Faculty

The school staff is selected based on educational qualifications, certification, proficiency in English, Islamic values and relevant experience. All staff have a high degree of commitment to Islamic values supplemented by sound academic backgrounds and experience. The principal supervises all activities of the school under the rules and regulations set by the school committee and the board of trustees. The teachers, school personnel, and volunteers work under the supervision of the principal.

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Sr. Nur’Izzah Khalil, B.A., M.Ed.

Principal

Sr. Nur earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Psychology from the University of Calgary, Canada, and holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Bridgewater State University. She is a licensed K-6 administrator with the Massachusetts Department of Education and has worked with the City of Calgary, with the Government of Singapore, has over a decade of advertising experience and comes from a family of educators. Sr. Nur became part of the ANA family in 2003 as our middle-school Social Studies teacher first, and later as our third-grade teacher before assuming her current leadership role. She is ever thankful to Allah s.w.t. for this rare opportunity to make a difference in the community and to help shape the minds of our precious Muslim-American youth.

Sr. Nur may be reached at [email protected].

Sr. Aminah K. Muhammad, A.S.

Assistant Registrar

Sr. Aminah serves many roles at Al-Noor Academy.  She has her Associate’s degree from Northeastern University. She has extensive experience having worked in Islamic schools since 1984 in both Massachusetts and Mississippi. Sr. Aminah has been with Al-Noor Academy since 2000 and started full-time in 2006. She can be found at both campuses serving as a lifeline between parents, students, and teachers. Her favorite activities include working with children, reading, and sewing when she has the time to sew!

Sr. Aminah may be reached at [email protected].

Sr. Dalal Aldajani, B.Sc.

Administrative Manager

Sr. Dalal graduated from University of Jordan with a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and has taught in an Islamic school in London, UK, for three years. Subsequently she participated in a Saturday Islamic school for two years in Cambridge, MA, and currently holds an administrative position at ANA-Sharon campus. Outside of work, Sr Dalal actively leads a Girls Scout troop and is skilled in arts and crafts projects.

Sr. Dalal may be reached at [email protected].

Sr. Nour hakim, B.A.

Religion Teacher, B.Sc. 

Sr. Nour holds a degree in Engineering from Tishreen University in Syria and also studied Islamic Studies for 2 years at a college called Zad Academy. She has experience teaching Math in the UAE and has been an involved community member in education since her family moved to the US. Sr. Nour has not only taught Religion, Quran and Arabic at ICNE’s Saturday school, and at Noble Academy, but has also been a part of our Arabic department at our school in the past. Sr. Nour has also supervised and taught all Quran classes held at the Brockton masjid these past three years. She is looking forward to rejoining ANA and a successful year together with students, and our ANA community.

Sr. Nour may be reached at [email protected].

Sr. Asma Shaqrah, B.A., M.A.

Quran Teacher & Tarbiyah Coordinator

Sr. Asma Shaqrah obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Arabic Language and Literature from the University of Jordan, and her Master’s Degree from American College. She has been teaching Arabic for 10 years; 3 years in Jordan and 7 years at Al-Noor Academy. Sr. Asma is the head of the Arabic Department at Muslim American Society Council of Islamic Schools (MASCIS) and has done many projects in the school such as “My School” video clip and the Arabic Calligraphy project. Sr. Asma’s goal is to help the students understand Quran through teaching Arabic to build strong Muslims and build a strong Muslim community.

Sr. Asma may be reached at [email protected].

Sr. Rachida Benkaci

Arabic Lead Teacher

With over ten years of experience teaching Arabic language at our ANA-Sharon campus, Sr. Rachida is a certified Arabic teacher from Algiers. Armed with extensive knowledge in Arabic language and literature, she has been a driving force behind the Arabic department, has given workshops and has contributed tremendously towards instilling the love of the holy language of the Quran in the hearts and minds of our students for many years. We welcome her back with a prayer that she may continue with her dedicated service to the school with the same zeal so that our students go on to learn and excel in the Arabic language, insha’Allah.

Sr. Rachida may be reached at [email protected].

Sr. duaa ali, B.Sc, MSc.

Preschool Teacher 

Sr. Duaa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Helwan University, and a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Boston University. With two of her very own children at Al-Noor Academy, Sr. Duaa is invested in the success of Islamic education and has been volunteering her time extensively at ANA prior to joining our faculty. She is presently pursuing further education in Early Childhood at Fisher College.

Sr. Duaa may be reached at [email protected].

Sr. oumeima terki, B.Sc.

Preschool Teacher 

Sr. Oumeima holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Constantine, Algeria, and is a licensed preschool lead teacher. She had been working at the Lowell YMCA for three years prior to joining Al-Noor Academy and is now excited to be a part of our school community.

Sr. Oumeima can be reached at [email protected]. 

Teacher Assistants

Sr. Hebaallah Hasan, B.A., M.Ed.

Kindergarten Teacher & Early Elementary Lead Teacher (PreK-2)

Sr. Heba is our Lead Teacher for our two preschool classes. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Classical Languages and Literature from Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt and majored in Greek and Latin. She successfully received her Master’s in Education with a major in Early Childhood from American College. Sr. Heba is a certified pre-school teacher with the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC). She has enjoyed working with our beautiful four-year-old children since 2004.

S.r Heba may be reached at [email protected].

Sr. Maryam Nasir, B.A.

Kindergarten Teacher

Sr. Maryam is a proud graduate of Al-Noor Academy and holds an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology. She is also Director-certified by EEC and has several years of experience at the various public school settings in the state. Sr. Maryam is excited to return to Al-Noor Academy and looks forward to giving back to the community.

Sr. Maryam may be reached at [email protected].

Ms. Souheir Al-Mousa, A.S.

First Grade Teacher

Ms. Souheir grew up in Damascus, Syria. She studied French literature at Damascus University and has Early Childhood Teacher certification with EEC. She lived with her family in Saudi Arabia for four years, in Oman for two years, and in the United Arab Emirates for three years. While in the Emirates, she worked in the library at the American University of Sharjah. Ms. Souheir relocated to Massachusetts in 2002 and began working at our ANA-Sharon campus that year as a kindergarten assistant and has been our kindergarten teacher for more than ten years. Ms. Souheir celebrates her students’ growth and learning during the year they are with her. She enjoys the privilege of being able to see them read and write and is currently leading our first grade classroom.

Ms. Souheir may be reached at [email protected].

Sr. MaryLou Elhusayni, B.S.

First Grade Teacher

Sr. MaryLou has a Bachelor’s degree in Science from Roger Williams University. Over the years, Sr. MaryLou has been co-teaching Kindergarten, First and Second grades, taught Spanish to our students, and has been actively involved in fundraising activities for our school.

Sr. Marylou may be reached at [email protected].

sr. Busra algur B.Sc.

First Grade Teacher

Sr Busra obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Trakya and, prior to her foray into education, she had experience working as an Embryologist in Cologne, Germany. She subsequently pursued her interest in education and earned her certification in Education Pedagogy from 18 Mart University in Turkey. Upon her relocation to the U.S., Sr Busra taught Science, Quran and Religion at the Boston Dialogue Foundation for a number of years. She is a mother of three and is acutely passionate about teaching.

Sr Busra may be reached at [email protected]

Ms. Rabiya Atcha, B.A.

Second Grade Teacher 

Ms. Atcha was born and raised in Chicago. Eventually moving to New York, she graduated from City University of New York’s Queens College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education, as well as Psychology. Ms. Atcha is also licensed through the New York State Department of Education as an elementary education teacher and had worked closely with the New York City’s public schools (Queens). At Al-Noor Academy, Ms. Atcha has taught both fifth and second grades  and is excited to continue making a difference in the education of our young children. In her spare time, Ms. Atcha enjoys traveling, baking, and spending time with her family. 

Ms. Atcha may be reached at [email protected].

ms. Hina shaikh, B.A.

Second Grade Teacher

Ms. Hina holds a Bachelor’s degree from York College, New York, with a major in Early Childhood Education, and obtained her Master’s degree in Literacy and Reading from Grand Canyon University. Sr. Hina is New York Board of Education-certified and has experience teaching second and third grades in both public and private school settings. Sr. Hina has two children enrolled at Al-Noor Academy and cherishes the privilege of developing the minds and talents of our younger generation.

Ms. Hina may be reached at [email protected].

Sr. Ibtisam janoudi, B.Sc, M.Ed

Third Grade Teacher

Sr. Ibtisam holds a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Teaching from Boston University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Biochemistry from Bridgewater University. She is trained in bilingual education and licensed in Massachusetts to teach Biology, Science, and Arabic to grades K-12. Sr. Ibtisam looks forward to focusing on expanding her students’ academic skills while fostering a supportive and engaging classroom environment that encourages creativity, critical thinking, and personal growth.

Sr. Ibtisam may be reached at [email protected].

Ms. Kathleen Cashman, B.A., M.A.

Fourth Grade Teacher

4th-5th ELA & Social Studies Teacher

Ms. Cashman earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Bridgewater State University, and holds a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Southern New Hampshire University. She is a licensed 8th-12th History teacher in the state of Massachusetts and has experience working in the Hingham Public Schools with both K-5 and high school students.

Ms. Cashman may be reached at [email protected].

Mrs. Shamaila Zia, MD

Fifth Grade – Homeroom Teacher

4th-5th Math & Science Teacher

Mrs. Zia received her Bachelor’s of Medicine & Surgery degree from Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi in 1992. She then completed her medical internship in Medicine & Surgery from Civil Hospital, Karachi, receiving excellence in both. In her medical school, she actively participated in debates and received the best debater award. She relocated to the U.S. in 2001 and brings her passion for science to the classroom. She has taught science to grades six through 10 and has served as our fourth-grade homeroom teacher since 2015-16. She has also contributed to the community volunteering as ICNE-Sharon’s Youth Director, Women’s Event Organizer and Sunday School Teacher.

Br. Zineddine Benkaci

School Maintenance

Br. Zineddine is another familiar face amongst the staff at IANE and ANA. Br. Zine has been in charge of the janitorial services at both schools for many years now. Not only have his services been invaluable in maintaining the buildings at both schools, this father of three’s daily presence at the school has always been a source of comfort and joy for all the staff at the school where everyone has embraced him as part of their family and has depended on his helping hand time and time again. Alhumdulilah, Br. Zine will be continuing his service to the school again this year and we welcome him back with great warmth and joy.

Br. Dirgham Al-Khalaf

Safety Attendant

Br. Dirgham is fondly known amongst our students and school community as “Br AbouAhmad”, and has played an important role in securing the safety of our students and staff. He is frequently seen patrolling our school grounds and supporting our morning arrival and dismissal process. Br Dirgham has five young children and is an active member of our greater Sharon-Mansfield community.

mr. ruben mendez

School Janitor

Mr. Ruben Mendez plays a critical role in ensuring that our buildings at both Mansfield and Sharon campuses remain spotless! He joined ANA faculty in 2014 after working with the school for the four previous years through a private cleaning company. Mr. Ruben enjoys soccer and lives with his wife and two sons.