Compass Family Update
April 4th, 2016
Upcoming Important Dates
Please mark your calendar with the following information:
Monday, April 4th, 2016
- Studio in a School Visual Arts Sessions for kindergarten and second grade
- Mark Morris Dance Sessions for first grade
Wednesday, April 6th, 2016
- 8:20AM: Please join us in the gym for Community Gathering
- 10:00AM: Compass Admissions Lottery for 2016-2017 School Year
- 7:00PM-8:00PM: FSC Leadership Board Meeting
Thursday, April 7th, 2016
- 8:30AM-10:00AM: Tour for Newly Accepted Families
- 2:30PM-3:30PM: Oak Class (First Grade) Carnival
- 5:00PM-6:30PM: Tour for Newly Accepted Families
Friday, April 8th, 2016
- Beech Class (Kindergarten) Field Trip to Brooklyn Grange
- 8:30AM-10:00AM: Tour for Newly Accepted Families
- 2:30PM-3:30PM: Oak Class (First Grade) Carnival
Saturday, May 7th, 2016
- 6:00PM-10:00PM: Compass Spring Fling and Silent Auction
FROM THE CO-DIRECTORS
School Uniforms and Footwear Reminder
Compass Shirts
Please remember to send your child to school each day in a Compass t-shirt. This is part of our school uniform. If you need to purchase more shirts, please contact the main office at gearshop@brooklyncompass.org. If you need assistance purchasing shirts for your child, please let us know and we will help you out.Footwear
Spring weather has arrived and our children are outside a lot! We go on many field trips, play outside daily, and spend a lot of time exploring the neighborhood. In order to keep our children's feet as safe (and comfy) as possible, please send your child to school in sneakers each day. We do not permit sandals or other open-toed shoes due to safety concerns. If you need help securing sneakers for your child, please reach out and we will open up our Community Closet for you.
Staffing Changes for 2016-2017 School Year
Now that conferences are complete, we have some news about next school year to share with all of you.
We have already filled Pascale's position and we are posting Amanda's position this week. We wanted to share this news with all of your before posting her position.
Letter from Amanda
Dear Compass Families,
It is with great sadness that I write this note to inform you that this summer I will be moving out of state due to my husband’s job and I will not be returning to Compass for next school year. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been a part of this remarkable community of children, families, and educators. Words can’t properly express my gratitude for the opportunity I received to develop relationships with so many of you and your children through my role as the school psychologist and my participation in the FSC.
For those of you who have children receiving counseling services or behavioral supports from me, I plan to work closely with the incoming staff members who will be taking over my roles next school year to ensure a seamless transition. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns about this transition as it pertains to your child (347-677-3243, amanda@brooklyncompass.org).
All the best,
Amanda
Staff Members Moving to Other Positions at Compass
Some of our returning staff members will be moving to other positions within our school community. Brian will go back to kindergarten next year to start another kindergarten-1st grade loop, all of the first grade teachers will loop up to first grade with their classes, Lorna is moving up to 3rd grade to help found our new grade, and Sivanne will be a support teacher working to help build our sustainability curriculum and to support in classes when teachers are absent or on leave. All of our current second grade teachers will remain in second grade and begin a new 2nd-3rd grade loop.
Coffee Cans, Oatmeal Canisters Needed
Parent Workshop: The Magic of Making Space as a Parent and Person (4/11/16)
Please join us for our next FSC parent workshop "The Magic of Making Space as a Parent and Person," led by Compass parent Dr. Meg Poe!
What:
The art of making space for ourselves can feel impossible, and yet it feeds directly into our creative life and our family's.Please join Dr. Meg Poe at Art Cafe + Bar for a talk & discussion over drinks on how to make space and why it is important.
Meg Poe is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst in private practice, and is professor of a class on love and connection at NYU.
When:
Monday, April 11 from 6:30-8:00 PMWhere:
Art Cafe + Bar (884 Pacific St, Brooklyn, NY 11238). Due to this workshop being held off-site, the FSC will not be able to provide childcare for this event.
Space is limited, so please sign up soon! Food and drink will be available for purchase. We hope to see you there!
Sign up for the workshop here: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/30E0C4BA5AE2EA1FD0-parent2
Please join us for the Compass Spring Fling and Silent Auction!
Join us for a fun night of live music and dinner to support the Compass Family-School Collaborative (FSC) at the first-ever Compass Charter School Spring Fling and Silent Auction!
Saturday, May 7th, 2016
6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Littlefield (622 Degraw Street, Brooklyn NY 11217)
Entertainment will include live jazz, soul, and country music from the talented Compass community, plus a great DJ!
Auction and Raffle items include:
- gift certificates to local camps, restaurants, arts, and sports programs
- outings with Compass teachers and staff
- museum memberships
- handmade items from members of our own Compass community
- a getaway weekend to the Catskills
- much much MORE!
Tickets can be purchased HERE for $40 per person. (Or $50 at the door, so buy now and save!)
Each ticket includes dinner (provided by the Solber Pupusas Food Truck) and one drink.
~~~All proceeds support Compass arts programming and after-school program scholarships.~~~
To learn more about this event or to purchase tickets, please visit: http://www.littlefieldnyc.com/event/1138563
We are hoping for 100% family participation for this event---if this cost is prohibitive, please contact Todd for a discounted or complimentary ticket.
This event is for adults only.
CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Info
Thank you to those of you who attended our CSA workshop on Friday afternoon! A number of people have signed up for veggie shares for this growing season. Please feel free to share with your friends and neighbors as we help to bring local produce to Brooklyn this summer. See below for more info for how to sign up.
Think you might be interested in having a local vegetable share this summer with pick-up right at Compass?
We are partnering with the 607 CSA for the growing season. Compass will be a pick up point for weekly or biweekly vegetable shares.
Click here to sign up. Choose Fort Greene/Compass Charter School as your pick up.
Please feel free to email anna@brooklyncompass.org with any questions you have. Anna knows one of the farmers and is helping to organize the CSA partnership.
*Please note. This is not a fundraiser. We are simply trying to bring more fresh produce to our community and connect with farmers. This is also in line with our mission of sustainability and community building. Tianna, one of the farmers, will also be leading workshops with some of our students this spring as we restart our Farm Stand (with support from Slow Food NYC).
Stay up to date with the Compass happenings with our new public calendar on our website!
Click here to see the public calendar. We recommend bookmarking this page.
Do you use Amazon? Please help support Compass with your everyday purchases!
If you are an Amazon user, please bookmark our affiliate link and use it to make you amazon purchases. We will receive between 6-8% of all purchases made using the link.
The link can be found on the FSC page on our website: http://brooklyncompass.org/family-school-collaborative/
Children's Book Donations
Please leave book donations next to Brooke's desk and we will add them to our library. Thank you!
Coffee With The Co-Directors
Bring your own coffee to the Meeting Room (Room 408) for an hour of conversation about our school. 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.
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 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.
Here are the Coffee with the Co-Directors dates for the remainder of the school year:
April 21st, 8:30AM
May 24th, 8:30AM
June 23rd, 8:30AM
Interesting Events and Articles
Healthy School Fund/Student Activity Fee for April
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!
This Week's Snack Menu
This week's snack menu is below.
Children with food allergies receive a different snack that is packaged separately from other foods. We do not serve food with nuts, but some of our snacks have gluten and/or dairy and alternatives are offered to children with allergies and sensitivities.
Breakfast and Lunch Menus
Here is the link to the breakfast and lunch menus:
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.
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