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This Week at Amana / March 5, 2012
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Dear Amana Family Members,
Eighteen percent - that's how much of our annual budget we spend on our facility costs that neighborhood public schools don't have to worry about, because they receive a separate capital budget (since the District owns their buildings). As I presented in last Thursday's State of the School address, we have made tremendous academic and operational progress in the past two years, but we have to do everything we can to help close this funding gap. That's why we pursue grants and ask you and your friends to contribute to our Annual Fund through events such as the Verizon Fun Walk on March 24th - please sign up if you have not already done so. There are other ways we can maximize our revenue, for example by influencing the Fulton County Charter Schools policy that is currently being updated by the Board of Education - read on.
In the coming weeks we have before us a rare opportunity to provide input on the Fulton County policy for charter schools (named IEB). Even though Fulton County has one of the friendliest charter policies in the State, there are aspects of the policy that we as a school must weigh in on. I am getting input from Amana Board members, PIE representatives, and staff members about what we need to advocate for in the new policy, but we need 5-7 Amana parents from across north and south Fulton to help us get the message to Fulton Board members. Examples include the calculation method for determining the number of buses allocated to charter schools, or how charter schools can be included in future SPLOSTfunding, or how renewals are handled. If you are interested in learning more about this process and serving as an ambassador of our school at Fulton meetings, then please email me!
Ehab Jaleel
Executive Director
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Verizon Matches Your Donations* on March 24th Walk
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 *Verizon matches up to $10,000 in support of TECH 2012 Fund.
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Key Dates
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3/7 - GA Writing Assessment
3/8 - Cafe Conversation
3/9 - NO SCHOOL (Conferences)
3/10 - Big Creek Clean Up
3/15 - PIE Family Fun Event
3/17 - Board Meeting
3/17 - Hands On Amana - tenative
3/24 - Verizon Fun Walk
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Connect
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Board Announces Results of Election
The Amana Academy Governing Board would like to announce our 2 newest board members elected by Amana Academy parents:
Mr. Craig Dean
Mr. Abdul Rahman Ghalayini
The Board would like to thank all of the other highly qualified and dedicated nominees who were willing to give so much time and effort in order to help Amana Academy - they are truly special parents.
Ms. Sarah Baker
Ms. Nathalie Chaudhry
Mr. Aziz Dhrif
Ms. Carrie Doulfikhar
Mr. Mulham Shbeib
Mr. Suheb Siddiqui
The Board would also like to thank the Amana Academy community for all the great nominations and a special thanks for all the parent participation in the elections (125 voted)! Please come out and see the new board members at the next Amana Academy Governing Board Meeting on Saturday, March 17 at 9am.
Finally, the Board would like to thank outgoing board members Carrie Doulfikhar and Majd Moayd for their hard work and service for Amana Academy these last 2 years on the Board. We look forward to their continued service to Amana Academy.
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STEM Tour; Rockdale County Representatives Visit Amana
 | | Samantha Carlisle (upper left), Instructional Technology and Data Specialist, and Sherley Chesser (upper right), Principal at Honey Creek Elementary School in Rockdale County discuss STEM education on February 24th with Mrs. Jelena Naim, Amana's Director of Curriculum & Instruction, and teachers Maria Annunziata and Katie Morris. Honey Creek is preparing to be a STEM elementary school and was interested in learning about Amana's Expeditionary Learning approach. |
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Tech Talk
by Rochelle Wilson I had the privilege of speaking with parents last Thursday during February's Cafe Conversation and was thrilled to see how many parents are engaged, energized, and eager to help their students succeed in the 21st century. I was also struck by how hungry parents are for more information. Parents want to know what we're doing with technology integration here at Amana, they want to learn how to help their kids with technology at home, and they want ideas for keeping their kids safe online. I'm happy to provide these resources to you and will now be doing so in the form of a "Tech Talk" column in each newsletter. If you'd like more information, or to suggest a topic you'd like me to address, please contact me. Also, don't forget to check out my class website to see everything we've been doing in tech class since the beginning of the year.
This Week's Topics
 Facebook: Officially, Facebook doesn't allow children under the age of 13 to have a profile. Unofficially, that's not exactly stopping anyone--including your child--from lying about his or her age and setting up a profile anyway. And if your child has an account, chances are good that his or her privacy settings aren't as strict as they should be.
- Want to know more? CLICK HERE to read an excellent article by Georgia teacher and award-winning edu-blogger Vicki Davis. Her article is long but well worth the read and includes many infographics that visually explain the concepts behind certain privacy settings. I suggest reading this article with your child. He or she may even decide to wait a few years for that Facebook account (which, in my opinion, is a very good idea!)
Digital Citizenship: All my students went through a Digital Citizenship module with me at the beginning of the year but a refresher course is always a good idea--even more so for younger students who are beginning to explore the internet on their own.  - Want to know more? CLICK HERE for a website that includes Digital Citizenship information for parents as well as kids from grades K-12. This is a website to go through with your child. Help him or her learn about protecting his or her privacy, avoiding cyberbullying, and keeping his or her equipment safe and virus-free.
Technology Integration: We're doing a lot of it in our classes--even at the younger grades. And whatever I do with the students or create for another class is always put onto my website. - Want to know more? CLICK HERE for my website. Click on your child's grade level on the left to see what he or she has been learning. Parents of students in grades K-3 will need to look under the"Special Requests from Teachers"link.
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Dr. May Inspires Middle School Students
 On February 22nd, Amana Academy's middle school was honored to have hosted
Dr. Gary S. May, Dean of the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech. Dr. May and a small group of his students and representatives from the Society of Women Engineers and Summer Camps program spoke to our middle school students about careers in the field of engineering. Students came away from the presentation impressed with both Dr. May as well as with the field of engineering. "I didn't know that engineering was so interesting," said one student. "I thought it was just boring stuff you did with computers, but now I realize that there's more to it than that. If you're interested in something, there's probably an engineering career for you."
Dr. May shared his personal story of achievement, love of comics and science, and even his family life.
He presented Amana students with two tickets to a Tech basketball game and gave out information about careers in Engineering and summer enrichment programs at Ga Tech. Amana is grateful to Dr. May and his staff; and we look forward to our continued relationship with Georgia Tech and to encouraging interested students to pursue careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
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Skatetime during PE Class
by Coach Maria and Coach Carson
 We are excited to announce that Skatetimewill be coming to Amana for an in-house PE unit of study beginning March 8, 2012. The skating unit is being implemented because of its emphasis as a "Lifetime Activity," a state standard for Physical Education. Students will learn basic skating skills such as starting, stopping, forward and backward skating, cornering, and a number of safety tips for being a smart skater. Skating also provides a variety of benefits including balance, coordination, motor skills, and a top-rated cardio-respiratory workout.
Skatetime will deliver skates directly to the school. Students will also wear wristguards, and helmets will be available. Unlike conventional skates, Skatetime's skates have specially-designed wheels which don't damage our floors or mats. Thus, students may NOT bring their own skates from home.
Bringing Skatetime School Programs to our facility is very valuable because your child will be able to experience a full curriculum of learning and improving their skills of skating. We consider this opportunity to be an in- house field study where we can avoid the cost of expensive transportation and your child will get to participate several class periods for the price of one afternoon at a skating rink.
What we need from you:- Please return your class Spring Field Study forms to your child's homeroom teachers as soon as possible so your student may participate in the Skatetime unit.
- During the dates of March 8-26, please be sure you child wears socks to school in order to skate.
- Please do not allow your child to bring his or her own skates to school. Skatetime will provide skates for students to use.
Following this unit, classes will be outside for the remainder of the year (weather permitting) andstudents should dress accordingly as well as bring their water bottles. We look forward to a great rest of the year! Please contact us with any questions. |
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ANNOUNCEMENTS / REMINDERS |
Crafty Kids Club
 Does your child enjoy making arts and crafts? Is his or her favorite store Michael's or JoAnn's? If so, then the Crafty Kids Club may be just the thing to occupy your child's busy hands.
Who: Students in grades 1-5
What: Arts and Crafts
When: Thursdays from 3:30pm-4:30pm
Where: Ms. Ragghianti's room
Cost: $15 per month
More Information: Please visit Ms. Ragghianti's website.
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Verizon Fun Walk
Once again, we have partnered with our parents who are Verizon employees to host a fundraising Fun Walk on Saturday March 24th at 11am in Wills Park. Verizon wants to promote health with as many people as possible. They've generously agreed to match every dollar walkers pledge up to $10,000 for a total of $20,000. It's like a Buy One, Get One Free deal! Proceeds from this fund raiser will go directly to support our TECH 2012 Annual Fund with new classroom technology.
Last we met the target of $10,000 and were able to purchase new computers for our computer lab plus additional projectors and other technology. We can do it again! Please invite everyone you know to participate.
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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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