RECOGNITIONS

From left - Liz Lambert, Steve Sherman, Wanda Hopkins-McClure, Nada Diab, Calvin Stamps, Kristina Eisenhardt-Leidner, Dr. John Eaves, Honorable David Bell Isles, Craig Dean, Ehab Jaleel (with scissors), Laura Stowell, Brandon Beach, Ken Zeff, Maher Budeir, Michael Cross, Mulham Shabib

On November 14, 2013 Amana Academy was honored to host community leaders, partners, and friends for a historic ribbon cutting ceremony for our school's newly renovated middle school wing. This milestone served as a capstone to the long journey of purchasing our own facility, and it served as a fresh start for greater community involvement for our school.  

Purchase agreement signing, architectural reviews, renovation of new middle school wing, finished spaces.

First grade teacher Maria Annunziata, Kindergarten Teacher and official TEDxOrganizer has started a movement at Amana Academy.  On November 16, 2013 she challenged 1st-8th grade students to be "The Spark" at the second annual TEDxYouthDay event at Amana Academy.  Through weekly workshops TEDx club participants learned a lot about themselves and how they want to inspire others with their big ideas!  

TEDxAmanaAcademy is an independently organized Youth Day event and it occurs every year on Universal Children's Day.  Amana Academy is proud to announce that we are the only elementary/middle school TEDx event in GA ! The majority high school event took place on Saturday November 17th at TEDxBeltline.  Amana Academy is also the first Expeditionary Learning School to host a TEDxYouthDay event.  All of our TED talks are connected to the 10 EL Principles that guide how we explore the world.  It is Ms. Annunziata's hope that after watching our TEDsters you too will be inspired to laugh freely, love others, and learn something new.

Imann Bokarhi shared her love for art and how you can't spell heart without Art.  Second grader Tala Budeir is continuing her  positive campaign for the Syrian children and hopes you will join her to  send art  supplies over seas. Abdallah Ali learned that every single campaign starts small but can "grow" into something amazing! He wants to encourage Amana Academy Middle School students to be environmental role models! Duncan Link kicked off our event by sharing how boredom isn't so boring. His brother Simon Link made the entire school laugh with his jokes and he looks forward to doing his joke of the day! Mriam Seeke sang her  way to the TED stage by encouraging others to think twice about where their food comes from.  Her petition to help farmers get a fair wage will be posted along with her talk.  Last but certainly not lease Raeyan Shbeib is leading the way in foreign language education.  She is taking charge of her education by asking the Arabic department to sponsor an Arabic club! Her humble talk reminds all of us that TEDxAmanaAcademy is all about empowering student voices.

On behalf of all the TEDsters that worked hard to make this event possible, we ask you one simple questions: "How will you spark change?"

A sincere thank you goes out to our TEDxYouthDay Reporters: Ella Moody & Emaan Uddin

Technology Support: Leslie Link & Umamah Uddin

Parent Support: Corrina Edwards & Matthew Link

*You can follow us on facebook or on twitter M_Annunziata

"We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world." http://www.ted.com/

Student of the Month Citizen Scholars - Nov/Dec/Jan

Congratulations to the following students who were nominated by their teachers as Student of the Month Citizen Scholars.  These students were chosen because they demonstrated behavior consistent with the Expeditionary Learning Design Principles.

Expeditionary Learning Design Principles 

• The Primacy of Self Discovery (students undertake tasks that require perseverance, fitness, craftsmanship, imagination, self-discipline, and significant achievement)
• The Having Of Wonderful Ideas (curiosity about the world)
• The Responsibility for Learning (responsible for directing their own personal and collective learning.)
• Empathy and Caring (help foster a community of respect and mutual trust)
• Success and Failure (confidence and capacity to take risks and meet increasingly difficult challenges, learn from their failures, to persevere)
• Collaboration and Competition (compete not against each other, but with their own personal best and with rigorous standards of excellence)
• Diversity and Inclusion (Embraces, investigate and values their different histories and talents as well as those of other communities and cultures)
• The Natural World (stewards of the earth and of future generations)
• Solitude and Reflection (ability to explore their own thoughts, make their own connections, and create their own ideas, as well as exchange their reflections with other students and with adults.)
• Service and Compassion (As a crew, students show attitudes and skills to learn from and be of service.

Model UN Club Students Win!

Model UN Club Faculty Sponsor Ms. Angela Falkenburg and participants Eisha Baig, Asia Brooks, Dana Diab, Dara Fanord, Faith Flaveney, Hadiyah Khan, Marryam Khan, Haniyyah Mahmood, Hadeyah Mobley, Arneeb Panwala.

Amana Students Collect Food for Refugees 

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world", a quote for Nelson Mandela, to put in our hands as Educators and productive adults  the entrusted responsibility for teaching and for keeping the wheels turning until a positive change can be made.

 

There is nothing more rewarding than lifting someone up, and we all do this in a way or another... In the Arabic language class, 6th grade Amana students found the need to take ownership and lead a food drive that benefits newly arrived refugees in Atlanta.

 

Because December was a time for sharing and giving, and because at Amana we equip our students with the attitude and skills to service others and show compassion towards others, and because the "Empathy and Caring" Expeditionary Learning design principle is 

fostered from Kindergarten to 8th grade, and because we are crew not passengers... 6th graders made the call for all Amana Community and gathered food items that will no doubt warm someone's heart and put a smile on his face. 

 

Mr. Duncan, Donation Coordinator for the IRC, was overwhelmed by the generosity of our community stating, "This is by far the largest food donation we have received.  I hope that you - and everyone who contributed - know how much of an impact you are making in the lives of recently resettled refugees". 

 

Through the campaign, students learned that sharing responsibilities, exchanging  reflections, and mostly caring for others could be dormant thoughts that suddenly can blossom and spread to magically touch others positively.  All what students need are words of encouragement and trust.  And all what adults need to do is to watch them from behind, leading the way and making the changes.

LEARNING SNAPSHOTS

Science & Humanities Celebration of Learning Fall Showcase

As December neared its end, students at Amana Academy were celebrating. But they weren't just excited about the upcoming winter break. It was time to showcase the semester-long focused studies, or "learning expeditions," they had been immersed in since the beginning of the year, in an event called the Celebration of Learning Showcase.  In the new middle school wing, the seventh grade had just recently culminated a study on healthy living, which they called "Saving Generation 'i'." Students described how they used their analytical skills to diagnose a patient with a mystery illness. They showed brochures they had designed to promote chosen physical activities. Later, students served out various healthy dishes that each had prepared, such as lentil soup or herbed tomatoes.

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As an Expeditionary Learning school, Amana shares information about student achievement in a wide variety of ways, most of which feature students as the key communicators. In this way, students are engaged throughout the assessment process. Students have individual responsibilities during the assessment process. They understand what they have learned and why. They can speak to their own strengths, struggles, goals, and processes of learning.

   

Through real-life experiments and relevant studies, students learn mastery of the State and Common Core standards with authentic learning. Throughout this semester, each grade level focused on different standards in either the sciences or humanities. 

Examples include first grade's expedition centered on global geography and the relationship between geography and historical figures. Students focused on settlements of the US, the states and the geographic locations of historical and folk heroes. They learned how American heroes contributed to history and where they lived. Students studied the origins of folktale heroes, where they lived and how they represent our American heritage. The culmination of this expedition was a monologue written and performed by the students on the various heroes studied. 

  

In sixth grade, students researched environmental issues in four key Latin American cities and re-engineered the cities to alleviate the issues. Students integrated math and social studies while building background knowledge by graphing and writing. They incorporated language arts as they prepared to persuade investors to fund their projects. Using all of these disciplines helped students engineer inspiring solutions to world environmental issues. 

  

Another example of relevant learning is third grade's focus on the history of democracy. They traced the origin of democracy in ancient Greece and followed its evolution to modern -day America. During this time, expert visitors explained how our school administration mimics our government in many ways. Amana third graders journeyed to Alpharetta City Hall to meet with the Vice Mayor to experience firsthand the government of our immediate community. This learning culminated in the persuasive speeches students completed as a part of their study.

  

Students will showcase their spring semester learning expeditions in May. 

What is the CCRPI?

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Scenes from our Fall International Festival 

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Amana Academy wishes to thank all those who organized and volunteered for our amazing and authentic international festival last fall.  Note: Next year, the school plans to hold the festival in the spring.  

The developers of Amana's original charter had always envisioned a special place at the school reserved for parent use. That vision became reality on November 18, when Amana cut the ribbon on its new Parent Center. This accomplishment dovetails that of the newly completed Middle School wing. This innovative use of Amana's physical facility will encourage parent involvement at the school and open more channels for school-parent communication.

The Parent Center is located in Suite 109-A in the eastern wing of the school building, in between the main entrance and Satay House restaurant. It was refreshed and decorated by a team of parent volunteers led by Sara Ead, President of Partners in Education (PIE), Amana's parent organization. The large space includes a tastefully decorated seating area, a large conference table, and plenty of open space to hold large meetings or activities.

Where in the past, parents have had to borrow a cafeteria table or meet at a local restaurant to plan activities, they will now be able to shift their meetings to the Parent Center. Other plans include using the space for lectures, parent socials, and volunteer training. Regular drop-in hours will also be held to facilitate informal parent networking. "The bonds we cultivate here will directly contribute to the strength and sustainability of PIE," says Ead, "as well as have meaningful impact on our children and local community."

The Parent Center would not have been possible without the generous support of Target on North Point Parkway, Sherwin-Williams on State Bridge Road, and the more than a dozen contributors who gave either furniture or hours of their own time to make the Parent Center a beautiful and welcoming space.

As December neared its end, students at Amana Academy were celebrating. But they weren't just excited about the upcoming vacation. It was time to showcase the semester-long focused studies, or "learning expeditions," they had been immersed in since the beginning of the year, in an event called the Celebration of Learning. Over in the middle school wing, the seventh grade had just recently culminated a study on healthy living, which they called "Saving Generation 'i'." Students described how they used their analytical skills to diagnose a patient with a mystery illness. They showed brochures they had designed to promote chosen physical activities. Later, students served out various healthy dishes that each had prepared, such as lentil soup or herbed tomatoes.

Georgia state educational standards require specific subjects to be studied for each grade. The Expeditionary Learning philosophy adopted by Amana Academy satisfies these requirements with a twist. Building on the requirements, the school devises a learning expedition for each grade that, as much as is feasible, brings together elements from multiple academic subjects. For the seventh grade, the healthy living expedition extended their science unit on the human body, and was also the vehicle for the intensive reading and writing of non-fiction. By the end of the semester, students had assembled large displays, called document panels, outside their classrooms showing the various final products of the expedition, combining brochures, charts and graphs, and written analyses. For a semester at least, the expedition had given them the chance to be not just students, but doctors, or public health advocates. And that was cause for celebration.

During its December public meeting, the Fulton County Board of Education approved Amana Academy's Charter petition for a third charter term of 5 years.  The petition is currently being reviewed by the Georgia Department of Education's Charter School Division.  Final approval by the Georgia Board of Education is expected by May if everything moves smoothly.  We thank the Fulton Administration and Board of Education members for our partnership and continued support!

Behind the Scenes - Teacher Workday

During the January 6th teacher workday, teachers rotated through various professional training on topics such as online lesson planning, media tech resources, crafting assessments for learning, effective use of planning time, FERPA Communication, and Study Island.  In true Expeditionary Learning fashion, teachers who were experts in specific skills delivered the training to others on the staff.

February 19 Admissions Lottery Just Got Bigger

Our open enrollment period has been very successful this year.  Thank you Amana families for an outstanding re-commitment rate of over 95%!  Additionally, over 250 new applications were received in January setting us up for our biggest lottery ever in Amana Academy history. We will end up with deep waiting lists in multiple grades, as traditionally more families continue to apply in the spring months.  

According to the data we collect, most new families find out about the school online, and then through word-of-mouth.  They are attracted to the school for our community feel, high academics through Expeditionary Learning, and global perspective (Arabic language program and multicultural student body).   In the coming year, families can look forward to implementation of Expeditionary Learning with more fidelity, use of more TAG strategies, and STEM blended instruction.  Good luck to all our new applicants!

CONNECT WITH US 

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!