has made a positive impact on his behavior. He is making friends now. The teacher encouraged Majd to participate in all the activities and even morning recitation.”
“I am very happy about the change in my son Anas, especially his confidence.” Mother of Anas

The teachers at the kindergarten keep a file for each child to keep track of their progress, both academic and otherwise. They monitor their progress and change their teaching methodology accordingly. Kindergarteners are taught in accordance with their capacity. Lessons are imparted in a manner that is easy to understand, taking into consideration how well they are received. Those who are struggling are given extra attention.

The teachers narrated how one girl, Sham, did not like mingling with other children and wandered around alone. She also did not take any interest in lessons. Teachers talked to her mother and made great efforts to integrate her with her classmates. As a result, Sham now interacts, learns, and actively participates in all activities.

Parents are happy with the progress of their children.

“I am very happy with all the teachers and the staff because they are friendly and kind and deal gently with children. I have requested individual discussion about my child on more than one occasion.” says the mother of Bustan.
“My daughter Elena goes to kindergarten and she is very happy. Her teacher is wonderfully creative and is very sweet.”--Mother of Elena and Anas
“I am the mother of the student Abdul. It is crazy how much my child is fond of kindergarten. He never likes to be absent even when he’s sick. He is good at studies.”
“I would like to thank the staff of Al Haq Kindergarten for their good treatment and discipline. My son is mastering numbers and letters, and also participates in activities and events. All thanks to Miss Jamila, wishing you more progress and success.”--Mother of Adham.

Al Haq Kindergarten continues to impart high-quality education to children in the Al Aqaba Village and neighboring areas. However, it is facing financial challenges in going forward, among these paying the salaries of staff who are giving their best to this kindergarten, the heart of a wonderful village!

Thank you for your continued support of the Al Haq Kindergarten and your commitment to educating Al Aqaba’s children.

A child drawing

Getting a medical check up

Enjoying art class

Permalink

Sep 6, 2022
Al Haq Kindergarten open -the year ahead is a critical year

By Neveen Naser, Jen Doyle, Nejmah Haddad, Maria Syed | Writing Team Members

A child drawing

Back in 2002, when the Israeli Army promised to stop using Al Aqaba Village for live-fire training, establishing the Al Haq kindergarten was the first initiative of a village eager to come home. Rebuilding Alliance is so proud to have been a founding partner — we helped build the kindergarten building, providing a home for the heart of the village.

Principal Noha Dabak, a founding member of Al Haq KG. started out as a teacher there in 2002. Principal Noha is very proud of how far the KG had come: she has taught children who are are finishing their college degress to become doctors, engineers, designers, buisiness people and some are now parents who have their own children attending the same KG.

Al Haq kindergarten has two levels, one is for chidren aged five, and the other is for younger children in preschool. The kindergarten offers a state-of-the-art curriculum supported by extracurricular activities and active learning approaches.

The curriculum is supervised by the Ministry of Education. The kindergarten provides regular reports to the Ministry and updates its curriculum in light of the feedback.
Three teachers in the kindergarten attend training sessions offered by the Open University of Jerusalem every Saturday and are also enrolled in a diploma program that is funded by the Ministry of Education and some foreign countries.
The kindergarten teaches Arabic, English, Math, Science, Art & music.
It also takes children on field trips and organizes entertainment activities too.

Children in the village are deeply impacted by the sounds of live fire and military training nearby, across the valley. Last fall,the Israeli Army resumed military training in the village — we're happy to say that when the village's lawyer filed appeals and Rebuilding Alliance asked Congress to intervene with the U.S. State Department, the Israeli Army stopped using the village for trainign. Our Contact Congress intervention really helped -- as did sending Donna, our Executive Director. to live in Al Aqaba from April through June, inviting the U.S. Embassy to visit, and bringing two a Congressional Staff Delegation there too.

Principal Noha shares that kindergarten helps children recover from their fears and anxieties. Children are encouraged to express their feelings through drawing, music, role-playing, and other creative projects.

Even though the KG attracts a great audience of children and their families because of the small fee it charges, donations were a huge contributor to the income and funds for the KG. We fell short of our goals, though, and that meant the teachers were paid only half their salary as the school year came to a close.

A slump in donations has already forced the kindergarten to take some drastic measures.

The kindergarten cut down on its breakfast program. Ms. Jameela at the kindergarten tells us she sees a visible change in the energy level of children because children focus better when fed breakfast. For now, the kindergarten is offering a traditional breakfast only on Tursdays.
The number of teachers was also cut down, from five to three.

This past year saw big changes in the village as a whole with the passing of Mayor Haj Sami. The Governor of Tubas installed a new Village Council Head to help the village recover as the Rural Women's Association did their best to recover. Thankfully, the village council is guaranteeing that the bus will keep running, and so the kindergarten has opened its doors, now for its 26th year!

We thank you for your support for Al Haq Kindergarten in the past and ask your help now as the school year begins, as the Kindergarten remains the beating heart of the village.

Children love Pizza the most!

Learning Arabic

A clown show for the children

Field trip to a pharmacy

Learning about pharmacy

Some fun activities

Enjoying a traditional meal on Thursday

Links:

Doaa, a graduate of kindergarten sharing her experience

Permalink

Nov 23, 2021
Kindergarten breakfast pictures! Giving Tuesday Nov. 30th

By Jovita Sofia Jiz de Ortega | Communications Manager

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