Eagle Weekly Updates
In This Issue
March Madness at Amana!
Meet & Greet New Middle Grades Director, Stay for Focus Group
Instructional Calendar Changes, CRCT Start Date Pushed Back
Student-Led Conferences
Rising Parent Meetings
TAG Open House
Jeans for Genes
First Garden Club Meeting This Friday
First Outdoor Adventure Club Meeting This Friday
Family FUNd DAY at Pizza Hut
Help Collect Art Supplies for Syrian Children
Support the Amana Bald Eagles!
Search the Amana Library from Home
Reminders
 
 
For Amana Text Alerts -text @amana to 404-941-8355
Annual Fund Progress
We have raised $30,709 to date.  THANK YOU!





Class rankings
KK - 51%
1st - 78%
2nd - 48%
3rd - 52%
4th - 47% 
5th - 49%
6th - 33%
7th - 28%
8th - 31%

Total Parent Participation - 48%
Events
February 21
Spirit Wear Day
In Observance of Georgia Arbor Day
--
Family Fun Event
Roller Skating at the Cooler
3:30PM - 5:30 PM
10800 Davis Drive
Alpharetta, GA  30004
--
Basketball Game at River Trail Middle School
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
--
Cub Scout Meeting
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Amana Media Center
**
February 22
Governing Board Meeting
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
--
Hands On Amana
Learning Garden Work Day
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
**
February 26
Basketball Game at Ridgeview Middle School
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
**
February 27
Meet & Greet the New Middle Grades Director
5:15 PM - 6:00 PM
Cafeteria
--
Strategic Planning Focus Group Meeting (6-8)
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Club Shop
--
Family Fun at Pizza Hut
All Day
281 South Main Street
Alpharetta, GA 30009
**
March 5
5th Grade Writing Assessment
--
Basketball Game at Haynes Bridge Middle School
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
**
March 6
Strategic Planning Focus Group Meeting (K-2)
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Club Shop
**
March 7
Cafe Conversations - Test Taking Strategies with Ms. E
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Amana Parent Center
--
Basketball Game at Sandy Springs Middle School
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
**
March 11
PIE General Body Meeting
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Amana Parent Center
**
March 13
Strategic Planning Focus Group Meeting (3-5)
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Club Shop
**
March 14
Instructional Day
Student Led Conferences
(This is no longer a Teacher Work Day)


Thank You to Our Business Partners


   







 
Stay Connected
 285 South Main Street
Alpharetta, GA  30009
678.624.0989
info@amanaacademy.org

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MARCH MADNESS AT AMANA!

Amana Academy students will be participating in "March Madness" over the course of the next few weeks in preparation for the upcoming Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT).  Amana Academy currently has access to two research-based mastery programs, Study Island and ScootPad. Additionally, each student in grades 1-8 has access to the Georgia Online Assessment System (OAS). Your child can access these programs anywhere there is internet availability. 


We're excited about the potential benefits this program can bring to our students and encourage your child to take advantage of this opportunity.  All grades will be participating in "March Madness" with the spirit of the Expeditionary Learning Design Principle, "Collaboration and Competition". Collaboration and competition seeks to integrate individual development and group development. Students are encouraged to compete, not against each other, but to their personal best with rigorous standards of excellence.

  

The winning class for each week will first and foremost will be rewarded with the satisfaction of a job well done and their class name prominently displayed in the cafeteria on the tournament bracket display. In addition, they will be rewarded with either free time (e.g. extra recess during crew) or an out an out of uniform day for each week that they emerge as the grade level band champions. Your child's teacher will be creating benchmark assessments for student mastery of standards and for CRCT preparation within the online programs your child has access to. If you have any questions about Study Island, ScootPad, or the OAS system, please contact your child's teacher or Mr. Harden, the Student Instructional Achievement Coach. Let the games begin! 

 

MIDDLE SCHOOL PARENTS - MEET & GREET MS. CAMPBELL , STAY FOR FOCUS GROUP
Our new Middle Grades Director, Ms. Campbell, will host a Meet and Greet in the Cafeteria tomorrow, Thursday, February 27 from 5:15 - 6:00.  All parents of middle grades students are invited and encouraged to attend.
 
Afterwards, stick around to be a part of a focus group meeting for our next five year strategic plan.  As we start a new charter term, our Board wants to update our strategic plan to reflect our goals for the next five years, and we need your input.  Over the next few weeks, we will be conducting a series of focus group meetings, and it's very important that we have strong attendance and participation from our parent community.  Tomorrow night is just for parents of students in grades 6-8.  We will meet in the club shop in the new Middle School wing from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM.  Refreshments will be provided and childcare is available.

Parents of students in Elementary School, mark your calendars for the following dates:

Thursday, March 6 at 6:00 PM - Focus Group Meeting for parents of students in grades K-2

Thursday, March 13 at 6:00 PM - Focus Group Meeting for parents of students in grades 3-5

After these initial focus group meetings, we will conduct a public strategic planning workshop on Thursday, March 27 at the Board Town Hall Meeting.  

All meetings will be held in the Club Shop, located in the new Middle School wing.
CALENDAR CHANGES: MARCH 14 AS INSTRUCTIONAL DAY; AND CRCT START DATE
This past Saturday, Amana Academy's Board decided to follow the Fulton County Board of Education's decision to convert March 14 to an instructional day for students  instead of a teacher workday due to recent inclement weather.  
 
CRCT testing will begin on April 22 giving teachers and students five additional preparation days.  
 
Spring Break and graduation dates remain unchanged and school ends May 23.
STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES MARCH 14 AND 21
Parents are encouraged to sign-up for student-led conferences with teachers on March 14th (1:30 - 6:30 PM).  March 21st is offered as a make-up day.   This Expeditionary Learning practice engages students and their families in conferences in which students communicate their progress toward both academic learning targets and habits of scholarship.  
RISING PARENT MEETINGS
 Rising parent meetings will be held in March and will provide an opportunity for you, the parent, to gain information on how to best prepare your child for success as he or she ends this school year while gaining an understanding of the curriculum and challenges for the upcoming school year. Invitations for this year's rising parent meetings will be sent home next week. 
TALENTED AND GIFTED OPEN HOUSE
There will be a TAG Open House on March 4 from 4:00 - 5:00 PM. This is an opportunity to hear more about the collaborative TAG program at Amana Academy and meet the TAG consultants. The Amana TAG cohort (Amana teachers who are in the process of being TAG certified) will also be represented. All parents of are encouraged to attend.
JEANS FOR GENES
World Rare Disease Day is an annual event held to raise awareness for rare diseases and improve access to treatments for individuals with rare and genetic diseases. Approximately half of all rare diseases do not have a foundation providing support or research for their disease. The seventh annual World Rare Disease Day will be on Friday, February 28, 2014. We've declared FRIDAY FEBRUARY 28 JEANS FOR GENES DAY as part of the Wear That You Care™ campaign. We will join with people all across the world people to show our support of the Global Genes movement and rare and genetic disease awareness by wearing a favorite pair of jeans to school on Friday, February 28th.    
AMANA GARDEN CLUB STARTS FRIDAY
The first meeting of the Amana Academy Garden Club will be this Friday, February 28 from 1:30 until 2:30.  If you are interested in having your student participate in this club, please fill out this form.  Please note, there will be a $15 participation fee for this club to cover supplies such as hand tools, gloves, potting soil, small pots for starting seeds, and other garden-related items. For more information about the Amana Academy Learning Garden, take a look at this Prezi.
OUTDOOR ADVENTURE CLUB STARTS FRIDAY 
The Outdoor Adventure club will be having a quick 20 minute meet for orientation and to brainstorm ideas for spring activities.  The meeting will be held in the Club-Shop (in the new middle school wing) immediately after Community Circle

 

FAMILY "FUN"D DAY AT PIZZA HUT 

This Thursday, February 27th, is Family FUNd DAY at Pizza Hut! That is right, we have a WHOLE DAY! Come for lunch or dinner and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Amana!  You can visit any Pizza Hut, all you need is the Fundraiser Voucher for this day.  You can pick one up in the lobby or download it here. You can also visit the Pizza Hut on Main Street across from the school and ask for one at the register.

 

For questions, contact Melissa Blalock at  mwblalock@gmail.com.


 STOCK UP ON BOX TOPS PRODUCTS
 Hello Amana Families.  Time to get to the store and stock up on your Box Tops Products.  We will begin our Spring Box Tops Collection contest on March 12th!  And this time, our contest will run a bit longer to give everyone lots of time to collect great amounts of box tops for your classes.  The end date of the contest will be April 30th.  Hopefully we will end the school year with a big announcement of our BIGGEST earnings from box tops ever!!!  Please contact Marcy Morantz with questions: 404-610-4682 or mdmorantz@comcast.net
HELP TALA BUDEIR COLLECT ART SUPPLIES FOR SYRIAN CHILDREN
Tala Budeir is a 2nd grade student at Amana Academy. She presented a TEDxYouthDay talk last fall at TEDxAmanaAcademy on Syria.  Her talk connected with the EL Design Principle of Empathy and Caring. Tala believes that art can help the Syrian children feel happy.  She has started an art supplies collection at Amana Academy.  Art supplies like crayons, sketchbooks, coloring pencils, markers etc.. can be donated from now until the end of the month into specified containers. Tala has gotten support from a number of people outside of Amana Academy as well. Her project is being supported by Maria Zulfiquar, an Amana Academy alum! For more information please see her TED talk: http://www.ted.com/tedx/events/8484
SUPPORT THE AMANA BALD EAGLES!

The bold and brave (2nd grade student) Finley Link is ready to put his team of kids together for his St. Baldrick's  campaign. Mr. Jaleel and Ms. Stanton have agreed to shave their heads (on March 9th) with the students who join Finley's team-The Amana Bald Eagles! 


If you or your student wants to join please go to our team page
http://www.stbaldricks.org/teams/mypage/90475/2014, then click on the "Join Us" button.  Once you register on the website, the organization sends you a pile of brochures to hand out.  

Most donations can be done directly through the website, but they also send you an envelope for cash and one for checks that you turn in at the event itself.  You also get your own personal fundraising page, and from there you can post to facebook or e-mail folks.  Donations can be made to the team or to an individual on the team.  

Any individual donations count towards the team goal. 
SEARCH THE AMANA LIBRARY FROM HOME

 

The Newly Updated Destiny Quest is available for use at home and as a mobile app!
 
You can now search the Amana Academy Library from home or your phone by logging into
 
 
or by downloading the free Follett Destiny mobile app in Google Play or iTunes.
 
Look for a QR code at the front desk and outside the library!
See you in the library!