“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 2 Years Experience At School

I am a Pre-K to 10th grade Art teacher. I have been working at ACA for 3 years and have been an active parent volunteer for the past 10 years.
Art is my passion and is a part of me. I believe art is necessary for students to help them relax in a stress-free environment where there is no judgment. It helps them think outside the box.

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 3 Years Experience At School

Ms. Sumaya holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication and Public Relations from California State University, San Bernardino. After graduating, she began working at the CLASSRoads Project as a Project Manager on the development of national educational standards for teaching Modern Standard Arabic. Ms. Sumaya has over 10 years of experience working in education, both in the classroom and at the administrative level. ACA is the third Islamic School she has worked with. She is passionate about building strong identities for American Muslim youth, a major reason she enjoys working with high school students at ACA. She is a High School Social Studies teacher. She teaches World Geography, World History, US History, US Government and Economics.

Parents Office Hours: Mondays 8:45 - 9:15 AM and Wednesdays 2:45 - 3:15 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 1 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 T

Employed Since: 7/27/2009 10 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

Sana Alattar

High School Islamic Studies Teacher

Employed Since: 11/9/2015 4 Years Experience At School

I am a Syrian American who has lived in Arizona for 10 years. I graduated from the University of Damascus in 1990 with a graduate degree in Pharmacy. Since then, I have received my Quranic ijazah, or certificate in Quranic recitation, through Sheik Mouhideen Al-Kurdi in Damascus. I have had long term experience with Quranic recitation, translation, Fiqh, and the Sira, or biography of the Prophet (SAW) through independent studies with various leaders in the field.

I taught Quran in Bridgeview, IL for students pre-K3 through 12th grade on a full time basis during the academic years between 1991 and 1993. I taught as a weekend school teacher at Dar Al-Huda School in Illinois from 1991 through 2005, and at a Huda Weekend School in Detroit, Michigan.

Parents Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 12:00-12:40 PM and Thursdays 1:45 -2:30 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 3 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 (9-12) Math Teacher

Employed Since: 8/2/2002 17 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 2:35 - 3:20 P.M & Friday 1:45 - 2:30 P.M

Maria Farman

Teacher

Employed Since: 5/2/2018 1 Years Experience At School

Holds a Bachelors degree in English Language and Literature and a member of the National Council of Teachers of English. I have 4 years of experience in teaching English and Social Studies.I believe in creating an environment that fosters learning and values diversity. I am dedicated to help and provide students with opportunities to grow, take chances on challenging tasks and reach their highest potential. I am a proud ACA staff member and excited to have the opportunity to be your child's Social Studies/English teacher.

Parent Office Hours: Mondays 1:45-2:30 PM and Fridays 1:45-2:20 PM

Rawia Gaffar

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

Employed Since: 10/10/2013 6 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: Tuesday 1:45 -2:30 P.M & Thursday 1:45-2:30 P.M

Julia Hammond

Grade (1) Homeroom Teacher

Employed Since: 5/13/2011 8 Years Experience At School

Holds a Bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University.

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.

Dalal Jawad

Grade (3) Homeroom Teacher

Employed Since: 7/25/2016 3 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 1 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 4 Years Experience At School

This year marks my 9th year in education and this is my 5th year in ACA and I'm proud to be part of ACA. I hold 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

Maryam Masud

I began my formal academic study of Islamic Law and Theology at Zaytuna College, the first accredited Muslim liberal arts college in America. In 2018, I attended the ALIM Summer Program in Chicago. In order to retain, process and transmit the sacred knowledge I was receiving from my respected teachers, I volunteered at The Rahmah Foundation for two years. After moving back from Berkeley, I have been working as a youth mentor here in Arizona at ICEV’s Friday Night Out program and at MOVE’s (Muslim Outreach and Volunteer Enterprise) Youth Empowerment program. I am an AP Scholar with Distinction, PSAT/NMSQT Commended Scholar, and a member of the National Honor Society.

Evlin Mrayan

Grades (1-5) Arabic Teacher

Employed Since: 8/12/2013 6 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.

Abdul Rahman

Coach

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

Holds an Associates Degree. He is a Physical Education and Basketball Head Coach. Coach Abdul has worked as a Special Olympics Volunteer, Children's Hospital Volunteer, and Juvenile detention center youth mentor.

Omar Saloum

Grade (6) Homeroom Teacher & Middle School Science

Employed Since: 8/1/2018 1 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

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

Coach

Holds an Associates Degree. She is the Physical Education coach at ACA. She worked as aTeaching Assistant at Navarrete Elementary School since 2005 and was a recipient of the United States Army Reserve National Scholar/Athlete Award in high school.

Eva Vaz

Grades (K-5) Interventionist

Employed Since: 8/4/2003 16 Years Experience At School

Holds a Masters degree in Curriculum & Instruction in Science Education and a Bachelors degree in Biology. She is also Spalding certified in Kansas writing strategy. Ms. Eva has been with ACA for 27 years as a Homeroom teacher for grades 1 to 5. She now works as an Intervention Specialist for grades K to 6. Teaching gives her joy and she has dedicated her time, skills, and patience towards working with her students to help them achieve academic success.

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

Dana Yafaoui

Employed Since: 5/16/2016 3 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 11 Years Experience At School

I have been teaching Second grade at Arizona Cultural Academy for the last 12 years. I 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.

Class Website Link: https://neelograde2.blogspot.com/

Personal Public Page: https://www.facebook.com/NeelofarsNotepad

Parents Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 3:30-4:00 by appointment.

Montessori Teachers

Nisreen Abdeljaber

Montessori Teacher (M3)

Employed Since: 9/30/2016 3 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.

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 17 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.

Elizabeth Dekkiche

Montessori (M5)

Employed Since: 6/1/2007 12 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.

Safia Dide

Kindergarten & Quran (Grades 6-9) Teacher

Employed Since: 10/16/2018 1 Years Experience At School

Holds a Bachelors in English Literature and Accounting. She has worked as an Accountant for 5 years in a drilling company in Mauritania.

She has been a member of the P.T.A for the past 2 years.

Ms. Safia joined in 2018 as Montessori substitute teacher and has since been teaching Qur'an and Arabic.

Doaa Elsharawy

Montessori Teaching Support

Employed Since: 9/19/2012 7 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.

Patricia Jamil

Montessori Language Teacher (Kindergarten)

Employed Since: 7/19/2005 14 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.

Ayenun Naher

Montessori Teacher (M3)

Employed Since: 4/6/2007 12 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.

Fadwa Souri

Montessori Teacher (M6)

Employed Since: 9/9/2019 0 Years Experience At School

I was born in Washington D.C but I grew up in Saudi Arabia. I moved to America in my 20's. I graduated with a Bachelors degree. I worked as a registered nurse. When I had my first daughter, I took a break and found a passion for fashion design. Since then, it is what I have been doing professionally. I am now a pre-school teacher at ACA.