Admissions and Academics

At BAAS, our academic philosophy is grounded in fostering a love of the Arabic language and a connectedness within Arabic-speaking communities. With classes starting at the preschool level all the way up to adults learning Arabic for the first time, BAAS has something for everyone. Our teachers value the importance of learning through play and exposure to authentic Arabic materials.

Our Arabic curriculum is fully developed in-house, crafted to meet the unique needs of our students and constantly evolving with feedback from our families. We offer leveled Arabic language classes (classes held on Sundays with virtual mid-week review sessions), a virtual ‘Conversation Club’ for a more immersive language practice opportunity, and Islamic Studies classes for all ages.

Arabic: Lower School

At BAAS, our lower school students follow our in-house developed, leveled curriculum through classes that teach reading, writing and basic conversation in modern standard Arabic. Classes take place on campus every Sunday from 10:15am – 11:45am. In addition, each teacher hosts a mid-week virtual review session for her class to answer student questions, help with homework, and supplement learning with fun group activities.

Classes are color coded as follows:

RED (preK | Age ~3-5)
In this class, our main focus is early exposure to the Arabic language through fun activities, games, songs and projects. Students build their vocabulary with age-appropriate thematic units.

ORANGE (KG | Ages ~4-5)
In this class, students are introduced to the Arabic alphabets and sounds through fun activities, games, songs and projects. This class is an entry point to the Arabic Program and is a prerequisite for all subsequent Arabic classes.

Note: Red & Orange classes both serve as entry points to our Arabic program – placement will depend on a child’s social/emotional readiness and previous experience in school settings.

YELLOW (KG | Ages 5-6)
In this class, students learn to read and write the letters of the Arabic alphabet in their isolated form with short vowels (harakat). Focusing on one letter per week, students continue to build their vocabulary in Arabic grouped around the alphabet. The class reviews basic conversational skills such as greetings and introductions, describing likes and dislikes, and builds on vocabulary through thematic units.

This class is a prerequisite for all subsequent Arabic classes. Placement tests may be used if students are new to BAAS.

GREEN (School age program | Ages 6-8)
In this class, students build on their knowledge of the alphabet by mastering the reading & writing of letters in connected forms with short vowels (harakat). Students build a foundation in reading by learning to sound out words and write phonetically. Students expand their vocabulary and build confidence having simple conversations in formal Arabic with thematic conversation units such as the family, the home, and daily routines.

This class is a prerequisite for all subsequent Arabic classes. Placement tests may be used if students are new to BAAS.

BLUE (School age program | Ages 7-10)
In this class, students use previously acquired knowledge of letter sounds, forms and connections to start reading and writing words and short sentences. Students begin learning basic grammar such as gender differences and short vs long vowels. Students continue to build their vocabulary through conversational units revolving around the self, the home and the local community. By the end of this level, students are able to form verb action sentences describing daily activities and complete reading comprehension exercises involving short passages.

This class is a prerequisite for all subsequent Arabic classes. Placement tests may be used if students are new to BAAS.

Class Time: 10:15 am ~ 11:45 am

Cost: $ 1,180

Arabic: Upper School

At BAAS, our upper school students continue progressing through a leveled curriculum with classes that focus on activating vocabulary, producing language and communicating proficiently in Arabic while reinforcing the reading and writing skills learned in previous years.

In our upper school classes, Arabic proficiency levels vary from student to student; instruction and assignments are individualized to meet each student at their current level. Class time is devoted to activating the vocabulary and structures that students have prepared at home through homework assignments. Students are expected to spend a significant portion of class time doing activities in pairs and small groups, and are encouraged to communicate in Arabic as much as possible with partners/classmates/teachers from the moment they walk into the class until they leave it.

Classes take place on campus every Sunday from 10:15am – 11:45am. In addition, each teacher hosts a mid-week virtual review session for her class to answer student questions, help with homework, and supplement learning with fun group activities.

Note: Students who are new to BAAS will be assessed in order to determine the most appropriate class placement.

Class Time: 10:15 am ~ 11:45 am

Cost: $ 1,180

Conversation Club

​Our weekly Conversation Club is a fun class that encourages students to use spoken Arabic in an informal group setting and allows us to get to know the members of our community better! Students are assigned to a group based on conversational proficiency and meet once a week from 30 to 45 minutes. Conversation Club sessions are facilitated by teachers and parent volunteers. There is no reading/writing involved in Conversation Club; the focus is purely on producing language (in any dialect!) through icebreakers, games and fun activities.

Class Time: 09:15 am ~ 10:00 am

Cost: $805

​Islamic Studies

​The main focus of this class is to understand the core value of our religion and be a positive role model in society. To achieve our mission we use ‘I Love Islam’ series of Islamic studies textbooks that gradually introduces Muslim students to the essentials of their faith and bring to light historic and cultural aspects of Islam. The curriculum is in English and uses the modern methodology and simple stories followed by creative exercises. Moreover, we will work with our students to help them memorize short surahs of the Quran.

Class Time: 12:00 pm ~ 01:00 pm

Cost: $805