Compass Newsletter for Thursday, March 2

Excellent Winterm Service Learning Projects so far this week!

We have had a great start to Winterm service projects this week! The school has been alive with purposeful interdisciplinary, hands-on work! Students are experiencing and practicing different sets of skills than in traditional classes, working to plan, organize, and implement service projects in a team setting-- projects addressing authentic needs in our community and in our school. This year, we have groups working on the following: 

  • Researching and archiving records at the Bellows Falls Historical Society.

  • Helping with painting sets and tech work at the Bellows Falls Opera House.

  • Preparing an online fundraising auction to raise money for the upcoming Spain trip.

  • Recording audio books for use in classes.

  • Bringing a storytelling performance to numerous daycares and elementary schools in the area.

  • Looking at school strategic planning, and visiting other progressive schools in the region.

  • Redecorating and sprucing up Compass School.

  • Building carpentry projects for Putney Central School (gaga pit, shelves) as well as working on preparing an RC car exploratory class.

  • Working on addictions education and public outreach, creating an educational graphic.

  • Preparing and performing a play based on an original script.

Students have been hard at work with these service projects!

Upcoming Schedule and Events!:

  • March 2,3,6 --  last 3 days of  Winterm Service Learning. Dismissal during Winterm is 2:15... study hall available until 4pm for those who want/need to stay, please alert the office.

  • Tuesday March 7-- Town Meeting Day-- no school

  • Wed. March 8-- 4th Quarter Begins -- regular Wednesday schedule

  • Thurs. March 9-- winter carnival and variety show in the afternoon of Thursday March 9th (see details below!)

  • Fri. March 10-- regular Friday school day, but we will have a visiting educational performer-- Tim Collins-- running workshops on pro-social behavior with our students-- 10am with high school; 12:30pm with middle school.

  • Mon. March 13-- begin 4th quarter afternoon exploratory classes

  • Thurs. March 16-- Bingo Night!  6pm-8pm

  • March 21-- students will attend musical at BF Opera House during the school day

  • March 27-- juniors/seniors leave for their trip to Spain!!

  • April 8-17-- April vacation

  • May 17-19-- Spring school trips (middle school tentatively to Burlington; high school to Cape Cod).

Thursday March 9th-- school day includes a winter carnival, followed by a variety show-- families invited!

This coming Thursday March 9th, we will finish our school day with winter carnival outdoor games (2:15pm-3:30pm) followed by a performance of the Winterm play at 3:30pm, and an open mic variety show 4pm-5pm.  The school day officially goes until 4pm, but we hope that lots of students can stay for the variety show until 5pm.  Families are invited to come to the play and variety show, and you are welcome to perform in the variety show open mic. Email Eric if you would like to get onto the open mic schedule. So here is the schedule for Thurs. 3/9:

8:15am-2:10pm-- regular school day classes

2:15pm-3:15 pm-- winter carnival games

3:30pm-- Play performance (families invited if you can make it)

4pm-5pm-- Open mic / variety show (families invited if you can make it, and you are invited to perform)

Online Auction and Raffle-- Spain Fundraiser -- will be Live March 6th-20th!!

Our auction team is busily preparing an online auction and raffle to raise money for our Spain trip. Items available for bidding will include a beautiful African drum, an overnight stay at Grafton Inn, an AirBnB cabin stay, a diamond ring, gift cards to local businesses and restaurants, handmade items, art, a discounted trip to Tanzania, and more!  Watch for separate announcements soon with the link to the auction site. When you get it, be sure to pass it on the friends and family!

The auction group is still accepting any last-minute donations of items-- if you have items to donate to our auction, please email liz.jackson@compass-school.  (Does anyone have a connection to maple syrup to donate to the auction?) Thank you!

Next Bingo Night will be Thursday Mar. 16th at 6pm-8pm-- Fundraisers for our Spain Trip

Ongoing thanks to all who are attending our bingo nights. Invite your friends, neighbors, and colleagues-- all welcome. Come enjoy the fun, and even win some money! Food and drink will be available for purchase as well. Proceeds support our global connections fund, helping our juniors and seniors travel to Spain. 

Applications Open for Governor's Institutes-- summer programs for 9th/10th/11th graders

The Governor’s Institutes of Vermont offers a variety of fun, immersive, one or two week residential summer learning programs for 9th/10th/11th graders hosted at college campuses all over the state. Each Institute focuses on a unique area of interest, and has a different location and dates. Explore each Institute’s page to learn more about the unique aspects of each Institute!  https://giv.org/institutes/summer-2023/

GIV offers generous financial aid and works with every family to make it affordable. We have had many Compass students attend these summer institutes, and they are outstanding! Application deadline is the end of March. See Eric for questions.

Drivers Education offered in Putney this summer

Unfortunately the teacher who has done drivers education classes at Compass in the past is not able to offer one this year. His name is John Tribuna, and he is offering a summer class in Putney. Follow this link for more information, and to register.  https://yankeedrivingschool.com/Putney.html

Give Back Where it Counts program at Shaw’s gives money to Compass!

For the month of March, if you buy a $3 reusable shopping bag at Shaw’s supermarket in Walpole, they will give $1 to Compass!

Upcoming Lunch Menu

Thu 3/5 Fajitas

Fri  3/6 Meatball subs

Mon 3/6 Chicken Alfredo

Tue 3/7 No School

Wed 3/8 Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Thu 3/9 Chinese Chicken

Fri  3/10 Pizza

What’s happening at Compass? (posted 2/26)

Upcoming Schedule at Compass

  • Monday Feb. 27-- no school-- in-service day

  • Feb. 28 - March 6 --  Winterm Service Learning. This is a special service learning project time. Each student works as part of a small team with a teacher coach on a community-based service project. Dismissal during Winterm is 2:15... study hall available until 4pm for those who want/need to stay, please alert the office.

  • Tuesday March 7-- Town Meeting Day-- no school

  • March 8— 4th Quarter Begins with regular class schedule

What’s happening at Compass (posted 2/7)

Upcoming Schedule at Compass

Thursday, Feb. 9 and 16 -- Winter Sports and Activities from 12:30 - 2:15pm. Click for details.

*** UPDATE: We have decided to cancel outdoor winter sports activities tomorrow (2/9) due to predicated rain, and icy conditions. We will have regular science and humanities classes after lunch tomorrow, with 2:15 dismissal as planned. *** Study Hall available until 4pm for those who want/need to stay (Please alert the office).

On Friday Feb. 10 -- School Dance from 5 - 7pm.

School Dismissal is at 2:15pm Only students on the Wellness Committee may stay between the end of school (2:15) and the dance (5:00) , or unless they have checked in ahead of time with Louise for permission to stay and help with the set-up.

Thursday Feb. 16 -- Bingo Night 6-8pm. Click for details.

Feb. 18-27 -- February Break, no school

Feb. 28 - March 6 -- Winterm Service Learning.

This is a special service learning project time. Each student works as part of a small team with a teacher coach on a community-based service project.

Dismissal during Winterm is 2:15pm. Study Hall available until 4pm for those who want/need to stay (Please alert the office).

Tuesday March 7 -- Town Meeting Day-- no school

March 8-- 4th -- Quarter Begins

Head of School Search Update

After 23 years at the Compass School, our wonderful director, Eric Rhomberg, is transitioning away from school leadership to focus on his first love, teaching. He will continue to guide the school throughout the 2022-23 school year and to work collaboratively with the Board and Staff in securing dynamic, new leadership and developing a smooth transition plan. To read Eric’s announcement to the school please click here.

In January, the Compass School’s Board of Directors kicked off a robust search for a new Head of School. A detailed description is found at https://www.compass-school.org/employment.

If you are interested in applying for the position, please prepare a resume, cover letter, and a statement of interest to the attention of Louise Hodson.

Meet the Head of School’s Search Committee

[Left to Right]

Christine Armiger, Vice President of the Compass Board of Directors

Louise Hodson, Co-Chair of the Search Committee

Ann Croxson, Co-Chair of the Search Committee

Gabe Allen-Fahlander, Teacher representative

Chloe Temple, Student representative

Cher Anderson (with Ladybug as mascot), School Chef & Former Compass Parent

If you have a recommendation for the position or if you have any questions, comments or feedback, please email the search committee at louise.hodson@compass-school.org and ann.croxson@compass-school.org.

Winter Sports are underway!

Winter Sports Thursdays began this week for Compass Students

Starting on January 12 and continuing on the Thursday afternoons Jan. 19 - Feb. 16, all students can participate in winter outdoor activities.

Activities will run 12:30-2:15 p.m. after regular morning classes and lunch. Options available include (conditions permitting) ice skating and snow play locally on the wetlands behind Allan Brothers and Harlow Farm, cross country skiing/snowshoeing, walking, sledding, and more to be determined.

Students will be able to choose their activity from the offerings each week. Dismissal on winter sports Thursdays will be at 2:15 p.m. with study hall available until 4 p.m. for those needing to stay at Compass passed dismissal. (Please let the office know ahead of time.)

Note on downhill skiing: We are still looking to coordinate downhill skiing outings for Winter Sports…More information to follow.

Bingo Nights are back! Join us every 3rd Thursday in January, February, & March.

The Compass School is hosting Bingo nights every third Thursday of the month from 6pm-8pm. The public is enthusiastically invited to come join the fun-- the more the merrier!

Each night will include 12 rounds. Admission is $2, and individual bingo cards are 50 cents a piece. The winner of each round wins half the money collected for that round! There will also be additional prizes, as well as refreshments.

The upcoming dates are Thursdays January 26th, February 16th, and March 16th, starting at 6pm.

All proceeds will benefit the Compass junior/senior class Global Connection trip to Spain. The Global Connections Program focuses on cultural immersion and international understanding.  It is an integral part of the junior class curriculum, inspiring students to broaden their horizons as global citizens. The Global Connections Program began in 2003 and since then Compass has had over 200 students travel to locations including the Mexico/Arizona border, India, Nicaragua, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Spain. 

The program also has a GOFUNDME if you wish to donate: https://gofund.me/70056f12

Bingo Night at Compass

Compass School is a state-approved independent school for grades 7-12. Information at www.compass-school.org.

A Personal Message from the Director

Dear Compass community,

I would like to take this opportunity to share some personal news and discuss strategic planning for Compass School’s future.

After 23 years at Compass, I have come to a place in my life journey where it is time (at the end of this school year) for me to retire from my work as director of the school. It has been an incredibly rich, nourishing journey with so many great relationships and inspiring stories of learning and growth. It is time for me to refocus the final years of my career in education on doing work in the role of teacher/professor/presenter/content-creator rather than as an executive director of a non-profit. Those who know me know that I absolutely love teaching and learning-- and that I sparkle most when I am engaged full time as a teacher/professor. It feels important to me to follow this direction for the final part of my career. 

Teaching and working at Compass has been a labor of love and a highlight of my life, and I’m so grateful I’ve had this opportunity. I share heartfelt thanks to the founders of Compass and to all the amazing and dedicated colleagues, students, families, board and community members that have made our school great.

We are beginning a job search for a new director for Compass. We have an outstanding veteran faculty and staff team which already engages in strong shared leadership, and we are actively looking at the structure of our responsibilities and leadership areas as we retool for 2023 and beyond. This is a great opportunity to look at our strengths and challenges within the present educational ecosystem and explore strategic initiatives to keep our school growing and vibrant. The pressures on today’s teens and families have been challenging to all, and we at Compass are proud of the responsive, integrated, supportive school environment we have created and maintained-- a school that truly teaches to the whole child and personalizes our approaches while building the importance of community. The need for schools like Compass is greater than ever, and it is exciting to dream of the ways we can enhance our leadership in the educational landscape.

There will be many more communications forthcoming about our leadership search and strategic planning, and ways that you can get involved and participate. As always, we will be best when we all participate in the work together of fostering our special school, and helping it to evolve and grow. Stay tuned for more specifics on how you can help.

Thanks again to everyone in our community past, present and future!

In gratitude, 

Eric Rhomberg
Director
Compass School
www.compass-school.org

Bingo Night on December 15 to Benefit the 11th and 12th grade trip to Spain

Yes, Bingo is ON! The snow looks like it will hold out for just long enough. Thursday Dec. 15th from 6 - 8 pm, we will be hosting our next Bingo night!

We had a great time last month-- and the more of you come, the merrier!

Invite your friends, neighbors, and colleagues-- all welcome. Come enjoy the fun, and even win some money! Food and drink will be available for purchase as well.

Proceeds support our global connections fund, helping our juniors and seniors travel to Spain.

A rigorous, relevant, and respectful learning community for grades 7 -12 in Westminster, Vermont.