Author Archives: ICECadmin

2021-2022 Academic Year Reopening

Dear Parents,

We hope this message finds you and your family well and in good health.
 
We are excited to inform you that this academic year we will be holding face-to-face classes at Ritchie Park Elementary School, in Rockville, MD. Within the next few days, we will send you detailed information regarding the registration. All relevant information will be posted on the ICEC website as well.
 
Meanwhile, we would like to take this opportunity to assure you that we take the safety of our students and staff seriously and will follow closely safety measures that are put in place by Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), including wearing mask coverings inside the building and social distancing both inside and outside the classrooms. In addition, a classroom will be designated for the students who may develop symptoms of COVID-19 while waiting for the parents to pick them up. Furthermore, there will be staggered recess times to reduce potential contamination risks and exposure.  It should be added that all staff members have been vaccinated.
 

We very much look forward to welcoming you and your children to the new academic year.
 
Best wishes,

ICEC

2021-2022 Scholarship Update

The Iran Arbabi Scholarship Program

2021-2022 Scholarship

Extended Deadline

Due to the fact that some school districts have delays in providing required documents to potential Applicants, the Scholarship Selection Committee hereby extends the deadline for applications to July 30, 2021. 

Please refer to the original post for more information about the application form.

Original Post

 

Nowruz1400 Message

Dear ICEC Community: Current and Former Parents and Students

Our heartfelt gratitude for your support in making it possible for us to bring the community together in celebration of Nowruz 1400. Your children volunteered to perform in the program, and you, despite your busy schedule, welcomed their choices and supported them every step of the way.  This year, in particular, your support was crucial since most practices, and all productions had to take place at home. Your dedication provided our students the opportunity to display with pride their unique talents and also their heritage culture through a wide range of uplifting performances.

This year’s event, the same as the past ones, resulted from the collaborative efforts of the current and former student and parent-volunteers. The Young Iranian Musicians’ inspiring performance, under the direction of Payam Yousefi, was a perfect example of participation by the past and present students who wholeheartedly welcomed the challenges and artfully performed their pieces that later were synchronized by Payam.  Needless to say, that several members of the Nowruz Celebration Committee, that under the direction of Mr. Emtiaz initiated, coordinated, and directed the program, are also former parents. Additionally, Iman Sharifi, one of our former students, helped with the technical aspects of several parts of the program.

Over the years, thanks to the unwavering support of dedicated parent-volunteers like you and committed instructional staff, ICEC has surmounted obstacles to establish itself as an enduring institution.  This year, particularly in the face of exceptionally challenging circumstances, your dedication and selfless efforts have been crucial in reinforcing our sense of community. There is no doubt in our mind that we will come out of this dark period more determined in efforts to preserve our common heritage language and culture not as an end but as a means of helping the younger generation to connect to and value other cultures. This awareness is key to the peaceful world that we want the next generation to live in. 

Our sincere gratitude and Happy New Year!

ICEC

2021-2022 Scholarship

Iran Cultural and Educational Center

Iran Arbabi Scholarship

The Iran Arbabi Scholarship Program provides financial assistance to students of Iranian descent entering or attending an accredited post-secondary institution. The scholarship is granted annually to at least one eligible applicant, selected based on the eligibility criteria listed below. An independent committee that consists of a panel of distinguished scholars and chaired by a member of the ICEC Board of Trustees screens applications in the summer. Members of the selection committee may also interview the finalists. The recipient (s) may use the scholarship to attend an accredited college across the United States. Scholarships are not limited to any specific field or career objective and may be used to pursue any academic discipline for undergraduate or graduate studies.

2021-2022 Scholarship

For the academic year 2021-2022, two separate scholarships will be awarded to applicants who meet the eligibility requirements and are selected by the Selection Committee. The second donation has been made possible by a donation from the National University of Iran Alumni Association.

Basic Requirements

Applicants should meet the following requirements to be considered for the Iran Arbabi Scholarship. They must:

  1. Be of Iranian descent;
  2. Lawfully reside in the Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia, United Sates;
  3. Submit verification of participation in activities that promote Persian culture and heritage to include, but not limited to attendance at a Farsi language school, participation in Persian art or cultural group (music, dance, theater, etc.), volunteer activities for a Persian community-based charity, active participation in a Persian student association, etc.
  4. Attend, or be accepted for attendance, at an accredited American college or university in a full-time undergraduate or graduate degree program in Maryland, Virginia or District of Columbia.
  5. If attending, or accepted for attendance, an undergraduate program:
  6. a) Possess a high school diploma, or the recognized equivalent of a high school diploma,
  7. b) Have good academic standing (GPA of 3.0 or higher)
  8. If attending a graduate program: a) Possess proof of successful completion of undergraduate studies, i.e., Bachelor degree `

All participants need to:

  1. Complete and submit a Scholarship Application Form;
  2. Two letters of recommendation; at least one letter should be from an instructor/professor or other high school/college professional;
  3. An official transcript with the college seal on it;
  4. Two one-page essays each on:
    1. What are your dreams and aspirations?
    2. How has your cultural heritage formed the person you are, and in what way will this serve you as an asset to promote Persian language and culture in the future?

 

Important Application Dates

 

May 15, 2021 – ICEC starts accepting applications for the 2021-2022 academic year.

The Application Form will be available for download from the ICEC website at: http://iraneducationalcenter.org/scholarship-application/

June 30, 2021 (Extended to July 30, 2021)– Final postmarked deadline in order to be considered for the 2021-2022 Scholarship Program.  Application materials must be mailed in one packet to:

 

Iran Abrabi Scholarship Program

Iran Cultural and Educational Center

14644 Pinto Lane, Rockville, MD 20850-3536

 

 Transcripts and letters of recommendation should not be sent separately. Incomplete, e-mailed, or faxed applications will not be considered.

 

August 15, 2021: Winners of the scholarship will be notified, and names will be posted on the ICEC web site.

 

 Scholarship Conditions

 

The Iran Arbabi Scholarships may be used to supplement existing benefits from the student’s college or university, or from other foundations or organizations. Recipients may use the scholarship to cover the costs of tuition, fees, room, and board. Funds will be paid to selected candidates upon receiving transcripts and proof of course registration and enrollment. Financial need may be taken into consideration in awarding a scholarship. If the Scholarship Committee determines that financial need will be taken into consideration, the applicant may be required to provide financial information at a later time.

A recipient’s scholarship can be revoked if the student:

  • fails to graduate from high school;
  • fails to enroll in an institution of higher education in the year for which the scholarship was awarded;
  • fails to comply with the rules, regulations or conditions of the institution the student attends; or
  • receives the scholarship through error or contrary to law.

Retroactive payment of the scholarship is not permitted.

 

New School Year-2020-2021

Dear Parents, 

As we approach the new academic year we have thought long and hard on how we can continue to serve our community.  Your commitment to the education of your children deserves an equally strong commitment from us.  Through changing times as well as unchanging times, we want to continue to be that resource that preserves and shares the cultural history that you and ICEC have consistently provided to our children.

With the health and safety of our students as the first priority, we are committed to continuing the virtual instruction that was successfully implemented at the end of the 2019-2020 school year.  With on-going support from you, we are confident that we have a program ready to implement that will be both engaging and meaningful.  We have been developing and modifying our curriculum to meet the challenges of virtual learning.  Our instructional staff have engaged in additional training specifically designed to address the evolving world of on-line teaching.  We are confident that you and your children will reap the rewards of this effort.

At present, the ICEC plan is to begin the year offering virtual instruction for grades 1 and up on Saturdays, starting on Saturday, September 19th.  Instructional sessions will be 60 minutes for grades 1 and 2 and 75 minutes for the rest of the classes. A detailed schedule will be imparted via email and ICEC website during the week of September 14th, right after the online registration window that will be from August 27th to September 10th.  New students will be invited, through email, for virtual orientation and a short interview on September 12th.  For further information regarding the registration, including the tuition please refer to:

Tuition Information

 

Going forward, we continue to monitor and evaluate how we can meet the educational goals of the community.  This means, at a minimum, we are in regular contact with the Montgomery County facility managers and should the opportunity to modify our plan and offer in-person teaching arise, we will reconsider our mode of instruction.

Meanwhile, please do not hesitate to share with us your thoughts and suggestions. We value your input and look forward to it.    

Looking forward to a great, productive academic year,

 ICEC

2020-2021 School Year (updated August 2020)

Dear Parents,
 
At present, the ICEC plan is to begin the year offering virtual instruction for grades 1 and up on Saturdays, starting on Saturday, September 19th.  Instructional sessions will be 60 minutes for grades 1 and 2 and 75 minutes for the rest of the classes. A detailed schedule will be imparted via email and ICEC website during the week of September 14th, right after the online registration window that will be from August 27th to September 10th.  New students will be invited, through email, for virtual orientation and a short interview on September 12th.
 
For further information regarding the registration, including the tuition please refer to:
 
Registration
 

End of School Year 2019-2020

 

Dear Parents, 

We would like to sincerely thank all of you for your unwavering support, as we look back on the 2019-2020 academic year and its unique challenges. Your strong role in the education of your children allowed us to continue to stay connected with them and engage them in meaningful learning.  This support has its roots in our shared belief in the importance of preserving cultural heritage and passing it onto the next generation to equip them for the real world where cultural awareness is key to peace and prosperity.   

Transitioning from face-to-face to virtual instruction would not have been successful without your crucial support and the hard work of our dedicated instructional staff. Once it became evident that Maryland Schools would not open for the remainder of the academic year, the instructional staff, although with little or no experience in online language instruction, welcomed the challenge and worked tirelessly to provide their students with purposeful and engaging learning experiences. In this effort, they also identified and effectively used a variety of online authentic resources to enhance instruction. This resulted in students’ positive response to the new learning environment, as reflected by their perfect to near perfect attendance in most classes.  In light of this uplifting experience, we are convinced that regardless of what the Maryland School system may decide in the fall, our community will remain strong and continue to thrive.   

Looking forward, Iran Cultural and Educational Center (ICEC), the same as any other educational institution, will take advantage of the summer months to prepare for any possibility, i.e., face-to-face, online, or the combination of face-to-face and online instruction.  To this end, summer work will be a combination of teacher training, curriculum refinement, and sample learning plans development as listed below:

  • Review and revise the program of studies to make it more adaptable to online instruction;
  • Provide the instructional staff with ongoing professional development on learner-centered strategies;
  • Identify authentic resources to more effectively integrate culture, content, and language;
  •  Develop sample learning plans based on World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages.

Meanwhile, please do not hesitate to share with us your thoughts and suggestions. We value your input and look forward to it.  We will be in touch.  

Wishing you and your family a safe, healthy, and pleasant summer,

ICEC

Opening Status

Dear ICEC Family and Friends;

We at ICEC wish you warm regards and hope you are doing well.  As we find ourselves adapting to a new (but temporary) lifestyle, we hope that each and every one of you is taking the time to find comfort, joy and love with your family and friends, whether under your roof at home or remotely through technology.

As you may be aware, public schools, and the use of public-school facilities, in Montgomery County continue to be closed until at least April 24, 2020.  Consequently, ICEC must continue to suspend classes.  At this time, there is no fixed date as to when we may be able to resume classes.

We will provide regular updates as soon as we have more information.  Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions.

Please be well and be safe.