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Back to School BTS at UAF

by Kiran Malik
Advancement & Communications Manager
Assalamu Alaikum! I’m new here :)

And I’m so happy to be joining the UAF community, Alhamdulillah, as your Advancement & Communications Manager.

What does that mean, exactly? I’ll be working to grow support for our school through fundraising while also elevating the stories that make UAF so special: stories about our students, families, educators, alumni, and community, insha Allah.

Consider this space one more way for us to stay connected. I’m excited to share more with you, and to hear from you, too.

Bismillah. Here we go!

August 2026

It’s the storm before the storm. You read that right. No typo there. It takes a beautiful busy storm of a team working hard behind the scenes (BTS) to prep a school before students are back. And, Alhamdulilah, our students were back on August 12, 2026, and settling in well. 
We decided to give you a high-level glimpse into what it takes to prep our over 8.5 acres beautiful campus. Brother Karim Badr, our IT and Facilities Director, has been super busy leading an incredible team sprucing up the facilities and ensuring our students and staff begin the new academic year in a safe and pleasant environment. 
“Campus safety is a priority. We ensured all door access controls were updated. All five buildings along with about 60 classes were painted. Our IT department updated 700 chrome books. UAF boasts a 1:1 chromebook ratio for students, MashAllah, and we ensure everything is in top shape. I’m so proud of our amazing maintenance and IT team, who went above and beyond this summer to ensure our campus was ready on time,” noted Brother Karim.
Speaking of which, The gym floor was re-surfaced and over 130 new students were added to the master data. These are just a few major highlights, there’s so much more that goes on daily during the summer months. JazakAllah to all our staff for their hard work. 




Hearing from New and Seasoned Teachers 
On to our amazing teachers. Sister Asma Muhammad York joined UAF this July. She teaches 5th grade, and has been busy with prepping her class. 
“I prepared 40 desks, 80 textbooks and have been decorating and organizing the classroom for 22 students. It’s been fun designing the learning areas, developing a welcome presentation for parents and students, getting to know the 5th grade curriculum standards, as well as learning the UAF school policies and procedures.”
“I met with some awesome educators. The amount of support from fellow teachers and volunteers was incredibly helpful. They transformed my classroom into a warm and exciting space. Everyone at UAF has been so positive, caring and supportive,” she added.
Brother Jason Hedgepath, UAF’s Secondary Teacher has been with us since 2021. His varied teaching portfolio ranges from teaching middle school to SAT Prep for 11th grade, and Personal Finance for grade 12.
 
“I’m always trying to improve, just like I tell our students. Summer is a great time to push to the next level, and my summer was busy with a variety of trainings, so I can be a better teacher. I love UAF and I know we're turning out good human beings, not just good students.”




From our fearless leader
 
Sister Eman Elkholy, Principal UAF, shares: 
 
“I love when people ask what principals do during summer “vacation” - where do I start?! 
Summer is when we work behind the scenes to build the master schedule, hire the right teachers and staff, and make sure every position is covered. We review student testing data,  we oversee enrollment, communicate with families, manage waitlists, and carefully place students in the appropriate classes.”
 
And, there’s more, she notes:
 
“We build our annual goals and plan a year of events around those goals! At the same time, we are preparing the entire facility: organizing classrooms, overseeing the maintenance needs and construction, upgrading technology, ordering supplies, and making sure everything is safe and ready. We also plan staff orientation, professional development, update handbook policies, programs, and all the little details needed for a smooth opening. What families and students see on the first day of school is the result of months of planning, problem-solving, teamwork, and very long days. But when the doors finally open and the school comes back to life, it is always worth it.”
 
Well-said. It’s always worth it. Alhamdulilah. Here’s to a beautiful new academic year. May Allah make us the best in deen and dunya. Aameen.


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Universal Academy of Florida


Founded in 1992, UAF is a private Islamic school for boys and girls in Daycare to Grade 12. Combining academic excellence while promoting Islamic understanding and practices. UAF aims to produce bright students who are conscious of Allah and who maintain Islamic character and high academic standards.
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