“We are ACA. We empower our community with knowledge, spirit and service”

Faculty Listing

Grades 1-12 Teachers

Samra Abdalla

Grades (1-10) Creative Art Teacher

Employed Since: 10/16/2017 1 Years Experience At School

Parents Office Hours: Mondays 1:45-2:30 PM

Sumaya Abdul-Quadir

Grade (10) Homeroom Teacher & Grades (9-12) Social Studies Teacher

Employed Since: 10/17/2016 2 Years Experience At School

Parents Office Hours: Mondays 8:45 - 9:15 AM and Wednesdays 2:45 - 3:15 PM

Jinan Abou-Saleh

Grade (1) Homeroom Teacher

Employed Since: 4/24/2018 0 Years Experience At School

Eight years of experience teaching different grade levels in the UAE. Holds a Bachelors of Science in Nursing in 2014. Taught English, Science, Islamic studies and specialized in teaching Arabic and Qur'an.

Illustrated a children's book as my graduation project to help reduce anxiety in children before going to surgery. Received 1st place in a public speaking competition in 2014.

Being a teacher is an honor and a privilege. I love learning from my students and enjoy the memories we build together.

Parents Office Hours: Mondays 1:45-2:30 PM and Wednesdays 1:45-2:30 PM

Gamal Ahmed

High School Science Teacher

7 years of teaching experience in Arizona and 13 years out of the country for high schools and colleges.

Holds two Masters Degrees of Science from ASU and Cairo University. Received the Standard Certificate of Arizona Department of Education. Parents Office Hours: Thursdays 2:35-3:20 PM and Fridays 1:45- 2:30 PM

Sakina Al-Amin

Elementary Islamic Studies Teacher

Employed Since: 7/23/2018 0 Years Experience At School

Has 10 years of experience instructing medical students on how to better serve their patients. Taught at the Summer Arabic Institute in Michigan. A substitute teacher for the ACA Sunday School and public schools. Member of the National Collegiate Scholar.

Parents Office Hours: Wednesdays 9:15-10:15 AM and Thursdays 9:15-10:15 AM

Hazar Al-Hamawi

Grade (9) Homeroom Teacher & Grades (8-12)Arabic Teacher

Employed Since: 7/27/2009 9 Years Experience At School

Bachelor degree in law from Beirut Arab University. I take my job seriously and work hard to keep my students interested in learning. My philosophy is to provide an interesting, challenging, learning environment where my students will flourish socially and academically. They, in turn, can give their best effort in all they do at school. I believe that as a community ‘happily’ working together, teachers, parents and school staff can help our students accomplish this. My passion is teaching, inspiring and challenging children to love Arabic because this is the language of the Quran. I wish you all an excellent and happy year.

Parents Office Hours: Mondays 1:00 - 1:40 PM and Wednesdays 10:20 - 11:00 AM

Hadeal Alaktaa

Middle School Quran Teacher

Employed Since: 7/30/2018 0 Years Experience At School

Bachelors in Accounting & Media and Islamic Studies in Damascus.
Taught English as a second language and Arabic for non-Arabic speakers at Qasid Institute in Jordan.
Taught Qur'an at the Mosque.
An honor student at the Islamic Studies University of Abunour Mosque in Damascus.
Practical Teacher Training at New Horizons International Institute.
Teacher Training course at Qasid Arabic Institute.
English courses up to the advanced levels at the American Language Center in Damascus.

Parents Office Hours: Mondays 10:30 - 11:00 AM and Fridays 12:00 - 12:30 PM

Azza Amdouni

Grade (4) Homeroom Teacher

Employed Since: 7/23/2018 0 Years Experience At School

12 years of experience teaching in Illinois in both private and public schools.
Certified in ESL as well transitional bilingual-Arabic.
Holds a Masters degree from Northeastern Illinois University.

Parents office Hours: Mondays 10:20-11:05 AM and Fridays 11:10-11:50 AM

Hebah Amireh

Grades (6-7) Arabic Teacher

Employed Since: 1/22/2018 1 Years Experience At School

Arabic teacher at Sunday School 2017-2018. Arabic teacher for middle school at ACA since Jan, 2018.

Bachelor in Physical Therapy 2005.

Diploma in English for Business 2015

Course in Psychological First Aid 2017

Parents Office Hours: Mondays 10:25-11:00 AM

Ghalia Bankasly

Grade (2) Teacher Assistant

Employed Since: 8/18/2016 2 Years Experience At School

Holds a Bachelors degree in English literature from the University of Damascus.

Experience in working at various Sunday Schools (ACA and ICNEV), and last year was my first year at Arizona Cultural Academy teaching Arabic Islamic studies and working on curriculum development.

I am very familiar with the Arabic language and variety of curriculums and how it is taught to students.

Parents Office Hours: Fridays 1:45-2:30 PM

Fozia Basharat

Grade (12) Homeroom Teacher and Grade (10-12) Math Teacher

Employed Since: 8/2/2002 16 Years Experience At School

Degree(s) Earned:

Master of Public Administration; Major in Finance
Bachelor of Science, Mathematics, Statistics and Economics

Relevant Experience:

Standard Secondary Education, 7-12 Certification by Arizona Department of Education
Qualified to instruct International Baccalaureate Programme
Dual Enrollment Instructor

Parents Office Hours: Tuesday 2:30 - 3:00 P.M & Wednesday 7:50 - 8:30 A.M

Rawia Gaffar

Grade (7) Homeroom Teacher & Grade (6-8) Math Teacher

Employed Since: 10/10/2013 5 Years Experience At School

Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Associate’s Degree in Applied Science. 9 years of experience in the Banking and Business sectors.

My goal as a teacher is help students understand math and connect what we learn in class to the real world. In my opinion, math is not supposed to be limited by the classroom, but learned through our daily lives.

I’m so proud to be part of ACA teaching team, where we all work toward achieving the highest academic level for our students.

Parents Office Hours: Thursday 1:45 -2:30 PM and Tuesdays 1:45-2:30 PM

Gilbert Gutierrez

Grades (6-12) Computer & Grade (9) Math Teacher

Teaching experience since 1991. Holds a Masters Degree. Member of the NASSP. Received the "Who's Who Among America's Teachers " award.

Parents Office Hours: Wednesdays 8:40 -9:25 AM and Thursdays 8:40 -9:25 AM

Dalal Jawad

Grade (3) Homeroom Teacher

Employed Since: 7/25/2016 2 Years Experience At School

Parents Office Hours: Tuesdays 3:30 - 4:00 PM and Thursdays 3:30-4:00 PM

Janill Johnsen

Grades (7-10) English Teacher

Employed Since: 7/22/2018 0 Years Experience At School

Holds a Master’s degree with 8 years of teaching experience in English and Humanities for private and public schools.

Awarded a scholarship to study at The Globe Theatre in London in 2016 and applied the skills and techniques obtained from this experience to help students analyze and master content in the classroom.

Parents Office Hours: Mondays 2:30-3:30 PM and Fridays 1:45-2:30 PM

Shohana Kabir

Grade (5) Homeroom Teacher

Employed Since: 7/28/2015 3 Years Experience At School

This year marks my 8th year in education and this is my 4th year in ACA. I have a master’s degree in education from Arizona State University along with a teaching certificate.

My goal is to make learning a wonderful experience for my students so that they will be excited enough to become a lifelong learner. We are going to have a wonderful time this year while we learn and grow together as a community inshaAllah.

Parents Office Hours: Tuesday 9:30 to 10:00 & Wednesday 10:30 to 11:00

Saifullah Muhammad

Qur'an & Islamic Studies Teacher

Holds a Bachelors degree. Three years experience teaching Islamic Studies. Five years experience working with kids on memorization and tajweed. Has ijazaat in many subjects including the Qur'an. Received certificates in Imamat and dealing with domestic violence as a Muslim leader.

Evlin Mrayan

Grades (1-5) Arabic Teacher

Employed Since: 8/12/2013 5 Years Experience At School

Holds a Bachelors Degree in Human Sciences with concentration on English language.

Experience includes teaching, managing, and supervising students at different grade levels. Participated in faculty and parent conferences and interacted with various young children from diverse socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds.

I am a dedicated elementary school teacher with a comprehensive background providing quality instruction and fostering a positive learning environment. I love teaching young children and I feel they respond well to me.

Parents Office Hours: Mondays 2:35-3:20 PM and Fridays 2:35-3:20 PM.

Derrick Peat

Grades (6-12) Islamic Studies & Grades (9-12) Qur'an

Employed Since: 10/16/2017 1 Years Experience At School

Parents office Hours: Mondays1:45-2:30 PM

Abdul Rahman

Coach

Employed Since: 1/11/2019 0 Years Experience At School

Omar Saloum

Grade (6) Homeroom Teacher & Middle School Science Teacher

Employed Since: 8/1/2018 0 Years Experience At School

Office Hours: Mondays 9:20-9:50 and Tuesdays 8:05-8:35 AM

Taghreed Sbai

Grade 11 Homeroom Teacher & Grades (11-12) English Teacher

Employed Since: 3/18/2007 12 Years Experience At School

I hold a Montessori Certification from Arizona Institute for Montessori Education (AMI), Secondary Certification from Ottawa University and the University of Phoenix, a Bachelor Degree in English Literature and a Master’s Degree in English Literature from Arizona State University. I am certified in International Baccalaureate Language and Literature Studies, Spalding Method 1 &2, KU Writing Strategy, Structured English Immersion, Great Books Instruction, and Socratic Seminars. I am a Dual Enrollment instructor for English 101, English 102, ENH 110 and ENH 111.

Parents Office Hours: Mondays 11:10 AM - 12:00 PM and Thursdays 1:00-1:30 PM

Natalie Tipton

Eva Vaz

Grades (K-5) Interventionist

Employed Since: 8/4/2003 15 Years Experience At School

Parents Office Hours: Mondays 10:20-11:05 AM and Fridays10:20-11:05 AM

Dana Yafaoui

Grade(3)Teacher Assistant

Employed Since: 5/16/2016 2 Years Experience At School

-Teaching License and Bachelor Degree in English Language and literature, from the Lebanese University.

-Bachelor Degree in Business Administration with a major in Accounting, from Beirut Arab University.

I'm so excited to work with Arizona Cultural Academy, staff and students as well, in a collaborative environment. We have a lot of exciting resources and partners to work with. I look forward to introducing these resources to our students. They ensh'Allah will have so much fun and I can't wait to see them prosper.

Parents Office Hours: Tuesdays 3:30 - 4:00 PM and Thursdays 3:30-4:00 PM

Neelo Yunus

Grade (2) Homeroom Teacher

Employed Since: 3/24/2008 10 Years Experience At School

This is my eleventh year teaching second grade at ACA and I absolutely love teaching children. I have received the teacher of the year award multiple times over the years. It’s such an honor to be working with amazing students, parents, board members, administration, and staff.Teacher Facebook Page
Parents Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 3:30-4:00 by appointment. To

Montessori Teachers

Nisreen Abdeljaber

Montessori Teacher (M3)

Employed Since: 9/30/2016 2 Years Experience At School

Her inspiration to become a teacher was having 7 children here at ACA.

She has taken many early childhood professional development hours to enhance her knowledge. Miss Nisreen has a gentle approach with all her students and this gives them a safe and secure environment to thrive. She can be reached at n.abdeljaber@azacademy.org

Beatriz Aboul-Nasr

Montessori Teacher (M6)

Employed Since: 9/22/2014 4 Years Experience At School

I am early Montessori teacher at Arizona Cultural Academy. I started working at Arizona Cultural Academy three years ago. I have extensive experience working with children as a volunteer previously in other schools. I have taken early childhood development classes as well as many different workshops to better her knowledge. I have 6 children and a ton of patience. My humor and joy create a wonderful atmosphere for the students to express themselves

Saleha Alam

Montessori Teacher (M5)

Employed Since: 8/19/2008 10 Years Experience At School

I have been working with children for over 10 years. I worked in Bangladesh for two years with a Bachelor’s Degree in Science, and after moving to America I took a break to raise her three beautiful children.

I started working in ACA in 2008, and in 2012 I started working as a lead teacher in ACA’s Montessori program. I obtained my certification as a Montessori teacher from the American Montessori Society in 2011.

I love the Montessori teaching method and has been working to find new ways to help the children of ACA excel and improve every day. I enjoy teaching children and hope to make the future generation of the community a smart and bright generation.

Wassila Bacha

Montessori Teacher (M1)

Employed Since: 2/22/2004 15 Years Experience At School

Holds a Montessori International certification and early childhood degree. Currently working on an Islamic Studies degree to enhance her knowledge.

Successfully ran the Montessori Department helping it to grow to six classrooms.

It is her passion to teach young children. She sees potential and brings out the best in every child.

Sana Banaga

Montessori Qur'an & Arabic Teacher

Employed Since: 8/5/2002 16 Years Experience At School

Holds a Bachelor’s degree. Worked in ACA since its inception in 2001.

She has seen the school grow and improve, and she is proud to be part of the Montessori Program. She has a gentle and calm demeanor that helps sooth children.

She can be reached at Sana.Banaga@azacademy.com

Elizabeth Dekkiche

Montessori (M5)

Employed Since: 6/1/2007 11 Years Experience At School

Certified through the American Montessori Society and has a degree in early childhood education. She consistently takes many ongoing workshops and trainings to enhance the learning environments in her classroom.

She has been a teacher in early childhood since 2000. ACA has been part of her family for the past 10 years. She is a mother of two ACA graduates and a grandmother of 1. It is a blessing from Allah to teach Muslim children. She can be reached at dekkiche.elizabeth@azacademy.org

Doaa Elsharawy

Montessori Teacher (M6)

Employed Since: 9/19/2012 6 Years Experience At School

Holds a Bachelors Degree in Education. She completed early childhood education training course to be able to work in the early childhood education field.

She consistently takes workshops to enhance her knowledge in her field of work. She is very loving and gentle with children. Her husband was one of the school founders; she has three daughters two graduated from ACA and one still here.

She can be reached at Doaa.Elsharawy@azacademy.org

Julia Hammond

Montessori Administrator

Employed Since: 5/13/2011 7 Years Experience At School

Holds a Bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University. She currently handles the administration for the Montessori Department which was recently accepted to participate in the Quality First Program.

Mrs. Julia is always willing to help others, and her organizational skills and computer skills are an advantage to the ACA family. She is an Arizona native and mother of four ACA students. Raising children in a loving Islamic environment is very important to their development and she loves being a part of that.

She can be reached at julia.hammond@azacademy.org

Patricia Jamil

Montessori Language Teacher (Kindergarten)

Employed Since: 7/19/2005 13 Years Experience At School

I teach Language Arts in Kindergarten. I earned a Bachelor Degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Motherhood led me to my passion, teaching young children. Once my children started school I volunteered in their classrooms. I loved the Montessori method and wanted to teach as a full-time job. I started working at ACA in 2005. I have since adapted the Spalding method to teaching young children to read and write. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to help my students develop a love of learning and a strong foundation for literacy.

Sadaf Johar

Montessori Teacher (M2)

Employed Since: 5/12/2011 7 Years Experience At School

I was born in Pakistan. I believe that the teaching profession is the profession of Prophets. I do my best to help her students become good Muslims, by being a role model and relating all teachings with Islamic values. I have a Masters, B.Ed , and Montessori certification from AMS, and have been teaching since 1999. I also have taken various courses in education. I feel blessed to be a part of such an extraordinary institution and a great team of co-workers. Thank you parents for trusting us with your children.

Ayenun Naher

Montessori Teacher (M3)

Employed Since: 4/6/2007 11 Years Experience At School

I am a Montessori teacher and have a Masters Degree, as well as taking many professional development hours in Early Childhood. I have been with ACA since 2007. I have a warm, welcoming personality. I have 2 children who have graduated from ACA. I strive to create the best environment possible for the children. I enjoy working with young children and providing them with a place where they can feel comfortable.

Fatna Sirajaldin

Montessori Teacher (M4)

Employed Since: 2/13/2006 13 Years Experience At School

I am a Pre-K Montessori Teacher at Arizona Cultural Academy. I have a degree in Early Childhood Development and is Montessori certified for Early Childhood from the American Montessori Society. Bachelors degree in Islamic studies. Experience working wtih children since 2002.. Montessori teacher at ACA since 2006. I am dedicated to teaching children one-on-one making sure they absorb as much as possible.

Safia Dide

Kindergarten & Quran (Grades 6-9) Teacher

Employed Since: 10/16/2018 0 Years Experience At School