Wanis Shalaby
Principal
wshalaby@salamschool.com
 

“I don’t know what your destiny will be, but I know: The ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.” -Albert Schweitzer.

Wissam Kaddoura, Middle School Unit Leader, graduated from Lebanese University, Saida, Lebanon with a BA in Arabic Language and Literature in 1995 & MA in Arabic Language and Literature in 1997.He has been teaching Quran & Arabic at Salam School from 2001 to the present. He is an Arabic Language Instructor at University Of Wisconsin Milwaukee (UWM) since fall 2003 to present. Currently, he is a candidate to the “Doctorate In Leadership For The Advancement In Learning And Service” at Cardinal Stritch University

Blair Thorpe is new to the Salam High School this year and will be teaching in the Social Studies Department.  He will be teaching the following courses; AP US History, US History, Sociology and Economics.  Blair has a strong back ground in these subjects and has been teaching in the Elmbrook School District for the last 4 years.

Blair graduated in May of 2000 from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.  After a year and a half of soul searching, Blair returned to Milwaukee from Colorado to begin his Masters work in 20^th Century US History.  Blair received his MA in 20^th Century US History in December of 2003.  Shortly after, Blair entered the Master of Arts - Teaching Program at Cardinal Stritch earning his teaching certification in Secondary Education in February of 2006.

Blair Thorpe
Teacher: Social Studies
bthorpe@salamschool.com

“I am Still Learning,” - Michelangelo

Andrew Beechtree comes to Salam High School with nearly 20 years experience as a secondary classroom Social Studies teacher.  He has his Undergraduate degree from UW-Milwaukee where he majored in History and minored in Geography.  While attending UW-M he was a Wingspread Fellow with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.  He earned a Master of Arts degree from Silver Lake College and majored in Teacher Leadership.

Mr. B. is well versed in most subjects relating to history and other social sciences.  He is confident in his ability to teach and inspire students to do well in his classes.  He is a true student of the art of teaching.  His enthusiasm is real and noted by students, staff and parents who work with him.

Mr. B. is married and Mrs. B. is a Guidance Counselor in the Wauwatosa School District.  Together they live in the east part of Waukesha, next to Manooka Park.  They have a married adult son and daughter-in-law.  They are the proud grandparents of little Taylor Kathryn (the Apple of Grandpa’s eye!)

Mr. B. also has a lot of other life experiences: a former US Army soldier and Military Policeman, he has also been involved in the Security business for more then the past 25 years (24 years with Summer fest.)

Mr. B. is eager to work with his students this year and looks forward to a fun and productive 9^th Grade and 10^th Grade school year here at Salam High School.
Shukrin.

Sahar Ahmad is happy to be starting her first year as a faculty member at Salam School.  She began her collegiate career at Youngstown State University before attending George Mason University in Fairfax, VA and subsequently received a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Psychology at Alverno College in 2004.  Her goal is to to create an exciting and stimulating learning environment that focuses on both academic education as well as a social learning environment in which students can be active participants in their own education.  Sahar  urges  parents to be more active in their child’s education and interests as parents are the most integral part of their child’s education. A strong learning environment as well as a strong parental presence will eventually become the foundation for students to realize their own abilities and allow them to accomplish their goals of succeeding in higher learning as well as in their future goals in life.

Sahar Ahmad
Teacher: Psychology
& computer
sahmad@salamschool.com

Sandra Mayfield has been the Business Manager for Salam School since June 2000.  She graduated from Rufus King High School, and holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration from Cardinal Stritch College (now Cardinal Stritch University).  Prior to coming to Salam School, she was a Music and Computer Teacher at St. Leo Catholic Urban Academy, a Paraprofessional and Substitute Teacher with Milwaukee Public Schools. 

She also worked for various community organizations and small businesses as Secretary, Office Manager, Bookkeeper/ Accountant, and once had her own home-based business.Ms. Mayfield is a passionate lifelong learner, and feels that this makes her a passionate teacher in whatever she chooses to learn and teach.  She is very active in her church, where she is the Music Minister and Sunday School teacher.

In her spare time, Ms. Mayfield loves to read, watch and collect classic (vintage) movies, travel (via automobile) to Music Education workshops/seminars, sing, play piano and teach voice.  She also loves to crochet, and feels blessed to be able to spend time with her immediate family – which includes her parents, five sisters, two brothers-in-law, three nephews, two nieces, one great nephew and one great niece.The greatest thing you will ever learn…is just to love and be loved in return… Eden Ahbez

Mahmoud Saed is originally from Palestine. He graduated from The Hashemite University in Jordan in 2009 with a Bachelors degree in Accounting. He taught Arabic at Al Edreesi High School for one year. Working in an Islamic environment fulfills his passion in teaching, as well as teaching the Arabic language to new learners. It brings him great joy to educate children and lead them to successful careers.

Mahmoud Saed
Teacher: Arabic / Quran
msaed@salamschool.com

Majdulin Badwan has been teaching Quran for 5 years at the ISM evening program. She also taught Sunday school for 7 years. She graduated from Al-Salt College with a major in Islamic Sharia.  She  earned her degree in tajweed from Jordan University in Amman. She enjoys teaching Arabic and Quran to children and feels that if they learn the Quran, they will succeed in life.

Majdulin Badwan
Teacher: Arabic / Quran
mbadwan@salamschool.com

When I think of Mathematics, the first thing that comes to my mind is numbers, equations, and proofs.  My definition of mathematics is “the study of using functions and concepts to reflect events”.  When I think of algebra, I think of basic equations and manipulations of those equations to solve for a variable.  I understand that there is more to math than school and math assignments.  I know that learning math and excelling in math gives you stronger mental power and therefore makes you a more prestigious individual.  

I enjoy the application and conceptual view of mathematics.  My confidence grew as my math skills developed in high school with the increasing difficulty of the subject matter.  Once I got to high school, I had teachers that encouraged me to excel in math.  I specifically remember my favorite math teacher.  I liked him the most because he made his students think and brought math to a different level.  His teaching of math went beyond lectures to an understanding for every student in the class.  He made each student “think” and be active in the class to enhance their learning.  My teacher described mathematical concepts and the reasoning behind them so that they could be more easily understood for each student.  My teacher would adapt to every student so that everyone would understand the material.

I have come to a frightening conclusion.
I am the decisive element in the classroom.
It is my personal approach that creates the climate.
It is my daily mood that makes the weather.
As a teacher I possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture, or an instrument of inspiration.
I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, and a child humanized or de-humanized.

Dr.Hiam ( Between Teacher and Child)

Douea Ibraheem
Teacher: Math
dIbraheem@salamschool.com

Mr. Forecki  comes to Salam School with  extensive teaching experience .  He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from UWM and graduate math credits from Marquette.  He recently retired from Rufus King High School after 39 years, where he taught math for 22 years and was currently Guidance Director.  He has taught Math at the college level: Alverno, UWM, and MATC.  For him there is no job more important than teaching.  His favorite quote is, “ The world seldom notices who the teachers are: but civilization depends on what they say and what they do”.

Dave Forecki
Guidance Counselor
dforecki@salamschool.com

Brother Nasir (Nicholas) Kotelensky was born and raised in Lombard, IL.  In 2004, at the age of 19, he was given the blessing of being guided to Islam.  After graduating from the University of Illinois – Chicago in 2006 with a degree in the teaching of English, Brother Nasir taught in two Islamic schools in the Chicagoland area. Feeling a need to develop his Islamic knowledge, he went to the Institute of Islamic Education, located in Elgin, IL where he studied Arabic and Islamic studies for two years. He is thrilled to return to the teaching profession and even more excited to be working at Salam School.

Nasir Kotelensky
Teacher: English
nkotelensky@salamschool.com

Muna Muvarak is one of the Arabic and Quran teachers in the middle and high school.  She is originally from Palestine. She graduated from Birzeit University in Palestine, earning a bachelor’s degree the Arabic language.

She taught for one year at AL-Najah Secondary School in Palestine. She also taught ahkam al-tajweed at a masjid in Madison, WI. She has also tutored many children privately. Her goal is help children learn to read the Quran with fluency.

Muna Muvarak
Teacher: Arabic
mmuvarak@salamschool.com

Jason Then is a first year teacher at Salam School, joining in August 2009 to teach middle school Language Arts. Mr. Then grew up a short ten minutes away in Oak Creek, so he knows the area well. After graduating high school he attended UW-Madison, where he double-majored in English and History. Jason’s desire for travel inspired him to move to South Korea for a year to teach English, which turned into two years, which soon turned into four. He finally came back this past June, but not before having the good fortune to have traveled to North Korea, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and a few countries in Eastern Europe.

When he is not engaged in instructing students on the writing process, Mr. Then enjoys spending time with his wife, Jessie, perusing through nerdy literature and history books, listening to classic rock n roll, and playing guitar. He is also enrolled in Alverno’s Master of Arts in Education program, and so actually has very little time for the above activities.

William Weber has been an educator for well over thirty years.  He entered the field when bowties where prevalent and Carter was president.  During this time, he has worked at several high schools including Brown Deer and Rufus King, the latter for nearly twenty-five years.  Over his career, he has taught nearly all the sciences but settled into the role of teaching pre-IB/IB physics and physical science.   He graduated with highest honors from the University of Wisconsin in physics, bio-physics, and science education and accumulated two B.S. degrees and a M.S.  Over the years, he has been recognized as the Engineering teacher of the year in Wisconsin, the first high school physics teacher honored by Marquette for lifetime contributions, a pioneer member in the FAME, WASDI, and other science-math programs.  He is also a Woodrew Wilson Fellowship winner in materials sciences from Princeton and a workshop presenter at Harvard, Tufts, the Brookhaven National Laboratories and at science round tables in Washington, D.C.  His most exciting moments came in publishing a module/text called Sports Physics for Northwestern University and working on the PBS film “Transistorized” as a science consultant. 

At Salam, he enjoys hobnobbing with students (yes, each year they appear younger and younger to him) and stirring their interests in raising their personal achievement bar.  He feels very fortunate in his quest in guiding students into their next chapter of their lives.

William Weber
Teacher: Science
wweber@salamschool.com

 

Robin Ranjbar is the Middle School Social Studies teacher.  She has been a teacher for many years and has taught in the United States and Japan.  Mrs. Ranjbar received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where she majored in History and minored in German.  She received her master’s degree from National Louis University. 

Mrs. Ranjbar spends her free time at home with her husband and daughter.  She enjoys reading and has been in a book club for the past 9 years.  Mrs. Ranjbar also enjoys cooking and traveling.

He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Hawai’i majoring in Physics with a minor in Mathematics.   Although he has lived the majority of his life in Hawai’i, he still enjoys the weather in Wisconsin.  Being around many cultures and learning from them has been an important part of his life.  He enjoys learning more about different cultures he encounters in Salam School. 

 Calculus was an integral part of his studies in physics and some topics that still intrigue him include, differential forms, Lie algebra and quantum mechanics.  In Hawaii he has taught and tutored in various summer programs and also acted as a private calculus tutor.  He hopes to encourage the curiosity of students and help them develop a greater appreciation for mathematics.

A favorite ‘Ōlelo No’eau  (Hawaiian Proverb):

E lauhoe mai nā wa'a; i ke kā, i ka hoe; i ka hoe, i ke kā; pae aku i ka 'aina.

(Paddle together, bail, paddle; paddle, bail; paddle towards the land.)

Zehra Tahir received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Bombay, India with specialization in Textiles and Clothing. The early years of her career were spent as a successful business woman and fashion designer, followed by several years in the food service industry as a sales account manager.

Zehra Tahir has been  active in the educational programs in the Milwaukee community for the past several years. She joined Salam School in the fall of 2005 in order to work in the field for which she had the greatest passion: education. Zehra is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Wisconsin Schools of Character, and is a strong advocate of shaping lives through character, and integrating character education into schools. She is also a board member of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and the ISM Education Council.

As a person so utterly passionate about knowledge, she endeavors to assist in creating the mechanisms necessary for greater educational success, to make Salam School a model for the nation, where students not only graduate as academic achievers, but also as strong Muslims and beacons of good moral values!

Ms. Ferger has been an educator for the past ten years and is excited to have the opportunity to teach at Salam School for the 2011-2012 school year.  Ms. Ferger earned her Bachelor's Degree in Biology from North Central College in Naperville, IL and then came to University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to earn her teaching license.  She has since completed her Master's Degree in Education at Cardinal Stritch University and has completed several other education courses at local schools such as: Marquette University, Alverno, and MSOE. 

Ms. Ferger loves to get students engaged and learning science through hands-on activities and by sharing her love for learning. Ms. Ferger has high expectations for both student behavior and academics, because it is critical that students have a strong science foundation in order to succeed in the high tech world that awaits them.  Students need to be given the opportunity to develop their critical thinking skills throughout their education, so that they can challenge the status quo, and so they can develop their own ideas to improve society.

At home, Ms. Ferger has a 6 year old daughter named Ainsley, and a 9 year old son named Ethan.  She loves to spend time with her kids and enjoys biking, swimming, and gardening.  She also enjoys spending time with her husband James and their dog, Spinnaker.

Ms. Ferger loves the character education program at Salam School and agrees with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he states that, “Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'”

Khawla Asmar has been in the education field for almost 2 decades. Currently in her 4^th year as  one of the assistant principals at Salam School, she leads the elementary unit. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from New Jersey City University with a major in Business Administration. Following that, she received her teaching certification from the state of New Jersey. She completed her Master’s Degree in Administrative Leadership from UW-Milwaukee.  

"The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.”
― Khalil Gibran

“We have made it a Quran in Arabic” (Quran 43:3)“The best among you is he/she who learns and teaches the Quran” (Prophet Muhammad)

Asia Altayeb has been a teacher for over two decades. She graduated from The Teachers’ College at Madani, Sudan and received a bachelor’s degree from Alneelain University in Khartoum, Sudan. Asia worked at numerous schools in Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and the US. Asia has been with Salam School for five years.

Teaching youngsters has always been Asia’s passion. Moreover, she believes that being a teacher of Quran and the language of Quran is an honor that enables her to both spread knowledge of Quran and attain Allah’s pleasure. It is also her firm belief that educating this young generation in Arabic and Quranic Studies is crucial and most vital to maintaining a proud Muslim identity. Asia’s aim is to bring forth a generation that is well-equipped in Islamic knowledge and is affirmed in its Muslim character. She is an honorable wife and an outstanding mother.

Frances Vazirabad has been an educator for over twenty years. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Glenville State Teacher’s College in West Virginia. She has taught at a variety of schools throughout West Virginia and has taught students from first to fifth grade. She relocated to Wisconsin to marry and start a family in 1990.

Thanks to Allah, she is now the mother of three children and has taught at Salam School for many years. Her interests include collecting children’s books and being a good mother.

“Teaching at an Islamic school has given me an opportunity to help lay the foundation of not only your child’s educational needs, but God Willing, their spiritual needs as well.”

“The ink of the pen of a scholar is more precious than the blood of a martyr.    -Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.)

“Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.”     -Theodore Roosevelt

Frances Vazirabad
Teacher: Grade 2
FVazirabad@salamschool.com

“The power to shape the future is earned through persistence..”- Anonymous

Amineh Shanaa is a dedicated teacher with extensive and varied experience teaching diverse populations. . She believes in building a strong bond with students, parents and colleagues to help students achieve success both academically and personally.

She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Lebanese University. She earned her Teaching Certificate, Specialization in Elementary Education from Siblin Training Center, Lebanon. She was an Elementary teacher at Salam school in the year 1998-1999. She joined Salam school again in the year 2000-2001. She is currently teaching Quran and Arabic to elementary school students.  

Tamam El-Natour is the elementary school computer teacher. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Science-Botany from Nasser University in Tripoli, Libya. She also has an Associate degree in Visual Communication/Computer Graphics and is now studying to earn a second associate degree in eCommerce/Web Administration.

In her spare time, she enjoys reading, traveling, working with computers and designing websites.

Ibtihaj Oweisi teaches Islamic Studies in 3rd through 5th grades. This is her 14th year in various schools. Eight of those years have  been in Salam School, either as a substitute, assistant, or teacher. She has taught students in elementary and middle grades.

Islamic Studies has always been her  first priority. By teaching students the core values of Islam, students are better able to understand and practice what is expected of them. They must understand their religion and know how it came to be. She hopes to be a part of that learning process by engaging students and instilling a love of Islam in them.

Julie Gray graduated from UW-Whitewater in 2003 with a B.S.E. in Elementary Education.  She is  certified to teach grades PreK-6.  She has been a teacher at Salam School for 7 years. 

Mrs. Gray taught K-5 for 3 years.  She then moved up to teach 1st grade for 2 years.  She is now back in K5 which is her first love.  She enjoys working with children, helping them learn and grow.  She feels the biggest reward from teaching is to see children succeed and accomplish their goals.

Lateefah Abdullah has been with Salam School since 2003. She has been an assistant for K4 and K5.  She also taught K4 for two years. She is now a teacher’s assistant for K 5. She home-schooled her children for 10 years. She also operated an in-home day care center for 3 years.

Erin Blaedow obtained her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from the University of Wisconsin,  Oshkosh in December of 2006, where she also received a minor in Mathematics.  Before she joined the Salam School staff, she worked for the Boy Scouts of America, where she did an outreach program for the surrounding school districts of the Fox Valley. 

During Erin’s free time she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.   She is also a huge hockey fan and her favorite team is the Detroit Red Wings.  She also is looking forward to being the middle school girl’s assistant basketball coach!

Erin is looking forward to an exciting year with her students and she is also looking forward to learning more about the Islamic culture.

“Whatever you are, be a good one.” – Abraham Linclon

Jessica Schneider graduated from Marian College in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin in 2007 with a degree in Early Childhood/Elementary Education.  She taught children from 6 weeks to 6 years old at Kohl’s Corporate Child Development Center for eight months  and taught combined four and five year old Kindergarten last year in an inner city school in Milwaukee.  She loves seeing a child’s face light up once he or she finally grasps a concept they have been struggling with.  Not only has she taught her students, but her students have also taught her.  Each day is a new adventure with the children she teaches.  One never knows what a child will say and that makes teaching exciting.

Jessica’s philosophy is to guide students through the learning process and to help them gain new knowledge.  She strives to teach in a structured and orderly fashion, but injects fun into her lessons.  She wants her students to leave class, learning something new each and every day.  She wants each student to feel important and needed in the classroom.  She believes that each student is unique in his or her own way and can add a lot to the classroom by sharing his or her individual wisdom.   She thinks that children are born with all the knowledge in the world, but they need help putting their knowledge to use.

~"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." Confucius

Sue Shalaby/ Resource Teacher 

She has one daughter who attends Salam School and is in 7th grade. Alhamdillulah, she is thankful that her daughter is able to receive an excellent Islamic education and become bilingual. She believes that children should be educated academically and religiously in order to form both their character and moral development. She looks forward to another great year at Salam School!

Be the change that you want to see in the world. -Mohandas Gandhi

Sue Shalaby
Resource Teacher
sShalaby@salamschool.com
 

Sandra Abusaif
Teacher: Grade 1 Math
sAbusaif@salamschool.com
 

Carla DeJardin has been an educator for the past seven years.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Spanish.  Throughout her teaching career, she has taught elementary students the Spanish language as well as been an elementary classroom teacher for second and third graders.  This is her first year teaching third grade at Salam School and absolutely enjoys it.  Third grade is her favorite grade to teach.  She likes how excited the students are to learn new things.   She also enjoys helping them become more organized and responsible students.

Mrs. DeJardin enjoys creating a classroom where learning is fun and exciting.  She allows students the ability to work in small groups to help foster positive student relationships.  She enjoys making learning hands-on whenever possible and loves watching her students help one another in the learning process.

Carla DeJardin
Teacher: Grade 3
cdejardin@salamschool.com
 

My name is Judith Makowski and I am currently teaching grade 4B at Salam School.  I have a Bachelors Degree in Education from UWM and have an extensive background in music and reading education. I have been teaching for over 25 years and greatly value teaching in a faith filled environment.

As an educator I am committed to high expectations in student achievement. It is my goal to provide a positive, supportive environment in which the children are encouraged  to strengthen good leadership qualities and build good character traits.  It is my endeavor to instill in the children an enthusiasm for lifelong learning and academic success.

Judith Makowski
Teacher: Grade 4
jMakowski@salamschool.com
 

Dallal Qoraan graduated in 2009 from UWM with a degree in Language and Literary Studies. She is currently an Islamic studies teacher in the elementary school. She is hoping to instill the love of Allah in the heart of every student, so that they can fulfill their role as Muslims in this world, and be rewarded the Jennah in the hereafter, Inshallah. This is her second year at Salam School.

Dallal Qoraan
Teacher: Islamic Studeis
dqoraan@salamschool.com

Maha  Mosa was born in Jordan and joined Salam School this year. She loves children and is happy in her roles at the school as a teacher’s assistant. She holds certifications in many different child care venues such as skills and Strategies for the Child Care Teacher, Infant & Toddler Child Care Worker, Introduction to the Child Care Profession, Fundamentals for Family Child Care Worker and CPR  training for infant and adults. Before coming to Salam School, she managed her own home day care.  She has three beautiful kids, two boys and one girl, 4, 7 and 6 years old. She loves working at Salam School.  In her spare time, she loves to read and write. She is a Green Bay Packers fan.

Maha’s future goal is to continue her education to get her BA in education, Insha’Allah.

Maha  Mosa
Assistant: Grade 1C
mmosa@salamschool.com

Amy Zollitsch graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 2002 with her BA in Psychology, and received her teaching certificate from UW - Milwaukee in 2005.  Before joining Salam School, she was a substitute teacher in four school districts around Green Bay, including several long-term placements in grades 2, 3, 4, and 5.   

During her free time, Amy enjoys spending time with family and friends.  Depending on the season, you can probably find her on the golf course, ski slopes, bowling alley, or in front of her TV watching football (she is a Badger that lived in Green Bay, after all).  Amy, also, loves to travel to learn about other places and new faces.  She is very excited to learn as much about her students as they will be learning from her.

Amy Zollitsch
Teacher: Grade 4
azollitsch@salamschool.com

This is Diane Silla's first year teaching at Salam School, but not her first year in the classroom.  She is originally from Utah, where she received her BS in Elementary Education at Weber State University.  She taught grades 5, 3, and 6, before moving to Minneapolis in 2006.  There, she and her husband were blessed with two beautiful little sons, Isaiah and Benjamin.  Her family is now excited to make Milwaukee their home, and she is eager to return full-time to the classroom.  She will be teaching

fifth grade this year, and plans to continue her studies at UWM this winter.  She is pursuing her Master's degree in Urban Education. 

Diane enjoys teaching all the academic subjects, but has a special love for writing and literacy.  She is working on her second novel, and is an avid reader.  In Utah, she was a facilitator and consultant for the Utah Writing Project, helping educators across the state improve reading and writing instruction.  She also has a strong background in the performing arts, and has performed designed and directed productions on all levels.  In Utah, she launched and directed a school choir which performed at several venues throughout the year. 

When she's not teaching, Diane enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, cooking, and sewing.  She hopes to be able to travel extensively someday and to see her books in print.
 

Diane Silla
Teacher: Grade 5
dsilla@salamschool.com

This is Mary Widmann's first year at Salam School!

She has a BS in Early Childhood Education from UW-Milwaukee and classroom experience in 4K, kindergarten, and first grade, both public and private.  Mary's teaching experience has taught her how to teach mandated knowledge and skills to diverse populations of students of varying abilities where they are able to apply instruction to the real world.  

Mary's currently completing her master’s degree at UWM in Curriculum and Instruction; graduate studies have provided her opportunity for self-reflection and insight to innovative teaching practices and classroom management.  In addition, Mary is also pursuing a Reading Specialist Certification because she understands reading and writing have a profound impact on the overall school experience.

Besides being a teacher and student, Mary is also a wife and mother who has been blessed with three children.  When she isn't busy with work and/or school, Mary enjoys watching and attending sporting events (she's a huge Wisconsin sports fan!), reading books and watching movies, and most importantly spending time with her family. 

Mary Widmann
Teacher: K4
mwidmann@salamschool.com

Jennifer Meschi is our new K5A teacher!  She recently moved back to the Midwest after teaching first grade for three years in Phoenix, Arizona.  Prior teaching in Phoenix, Jennifer was a teacher assistant in Aurora, Illinois for two years.  It is her true passion to work with children and help them succeed academically. 

Jennifer graduated with honors from Winona State University.  Her degree is in Elementary Education with a Middle School Reading and Language Arts endorsement.  She began her Master’s Degree in Reading at Arizona State University and plans to complete the program at the University Of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. 

Jennifer is absolutely thrilled to be part of the Salam School Community!

Jennifer Meschi
Teacher: K5
jmeschi@salamschool.com

Farheen Hussaini,
This is Farheen Hussaini's first year at Salam School.  She is working as an assistant teacher for second grade. Farheen is also is also a Salam School parent. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Commerce from Hyderabad, India. Farheen is a mother to three sons. She enjoys working with kids, strongly believes in serving the community and having a positive impact on Salam School students.

Farheen Hussaini
Assistant: 2B
fhussaini@salamschool.com

Ghada ElNatour:
This is Ghada’s first year at Salam School.  She is a teaching assistant in 1^st grade. Ghada holds certificates in many early childhood and childcare venues.  She is also trained in CPR for adults and children.  

Ghada plans to continue her education and earn her bachelor’s degree.  Ghada is a mother to 4 beautiful children, 3 sons and a daughter.

Ghada Elnatour
Assistant: 1A
gelnatour@salamschool.com