Newsletter February 2, 2010

Compass School Newsletter

February 2, 2010

Compass School and the International Marionette Theatre present

one performance of

Hansel and Gretel

at the Bellows Falls Opera House,

Sunday, February 7, at 1:00 p.m.  

Tickets:  Adults $10, children under 12, $7.  

Funds raised are to be donated to the Ecuadorian Trip; tickets will be available at Compass School.  For more information contact Compass School at 463 2525.  Tickets are also available at Village Square Book Sellers in downtown Bellows Falls.

Attention Parents Seeking Financial Aid for Next School Year

The Private School Aid Service applications are in the office ready for pick up.  The form must be postmarked no later than February 15th.  Please contact Austin or Anne in the office if you would like us to mail you the form, otherwise it is available for pick up any time during the school day.  

February Dates

1-12                 Winterm

4                      Winter Sports

8                      Basketball @ Greenwood*

15-19                No School for Winter Vacation

22                    School Resumes

March Dates

March 1            No School Parent Teacher Conferences

March 2            No School Town Meeting Day

March 5            Middle School PoL’s

March 19          Winter Carnival

*Our last middle school basketball game is on Monday, February 8 at Greenwood School, departing Compass at 3:00, returning by 5:30.  Any parents who can drive, please let Ron know (ron@compass-school.org), including how many seat-belted players you can transport.

Lunch Menu for Week of February 1-5

Tuesday: Pizza & Salad

Wednesday: Chicken Stir Fry                                                    

Thursday: Winter Sport Lunch                                                 

Friday : Burritos

Winterm 2010

Winterm is off to a tremendous start! Winterm is a time when the Compass School schedule is put on hold and students are asked to go out into the community and apply their academic learning to problems and issues in the real world.

► Service-Learning Trip to Ecuador (All juniors will participate, led by Beth, and Liz) The juniors have already arrived in Ecuador and are busy in community service projects as well as living in a foreign culture.

► Where is the Justice in the U.S. Justice System? (Anna Gail Caunca)

► Grafton Nature Museum (Jess Skinner)

► Ecology Trip to North Carolina (Louise and Janet) This group of students is headed for North Carolina to the Wilmington coastal area where they will participate in trail maintenance and study oysters and their relationship to healthy watersheds. 

►Art that Serves (Lauren and Julia)

►Storytelling on the Road (Ron)

►In Search for the Wooly Adelgid! A winter woodland adventure and public outreach campaign (Eric)

►There's No Place Like Home: Why Dorothy Wanted to Leave Oz (Bethany)

There will be NO EXPLORATORIES during Winterm – dismissal is at 2:15 every day. We do have winter sports on the first Thursday of winterm – Feb. 4^th – but we DO NOT have winter sports on the second Thursday – Feb. 11^th.

 Middle School 2^nd Trimester PoL’s:

Just a heads up that Middle School 2^nd trimester PoL’s will happen on March 5 from 10:10-12 and 12:40-2:10. They will happen in advisory groups and parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to attend. Please put it on your calendar and contact Lauren (lauren@compass-school.org) to sign up for a time!

Reminder about 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 local radio or view school closing information 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 a field 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.

Sweat Shirts/T Shirts/Fleeces

We are preparing for a second round of Compass School apparel orders.  Please find attached the order form to be completed and returned to the office by February 12 or call Austin @463 2525.  The money raised will go into the scholarship fund.

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Compass School Apparel Order Form-Return to Compass School Attn: Austin

Style                            Navy               Dark Green                 Black               Maroon

Please indicate size: (child’s small through XXL) and number desired.  Thank you.