As the end of year quickly approaches, time is running short to make a tax-deductible gift to this year's Booting Up Tech! campaign.  Thus far, 13% of parents have donated over $11,000!  Funds raised will be used to upgrade our 5-8 year old classroom computers and have a direct impact on your child's education.  If you haven't yet donated, please submit your tax deductable donation TODAY via the Annual Fund Online Gift Form.  Our success continues because of you.  Thank you for on going support!

Parents are invited to learn more about Amana's new approach to our math curriculum in grades 3-5 and implications to other grades.  Mrs. Jelena Naim, our Director of Curriculum & Instruction, will be sharing insights and answering your questions.  The event will be on Wednesday December 15 at 8:00 AM in the cafeteria. Light breakfast food will be served. All parents are welcome to attend. 

It's that time again!  Time for our next Amana Family Fun event! Come and join us for an afternoon of ice skating fun!  Grab your Mom!  Grab your Dad! Grab your brothers and sisters too!  This fun-filled event will take place on Friday, December 10, 2010 at The Cooler Family Skate Center (Alpharetta) from 3:30pm to 5:30pm.  The cost of admission, including skate rental and $1 proceeds returning to Amana, is only $7 per person.  Please check the Amana website and visit the Parents/PIE tab and look for "Family Fun Nights" for more information.  Hope to see you there!

The Amana Environmental Club invites all K-5th graders to attend their next exciting meeting on January 20, 2011, 3:30-4:30 pm.  Bring a snack to share!  The club will meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month and there is no fee to join.  Please feel free to have your child come out to learn how they can do their part to help improve our environment.  Students will learn about waste-free lunches and how to reduce energy consumption in their home as well as in school.  Students will also create a fabulous collage to share what they have learned.   If your child is interested in joining the club, please contact Ms. McNeil or Mrs. Herdt .

For every high-speed 4GWiMAX plan that is activated by an Amana Academy family or friend, CLEAR will donate to our school a mail-in rebate check worth one month's service as well as an additional 5% of the total sales!  

Please note that right now CLEAR is offering the CLEAR Hotspot as a FREE upgrade on many of their combo plans.  If you are looking for mobile internet, you can also upgrade for only $1 or $2 per month! If you or someone you know is interested in this offer, have them call the main business line at 678-829-1213 and ask for CLEAR sales.  Please provide our school code: AACFR.  For more information on this and other school fundraisers, please visit our PIE Indirect Fundraising Page and thank you for your support.

On December 3rd, Amana classrooms were honored to host Mr. Len Box, Area Superintendent and Athletics Director for Fulton County Schools. Mr. Box overseas all of Fulton's independent charter schools, including Amana.  After visiting multiple classrooms and community circle, Mr. Box commented, "Expeditionary Learning really gets students engaged in learning...I could have stayed all day!"  We enjoyed having you Mr. Box!

Mrs. Valerius' 5th Grade students sharing 'cowboy poetry' with Mr. Box while others study economics (math) of the American cattle drive.

Mrs. Springer's 3rd Grade students 'interview' Mr. Box, as he enthusiastically poses as leaders who were 'Voices of Change', such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Thurgood Marshall.

Students in grades sixth through eighth grade presented the following expedition Showcases this week... 

Planet in Peril (6^th grade)

On Wednesday night, sixth grade students showcased their exploration of environmental issues in Canada and Latin America and their understandings of the challenges presented by the interaction of natural systems and human systems.  Students showcased the impact of natural resource use, compositions and uses of rocks and minerals, and issues arising from pollution in the Great Lakes as well as the geography, history, political, and economic aspects of Latin America.

Putting the Pieces Together (7^th grade)

Students in seventh grade presented what they learned about the necessary "pieces of the puzzle" that make up the essential parts of a country; government, religion, economics, culture, and biomes.  Students examined how these various aspects of the "puzzle" work together or not and explained each part of a country and how they affected each other.  Through critical thinking, students analyzed the effective use of human and natural resources. They also considered nature's effect on the environment and the human impact on the natural world.  Students confidently demonstrated that none of these "pieces" stand alone by showing us how the system as a whole needs to function together for the good of the country and the world.

On the heels of fanastic Middle School showcase nights, our Elementary grades are eager to share with parents and the community their expeditions next week.  Here is the schedule of events:

Dec 14 @6pm - KG, 1st grade, 2nd grade
Dec 16 @ 6pm - 3rd & 5th grades
Dec 17 @ 8am - 4th grade

KG Teachers Plan Wall Displays for Upcoming Showcase

This past week, second grade exemplified the seamless integration of subjects and hands-on approach central to Amana's educational philosophy... 

For example, students in Ms. Raina's second grade began the week by crafting their butterfly and frog narratives.  They worked diligently through all four stages of the writing process - pre-writing (graphic organizer), writing, editing (checklist/rubric), and publishing - and were also given an extensive word bank of vocabulary words they had to incorporate along with lessons about appropriate comma usage that were put into practice during the writing exercise.  In addition to this, the students also created a butterfly flip book with scientific descriptions of each phase of the butterfly.

During science class, students used cookies to learn about the phases of the moon and completed a moon phases book detailing the different moon stages for the month of November and December.  Ms. Raina conducted a demonstration with a flash light and a globe where each student used the flashlight to model the relationship of the stars and the earth.  Students then demonstrated their knowledge of the impact temperature has on stars by using paints to depict the various color changes they observed.  Next, the students constructed a chart incorporating their own background knowledge and interests related to the book Reason For the Seasons.  The class also discussed sun clocks and spent the afternoon researching information on the internet that they could use to determine the appropriate moon phase for any given day.

Students also spent time this week conducting research on three important historical figures - Jimmy Carter, Martin Luther King, and Jackie Robinson.  Students were required to arrange their details in chronological order and develop a timeline with a title, pictures, captions, etc.  To compliment this exercise, the class reviewed the phases of human life (from investigation one) and created detailed illustrations with captions predicting what they would look like when they became an adult or an elderly person and how they would change over time.  Finally, students completed a Venn diagram (compare/contrast) on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. which allowed them to analyze the similarities and differences between themselves and this great historical figure; an inspiring way to motivate young people to aim high in life!   What a great week indeed!

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