Compass Family Update
November 16, 2015
Upcoming Important Dates
Please mark your calendar with the following information:
Tuesday, 11/17: Elm Class (Second Grade) Field Trip to Ditmas Park and thirdroot (This was rescheduled due to rain last week.)
Wednesday, 11/18, 8:20-9:00AM: Join us in the gym for Community Gathering
Wednesday, 11/18: 6:30-8:00PM: Parent Workshop: Parenting Support and Strategies
Thursday, 11/19: 12PM Dismissal for Family Conferences
- We will have lunch and recess.
Friday, 11/20: 12PM Dismissal for Family Conferences
- We will have lunch and recess.
Thursday, 12/3: Celebrate Compass Event at BRIC House
FROM THE CO-DIRECTORS
Fall Farm Stand on Wednesday!
We only have two more weeks of our Fall Farm Stand! We received a grant from Slow Food NYC for the second year in a row to make the Farm Stand possible. The second graders are starting the Farm Stand this fall and the first graders will help to run the stand in the spring.
All children will have a chance to visit the Farm Stand. You may choose to send money with your child or shop at the farm stand with your child at dismissal. We have a few plastic bags, but please send a reusable bag or extra plastic bags if you have them at home.
This week's Farm Stand Newsletter was send out yesterday. Click here for the link in case you missed it.
Volunteers needed for Celebrate Compass Event on 12/3
And, the moment you've all been waiting for! A chance to sign up to help out with the Celebrate Compass event on December 3rd at BRIC House. We'll need help with everything from setting up to breaking down and all sorts of things in between - if you don't see a time slot that works for you in the form below but you would like to help out, just let Liza and Corinne know and we'll put your help to good use (liza.vadnai@gmail.com & corinneamato@gmail.com). We want everyone to be able to enjoy the night, so all shifts are just a couple of hours.
And, don't forget to buy your tickets today, and invite your friends and loved ones - it's going to be a great evening. Thanks!
SAVE THE DATE FOR CELEBRATE COMPASS: December 3, 2015 @ BRIC HOUSE
You should have all received an invite to our 2nd annual fundraiser, Celebrate Compass. We’ll be back at the BRIC House for a second time this year, and we’ve got big things in the works. A few notes:
1. We still need volunteers for the event, especially with helping to solicit restaurants to donate food and helping out on the night of the event. Please email liza.vadnai@gmail.com if you are able to volunteer.
2. This is a community event - we want 100% participation. Above all, we want everyone there! There is a discount code for families if the price is a concern. Our goal is for EVERYONE to attend. If you want to purchase tickets at a discounted price, the code is: compassfamily
3. Please share the invite widely! Invite community supporters, family, friends that like a good party and anyone else that would feel good about supporting our school.
4. Buy your tickets here now and spread the word!
What We're Reading
Coffee With The Co-Directors
Thank you to the Compass parents who attended this month's 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
December Coffee with the Co-Directors
Monday, Dec 14, 2015, 08:30 AM
Compass Community Room
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Healthy School Fund/Student Activity Fee for November
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!
November Breakfast and Lunch Menus
Here is the link to the breakfast and lunch menus for this November 2015:
http://www.schoolfoodnyc.org/schoolfood/menusdailydisplay.aspx
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.
Red Rabbit Snack Menu for this Week
Please remember that all children with food allergies receive a special snack each day. It comes separately packaged and labeled and is not listed on the menu.
From the Family School Collaborative (FSC)
Interested in helping with FSC Fundraising?
We are seeking one more family member to join the FSC Leadership Board as a Fundraising Co-Chair. Please see the description below and email the FSC if you are interested (fsc@brooklyncompass.org). Thanks!
Parent Workshop: Parenting Support and Strategies
To sign up for this workshop and learn more visit: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/30E0C4BA5AE2EA1FD0-parent1
Wednesday, Nov 18, 2015, 06:30 PM
Compass Meeting Room (408)
Your Amazon Purchases Can Benefit Our School!
Here's the link to use when shopping on Amazon:
Please collect Box Tops for Education
Please continue to save Box Tops and our Coordinators will send in another shipment on March 1st. We're hoping our next collection can raise even more money for our Family School Collaborative Programming and Initiatives. Each Box Top is worth 10 cents and they quickly add up to real cash for our school! We have a goal of $50 for the next cycle. Can you help?
Please encourage your family to save Box Tops. We have found that grandparents love to collect Box Tops too!
There are collection jars in each classroom. Also, check out the new products that have Box Tops.
For more information on the Box Tops for Education program, including our school’s progress, visit www.BTFE.com. Participating products: http://www.boxtops4education.com/participating-products
If you have any questions, please contact the Coordinators:
- KAREN GOODWIN (Sophie in Maple) at KarenEriko@yahoo.com
- ROCIO CALZADILLA (Bruce in Elm) at calzadilla.r@hotmail.com
Your Target Purchases can now Benefit our School!
Now your everyday Target purchases can benefit Compass!
Go to target.com/tcoe to connect your Target REDcard to Compass Charter School through Target's Take Charge of Education program. The easiest way to search for Compass is by its ID: 154188. Once you've signed up, Compass will automatically receive 1% of every purchase you make with your REDcard at Target or target.com.
If you don't have a REDcard, the website will prompt you to apply for one. There are a lot of benefits aside from the 1% donation to Compass, including 5% off everything you buy, plus free shipping and extra time on returns.
It's an easy way for Compass to benefit from the shopping we'd be doing anyway! It's really easy to enroll and you should get a message like the one below once you are all signed up. Thanks!
If you have questions, please contact Oak mom, Lauren Kern (laurenkern1@gmail.com).
Compass is now participating in Terracycle!
Compass families,
We can now recycle our juice and snack squeeze pouches through Terracycle. Terracycle is a mailing program that will give us points towards how much weight in recyclables we send to them. Those points will then be redeemed for money that comes back to Compass.Look for the containers in the Community Room by the recycling bins. You can bring the juice
and snack pouches from home (any brand) or encourage your kids to keep them and not throw them away at lunch. Leave the straws in the juice pouches and the lids on the snack pouches.
There will be a bin for each and we ask that you please remember to close the lids after disposing!
With Terracycle the more we collect the more points we get!
Also, if any parent would like to help in mailing the pouches, please contact Kristy or Adrienne or if you have any questions:
Kristy kristy1977@gmail.com
or
Adrienne
Thanks!
Lunch Room Helpers
---------------------------
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!
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