|
|
|
|
|
This Week at Amana / April 16, 2012
|
|
Dear Amana Family Members,
I hope you and your families had a wonderful spring break. Minutes after the start of our first CRCT last week, our school received an unexpected lone guest - Fulton County Schools Superintendent, Dr. Robert Avossa doing one of his impromptu school visits. When I got the page from our receptionist, I thought what a treat...what timing! He spent about 30 minutes touring our campus, asking questions, and giving advice. He asked me to share the things I was most proud of at our school, which as you know I love to speak about.
While we were in the midst of the most important testing period of the year, it was abvious our students were prepared and doing their best. He and I were able to pop into younger classes that were not taking the CTCT; and Dr. Avossa commented on the wonderful diversity of our students. He was familiar with our Expeditionary Learning approach, and marveled at the document panels that are taking shape outside classrooms, such as with the Ants Are Engineers expedition in Kindergarten. I shared with him the special initiatives that our talented teachers are pioneering , such as Environmental Education, STEM Education, and Arabic world language instruction. He was eager to learn how we implemented these, especially in a K-8 format, which he was familiar with having worked as an assistant principal in an Orlando K-8 school. He appreciated our efforts to distinguish the middle school student experience giving them the 'space' to feel more mature.
As the Fulton System transitions to a "charter system" providing greater autonomy to individual schools, Dr. Avossa asked us operational questions on topics such as teacher hiring and compensation, contracted services, and professional development. We also touched on the work that our Governing Board has done with updating our Vision 2014 Strategic Plan and how that document is guiding us to excellence.
Along the tour we met with parent volunteers, teachers, and administrators, and in every instance he expressed sincere gratitude for our efforts to educate students and the results we have achieved. It was a wonderful visit; and I invited Dr. Avossa to come back during expedition showcase nights.
Ehab Jaleel
Executive Director
|
|
|
Key Dates
| |
4/20 - Menchies Event
4/23 - Earth Week
4/24 - PIE Election
4/24 - Barnes and Noble Family Night
4/26 - Cafe Conversation
4/28 - Atl Arab Festival
4/28 - Board Retreat
|
|
Connect
| |
 
|
|
|
Verizon Family Fun Walk and Annual Fund Update
Our March 24th Verizon Fun Walk was a big success! We'd like to thank everyone who participated or volunteered at the event, especially the Verizon employees without whom this event would not have been possible. We'd also like to thank vitaminwater for donating refreshments for the Walk. If you missed the event, click here to see pictures of our Amana family in action.
We raised $11,342 before the walk, and Verizon's $10,000 match plus more recent donations and company matches have brought us to a total of $43,514 so far. That means we only have $6,500 to go to meet our $50,000 goal, though we'd love to see us surpass that number. Mrs. Crystal Canaday, our Annual Fund Chair, encourages each of us to make a donation to the Annual Fund. No amount is too small, and you can also get family and friends to help us by creating a campaign page on the main Annual Fund website. Remember, all donations go directly towards the purchase of new computers, projectors, and other classroom technology. Every child at Amana benefits. So if you have yet to make a donation, please CLICK HERE to donate today. Also, please support the businesses who are sponsoring our Annual Fund. They'll give back a portion of their proceeds to the Annual Fund if you mention Amana when you call or visit them. Contact Crystal Canaday with any questions. 
|
Arabic Teachers Present at SCOLT Conference
On March 17, Amana Arabic teachers Rania Atef and Eman Mamoon attended the SCOLT (Southern Council of Language Teachers) conference in Atlanta. The conference attendees were education professionals from all the Southern States of the United States and Ms. Rania and Ms. Eman were the only group representing Arabic Language.
Our two teachers presented a one-hour session which was attended by fifteen educators. Their session included a "morning meeting" activity, a gallery walk with noticings and wonderings, and work in Arabic centers. "Our attendees asked lots of questions and we answered them and clarified how we design our lesson plans, how we develop our activity centers, and how we grow our curriculum according to the level of students," says Ms. Eman. "We explained how we make everything come together through oral presentation, written assessment, and reading short stories. I could see their eyes opening up and it made sense to them too."
In addition to presenting at the conference, Ms. Rania and Ms. Eman were able to attend sessions as well. These sessions focused on things such as teacher self-assessment, workshops for technology tools, and tips for using the target language in the classroom. "The most important find for me personally was a group of 'tech people' who I can send questions to regarding teaching tools for Arabic or if I have a technical question with the Arabization of any of the language teacher websites," says Ms. Rania.
Ms. Eman was proud to be able to share her knowledge and experience with other foreign language educators. "It is always a great experience to be reassured that our work in the classrooms is so meaningful and so well put together from the point of view of other peers in the same field," she says. Ms. Rania noted how different this teaching conference was from the ones she attended when she worked in a different field. "All the teachers who were present were very passionate about this profession and I am glad that I decided to change my career to become a teacher," she says. Amana is proud to have had these two ladies represent us at the conference and look forward to the continued success of Amana's Arabic program.
|
Tech Talk: Make a plan for your child's internet safety
by Rochelle Wilson
Parents have to walk a fine line. Too much online freedom at home and your children can be exposed to too much, too quickly. Too little online freedom at home encourages your children to sneak around and take the first available opportunity to do everything you've forbidden. So what's a parent to do? First, if you're not familiar with current technology trends, CLICK HERE for a fantastic free resource called "A Parent's Guide to 21st-Century Learning" so you can be more informed. There's another great resource called Cyber Wise which can be found by CLICKING HERE. Second, make a plan! I've written a few recommendations that I hope will help you. These are general guidelines that should be tailored as needed to suit your family's lifestyle and values.
1) Show Interest
Show as much interest in your children's online activities as you do in their friendships, grades, emotional development, and extracurricular activities. This includes doing your research--take a little time each week to search current online trends that are popular with kids so you're informed.
2) Browse With Your Children
Take some time to browse the internet with your children. Ask your children to show you which websites their friends talk about. Ask them to show you the websites they like and ask why they like these websites. Ask your children to explain which websites they think are bad, and why. Don't punish them for their choices; just gather information at this point. You should also show your children some of your favorite websites and explain why you like them as well as tell your children which websites you don't visit and why. When children realize that you're open to new ideas and to learning more about their online world they'll be much more likely to share information with you. Having these types of conversations opens the way to #3.
3) Create Family Internet/Computer Guidelines
We have an "Acceptable Use Policy" at school; you should have one at home as well. Let your children help you create the policy so they have a sense of ownership. CLICK HERE to access Common Sense Media's free guide to digital literacy/citizenship if you need some guidance. Your Acceptable Use Policy should clearly outline behavior expectations as well as rewards and consequences.CLICK HERE for an example. Post your family's policy next to the family computer (see #4) as a visual reminder. Follow through with rewards and consequences swiftly and consistently. Your children will push the boundaries as far as they can but they'll respect you more if you don't give in to their pleas for "one more chance." Usually, one good, swift punishment for a first offense--even a minor one--is enough to keep children's inappropriate behavior from escalating. 4) Control Computer Access
In my opinion, the best way to encourage inappropriate online behavior is to give your children internet-enabled devices and then allow your children to use those devices whenever and wherever they want. My advice to parents is always to set up one designated "family computer" (or family computer center, if your children have laptops) in a central, always-monitored location such as the kitchen or family room. Computer screens should always be facing you and parental controls should be enabled on every device and locked with a password your children can't guess (see #5). Additionally, I highly recommend that you take up any electronics an hour before bedtime every evening and place them in your room for safekeeping until the next day. Children's eyes need a break, using electronics too close to bedtime disrupts the sleep/wake cycle, and students are more likely to misbehave online later in the evening when they think nobody's up to catch them. Remember that you'll also need to think about every internet-enabled device your children own. iPods, game systems, and cell phones all usually come internet-enabled. See #5 for more information about setting parental controls on the most common internet-enabled devices.
5) Enforce Computer Security Settings
Enabling parental controls/security settings will never take the place of you monitoring your children. However, they provide a sense of comfort for most parents as well as a decent back-up safety net. Woodward Academy, a local private school, has a very large technology department and they've set up a great list of resources for parents. I liked their list so much that I'm simply going to link to it rather than create my own for you. CLICK HERE to access their list. |
|
ANNOUNCEMENTS / REMINDERS |
PIE Officer Elections Announcement
All Amana Academy community members are invited to the annual election of officers for the Partners in Education (PIE) on Tuesday, April 24th, 2012. The meeting will be held in the Media Center/Library from 2:00-3:00pm.
The Nominating Committee has announced a fabulous slate of officer candidates for 2012-2013 PIE Board! The following members will be up for election at the upcoming PIE General Assembly Meeting on April 24th: - President: Natalie Chaudhary
- Vice President: Shantel Crooks, Jamiee Khan and Shaheen Bharde
- Secretary: Jamiee Khan and Shaheen Bharde
- Treasurer: Jessica El Aboudi or Jamiee Khan
The term of office is one year and nominations will also be taken from the floor. Descriptions of the responsibilities of each position are contained in the PIE bylaws archived on the PIE webpage. If you are interested in learning more about the PIE Officer positions, please speak to any of our Nominating Committee members (Crystal Canaday, Sarah Passoff, Julie Waugh, Angelika Otte, Mary Locurto, Sarah Turnbull, Colleen Jaafar, and Lemiya Alexander), or ask one of the current PIE Executive Board members about their position.
For additional details about the PIE officer nomination process, please contact Lemiya Alexander, Nominating Committee Chair, at lalexander777@gmail.com with any questions. We look forward to seeing you all on April 24th!
Sincerely,
Your Amana Academy PIE |
Board Approves Update to Vision 2014 Strategic Plan
During the March 29th Amana Governance Board meeting, the latest revision of our school's 5-year strategic plan - name Vision 2014 - was approved. CLICK HERE to download the one-page plan. The plan sets bold goals grounded in our Charter. The plan is the culmination of months of work on the part of our Board, Administration, parents, and teachers.  The 2014 Vision drives Amana's annual planning process and priority setting. The objective is nothing short of academic and operational excellence for our community. Read it and let us know what you think. |
Earth Week Celebration
Amana's Earth Week celebration will be April 23-27, culminating in a community picnic on Friday, April 27 from 11:00am-12:30pm. Details will follow soon, but make plans now to attend throughout the week-- especially at Friday's picnic! For more information, contact Brooke Heimerl.
|
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! |
|
|
|
|
|
