Mrs. Fatima Zahid - Principal
I am very happy and excited to be working as a school principal at Iqra Elementary School, I have been connected to New Zealand Education system from past 19 years and have 15 years of experience in teaching and learning. As an educator, I have cherished many leadership roles, responsibilities and participated in many successful projects in different schools in Auckland. I believe education is key to shaping a successful future for our children and staying connecting to religion is vital in making our children good Muslims and contributing citizens of New Zealand society.
Teaching and learning is my passion. I am the mother of three children. Outside work I love spending time with my family, walk on the beach, enjoy long drives, travel to different countries, paint New Zealand landscapes, cook cuisines from different cultures and read about current research and teaching practices. It is my privilege to have the opportunity to make a positive difference to your children’s intellectual, physical and spiritual development. Come and see me with your ideas, suggestions and feedback. I look forward to continuing to create many success stories at Iqra Elementary School.
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Mrs. Sara Al-Batniji - Room 3 Teacher
My name is Sara Al-Batniji and I am teaching Year 2 and 3 learners in Fantastic Room 3. I have been teaching for the last 9 years and I still love it, I am passionate about students learning to their potential and striving for excellence. I am also passionate about integrating e-learning into the classroom to ensure our learners are ready to be global citizens. I strive to ensure that all students are engaged and motivated with learning targeted at their level.
Ms. Sajdah Nazif - Room 2 Teacher
Hi! My name is Sajdah Nazif. I come from the wonderful land of Afghanistan. My favorite set of hobbies are shopping and spending time with my huge and loving family. I also love sports, especially soccer and Netball. I joined IQRA when it was just a little seed, back then I was a beginning teacher. In the two years that I have spent in IQRA, I have gained so much experience and had heaps of fun along the way. As a teacher, I find it so rewarding when I see my students progress. I enjoy working with my students and building a class family. Each year at IQRA, we have gone on trips as a school and have created wonderful memories that will forever be engraved in our school’s history. I am so blessed to be a part of the IQRA family and cannot wait to see what the future has in stall for us!
Ms. Hajera Sharif - Room 1 Teacher
Hi, my name is Hajera and I am the year 1 class teacher. I have been teaching at IQRA Elementary for 3 years now. I love teaching younger children as this is my passion. My teaching philosophy is to allow students to bring their own prior knowledge to the classroom and I help build upon this. Students undergo a lot of learning outside the classroom, in their day to day lives and I feel as teachers it is very important to understand and celebrate this. I also enjoy talking to and meeting parents, I believe in celebrating success and working with individual families to help students excel.
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​​ Mrs. Reem Ayyub - Arabic and Islamic Studies Teacher
Asalamu Alaykum and Marhaba. My name is Reem Ayyub and I teach Arabic and Islamic studies at IQRA Elementary.
I started teaching at IQRA since it was first established in 2016 and it has been an extraordinary journey. I have three children of whom two attend IQRA and love it! watching them grow, learn and feel the sense of belonging in an Islamic environment fills my heart with joy. I’m passionate about getting our children working together and making connections between Arabic and Islamic studies in their daily lives. I look forward to working with our valued parents to build gritty lifelong learners and contributors to our community, New Zealand and the world.
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​​ Mrs. Ghada Smaik - Arabic and Islamic Studies Teacher
My name is Ghada Smaik. I am returning to IQRA to teach Arabic Studies as well as help to further develop the Arabic curriculum. I will be teaching year 3, 4 and 5 students. I will also be teaching Quran to some of the classes. My qualification in Sharia law and Arabic Studies. I look forward to working with you all.
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Mrs. Fazleen Azim - Room 4 Teacher
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Assalam walaikum. My name is Fazleen Azim and I am teaching Year 3 and 4 class at Iqra Elementary School. This is my second year of teaching and previously in my first year I have taught year 6 students. I hold a Bachelor of Education (Teaching) from The University of Auckland. I was born in the beautiful Fiji Islands and have got migrated to New Zealand when I was 10 years old. I am a mother of two children. I am passionate about teaching and curious about the world and love learning new things. My teaching philosophy will surely change as I grow as a teacher, but currently my belief is that all children deserve the same rights to education. Teachers have a right to teach. Students have a right to learn.” I promote the inclusive practice and aim to create life-long, self-directed learners, which is a key aspect of my teaching philosophy. I am really excited to be part of the Iqra team and looking forward to help my learners both cognitively and socially, and therefore reach their highest potential as future citizens.
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Mrs. Ayesha Tariq - Room 8 Teacher
Assalamo Alaikum. I am the classroom teacher of the little champions of Room 8. I would like to extend heart felt greetings to everyone as I join Iqra Elementary School this term. Let me take this opportunity to briefly introduce myself.
I have a Master’s Degree in Biotechnology, Bachelor’s in Biochemistry and another Bachelor’s in Education (teaching). I have taught various age groups of students for over 4 years at different schools in Jeddah, KSA. Since I moved to Auckland with my family, I have been doing relief work at different schools including Zayed College.
I am profusely thrilled and excited to be part of the Iqra family and looking forward to a fun-filled learning term ahead.
Mrs. Zainab Farooqi - Room 5 Teacher
My name is Zainab Farooqi. I am excited to be currently working in Room 5. I had a wonderful first week at Iqra Elementary School meeting our enthusiastic students, staff and some parents. I have a Masters in Education and have been teaching for the past eleven years in Mumbai, India and Dubai, UAE. I have taught children of different age groups and have extensive experience working with children with special education needs and disabilities. I look forward to meeting you in the coming days. Please feel free to introduce yourself and have a chat.
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