February 9, 2010 News Letter

Compass School Newsletter

February 9, 2010

From the Directors Desk

A big thanks to all the volunteers, businesses and students that stepped up to make the National Marionette Theatre production of Hansel and Gretel a success.  A special thank you to the Harlow Farmstand, Parks Place, JMP Trucking, JP Trucking, Village Square Bookseller, The Bellows Falls Opera House, Lotus Graphics (Brattleboro), and Ariel Printing (Keene).  Another thank you to all the parents who baked cup cakes then iced cup cakes and sold cup cakes and the students who bagged cup cakes.  The weather cooperated; the setting in the Bellows Falls Opera House was perfect and the puppeteers were outstanding.  We hope that this can become an annual event.  Later this spring we still have the One Act Theatre productions (April 2) and the Student Film Festivals (April 8) to look forward to.

If your household is on Facebook, become a friend of Compass School on Facebook;  it is a good way to stay up to date with classes and events plus there are pictures and comments from students.

Call for Art Supply Donations: After 2 museums, lots of end-of-trimester projects, and Winterm, our art supplies are starting to get a bit worn out here at Compass. If you happen to have art supplies sitting around the house that aren’t being used, we’d be delighted to take them! We’d also welcome any art supply donations if you feel like picking up an extra box of crayons, markers, glue, construction paper, paintbrushes, paints, etc. Thanks!

Seeking Lamps, Light Fixture, and Fabric Donations: The Art That Serves Winterm group is working hard to make the Bellows Falls Warming Shelter a space that cheerful, warm, and inviting primarily by painting walls and creating murals in several areas of the shelter. We are also looking for lamps and light fixtures to replace harsh fluorescent lights. If you have old lamps or light fixtures sitting around, we would love to use them! We’d also love to make some curtains, so if you have some fabric, preferably with pale blues, greens, and or yellows in it, we would welcome this contribution to our project. Any donations can be brought to Amir’s classroom.

Thanks, Lauren and Julia

The Bellows Falls Warming Shelter is looking for volunteers to staff the shelter, especially during the night hours of 1am-7am. This is a wonderful new resource in our community, a place for those without homes to get a meal and sleep in a warm place on these frigid winter nights. If you are interested in volunteering or would like to help out in some other way, please contact Samuel Neill at samuel.neill@gmail.com or 802-463-3355.

 Wednesday Rides to Brattleboro Needed! Will you be heading to Brattleboro around 12:30 on any of our Community Service Wednesdays? (March 3, March 17, March 31, April 14, April 28, May 12) A high school student will be mentoring a student at Neighborhood Schoolhouse and needs a ride. Please contact Lauren (lauren@compass-school.org) if you think you can help some or all of those days.

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             Winter Term

8                 Basketball @ Greenwood

11                NO WINTER SPORTS

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 3            Open House 7:00

March 5            Middle School Presentations of Learning

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 8-12

Monday                                                                        Tuesday

Pasta & veggie sauce                                                            Baked Potato Bar and Salad

Wednesday                                                                        Thursday

Grilled chicken breast sandwiches                                    Breakfast for Lunch

French Fries

Friday

Soup & Sandwiches

There will be NO EXPLORATORIES during winterm – dismissal is at 2:15 every day.  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.