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Dear Amana Families and Community Members,
Alas, CRCT testing is upon us. Our students received encouragement at last week's whole-school community circle, and more recently from an unlikely place. It turns out, our KG students wrote encouraging notes for our CRCT test-takers and delivered them to classrooms. The captions were statements such as "You will win!" and "You can do it, man!", all decorated with flowers and animals. How cute is that!
This past Wednesday, I had an opportunity to attend a meet-and-greet at Centennial High School to meet the Fulton Board of Education's finalist candidate for the System's new Superintendent Mr. Robert Avossa. In short, I was impressed with Mr. Avossa's experience and philosophy on education. He is very results oriented and has been credited with significant gains in the Charlotte, NC school system. At the same time, he seems to strike a balance between the need for measuring performance objectively and his desire for kids to love learning (his own children attended Montessori schools).
Responding to an audience member's concerns about the high priority being placed on standardized testing (such as the CRCT), his response seemed consistent with our thinking at Amana. Standardized tests are a reality and do play a role in our society, but high-stakes tests are not a substitute for the importance of fostering critical thinking skills in students, which have far greater relevance to future success. Our Expeditionary Learning approach inspires the motivation to learn, engages teachers, and students in new levels of focus and effort. With the added benefits this year of Interim Collaborative Common Assessments (ICCA Tests), after-school CRCT prep, MAP Testing, and one-on-one help we feel we are addressing critical thinking skills and test preparedness.
Let's all wish our students great success on their tests next week! Read below for tips to help your children do their best.
Sincerely,
Ehab Jaleel,
Executive Director
ejaleel@amanaacademy.org
"We Are Crew, Not Passengers..." |
| ADMINISTRATIVE ANNOUNCEMENTS | |
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Upcoming Events |
- April 25 - State CRCT Testing (Reading)
- April 26 - State CRCT Testing (English/Language Arts)
- April 27 - State CRCT Testing (Make-Up Day), School Tour @ 1:30 pm (Media Center)
- April 28 - State CRCT Testing (Math)
- April 29 - State CRCT Testing (Science)
- April 30 - Amana Governing Board Meeting @ 9:00AM & State National History Day Competition (Macon)
- May 2 - State CRCT Testing (Social Studies)
Check out all upcoming events on our website calendar. |
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CRCT Tesing Begins April 25th - Helpful Tips... | |
 Throughout the year, Amana students participate in standardized testing as part of the statewide testing program. Spring, however, is an especially important testing season due to the CRCT for elementary and middle school students.
Beginning Monday, April 25, students in third through eighth grade will take the Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests. The purpose of the CRCT is to provide information on academic achievement at the student, class, school, system and state levels. This information is used to diagnose individual student strengths and weaknesses and to gauge the quality of education throughout Fulton County and the state.
The Georgia Department of Education requires that third-, fifth- and eighth-grade students pass certain sections of the CRCT to move on to the next grade. Third-graders must perform at or above grade level in reading, while fifth- and eighth- graders must pass both reading and math sections. Students scoring below grade level will not be promoted unless they pass a make-up test.
Parents can help their children do their best on tests by making sure they are in school every day, and especially on testing days. Tests reflect the overall achievement of a child and time spent in learning situations increases the likelihood of doing well.
Other helpful testing tips include:
- Give your child encouragement. Praise him/her for the things done well throughout the year. A child who is afraid of failing is more likely to make a mistake.
- Ensure that your child has a well-rounded diet. A healthy body leads to a healthy, active mind. Make sure your child has a good breakfast on testing days and every day.
- Keep the lines of communication open between home and school. Parents and teachers should work together to benefit the child.
- Make sure your child is well rested on school days. Tired children are less likely to pay attention in class or to handle the demands of classwork and tests.
- Try not to be overly anxious about test scores. Too much emphasis on test scores can be upsetting to children.
- Don't judge a child on the basis of a single test score. Test scores are not perfect measures of what a child can do. There are many other things that might influence a test score. For example, a child can be affected by the way he/she feels that day, physically and/or mentally.
- Follow normal routines. Interruptions of normal routines may affect your child's performance.
- Don't forget eyeglasses or hearing aids. If your child wears an assistive device, such as glasses or hearing aids, be sure he/she remembers to bring it and wear it during all testing sessions.
- Plan ahead for medical appointments. Avoid scheduling doctor's or dentist's appointments during testing times.
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Teacher Appreciation Week Starts May 2nd! | |
 Every year the PIE Teacher Appreciation Committee celebrates our teachers with a Teacher Appreciation Week and this year is no exception! We have organized a series of events and special tributes throughout the week (note will be sent home soon) to help show our appreciation to Amana faculty/staff for the effort they put in each day to teach and our children.
Please be on the lookout for the information that is being sent home with your child that explains how the event is being organized (shhhh!). We need your help to make this week long event special and to ensure our teachers know how much we appreciate all they do for our kids! For more information, please contact the PIE Teacher Appreciation Committee Chair, Lubna Merchant. Thank you in advance for your support! |
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Your Opinion Matters - Take the PIE End of Year Survey | |
As the school year starts to wind down, it is a good time to reflect upon the many activities and events of the past year and think about what may lie ahead.
To help us serve you better next year, we ask that you please take a few minutes to complete the online PIE End of Year Survey. We would appreciate your feedback on or before May 6th. Thank you!
President, Partners in Education
Amana Academy |
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Amana Students Named Winners at the FLES Competition |
 It really gets better every year! Early this past Saturday, twenty-five of our students (names posted on the Arabic department pages) participated in the statewide Foreign Language Elementary School contest and for the third year in a row, our students won the highest honor (level 1)!
According to Mrs. Hana Arslan, there is something very special about our Amana students, and that is the light that they leave everywhere they go. Amana students are like "twinkling stars" because they are always taking on challenges, trying hard, standing with pride and representing a community that they feel strongly connected to.
"They are really good!", "Their pronunciation is excellent!", "They seem so motivated!", "Wow, how long have they been learning Arabic?", "I am so impressed!", "Amana is fortunate to teach Arabic at an early age!", "Amana always has the highest number of participants!", all these and much more were comments made by officials at the FLES competition to highlight the "uniqueness" of our Arabic program.
We are proud to be one of the few public schools in the entire state to offer foreign language at the elementary level. Educators across the country are becoming more aware of the value of early foreign language development to a student's cognitive learning and competitions like FLES further prepare our students for success by boosting their active engagement, character and achievement.
Thank you to all the parents/guardians that came out in support of this event and to all of of our community for choosing to unlock a world of opportunities for our children!
Amana's Arabic Crew |
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Last Call for Lost and Found - Claim Your Items before April 27 | |
Even if you don't think that you are missing anything, please be sure to check the Lost and Found (located at the entrance to the cafeteria) for any items that may belong to your student before Wednesday of next week. You might be surprised at what you find! Anything remaining in the Lost and Found after April 27th will be donated to charity.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Ruxsana Shibley. |
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Over 70 people signed up for SMS School Message Test | |
Facebook, Twitter, and SMS messaging among others have become powerful tools for timely communication and transparency. Using these tools poses new challenges, yet our fledgling team of experts (Jean-Paul Elbekian, Michelle Engel, Sadaf Qureshi) has developed a plan to start piloting the use of these tools this month.
Here's how you can become a part of this communication revolution:
1. Sign-up for phone text message test program - Click here to download easy instructions from parent Ms. Sadaf Qureshi to get started.
2. Become part of our Editorial Team - We are looking for people with strong ethics, good writing skills, and who use facebook or twitter regularly. You will be monitoring and moderating community message posts on our upcoming facebook and twitter pages. Please contact Mr. Ehab Jaleel.
3. Join our core Social/Media Crew - If you have expertise in these emerging technologies, we invite you to join our team to help us strategically ramp up the use of these tools to improve parent communication and to broaden awareness of the great things happening at Amana with the outside community. Again, contact Mr. Ehab Jaleel if interested. |
| EVENTS/OPPORTUNITIES | |
Be sure to visit the Amana Academy website on a regular basis for the latest information. |
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Sky Car Wash - Only Three Days Left! | |
 Get a $45 carwash for $20 and Amana gets 50%!
Wash the pollen and rain water off your car while doing good for Amana. Sky Express Car Wash located just down the street from Amana at 11865 Alpharetta Hwy is offering Amana families and friends a $45 carwash for just $20! Even better - 50% of the proceeds go to our school!
Here's all you have to do:
1. Click here to see coupon 2. Print coupon or email confirmation
3. Purchase by 4/24
4. You may use your car wash coupons up until 6/24!
Don't forget to spread the word to friends and neighbors! |
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Help 1st Grade Students to Help Pets! | |
 Students: bring in pet supplies and dollars to buy an animal needs bookmark from a first grader next week (Monday, April 25 - Friday) to support 1st Grade's Community Service Project for Mostly Mutts Animal Rescue.
Look for pet supply collection boxes around the school (one near the front desk). Click here for more details! |
| LEARNING SNAPSHOTS | |
Be sure to visit the classroom website and check your child's communication folder on a regular basis for the latest information on your child is learning... |
| Amana Shined at the Earth Day Kids' Fest | |
Amana Students Showcase Science at the Chattahoochee Nature Center's Earth Day Kids' Fest last Saturday, April 16th. The following students dedicated their Saturday to showcasing Amana, hosting kid friendly activities such as the "plant-a-tree" bean bag toss and low-tech phones (conducting sound) and with an impressive conservation video: Shaheda Choudhury, Ibraheem Budeir, Muhammad Hajaj, Ayesha Ansari, Jenna Raad, Sarah Dhrif, Maya Diab, Alyssa Milton, Sandra Alhabbal, Dana Diab, Shakiba Shirazi, and Abdullah Budeir all worked long shifts at the Amana booth. Thank you crew! Also a special thank you to the following parents who supported the Amana booth: Mufeda Hajaj, Ehab Jaleel, Nada Diab, Sami Credi and Allison Milton.
Amana also had several students and teachers who helped the CNC set up for the festival: Jenna Raad, Abdullah Budeir, Brandon Hills, and Shakiba Shirazi. Also, special thanks to teachers Brooke Heimerl and Peter Epstein for waking up early to support our volunteering.
Lastly, Amana volunteers ran a fabulous Face Painting booth for the CNC. Thanks to Maryam Jaleel, Nick Otranto, and Hanna Altarkawi and Special thanks to the parents who supported this cre:; Danna Altarkawi, Lemiya Alexander, and Carlos Otranto. Amana students proudly showed off the Amana logo painting on their cheeks and Dru Milton's tiger face was especially impressive!
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Thank you!
Of course, if you ever have any questions or concerns, please contact your child's teacher directly, or any one of our administrative team members or Governing Board members. We're all interested in hearing from you at any time you need or want to speak with us. Amana's main number is (678) 624-0989 and you may also find email contact information for all of our faculty and staff by visiting the Amana Staff Directory.
On behalf of the Governing Board, the Amana faculty and staff, and the school administration, thank you for entrusting your child's education to us. With your continued support, we'll continue to mold the very best and brightest global leaders within our community. What an amazing journey! Thank you for making it possible and worthwhile.
Sincerely,
Ehab Jaleel
Executive Director, Amana Academy
Fulton County Public Charter School |
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