About Us

 Al-Azhar Academy of Canada started in September 1997. Al-Azhar Academy of Canada acted on the importance of establishing a formal full-time Islamic school that would fill a major gap in the education experience of Muslim children in Toronto. Continued parent and community support allowed the school to move from its first establishment, a commercial unit, to a prestigious educational and Islamic setting next to a Mosque. Now entering the school’s twelfth year, the school has developed a solid teaching staff, dedicated administration, and a very close community that we like to call family. Elhamdullah with the help of Allah subhana wa taala we have maintained and Insha’Allah will continue to uphold the school philosophy of providing an accessible, academically competitive, and religiously embedded education for Muslims in Toronto. 

Al-Azhar Academy School aspires to provide a sound and balanced education of the highest standards to Muslims in an Islamic environment right here in North America. Al-Azhar is committed to make this superior form of comprehensive education, combining Islamic religious studies with legitimate secular academic training, one of excellence and ensures accessibility and affordability primarily to all Muslim families and students. 

Our vision is to go beyond the basic requirements of mosques. Vibrant comprehensive educational institution and centers are now urgently required in order to train, educate and prepare our children in an Islamic environment to meet the heavy challenges that lay ahead in an open secular and highly competitive society. Al-Azhar Islamic School is just a small initiative to assist parents in meeting the proper educational needs of their children in an easily accessible and affordable manner and provide professional social support services to members of the community.  

 Attendance:

Students are expected to make every effort to attend all classes. “Regular attendance in school is critical for students’ learning and achievement of course expectations.” TDSB. If, for some reason, a student cannot be at school, a parent/guardian should phone the attendance secretary as soon as possible. Parents/guardians may also call and speak to their child’s vice principal if the absence is of an extended or sensitive nature. We can arrange for the collection of homework for your child if the anticipated absence is 3 or more days.

Legitimate Absences

• Medical/Dental appointments
• School Authorized Excursions
• Illness with note brought to the Main Office
• Death in the Family
• Authorized Court and/or Immigration Appearances

All other absences are not considered to be legitimate and may result in lost marks for assignments, tests etc.

Lates

Students are expected to be in the classroom, ready to begin work, before the bell rings. Students who arrive after the bell for any class are considered late and are expected to sign the in-class late book. Multiple lates will result in a variety of consequences including: detention, contact with parents, and possible suspension for “habitual neglect of duty”. When a student arrives during the day from an appointment or is returning to school following an appointment, s/he must sign in at the Office. An admit slip will be issued to show teachers. Arriving to school from an appointment is not considered a “late”.

Homework & Assignments:

Staff, parents and students all agree that homework is an important part of a student’s education. It enhances discipline, strengthens understanding of material, and provides a continuum between school and home, and increases student’s communication skills while preparing for future tests and exams. Homework responsibility is shared between students, parents and teachers. 

It is the student’s responsibility to seek assistance from the teacher when they feel unable to complete a task or assignment. It is not acceptable for students to advise the teacher of difficulty the day before or on the day a task/assignment is due. It is never acceptable to submit work late without having negotiated alternate deadlines. Some deadlines can be negotiated, but most are absolute. If students do not complete work on either a negotiated or an absolute deadline, then the work will not be assessed or evaluated. In such cases students will receive a designation of “incomplete”. Chronic lateness in completing tasks or submitting assignments may prevent teachers from evaluating student’s work. Students must provide a doctor’s note or some documentation in order for alternate arrangements to be made for him or her.     

Holiday/Extended Absences:

Parents who choose to remove their child/children from school for an extended period of time in order to on holiday or participate in other activities outside scheduled school breaks, the following guidelines may help in making such a decision:

· Parents are required to consult with the principal prior to making plans.

· Parents are responsible to inform the principal in writing of the dates of any departures and return to school two weeks before leaving. 

· The student is responsible for any missed work, collection of handouts, notes and reading assignments. The student must see his/her teachers to see if arrangements can be made regarding missed tests, projects, presentations or performances. A students’ mark may be adversely affected by a prolonged absence. 

· Examinations will not be rescheduled to accommodate a student’s holiday. Parents must book their holidays after school year is completed. 

Absence during tests/examinations:

A student who misses any formal examination due to illness or legal circumstances must present to the Vice Principal a medical note or legal documentation, stating that a medical or legal situation prevented the student from writing an exam, within 48 hours or a mark of “0” will be assigned.

A student who misses a final exam for a legitimate and substantiated reason will be given an opportunity to write an alternative exam. When time and/or circumstances prevent the scheduling of an alternative evaluation then the teacher, in consultation with the Administration, will determine an appropriate final mark for the student, based upon the work completed by the student prior to the missed final evaluation. Permission will not be given to write final exams prior to the designated exam dates and schedules. Please do not plan holidays until after the final date for exams. 

Student Illness:

If a student becomes ill during the day, the student is required to report to the office. The office Administration will contact the parent/guardian in regards to the matter. Arrangements will be made to ensure the student’s safe return home or to the classroom. Both school and Ministry Policy state that no staff member is permitted to dispense any form of medication to any student. If a student has had a reportable infectious illness, such as chicken pox, he/she must bring a doctor’s certificate upon returning to school, stating that he/she is now free of infectious illness and is able to attend school again. Students who are brought to school and are still ill, or do not have the required doctor’s notes, will be sent home. 

Release of students:

No student will be allowed to leave school property without authorized personnel, such as a parent/guardian, or other person who usually takes the student home. Parents must take the following steps in order to authorize any other person to pick up their child:

· Parent must call the school and provide the person’s name and relationship for proper identification. 

· We urge parents to be very particular about giving us adequate and proper instructions, as we want to be absolutely sure that each student goes home safe with an authorized person.

Computer lab: 

1. Students are not allowed to eat or drink in the computer lab.

2. Students should not be in the computer lab without teacher supervision.

3. Students are not to engage in any sort of activity that could in any way interfere with the functioning of the network.

4. Games are never to be played on the system by the students.

5. Any files on the Al-Azhar Academy server are the property of the school, and the administration has the legal right to view these if necessary. 

6. It is the student’s responsibility to backup, safe, and maintain any his/her information. The student maintains the responsibility for meeting all personal deadlines.

Parent communication: 

Parents are asked to call the school office or email your child’s teacher for any questions or concerns. Getting to know you will help us understand, work with and teach your child better.

Notification of changes: Parents are asked to immediately notify the office of any student information changes such as address, phone number, parental contact (work or cell), person in charge of pick-up or any medical information.

Parent-teacher interviews: Parents will be notified and invited to make appointments to meet their children’s teachers and to learn about the curriculum, which is planned for the year. Parents are welcome to inquire about their child’s progress through pre-set appointments. 

Photographs and video recording:

Photographs and video recording of students or school staff are NOT allowed without prior consent from the school administration. Digital, video or cell phone cameras are not allowed to be used inside or anywhere on school property. Only Al-Azhar Academy administration takes pictures of school evens and students throughout the year for school website and archives. 

School Calendar:

It is your school policy to notify parents of all events, trips or visits, planned by the school. Please check the school calendar regularly for holidays, parent-teacher interviews, professional activity days (P.A days) and other special events. However, to keep posted with changes and amendments with the calendar, a memo will be sent home with every student. 

P.A. Days:

Professional Activity days are for parent-teacher interviews and/or days when teachers meet for discussion, workshops, seminars, or report cards. The students do not come to school on these days. 

Students’ personal property: 

Toys may not be brought to school except with the teacher’s permission, to avoid being misused or broken. Toys related to violence (such as guns, arrows, etc) are not allowed in the school. The school is not responsible under any circumstances for lost, stolen or damaged personal property, anywhere in the school. Any types of electronics are not allowed in the school (game boys, DS, PSP, iPODs, mp3, laptops, etc) and other electronic equipment are not allowed in school. Students are also not permitted to buy or sell any items at the school.

Parking:

Parents are asked to park their cars in designated parking areas only while dropping off and picking up students. Parking in the front of the school front doors or blocking other persons’ car is prohibited. 

Prayers:

The Adan for Dhur prayer is called every school day where students take time out of their respective classes to pray in congregation.

Immunization and vaccination: 

According to the ministry of health and school policy, all students must be immunized and their immunization records provided as proof upon registration. All students must provide proof of full immunization along with their up to date immunization records to the school. Admission may be denied if the school is not provided with this information. Nurses from the ministry of health come twice a year for grade seven students’ hepatitis B and grade eight girls’ HPV vaccinations. Parents will be informed of such visits and whether their child will be vaccinated at such times. 

Phone calls- parents:

The best try to contact teachers are before or after school. Only in emergency situations will a teacher be called from class to the telephone. Parents are not allowed to enter the classrooms and ask any teacher any questions during classroom sessions for this causes class disturbance. If you leave a message, you should receive a return call within twenty-four hours. Calls to the school are directed to an answering machine after 4:00 p.m.

Phone calls-Students:

The office will not page students to take phone calls for any reason. In an emergency, if a parents needs to get in touch with a student prior to 3:30 p.m., an appropriate staff member will be called and asked to relay the message to the student (reminding a student about doctor or dentist appointments is generally not considered an emergency). The school phone is for office use only. Students my however use the phone only in an emergency situation, such as illness. Arranging rides home/to school, going with a friend, forgetting books & projects, lunches, reminding parents to be picked up from school at the end of the day etc, are not considered emergencies. The secretary will dial then the student will be allowed to speak to the concerned person. 

Cancellation of classes/school day: 

Classes may be cancelled in the event of extreme weather conditions. Parents/guardians are instructed to call the school office by 8:00 a.m. where a message will inform parents/guardians of any cancelled classes.  

Student arrival/dismissal time:

Students may enter the school building 8:45 a.m. at the earliest. All students must depart or be picked up by 3:30 p.m. the latest.