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The Amana Journal / November 10, 2012
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Dear Amana Family Members,
"I made a connection!" You'll hear students blurt out these words in the classroom or on a field study when they make a connection in their mind between a previous experience or activity and what they are doing or learning about in the present. Three articles in this issue of the Amana Journal particular helped me make a connection.
Earlier this week, I sat in on a TEDx club practice session, and I heard a half-dozen students that span various grade levels stand up and speak on topics they were passionate about. Topics ranged from the need for legislation that could help protect football players from diseases caused by repeated head collisions to the productive role older siblings can have within nuclear families. Listening to these young citizen scholars and to the 2nd grade students organizing a bake sale for hurricane Sandy victims and reading the article below from Ms. Springer, I made the connection between Amana's vision statement and two of Expeditionary Learning's ten design principles, namely The Having of Wonderful Ideas and Empathy & Caring.
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.
Success is when our students internalize the values reflected in the EL design principles and then express them in an authentic and genuine manner that impels us to make the world a better place. Our students have wonderful ideas, and they care. Let's commit to listen to what they have to say.
Ehab Jaleel
Executive Director
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Key Dates | |
11/9 - Family Fun Bowling Event
11/10 - Hands On Amana Day
11/11 - Open House
11/13 - PIE General Meeting
11/14 - PIE Family Fun Event
11/14-16 - Turkey Trot Runs
11/15 - National Recycling Day
11/17 - TEDx Youth Day
11/17 - Governing Board Mtg
11/21-23 - Thanksgiving Holiday
11/29 - Cafe Conversations
12/10-14 - Showcase Week
Click Here for Complete Listing |
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Connect
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International Festival - HUGE Success!
Amana wishes to thank our Partners in Education (PIE) parent organization for an amazing festival! A special thanks goes to Ms. Julie Waugh for leading this year's crew with co-chair Carrie Doulfikhar, and to her committee leads: Khadeejah Farooq (middle school volunteers), Colleen Jaafar (international booths), Sara Ead (food vendors), Hala Bahloul & Majd Almoayd (carnival attractions), and Nathalie Chaudhry ( Silent Auction). Click here for more pictures on our website.
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Students "Drive the Conversation"
Thank you teachers for preparing students so well for the October Student-Led Conferences!
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 The Having of Wonderful Ideas
Natasha Springer (3rd Grade Teacher)
On Friday 11/2, Third Grade presented at Community Circle the EL Design Principle "The Having of Wonderful Ideas". Expeditionary learning can foster curiosity about the world by creating learning situations that provide something important to think about, time to experiment, and time to make sense of what is observed.
The students explored the magic of how an idea can inspire others and spark creativity. They brainstormed ways to convey this to our audience. They chose to work collaboratively on a poem and art work to illustrate the poem. CLICK HERE or on the image to check out our poem and power point about the "Having of Wonderful Ideas".
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First Graders Skype with Young Inventor
Maria Annunziata (1st Grade Teacher)
On Oct. 23rd 1st grade students stepped into Ms. Annunziata's classroom to have a Skype talk with inventor KK Greogry. Our 1st grade Expedition (Be the Change! ) focuses Case Study 2 on our Heroes in American History that were inventors such as Benjamin Franklin and George Washington Carver.
During Case Study 2, we are encouraging our young Engineers to be Inventors! We have shown them that they can change the world with their inventions. KK Gregroy was only 10 years old when she invented Wristies and now her invention/product keeps kids young and old warm during the winter time. The students loved seeing the production process and talking to the very animated KK Gregory.
 
Amana 1st grade parents are encouraged to go to KK Gregory's Website to see her final product: http://www.wristies.com/KK_Wristies_Inventor_s/152.htm . She has already said that if you are from Amana- Please let her know in the comments and she will write a label to our students.
Thank you KK Gregory for taking time to inspire our students and warming our hands.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS / REMINDERS |
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Our Annual Fund Officially Kicks Off with a Goal of $50,000
Ms. Crystal Canaday, a second grade parent has again accepted the challenge of Fundraising Chair for Amana Academy's Annual Fund. CLICK HERE to read her Annual Fund Kick-Off Letter and pledge card. Last year's Annual Fund was a great success! We raised $35,269 which allowed us to purchase 10 LCD projectors, 12 Dell Vostro All-in-One desktop computers, and 22 Dell Laptops. We are still awaiting the matching donation of $10,000 from Verizon Wireless for the Walk in March.
 Our goal for the 2012 - 2013 Annual Fund is $50,000. Amana does not receive funding for facilities capital expenses from Fulton County Schools, which must be covered out of our normal operating budget. This creates a 17% funding gap, which we try to bridge by running a leaner organization, seeking grants, and staging the Annual Fund. This year, donations made to the Annual Fund will be used for: (a) providing teachers with valuable Talented And Gifted (TAG) instructional training that will benefit all children; (b) purchasing furniture for elementary classrooms such as cubbies and backpack hooks; and (c) placing additional instructional classroom technology.
CLICK HERE to make a donation today! No donation is too small. We appreciate whatever you can give!
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Family & Friends Turkey Trot (November 14-16)
Join us for Amana's Annual Family & Friends Turkey Trot. Complete 1 mile with PE classes Nov 14-16 and earn a point for your favorite class to earn a pie party. Ask your child's PE Teacher for details, or just show up on the day and time your child has PE. Make sure to sign-in at the front desk.
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Only 100 Tickets Available for TEDx YouthDay on November 17
 The TEDx Amana Academy will be held in the Amana cafeteria on November 17 from 1:00 - 3:00 PM. Only the 1st 100 people to get a ticket through Eventbrite will be allowed into the cafeteria. CLICK HERE to get your ticket.
"We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world." http://www.ted.com/ |
Join Our School's Green Movement
 What does it mean for Amana to fulfill on our mission of environmental stewardship, and what will it take for Amana to become a green ribbon school in the future? While we are proud our students benefit from Environmental Ed/Outward Bound class and that Amana has won awards in the past for our environmental ethic; we know there is much more we can do on our journey to becoming a "green and healthy school". To that end, Mr. Jaleel is in the process of forming a forum of teachers, parents, and students to review a "GreenPrint" for becoming a green and healthy school that the Green Schools National Network has created. If you would like to participate, please contact him at ejaleel@amanaacademy.org. |
Bake Sale to Help Victims of Hurricane Sandy - Nov 29-30
Lori Casal-2nd Grade Teacher Hurricanes are constant reminders of the wrath of Mother Nature. Usually we hear about them in Florida, the Carribean , and New Orleans; causing devastation in their path. The last hurricane that hit New York was hurricane Gloria in the 1980s; and even after 20 years I remember it like it was yesterday.Well, Hurricane Sandy has come and gone, but she has crippled one of the major cities in our country; my home; New York City. Subways are flooded, tunnels have 12 feet of water in them, Staten Island is all but leveled in many areas, and 44 people have died in the tri-state area alone. Now, as many people still struggle in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut without power, heat, gas, phones and places to live, a Nor-easter threatens with heavy winds, lots of rain and more cold. The Red Cross is in great need of funds to help assist these people and families .  I am blessed that my immediate family members are all safe and the worst was that many were/are without power. However, many people we know, and many we don't, have no heat, no home, and limited resources. As a native New Yorker, I feel the need to do something.Second Grade will be hosting a BAKE SALE November 29-30th in order to help raise funds for the Red Cross to assist with relief efforts in the Northeast. We will be reaching out to our Second Grade Community at Amana to donate items for our bake sale and help raise donations to send to the Red Cross for the hurricane victims. If you would like to donate something or volunteer to work at the bake sale; please contact Mrs. Lori Casal at lcasal@amanaacademy.org. Thank you for your kindness and generosity.
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Reserve Your Child's Space for Next School Year
From Mrs. Sherryl Hale Dear Parents,
As we prepare for Open Enrollment we must calculate how many CURRENT students and their siblings NEW to the school will be attending Amana Academy next year. This needs to be done PRIOR to the lottery (February, 2013), in order to calculate how many open seats we will have. In order to reserve your seat for next year please complete the Recommitment Form on our website, under admissions by January 31st, 2013.
Complete the Recommitment Form by clicking here by January 31st in order to reserve your seat! |
Mr. Jaleel attends NCUSAR Conference in Washington DC
 On October 25-26 our Executive Director Mr. Ehab Jaleel attended a conference hosted by the National Council on U.S. Arab Relations in Washington DC. Mr. Jaleel was invited by Mr. John Mulholland, a resident of Alpharetta and Board Chair of NCUSAR, and who recently visited Amana saying his tour was "beyond fantastic" after seeing students learning the Arabic language. Mr. Mulholland is a language aficionado, having learned Italian, Spanish, and Arabic while living overseas.
Hundreds of people - diplomats, analysts, officials, business people, military officers, scholars, students, researchers, journalists and others - gathered to discuss, debate, review, assess and share perspectives and insights on the challenges confronting Americans and Arabs in the Middle East North Africa region. The event provided Mr. Jaleel with networking opportunities with private and public sector organizations, including the Qatar Foundation, which supports cross-cultural understanding and Arabic language programs in public schools. Amana hopes to partner with the NCUSAR to stage an overseas summer travel experience for our middle school students and alumni.
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Want to Help Produce this Newsletter?
Are you good with editing articles and playing with publishing tools? Do you have experience with photo editors, or with ConstantContact? If you answered yes to any of these questions, and you are able to devote a few hours a month [from the comfort of your home], then please consider joining the small, but dedicated, publishing team that produces this e-newsletter. Send a message to Mr. Jaleel at ejaleel@amanaacademy.org with the subject line "Sign me up for Amana Journal!" |
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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