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This Week at Amana / February 13, 2012
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Dear Amana Family Members,
This past weekend we held an outstanding Open House event with over 70 families attending. Our guests viewed a short presentation then met with our outstanding teacher representatives, and even got to ask questions of a panel of current students, alumni, and parents.
I thank the following staff members for taking time out of their weekend to support this important event: Maria Annunziata, Lori Casal, Sophy Shabana, Stephanie Kumpf, Hiba Bawji, Hana Arslan, Karen Helz, Rochelle Wilson, Dr. Christina Arpante, Mary LoCurto, and Jelena Naim.
Many thanks also to parents and PIE representatives for their support, including Angelika Otte, Pam Holloway, Russ Thomas, Colleen Jaafar, Ibrahim Hajjaj, Shaheen Bharde, Khadeejah Farooq, Kim Koopman, Craig Dean, Dana Altarkawi, and others who I may have missed.
Students who attended or served on the panel included: Mary Holloway, Huda Tauha, Hana Altarkawi, Ayla McGinnis, Farouk Elkhayat, Lindsey Thomas, Milton Shelton, Mohammad Hajjaj, and Amaris Anderson. And the following alumni also served on the panel or helped with the event: Jacob Altarkawi, Abdullah Hajjaj, Josi Conn, and Kamela Jafaar.
All these young people were such great representatives of Amana Academy. As 7th grade parent Russ Thomas commented to our guests, "One thing you will notice is that the school prepares students with strong communication skills. None of these students is afraid of a microphone."
Our next big event will be when our middle school hosts Dr. Gary May, Dean of Georgia Tech's School of Engineering on February 22nd at 1:00 PM in honor of Black History Month. All parents regardless of their child's grade are welcome to attend. You can learn more about Dean May's visit and other Black History Month happenings around town by clicking HERE.
Ehab Jaleel
Executive Director
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TECH 2012 Fund
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Key Dates
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2/14 - St. Jude Mathathon
2/15 - Basketball Game
2/16 - Basketball Game
2/17--2/20 - NO SCHOOL
2/22 - Amana hosts Dr. Gary May
2/22 - Basketball Game
2/23 - Cafe Conversation
2/25 - Family Fun Event
2/25 - Amana Board Meeting
2/29 - Basketball Game
Detailed Calendar
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Connect
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Congratulations to Our January Students of the Month
The goal with Amana's Student of the Month program is to appreciate and acknowledge student leaders whose efforts and attitudes reflect the strengths conveyed in the Expeditionary Learning Design Principles. Each month, we recognize students from our elementary and middle school who exhibit the following characteristics:
- Are Open to Self-Discovery
- Always Have Wonderful Ideas
- Take Responsibility for His/Her Own Learning
- Show Empathy and Caring for Others
- Understand the Importance of Success and Failure
- Display Collaboration and Positive Competition
- Embrace Diversity and Inclusion
- Respect the Natural World
- Appreciate Solitude and Reflection
- Model Service and Compassion
We are eager for these successful students to act as role models for others and we offer our congratulations to the following Students of the Month:
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Elementary School
Zahara Ashfaq
Jaden Brown
Faith Flaveney
Tyana Green
Mary Holloway
Tara Kurian
Sheerin Mansoor
Yahya Merchant
Aidan Cody
Jonathan Seeke
Lorelei Waug
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Middle School
Muhammed Abdulbari
Sena Abdul-Khaleq
Assiya Muhammad
Tyana Green
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Amana Alumnae Advance to State Science Competition
Amana Alumnae Azka Iqbal ('10), Ayesha Iqbal ('11), and Ayesha Rokarya ('10) will advance to the state finals in the Technology Competition. Ayesha Rokarya competed in the digital p hotography category and Azka and Ayesha Iqbal competed in the multimedia applications category. We're proud of their success and wish them well in the state competition!
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Amana Teachers Trained by NASA
On Saturday, January 28th, five Amana teachers attended the NASA STEM Day training in Warner Robbins, GA. Svetlana Savova, Jasenka Besic, Kristen McNeil, Valerie Curry and Tasha Roth represented Amana and were able to participate in hands -on experiences which allowed them to practice different strategies to bring back to their classroom. Some of the workshops they attended included lessons on space, mathematical measurement, and aeronautics. "We learned lots of creative and wonderful things about how to incorporate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) into our daily teaching," says second grade teacher Kristen McNeil.
Fourth grade teacher Valerie Curry, who was interviewed in an article for Macon's The Sun News, agrees. "This is world-class adult education," she says. "It's just what we need: hands-on training that is right in line with state standards. Whoever put this together did their homework. Even in the handouts, we're getting short, easy-to-follow instructions for things we'll be able to take right to our classrooms." The attendees report that the training was an invaluable experience. They have already begun incorporating their new-found knowledge into their lessons and will conduct a short workshop with Amana staff on Friday, February 10.
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Fourth Grade Science Mission: Tybee Island
The annual Science Mission to the Burton 4-H Center on Tybee Island has become a tradition for fourth graders at Amana Academy. This year, students were treated to three days of perfect weather which only made the experience more enjoyable. Whether it was exploring the Maritime Forest, studying crabs and beach ecology, or monitoring water turbidity, students had a change to conduct real-world experiments in one of Georgia's most beautiful locations.
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First Grade Wildlife Explorers
As part of their "Wildlife Explorers" expedition, Amana Academy first graders went on a field study to the Georgia Aquarium this week.
"We're learning about plants and animals from all over the world," says first grade teacher Katie Morris. "We're starting with the ocean so we went to the aquarium to see the ocean plants and animals."
Since the Aquarium doesn't allow students to bring in writing utensils, students focused on observing and experiencing the wildlife during their visit. For many students, the highlight of the day was the touch tank. "The kids were really excited, especially with the touch tank. We actually got to touch a shark!" says Ms. Morris.
When they returned from the field study, students shared their experiences and wrote down reflections about their animals. For some insight into their favorite animals, take a look at their drawings--and look for more during the spring Showcase event.  |
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ANNOUNCEMENTS / REMINDERS |
New Faces at Amana
 Jasenka Besic joins our Kindergarten Crew as a Teacher with a BA from Oglethorpe University, and an MEd in Early Childhood Education from UGA. Jesenka came with strong teacher references and public speaking/communications skills, and a commitment to and many awards in community service. She is the type of person who takes initiative easily, and has an international perspective, as she speaks 3 languages. She is very committed to the students, having worked hard over the Winter Break to prepare for this position.
Giselle Price has joined our Intervention Crew as a Support Teacher. She has over 10 years experience as an educator in the Fulton, Gwinnett, and DeKalb systems, and most recently in Atlanta Public Schools as a Special Needs Teacher at Kindezi Charter School. She also has international experience having taught four years in Saudi Arabia at a British-Dutch School. In addition to teaching, Giselle worked in marketing at Knock-Out Communications. She has degrees from Texas Women's University and UT Austin.
Niki Fox joined Amana in December as part-time Administrative Assistant. She has a combination of administrative and
leadership skills in the non-profit sector with 10 years professional
experience. She most recently worked at the Atlanta Girls School
supporting that school's fund development department and before that
at Fernbank Museum of Natural History where she was Director of Member and Volunteer Services. Niki is a graduate of Berry College with an advanced degree from the University of North Carolina. She lives in Roswell with her husband and two children, and she also manages a
food blog!
Mona Hussain is serving as the long term substitute for 5th grade teacher Julie Reid during her maternity leave. Ms. Hussain has degrees from Pakistan and London, and has been teaching students from 4th grade on up for many years. Mona has been a long-term substitute in another capacity at Amana and is very familiar with Amana's Expeditionary Learning format and school routines. |
Future Aviators Club
Join Mr. Lakee m to learn the ins and outs of flying. You'll visit airports, talk to pilots, and even get to ride in some small aircraft. Contact Mr. Lakeem Winborne for more details. |
Let's Win a Pre-Screening of The Lorax!
From Whole Story, Whole Foods' Blog:
Do you know a kid who speaks for the trees? Tell us your eco-hero's story in our Kids for Our Planet contest. You just might win a screening of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax in your hometown theatre for 200 friends and family on March 1st, the night before the movie opens to the public. 
In hopes of spreading the eco-message of the film, we've partnered with Universal Pictures on our Kids for Our Planet contest as well as on pre-screening events and ticket giveaways in some of our stores.
Whether it's saving Truffula Trees and Brown Bar-ba-loots or protecting the planet locally, the Kids for Our Planet essay contest celebrates kids who are doing more than their fair share to protect the planet. Help us celebrate their commitment to the environment by nominating them in the Kids for Our Planet essay contest. Parents and teachers are invited to share how a kid or group of kids they know are using their energy and creativity to make our planet a better place.
We think that our kids could definitely win this contest! Agree? CLICK HERE for more details or to nominate a kid or group of kids--we sure will be! Thanks to parent Sarah Baker for posting this opportunity on Amana's Facebook page!
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Thank You!
If you ever have any questions or concerns, please contact your child's teacher  directly, or any one of our Administrative team members. If your question was not addressed, then feel free to contact our Governing Board. Amana's main number is (678) 624-0989 and you may also find email contact information for all of our 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 will continue to mold the very best and brightest global leaders within our community! |
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