Garden of the Sahaba Academy · Newsletter

SeptemberNewsletter

A month of growing — college readiness for our juniors and their families, a PTO breakfast for our teachers, a PTO bake sale, the Scholastic Book Fair, and a fall Dress Down Day to close it out.

2026-2027 school year
Produced by GSA
Boca Raton, Florida

What happened in September

A month of steady growth

September was the month the year found its rhythm. With routines settled, our older students turned toward what comes after GSA: our tenth and eleventh graders and their parents learned about financial aid from Palm Beach State College, our juniors walked the campus at Florida Atlantic University, and two guest speakers visited the eleventh grade.

The rest of the school had plenty of its own — a PTO breakfast for our teachers and staff, a PTO bake sale, the Scholastic Book Fair, and a fall Dress Down Day on the last day of the month, under the theme "Grow Through What You Go Through".

We are grateful to our families, our PTO, and our guests for all they gave our students this month.

0events across the month

0college-readiness sessions

0photographs in this issue

The month at a glance

Eight events and a day off

Everything below happened between Labor Day and the last day of September.

Sep 7
Labor Day
No school for the Labor Day holiday.
Sep 8
College Financial Aid Presentation
Palm Beach State College with our 10th and 11th graders and their parents.
Sep 10
FAU College Visit
A campus visit to Florida Atlantic University for the eleventh grade.
Sep 16
Teacher Appreciation Breakfast
The PTO said thank you to our teachers and staff.
Sep 16
PTO Bake Sale
The second of the year, organized by our PTO.
Sep 18
Guest Speaker: Br. Marsad Quraishi
Ethics in the practice of law, for the eleventh grade.
Sep 24
Scholastic Book Fair
New books, and the habit of reading.
Sep 24
Guest Speaker: FAU Medical Student
An FAU medical student speaks with our eleventh graders.
Sep 30
Dress Down Day
Fall outfits under the theme "Grow Through What You Go Through".

10th & 11th grade

College readiness

Four sessions this month for our tenth and eleventh graders, and for their parents, all pointed at the years after GSA.

Sep 8
College Financial Aid Presentation
Federal student aid explained by Palm Beach State College.
Sep 10
FAU College Visit
Our juniors on campus at Florida Atlantic University.
Sep 18
Br. Marsad Quraishi
Ethics in law practice and a Muslim's responsibility.
Sep 24
An FAU Medical Student
A guest speaker a few years further along the path.

September 8

Understanding Financial Aid

Palm Beach State College walked our tenth and eleventh graders and their parents through federal student aid, while the forms are still ahead of them.

11 photographs

September 8

Understanding Financial Aid

Palm Beach State College walked our tenth and eleventh graders and their parents through federal student aid, while the forms are still ahead of them.

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The presenter walking families through a slide titled "What is Federal Student Aid?"

Students and parents following along while a student takes notes

A wide view of the room with families seated for the presentation

Parents and high school students facing the front of the room

September 8

Understanding Financial Aid

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Families and students seated across the room, ready for the presentation

Parents following along as the presenter stands by the slides

A guest smiling with a cup in hand at the refreshment table

A guest sharing a laugh with students after the session

September 8

Understanding Financial Aid

3 of 3

A student waving hello during the social time after the talk

Students chatting with a guest after the presentation

A group of high school students smiling with a guest

September 10

Eleventh Grade Visits FAU

Our juniors spent a morning at Florida Atlantic University — a campus tour, a stop at the Registrar's Office, and a look inside student housing, well ahead of application season.

20 photographs

Eleventh grade is the right year to walk onto a college campus. Applications are still ahead of them, so what students see now can still shape the choices that come before them: the courses they take, the habits they build, and the questions they bring back to their teachers.

A campus is easier to work toward once it has been seen in person rather than only read about. The hope is that students came home with a clearer picture of what they are preparing for, and of how much of it is already in their own hands.

يَرْفَعِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مِنكُمْ وَٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمَ دَرَجَٰتٍۢ
Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees.
Qur'an — Al-Mujadila 58:11

September 10

Eleventh Grade Visits FAU

Our juniors spent a morning at Florida Atlantic University — a campus tour, a stop at the Registrar's Office, and a look inside student housing, well ahead of application season.

1 of 5

Students gathered around the bronze owl statue on the campus plaza

Students seated beneath the lit Florida Atlantic sign

A campus tour guide speaking with the group outside a university building

Students listening in the Florida Atlantic lounge

September 10

Eleventh Grade Visits FAU

2 of 5

Two visitors with FAU brochures beside a cut-out of the owl mascot

The group walking along a tree-lined campus sidewalk

Students walking past the glass walls of a campus building

The group gathered with a tour guide along a covered walkway

September 10

Eleventh Grade Visits FAU

3 of 5

Students listening to a guide in a bright building lobby

The group walking through a sunlit campus atrium

Visitors with tour folders outside the Registrar's Office

Students and a teacher posing in the open atrium

September 10

Eleventh Grade Visits FAU

4 of 5

A student smiling inside a residence hall bedroom

Students exploring a residence hall suite

A smiling student walking outside a residence hall

September 10

Eleventh Grade Visits FAU

5 of 5

Students walking past the campus fitness center

Students taking in the recreation center lobby

A student pointing out the climbing wall schedule

The group gathered around a guide on the palm-lined plaza

September 18

Guest Speaker: Br. Marsad Quraishi

Br. Marsad Quraishi, a Florida attorney, spoke with our eleventh grade about ethics in the practice of law and the responsibility Muslims carry in all of it.

4 photographs

September 18

Guest Speaker: Br. Marsad Quraishi

Br. Marsad Quraishi, a Florida attorney, spoke with our eleventh grade about ethics in the practice of law and the responsibility Muslims carry in all of it.

1 of 1

Our guest speaker addressing the eleventh grade from the front of the classroom

Eleventh graders listening at their desks during the session

A wide view of the classroom during the guest speaker's visit

Our guest speaker gesturing while explaining a point to the class

September 24

A Medical Student from FAU

A visit for our juniors from a medical student at Florida Atlantic University, someone still on the road our eleventh graders are only beginning to consider.

September 16

Teacher Appreciation Breakfast

The PTO set out a breakfast for our teachers and staff, under a banner that said it plainly: thank you for all you do.

3 photographs

September 16

Teacher Appreciation Breakfast

The PTO set out a breakfast for our teachers and staff, under a banner that said it plainly: thank you for all you do.

1 of 1

Staff members smiling together beside the breakfast table

A staff member giving a thumbs-up beside the "Thank You, We Appreciate You!" banner

The breakfast spread laid out beneath the thank-you banner

September 16

PTO Bake Sale

The second bake sale of the year, this time organized by our PTO.

56 photographs

September 16

PTO Bake Sale

The second bake sale of the year, this time organized by our PTO.

The Scholastic Book Fair came to GSA — tables of new books, slow browsing, and a lot of careful choosing.

24 photographs

September 24

Scholastic Book Fair

The Scholastic Book Fair came to GSA — tables of new books, slow browsing, and a lot of careful choosing.

A break from uniform to close September, held under the theme "Grow Through What You Go Through".

25 photographs

September's Dress Down Day carried a theme, "Grow Through What You Go Through", and it is a fitting line for the end of the month, when routines have settled and the early difficulties of a new year have been worked through rather than avoided. Students marked it in fall-inspired outfits.

Growth in a school is rarely visible on any single day. It shows up slowly, in the student who reads a little more easily or waits a little more patiently than before. Fall is a season of gradual change, and the day's tagline says the same thing plainly: "Keep Growing, Keep Learning, Keep Shining."

فَإِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا إِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًۭا
For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.
Qur'an — Ash-Sharh 94:5-6

September 30

Dress Down Day

A break from uniform to close September, held under the theme "Grow Through What You Go Through".

1 of 7

Students in warm browns, creams and denim pose together on the stairs for Dress Down Day

Smiling students in fall greens, golds and creams gather at the playground on Dress Down Day

Friends in mustard and brown share lunch and peace signs on Dress Down Day

September 30

Dress Down Day

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Friends in cozy hoodies and long dark dresses line up by the playground ladder on Dress Down Day

Two friends share a big hug and bright smiles on the field

Four friends in dark and teal hijabs and a striped top pose on the lawn

September 30

Dress Down Day

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Two friends in soft pink and peach flash peace signs under cloudy skies

A row of grinning buddies in hoodies and jerseys on the basketball court

Friends in pink jerseys and a keffiyeh stand side by side on the court

Four friends in black hijabs and patterned tops smile together outside

September 30

Dress Down Day

4 of 7

A cheerful crowd of friends in browns, creams and denim strike playful poses

Two friends in denim and stripes share a hug by the slide

A crew of classmates in jerseys and bright tees gather around a mini soccer goal

Two smiling friends in red and neon yellow tees sit side by side

September 30

Dress Down Day

5 of 7

Three friends in soft cream and pink tops pose under the trees

A thumbs up and a sweet smile in a ruffled pink top

All smiles in a tweed dress and hair bow on the lawn

September 30

Dress Down Day

6 of 7

Teammates in jerseys huddle up with a soccer ball under the walkway

Two friends in a cream tee and patterned shirt grin in the lunchroom

Friends in browns, creams and denim kneel and flash peace signs on the brick path

September 30

Dress Down Day

7 of 7

Classmates in mustard, mauve and cream smile around the lunch table

A beaming smile and tie-dye pink pants at the playground

Principal's message

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh

It is vital that we all work together to ensure that our children reach their fullest potential.

I believe that all of us — the school and the community — must work together as an extended family to ensure success for all our students.
It's our responsibility to empower children with the creative, intellectual, and decision-making skills necessary for them to become spiritually, academically, socially, physically, and emotionally successful.
We will continue reaching out to you with monthly newsletters, text messages and phone calls.
Jazakumu Allahu khairan.

Fathi KhalfiPrincipal & Technology Director

Garden of the Sahaba Academy

See you in October

3100 NW 5th Ave, Boca Raton, FL 33431

Labor Day
Financial Aid
FAU Visit
Guest Speakers
Teacher Appreciation
Bake Sale
Book Fair
Dress Down Day