Compass Newsletter -- April 29, 2009

Submitted by Eric Rhomberg on Wed, 04/29/2009 - 9:40am

Schedule Notes:

·       April 30th - 7pm -Compass Open House for students/families interested in learning about our school.

·       May 4th - 5pm - graduation planning meeting for interested senior and junior parents

·       May 6th-8th (Next Wednesday-Friday) - Spring trips  (High school to Cape Cod; Middle School to Boston)

·       Monday May 11th - NO SCHOOL - Teacher inservice

  

Come to the Compass 9th-10th grade exhibit opening at the Brattleboro Gallery Walk this Friday evening!

9/10th graders are presenting their exhibit at gallery walk on Friday, May 1st, 5:30-8:00pm.  This exhibit will display their art work as well as poetry they've written recently.  Some will read poems, and hopefully we'll have a showing of the 10 minute play performances on DVD. This will take place at the Latchis 4 gallery on Main St., right next to the Latchis theater.   

  

Spring Trips!

Our annual spring trips are happening next week, Wednesday morning May 6th through Friday afternoon May 8th: the 9th-11th grade to Cape Cod, 7th-8th grade to Boston. The information and permission slip for the 9th-11th grade trip is reprinted at the end of this newsletter. Please return the permission slip and payment this week. The middle school information is being distributed separately to families from the middle school teachers.

 

Senior and junior parents-want to help plan graduation?  Come to the initial planning meeting at school on Monday, 5/4 at 5 p.m. Questions? Contact Julia or Louise.

 

Announcing our new Executive Director: Jim Blum

We are excited to announce Jim Blum as our new executive director starting July 1st. Jim comes to us from Chicago, and he brings a wealth of experience including serving as principal and executive director of Jane Addams High School, consulting work with schools such as Youth Connections Charter School, a history of numerous educational roles including Director of Languages, Dean of Humanities, Department Head, and Teacher, as well as substantial business and finance experience including serving as President of his family's four generation machine tool company. Jim is very excited to join our school, helping us to build on our great success and develop our organizational capacity to sustainably meet our mission into the next decade and beyond. There will be much more information forthcoming, with opportunities to hear from and meet Jim this spring.

 

Congratulations to the Compass 9th-10th grade playwrights!

The Compass School Ten Minute Play Festival at New England Youth Theater was a big success. The NEYT actors did a terrific job bringing to life an impressive selection of short plays written by ninth and tenth grade Humanities students at Compass. The featured playwrights were Rachel Durante, Anne Chase, Connor Kloster, Lena Glickman, Jillian Murphy, and Sophie Taylor-Havens.

 

Rock Climbing Exploratory at Quechee Climbing Gym: The indoor rock climbing exploratory will take our last trip to Quechee this  Thursdays April 30th. We will leave Compass at 2:30 and return at 7:00pm. Please contact Lauren (lauren@compass-school.org) with questions.

 

Are you a gardener?

We invite you to plant a row for the Compass School and our community partner Our Place Drop-in Center in Bellow's Falls.  Please check out our website about hunger in Vermont and the US which was created by the service-learning Winterm project (http://www.compass-school.org/sites/default/files/users/Beth%20White/Our%20Place%20Drop%20In%20Center%20Winterm%20Journal%203-21-09%20web%20version.pdf).  If you would like to participate, please let Beth know (beth@compass-school.org) and stop by to get a Compass/Our Place Plant a Row Stake to put in your garden!  Thanks for considering it!

 

The Compass School final scheduled Open House is set for Thursday, April 30 from 7:00pm - 8:30pm.  This will follow our April break and will be the opportunity for families to discover the wonderful world of Compass.  Tell a friend.

 

April 28, 2009

Dear Parents and Guardians of 9th, 10th and 11th Grade Students,     

            We are eager and excited to extend the tradition of our upcoming Spring trip to Cape Cod on May 6-8. The trip blends the academic fields of aquatic environments and regional history with teamwork, communication, fun, and hopefully lots of sun. Students will participate in related investigations and activities prior to the trip and will do follow up activities at the Cape. During the trip we plan to visit local museums, investigate the salt marsh, explore Provincetown, travel the coast via numerous beaches, and open our minds to a new world and people.

            The trip has an academic focus and is considered part of the school curriculum; all students are expected to attend the trip. Staff and chaperones will provide constant supervision and support for all students.       We will be staying at Cape Cod Sea Camps in Brewster, Ma. They will provide unheated cabins and great recreational facilities in a beautiful natural setting.

The cost per student for the trip is $95.00. In order to keep the cost of the trip low, we are bringing along foodstuff and preparing our own food. Students will be working in food crews to prepare meals for each other Wednesday evening, Thursday morning and afternoon and then again Friday morning and afternoon. Students will also need at least $15 in spending cash for "dinner out" and souvenirs on Thursday night. Students will need a bag lunch on the day we depart school for the Cape. (Cher is able to provide this with advance notice)                                

            Students will need to bring: sleeping bag, clothes for Wednesday/Thursday/Friday (plenty of dry and warm socks), toiletries, sunscreen, insect repellant, flashlight, water bottle, sun hat, rain gear, comfortable walking shoes, another pair of shoes, bathing suit, and warm clothes for being outdoors at night and in the early morning. We will not have a large amount of space for storage while traveling to and from school so students are asked to limit their luggage to one small suitcase and a small day bag.

            Included with this letter is a permission slip and a detailed itinerary with contact information. Please return the permission slip and money to the office by May 1st. Please direct any questions or concerns to your advisor.

Sincerely,

Janet VanAlstyne, Bruce Chase, Louise Hodson, Beth White, Amir Flesher, Ron BosLun, Elizabeth Nieuwsma, Jason Leo & Eric Rhomberg

 

Cape Cod  Here We Come!

(there may still be a couple of itinerary changes...)

 

Day One: Wednesday May 6, 2009  

8:00 am: Depart for the Cape

11ish: New Bedford Whaling Museum for tour/exhibits

12:30 pm Depart for Scusset Beach Sandwich, Massachusetts - bag lunch and play

2:30 pm Depart for Brewster

3:00 pm Arrive at Cape Cod Museum of Natural History and Salt Marsh

5:00 pm Arrive at Cape Cod Sea Camps and settle in 

6:00 pm: Dinner at Cabin compliments of the Cook Crew   

7:00 pm: group games and entertainment

8:15-9:30 pm campfire, story telling, all group reflection at benches and next day schedule

9:30 pm - go to cabins - clean up, get ready for bed, journal reflections

10:00 Quiet, lights out    

 

Day Two: Thursday May 7, 2009t

8:00 - 8:30 Breakfast (pack bag lunches)

9:00 am Kettle Pond Trail - Truro - 3.45 m. hike - bag lunch

12:00 pm Depart for Corn Hill Beach, Truro for science and writing lesson

1:30 pm Depart for Province Lands Visitor Center, Provincetown - 2:00 Movie - Wooden Ships and Men of Iron

2:30 pm Depart for Whydah Pirate Museum, Provincetown

3:00-4:00 pm Whydah lecture/tour of center

4:30 Explore Provincetown in small groups Historical Scavenger Hunt

6:00 meet where it says to meet on the scavenger hunt for prizes

6:00-7:30 explore Provincetown in dinner groups

7:30  - 8:30 Depart for Bluffs/Beach and Bonfire

9:30 - back to cabins for reflection and clean up

10:00 Quiet, lights out  

 

Day Three: Friday May 8, 2009

7:30 - 8:00 am Breakfast  (pack bag lunches)

8:00 - 8:30 Clean and Pack

8:30 - 1:00 TBA  (Whale Watch, surfing, kayaking, biking?)

1:00 - Depart for Vermont - Pit Stop on RT 2

5:00 Arrive at Compass

 

Cape Cod Phone #'s:

Cape Cod Sea Camps 508-896-3451

http://www.capecodseacamps.com/

Cape Cod Museum of Natural History 869-3867

Province Lands Visitor Center 508-487-1256

Whydah Pirate Museum 508-487-8899

New Bedford Whaling Museum (508) 997-0046

 

TeacherNumbers:

Bruce Chase cell: 236-4286

Elizabeth J. Nieuwsma-Dell 802-380-1131

Louise Hodson cell: 603-674-9360

Beth White cell: 802-598-6408

Jason Leo 802-380-4138

Janet Van Alstyne 802-558-4195

Amir Flesher 802-579-1423

 

click here to download the permission slip

Compass School

Parental Permission Form

High School Cape Cod Spring Trip

  

Activity: High School Cape Cod Spring Trip - May 6-8th, 2009

  

Person(s) in charge: Ron Bos-Lun, Elizabeth Nieuwsma, Janet VanAlstyne, Bruce Chase, Louise Hodson, Eric Rhomberg, Amir Flesher, Beth White

  

Destination: Brewster (Cape Cod), MA

  

Leaving: 8:00 am, May 6th, 2009   Returning: 5:00 pm, May 8th

  

Mode of Transport: Compass School Bus

  

Cost: $ 95.00                                                                  (Office use only) Paid: __________

            

I hereby grant permission for ________________________________________________________________

                                                    (student name)

to participate in the Spring school trip to Cape Cod, MA, May 6th 2009 through May 8th, 2009. I authorize the school personnel to seek emergency medical care including transportation to the emergency room. I also authorize medical personnel to administer whatever emergency treatment is necessary.

  

  

Signature of parent or Guardian                                                             Printed Name

  

I will be attending as a chaperone:            Yes                      No

  

In case of emergency please call: (day) _________________________________________

  

                                                             (night) _________________________________________

  

If there is no answer, please call: ______________________________________________

I, under signer, hereby agree and understand that while on this trip I will adhere to school rules and regulations and all other conditions set forth. I also understand that any infractions will be dealt with upon return and that I may be asked to leave early, which could require my parents driving to Cape Cod.

**I also understand that no money will be refunded if I am asked to leave early. **

  

___________________________________________________________ date: _____________

                               Signature of student

  

____________________________________________________________ date: ____________

                               Signature of parent