Compass Family Update
September 21st, 2015
Upcoming Important Dates
Please mark your calendars with the following information
Wednesday, 9/23: School Closed for Yom Kippur
Thursday, 9/24: School Closed for Eid al-Adha
Wednesday, 9/30: Compass Curriculum Night
10/1: School-wide Lice Check with Licenders
Saturday, 10/3: Compass Fall Arts Festival
Monday, 10/5: First day of Studio in a School Visual Arts Classes for Kindergarten and First Grade and first day of Mark Morris Dance Group Classes for Second Grade
Wednesday, 10/7: Families are invited to join us for our weekly Community Gathering in the gym from 8:20am until 9:00am on 10/7 and every Wednesday morning throughout the school year
Compass Curriculum Night
Please use the link below to RSVP:
Wednesday, Sep 30, 2015, 06:00 PM
Auditorium and Compass Classrooms
Fall Arts Festival
Here is the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1644256109166644/
If you are a Facebook user, please join the event on Facebook and share it with your networks. We would love to get lots of community members at the event. Thanks!
Saturday, Oct 3, 2015, 11:00 AM
Camel Park
Coffee With The Co-Directors
We invite you to join us as we continue Coffee with the Co-Directors as a monthly event.
The purpose of these conversations is to provide a space for parents and the Co-Directors to engage in purposeful dialogue surrounding our progressive, inquiry-based approach to education.
We invite you to submit questions and/or topics ahead of time to help guide our conversations. You may email questions directly to Brooke (brooke@brooklyncompass.org) or fill out a question form and drop it in the Inquiry Box outside the Co-Directors' Office.
We hope you will join us as often as your schedule allows. And, as always, please remember that our doors are always open. If you have immediate questions or concerns, please reach out to set up a meeting.
With gratitude,
Brooke, Michelle, and Todd
October Coffee with the Co-Directors
Friday, Oct 9, 2015, 08:30 AM
Compass Community Room
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
November Coffee with the Co-Directors
Thursday, Nov 5, 2015, 08:30 AM
Compass Community Room
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
December Coffee with the Co-Directors
Monday, Dec 14, 2015, 08:30 AM
Compass Community Room
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
School Updates and Information
Lunch Room Helpers
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Hello wonderful Compass Families!
Welcome back and hope everyone is settling into the school groove. Please sign up to help our little ones through the lunch line if you ever have daytime hours free, and stay through the following half hour recess period too!
- Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 12:50-1:30 pm
- Wednesdays, lunch is served from 10:10-10:45 am
Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:
1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/G7yNRR
2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot)
3. Sign up! Choose your spots - VolunteerSpot will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!
Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.
The more parents we have helping the better because it frees up staff to continue important school work. Maybe you can only come now and then, or perhaps you can commit to a specific day per week? Every little bit is so appreciated. Thanks!
Breakfast and Lunch Menus
You may choose to send a lunch from home or have your child eat school lunch. School lunch is free for children who qualify for free or reduced price lunch and costs $1.75. You do not need to inform us that your child will be eating school lunch. We charge families on a periodic basis throughout the school year.
Here is the link to the breakfast and lunch menu for this month:
http://www.schoolfoodnyc.org/public/PDF_Handler.ashx?t=mv&id=3608&name=K-8+Breakfast+Menu
Red Rabbit Snack Menu for this Week
Healthy School Fund/Student Activity Fee
Thank you to the families who have already contributed to our Healthy School Fund (formerly called the Student Activity Fee). Please see the info below.
The cost of our snack service along with a laundry service for our reusable rags and towels, and biannual lice checks is approximately $15-$20 a month per child. We kindly ask that you contribute to our Healthy School Fund/Student Activity Fund on a monthly or yearly basis. Please contribute what you can. If you are unable to contribute at this time, please let us know and we will support you. Your child will not be excluded. If you are able to sponsor another child for a month or the entire school year, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
How to Contribute to the Healthy School Fund
Electronic Way to Send Money: Thanks to a recommendation from two parents, we have found a free and easy way to transfer money from one account to another. We want to make it easy for you to make monthly payments for snacks, future t-shirt purchases, and whatever other costs that may come up. The application is similar to Paypal, only free and easier to use. It is called Square Cash (click on the left side of the webpage for a short video on how it works and enter your cell phone on the right to get a text giving you $1 and a link to get started). After you get the text, all you need to do is enter your debit card information, download the app and type your email address. You are now ready to make and receive payments. To send Compass money, press "Send", select an amount and send the money to Todd's email address (todd@brooklyncompass.org). "Cash" also allows you to receive money from others as well. It is an easy for you to pay a babysitter or for a friend to pay you back some money they owe you.
If you would like to know how you can set up a recurring, monthly payment from your Citibank or Chase account, email Todd.
Non-electronic way to contribute to our Healthy School Fund: If you are not able to use Square Cash or are not comfortable using an electronic system, please send cash or a check (Made to Compass Charter School) in an envelope with your child's name and Healthy School Fund on the front.
One last note:
When using Square Cash or a check, please write "Healthy School Fund" in the memo for our record keeping purposes.
Thank you!
Class Contact Lists
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rioqk0SuJgPr5Qv-UfKVfAqVzx7qs9So_YTwkLQuTNE/edit#gid=0
This list can be helpful for setting up class events and playdates. We will continue to update the list throughout the school year, so please reference it before planning class events.
Compass Listserv
Interested in volunteering at school?
We still have volunteer opportunities available. If you find yourself with some extra time in the coming weeks, we are in need of some help as we set up our Shared Library, work on the Community Room, and organize our new Materials Room. Please email Brooke (brooke@brooklyncompass.org) if you are able to help out.
Here are some tasks we need help with:
- Putting four IKEA bookshelves together (or even just one of them)
- Stamping new books for our Shared Library
- Organizing cooking materials in Community Room
- Organizing arts and classroom materials in The Materials Room
Thank you so much! We appreciate your help!
Compass Wish List
- Extra Rest Mats for Kindergarten Classrooms (This could be your child's rest mat from last year or one that is purchased and donated to a kindergarten child.)
- Crib Sheets (These fit perfectly on rest mats and we always need extras in case of accidents or forgotten blankets and sheets. These can be used or new.)
- Small Blankets (We always need extra blankets for sick children, to create cozy spaces in classrooms, and in case of forgotten rest blankets and sheets. These can be used or new.)
- Indoor Plants of All Shapes and Sizes (We are looking to add as many plants as possible to our school to provide a natural aesthetic and to improve the indoor air quality. We appreciate any plant donations from your own home, starts from plants from your home, or newly purchased plants.)
- Small Lamps or White Holiday Lights (Our teachers are are looking to add some soft light to their classrooms. If you have any small lamps or white holiday lights that you are not using, we would appreciate them.)
- Clean and Empty Spray Bottles (These can be from cleaning supplies you are finished using. We will reuse these bottles for our homemade Compass Cleaner to keep our classrooms and spaces clean throughout the school year.)
- Baskets of All Shapes and Sizes (We have a lot of things to store in our spaces. If you have any gently used woven baskets, we would appreciate them.)
Compass Charter School
Follow us on Instagram @brooklyn_compass
Feel free to reach out anytime with questions or to catch up. Our contact info is listed below.
Brooke Peters, Co-Director of Curriculum and Instruction
718-310-3588, extension 503
Michelle Healy, Co-Director of Curriculum and Instruction
718-310-3588, extension 504
Todd Sutler, Co-Director of Strategic Development
718-310-3588, extension 501
Email: info@brooklyncompass.org
Website: brooklyncompass.org
Location: 300 Adelphi Street, Brooklyn, NY, United States
Phone: (718) 310-3588
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CompassCharterSchool
Twitter: @compasscharter