Compass Newsletter -- May 13, 2009

Schedule Notes: The last month of school is an exciting time; we will be busy with exhibitions, roundtables, presentations of learning, project week, and final ceremonies. Here is a schedule of events:

·       Wed. May 13^th - Our last day of regular community service

·       Wed. May 13^th - 8^th grade NECAP science test

·        Fri. May 15^th - 10:30am-2pm - Senior Project presentations -  Everyone is invited to the Senior Project Exhibition on Friday, 5/15 from 10:30 a.m.-2:10 p.m., with a break from 12-12:45 p.m. The seniors will be set up in the big room and a couple classrooms in order to engage us all in their learning.  Projects range from travel to India to photojournalism to rally car racing.

·       Sat. May 16^th / Sun. May 17^th - Frisbee tournament in St. Johnsbury

·        Wed. May 20^th and May 27^th - 12:40-2:10pm each day - 9^th Grade Portfolio Sharing - Parents are invited as 9^th graders present their reflections to the class.

·       Sat. May 23^rd - Vermont state Frisbee tournament in S. Burlington

·       Mon. May 25^th - No School - Memorial Day

·        Tues. May 26^th at 10:30am-12noon and Wed. May 27^th at 8:30am-12noon - 7^th Grade Presentations of Learning - 7^th grade families sign up for slots with lauren@compass-school.org

·        Wed. May 27^th/Thurs. May 28^th/Fri. May 29^th - 2:15- 7pm - Senior Graduation Roundtables - Each senior will present his or her portfolio and describe readiness for graduation to a committee consisting of teachers, parents, board, community members, and peers.

·        Thurs. May 28^th and Mon. June 1^st - 8:30am-12noon  - 8^th Grade Roundtables - 8^th grade families sign up for slots with lauren@compass-school.org

·       Sun. May 31^st - 5pm - Compass 10^th Anniversary Celebration! - Everyone (students, alumni, parents, staff, board, and friends) invited to a relaxed barbeque with music, speeches, and connection to celebrate our 10^th birthday.

·       Mon. June 1^st and Tues June 2^nd - High School final exams

·        Tues. June 2^nd - 6:30pm - 8^th Grade Graduation ceremony - 7^th graders are strongly encouraged to attend and all middle school families and friends are invited. A dessert potluck will follow the ceremony so bring a sweet treat to share!

·        June 3^rd-10^th - Project Week - Project week will be held June 3-10. This is a chance for students to demonstrate mastery through a teacher-organized group projects or student-directed individual academic projects. Faculty group project offerings include farming and cooking with Beth, building an outdoor classroom with Bruce, an artists' retreat with Lauren, French or storytelling with Ron, and preparing and planning for Health Week '09 with Janet.  The possibilities for student initiated projects are endless: job shadowing, internships in the community, or self-designed academic projects. Each project must have a research component as well as a written piece and a visual exhibition that will be shared during our Community Celebration on June 10^th. Individual project contracts are due by May 22nd.

Click here for the Project Week Contract form.

Also, please contact Lauren (lauren@compass-school.org) or Ron (ron@compass-school.org) if you would like to volunteer during Project Week as a mentor or internship supervisor OR if you have ideas for projects, organizations to partner with, or friends/colleagues who would be interesting to job shadow.

·       June 3^rd-9^th -Portfolio Roundtables for 10^th Grade - slots scheduled in afternoons during project week.

·       Sat. June 6^th - 2:00pm - Graduation for the Class of 2009  --all are invited!

·       Wed. June 10^th - Closing Celebration -- The school day for students will run from 12:30-8:00pm. Students will set up exhibitions of their project week work in the afternoon. Families are invited to a pot luck dinner at 5:30pm followed by a closing ceremony and celebration 6:30-8:00pm.

·       Thurs. June 11^th - Last day of school!

·       June 12^th-19^th - Teacher meetings

Graduation Roundtable "Evaluators" -- The Graduation Roundtables are a significant rite of passage at Compass. A key part of their success is the involvement of outside community members not associated in any way with the school who sit on the roundtable committee and help make the decision about the student's readiness to graduate. The roundtable meetings are each approximately 90minutes long and will be scheduled on May 27, 28, and 29. If you know anyone who might be interested in serving on a graduation committee, please forward their name to Eric who will invite their participation.

Great Reports from the Spring Trips last week! Thanks especially to parent chaperones Karen Hennigan, Andy Hauty, and John Fiske.

Upcoming Press Coverage and Special Guests: We're pleased to have a bunch of press coverage coming up. Susan Keese from Vermont Public Radio will doing a piece focused on our senior roundtables. The Brattleboro Reformer and the Keene Sentinel are sending reporters to do stories recognizing our 10^th anniversary. We'll let you know when these stories come out. We also will be hosting visits from state representatives Mike Obuchowski and Carolyn Partridge next week, and we expect to schedule state senator Peter Shumlin soon.

Fast Friends Drive: The 7^th grade is collecting blankets and stuffed animals (without removable parts) for Fast Friends, a greyhound rescue in Hinsdale, NH. The drive will continue through May 22. Please bring donations to Lauren's classroom or to the office. Thanks!   

Parents-Please return your 2009-10 enrollment contracts and deposits if you have not already done so. Thanks! 

Announcing our new Executive Director: Jim Blum

We are excited to announce Jim Blum as our new executive director starting July 1^st. 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.

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!

NEW TIBETAN DOCUMENTARY IN BRATTLEBORO, MAY 18

The Monandock Friends of Tibet are sponsoring a showing of Tibet: Murder in the Snow, May 18th at 7:30 pm at the Hooker Dunham Theater. The showing will be a benefit for the Kelsang Namtso Fund which provides money for the education of Tibetan youth who were present at the Nangpa pass tragedy, which is the explored in the film. For more information contact: michelle@monadfriendsoftibet.org 802 463 3111