Define360 Summer Camp Newsletter

We are filled with gratitude and reflection as we close this year's Define 360 summer camp. Over the past seven weeks, your children have embarked on a transformative journey guided by our HEART™ Model of mindfulness. This Summer is a testament to their growth in understanding and embodying mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and connection with DEEN.

This week's theme was “Journey to my Best Self” where each student shared their personal stories and insights gained throughout their journey, fostering self-expression and community spirit.

In the Prophetic Heart track, students immersed themselves in the HEART™ Model, exploring its core values and applying them to their daily practices. They cultivated mindful relationships, including their relationship with Allah in worship, and learned to integrate these principles into their lives beyond camp. Through collaborative reflections, they deepened their understanding of taqwa and embraced DEEN as an integral part of their identity.

The culmination of their “Journey to my Best Self” was marked by the creation of the River of Heart project, where students shared their personal stories and reflections. By sharing their “Journey to my Best Self”, students fostered self-expression and community spirit. This project empowered them to express themselves and celebrate their growth throughout summer camp.

In the Divine Stories track, students drew inspiration from the compassionate teachings of Prophet Muhammad (S). They engaged in acts of kindness and empathy through compassion coupons, embodying the essence of taqwa as a continuous path of spiritual growth. Older students explored practical applications of taqwa in their daily lives, drawing courage from the Prophet's (S) example of standing up for righteousness despite challenges. The creation of tokens served as a reminder of their commitment to embody bravery and compassion in their actions.

We explored the foundations of women's roles in Islam, focusing on key issues such as education, rights, and empowerment with sessions that included discussions and interactive activities. For Art, Middle School Girls drew the seed of life patterns using protractors and pencils to understand how to establish grit and perseverance. The Middle School Boys wrote their journal reflections on their 7-week journey of learning and remembered through their candle holder project to always hold on to the light of compassion.

In MMA over this month, the students have worked on taking a fall without causing any injury. Key Factors are keeping their chin to chest avoiding a hard contact of the head with the ground, slapping the mat in a 45-degree direction as they take a fall to spread the impact of the fall, and breathing out with each fall. Afterward, they learned a couple of takedowns which are strategic ways to get an opponent on the ground.

We discussed how the best decision in a self-defense situation is to find a window to get away from the situation when possible and get help. You create that window using techniques that help you create distance between you and the attacker.

Students learned how to choke someone to give themselves a few seconds to escape, as well as a few methods to get out of someone else's choke.

The last couple of classes were focused on testing the skills we learned throughout this course by engaging in grappling matches.

Towards the end of each class, we play a game that facilitates team building and requires strategies. Then the class ended with a quick reflection and dua.

Our final enrichment activity this week was a visit by the Kona Ice Snow Cone truck with their vibrant flavors & dye-free options! It was a special self-care treat for our campers to complete summer camp and their journey to their best self on a positive, fun-filled note!

Continuing into last week's theme of "Mercy to the world" the campers made clay candle holders that represented the light in each one of us. A reminder to be the light in someone else's life and to guard each other's light. They continued painting and decorating their holders.

Our STEAM track provided students with hands-on experiences in scientific exploration, such as the Balloon Rocket experiment. They discovered Newton's Third Law while relating it to the concept of gratitude—understanding that expressing gratitude propels positivity in their lives, much like the force that propels a rocket forward. This activity not only deepened their scientific understanding but also reinforced the importance of gratitude as a transformative practice.

As we bid farewell to another enriching summer camp, we extend our heartfelt appreciation to all Define 360 students, families, and staff members. Your unwavering support and participation have made this summer unforgettable. Together, we have created a nurturing environment where each child has grown intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.

We encourage you to continue nurturing the values and lessons learned at Define 360 throughout the year. May the bonds forged and the experiences shared at camp inspire and guide your children on their journey ahead.

We wish you all a joyful remainder of the summer break and look forward to reconnecting soon!

Warmest regards,

Define 360 Team

School Timings:

• The arrival time for camp begins at 10:15 AM and ends at 10:30 AM. Drop-off is from the CARPOOL LANE ONLY. We do not allow students to be dropped off early as the teachers are not available to watch them before 10:15 AM.
• After 10:30 AM, parents must park their car and walk their children to the doors.
• Please pick up your Car Tag from the front office after morning drop-off if you haven't already!
• Dismissal begins at 2:15 PM and ends at 2:30 PM. Effective next week, we will enforce a late fee if you arrive after 2:30 PM.
• Frequent tardiness and early dismissal interfere with the learning process and can be a distraction for other students, so we ask that it is kept to a minimum and communicated with the leadership team in advance at summer@define360.online
• Camp takes place from Monday to Thursday. We are closed on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Lunch:

• Please send your students with a healthy lunch, snack, and water bottle. Please do not send food that needs to be heated up, as we do not have microwaves available for students.
• Because of allergies, there is strictly no sharing of food permitted between students.

ClassDojo & Communication:

• All parents were sent invitations to join their ClassDojo section, which is our online platform utilized for daily updates and secure communication between our teaching staff and parents.
• Please click on the link sent to your email and register as a guardian for your child as soon as possible, as we will only be sending camp updates weekly via email.
• For any questions/issues with ClassDojo, please email summer@define360.online.