Compass Newsletter -- January 7, 2009

Happy New Year! ... '09 will be fine!

First Day of Winter Sports is this Thursday Jan. 8^th

Thursday Jan. 8^th will be our first day of winter sports. Students have shortened academic classes at school from 8:30am-10:30am, and then we gear up to go to our activities. In addition to appropriate clothing and gear, students should bring a bag lunch. (No lunch is served at Compass.) The normal itinerary for winter sports groups will be as follows:

• Okemo Skiers and Boarders: leave Compass at 10:45am on bus and a few cars of parent chaperones and teachers. Return to Compass at 5:00pm.
• Ice Skaters: leave Compass at 10:45am (on bus or in teacher/parent cars) to go to Vermont Academy rink in Saxton's River. Return to Compass around 12:45pm. Students may then stay at school for lunch/study hall time until 2:10, or they may be picked up anytime after 12:45. Also note: skaters need to bring their own skates. We have some skates at Compass to borrow-students should try to check this out ahead of time to see if there is a pair that fits.
• Snowshoers/X-Country Skiers: leave Compass at 10:45am in teacher cars to go to Grafton Ponds. Return to Compass by 2:10p.m.
• Rock Climbers: leave Compass in teacher cars at 10:45am. Return to Compass by 2:10 pm.

Please make note of these times and plan accordingly for getting home. Important note: those students who are skating, x-country skiing/snowshoeing, and rock climbing must be picked up at Compass by 3pm at the latest. (Make note of the return times above. They may not hang out unsupervised at Compass until the skiers return.) Also, any students who come to school unprepared for their winter sports must go home at 11:00am (or we can drop them at the Rockingham public library)-again, we cannot have students hanging around Compass unsupervised. Thank you. Here's to a great winter sports season!

Giving Day -

On the last day of school in December we had a wonderful Giving Day despite needing to shorten the day due to snow. Students were impressively creative, thoughtful, and articulate as they each presented a personalized gift to someone in our school. It was a great day of community connection and gratitude!

Disappointing News: The Baltimore Group had to cancel their visit-

We are very sad to report that the Compass-ConneXions Xchange for next week has been canceled. Rodney Powell, director of ConneXions, contacted us yesterday with the unfortunate news that unforeseen insurance and liability issues have led them to determine that they can't come at this time. Rodney passes on his most sincere apologies, as do we all. We regret in particular the last minute nature of this change, understanding that many people have already put in work and made plans to prepare for this program. Thank you to everyone who had volunteered to host students and to help out during the week. And special kudos to Lauren Beigel who has put in a huge effort to organize the exchange; this cancellation was completely out of her control. We will keep you posted about possible rescheduling.

Alumni Day- Alumni Day is rescheduled for this Friday January 9^th from 10am-2pm.

Compass Open House
After a snow date in December, Compass will be having an Open House on inauguration day, Tuesday, January 20, from 7:00pm - 8:30pm.  We welcome friends, families and interested students to visit to learn more about the Compass School program!
RSVP with Janice at 802.463.2525 or admissions@compass-school.org

Old Sweaters Needed: Please bring in your old sweaters for an artistic clothing project. They can be old, beat up and full of holes or just ones you don't like! Please bring them to Lauren or leave them in the office for her. Thanks!

Middle School Mid-Trimester Conferences will take place on Friday, January 9^th from noon through 4:30pm. Please call the office to schedule your conference time. These conferences are an important part of maintaining communication between school and home. It is sometimes a crucial time to note challenges students may be encountering as well as celebrating their successes. If that day does not work for you, please contact your child's advisor (Lauren or Andy) directly to schedule another time.

Basketball news: Basketball schedule can be viewed on Ron's website.

On Tuesday our co-ed Middle School team played a very strong Marlboro Elementary School squad.  We started off with several quick turnovers, as the Marlboro defense allowed no sloppy passes.  Faith and Chris tightened up their ball control, but we still had difficulty scoring until we began to get the ball to Daniel in the high post, where he displayed fine passing as well as shot selection.   Our team played hard and well, but were over-matched by a very disciplined offense from Marlboro, whose cuts and passes were remarkably crisp.  In the second half, all of our players shot at least once, with Remy scoring a nice 10-footer from the right side.  Adam, Will, and Muriel all played spirited defense, forcing Marlboro to use valuable clock time in its attack.  In the third quarter, Daniel hit Chris with a gorgeous pass into the lane for a razzle dazzle no look lay-up that delighted the crowd.  Daniel took a hard fall in attempting to gather a rebound but was back on the boards after a few minutes icing his knee and elbow on the bench.  During the fourth quarter, we continued to improve both offensively and defensively, but Marlboro was not to be denied.  Both squads displayed remarkable sportsmanship while competing with zeal; both the officials and opposing coach had compliments for our team.  Congrats for a hard fought contest, Compass.

Upcoming games (all next week):

·       Monday the 12th, 6 PM: Girls at Bromley (We will be back late; please have the girls bring a few dollars for pizza).

·       Tuesday the 13th, 4:00:  High School Boys at Landmark College vs. Kindle Farm

·       Wednesday the 14th, 1:15: Girls at Putney

·        Thursday the 15th, 3:45: Middle School co-ed at Greenwood B

·        Friday the 16th, 3:45: Middle School co-ed vs. St. Mike's

Director Search Committee- The search for a new director for Compass is underway, and the search committee is looking for parents and students to be a part of the process. If you are interested in reviewing applications, interviewing candidates and helping determine the leadership at Compass, please contact Steve Holmes at steve@compass-school.org.

Middle School Trip to see Mayhem Poets: January 28, 2009 we'll be going to see the Mayhem Poets at Keene State College's performing arts center.

NEW ENGLAND YOUTH THEATRE ANNOUNCES WINTER CLASS SCHEDULE

The New England Youth Theater announces its lineup of Winter Classes, with offerings for all ages and skill levels. Classes begin the week of January 19 and run for eight weeks. Registration forms and a complete Winter Class brochure are available at the NEYT website, www.neyt.org or from the NEYT Registrar, Michelle Meima.  Please call 802-246-6398 Ext. 101, or email michelle@neyt.org. Financial aid is available; the deadline for Financial Aid applications is January 10, 2009.

Upcoming Dates:

• Monday Jan. 19 - no school - Martin Luther King holiday
• Tuesday Jan. 20 - no school - teacher inservice
• Jan. 23 - Mexico trip leaves
• Jan. 30 - last day of second trimester
• Feb. 2-13 - Winterm service learning projects
• Feb. 14-23 - February vacation

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