REMINDER - BACK TO SCHOOL ON JAN. 6
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Hello Parents,
We hope everyone has had a restful winter break. We look forward to seeing students back at school on Wednesday, January 6. Please take a minute to read the following announcements and reminders.
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| SPIRIT WEEK AND WHOLE SCHOOL COMMUNITY CIRCLE |
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Hello Parents,
Spirit Week is January 6th-8th, culminating with our Whole School Community Circle on Friday at 11:30am at the Alpharetta Community Center.
We are very excited to start off our new school semester with a bit of fun, while also celebrating our students' achievements - both academically and by modeling the Amana vision. Please join us as one community on January 8th.
We want all of our students to get into the Winter Spirit Week spirit as we come back with fun filled dress-out days. As long as the students follow our themes with respect, we want them out of their normal uniforms.
- Wednesday: Snowy WINTER day: wear your favorite winter sweater, hat, scarves and boots. Channel your inner Olaf.
- Thursday: BLIZZARD day: wear plain white t-shirts with jeans. This is also Do One Thing day.
- Friday: BLUE/GREEN OUT day: head to toe blue and green wearing our field study t-shirts
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| WONDERFUL WINTER CHALLENGE AND IXL MATH REMINDER |
 Just a quick reminder that students have until January 5 to reach 5000 IXL problems to get recognized at our mid-year honors ceremony.
Complete the three tasks below between December 19 and January 5. Turn the linked flyer in and get an invitation to participate in a school-wide frozen treat celebration in January!
RETURN flyers to the box at the front desk - Due Jan. 8th - Read a little: Read for at least 20 minutes each day for 12 days
- Practice a little: Complete at least 30 IXL math problems each day for 12 days
- Explore a little:Take a hike or make something. Reflect on something new you learned about yourself, a friend, or family member during this experience.
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MORNING CARPOOL PROTOCOL REMINDERS
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Parents, please help us maintain a safe and efficient drop-off procedure in the morning by adhering to the following protocols:
- Do not drop-off students before 7:30 AM.
- If waiting in line prior to 7:30 AM, please drive up to the end of the drop-off designated area so as to minimize backups.
- Maintain a single carpool line and DO NOT pass other cars in the carpool line.
- Prepare your kids to vacate the car without you having to get out, which can delay traffic behind you.
- Never drop-off off children to walk across the carpool lane - this is a serious safety concern! Instead, you may use the outer parking lot between McDonald's and the Bank if you want to escort your students down the designated walkway between the two carpool loops.
- No not drive around speed bumps, even if you are running late.
- Drive slowly (10 mph) on our premises.
- Start your day with a smile - being in a hurry is no excuse for not being courteous to other parents!
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RE-COMMITMENT DUE BEFORE JANUARY 31
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Dear Parents,
As we prepare for Open Enrollment for new students, we must calculate how many of our current students and any of their siblings new to the school will be attending Amana next year. We must have this information prior to the lottery so that we can calculate how many open seats we will have.
A $100 nonrefundable enrollment deposit is required for each new or returning student enrolling at Amana Academy for the upcoming school year. This enrollment deposit for returning students and incoming siblings is due by January 31. The deposit will be allocated toward bundled fees for a portion of Expeditionary Learning field studies costs, student classroom supplies, and field study uniforms. Families may choose to pay this deposit online in one lump sum or via a payment plan (with at least $50 due in December).
Payment of the enrollment deposit may be made online by following this link:
If you receive an error when you click on the link, please copy and paste the url into your browser bar. If that still does not work, then we have a computer set up in the lobby for you to use for the purpose of completing the re-commitment process. For your convenience, there is an option for you to pay the deposit over the course of several weeks or months, with at least $50 due before the end of January. All deposits must be paid in full before May 26, 2016 (the last day of the school year). |
| SCHOOL NUTRITION POLICY REMINDERS |
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Dear Parents:
At Amana, we recognize the importance of good nutrition, and understand that students who receive well-balanced meals during the school day are more likely to do well in school than those who do not. We want to provide the best possible School Nutrition Program that we can, and we need your help to do so. Please take a minute to review this communication regarding the following policies:
- Payment Policy: Families must purchase meals by the month. Students are not permitted to purchase meals by the day.
- No-Charge Policy: Students must maintain a positive account balance. Zero or negative balances will result in students not being served.
As a non-profit charter school, it is important that we run our programs in a transparent and sustainable manner. Over the years, we have tried to make sure that our School Nutrition Program offers meals that appeal to our students and their families, and that are affordable. We participate in the National School Lunch program, which allows us to offer free and reduced-price meals to those families who qualify, but it also requires that we adhere to certain nutritional guidelines established by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Over the years, the costs to run this program have increased, and we have tried to maintain our pricing for the convenience of our families. This means we are running the program with a very narrow margin, and it is necessary that we institute some policies to ensure that we break even. As such, we are announcing the following:
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PAYMENT POLICY
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Beginning in January, it will be necessary for families to purchase meals by the month. You will no longer be able to pick and choose which days your student eats breakfast or lunch. We are enforcing this policy for a number of reasons, but the primary purpose is so that we can better predict how much food to prepare. It will also assist us in forecasting our expense budget from month to month.
PayPams will be set up to receive a certain amount each month, and that will be the minimum amount you will be able to deposit into your child's account. Likewise, Amana will only accept cash or checks written for the monthly amount. Students will not be permitted to bring cash to pay for a single meal. We appreciate your cooperation with this going forward.
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NO-CHARGE POLICY
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Students will not be allowed to charge lunch to their account if they do not have a positive account balance covering all meals for the month. Families that have a zero or negative balance in their account will be notified in the following way:
- Day 1 - Student will be notified in the cafeteria line that they need to remind their parents to put money in their account.
- Day 2 - Parents will receive an email or phone call informing them of the negative balance, and that their student will receive 1 more emergency meal (consisting of a cheese sandwich and a milk) if the balance remains unpaid.
- Day 3 - Student will receive an emergency meal (consisting of a cheese sandwich and milk, for which they are still charged) and a written notice will be sent home to the parents notifying them that their students will no longer be served lunch or breakfast until they rectify their outstanding balance, and maintain a positive balance which covers a month of meals.
- Families will receive written notification via certified mail from the Executive Director of the school informing them of their outstanding balance.
Any family that maintains a negative balance for more than three days will no longer be eligible to receive meals prepared by the School Nutrition staff.
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Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or concerns you may have. We appreciate the opportunity to provide meal service to our families, and look forward to continuing to offer a high-quality School Nutrition Program.
Sincerely,
The Amana Administration and Governance Board
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