Compass Newsletter -- November 19, 2008

Submitted by Eric Rhomberg on Wed, 11/19/2008 - 13:28

 

Schedule Notes:

·       Middle school presentations of learning-Nov. 20 and 21, 8:30-noon each day.

·       Sunday Nov. 23 at 5pm - 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 (please call to sign up for a slot)

·       Nov. 26-28 - Thanksgiving vacation

 

FIESTA DE MEXICO!:  Supper, Silent Auction and Latin Dancing
This Sunday, November 23rd  5:00-9:00pm: The Compass School will host its 5th annual dinner, dance and silent auction fund raiser for student international travel. This year's event will fund the junior class' expedition to Mexico. The evening includes a Mexican dinner, silent auction, and salsa dancing with instruction. The silent auction will include works from fine local artists, gift certificates to local shops, restaurants, and service providers and weekend getaways. To round out the delicious dinner, the Latin dance music ensemble Black Beans will infuse the evening with the festive spirit of Latin America with high-energy Salsas, Sambas, Tangos, Meringues and more to satisfy your appetite for dance. A dance lesson will begin at 7:00 to initiate novice salsa dancers. In February the junior class will travel to the US/Mexico border to explore the complex issues of immigration, economic and foreign policy, NAFTA, and human rights from multiple perspectives. Compass is committed to raising the money necessary for this trip to be affordable for all students. This fund raiser will help make this a reality. All proceeds from this event will go toward funding the expedition.  Tickets cost $15 for adults, $10 for students and can be bought at Compass School (Route 5, Westminster) in advance or on the night of the fiesta. Kids under 5 are free. For more information call the Compass School at 802-463-2525 or email andy@compass-school.org.

**If you have items or services to contribute to the silent auction, please contact Andy. Thank you!

 

High School Student/Parent /Teacher conferences: Please call the office to sign up for a slot with your child's advisor-slots are available on Monday 11/24 from 1pm-6pm and on Tuesday 11/25 from 9am-12noon. Students are expected at attend these conferences. You will meet with the advisor to discuss academic progress, goals, and any other celebrations, concerns, etc.

 

Middle School Presentations of Learning, November 20th and 21st: You are invited to Middle School Presentations of Learning on Thursday and Friday, November 20th and 21th from 8:30-noon both days! Presentations of Learning (PoL's for short) take place once every trimester. During these presentations, students reflect on the significant learning that has occurred over the previous months, assessing their own challenges and successes. Creative visuals, short films, slideshows, music, and food are often part of the presentations. PoL's are approximately 15 minutes in length. Parents/Guardians are expected to be there for their child's presentation, but you are invited to attend as many as you would like. Middle School  parents should contact Lauren with their top time slot choices by emailing Lauren (lauren@compass-school.org) or returning the letter sent home with students on Monday.

 

Winter Sports Announcements!!:

It's that time of year-it's time to get ready for another fun-filled season of Winter Sports! This year's options include ice skating at Vermont Academy, cross-country skiing & snowshoeing at Grafton ponds, indoor rock climbing, and downhill skiing & snowboarding at Okemo Mountain in Ludlow, Vermont. Students have signed up for these activities in advisory, and parental permission forms will be available in the office starting Friday, November 21. Advisors will also be providing permission slips at the Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences next week. Permission slips must be signed and returned absolutely no later than Wednesday, December 10th.

 

There is a $35.00 fee for participation in one of these activities, which must be received by the office by Wednesday, December 10th. For those planning to rent downhill equipment at Okemo, a separate check for $40.00 to cover ski/snowboard rentals is also due in the office by December 10th.*** If your child is signed up for Okemo program, and your family is currently eligible for the USDA Free Lunch program, your fees are $25.00 for the program and $20.00 for rentals.***

 

***Please be advised that helmets are mandatory for participation in our downhill ski/snowboard program. They are available for rent through the mountain for an additional $1/day (or $8/season) ***

 

Winter Sports VOLUNTEERS: Parent volunteers are a welcome part of our Winter Sports program. Even if you don't want to participate, we can always use drivers and lodge parents. Okemo Mountain offers a complimentary lift ticket to return another day for each day that you volunteer to chaperone with a school program. It's well worth it!  Please contact amah@compass-school.org if you are interested in chaperoning for any of these activities.

 

Hear Ye! Here Yea!

Announcing our first Movie Night of the Year on Friday, December 5, at the Compass School.  From 6-10 PM please join us for a double feature of two films to be picked this week by the student body.  More details will follow, but don't miss this one:  THE INTERMISSION WILL FEATURE THE ESTEEMED DR. SEUSS CLASSIC ORIGINAL VERSION OF HOW THE GRICH STOLE CHRISTMAS!  Yes, there will be popcorn (included in the price of admission) as well as other items for sale.  All proceeds go to the Compass School Student Fund, which exists to help all students participate in all field trips and other such activities.  See you on Friday, December 5th. 

Math news - Congratulations to the 8th graders who did some mighty building, visualizing, drawing, and replicating of block structures in class on Tuesday. Thanks, Jason Leo, for bringing extra creativity to the lesson.  While everyone worked wonderfully, special mention must go to Chris D. for his particularly challenging creation and to Aurora, Chris T., and Miah for coming up with matching structures. 

 

Teacher requests for materials:

  • We could use another operating microwave oven, if someone has one to donate. Thanks!
  • A plea for yarn!  I am teaching a knitting exploratory and I got some wonderful donations of handmade knitting needles from the Diak family (THANKS!) and we are still looking for any yarn, long/straight needles, and other various knitting supplies!   Many thanks, Beth
  • Our Creative Journaling exploratory could use some supplies: fun fabric/wallpaper swatches, buttons, stickers, colored (scrapbooking) paper, ink stamps, and magazines for cutting-- anything that you can imagine using for self expression on paper.   Drop off supplies in Julia's room.  Thanks!
  • Hardcover Books Needed for Book Altering Exploratory! Please bring any that you are willing to part with to Lauren. Thanks so much!

  

Fundraising Appeal

The annual fundraising appeal has been mailed. We continue our ambitious efforts to raise scholarship money for Compass families. 

We are pleased to announce that Compass has been awarded a $25,000 challenge grant to support our innovative, student centered programs.  The grant comes in the form of a l-to-3 match, which means that the school will receive one dollar for every three dollars raised.

This is a tremendous opportunity for us, and we need everyone's help. The money raised will go directly to the school's financial aid fund.

We all know that these are difficult economic times, but our school reaches out to provide an alternative educational environment where all students can learn and grow. We can all work together to find the support we need to enhance the future for our children.

 

If you have a family member or someone outside the family whom you think would be willing to make a donation, please call Janice at the school with their name and address and we will contact them. Our goal is to build a scholarship base to support those who need help staying at Compass. We need your help in accomplishing this goal. 

New this year: contributions can be made by credit card by going to the Compass web site - hit the Donate tab. It's easy and secure!         THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION!

 

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.

 

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