Compass Newsletter -- November 5, 2008

Schedule Notes:

·       Nov. 3-6: Health Week-school day is 8:30am-2:15pm every day

·       Friday Nov. 7-No school - Inservice

·       Nov. 10 - start of new academic term and new exploratory term

·       Sunday Nov. 23 - Save the Date! - Fiesta de Mexico, our big party/fundraiser for the Mexico expedition. Live music/dancing/dinner/silent auction.

·       Nov. 24 & 25 - no classes - parent conferences for high school

·       Nov. 26-28 - Thanksgiving vacation

Exploratory Sign-Ups Today (11/5)

Students will sign up for their second quarter exploratory classes. The schedule of choices is included at the end of this newsletter. Please discuss exploratory choices with your child, and let us know ASAP if you want to request any changes.

Basketball starts next week:  Players need to bring appropriate practice gear: shorts, sweat pants, indoor sneakers, socks,....  We only have the Center School gym from 3-4; students riding the Brattleboro bus may wish to be dropped off at the Westminster Town office.

Health Week !!

We are in the middle of Health Week, having a great time and learning a lot. On Monday we had many guest presenters offer workshops and experiences on topics around stress and stress reduction. We capped the day with a joyous all-school African drum-dance led by instructor Chelsea Agee. Yesterday students worked in action teams on issues around building healthy communities. In the afternoon, filmmaker Alan Dater screened his inspiring documentary "The Vision of Wangari Maathai", with discussion following.

The plans for Wednesday and Thursday:

Day 3: Shout it Out: Making a Difference through Self Expression

            We will have the honor of viewing The Voices Project's new film, Shout It Out in a special screening with the director, Bess O'Brien. Afterwards, guided by O'Brien, we will break out into writing groups to express our own voices. 

In the afternoon, we will enjoy "Because I'm With Them. . .." a performance by ActingOut, a

student improv group from Keene, NH. They will perform an interactive theater piece dealing with peer pressure of all kinds and both positive and negative effects including choices around alcohol, sex, fashion, bullying, defying authority or creating community.

Day 4: Understanding Gender Expectations and Realities

Students and teachers will spend some time in separate gender groups, talking about the experience of being female and being male. We will then gather together as a whole school to share some of our insights and celebrate one another. In the afternoon, we will engage in playful physical exercise to close out the week.

Student Photography/Art exhibits at Gallery Walk in Brattleboro this Friday

• Compass students will be exhibiting photography and other art at Hooker Dunham in Brattleboro. Reception during Gallery Walk this Friday Nov. 7 at 5:30-7pm.
• Compass junior Pete Terwilliger is also exhibiting his work at Insight Photography.

Soccer News-  Our traditional Halloween soccer match surpassed expectations for a fun AND competitive match.  Players and coaches came dressed appropriately.  Chris Harlow, coach of The Grammar School, was a woodsman, minus one arm, while Bruce Chase, coach of Compass, was prepared for the hula.  The chicken (Lexi) returned again and seemed to have endless reserves of energy for following the ball.  Remy played as a prom queen, while Ann had difficulty keeping the spiders in her hair.  Our scoring hero was "downhill skier" Koby, whose hat trick of 3 goals allowed the score to end tied, for the second consecutive year.  Compass defense played amazing soccer, with our star goalie, Chris T., positioning himself perfectly, much to the dismay of TGS players.  Our hosts provided cider, donuts, apples and one of the friendliest attitudes we have experienced all season.  Thanks to all players and families who played a part in this match.  See you next year!

CES Conference in Charlotte, NC:
This week, Beth, Amir, Lauren, Amah, and Rick, and students Kailey Rinder, Sophie Taylor-Havens, and Max Schadt will be attending the Coalition of Essential Schools Fall Forum in Charlotte, NC. The team will be presenting workshops and discussion groups entitled "Feeding Ourselves and Our Community: Promoting and Providing Fresh, Whole Foods in Rural and Urban School Settings" (about Beth's and Amah's Winterm and Project Week projects last year), "This Ain't No Fresh Air Program" (about the Baltimore Xchange), "Science of the Mind" (about the Science of the Mind class last year), and "Presentations of Learning: Using Reflective Assessment to Change Students' Everyday Lives"

Compass Open House- Thanks to all those who attended and helped in our first Open House.  The outpouring of support from our students, many of whom arrived of their own free will, was spectacular!  Thanks to Manya, Chris D., Mario, Muriel, Lydia, Remy, Liz, Ann and teachers Andy and Louise.  Thanks also to Eric for stepping out of the Board Meeting to address the attendees. In all, 5 families were interested in our Middle School program and 4 families were interested in our High School program.  Both families and students seemed impressed with the Compass approach to community and academics.
Our next Open House is on Tuesday, November 18 at 7:00pm.  Let's see if we can find even more interested families to visit.  It is a great way to see Compass School!  Contact Janice (802.463.2525) with any questions or email bruce@compass-school.org

Middle School Parents---note: small, but exciting change in daily schedule! The Middle School Team has decided to change Spanish and Math classes to full 1.5 hour block classes that meet every other day (as the high school currently does). This change (from daily 45 minute blocks) is being made so that students will have more focused time in class since time will not be lost in the transition process from one class to another. The other advantage is that students will be able to focus better on one subject at a time. We will try this out for a few weeks. If it feels educationally like the stronger option-we'll stick with it! We welcome your feedback.

Hardcover Books Needed for Book Altering Exploratory! Please bring any that you are willing to part with to Lauren. Thanks so much!

Snow Day Cancellation Announcements - For school closings and delays Compass School follows the call of the Windham Northeast Supervisory Union (Bellows Falls, Westminster, Saxtons River, Grafton, Athens). If WNESU is closed or delayed, we go along with that. Listen for announcements on the radio or view school closing information on www.sover.net or on www.wtsa.net . (I've found that the WTSA site lists information soonest.) Eric will also send out cancellation and delay information to the "families" email list. We will also post the announcement as a news item on the Compass web site.

Additional Note: Many Compass students and families drive from far afield and from a variety roads and microclimates. We always encourage you to use your own individual best judgment in making travel decisions, and we support you staying home anytime you feel it is unsafe to drive.

Bill Koch Cross Country Youth Ski Program-All Kids ages 5-14 Welcome

Come to an Introductory Meeting to learn more about the fun, fast life of Nordic skiing.

Since 1980, the Bill Koch Nordic Ski Program has introduced thousands of youth to cross country skiing and racing. Our local club has been among the best in the country and we encourage new skiers to join the club. Bill Koch League provides a supportive environment for parents and children to enjoy the outdoors, community, each other, and introduce them to the world of Cross Country Ski Racing. BKL Events include both competitive and non-competitive events, with the emphasis on having fun and social events. Instruction for new skiers and fun activities for experienced skiers make BKL open to all.

We will hold introductory meetings at the local libraries to tell parents and kids about the program and our exciting winter plans. Come join us to learn more and check out the BKL website at http://www.nensa.net/bk/kids_index.html. For more information, contact Rick Gordon, 869-6103 or sudgor@yahoo.com.

Introductory Meetings Schedule

Nov. 12  6 pm Rockingham Library
Nov. 13  5 pm Putney Library
Nov. 13  7 pm Grafton Library

Brattleboro Museum & Art Center will unveil the submissions received for its first-ever LEGO Contest in an awards ceremony on Tuesday, November 11 at 5:30 p.m.

Visitors are invited to marvel at the creations made by contestants in six age groups, from preschool to adult.

For interested builders, it is not too late to submit a creation! Monday, November 10 is the deadline. Submissions must be entirely original, stemming from the imagination of the creator, not based on pre-designed kits, online instructions, or the like. They must fit within a two-foot by two-foot base and be no more than six feet tall. Complete guidelines and entry forms are available at www.brattleboromuseum.org or by calling 802-257-0124, ext. 101.

New England Youth Theatre presents ALL ABOUT ALICE

This whimsical new show is inspired by "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and other remarkable influences like the 1950's film All About Eve and reality television. Join us and our sponsors, the Foard Panel, for performances Nov. 7-9, Fri & Sat at 7:30pm, Sat & Sun at 3:00pm.
Tickets are $9.50 for adults / $7.50 for students and are available at www.neyt.org or by calling 802-246-NEYT, and in person at the NEYT box office, Wednesdays from noon to 5 p.m., or one hour before each show at the box office.

School calendar can be viewed at http://www.compass-school.org/resources/calendar or you can get additional paper copies in the office.