Dear Amana Families and Community Members,

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the warming weather.  The weather has been very good for our "Science Missions" to 4-H Centers around the state, including recent trips to Rock Eagle and Tybee Island for 4th and 6th grade students.  Next up is the 7th grade Science Mission at Jekyll Island's 4H Center along the Atlantic coast, and 5th Grade at Wahsega in North Georgia.  These 3-day Science Missions expose our students to purposeful fieldwork via multiple classes per day under the guidance of expert scientists.  This immersion into the field and exposure to the natural world are hallmarks of Expeditionary Learning.  Just like our vision statement says, the upshot for students is that they become "motivated for lifelong learning and achievement". 

Another motivating activity that our middle school students, in particular, have participated in for the first time is the Science Olympiad.  Read below how this small team won medals their first time competing!  Inspired by our attention to STEM Education (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics), 8th grade Math/Science teacher Mrs. Cherisse Campbell sponsored the formation of our Science Olympiad team, which took away medals and ribbons in 10 of 22 competitions!  Not bad for a first try ;)  Congratulations team! 

Amana students are expected to be more self-motivated, and our students are presented with greater intellectual challenges than what is demanded in a traditional test-prep educational setting as well as a connectedness to the world outside the school because these are the skills of lifelong learners...So we gladly return again and again to these words:

Our vision, expressed in the concept of "Amana" - meaning stewardship, integrity, confidence and commitment - is that of a community of parents, teachers, administrators and partners collaboratively offering an educational experience that develops students who possess a healthy balance of intellect and ethical character - students with a positive self-image who are motivated for lifelong learning and achievement, who respect others and the environment and who can skillfully communicate their interests and passions.

Sincerely, 

Ehab Jaleel,  

Executive Director 

[email protected]  

"We Are Crew, Not Passengers..."

• Tuesday, March 8 from 2:00-3:00pm - PIE General Assembly
• Friday, March 11 from 3:00-6:00pm - PIE Miniature Golf
• Friday, March 18 from 1:30-6pm - Monkey Joes NJHS Fundraiser
• Saturday, March 26 at 11:00am  - Verizon Fun Walk

Check out all upcoming events on our website calendar.

Amana Academy Middle School competed in the Regional Science Olympiad competition at Alpharetta High School on Feb 28, 2011. Although this was Amana's first year participating in the competition, we earned medals and ribbons in 10 of the 22 events!

Science Olympiad is a competition where middle and high school students compete with other student across the country in 22 standards based science challenges. Our team of 15 students has been preparing since the fall during the Power Hour period and putting in many hours after school. Please join us in congratulating our team on a job well done.

• Crime Busters - 1st Shaheda Choudhury and Ayesha Iqbal
• Write It Do It 4th - Brandon Hills and Ayesha Iqbal
• Bottle Rocket - 7th Sarah Ghalayini and Ayesha Iqbal
• Dynamic Planet - 8th Shaheda Choudhury and Abdul-Haseeb Ahmed
• Experimental Design - 7th Abdullah Budeir, Brandon Hills, and Jahsi Conn
• Meteorology - 7th - Sarah Ghalayini and Yamini Pulusu
• Optics - 6th - Tanya Panwala
• Ornithology 0inh - Brandon Hills and Abdullah Budeir
• Storm the Castle 10th - Abdul-Haseeb Ahmed
• Solar System 10th- Abdul-Haseeb Ahmed

Amana students are participating in the St. Jude Hospital Math-a-Thon again this year.   Last year we raised over $4000 for to benefit the children at St. Jude Hospital!  Please visit the web site for more information at St. Jude at www.stjude.org and www.mathathon.org to learn about the amazing research being done to diagnose, prevent and cure pediatric cancer.  This week, your student/s brought home a program envelope with instructions.  On the front of the envelope is a permission slip asking if they can participate in the fundraising activities.  On the back of the envelope are the prizes they can claim depending on how much money they raise.   

We do not recommend door to door solicitation; rather we suggest students ask relatives and family friends for donations.  Regardless of whether they participate in the fundraiser or not, all students will have the opportunity to complete the Math-a-Thon book.  It is an excellent review for the upcoming CRCT.  The Math-a-Thon book will be collected by the homeroom teacher on Friday, March 8, 2011.  Donation envelopes will be collected on Friday, March 15, 2011.  We thank you in advance for your support of this noble cause!

Remember, the Amana Family Directory is available online.  Please visit the Amana website and click on the "Parents" tab and then the "Amana Family Directory" subtab.  The  login ID is: amanaparents and the password is: fultoncounty.  Students are listed alphabetically by last name according to their individual classrooms.  The information provided is limited and private.  Please note parents may opt in or out of the online directory at any time by contacting Sherryl Hale, Amana's Data Clerk, at [email protected].

Be sure to visit the Amana Academy website on a regular basis for the latest information.

Amana community members, please be sure to attend Community Circle this Friday, March 4th, to show your support for our newest Volunteer of the Month.  We thank all of our volunteers for donating their time to the school and for the appreciation shown to the volunteers that go above and beyond every month.

Do you still need to order your child a 2010-2011 Amana Academy yearbook, but you keep forgetting your checkbook?  Now you can order it online with your Visa or MasterCard.  The price is $30 per copy.  Please click here to the secure online ordering page at Entourage Yearbooks, Amana's yearbook vendor.  You must order by March 15th to ensure your child will receive their copy before the last day of school.  All yearbooks will be shipped to the school and then distributed in May.

The Amana Academy chapter of the National Junior Honor Society is sponsoring a FUN-RAISER

at Monkey Joe's in Roswell in order to raise funds for their end of year service project.

Students, family members and friends ages 2-12 are invited to play at Monkey Joe's on Friday, March 18th anytime between 1:30-6:00 pm.  Socks are required. 

Monkey Joe's will donate 20% of the proceeds back to our NJHS!Monkey Joe's is  located at: 700 Holcomb Bridge Rd., Suite 200, 30075.  We hope to see you there and THANK YOU in advance for your support!

We are very fortunate to have the Verizon Fun Walk coming to our school on March 26th at 11am as a result of our parents who are Verizon employees. This is an excellent health-promoting fundraising opportunity for our school, as Verizon will match up to $10,000 in donations. 

We will send out more information regarding the Fun Walk in the coming weeks.  In the meantime ask your friends and family to make a pledge and participate!  All of the money that is collected for this event will support our future STEM Education initiatives.  

Your support in this endeavor in getting as many people signed up as possible will be greatly appreciated!

It costs you nothing except participation!  Listed on Amana's Indirect Fundraising page are the various ways you can help.  Schools the size of Amana often generate thousands of dollars a year by fully participating in indirect fundraising programs. REMEMBER - start participating NOW!  The potential for Amana is fantastic. T hese programs operate all year round and anyone can participate.  So pass the word on to friends, neighbors and relatives! If you have any questions, please contact our school Fundraising Chair, Mary Bass.

We understand that reference books are used for different purposes.  Shown in the photo on the left are first graders Maise and Njeri exploring the World Almanac for Kids.  They shared some interesting facts they learned such as: 'Blood circulates throughout the body' and 'Flamingos are found in many parts of the world, and they aren't born pink, they are born gray'.

Fifth graders meet a similar target at a higher level: 'We can explain the purpose and organization of these reference resources: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Atlas, Almanac.'  Shown in the photo on the right are Sania Mulla and Husnain Raza exploring world atlases.  Skills for using reference books meet AASL standards as well as support students as lifelong learners.  Such skills are often referred to on the state Criterion Reference Competency Test as well.

Amana Student Cast in Local Theatrical Revue

We are pleased to inform you that former Amana Academy Student Trevor Standish has been cast in RISPA THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS upcoming performance of "Dear Edwina!"   With music by Zina Goldrich and book and lyrics by Marcy Heisler, Dear Edwina! is a musical comedy for all ages!  Thirteen year old Edwina Spoonapple is an "advice-giver extraordinaire."   She and her friends share wisdom on everything from trying new foods to making new friends through clever, catchy and poignant songs.  Together they set out to tackle the world's problems, in number after hysterical number about everything from birthday party etiquette to the proper way to set a table.  This funny and charming musical is perfect for the entire family!!  Performances are held at the Milton Center Theatre and start Friday, March 18^th and run through Sunda y, March 27^th.  For more information and to purchase tickets, please click here http://www.rispa.net/.   Please let them know you heard about the show from Trevor Standish.