Algebra I (Tue, Thu)
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 3, 2024
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Jen Hallworth
Grade Range: 7th-10th
Prerequisites: None
This is a complete course in high school Algebra I which will cover fundamental concepts in algebra and provide a solid foundation of mathematical literacy, problem solving, reasoning, and critical thinking skills that are necessary for the exploration of more advanced and rigorous topics in mathematics. This course is designed to emphasize the study of algebraic problem-solving with the incorporation of real-world applications. Topics in Algebra I include number systems, linear systems, rational numbers, complex numbers, exponents, roots, radicals, quadratic equations, polynomials, factoring, absolute values, ratios, and proportions. In addition, the course will cover solving and graphing systems of functions, linear equations, and inequalities. Students will explore these topics through class discussions, practice problems, and open-ended problem-solving.
Prerequisite: Students should have a solid foundation in pre-algebra topics in order to take this class. In addition, students should be capable of copying the sample problems and solutions worked in class on the white board to his/her own notes as examples for completing homework.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 3-4 hours per week outside of class to complete practice problems, homework, and assessments.
Assignments: The Canvas online class management system will be used to post assignments and scores. Students should have their own e-mail address to be set up users of the Canvas system. Parents can also be set up as Canvas guests/observers for purposes of tracking the student's progress and workload.
Assessments: In this class, the instructor will assess a student's progress by: checking that weekly homework sets are complete; spot-checking the full solution 1-2 select problems in class each week, and giving quarterly take-home tests. Points will also be awarded for class participation. Parents will be able to view accumulated points awarded in the class for purpose of determining a parent-awarded course grade. See the instructor's webpage for detailed homework and test policy, including late work and re-work.
Textbook: Students should purchase or rent the required textbook for this class: Algebra I: Expressions, Equations, and Applications by Paul A. Foerster. It is available in a few different editions, each of which is virtually identical: 2nd edition (ISBN-10 020125073X, ISBN-13 978-0201250732), 3rd edition (ISBN-10 0201860945, ISBN-13 978-0201860948), and Classic edition (ISBN-10 020132458X, ISBN-13 978-0201324587). It is also available under the title Foerster Algebra I, Classics edition (ISBN-10 0131657089, ISBN-13 978-0131657083). A calculator is not needed for this course.
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a complete credit in Algebra I for purposes of a high school transcript.
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences: Lecture (On-Level or Honors)
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 3, 2024
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Sandy Preaux
Grade Range: 9th-12th
Prerequisites: None
This is a place-holder for the Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences lecture. Students should register for the Atmospheric & Oceanic Science Lab, which will automatically enroll them in both class sections.
Calculus (Honors or AP A/B)
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 3, 2024
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: David Chelf
Grade Range: 11th-12th
Prerequisites: None
This is a complete course in high school Calculus which will cover fundamental concepts and provide a solid foundation of mathematical literacy, problem solving, reasoning, and critical thinking skills that are necessary for the exploration of more advanced and rigorous topics in mathematics. Topics in Calculus include limits of functions (one-sided and two-sided limits, limits at infinity and infinite limits, limits of sequences, and continuity of functions), derivatives (various definitions of derivatives, estimating derivatives from tables and graphs, rules of differentiation, properties of derivatives, separable differential equations, and the Mean Value Theorem), applications of derivatives (related rates, optimization, and exponential growth and decay models), integrals (basic techniques of integration including basic antiderivatives and substitution), applications of integrals (in finding areas and volumes, describing motion, and as accumulation functions), and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. Students will explore these topics through class discussions, practice problems, and open-ended problem-solving.
Prerequisite: Students should have a solid foundation in PreCalculus in order to take this class.
Level: This course is offered at two levels, Honors and Advanced Placement (AP). The scope and sequence are identical, however AP students may have additional practice problems. Students who wish to take the AP exam must register and pay for their own exam through the College Board in fall 2024 for the May 2025 exam.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 1-1.5 hours per day on reading, review, and homework on most non-class days. Homework assignments will run on a 7-day cycle, with assignments posted on Thursdays and due the following Thursday. Students are advised to start homework once it is assigned (i.e., not wait until the night before it is due). Weekly homework assignments will be of a length that a student should be able to complete them in two or three at-home work sessions. Solutions will be provided for some homework problems, but students are expected to show all steps of their work.
Assignments: The Canvas online class management system will be used to post assignments and scores. Students should have their own e-mail address in order to be set up as users of the Canvas system. Parents can also be set up as Canvas guests/observers for purposes of tracking the student's progress and workload.
Assessments: Student progress will be assessed by: (1) The instructor checking that weekly homework sets are attempted and complete and (2) detailed grading of periodic take-home tests. Parents will be able to view accumulated points awarded in the class for the purpose of determining a parent-awarded course grade. See the instructor's webpage for detailed homework and test policy, including late work and re-work.
Textbook: Students should purchase or rent the required textbook for this class: Calculus: Single Variable/Early Transcendentals, 8th edition by James Stewart (ISBN-13 9781305270336). A scientific calculator similar to the Casio fx-115ES PLUS is required for this class, and it is highly recommended that students preparing for the AP exam have a graphing calculator similar to the TI-83. Students without a graphing calculator must have access to desmos.com and/or wolframalpha.com for graphing assignments.
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a complete credit in Calculus for purposes of a high school transcript.
Chemistry: Lecture (On-Level or Honors)
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 3, 2024
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Karen Shumway
Grade Range: 10th-12th
Prerequisites: Algebra I
This is a place-holder for the Chemistry lecture. Students should register for the Chemistry Lab, which will automatically enroll them in both class sections.
Pre-Algebra
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 3, 2024
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Jen Hallworth
Grade Range: 7th-9th
Prerequisites: None
This is a complete course in Pre-Algebra that will provide an introduction to basic algebra concepts and a review of arithmetic algorithms with an emphasis on problem solving. The major topics covered in this course are Numbers and Operations, Expressions and Properties, Equations and Inequalities, Functional Relationships and Ratios, Percent and Proportions. Students will learn to use formulas to solve a variety of math problems encompassing geometry, measurement probability, and statistics. Students will also be applying their learning to real life scenarios to solve problems.
Prerequisites: Students must be fluent in the four basic operations- addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. They will need to show proficiency and have a thorough command of basic computation. In addition, a basic, introductory understanding and ability to work with fractions and decimals is required to solve equations and simplify expressions. If you are unsure about your child's readiness for this class, the instructor will recommend one or more practice platforms and/or assessments to confirm placement.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 3-4 hours per week outside of class to complete practice problems, homework, and assessments.
Assignments: All assignments will be posted on password-protected Canvas classroom management site. There, students access assignments, upload homework, link to quizzes and tests, track grades, and message the instructor and classmates.
Assessments: All chapter tests will be taken outside of class with parental oversight to maximize in-class instructional time. Points will be assigned for completed homework, quizzes, and tests. A letter grade will not be assigned, but parents can use total points earned versus total points offered to assign a grade for purposes of a homeschool transcript. Parents can view total points earned at any time through the Canvas site. See the instructor's webpage for detailed homework and test policy, including late work and re-work.
Textbook: The selected textbook is available free online, and a link will be posted on Canvas. Students who prefer a hard copy textbook may purchase or rent McDougall Littell's Pre-Algebra (ISBN #978-0618250035). As an alternative, for any student who struggles with reading, the textbook can be purchased as an audio CD (ISBN #978-0618478828).
What to Bring: TI-34 calculator
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in Mathematics for purposes of a high school transcript.
Preparation for Pre-Algebra
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 3, 2024
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Jen Hallworth
Grade Range: 6th-7th
Prerequisites: None
Preparation for Pre-Algebra is a year-long curriculum that will teach the fundamentals a student must master before embarking pre-algebra, algebra, and beyond. The class will review arithmetic skills, operations, and number theory. Key topics include fractions, rates, ratios, decimals, and percentages. Students will learn the computational operations of adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions and decimals. They will learn what decimals stand for, how they relate to fractions, and how to convert between the two. They will discover how rates and ratios are also fractions. Students will learn how to work with negative numbers including strategies for completing all four common operations with negative numbers. The class will also cover exponents and orders of magnitude to make sense of really small and really big numbers and common operations.
This class will also emphasize real world applications of the mathematical concepts through word problems so students become comfortable switching between prose (written descriptions) and mathematical representation (numbers, symbols) of real world examples such as money, mileage, weights, percentages, and scientific measures.
Prerequisites: This course can be considered a pre-pre-algebra class that will teach the core concepts typically covered in later elementary school/early middle school after a general arithmetic curriculum and before pre-algebra. While different curriculums and student pacing will vary, this class would be appropriate for a student who has successfully covered long division, multiplication of multiple digit numbers, and an introduction to simple fractions and who has complete mastery of multiplication facts, skills often aligned with 5th grade mathematics.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 3-4 hours per week outside of class to complete practice problems, homework, and assessments.
Assignments: The Canvas online class management system will be used to post assignments and scores. Students should have their own e-mail address to be set up users of the Canvas system. Parents can also be set up as Canvas guests/observers for purposes of tracking the student's progress and workload.
Assessments: In this class, the instructor will assess a student's progress by: checking that weekly homework sets are complete; spot-checking the full solution 1-2 select problems in class each week, and giving quarterly take-home tests. Points will also be awarded for class participation. Parents will be able to view accumulated points awarded in the class for purpose of determining a parent-awarded course grade.
Textbook: Students should rent of purchase the class text: EP Math 5/6 Workbook (ISBN# 979-8643323693).
Private Tutoring: Practical Math for Real Life
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 3, 2024
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: David Chelf
Grade Range: 10th-12th
Prerequisites: None
Financing a motorcycle, buying your first car, comparing lease options on an apartment, understanding your paycheck, and selecting insurance. These are all real-life scenarios that young adults will face within the first five years of graduating high school, if not sooner. These choices and others are an inevitable part of "adulting" and require a solid understanding of essential math skills.
This course will work through practical, real-life situations and will review the math skills needed to make informed choices. Often called "Consumer Math," this course will review arithmetic concepts such as decimals, fractions, discounts, rates, ratios, proportions, rounding, simple interest, estimating, and measurements. However, instead of working math problems in abstract exercises, students will revisit these concepts in the context of scenarios they will encounter in everyday life.
What is a better deal: an extra 15% off the already discounted sales price of 30% off or Buy One, Get One free? Students will be able to use/apply arithmetic concepts to common scenarios to make informed consumer choices. Course themes include:
- Banking and Checking Accounts including balancing a checkbook (on paper and spreadsheet), understanding fees, and interest.
- Saving and Investing including how money grows, simple and compounding interest, overview of how stocks, bonds, savings accounts, and CDs work, and discussion on personal emergency fund.
- Credit Cards including fees, minimum payments, interest, what happens when the balance is not paid off, and a look at consumer credit scores.
- Measurement/Metric System/Unit Conversion including a review of what units are used for what items in imperial and metric systems, common ballparks and estimates, mathematical methods to convert and compare units, and the use of apps to make conversions.
- Sales/Discounts by looking at examples to compare various promotions and to calculate which is a better deal.
- Wages/Income including calculating weekly or bi-weekly or annual pay from a rate, estimate payroll withholdings as percentages, look at hour overtime affects earnings, commissions, and a survey of the salaries and hourly rates for variety of jobs teens and young adults might have.
- Pricing and Cost including sales taxes and how goods and services are priced and what mark-ups should be considered- useful for those wanting to have their own business.
- Rent/Mortgages For rentals, understand application fees, security deposits, and pre-paid amounts, monthly rate and what is included, and term of lease and make comparison among options. For purchases: understand how mortgages vary based on down payment, term, and interest rate. Students will look at cost of homes in their area and practice using online calculators to adjust down payment, term, interest rate, and homeowners' insurance affect monthly payment, and they will look briefly at how the amount paid towards principle and interest (P/I) change over time.
- Types of Insurance including auto, health, and hazard insurance. What is required, what is recommended, and how much do they cost? Understanding option such as employer-paid v. self-pay; private insurance v. ACA marketplace policy; and terminology such as co-pay, co-insurance, deductible, out-of-pocket maximum, etc.
- Loans- Auto/Student/Personal/Consumer (such as furniture) including understanding how down payment, term, and interest rate affect your monthly payment and what it means to have "no interest for 12 months" or "zero down."
- Automobiles including the cost of warranties and what they cover, the costs of owning and operating a vehicle, fuel efficiency, and the metrics of EVs.
- Budgeting including a personal plan given assumed career/average salary, and all anticipated expenses (housing, utilities, transportation, food, insurance, medical, clothing, entertainment).
Prerequisites: Pre-Algebra
Workload: Students should expect to spend 1-1.5 hours per day on reading, review, and homework on most non-class days. Homework assignments will run on a 7-day cycle, with assignments posted on Thursdays and due the following Thursday. Students are advised to start homework once it is assigned (i.e., not wait until the night before it is due). Weekly homework assignments will be of a length that a student should be able to complete them in two or three at-home work sessions. Solutions will be provided for some homework problems, but students are expected to show all steps of their work.
Assignments: The Canvas online class management system will be used to post assignments and scores. Students should have their own e-mail address in order to be set up as users of the Canvas system. Parents can also be set up as Canvas guests/observers for purposes of tracking the student's progress and workload.
Assessments: Student progress will be assessed by: (1) The instructor checking that weekly homework sets are attempted and complete and (2) detailed grading of periodic take-home tests. Parents will be able to view accumulated points awarded in the class for the purpose of determining a parent-awarded course grade. See the instructor's webpage for detailed homework and test policy, including late work and re-work.
Textbook/Materials: Students should purchase or rent Mathematics for Business and Personal Finance,by McGraw Hill Publishers, 1st Edition (ISBN-13: 978-0078805059) [race cars on cover]
What to Bring: Notebook or paper, pen or pencil, textbook and/or workbook. From time to time the instructor may ask students to bring a smart phone (for apps) or laptop for in-class investigation.
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as full credit in Mathematics or Personal Finance for purposes of a high school transcript.
Probability & Statistics (On-Level or Honors)
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 3, 2024
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: David Chelf
Grade Range: 11th-12th
Prerequisites: None
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million. 77% of teens ages 12-17 have cell phones. One out of every two youth voters cast a ballot in 2020. From election polls to stock market data and weather reports to medical test results, statistics and probability are all around us. They are quoted in the podcasts we listen to, the news we watch, and the textbooks and articles we read. Statistics and probability are used in almost every field of study and career for forecasting, decision making, and tracking progress. In 2021-22, the government will release a tsunami of 2020 census statistics about our country's population. (Coincidentally, the odds of a tsunami hitting the east coast- less than the Powerball win.) But statistics and probability are also often misused, misquoted or incorrectly applied, so having a solid understanding of what these numbers represent will help make teens informed consumers and decision-makers.
This course will explore the collection and analysis of data, inferences and conclusions, and the use of this information. Themes include relationships between variables, gathering data, interpreting categorical versus quantitative data. The class will also cover sample surveys, experiments, and observational studies and evaluate randomness and probability. Finally, students will learn about making inferences, justifying conclusions, and using probability to make decisions.
Prerequisite: Students should have a solid foundation in Algebra I and Geometry in order to take this class. It is an ideal class for a student who needs an additional credit in high school math, but who may not wish to pursue more advanced mathematics courses such as Algebra II and Pre-Calculus.
Levels: The course provides a substantive, full-credit experience on either an Honors or On-Level track. All class members share core material and participate in the same class lectures. Honors students will receive additional, more challenging problems. Students register online for the same course but must indicate which level they wish to follow by the first day of class. Students may move down a level (from Honors to On-Level) at any time.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 1-1.5 hours per day on reading, review, and homework on most non-class days. Homework assignments will run on a 7-day cycle, with assignments posted on Thursdays and due the following Thursday. Students are advised to start homework once it is assigned (i.e., not wait until the night before it is due). Weekly homework assignments will be of a length that a student should be able to complete them in two or three at-home work sessions. Solutions will be provided for some homework problems, but students are expected to show all steps of their work.
Assignments: The Canvas online class management system will be used to post assignments and scores. Students should have their own e-mail address in order to be set up as users of the Canvas system. Parents can also be set up as Canvas guests/observers for purposes of tracking the student's progress and workload.
Assessments: Student progress will be assessed by: (1) The instructor checking that weekly homework sets are attempted and complete and (2) detailed grading of periodic take-home tests. Parents will be able to view accumulated points awarded in the class for the purpose of determining a parent-awarded course grade. See the instructor's webpage for detailed homework and test policy, including late work and re-work.
Textbook: The required textbook for this class is "Stats In Your World" 1st edition by David E. Bock (ISBN-13: 978-0131384897).
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a complete credit in Probability & Statistics for purposes of a high school transcript.
Rhetoric and Reasoning through Written Works: A Course in Critical Thinking
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 3, 2024
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Christina Somerville
Grade Range: 9th-12th
Prerequisites: None
According to Aristotle, "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." In this year-long course, high school students will practice strategies to improve their reading comprehension for deeper understanding through critical thinking. They will also improve their ability to argue and persuade in writing.
Using texts on argumentation and rhetoric by Ward Farnsworth, students will learn how to read carefully, define terms, spot logical fallacies, and construct clear, logically compelling, persuasive arguments. The class will be introduced to terminology and techniques in the formal disciplines of logic and rhetoric.
In the first semester, the class will focus on internal skills: how to understand and evaluate arguments according to logical reasoning and critical thinking. In the second semester, the group will focus on external skills: how to build and communicate arguments that are both compelling and persuasive.
Class reading selections will include selections from Farnsworth's books Classical English Argument and Classical English Rhetoric, as well as selections from famous speeches. The class may draw from history, literature, law, political theory, religion, contemporary topics, and comparative worldviews.
Prerequisites: Students must read at grade level for this course.
Textbooks: Students should purchase or rent Farnsworth's Classical English Rhetoric by Ward Farnsworth (ISBN: 978-1567923858) and Farnsworth's Classical English Argument by Ward Farnsworth (ISBN: 978-1567927986)
Workload: Students should expect to spend 3 hours per week outside of class. Reading assignments will not be especially long, but students will be expected to read thoroughly and carefully.
Assignments: Will be posted on a Google Classroom site for students and parents to access.
Assessments: Papers and assignments will be evaluated and scored which are treated as grade recommendations to parents.
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as full credit in English for purposes of a high school transcript.
AP Literature and Composition (World Literature)
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 4, 2024
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Anne Taranto
Grade Range: 11th-12th
Prerequisites: American Literature or equivalent
This is a full-credit high school English course taught at the AP level to prepare students for college level reading, analysis, and academic writing. The course features selections from World Literature and will prepare students for the AP Literature and Composition examination. The course will broaden a student's critical reading and textual analysis skills by challenging them to think and write more comprehensively about World Literature.
In this course, students will read and respond in writing to fiction works, non-fiction texts, and poetry. The analytical method will focus on both rhetorical context (subject, purpose and audience) and the six "Big Ideas" of the AP course include: Character, Setting, Structure, Narration, Figurative, Language, and Literary Argumentation. Other objectives from the AP curriculum include reading a text closely and drawing conclusions from details; identifying the techniques used by an author and their effects; developing an interpretation of a text; making an argument for it in writing; and supporting that argument with compelling textural evidence.
Literature: Featured literature will include: Antigone by Sophocles (441- Greece); Othello by William Shakespeare (1603- England); Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (1847- England); The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (1899-Poland); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (1915-Germany); Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (1958- Nigeria); and The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (1989- Japan). Remains of the Day is summer reading.
Composition: An essential component of this course will analytical writing. Students in this class should have mastered the basics of academic writing, such as constructing a thesis statement that makes an argument and organizing their thoughts through effective topic sentences and transition statements. This class will deepen students' textual analysis skills with a focus on developing rhetorical analysis, the study of how a text makes meaning. Over the course of the year, students will develop familiarity with a variety of writing styles and forms including rhetorical analysis, literary analysis, critical response, and close reading.
Prerequisites: Students taking this class should have taken American Literature at Compass or received permission of the Instructor to enroll at the AP level. Students are expected to take an active role in discussion and complete all writing assignments.
Schedule/Format: There are two weekly meetings: (1) Mondays from 2:00 pm-2:55 pm online in a synchronous virtual classroom and (2) Wednesdays from 2:00 pm- 2:55 pm in person. A physical meeting room will be designated for on-campus students who have classes immediately before or after the virtual session.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 4-6 hours per week outside of class.
Assignments: All assignments will be posted in a Google Classroom management site. Students will need their own gmail accounts to access Google Classroom.
Assessments: Students' written assignments will be evaluated using a rubric and assigned points that the homeschool parent can use when assigning an overall class grade.
About AP: "AP" is a trademark of the College Board, which owns and designs the course outline and "audits" (i.e. approves) high school instructors who employ their expertise and creativity to deliver the college freshman-level content. The College Board's complete AP Literature and Composition program can be read HERE, and the instructor AP Course Audit Approval form can be viewed HERE.
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-english-literature-and-composition-course-and-exam-description.pdf
AP Fees: The fee for the College Board's AP Literature and Composition exam in May 2025 is not included. Each family is responsible for scheduling and paying for their student's AP exam.
Textbook/Materials: Because students will need clean, inexpensive copies of each novel to mark in, and they must be able to refer to the passages on the same page numbers, copies of mass market paperbacks will be pre-purchased and bundled for students. (See Supply Fee below).
Supply Fee: A class fee of $64.00 is due payable to Compass on the first day of class for the class bundle of novels.
What to Bring: Students should bring the current literature, paper, pen or pencil and highlighter to class each week. Some students may wish to bring paper clips, adhesive flags or post-it notes for marking passages/pages.
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in English for purposes of a high school transcript.
Integrated Middle School Science (11am)
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 4, 2024
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Manal Hussein
Grade Range: 7th-8th
Prerequisites: None
This year-long, hands-on science course is a survey of key concepts in the fields of Life Science, Physical Science, and Earth Science which will give 7th and 8th grade students the fundamentals they need to tackle high school-level Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Environmental Science. Topics covered in this course will not only provide a foundation for higher level science, but will also boost the student's confidence and fluency in discussing scientific issues, applying scientific terminology, and using scientific equipment. Content covered in this course will also enable a teen to become a more educated reader and consumer of scientific news and information.
General life science themes include life cycles, food webs, scientific classification, cell structure, and human body systems. Topics in chemistry include states of matter, atomic structure, elements and the Periodic Table, and chemical reactions and solutions. Themes in physics include motion, position, speed and acceleration, weight (mass), gravity, friction, buoyancy and density, and electricity and magnetism. The earth science unit will cover the rock cycle, minerals, rocks, fossils, weathering and erosion.
In this class, students will learn about the principles of scientific investigations and engineering practices, the Scientific Method, and preparation of formal lab reports. They will practice taking measurements, recording data, converting units of measure, and related mathematical concepts such as significant figures, International System of Units, scientific notation, graphs, and data analysis. Students will learn how to provide evidence to support explanations and solutions for their investigations.
This class is appropriate for a tween or teen who has had limited middle school level science and who wants to prepare for high school science. In general, a topic will be discussed one week and then the corresponding lab or activity will be performed in class the following week. Microscope work will be used in some life science labs.
Meeting Dates: This is a 29-week course that will not meet during the week of May 23-16, 2025.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 1-2 hours per week outside of class on reading and homework assignments.
Assignments: All class announcements and assignments will be communicated via a Google Classroom.
Assessments: Informal, qualitative and constructive feedback will be given on submitted assignments. A quantitative score/grade will not be provided.
Textbook: Students should purchase Everything You Need to Ace Science in One Big Fat Notebook: The Complete Middle School Study Guide by Workman Publishing (ISBN # 978-0761160953)
Materials: Students should bring the following supplies to each class: colored pencils, glue stick, pens or pencils to write with, and a ruler.
Lab/Supply Fee: A lab fee of $100.00 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class.
Credit: This course is not recommended as a high school credit.
Integrated Middle School Science (12pm)
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 4, 2024
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Manal Hussein
Grade Range: 7th-8th
Prerequisites: None
This year-long, hands-on science course is a survey of key concepts in the fields of Life Science, Physical Science, and Earth Science which will give 7th and 8th grade students the fundamentals they need to tackle high school-level Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Environmental Science. Topics covered in this course will not only provide a foundation for higher level science, but will also boost the student's confidence and fluency in discussing scientific issues, applying scientific terminology, and using scientific equipment. Content covered in this course will also enable a teen to become a more educated reader and consumer of scientific news and information.
General life science themes include life cycles, food webs, scientific classification, cell structure, and human body systems. Topics in chemistry include states of matter, atomic structure, elements and the Periodic Table, and chemical reactions and solutions. Themes in physics include motion, position, speed and acceleration, weight (mass), gravity, friction, buoyancy and density, and electricity and magnetism. The earth science unit will cover the rock cycle, minerals, rocks, fossils, weathering and erosion.
In this class, students will learn about the principles of scientific investigations and engineering practices, the Scientific Method, and preparation of formal lab reports. They will practice taking measurements, recording data, converting units of measure, and related mathematical concepts such as significant figures, International System of Units, scientific notation, graphs, and data analysis. Students will learn how to provide evidence to support explanations and solutions for their investigations.
This class is appropriate for a tween or teen who has had limited middle school level science and who wants to prepare for high school science. In general, a topic will be discussed one week and then the corresponding lab or activity will be performed in class the following week.
Meeting Dates: This is a 29-week course that will not meet during the week of May 23-16, 2025.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 1-2 hours per week outside of class on reading and homework assignments.
Assignments: All class announcements and assignments will be communicated via a Google Classroom.
Assessments: Informal, qualitative and constructive feedback will be given on submitted assignments. A quantitative score/grade will not be provided.
Textbook: Students should purchase Everything You Need to Ace Science in One Big Fat Notebook: The Complete Middle School Study Guide by Workman Publishing (ISBN # 978-0761160953)
Materials: Students should bring the following supplies to each class: colored pencils, glue stick, pens or pencils to write with, and a ruler.
Lab/Supply Fee: A lab fee of $100.00 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class.
Credit: This course is not recommended as a high school credit.
Algebra I (Mon, Thu)
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 5, 2024
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: David Chelf
Grade Range: 7th-10th
Prerequisites: None
This is a complete course in high school Algebra I which will cover fundamental concepts in algebra and provide a solid foundation of mathematical literacy, problem solving, reasoning, and critical thinking skills that are necessary for the exploration of more advanced and rigorous topics in mathematics. This course is designed to emphasize the study of algebraic problem-solving with the incorporation of real-world applications. Topics in Algebra I include number systems, linear systems, rational numbers, complex numbers, exponents, roots, radicals, quadratic equations, polynomials, factoring, absolute values, ratios, and proportions. In addition, the course will cover solving and graphing systems of functions, linear equations, and inequalities. Students will explore these topics through class discussions, practice problems, and open-ended problem-solving.
Prerequisite: Students should have a solid foundation in pre-algebra topics in order to take this class. In addition, students should be capable of copying the sample problems and solutions worked in class on the white board to his/her own notes as examples for completing homework.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 1-1.5 hours per day on reading, review, and homework on most non-class days. Homework assignments will run on a 7-day cycle, with assignments posted on Thursdays and due the following Thursday. Students are advised to start homework once it is assigned (i.e., not wait until the night before it is due). Weekly homework assignments will be of a length that a student should be able to complete them in two or three at-home work sessions. Solutions will be provided for some homework problems, but students are expected to show all steps of their work.
Assignments: The Canvas online class management system will be used to post assignments and scores. Students should have their own e-mail address in order to be set up as users of the Canvas system. Parents can also be set up as Canvas guests/observers for purposes of tracking the student's progress and workload.
Assessments: Student progress will be assessed by: (1) The instructor checking that weekly homework sets are attempted and complete and (2) detailed grading of periodic take-home tests. Parents will be able to view accumulated points awarded in the class for the purpose of determining a parent-awarded course grade. See the instructor's webpage for detailed homework and test policy, including late work and re-work.
Textbook: Students should purchase or rent the required textbook for this class: Algebra I: Expressions, Equations, and Applications by Paul A. Foerster. It is available in a few different editions, each of which is virtually identical: 2nd edition (ISBN-10 020125073X, ISBN-13 978-0201250732), 3rd edition (ISBN-10 0201860945, ISBN-13 978-0201860948), and Classic edition (ISBN-10 020132458X, ISBN-13 978-0201324587). It is also available under the title Foerster Algebra I, Classics edition (ISBN-10 0131657089, ISBN-13 978-0131657083). A calculator is not needed for this course.
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a complete credit in Algebra I for purposes of a high school transcript.
Algebra II
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 5, 2024
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: David Chelf
Grade Range: 10th-12th
Prerequisites: None
This is a complete course in high school Algebra II which will cover fundamental concepts and provide a solid foundation of mathematical literacy, problem solving, reasoning, and critical thinking skills that are necessary for the exploration of more advanced and rigorous topics in mathematics. Topics in Algebra II include linear functions, systems of equations and inequalities, quadratic functions and complex numbers, exponential and logarithmic functions, rational and irrational algebraic functions, and quadratic relations and systems. In addition, this course will cover higher degree functions with complex numbers, sequences and series, probability, data analysis, and trigonometric and circular functions. Students will explore these topics through class discussions, practice problems, and open-ended problem solving.
Prerequisite: Students should have a solid foundation Algebra I in order to take this class.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 1-1.5 hours per day on reading, review, and homework on most non-class days. Homework assignments will run on a 7-day cycle, with assignments posted on Thursdays and due the following Thursday. Students are advised to start homework once it is assigned (i.e., not wait until the night before it is due). Weekly homework assignments will be of a length that a student should be able to complete them in two or three at-home work sessions. Solutions will be provided for some homework problems, but students are expected to show all steps of their work.
Assignments: The Canvas online class management system will be used to post assignments and scores. Students should have their own e-mail address in order to be set up as users of the Canvas system. Parents can also be set up as Canvas guests/observers for purposes of tracking the student's progress and workload.
Assessments: Student progress will be assessed by: (1) The instructor checking that weekly homework sets are attempted and complete and (2) detailed grading of periodic take-home tests. Parents will be able to view accumulated points awarded in the class for the purpose of determining a parent-awarded course grade. See the instructor's webpage for detailed homework and test policy, including late work and re-work.
Textbook: Students should purchase or rent the required textbook for this class: Algebra and Trigonometry: Functions and Applications- Prentice Hall Classics (ISBN-10 0131657100, ISBN-13 978-0131657106). A scientific calculator similar to the Casio fx-115ES PLUS is required for this class.
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a complete credit in Algebra II for purposes of a high school transcript.
Geometry
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 5, 2024
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: David Chelf
Grade Range: 8th-11th
Prerequisites: None
This is a complete course in high school Geometry which will cover fundamental concepts and provide a solid foundation of mathematical literacy, problem solving, reasoning, and critical thinking skills that are necessary for the exploration of more advanced and rigorous topics in mathematics. Students will learn deductive reasoning, and logic by completing geometric proofs. Topics in geometry include: lines, angles, congruence, concurrence, inequalities, parallel lines, quadrilaterals, transformations, area, similarity, right triangles, circles, regular polygons, and geometric solids. Students will explore these topics through class discussions, practice problems, and open-ended problem solving.
Prerequisite: Students should have a solid foundation in Algebra I in order to take this class.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 1-1.5 hours per day on reading, review, and homework on most non-class days. Homework assignments will run on a 7-day cycle, with assignments posted on Thursdays and due the following Thursday. Students are advised to start homework once it is assigned (i.e., not wait until the night before it is due). Weekly homework assignments will be of a length that a student should be able to complete them in two or three at-home work sessions. Solutions will be provided for some homework problems, but students are expected to show all steps of their work.
Assignments: The Canvas online class management system will be used to post assignments and scores. Students should have their own e-mail address in order to be set up as users of the Canvas system. Parents can also be set up as Canvas guests/observers for purposes of tracking the student's progress and workload.
Assessments: Student progress will be assessed by: (1) The instructor checking that weekly homework sets are attempted and complete and (2) detailed grading of periodic take-home tests. Parents will be able to view accumulated points awarded in the class for the purpose of determining a parent-awarded course grade. See the instructor's webpage for detailed homework and test policy, including late work and re-work.
Textbook: Students should purchase or rent the required textbook for this class: Geometry: Seeing, Doing, Understanding, 3rd edition (ISBN-10 0716743612, ISBN-13 978-0716743613) A calculator is not needed for this course.
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a complete credit in Geometry for purposes of a high school transcript.
Precalculus with Trigonometry
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 5, 2024
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: David Chelf
Grade Range: 10th-12th
Prerequisites: None
This is a complete course in high school PreCalculus which will cover fundamental concepts and provide a solid foundation of mathematical literacy, problem solving, reasoning, and critical thinking skills that are necessary for the exploration of more advanced and rigorous topics in mathematics. Topics in Precalculus include functions: polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric (right angle and unit circle). In addition, the course will cover polar coordinates, parametric equations, analytic trigonometry, vectors, systems of equations/inequalities, conic sections, sequences, and series. Students will explore these topics through class discussions, practice problems, and open-ended problem solving.
Prerequisite: Students should have a solid foundation Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry in order to take this class.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 1-1.5 hours per day on reading, review, and homework on most non-class days. Homework assignments will run on a 7-day cycle, with assignments posted on Thursdays and due the following Thursday. Students are advised to start homework once it is assigned (i.e., not wait until the night before it is due). Weekly homework assignments will be of a length that a student should be able to complete them in two or three at-home work sessions. Solutions will be provided for some homework problems, but students are expected to show all steps of their work.
Assignments: The Canvas online class management system will be used to post assignments and scores. Students should have their own e-mail address in order to be set up as users of the Canvas system. Parents can also be set up as Canvas guests/observers for purposes of tracking the student's progress and workload.
Assessments: Student progress will be assessed by: (1) The instructor checking that weekly homework sets are attempted and complete and (2) detailed grading of periodic take-home tests. Parents will be able to view accumulated points awarded in the class for the purpose of determining a parent-awarded course grade. See the instructor's webpage for detailed homework and test policy, including late work and re-work.
Textbook: Students should purchase or rent the required textbook for this class: Precalculus: Mathematics for Calculus, 6th edition by Stewart, Redlin, and Watson (ISBN-10 0840068077, ISBN-13 978-0840068071). A scientific calculator similar to the Casio fx-115ES PLUS is required for this class.
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a complete credit in Precalculus for purposes of a high school transcript.
American Sign Language (ASL) I
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 6, 2024
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Felipe Ramos
Grade Range: 9th-12th
Prerequisites: None
Are you interested in learning a new language that is used right here in America? Are you intrigued by a modern language that has no written form? Do you want to find out why American Sign Language is much more closely linked to French Sign Language than British Sign Language? If so, American Sign Language (ASL) is a great language for you! In this class, students will learn the basic skills in production and comprehension of ASL while covering thematic units such as personal and family life, school, social life, and community. Each unit will include presentations and readings on Deaf culture and Deaf history. Students will learn fingerspelling and numbers, developing conversational ability, culturally appropriate behaviors, and fundamental ASL grammar. Class time will be dedicated to interactive ASL activities and face-to-face signing practice with the instructor and partners.
ASL students will have a Deaf instructor. She regularly teaches all-hearing classes and is an excellent role model for students to meet and interact with a native speaker of ASL and to lean natural facial expressions, gestures, and body language used in Deaf communications. ASL students will have more confidence when they encounter Deaf instructors in college or greet speakers of ASL in social settings. Because the instructor is Deaf, students are not permitted to speak aloud in class. This approach improves visual attention and encourages immersion in the language. Students will be able to ask questions of the instructor by writing on individual white boards, but they will be encouraged to sign in order to communicate with the instructor. Lessons are facilitated with Power Point presentations, and a professional ASL interpreter will assist the class on the first day of class. Enrolled students are not expected to know any sign language prior to beginning ASL I.
Hundreds of colleges and universities, including all public institutions of higher learning in Virginia, accept ASL as a distinct foreign language. This allows hearing and Deaf students to fulfill foreign language requirements for admission to college. Teens who have difficulty writing, spelling, or have challenging pronunciation in English, can be successful with ASL as a second or foreign language choice. Penn State University research demonstrated that the visual and kinesthetic elements of ASL helped to enhance the vocabulary, spelling, and reading skills in hearing students.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 2-3 hours each week outside of class on required vocabulary exercises, readings, and signing practice.
Assignments: Homework assignments will be posted online in the Canvas digital classroom platform. There may be some brief written assignments, but for most homework assignments, students will be asked to post short videos of themselves signing. Students will need either a camera phone or webcam to complete these assignments.
Assessments: The instructor will assign points using a class rubric for the parent's use in assigning a course grade. Course rubrics will evaluate students on their sign production, fingerspelling, ASL grammar, facial expressions including "above the nose" grammar (brows and body movement), and "below the nose" modifiers (lip expressions).
Textbook/Supply Fee: There is a supply fee of $50.00 payable to Compass for the digital access code for the interactive e-textbook, TRUE+WAY ASL. With their subscription, students may also accces a free searchable, bilingual ASL & English dictionary, called What's the Sign?
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in World Languages for purposes of a high school transcript.
American Sign Language (ASL) II
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 6, 2024
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Felipe Ramos
Grade Range: 10th-12th
Prerequisites: None
Students of ASL will continue to improve their fluency in this 2nd year course. As students become more advanced signers, emphasis will be on focusing on the meaning of a conversation (whole) rather than individual signs (parts). In conversation, students will learn to confirm information by asking questions in context. Second year students will continue to build their vocabulary, apply ASL grammar, and will learn to make requests, ask for advice, give opinions, make comparisons and use superlatives, and narrate stories. Other skills covered in ASL II include expressing year, phone numbers, time, and currency in numbers, appearance, clothing, giving directions, locations, etc. Each unit will include presentations and readings on Deaf culture and Deaf history. Class time will be dedicated to interactive ASL activities and signing practice.
ASL students will have a Deaf instructor. She regularly teaches all-hearing classes and is an excellent role model for students to meet and interact with a native speaker of ASL and to lean natural facial expressions, gestures, and body language used in Deaf communications. ASL students will have more confidence when they encounter Deaf instructors in college or greet speakers of ASL in social settings. Because the instructor is Deaf, students are not permitted to speak aloud in class. This approach improves visual attention and encourages immersion in the language. Students will be able to ask questions of the instructor by writing on individual white boards, but they will be encouraged to sign in order to communicate with the instructor. Lessons are facilitated with Power Point presentations, and a professional ASL interpreter will assist the class on the first day of class.
Hundreds of colleges and universities, including all public institutions of higher learning in Virginia, accept ASL as a distinct foreign language. This allows hearing and Deaf students to fulfill foreign language requirements for admission to college. Teens who have difficulty writing, spelling, or have challenging pronunciation in English, can be successful with ASL as a second or foreign language choice. Penn State University research demonstrated that the visual and kinesthetic elements of ASL helped to enhance the vocabulary, spelling, and reading skills in hearing students.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 2-3 hours each week outside of class on required vocabulary exercises, readings, and signing practice.
Assignments: Homework assignments will be posted online in the Canvas digital classroom platform. Through Canvas, students will be asked to post short videos of themselves signing as homework. Enrolled students will be asked to review ASL 1 vocabulary, grammar, and facial expressions.
Assessments: The instructor will assign points using a class rubric for the parent's use in assigning a course grade. Course rubrics will evaluate students on their sign production, fingerspelling, ASL grammar, facial expressions including "above the nose" grammar (brows and body movement), and "below the nose" modifiers (lip expressions).
Textbook/Supply Fee: There is a supply fee of $50.00 payable to Compass for the digital access code for the interactive e-textbook, TRUE+WAY ASL. With their subscription, students may also accces a free searchable, bilingual ASL & English dictionary, called What's the Sign?
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in World Languages for purposes of a high school transcript.
American Sign Language (ASL) III
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 6, 2024
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Felipe Ramos
Grade Range: 11th-12th
Prerequisites: ASL II students who wish to enroll in ASL III must pass a proficiency exam and receive instructor approval.
Students of ASL will continue to improve their fluency in this 3rd year course. As students become more advanced signers, emphasis will be on focusing on the meaning of a conversation (whole) and storytelling rather than individual signs (parts) or phrases. In conversation, students will learn to confirm information by asking questions in context. Third year students will continue to build their vocabulary, apply ASL grammar, and will learn to describe places, giving directions, giving opinions about others, discussing plans and goals, ask for advice, give opinions, make comparisons and use superlatives, and narrate stories. Other skills covered in ASL III include expressing year, phone numbers, time, and currency in numbers, giving directions, locations, etc. Each unit will include presentations and readings on Deaf culture and Deaf history. Class time will be dedicated to interactive ASL activities and signing practice.
ASL students will have a Deaf instructor. She regularly teaches all-hearing classes and is an excellent role model for students to meet and interact with a native speaker of ASL and to lean natural facial expressions, gestures, and body language used in Deaf communications. ASL students will have more confidence when they encounter Deaf instructors in college or greet speakers of ASL in social settings. Because the instructor is Deaf, students are not permitted to speak aloud in class. This approach improves visual attention and encourages immersion in the language. Students will be able to ask questions of the instructor by writing on individual white boards, but they will be encouraged to sign in order to communicate with the instructor. Lessons are facilitated with Power Point presentations, and a professional ASL interpreter will assist the class on the first day of class.
Hundreds of colleges and universities, including all public institutions of higher learning in Virginia, accept ASL as a distinct foreign language. This allows hearing and Deaf students to fulfill foreign language requirements for admission to college. Teens who have difficulty writing, spelling, or have challenging pronunciation in English, can be successful with ASL as a second or foreign language choice. Penn State University research demonstrated that the visual and kinesthetic elements of ASL helped to enhance the vocabulary, spelling, and reading skills in hearing students.
Prerequisite: ASL II students who wish to enroll in ASL III must pass a proficiency exam and receive instructor approval.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 2-3 hours each week outside of class on required vocabulary exercises, readings, and signing practice.
Assignments: Homework assignments will be posted online in the Canvas digital classroom platform. Through Canvas, students will be asked to post short videos of themselves signing as homework. Enrolled students will be asked to review ASL 1 and 2 vocabulary, grammar, and facial expressions.
Assessments: The instructor will assign points using a class rubric for the parent's use in assigning a course grade. Course rubrics will evaluate students on their sign production, fingerspelling, ASL grammar, facial expressions including "above the nose" grammar (brows and body movement), and "below the nose" modifiers (lip expressions).
Textbook/Supply Fee: There is a supply fee of $50.00 payable to Compass for the digital access code for the interactive e-textbook, TRUE+WAY ASL. With their subscription, students may also accces a free searchable, bilingual ASL & English dictionary, called What's the Sign?
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in World Languages for purposes of a high school transcript.
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences: Lab (On-Level or Honors)
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 6, 2024
Class Time: 9:30 am Duration: 85 min
Instructor: Sandy Preaux
Grade Range: 9th-12th
Prerequisites: None
A tsunami threatens Sumatra. A cyclone strikes the Solomon Islands. High tides hit Hilton Head. Sub-zero temps settle over Sugar Land, Texas. Atmospheric and oceanic phenomena are in the news every single day!
Are there any forces on earth more powerful or influential than atmospheric and oceanic sciences? These fields affect almost every aspect of human existence, and understanding them can answer questions from, 'Should I bring an umbrella today?' to 'How deadly will this year's drought be in Dakar?' and 'How will changes in the Gulf Stream affect the migration and mating of Minke Whales?' Atmospheric science is an interdisciplinary field that applies geology, astronomy, physics and chemistry to meteorology, climatology and environmental science.
In this year-long laboratory science course, students will explore the fields of Atmospheric Science first semester and Oceanic Science second semester. Atmospheric Science is the study of the physical and chemical aspects of the atmosphere which can encompass a wide variety of topics such as weather forecasting, climate change, air quality, etc. Key themes in the study of Atmospheric Science include the gas laws (temperature, pressure, volume) and air movement (buoyancy, angular momentum). Students will learn about the spectra of sunlight, reflection and refraction, and evaluate how surfaces respond to sunlight. The class will also learn about the tools of atmospheric science, such as weather instruments, rain gage, anemometer, thermometer, and barometer, and how to read weather maps and forecast hurricane paths.
Oceanography is the study of the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of the ocean. Key themes in oceanography include ocean-land interaction, atmosphere-ocean interactions (such as El Nino and La Nina cycles), wave motion, tidal cycles, currents, and thermohaline circulation. The class will consider water chemistry and the oceanic carbon cycle. Finally, students will learn how we measure and map the ocean and use earth system computer models.
Weekly discussions will be paired with labs. Some lab assignments will take multiple weeks, and some will use computers and a spreadsheet to analyze publicly available data.
Note: This class has a Tuesday, in-person lecture section from 10:00 am - 10:55 am in addition to the Friday lab section from 9:30 am - 10:55 am.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 3-4 hours per week outside of class.
,p>Assignments: All assignments will be posted on password-protected Canvas classroom management site. There, students access assignments, upload homework, take automated quizzes and tests, track grades, and message instructor and classmates.
Assessments: Completed assignments will be assessed points. Parents can calculate a letter grade using the student's points earned divided by points available, in weighted categories that include assignments, labs, quizzes, tests, projects, and presentations. Parents may view all scoring and comments at any time through the Canvas site.
Textbook/Materials: Students should download or purchase Practical Meteorology: An Algebra-based Survey of Atmospheric Science (2018) by Roland Stull (ISBN 978-0888652836). The textbook can be downloaded for free online or purchased for $54.00 online. The textbook for oceanic sciences section will be identified before the start of Semester 2.
https://www.eoas.ubc.ca/books/Practical_Meteorology/
https://www.eoas.ubc.ca/books/Practical_Meteorology/world/print.html
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $100.00 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class.
What to Bring: Students will need to bring laptop computers to some class sessions for modeling and data analysis labs.
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in laboratory science for purposes of a high school transcript
Biology: Lab (On-Level or Honors)
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 6, 2024
Class Time: 9:30 am Duration: 85 min
Instructor: Tia Murchie-Beyma
Grade Range: 10th-12th
Prerequisites: See class description
This class will be taught in a Hybrid format with an online lecture on Mondays (10:00 am - 10:55 am) over a live, online platform and in-person lab and activities on Fridays (9:30 am - 10:55 am). Registration for the Lab section will automatically enroll the student in the Lecture section.
This full-year lab science course introduces classic biology topics updated for the 21st century. Biology studies living things and their relationships from microscopic to massive, ancient to modern, arctic to tropic. Our survey includes: (1) cellular and molecular biology, (2) ecology, (3) genetics, (4) biology of organisms (with selected human health and anatomy topics), and (5) evolution and diversity.
You will observe microscopic organisms and give monarch butterflies a health exam before tagging them for their 2,800 mile migration to Mexico. You will extract DNA, model its processes, and learn how scientists manipulate this magnificent molecule to make mice glow. You will observe animal behavior, test your heart rate, and practice identifying and debunking pseudo-science.
By the end of the course, students will be able to explain the nature of science as a system of knowing; cite evidence for foundational theories of modern biology; explain basic biological processes and functions; describe structures and relationships in living systems; outline systems of information, energy, and resources; demonstrate valid experimental design; discern ethical standards; relate their values and scientific ideas to decision-making; and apply biology knowledge to their own health.
Students are responsible for pre-reading and reviewing new material such as readings from the textbook and additional popular and scholarly sources, videos, and animations PRIOR to class meetings. In-person sessions focus on active discussion, clarification, exploration of content, review, modeling, and hands-on activities.
Labs address not only technical skills and sequential operations, but also forming testable predictions, collecting data, applying math, drawing conclusions, and presenting findings. Hands-on dissection, always optional, is taught with preserved crayfish and fetal pigs.
Sensitive issues: human reproduction is not taught separately, but mentioned as students learn about other, related topics such as sperm, eggs, stem cells, genetic disease, hormones, fetal development, breast-feeding, adolescence, and HIV. While there may be some debate-style discussion of topics such as GMO, abortion will not be debated. Birth control and sex education are not covered, but distinctions between gender and biological sex are discussed in detail in the genetics unit. Evolution is embedded in every topic, from molecular to ecological, inseparably from other content. It is addressed in a scientific context, not from a faith standpoint.
Levels: The course provides a substantive, full-credit experience on either an Honors or On-Level track. All class members share core material and participate in the same labs. Honors has longer or additional readings, more analytical work, and more thorough and difficult assessments. Brief, required summer assignments are due in August for those who elect to take Honors. Students register online for the same course, but must indicate which level they wish to study via e-mail by August 15. Students may move down a level (from Honors to On-Level) at any time.
Prerequisites: Students should be very strong, independent readers and able to understand graphs, tables, percentages, decimals, ratios, and averages.
Workload: All students should expect to spend 4-6 hours outside of class reading and preparing homework. Homework includes term cards, brief written responses, weekly online quizzes, unit tests, occasional lab reports, and some creative assignments including sketching. Students will sometimes prepare short, in-class presentations, participate in group projects, run simulations, or conduct simple experiments at home.
Assignments: All assignments will be posted on password-protected Canvas classroom management site. There, students access assignments; upload homework, take automated quizzes and tests; track grades; message instructor and classmates; and attend virtual conferences.
Assessments: Completed homework, projects, quizzes, and tests receive points and narrative feedback. Parents can calculate a letter grade using the student's points earned divided by points available, in weighted categories that include assignments, reading quizzes, tests, and participation and presentations. Parents may view all scoring and comments at any time through the Canvas site.
Textbook/Materials: Students must purchase or rent the textbook Biology Now: Third High School Edition (2022) published by WW Norton. A 360-day digital license directly from the publisher costs $53.00 HERE (ISBN: 978-0-393-54247-9) or $130 when bundled with a hardcover text (ISBN 978-0-393-54010-9). Used books may be available from 2022-23 students. Core textbook readings are supplemented by the instructor with updated information drawn from sources such as peer-reviewed science journals, popular science publications, and podcasts.
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $130 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class.
Supplies/Equipment: Students will need access to a computer/internet, compound microscope with 400X magnification and cool lighting, splash goggles, water-resistant/acid-resistant lab apron, kitchen or postal scale, 3-ring binder, approximately 400- 3"x5" index cards; and plain, lined, and graph paper. Some of these supplies are used at home. Weekly "Read Me First" web pages and class announcements on Canvas tell students what items to bring to class.
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in Lab Science for purposes of a high school transcript.
Chemistry: Lab (On-Level or Honors)
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 6, 2024
Class Time: 9:30 am Duration: 85 min
Instructor: Karen Shumway
Grade Range: 10th-12th
Prerequisites: Algebra I
This class has an in-person lecture on Tuesdays (10:00 am - 10:55 am) and in-person lab and activities on Fridays (9:30 am - 10:55 am). Students must take lecture and lab together. Registration for the Lab section will automatically enroll the student in the Lecture section.
Through the study of chemistry, high school students will learn the science behind things they observe every day! Chemistry explains properties of the food we eat, the beverages we drink, the medicines we take, the fibers we wear, and fuels in the cars we drive. Chemistry is a foundation to understanding the world around us and fundamental to other sciences such as biology, physics, geology, and environmental science.
This full-year laboratory course makes chemistry come alive through at-home readings, practice problems, supplementary activities, and in-person hands-on labs to demonstrate key concepts. Course themes include matter, changes in state, scientific measurement, atomic structure, electrons in atoms, and characteristics of the periodic table. Students will then study ionic, metallic, and covalent bonding, chemical names and formulas, and chemical reactions. Further chemistry topics include the behavior of gases, water and aqueous solutions, acids, bases, and salts; oxidation-reduction reactions, solutions, and thermochemistry.
Students will learn the skills necessary for successful study of chemical reactions and molecular phenomena, using common high school laboratory chemicals, glassware, and techniques. This is not a course done in microscale using pre-mixed solutions: students will learn to calculate molarity and use dimensional analysis to mix solutions, calculate yields, analyze errors, and construct graphs. Example labs include experiments in molar mass, hydrates, precipitates, filtration, density, distillation, reactants, single and double displacement, acid/base titration, polymers, heat of fusion, heat of vaporization, and stoichiometry. Class demonstrations will model other chemical concepts and processes, such as a radioactive cloud chamber.
Prerequisites: High school Algebra I
Levels: This course provides a substantive, full-credit experience on either an on-level or honors track. All class members complete the same core material and participate in the same labs. Students taking the course at the honors level are generally on a college prep or STEM track and have additional assignments and alternative scoring. Honors students' homework will be graded and recorded as part of the students' total earned points. On-level students' homework will be corrected and graded, but not factored into their total earned points. Students must identify their level prior to the start of class. At any point in the year, a student may transition from honors to on-level if the workload exceeds the students' expectations. In addition, at the parents' discretion, students may take this course as an "audit" in which they still read chapters, attend lectures, participate in labs, but do not do problem sets or laboratory reports. This approach provides an experiential and conceptual overview of chemistry, but should not be counted as a full year credit.
Workload: All students should expect to spend 2-3 hours per week outside of class on pre-reading and lab reports. Honors students can expect an additional 1-2 hours on weekly problem sets. Pre-reading and pre-lab work is required so in-person class time can be spent on highlights, class discussion, homework review, and labs. In addition, most weeks students should plan for additional meeting time and coordination with their lab partners in-person, by phone, shared documents, or via virtual meeting. Students will also be required to read one scientific, non-fiction book or current events article each quarter and prepare a 2-page summary and response book report.
Assignments: All assignments will be posted on password-protected Canvas classroom management site. There, students access assignments, upload homework, take automated quizzes and tests, track grades, and message instructor and classmates. Parents can have an observer account in Canvas to review assignments and graded work. Students will have weekly readings and mandatory pre-lab assignments. The pre-lab assignment must be completed prior to lab and will serve as the student's "ticket" into the lab session each week.
Assessments: Students will earn points for completed homework, unit tests, lab reports, book reports, and semester exams. Parents can calculate a letter grade using the student's points earned divided by points available. Parents may view all scoring and comments at any time through the Canvas site.
Textbook/Materials: Students should purchase or rent Prentice Hall Chemistry by Wilbraham, Staley, et. al. 2008 edition (ISBN #978-0132512107).
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $125 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class for a composition notebook, graph paper, lab equipment and supplies, and safety supplies.
What to Bring: Students should bring a paper or a notebook, pen or pencil, and a scientific calculator each week.
What to Wear: Students should not wear any loose, drapey clothing to lab. They should also come to class with long hair tied back and should wear closed toe shoes.
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in Lab Science for purposes of a high school transcript.
Code for a Cause: Technovation Team for Girls
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 6, 2024
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 115 min
Instructor: Mercy Wolverton
Grade Range: 7th-12th
Prerequisites: None
Imagine a phone app that could quickly reunite lost pets, connect the poor with resources that they need, or report a problem in the community! Code for a Cause is the Compass-based Technovation hub where middle school and high school girls will participate in the "world's largest technology entrepreneurship program for girls." Each year, Technovation teams solve real world problems through technology that they develop!
Through Technovation, girls work with women mentors, identify a problem in their community, develop a mobile app, and launch a startup. Since 2010, 140,000 girls around the world have developed mobile apps and small businesses to solve problems ranging from food waste and nutrition to women's safety, education, and much more. In this year-long program, girls will work in teams and learn the skills they need to change the world through technology.
First semester, the class will participate in team building activities and will be introduced to coding. Students will use Ozaria from Code Combat, a Python-based platform that applies stories and a gamified approach to teach the logic of coding and terminology. Once students understand these fundamentals, they will evaluate (pros and cons) and select their preferred block-based coding tool from either Thunkable or MIT's App Inventor.
Second semester, students will form teams of 2-3 girls who will brainstorm and identify a community problem. They will propose a mobile app or AI solution to the issue and conduct market research to see if their idea is unique and feasible. Next, the team will begin developing an app following the Technovation curriculum. In class, girls will be coached step-by-step on the process of creating an interactive application. Finally, girls will learn how to brand their app, create a business plan, and look at what it would take to bring the app to market.
The weekly Technovation work sessions will be facilitated by an experienced Technovation coach and cybersecurity engineering student at GMU. She will be supported by remote advisor, Almira Roldan, Sr. Technical Program Manager, AWS Machine Learning University and CEO, UnDesto AI Agency. Ms Roldan will assist through mentoring and scheduling guest presenters who will speak to the Compass teams about topics relevant to their phase of app development such as user experience and market research.
Participation in Technovation gives girls the confidence to pursue more computer science courses (70%) and the foundation to eventually major in computer science (26%). Technovation teams are in 100 countries, and the program is sponsored by Oracle, Google, 3M, Adobe Foundation, and others.
Level:All students will meet together, but student teams will either Junior or Senior division depending the ages of the team members as of August 1, 2025: Junior Division is for girls ages 13-15, and Senior Division is for girls ages 16-18. In addition to the app and competition document, the Junior division has an additional submission of a User Adoption Plan. The Senior division has an additional submission of a Business Plan.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 1-2 hours per week outside of class.
Assignments: Will be posted on a Google classroom site for students, and key reminders will be emailed to parents.
Assessments: Students will receive informal feedback throughout the project.
Lab/Supply Fee: A software fee of $30.00 is due payable to Compass on the first day of class.
What to Bring: For this class, students should bring their laptop and charger. Chromebooks cannot be used.
Non-Meeting Days: In addition to the scheduled days-off on the published Compass schedule, this class ends on 5/2/25 and will have two (2) other dates off to be announced.
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in Technology or Career Exploration for purposes of a high school transcript.
Comparative Anatomy Dissection Lab
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 6, 2024
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Karen Shumway
Grade Range: 9th-12th
Prerequisites: None
Dissection! The critical lab skill that schools skip and parents hate hosting at home. This lab can be paired with any independent study or online course in high school biology or anatomy in order to gain significant hands-on experience or to complete a lab science credit.
Students will investigate the comparative anatomy of a variety of organisms and organs through a year-long dissection study. Class time will be primarily devoted to hands-on exploration with important background information posted in Canvas as slide presentations. Students will begin with an exploration of organisms from a range of phyla, in order of increasing complexity: prokarya, simple eukarya, nematode, sponge, mussel or clam, jellyfish, starfish, earthworm, squid or octopus, crayfish, grasshopper, perch, dogfish shark, frog, owl pellets (for small mammal remains), and fetal pig. The complex organ systems of vertebrates will then be systematically explored, dissecting a critical organ for each system. Where appropriate, organs of multiple species will be used to allow comparison between vertebrates: the circulatory system (pig heart), nervous system (sheep brain), excretory system (pig kidney), sensory system (cow/sheep/pig eyeballs), and musculoskeletal system (chicken wings and cow femur). Students will also use microscopes to look at wet (i.e. fresh or live) and dry mount (i.e. prepared) organism and tissue samples throughout the year.
The class will cover lab safety, practice proper dissection techniques, and how to set up and maintain a lab journal with notes and drawings of organs and organisms. Students will have a pre-lab activity (lecture slides, video, and/or packet) to complete each week as "admission" to the following session's dissection.
Prerequisites: Students must have age/grade-level dexterity and fine motor skills for the detailed instrument work in this class.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 1 hour per week outside of class.
Assignments: All assignments will be posted on password-protected Canvas classroom management site. There, students access assignments, upload homework, take automated quizzes and tests, and track grades.
Assessments: Will not be given
Textbook/Materials: Students should purchase The Anatomy Coloring Book (ISBN-13 : 978-0321832016)
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $140.00 is due payable to the instructor on or before the first day of class.
What to Bring: Students should bring a paper or a notebook, pen or pencil, and a set of colored pencils to class each week.
What to Wear: Students should not wear any loose, drapey clothing to lab. They should also come to class with long hair tied back and should wear closed toe shoes.
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a component (partial) credit in a laboratory science for purposes of a high school transcript.
French I
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 6, 2024
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Edwige Pinover
Grade Range: 9th-12th
Prerequisites: None
Bonjour and get ready for a full year of beginner level high school French! This is a conversation-focused program in which students will build their vocabulary quickly and learn essential grammar skills in French. Vocabulary will include numbers, time, dates, seasons, school, free time activities/hobbies, likes/dislikes, personal descriptions, family relationships, emotions, food/restaurants, and places/locations in town. There will be a strong emphasis on competency using regular and irregular present tense verbs and common grammar concepts such as articles, pronouns, adjectives, and comparative phrases.
Class will be conducted primarily in French and will focus on listening and speaking skills, asking and answering questions, and correct use of grammar. At home, students will be responsible for memorizing vocabulary and grammar, completing homework assignments, and watching both grammar instruction and language immersion videos.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 30-45 minutes per day, 4 days per week on homework outside of class.
Assignments: Are sent by e-mail to parents and students. Students must have access to a computer and internet service for computer-based videos and practice tools that are assigned as homework and are essential to success in the class.
Assessments: Quizzes, tests, and individual performance reviews will be given to all students at regular intervals to provide parents with sufficient feedback to assign a grade.
Textbook: Students should purchase or rent the required textbook for this class: Bien Dit!: Student Edition Level 1 2013 (French Edition) (ISBN-13 978-0547871790)
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in Foreign Language for purposes of a high school transcript.
French II
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 6, 2024
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Edwige Pinover
Grade Range: 9th-12th
Prerequisites: French I or equivalent
Bonjour and welcome to the second year of high school French. This is a conversation-focused program in which students will build their vocabulary quickly and learn essential grammar skills in French. Students will cover the broad themes and vocabular for: my family and my friends, celebrations, shopping, high school, a typical day, and the good old days. The class will begin with a review of adjective-noun agreement, negations, and regular -er, ir-, and -re verbs. They will review and continue to expand their list of irregular verbs such as avoir (to have) and etre (to be). Students will be introduced to the passe compose and Imparfait (imperfect) tenses, and they will learn how to use negations, direct and indirect pronouns, and reflexive verbs with present, past, and imperfect tenses. They will practice comparative and superlative statements, and will continue to have brief cultural lessons integrated in their units.
Class will be conducted primarily in French and will focus on listening and speaking skills, asking and answering questions, and correct use of grammar. At home, students will be responsible for memorizing vocabulary and grammar, completing homework assignments, and watching both grammar instruction and language immersion videos.
Prerequisite: French I
Workload: Students should expect to spend 30-45 minutes per day, 4 days per week on homework outside of class.
Assignments: Are sent by e-mail to parents and students. Students must have access to a computer and internet service for computer-based videos and practice tools that are assigned as homework and are essential to success in the class.
Assessments: Quizzes, tests, and individual performance reviews will be given to all students at regular intervals to provide parents with sufficient feedback to assign a grade.
Textbook: Students should purchase or rent the required textbook for this class: Bien Dit! Level II: Student Edition Level 1 2018 edition (ISBN-13 978-0544861343)
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in Foreign Language for purposes of a high school transcript.
French III
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 6, 2024
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Edwige Pinover
Grade Range: 10th-12th
Prerequisites: French II or equivalent
Bonjour et bienvenue dans notre classe de francais 3 ! Welcome to the third year of high school French. This is a conversation-focused program in which students will build more vocabulary and will be able to communicate using more and more complex sentences. The class will continue using the present tense, the future proche (a future), the passe recent (recent past), the passe-compose and imparfait (two forms of past tense) and will learn the future and the conditional forms of verb. Vocabulary will include school activities, professions, the theme of fairy tales, nature and environment, and the media. At this point in learning French, students should be using all of the vocabulary they know to become better listeners, more fluent speakers, and stronger writers.
Class will be conducted primarily in French and will focus on listening and speaking skills, asking and answering questions, and correct use of grammar. At home, students will be responsible for memorizing vocabulary and grammar, completing homework assignments, and watching both grammar instruction and language immersion videos.
Prerequisites: French II
Workload: Students should expect to spend 30-45 minutes per day, 4 days per week on homework outside of class.
Assignments: Are sent by e-mail to parents and students. Students must have access to a computer and internet service for computer-based videos and practice tools that are assigned as homework and are essential to success in the class.
Assessments: Quizzes, tests, and individual performance reviews will be given to all students at regular intervals to provide parents with sufficient feedback to assign a grade.
Textbook: Students should purchase or rent the required textbook for this class: Bien Dit!: Student Edition Level 3, 2013 edition (ISBN-13: 978-0547871691)
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in Foreign Language for purposes of a high school transcript.
French IV (Private Instruction)
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 6, 2024
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Edwige Pinover
Grade Range: 11th-12th
Prerequisites: French III or equivalent
Note, this course is being offered as semi-private instruction for select students who had French III with this instructor. Tuition is based on 2 students in the class. If an additional student wishes to enroll, he/she must speak with the instructor to confirm placement. Tuition will be recalculated for all students with the addition one or more students or if only 1 student enrolls.
Bonjour et bienvenue dans notre classe de Francais 4 ! Welcome to the fourth year of high school French. This is a conversation-focused program in which students will communicate among each other about different topics. The class will naturally continue using the present tenses, the future tenses, the past tenses, and the conditional tense. At this point in learning French, students should be able to communicate fluently about various topics using their knowledge. Students will also develop new vocabulary and new grammar points via the use of different readings.
Class will be conducted primarily in French and will focus on listening and speaking skills. At home, students will be responsible for memorizing vocabulary and grammar, completing homework assignments, and watching both grammar instruction and language immersion videos.
Prerequisites: French III
Workload: Students should expect to spend 30-45 minutes per day, 4 days per week on homework outside of class.
Assignments: Are sent by e-mail to parents and students. Students must have access to a computer and internet service for computer-based videos and practice tools that are assigned as homework and are essential to success in the class.
Assessments: Quizzes, tests, and individual performance reviews will be given to all students at regular intervals to provide parents with sufficient feedback to assign a grade.
Textbook:Each semester, students will read a novel in French that will be selected by the instructor. Students will be asked to reimburse her for the cost of the novel, approximately $10.00-$15.00
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in Foreign Language for purposes of a high school transcript.
French V (Semi-Private)
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 6, 2024
Class Time: 3:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Edwige Pinover
Grade Range: 11th-12th
Prerequisites: French IV or equivalent
Note, this course is being offered as semi-private instruction for select students who had French IV with this instructor. Tuition is based on 2 students in the class. If an additional student wishes to enroll, he/she must speak with the instructor to confirm placement. Tuition will be recalculated for all students with the addition one or more students or if only 1 student enrolls.
Bonjour et bienvenue dans notre classe de Francais 5 ! Welcome to the fifth year of high school French. This is a conversation-focused program in which students will communicate among each other about different topics. The class will naturally continue using the present tenses, the future tenses, the past tenses, and the conditional tense. At this point in learning French, students should be able to communicate fluently about various topics using their knowledge. Students will also develop new vocabulary and new grammar points via the use of different readings.
Class will be conducted exclusively in French and will focus on listening and speaking skills. At home, students will be responsible for memorizing vocabulary and grammar, completing homework assignments, and watching French videos.
Prerequisites: French IV
Workload: Students should expect to spend 30-45 minutes per day, 4 days per week on homework outside of class.
Assignments: Are sent by e-mail to parents and students. Students must have access to a computer and internet service for computer-based videos and practice tools that are assigned as homework and are essential to success in the class.
Assessments: Quizzes, tests, and individual performance reviews will be given to all students at regular intervals to provide parents with sufficient feedback to assign a grade.
Textbook:Each semester, students will read a novel in French that will be selected by the instructor. Students will be asked to reimburse her for the cost of the novel, approximately $10.00-$15.00
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in Foreign Language for purposes of a high school transcript.
Latin II
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 6, 2024
Class Time: 3:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Karen Shumway
Grade Range: 9th-12th
Prerequisites: Latin I
Discover the exciting world of Latin language and Roman civilization! Learn the foundations of the language of great conquerors, orators, and men and women who shaped the course of history. Studying Latin also opens many doors to learning other Romance languages and deepens students' understanding of English structure and mechanics, including rhetorical and grammatical constructs.
Latin II reviews grammar, vocabulary, and syntax from Latin I and continues by extending the use of verbs, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs. Students will also study Roman history and culture, Roman civilization, Roman numerals, and English derivatives of Latin words. In addition, they will discover the Roman world through geography, mythology, and daily life. While Latin is primarily a written language, the class will cover basic oral Latin for conversation. Students will learn the necessary skills to be prepared for the option of taking the National Latin Exam in the spring.
Prerequisites: Students must have high school level reading comprehension in English. Latin II students should have completed Latin I through Compass or another program. For a student transferring from a different Latin program, please consult the National Latin exam syllabus for Beginning and Internmediate Latin to determine the appropriate placement.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 3-4 hours per week outside of class on grammar, vocabulary, translation, and Roman civilization, culture, and geography.
Assignments: All assignments will be posted on password-protected Canvas classroom management site. There, students access assignments, upload homework, take automated quizzes and tests, and track grades. Email is the preferred mode of communication between the instructor, students, and parents.
Assessments: The instructor will assign points in Canvas using a class rubric, which will include quizzes, tests, projects, and participation. Parents will be given access to their child's work in Canvas as an observer and can use this information to determine the appropriate grade to assign should they be interested in compiling a transcript.
Textbook: The instructor will order clean, used copies of Cambridge Latin Course, 5th edition, Unit 2 (ISBN-13: 978-1107699007).
Supply Fee: There is a $60.00 class fee to cover both textbook and printing costs for the year.
What to Bring: Students will need loose leaf paper, a binder or notebook, index cards in multiple colors for creating vocabulary flashcards, and pencils for daily classes and homework. Projects may require occasional additional materials.
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in Foreign Language for purposes of a high school transcript.
Modern World History (AP, Honors, or On-Level)
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 6, 2024
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Tia Murchie-Beyma
Grade Range: 10th-12th
Prerequisites: Completion of Algebra I
This year-long course dives into change and continuity from 1200 CE-present in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Oceania. If you want to better understand Russia's interest in Ukraine or China's motives in Africa, how the world came to drive Japanese cars, Zimbabwe's 2020 land offer to white farmers abroad, or more about the roots of your own family's story and its ties to other places and times, this is the course for you.
Global connections were not born with jet travel nor Columbus. By the early 1200s, Persian historian Juvayni, reported that one might walk safely from Southeast Asia to Eastern Europe- thanks to Mongol army units stationed along the way. Silk Roads linked Moscow to Tibet. Vibrant Indian Ocean trade circulated goods, people, and animals from China to Indonesia to India, with links to East African coastal cities and the wider Muslim world, including Arab and Turkic peoples. In 200 more years, Muslim Admiral Zheng He would command China's legendary treasure fleet.
What of the Americas? Despite sporadic contacts, like Leif Ericson's disastrous family trip to Canada around 1000 CE, the Old World remained ignorant of lands from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego. Yet precursors to Incan and Aztec empires built impressive urban city-states, while farther north, Cahokia's pyramids and Mesa Verde's cliffside apartments boomed, the Iroquois League united five great nations, and countless other groups thrived as hunter-gatherers, horticulturists, whalers, fishers, and farmers. At 1200 CE, when this course begins, two halves of the world had not yet collided.
Students will use tools and perspectives of historians to see this collision in wider context and learn what else built today's world. The class will analyze primary sources created at the time studied and secondary sources such as historian accounts. Students will learn to spot symbols, think critically about claims, and develop arguments based fairly on evidence. The group will interpret maps, letters, paintings, ceramics, propaganda posters, murals, sculptures, photographs, and speeches to understand context, causation, continuity, and change. Students will learn how to run, ruin, revolt from, and reform empires and nations. By the end of the course, students may not have memorized dozens of dates (unless they want to), but they will have a much clearer idea of who was where, when, and why- and how- that has affected us.
Note: This is a reading-heavy course suited for students who can commit to completing homework BEFORE each meeting. That prepares you for active discussion, role play, and activities in class. The course is not lecture-based, but instead is taught as a participatory seminar. Simply cannot learn the rich course material by simply attending. However, if you come with your readings completed, ready to ask questions and apply what you've learned, the world (history) is yours!
Levels This course is offered at three levels: On-Level, Honors, and Advanced Placement (AP). Each has a different workload, but all meet together. On-Level students use the same college-level textbook, but have fewer readings, less homework, and less rigorous assessments. Honors students have assignm2ents that engage higher-level analysis and historical thinking skills. AP students work at a university freshman level and have the potential to earn college credit or placement through the spring 2025 AP exam. Once the course begins, students may move down a level anytime, but the instructor will consider "bumping up" on a case-by-case basis only. Before August 1, students must email Compass to (1) choose On-Level, Honors, or Advanced Placement (AP); and (2) provide separate email addresses for student plus adult observer. This allows the instructor to send level-specific Canvas invitations in time for book purchases and completing homework due before your first meeting.
Schedule: There are two weekly meetings: (1) Friday 12:00 pm -12:55 pm in-person for all students and (2) Monday tentatively scheduled for 12:00 pm- 12:55 pm online (subject to an alternate time by consensus of AP-enrolled students). The latter is required for AP students, but recorded and open to all. For Honors and On-Level, this is a 28-week course that ends two weeks early due to AP exam timing. AP students have 31 weeks, as they begin two weeks before the regular Compass start date and have an additional session for a mock exam.
Workload: Honors and On-Level students should plan 4-5 hours per week outside meetings for reading and homework. AP students typically need 6 hours or more, depending on reading speed and experience. All levels use materials written at a freshman college level. Students must be highly skilled readers or have robust reading support at home.
Assignments: All assignments will be posted on password-protected Canvas classroom management site. There, students access assignments; upload homework, take automated quizzes and tests; track grades; message instructor and classmates; and attend virtual conferences. AP students start asynchronously two weeks early with homework due August 22 and 29. All sections will have brief assignments due September 5, the day before the first class meeting on September 6.
Assessments: Completed homework, projects, quizzes, and tests receive points and narrative feedback. Parents can calculate a letter grade using the student's points earned divided by points available, in weighted categories that include assignments, reading quizzes, tests, and participation and presentations. Parents may view all scoring and comments at any time through the Canvas site.
Textbooks: Students and observers will receive Canvas invitations by August 5 to access to syllabus and initial assignments once they have provided a student and observer email address. All students should purchase or rent: Ways of the World: A Global History with Sources, 3rd ed. 2016, by Strayer, Robert W. (ISBN 9781319022723). Look for an olive green cover with woodcut print of the first Japanese commercial railway in 1872. AP students will need two additional books: (1) A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage, 2005 (any ISBN); and (2) Advanced Placement World History: Modern by Logan/Perfection Learning Logan, 2019 (ISBN 1531129161).
About AP: "AP" is a trademark of the College Board, which owns and designs the course outline and "audits" (i.e. approves) high school instructors who employ their expertise and creativity to deliver the college freshman-level content. The College Board's summary of the AP World History program can be read HERE, and the instructor AP Course Audit Approval form can be viewed HERE. https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-world-history-modern-course-overview.pdf)
AP Fees: Due to the instructional time, an additional tuition fee of $200 is assessed for the Monday AP lecture session for students approved to take AP level. AP Students must register separately for the Monday lecture session. The fee is not refundable if the student decides midyear to switch to Honors or On-Level. The fee for the College Board's AP World History: Modern exam in May 2025 is not included. Each family is responsible for scheduling and paying for their student's AP exam.
AP Enrollment: Students who have taken a prior course with this instructor may discuss AP enrollment through conversation or e-mail with her. If new to this instructor, please email Compass to request a short questionnaire and written assignment prior to selecting AP level.
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in World History for purposes of a high school transcript.
Spanish I
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 6, 2024
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Sirdley Taborga
Grade Range: 9th-12th
Prerequisites: None
Hola! Get ready for a full year of beginner level high school Spanish! This is a conversation-focused program in which students will build their vocabulary quickly beginning with the alphabet, numbers, time, dates, seasons, school, free time activities/hobbies, likes/dislikes, personal descriptions, family relationships, emotions, food/restaurants, places/locations in town, and shopping/clothing. There will be a strong emphasis on conversation with common grammar concepts such as articles, pronouns, adjectives, comparative phrases, and present tense and regular past tense verbs learned and practiced in the context of conversation (rather than stand-along grammar exercises).
Class will be conducted primarily in Spanish and will focus on listening and speaking skills, asking and answering questions. At home, students will be responsible for practicing vocabulary and grammar and completing written assignments, and watching language immersion video clips.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 30-45 minutes per day approximately 4 days per week on homework outside of class.
Assignments: Are sent by e-mail to parents and students. Students must have access to a computer for videos that are assigned.
Assessments: Quizzes and tests will be scored with a points system that parents can use in calculating a grade.
Textbook: Students should purchase or rent Avancemos!: Student Edition Level 1, 2018 edition (ISBN # 978-0544861213)
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in Foreign Language for purposes of a high school transcript.
Spanish II
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 6, 2024
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Sirdley Taborga
Grade Range: 10th-12th
Prerequisites: None
Que pasa? Get ready for a full year of intermediate level high school Spanish! This is a conversation-focused program in which students will build their vocabulary describing homes and chores; planning a party; health, body parts and sports; vacations, leisure time activities, fun events and places of interest; communicating via phone and computer; and daily routines. There will be a strong emphasis on conversation with common grammar concepts such as regular and irregular past tense verbs and common grammar concepts such as commands, direct and indirect object pronouns, reflexive verbs, learned and practiced in the context of conversation (rather than stand-along grammar exercises).
Class will be conducted primarily in Spanish and will focus on listening and speaking skills, asking and answering questions. At home, students will be responsible for practicing vocabulary and grammar and completing written assignments, and watching language immersion video clips.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 30-45 minutes per day approximately 4 days per week on homework outside of class.
Assignments: Are sent by e-mail to parents and students. Students must have access to a computer for videos that are assigned.
Assessments: Quizzes and tests will be scored with a points system that parents can use in calculating a grade.
Textbook: Students should purchase or rent Avancemos!: Student Edition Level 2, 2018 edition (ISBN # 978-0544841956)
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in Foreign Language for purposes of a high school transcript.
Spanish III
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 6, 2024
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Sirdley Taborga
Grade Range: 11th-12th
Prerequisites: None
Saludos! Get ready for a full year of advanced high school level Spanish! This is a conversation-based program in which students will continue to build their vocabulary quickly and learn essential grammar skills in Spanish. Vocabulary will include shopping for clothing and food; ancient civilizations; modern society; legends and stories; preparing and describing food; ordering meals in a restaurant; watching/making movies and attending movie premiers; reading and writing for newspapers and other publications; family and relationships; the environment and conservation; and careers and professions. There will be a strong emphasis on using regular and irregular preterit tense verbs; imperfect tense verbs; knowing the differences between and when to use preterit vs. imperfect; subjunctive tense verbs; regular and irregular future tense verbs and other common grammar concepts such as commands; direct object pronouns; indirect object pronouns; double object pronouns; when to use por vs. para; comparative phrases; superlative phrases; impersonal expressions and routine application of common spelling changes. Additionally, we will study culture through the lens of contemporary music genres and dances and will gain advanced grammar skills through the translation of popular song lyrics.
Class will be conducted almost exclusively in Spanish and will focus on listening and speaking skills, asking and answering questions, and correct use of grammar. At home, students will be responsible for memorizing vocabulary and grammar, completing worksheets and written assignments, and watching both grammar instruction and language immersion videos.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 30-45 per day, 4 days per week on homework outside of class.
Assignments: Are sent by e-mail to parents and students. Students must have access to a computer and internet service for computer-based videos and practice tools that are assigned as homework and are essential to success in the class.
Assessments: Quizzes, tests, and individual performance reviews will be given to all students at regular intervals to provide parents with sufficient feedback to assign a grade.
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $30.00 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class for a class packet in lieu of a textbook.
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in Foreign Language for purposes of a high school transcript.
AP 2D Art & Design
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 9, 2024
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Pete Van Riper
Grade Range: 9th-12th
Prerequisites: None
Earn college credit and artistic "cred"-ibility in this studio art class! Over the course of the school year, student artists will experiment with artistic techniques, create original works in a variety of mediums and styles, and build a portfolio for submission. Students will be guided by a Compass art instructor, Pete Van Riper, who is also an adjunct art professor at Northern Virginia Community College and a reviewer for AP art portfolios.
The three goals of AP 2D Art and Design are to (1) investigate a variety of artistic materials, methods, and ideas; (2) produce 2-dimensional art and designs; and (3) be able to describe and present art and design to others. AP Art and Design students "develop and apply skills of inquiry and investigation, practice, experimentation, revision, communication, and reflection."
Student artists will create a portfolio with works that feature the elements of art and principles of design such as "point, line, shape, plane, layer, form, space, texture, color, value, opacity, transparency, time; unity, variety, rhythm, movement, proportion, scale, balance, emphasis, contrast, repetition, figure/ground relationship, connection, juxtaposition, hierarchy." Students will be asked to document their medium choices and keep a sketch book and art journal describing their inspiration and artistic process.
In class, works will be done in charcoal, pencil, conte crayon, watercolor crayons, watercolor paints, acrylic paint, and collage. Like other college level classes, outside work will be expected, and art completed outside of the weekly class meetings can include graphic design, digital imaging, photography, collage, fabric design, weaving, fashion design, fashion illustration, painting, and printmaking, and other 2D formats. Students should consider how to express their ideas with selected materials and processes on a flat surface.
The College Board has no preferred or unacceptable content or style, but all work must be entirely the student's original creation. Submissions may incorporate pre-existing photographs or others' images provided proper attribution and citations are given and the use reflects an extension of the student's vision and not just duplication or copy work. AI generated designs are strictly prohibited from portfolio submissions, but original, digitally created art is welcome.
Students' portfolio submissions for the AP program must include two sections (1) "Sustained Investigation" which includes 15 images of the purposeful evolution of a work or works through concept sketches, practice, experimentation, and revisions, and (2) "Selected Works" which includes images of 5 completed pieces. All portfolio works will be submitted as digital images (scans or photographs) of the student's original pieces, and all images must be accompanied by a written discussion of the materials and processes used.
The class will examine images of others' art, and students will be asked to visit at least two art museums or art exhibits. They will practice giving and receiving construction formal and informal critiques through the observation, analysis, discussion, and evaluation of their own work and that of other artists to hone the AP-required skill of communication about 2D art.
Levels This course is only offered at the AP level, but enrollment does not obligate a student to submit a portfolio for AP review.
Workload: Student artists should plan 2-4 hours per week outside of class on their pieces, concept drawings, practice sketches, etc.
Assignments: All assignments will be communicated to students via email.
Assessments: Qualitative feedback will be given weekly in class. The principal assessment in this course is the AP score earned.
Textbooks: The instructor will furnish art and design books for students to browse in class and borrow.
Supply Fee: A supply fee of $60.00 is due payable to the instructor for shared, in-class basics consisting of: pencils, charcoal, conte a Paris, acrylic paints, brushes, sketch journal, and canvas boards. The instructor will furnish a list of recommended supplies for alternative or premium materials that students may want to incorporate use such as watercolor or colored markers.
About AP: "AP" is a trademark of the College Board, which owns and designs the course outline and "audits" (i.e. approves) high school instructors who employ their expertise and creativity to deliver the college freshman-level content. The College Board's summary of the AP 2D Art & Design program can be read HERE, and the instructor AP Course Audit Approval form can be viewed HERE.
AP Fees: The fee for the College Board's AP 2D Art & Design portfolio in May 2025 is not included. Each family is responsible for scheduling and paying for their student's AP registration.
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a full credit in Fine Arts for purposes of a high school transcript.
AP Modern World History- Lecture **Online**
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 9, 2024
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Tia Murchie-Beyma
Grade Range: 10th-12th
Prerequisites: Completion of Algebra I
AP students are required to enroll in this additional lecture section. The lecture is recorded and open to all Modern World History Students. It is tentatively scheduled for 12:00 pm- 12:55 pm online (subject to an alternate time by consensus of AP-enrolled students). A physical meeting room will be designated for on-campus students who have classes immediately before or after this virtual session.
Biology: Lecture (On-Level or Honors) **Online**
Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 9, 2024
Class Time: 9:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Tia Murchie-Beyma
Grade Range: 10th-12th
Prerequisites: See class description
This is a place-holder for the Principles of Biology lecture. Students should register for the Principles of Biology Lab, which will automatically enroll them in both class sections. A physical meeting room will be designated for on-campus students who have classes immediately before or after this virtual session.
Christmas Cookie Academy: Tweens/Teens
Quarter 2: Starts on December 13, 2024
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 3 Hours
Instructor: Mylene Nyman
Grade Range: 7th-12th
Prerequisites: None
Chewy, chunky, crispy, or crunchy- tweens and teens love cookies! Join us for a one-day, 3-hour Christmas Cookie Academy where bakers will craft 4 kinds of cookies. In the workshop, tweens and teens will prepare and bake: Cranberry Cookies with Orange Glaze, Almond Spritz Cookies, Molasses Cookies, and Chai Sugar Cookies with Espresso Glaze. Students will leave with a tray of 3-4 dozen cookies ready for an exchange or holiday party and the recipes to repeat the cookies at home. See the Compass Cooking Class webpage for more FAQs about our cooking classes. There is a supply fee of $25.00 due to the instructor at the start of the workshop.
Advanced Baking Academy: Perfect Pasteries
Quarter 3: Starts on January 13, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 115 min
Instructor: Mylene Nyman
Grade Range: 9th-12th
Prerequisites: Prior Confection or Sweet Shop Class or Instructor Permission
The warm, welcoming smell of baking bread, flavorful fondant, carefully crackled creme brulee, mile-high mille-feuille, and proper puffed pastry. These are just some of the specialized baking techniques that Compass bakers will learn in Advanced Baking Academy. From pate a choux to piecrust, students chefs will create more complex baked items in this course. This quarter, the Compass bakers' culinary adventures will include:
- Cranberry Brioche Bread Pudding
- Gateau Yaourt Pour le Diner (Dinner-Party Yogurt Cake)
- French Silk Pie
- Marjolaine Pastry (contains nuts)
- Mexican Wedding Cookies
- Chocolate Raspberry Cake
- Mocha Mug Cake
- Clementine Pancakes
This engaging advanced baked goods class will get students excited about pastries for a career, side gig, hobby, or special occasions. Some recipes will be completed over two class periods, and several, due to the complexity of the dough or crust, will be sent home with instructions on how to fill or finish baking. Students will be eating what they make each week and bringing home the recipes and leftovers. They will learn important baking skills such as safety, sanitation, measuring, knife skills, garnishes, and other tricks of the trade. Culinary vocabulary is introduced each week.
Notes: Students with allergies to food ingredients or dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated in this class. Recipes may contain nuts, dairy, wheat, gluten, and eggs. All food supplies will be conventional, mass market ingredients. Specialty food preparations/certifications such as halal, kosher, and organic will not be used due to cost and sourcing logistics.
Topics in this Series: Delightful Desserts (Quarter 1); Seasonal Sweets (Quarter 2); Perfect Pastries (Quarter 3); Creative Confections (Quarter 4).
Assessments: Qualitative Feedback will be given in class. Formal grades/assessment will not be given.
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $45.00 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class.
What to Bring: None- Disposable aprons and take-home containers provided.
What to Wear: Students should wear clean clothes and have long hair tied back, braided, or secured under a bandana (male and female).
Cooking Class Requirements. For more information and FAQs, see the Compass Cooking Classes webpage.
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a component (partial) credit in career exploration, fine arts, or electives for purposes of a high school transcript.
Culinary Foundations: Stuffed! (Filled Meats & Vegetables)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 13, 2025
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 115 min
Instructor: Mylene Nyman
Grade Range: 9th-12th
Prerequisites: Prior Tween or Teen Cooking Class or Instructor Permission
Students with a curiosity for culinary careers will explore many aspects of cooking for the hospitality industry and for themselves. In this advanced cooking class, students will make delicious, advanced recipes and learn skills that are the foundation for a future career in culinary arts. This class will get students excited about new foods, flavors, and techniques as they gain a working knowledge of food planning and preparation.
Each quarter, new technical, kitchen skills are introduced, and each week, a new recipe is made in class that demonstrates the featured food group or cooking style.
First quarter covers chapter Chapter 8 in the Level 1 textbook and features recipes the following recipes:
- Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- Stuffed Flank steak with Gorgonzola, Spinach, and Roasted Red Peppers
- Parmesan Herb Stuffed Flounder
- Stuffed Cabbage Leaves
- Quinoa-Stuffed Delicata Squash
- Greek Stuffed Peppers
- Spinach Artichoke-Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
- Caprese Stuffed Mushrooms
Culinary vocabulary will also be introduced each week. Students will leave this class with an introduction to culinary careers in the hospitality industry and a beginning foundation in culinary arts. Additionally, students will be able to take charge of a home kitchen, prepare advanced dishes, and adhere to safety and hygiene standards. They will have nutrition-planning and cooking skills that will enrich the lives of their friends and families.
Notes: Students with allergies to food ingredients or dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated in this class. Recipes may contain nuts, dairy, wheat, gluten, and eggs. All food supplies will be conventional, mass market ingredients. Specialty food preparations/certifications such as halal, kosher, and organic will not be used due to cost and sourcing logistics.
Topics in this Series: Mixed Up! (Stir-Fries & Casseroles)- Quarter 1; Roasted! (Grilled, Baked & Broiled Dishes)- Quarter 2; Stuffed! (Filled Meats & Vegetables)- Quarter 3; Skewered! (Kabobs & Grilled Skewers)- Quarter 4. Students continuing from the prior quarter will receive priority pre-registration for next quarter.
Prerequisites: Students must be in 9th grade (minimum age 14) to take this class. 7th-8th graders must have Instructor's permission to enroll. This class is best suited for students who can follow instructions, complete sequential tasks, and work in a group.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 1-2 hours per week outside of class.
Assignments: Cooking assignments, practicing skills at home, and related homework will be given in class and e-mailed to students and parents. Brief written assignments may be given, such as recipe modification or development.
Assessments: Individual feedback will be given in class. Formal assessments will not be given. At the end of the second quarter, enrolled students will be required to complete an online Virginia Food Handler Course for food safety certification through the county health department, which will cost $25.00
https://courseforfoodsafety.com/states/VA?gclid=CjwKCAjw7LX0BRBiEiwA__gNw4AfZHgp_eOVTeiEXudxZhhF11E2UMggiIeYo6qL33xlUaDXbUeB5RoCG1cQAvD_BwE
Textbook/Materials: Students should purchase or rent the selected textbooks and workbooks. Used copies are acceptable.
- Foundations of Restaurant Management & Culinary Arts: Level 1, published by National Restaurant Association (ISBN# 978-0138019389)
- Foundations of Restaurant Management & Culinary Arts: Level 2, published by National Restaurant Association (ISBN# 978-0131380226)
- Activity Guide for Foundations of Restaurant Management and Culinary Arts Level 1, published by National Restaurant Association (ISBN# 978-0137070503)
- Activity Guide for Foundations of Restaurant Management and Culinary Arts Level 2, published by National Restaurant Association (ISBN# 978-0131380714)
Required Tools/Materials: Culinary students will be expected to begin to acquire their own tools. Students should purchase and bring with them each week the following basic, minimum tools and supplies:
- Chef's Knife Set, Professional Quality- (purchased individually or as a starter set) Recommended model (Amazon): J.A Henckels International 31425-000 Classic Starter Knife Set, 3-Piece, Black/Stainless Steel
- Knife Guards- Recommended model (Amazon): 3- Piece Universal Knife Edge Guards Set
- Carrying Case- Recommended model (Amazon): Tosnail Chef Knife Case Roll Bag with 15 Slots
- Chef's Jacket- (long sleeve, white. Brought to class clean each week) Recommended model- women's (Amazon): Chef Works Women's Le Mans Chef Coat Recommended model-men's (Amazon): Chef Works Men's Bordeaux Chef Coat
- Chef's Cap - (student's choice of color) Recommended model (Amazon): Nanxson 3pcs Chef Hat
- Office Supplies: Ring binder, pen or pencil, note cards and loose-leaf paper
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $75.00 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class for perishable food items, ingredients, and supplies that are used in this class. For more information and FAQs, see the Compass Cooking Classes webpage.
Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a component (partial) credit in Fine Arts or Career Education for purposes of a high school transcript.
Spanish Para Pequenos (Spanish for Little Ones)- MON
Quarter 3: Starts on January 13, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Ruth Jeantet
Grade Range: K-2nd
Prerequisites: None
Hola! Spanish Para Pequenos (Spanish for Little Ones) is a fun, play-based, Spanish immersion class for young children. Following the native language-learning process, children will be exposed to the sounds, letters, and high-frequency words in Spanish through songs, games, stories, puppets, and other interactive activities. The teacher will provide all necessary toys and objects to give young children tangible, and hands-on ways to apply new concepts in practical real-life situations. The instructor uses some Montessori-style activities that create a high-energy, playful environment, engaging tactile and kinesthetic learners alike while appealing to children's natural curiosities. The vocabulary and language structures presented in each session follow a new letter of the alphabet each week that will include greetings, simple phrases, foods, colors, numbers, animals, common action verbs, calendar phrases, articles of clothing and seasonal topics. Vocabulary will be repeated and reviewed often to aid in the retention of the language, and will primarily develop listening and speaking skills. The goal of this introductory course is to lay foundations in phonics and essential vocabulary words while having fun and building confidence in a foreign language. Who knows, your child might just come home singing their new favorite Spanish nursery rhyme!
Sweet Shop: Best Bon Bons (Mon)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 13, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Mylene Nyman
Grade Range: 9th-12th
Prerequisites: None
The tantalizing aroma of cookies in the oven. A mouth-watering burst of mint. The silky feel of melted chocolate. The sticky sweet of fresh-made caramel. A subtle hint of lemon. Student bakers will enjoy these delicious sensations- and more- as they explore the world of baking homemade desserts.
Sweet Shop treats are scrumptious, fun, and simple to make. Each week they will prepare a fresh, handmade dessert or sweet such as: pies, cakes, cookies, tarts, trifles, mousses, puddings, candies, fudge, brittle, or chocolate. The class will include some icing, decorating, and garnishing techniques for completed desserts. This quarter, the Compass bakers' culinary adventures will include:
- Chocolate Ganache Cake
- Chocolate Mint Sheet Cake
- Peanut Butter Brownies (contains nuts)
- Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake
- Chocolate Panna Cotta (contains gelatin)
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles (contains nuts)
- Chocolate Silk Pie
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cake
Students will be eating what they make each week and bringing home the recipes and leftovers. This engaging sweets class will get students excited about helping in the kitchen and entertaining. They will learn important baking skills such as safety, sanitation, measuring, knife skills, and other tricks of the trade. Culinary vocabulary is introduced each week.
Notes: Students with allergies to food ingredients or dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated in this class. Recipes may contain nuts, dairy, wheat, gluten, and eggs. All food supplies will be conventional, mass market ingredients. Specialty food preparations/certifications such as halal, kosher, and organic will not be used due to cost and sourcing logistics.
Topics in this Series: Decadent Delights (Quarter 1); Gooey Goodies (Quarter 2), Best Bon Bons (Quarter 3), and Tasty Treats (Quarter 4).
Assessments: Qualitative Feedback will be given in class. Formal grades/assessment will not be given.
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $45.00 is due payable to the instructor on or before the first day of class.
What to Bring: None- Disposable aprons and take-home containers provided.
What to Wear: Students should wear clean clothes and have long hair tied back, braided, or secured under a bandana (male and female).
Cooking Class Requirements: For more information and FAQs, see the Compass Cooking Classes webpage.
Acting- Kids' Theater: Spy Spoof
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Judith Harmon
Grade Range: 3rd-5th
Prerequisites: None
Kids take to the stage as they collaboratively write and perform their very own play with unique characters and an original storyline. What happens when sly sleuths and devious detectives team up to thwart threatening thieves?
Students will begin with improvisational games to get to know each other and start to brainstorm about their original play. Through group activities and guided discussion, the student actors will decide on characters, conflict, and conclusion, and the story they want to tell. The script will be developed and customized for this class with input from the students.
The class will learn the practical aspects of acting, as they work on script read-through, blocking, costume/prop design, and planning the show. Student actors will explore skills such as stage movement, character development, emotional expression, and observation/concentration while learning to portray their original character. Students will develop their own "actor's toolkit" of voice, body, and imagination in this creative process! Actors will grow in confidence and communication skills in preparation for a final sharing with parents on the last day of the
Once the script is fully developed with everyone's parts, it will be emailed to parents. Parents will be expected to help their children memorize their script/lines/cues and assemble a simple make-at-home costume, ideally from clothing items and accessories you already own and a little creativity. Note: Students who are emerging readers (not able to read at a 3rd/4th grade level) would be better suited to the Young Actor's Playhouse class, rather than this level.
Acting- Young Actor's Playhouse: Suddenly Small
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Judith Harmon
Grade Range: 1st-2nd
Prerequisites: None
Acting is an adventure! Young actors work together to create and perform their very own play with unique characters and an original storyline. What happens when everything is shrunk so trees are as tall as towers and bugs are the size of buildings? Young actors will create their own suddenly shrunken scenarios.
Students will begin with improvisational games to get to know each other and to begin to brainstorm about their original play. Through group activities and guided discussion, the young actors will decide on characters, conflict, and conclusion, and the story they want to tell. The script will be developed and customized for this class with input from the students.
Young actors will explore skills such as sensory awareness, listening, stage movement, character development, emotional expression, and observation/concentration while learning to portray their original character. Young actors will learn aspects of acting by script read-through, blocking, costume/prop discussion, and planning the show. Through individual and group activities, young actors build confidence in preparation for a final sharing for parents.
Students will work from a simple, written script, but emerging readers can be accommodated. Parents will be emailed the script after the 3rd or 4th class and will be expected to help their children memorize their lines and assemble a simple make-at-home costume, ideally from clothing items and accessories you already own and a little creativity. All actors must be at least age 6 to sign up for this class.
Aquatic Biology: Marshes and Estuaries
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Osk Huneycutt
Grade Range: 5th-6th
Prerequisites: None
More than 70% of the Earth's surface is water! Understanding the planet's oceans and freshwater systems is critical to understanding life on our planet- from beginnings in the seas to the water cycle that supports ongoing life. The study of aquatic and marine biology provides a basis for understanding much of the chemistry, physics, biology, and meteorology on our planet. Budding marine biologists will travel inland to learn about freshwater systems like lakes and ponds, rivers and streams before returning to the coast to study marshes and estuaries followed by extreme marine environments. The focus will be on hands-on, dynamic learning, and students will engage in several demonstrations and experiments in each class.
Third quarter, students will focus on the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of estuarine systems. The class will learn about salinity gradients, nutrient cycling, and biological communities in temperate estuaries and tropical mangrove swamps. Students will study the amazing adaptations that allow plants and animals in these habitats to tolerate rapid changes in temperature and salinity. The group will also discuss human impacts to estuarine habitats, including habitat loss, water diversion, and eutrophication.
Topics in this Series: Lakes and Ponds (Quarter 1); Rivers and Streams (Quarter 2); Marshes and Estuaries (Quarter 3); and Extreme Marine (Quarter 4). Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $20.00 is due payable to the instructor on/before the first day of class.
Art in Action: Murals, Monuments, and Museums (TUE)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Kerry Diederich
Grade Range: 3rd-4th
Prerequisites: None
Elementary artists can get in on the action as they learn about a different artist or artistic style each week and create a representative piece using a wide range of artistic supplies such as tempura and water color paints, pastels, pencils, cray pas, oil pastel crayons, specialty papers, sculpting media, and embellishments.
Third quarter, students will look to Washington, DC at famous murals, monuments, and museums. Class projects will be multi-media creations influenced and inspired by the art and sculpture we view in the Capitol-area such as the Washington Monument, Natural Gallery of Art, National Cathedral, US Capitol and National Mall.
Topics in this Series: Media of the Masters (Quarter 1); Animal Artists (Quarter 2); Murals, Monuments, and Museums (Quarter 3); Stellar Celestial Subjects (Quarter 4). Supply Fee: There is a supply fee of $25.00, payable to the instructor on the first day of class which covers consumable class materials such a specialty papers, watercolor pencils, and paints.
Artist's Academy: French vs American Artists
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Kerry Diederich
Grade Range: 5th-6th
Prerequisites: None
Tween artists can get in on the action as they learn about a different artist or artistic style each week and create a representative piece using a wide range of artistic supplies such as tempura and water color paints, pastels, pencils, cray pas, oil pastel crayons, specialty papers, sculpting media, and embellishments.
Third quarter, tweens will study French and American Artists and consider what inspired them, how they selected their subjects, and ways the two cohorts painted similarly and differently. The class will look at some of the most famous paintings and create projects inspired by those works or artistic techniques. Students will use a variety of art materials, specialty papers, and canvases.
Topics in this Series: Mysteries of Abstract Art (Quarter 1), Watercolor Explorations (Quarter 2), French vs American Artists (Quarter 3), Origin Art (Quarter 4). Supply Fee: There is a supply fee of $25.00, payable to the instructor on the first day of class which covers consumable class materials such a specialty papers, watercolor pencils, and paints.
Battle Strategies & Dioramas: America's Wars- Gettysburg (Civil)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Taliesin Knol
Grade Range: 6th-8th
Prerequisites: None
Students will learn the basic history of the Civil War, with a focus on the bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil, the three days at Gettysburg. Gettysburg would be the last major offensive action by the Confederate Army on Union soil, shattering the myth of Lee's invincibility on the field and signaling the beginning of the Confederacy's downfall.
Students will engage in a hands-on 3D battle strategy game using the military dioramas that they make! Using artistic model-making techniques, hand tools, paint, and miniatures, each student will craft a 10 X 16 diorama. In class, they will view historical maps, artistic renderings, and/or photographs to understand the topography and development of this time and place in history. Students will customize their dioramas with landforms, landscape elements, waterways, and structures to represent a scene from this period. Once individual projects are constructed, students will populate them with 1:72 scale miniature figures. Students will combine their dioramas alongside those of their classmates to approximate a larger battlefield. Students will spend the remainder of the quarter learning about the tactics and outcomes of the military engagement while playing a table-top strategy game. Student strategists will use a simplified version of the Fire and Fury historical war gaming rule system for moving troops and equipment. Along with their classmates, students will see how this battle progressed and test different outcome scenarios that might have occurred with different battlefield choices. Each student will have at least one board and set of miniatures to take home with them.
Course documents such as maps, game rules and all other instructional media will be available via a Google Drive link which will be emailed to parents. There is a $25.00 materials fee payable to the instructor on the first day of class. Topics in this year's series include: Lexington & Concord (Quarter 1); The Alamo (Quarter 2); Gettysburg (Quarter 3); and Invasion of San Juan Hill (Quarter 4)
Beginner Bots: Perfect Pets (TUE)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Becca Sticha
Grade Range: 2nd-4th
Prerequisites: None
Discover the world of robotics using kids' favorite, interlocking building bricks! Students will build and program 3-4 different whimsical, mechanized projects each quarter using the WeDo 2.0 robotics system by LEGO Education.
Third quarter, students will build, program, and model perfect pets such as a Tom & Jerry (cat and mouse), a baby bird, a bunny, and a dog.
Their robots will be built using special-shaped LEGO components from the WeDo Educational set, motors, motion sensors, tilt sensors and a programmable, Bluetooth control unit ("brain"). Student will use classroom tablets to program the control units using an intuitive drag-and-drop coding modules.
Prior experience with LEGO or coding is not required. All equipment is furnished.
Topics in this Series: Under the Sea (Quarter 1), Wings and Things (Quarter 2); Perfect Pets (Quarter 3), and Reptiles Robots (Quarter 4).
Cooking for Kids: Winter Warm-Ups (TUE)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Mylene Nyman
Grade Range: 3rd-5th
Prerequisites: None
Students will enjoy making delicious recipes and family favorites that feature a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fresh ingredients. Recipes are selected to be nutritious, fun, and simple to make. Each class will focus on a portion of a meal including appetizer, salad, soup, side dish, main dish, and dessert. The Compass chefs' culinary adventures will include:
- Tomato Manchego Tartlets
- Corn and Fennel Cream Soup
- Broccoli Salad
- Chive Smashed Potatoes
- Apricot Glazed Chicken and Vegetables
- Coconut Almond French toast Casserole (contains nuts)
- Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Mug Cake
Students will be eating what they make each week and bringing home the recipes and leftovers. These engaging cooking classes will get students excited about helping in the kitchen, experimenting, and trying new foods. Students will be exposed to healthy ingredients they may not regularly eat. They will learn important kitchen skills such as safety, sanitation, measuring, knife skills, and other tricks of the trade. Culinary vocabulary and terms are introduced each week, with no-pressure verbal review of those words the following week.
Notes: Students with allergies to food ingredients or dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated in this class. Recipes may contain nuts, dairy, wheat, gluten, and eggs. All food supplies will be conventional, mass market ingredients. Specialty food preparations/certifications such as halal, kosher, and organic will not be used due to cost and sourcing logistics.
Topics in this Series: Fall Fare with Flair (Quarter 1), Festive Fall Flavors (Quarter 2), Winter Warm-Ups (Quarter 3), Savory Spring Specialties (Quarter 4).
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $45.00 is due payable to the instructor on or before the first day of class.
What to Bring: None- Disposable aprons and take-home containers provided.
What to Wear: Students should wear clean clothes and have long hair tied back, braided, or secured under a bandana (male and female).
Cooking Class Requirements:For more information and FAQs, see the Compass Cooking Classes webpage.
Cooking for Little Kids: Winter Warm-Ups (TUE 10AM)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Mylene Nyman
Grade Range: 1st-3rd
Prerequisites: None
Students will enjoy making delicious recipes and family favorites that feature a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fresh ingredients. Recipes are selected to be nutritious, fun, and simple to make. Each class will focus on a portion of a meal including appetizer, salad, soup, side dish, main dish, and dessert. The Compass chefs' culinary adventures will include:
- Tomato Manchego Tartlets
- Corn and Fennel Cream Soup
- Broccoli Salad
- Chive Smashed Potatoes
- Apricot Glazed Chicken and Vegetables
- Coconut Almond French toast Casserole (contains nuts)
- Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Mug Cake
Students will be eating what they make each week and bringing home the recipes and leftovers. These engaging cooking classes will get students excited about helping in the kitchen, experimenting, and trying new foods. Students will be exposed to healthy ingredients they may not regularly eat. They will learn important kitchen skills such as safety, sanitation, measuring, knife skills, and other tricks of the trade. Culinary vocabulary and terms are introduced each week, with no-pressure verbal review of those words the following week.
Notes: Students with allergies to food ingredients or dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated in this class. Recipes may contain nuts, dairy, wheat, gluten, and eggs. All food supplies will be conventional, mass market ingredients. Specialty food preparations/certifications such as halal, kosher, and organic will not be used due to cost and sourcing logistics. This class is best suited for students who can follow instructions, complete sequential tasks, and work in a group. For the Little Kids level, students must be minimum age six (6) by the start of class and must be developmentally on-level for fine motor skills and ability to follow directions.
Topics in this Series: Fall Fare with Flair (Quarter 1), Festive Fall Flavors (Quarter 2), Winter Warm-Ups (Quarter 3), Savory Spring Specialties (Quarter 4).
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $45.00 is due payable to the instructor on or before the first day of class.
What to Bring: None- Disposable aprons and take-home containers provided.
What to Wear: Students should wear clean clothes and have long hair tied back, braided, or secured under a bandana (male and female).
Cooking Class Requirements: For more information and FAQs, see the Compass Cooking Classes webpage.
Cooking for Little Kids: Winter Warm-Ups (TUE 11AM)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Mylene Nyman
Grade Range: 1st-3rd
Prerequisites: None
Students will enjoy making delicious recipes and family favorites that feature a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fresh ingredients. Recipes are selected to be nutritious, fun, and simple to make. Each class will focus on a portion of a meal including appetizer, salad, soup, side dish, main dish, and dessert. The Compass chefs' culinary adventures will include:
- Tomato Manchego Tartlets
- Corn and Fennel Cream Soup
- Broccoli Salad
- Chive Smashed Potatoes
- Apricot Glazed Chicken and Vegetables
- Coconut Almond French toast Casserole (contains nuts)
- Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Mug Cake
Students will be eating what they make each week and bringing home the recipes and leftovers. These engaging cooking classes will get students excited about helping in the kitchen, experimenting, and trying new foods. Students will be exposed to healthy ingredients they may not regularly eat. They will learn important kitchen skills such as safety, sanitation, measuring, knife skills, and other tricks of the trade. Culinary vocabulary and terms are introduced each week, with no-pressure verbal review of those words the following week.
Notes: Students with allergies to food ingredients or dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated in this class. Recipes may contain nuts, dairy, wheat, gluten, and eggs. All food supplies will be conventional, mass market ingredients. Specialty food preparations/certifications such as halal, kosher, and organic will not be used due to cost and sourcing logistics. This class is best suited for students who can follow instructions, complete sequential tasks, and work in a group. For the Little Kids level, students must be minimum age six (6) by the start of class and must be developmentally on-level for fine motor skills and ability to follow directions.
Topics in this Series: Fall Fare with Flair (Quarter 1), Festive Fall Flavors (Quarter 2), Winter Warm-Ups (Quarter 3), Savory Spring Specialties (Quarter 4).
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $45.00 is due payable to the instructor on or before the first day of class.
What to Bring: None- Disposable aprons and take-home containers provided.
What to Wear: Students should wear clean clothes and have long hair tied back, braided, or secured under a bandana (male and female).
Cooking Class Requirements: For more information and FAQs, see the Compass Cooking Classes webpage.
Cooking for Tweens: Winter Warm-Ups (TUE)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Mylene Nyman
Grade Range: 6th-8th
Prerequisites: None
Students will enjoy making delicious recipes and family favorites that feature a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fresh ingredients. Recipes are selected to be nutritious, fun, and simple to make. Each class will focus on a portion of a meal including appetizer, salad, soup, side dish, main dish, and dessert. The Compass chefs' culinary adventures will include:
- Tomato Manchego Tartlets
- Corn and Fennel Cream Soup
- Broccoli Salad
- Chive Smashed Potatoes
- Apricot Glazed Chicken and Vegetables
- Coconut Almond French toast Casserole (contains nuts)
- Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Mug Cake
Students will be eating what they make each week and bringing home the recipes and leftovers. These engaging cooking classes will get students excited about helping in the kitchen, experimenting, and trying new foods. Students will be exposed to healthy ingredients they may not regularly eat. They will learn important kitchen skills such as safety, sanitation, measuring, knife skills, and other tricks of the trade. Culinary vocabulary and terms are introduced each week, with no-pressure verbal review of those words the following week.
Notes: Students with allergies to food ingredients or dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated in this class. Recipes may contain nuts, dairy, wheat, gluten, and eggs. All food supplies will be conventional, mass market ingredients. Specialty food preparations/certifications such as halal, kosher, and organic will not be used due to cost and sourcing logistics.
Topics in this Series: Fall Fare with Flair (Quarter 1), Festive Fall Flavors (Quarter 2), Winter Warm-Ups (Quarter 3), Savory Spring Specialties (Quarter 4).
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $45.00 is due payable to the instructor on or before the first day of class.
What to Bring: None- Disposable aprons and take-home containers provided.
What to Wear: Students should wear clean clothes and have long hair tied back, braided, or secured under a bandana (male and female).
Cooking Class Requirements: For more information and FAQs, see the Compass Cooking Classes webpage.
Creative Storytelling: Once Upon a.. Lost Land (TUE)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Judith Harmon
Grade Range: 2nd-3rd
Prerequisites: None
Children are full of stories and bubbling over with big ideas! In this class, students will learn how to capture their creative vision into a simple story that they will write and illustrate. This quarter, our storytellers will make up the myth of a mystical mountain. Will they find lost legends and lonely labyrinths among lush landscapes and more?
Students will learn how to build a Story Arc through guided, weekly activities. They will discover the key elements to composing a story such as crafting characters, posing a problem, advancing the action, constructing the climax, and writing the resolution- through brainstorming questions like, "Who is in your story?", "Where does this take place?", "What does that look like?" and "What happened after ____?"
Students should be able to read, write, and spell at the second grade level or higher for this class. Psst- don't tell your child, but this class helps lay the foundation in language arts for more advanced creative writing and composition. Pair this class with Acting: Kids Theater or Writing Wonders to further encourage communication and storytelling skills. The supply fee is included in the class tuition.
Decorative Arts Studio: Fiber Arts Fun for Kids
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Shona D\'Cruz
Grade Range: 3rd-5th
Prerequisites: None
Student artists will enjoy working hands-on, in 3-dimensions with a variety of sculpting and crafting materials to create original Decorative Arts. Assembling decorative items is multi-sensory, and students enjoy the tactile experience of shaping, stacking, forming, flattening, and layering a selection of materials to create unique, personal projects. Decorative art engages a different artistic skillset than coloring, drawing, and writing, and encourages creativity to represent objects in three dimensions. In this studio environment, students will create original hand-made pieces using a range of artistic techniques and a myriad of materials to choose from.
Third quarter, students will work with a variety of fibers and textiles to create unique, 3-dimensional projects. From fuzzy chenille to fluffy cotton and scratchy jute to scrumptious viscose, students will enjoy the tactile experience of looping, lashing, layering, weaving or knotting assorted textures in fabrics and fibers. Students may also work with burlap, felt, leather, muslin, wool, yarn, or string. Example past projects include a string sculpture, a knotted flannel scarf, a wall hanging, and wool felting projects. Students may sew embellishments such as buttons on their finished projects, but this is not a sewing class. A supply fee of $30.00 per student is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class.
Topics in this Series: Sculpture Skills (Quarter 1), Marvelous Mosaics (Quarter 2), Fiber Arts Fun (Quarter 3), and Upcycled, Recycled Projects (Quarter 4).
Decorative Arts Studio: Fiber Arts Fun for Tweens
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Shona D\'Cruz
Grade Range: 6th-8th
Prerequisites: None
Student artists will enjoy working hands-on, in 3-dimensions with a variety of sculpting and crafting materials to create original Decorative Arts. Assembling decorative items is multi-sensory, and students enjoy the tactile experience of shaping, stacking, forming, flattening, and layering a selection of materials to create unique, personal projects. Decorative art engages a different artistic skillset than coloring, drawing, and writing, and encourages creativity to represent objects in three dimensions. In this studio environment, students will create original hand-made pieces using a range of artistic techniques and a myriad of materials to choose from.
Third quarter, students will work with a variety of fibers and textiles to create unique, 3-dimensional projects. From fuzzy chenille to fluffy cotton and scratchy jute to scrumptious viscose, students will enjoy the tactile experience of looping, lashing, layering, weaving or knotting assorted textures in fabrics and fibers. Students may also work with burlap, felt, leather, muslin, wool, yarn, or string. Example past projects include a string sculpture, a knotted flannel scarf, a wall hanging, and wool felting projects. Students may sew embellishments such as buttons on their finished projects, but this is not a sewing class. A supply fee of $30.00 per student is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class.
Topics in this Series: Sculpture Skills (Quarter 1), Marvelous Mosaics (Quarter 2), Fiber Arts Fun (Quarter 3), and Upcycled, Recycled Projects (Quarter 4).
Dynamic Dioramas: Myths & Legends- Joan of Arc
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Taliesin Knol
Grade Range: 3rd-5th
Prerequisites: None
As the 100 Years' War devastated the common people of France, a woman was born who took to the field and rallied the nearly defeated French armies to resist the English. Joan, the Maid of Orleans, was inspired by visions from angels to drive out the invaders and see the rightful heir on the French throne. Once captured in battle by the English, she was put on trial for heresy and executed by a corrupt court. This would serve only to martyr her, and the English would ultimately fail to conquer France.
Using artistic model-making techniques, hand tools, and historical records, students will create a 10" X 14" diorama board of a 100 Years War battle Joan participated in and populate it with 1:72 scale invading armies and their adversaries for historical re-enactments. Once individual projects are constructed, students will combine their dioramas alongside those of their classmates to approximate a larger battlefield terrain. Students will spend the remainder of the quarter learning about the tactics and outcomes of the conquest while playing a table-top strategy game. Student strategists will use a custom wargaming rule system for moving troops and siege equipment. Along with their classmates, students will see how battles progressed and test different scenarios that might have occurred with different battlefield choices.
Course documents such as maps, game rules and all other instructional media will be available via a Google Drive link which will be emailed to parents. Topics in this series include: King Arthur (Quarter 1), 1001 Arabian Nights (Quarter 2), Joan of Arc (Quarter 3), William Wallace and the Scottish Uprising (Quarter 4). There is a $25.00 materials fee payable to the instructor on the first day of class.
Eco Scientist: Africa and Asia
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Osk Huneycutt
Grade Range: 3rd-4th
Prerequisites: None
Become a world-traveling eco adventurer and earth scientist without leaving Compass! Study the world's most exciting and diverse ecosystems and learn about the incredible biologic and geologic phenomena that shape them. Venture into caves and coasts, tundra and taiga, and forests and fjords. Each week, student scientists will begin by locating the fascinating features on a map before learning about these incredible habitats from the ground-up, starting with the geology of a place, then working their way through the climate, biome, flora, and fauna. Hands-on labs and in-class activities will reinforce regional and ecological diversity by examining rock types, classifying plants, observing insects, or modeling weather phenomena.
This quarter's journey begins at the highest point on earth Mt. Everest. The class will journey through Asia and India and see how these land masses have changed over geologic time. Why are there elephants in India and Africa, but not in the Middle Eastern lands that connect them? Students will follow the elephant's trail through time and explore the African continent and the world s largest rift valleys where the earth is literally tearing apart!
Topics in this Series: The Americas and Antarctica (Quarter 1); Northern Latitudes (Quarter 2); Africa & Asia (Quarter 3); and All About Islands (Quarter 4). Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $20.00 is due payable to the instructor on/before the first day of class.
Engineering Challenge: Mechanical Lab
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Becca Sticha
Grade Range: 5th-6th
Prerequisites: None
Focus on the "E" in STEM- Engineering! Discover the everyday challenges we can solve through engineering in this hands-on, project-focused class! Students will tackle simulated challenges that span a variety of engineering disciplines and practice the three main steps of the engineering design process by asking, "What is the problem?", "What are possible solutions?" and, "How can I improve on the design?"
Third quarter, the class will learn about the careers of Mechanical Engineers and their responsibility for designing, constructing, testing, and maintaining functional devices and machines from ships to appliances, turbines, and vehicles. Students will model mechanical engineering challenges with projects such as a mechanical claw, catapults, tetrahedral kits, pneumatic devices, and a contraption to rescue an animal who is stuck in a drain pipe.
Students will work together to solve problems and brainstorm options given a variety of project materials. For each project, students will be challenged to adjust their designs, make modifications, re-design to optimize their creations, and retest performance. Basic building, measuring, data collection, and equations will be used to challenge all minds in engineering!
There is a $25.00 supply fee due payable to the instructor on/before the start of class. Topics in this Series include: Civil Lab (Quarter 1); Electrical Lab (Quarter 2); Mechanical Lab (Quarter 3); and Green (Sustainable) Lab (Quarter 4).
Environmental Science: Water Investigation
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Osk Huneycutt
Grade Range: 7th-8th
Prerequisites: None
A powerful hurricane season forecasted. Polar ice caps receding. Hydraulic fracking. Solar power. Everywhere we look, Environmental Science is in the news! Environmental science is an exciting interdisciplinary study that merges the fields of geology, biology, chemistry, and meteorology to explain the earth as an interconnected system with both natural and human-made influences. This year, middle schoolers will sample Environmental Science topics in a hands-on, lab-based investigation.
Third quarter, students will focus on water. The class will study the global water cycle, water chemistry and water quality, water tables, water reclamation, desalination, as well as environmental issues related to water resources including pollution and freshwater limitation.
Topics in this series include: Geology and Soil Sciences (first quarter); Atmospheric Science (second quarter); Water Science (third quarter); and Current Issues in Environmental Science (fourth quarter). There is a $20.00 lab fee due payable to the instructor on/before the first day of class for consumable materials.
FUNctional Fitness and Cross-Training (PE) for Kids: Yellow (TUE)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Iman Castaneda
Grade Range: 2nd-5th
Prerequisites: None
FUNctional Fitness is a dynamic PE program for that incorporates well-rounded exercises to get tweens up and moving mid-day! No two workouts are the same, but each day's activities incorporate exercises that target 10 areas: cardio-vascular endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. FUNctional Fitness focuses on functional movements that are fundamental to all aspects of play and exercise- pulling, pushing, running, throwing, climbing, lifting, and jumping. Work-outs are scalable and adaptable to different individual's own level, and the emphasis is on fun, safety, and personal accomplishment rather than competition among classmates. When the weather permits, some exercises may be taken outdoors. The physical challenges of FUNctional Fitness will foster self-confidence, focus, and help instill a foundation for a lifetime of fitness.
The color name in the class title refers to the collectable token students will earn each quarter they take the class. Collect all 8! Students may enroll in FUNctional Fitness at any time, regardless of the color name No one color is a prerequisite for any other color, and tokens can be earned in any order.
All equipment is furnished. Students are asked to wear loose, comfortable clothing, such as running pants or sweatpants, and comfortable, supportive athletic shoes. FUNctional Fitness continues each quarter, and students may repeat the class to continue to improve fitness. No two workouts are the same!
FUNctional Fitness and Cross-Training (PE) for Tweens: Yellow
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Iman Castaneda
Grade Range: 6th-8th
Prerequisites: None
FUNctional Fitness is a dynamic PE program for that incorporates well-rounded exercises to get tweens up and moving mid-day! No two workouts are the same, but each day's activities incorporate exercises that target 10 areas: cardio-vascular endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. FUNctional Fitness focuses on functional movements that are fundamental to all aspects of play and exercise- pulling, pushing, running, throwing, climbing, lifting, and jumping. Work-outs are scalable and adaptable to different individual's own level, and the emphasis is on fun, safety, and personal accomplishment rather than competition among classmates. When the weather permits, some exercises may be taken outdoors. The physical challenges of FUNctional Fitness will foster self-confidence, focus, and help instill a foundation for a lifetime of fitness.
The color name in the class title refers to the collectable token students will earn each quarter they take the class. Collect all 8! Students may enroll in FUNctional Fitness at any time, regardless of the color name No one color is a prerequisite for any other color, and tokens can be earned in any order.
All equipment is furnished. Students are asked to wear loose, comfortable clothing, such as running pants or sweatpants, and comfortable, supportive athletic shoes. FUNctional Fitness continues each quarter, and students may repeat the class to continue to improve fitness. No two workouts are the same!
Geo Detective: Sensational Cycles and Seasons (1 PM)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Osk Huneycutt
Grade Range: 1st-2nd
Prerequisites: None
Geo-Detectives discover the many mysteries of Earth Science. From large-scale disasters that come from inside the planet to microscopic contaminants in the water and soil, Geo-Detectives look high and low to understand the forces, systems, and cycles that continue to shape the Earth, its climates and ecosystems. Geo-Detectives will explore concepts as diverse as fossils to fault lines, ozone to ocean trenches, and trade winds to tundra. Hands-on labs and in-class activities will reinforce geological phenomena such as examining fossils, classifying rocks, reading the seismographic charts, or modeling the water cycle.
Third quarter, Geo Detectives will take a big picture perspective on the physical, chemical and biological processes that occur on our planet. We will learn about the rock cycle, water cycle, carbon and nitrogen cycling, primary productivity and the flow of energy through ecosystems.
Topics in this Series: What a Disaster! Volcanoes, Tsunamis & Earthquakes
(Quarter 1); Wacky World Weather (Quarter 2); Sensational Cycles and Seasons (Quarter 3); and Exploring Ecosystems (Quarter 4). Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $20.00 is due payable to the instructor on/before the first day of class.
Geo Detective: Sensational Cycles and Seasons (2 PM)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Osk Huneycutt
Grade Range: 1st-2nd
Prerequisites: None
Geo-Detectives discover the many mysteries of Earth Science. From large-scale disasters that come from inside the planet to microscopic contaminants in the water and soil, Geo-Detectives look high and low to understand the forces, systems, and cycles that continue to shape the Earth, its climates and ecosystems. Geo-Detectives will explore concepts as diverse as fossils to fault lines, ozone to ocean trenches, and trade winds to tundra. Hands-on labs and in-class activities will reinforce geological phenomena such as examining fossils, classifying rocks, reading the seismographic charts, or modeling the water cycle.
Third quarter, Geo Detectives will take a big picture perspective on the physical, chemical and biological processes that occur on our planet. We will learn about the rock cycle, water cycle, carbon and nitrogen cycling, primary productivity and the flow of energy through ecosystems.
Topics in this Series: What a Disaster! Volcanoes, Tsunamis & Earthquakes
(Quarter 1); Wacky World Weather (Quarter 2); Sensational Cycles and Seasons (Quarter 3); and Exploring Ecosystems (Quarter 4). Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $20.00 is due payable to the instructor on/before the first day of class.
Great Graphic Novels: Shakespeare Shorts
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Christina Somerville
Grade Range: 5th-6th
Prerequisites: None
Get your child to read the classics without a clash! Children will become familiar with the world's best-known authors and timeless tales through the approachable illustrated format of graphic novels. Kids will not realize they are reading literature and being introduced to literary analysis as they read these entertaining, illustrated, short-form stories.
Third quarter, students will read some of the best of the Bard in abridged Shakespeare Shorts. Meet merchant Antonio, a moneylender, and their romantic interests in old Italy in The Merchant of Venice. Journey to a magical forest to learn what happens when whimsical fairies influence the fates of four young lovers in A Midsummer Night's Dream , and unravel mistaken identities, misunderstandings, and mis adventures of a cast of characters in The Twelfth Night.
Through colorful, dramatic graphics and an approachable conversational tone, graphic novels show kids that literature can be enthralling! Each quarter will begin with an overview of the graphic novel genre including vocabulary unique to the illustrations and format (panels, speech bubbles, etc.) by looking at several other examples of graphic novels. Each week, students will read a portion of a graphic novel at home from the Saddleback Educational Publishing Graphic, Illustrated Classics Series. In class, literary elements and character analysis will be discussed. Extension activities such as reading, listening, or watching excerpts of other tellings of the same tale will take place in class. Students will think they are talking about cool, comic-style books, but the facilitated class discussion will introduce kids to classic works of literature and perhaps interest them to later read the complete novel.
Students are expected to read approximately one half of one graphic novel (25-30 pages) per week which they may read individually or read aloud with their families. These novels are generally considered at the ages 8-12 reading level.
Collect all 12 (3 per quarter)! Build an illustrated classic library. Because students will need the same editions of all three graphic novels to be able to refer to the passages on the same page numbers, class sets of the graphic novels will be purchased for students. A supply fee of $48.00 will be due payable to Compass on or before the first day of class for 3 novels.
Topics in this series include: The Most Extreme Adventures (Quarter 1); Best of British Books (Quarter 2); Shakespeare Shorts (Quarter 3), and Classic Adventure Quests (Quarter 4).
Junior Art Studio: Multi-Media Masters (TUE)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Kerry Diederich
Grade Range: K-2nd
Prerequisites: None
This class is a multi-media art sampler for our youngest artists! Each week, students will learn a few fun facts about a type of art, artist, or culture and view sample works. Then, they will create a project in the style of the featured artist or culture using a wide variety of materials, colors, patterns, textures, and embellishments. Young artists will have the opportunity to work with a different media each week such as tempera paint, various papers, color pencils, markers, tissue paper, translucent tracing paper, cray pas, oil pastels, charcoals, and watercolors.
Third quarter, Junior Artists will learn about the unique multi-media "craft art" of the masters! Projects will feature art with craft themes such as Van Gogh's Sunflowers, torn paper rainbows, Faith Ringold's story quilts, and sand painting. Art projects will feature a variety of materials and techniques to create craft art while learning about the artist, their technique, and their materials.
Topics in this Series: Imitate the Impressionists (Quarter 1); Destination Art (Quarter 2); Multi-Media Masters (Quarter 3); Native American Art (Quarter 4). Supply Fee: There is a supply fee of $25.00, payable to the instructor on the first day of class which covers consumable class materials such a specialty papers, watercolor pencils, and paints.
Junior Engineering with LEGO: Winter Wonders (TUE)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 1:30 pm Duration: 85 min
Instructor: Becca Sticha
Grade Range: K-2nd
Prerequisites: None
Students will use LEGO to design and build simple engineering projects out of everyone's favorite building toy! In this 90 minute class, students will explore concepts and vocabulary in physics, mechanical engineering, structural engineering, aerospace engineering, and architecture while playing with their creations.
Third quarter, students will build for an icy winter environment and explore constructions like a bobsled course, snow plows, snow mobiles, a Polar Express train, and gondola ski lifts!
Each class begins with 10-minutes of free build from tubs of LEGO components followed by a short discussion and demonstration of the day's project and concepts. Students build individually or in groups. Instructors will provide individual assistance, facilitate challenges, performance testing, competitions, and modifications to projects. Some projects may have been introduced in prior year's sessions, but each new build is unique, and student's building skills and understanding will have grown.
Notes:(1)Students must be minimum age 5 and able to separate from their parents for this class. (2) Projects are built from shared, Compass-owned components, so students will not bring completed projects home. Parents, however, can step into class 15 minutes before the end of each session to photograph their child's construction.
Topics in this Series: Fantastic Fliers & Space Racers (Quarter 1); Articulated Animals(Quarter 2); Winter Wonders (Quarter 3); Construct a Carnival (Quarter 4)
Kids' Confection Kitchen: Best Bon Bons (TUE)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Mylene Nyman
Grade Range: 5th-8th
Prerequisites: None
Toffee. Taffy. Truffles... End the day on a sweet note! Students will enjoy making and eating delicious confections. Each week they will prepare a fresh, handmade dessert or sweet such as: pies, cakes, cookies, tarts, trifles, mousses, puddings, candies, fudge, brittle, or chocolates. The class will include some icing, decorating, and garnishing techniques for completed desserts. This quarter, the Compass bakers' culinary adventures will include:
- Chocolate Ganache Cake
- Chocolate Mint Sheet Cake
- Peanut Butter Brownies (contains nuts)
- Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake
- Chocolate Panna Cotta (contains gelatin)
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles (contains nuts)
- Chocolate Silk Pie
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cake
Students will be eating what they make each week and bringing home the recipes and leftovers. This engaging sweets class will get students excited about helping in the kitchen and entertaining. They will learn important baking skills such as safety, sanitation, measuring, knife skills, and other tricks of the trade. Culinary vocabulary is introduced each week.
Notes: Students with allergies to food ingredients or dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated in this class. Recipes may contain nuts, dairy, wheat, gluten, and eggs. All food supplies will be conventional, mass market ingredients. Specialty food preparations/certifications such as halal, kosher, and organic will not be used due to cost and sourcing logistics.
Topics in this Series: Decadent Delights (Quarter 1); Gooey Goodies (Quarter 2), Best Bon Bons (Quarter 3), and Tasty Treats (Quarter 4).
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $45.00 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class.
What to Bring: None- Disposable aprons and take-home containers provided.
What to Wear: Students should wear clean clothes and have long hair tied back, braided, or secured under a bandana (male and female).
Cooking Class Requirements: For more information and FAQs, see the Compass Cooking Classes webpage.
Magical Creatures' Quest: A Middle School Role Playing Club (Q3)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 3:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Judith Harmon
Grade Range: 6th-8th
Prerequisites: None
Embark on a magical afternoon journey with "Magical Creatures' Quest: A Familiar Problem!" This enchanting club is for middle school students who adore whimsical tales, creative adventures, and the magic of tabletop role-playing games. During each club meeting, the group will weave a captivating story where each participant takes on the role of a magical animal on a quest to reunite with its owner. Are you more like a daring dragon, mysterious mermaid, playful Pegasus, or a fearless fairy? Each meeting presents a new chapter, filled with challenges, mysteries, and opportunities for magical mischief. Tweens will unleash their creativity and collaborate with others to shape the adventure, solve puzzles, and make decisions to advance the story.
The club is facilitated by an experienced Game Master who will guide students through the art of role-playing. Tweens will connect and form friendships with other middle schoolers who share a love of magical stories and imaginative play- in person! Previous role-playing experience is not required, but this club serves as a great introduction for tweens and teens who might be interested in embarking on Dungeons and Dragons.
Modeling the Great Conquests: William the Conqueror
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Taliesin Knol
Grade Range: 6th-8th
Prerequisites: None
In the year 1066, the last successful invasion of the British Isles would begin. The Saxons, who were themselves invaders centuries before, would be supplanted by ancestors of the Vikings, the Normans. These Vikings had settled in France 100 years earlier on land gifted to them by the Frankish King, in order to end their Viking ways and the threat they posed to Paris. For most of that 100 years, these Normans fought among themselves, until Duke William the Bastard unified them and with the Pope s permission, took the combined Norman force across the channel to carve out a brand new kingdom. Beset by enemies on all sides, the exhausted Saxon English stood little chance against the thundering Norman Knights, and in 1066 at the battle of Hastings, Norman conquest was finalized when Poor King Harry of the Saxons took and arrow to the eye and died. In the following decades William, no longer a Duke and a Bastard but now a King and a Conqueror. This class will focus on the society of feudal England, the medieval knight, as well as William's battles of the conquest.
Students will craft diorama from the battle of Hastings, Fulford, or Stamford Bridge. Using artistic model-making techniques, hand tools, and historical maps, students will create a 12 X 18 diorama board, and populate it with dozens of 1:72 scale Carolingian knights for historical re-enactments. Once individual projects are constructed, students will combine their dioramas alongside those of their classmates to approximate a larger battlefield terrain. Students will spend the remainder of the quarter learning about the tactics and outcomes of the military engagement while playing a table-top strategy game. Student strategists will use a simplified version of the Fire and Fury historical war gaming rule system for moving troops and equipment. Along with their classmates, students will see how battles progressed and test different outcome scenarios that might have occurred with different battlefield choices. Course documents, such as period maps, game rules and all other instructional media will be available via a Google Drive link which will be emailed to parents.
There is a $25.00 supply fee due payable to the instructor on/before the start of classes. Topics in this series include: Viking Invastions (Quarter 1), Charlemagne, Rebuilding an Empire (Quarter 2), William the Conqueror 1066 (Quarter 3), Saladin and the Crusaders (Quarter 4).
Nature Quest: Winter- Adventurers (Tue)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 11:05 am Duration: 50 min
Instructor: Sevim Kalyoncu
Grade Range: K-2nd
Prerequisites: None
Witness the wonders of winter! Bundle up and look for signs of how animals live in the cold. Discover tracks in the snow, uncover nests and borrows, and find out who munched on twigs or bark. Observe transformations in plant life, moss, and fungus, and watch the changes to the watershed.
Step outdoors to each week to explore nature with a senior naturalist/outdoor educator. Take a break from sit-down classes, indoor activities, and screen time to explore the natural world, get fresh air, and exercise. The group will explore the southern section of Sugarland Stream Valley Park in Herndon while they discover all the secrets that woods hold when you stop, look, listen, smell, touch, turn-over, and peek under!
A portion of each session will be seeking and discussing what is found each season. Students will get to know native animals and key types of plants and trees in our area. Emphasis will be on becoming comfortable with things they encounter outdoors, observing and appreciating discoveries in nature, safe exploration of the woods, and how to be a good steward of nature. The class will also discuss outdoor skills such as shelter and outdoor safety. Students will play games in the woods to practice outdoor skills.
Visit the Compass Nature Quest class webpage for more information on the program, location, and Frequently Asked Questions. Students should come prepared for class with outdoor/play clothes, closed-toe shoes, sunscreen and/or insect repellent, a hat, and jacket or layered outerwear depending on the weather/temperature.
Students must be minimum age 5 by the start of class, be comfortable separating from their parents for the duration of class and must be able to stay in a group and follow instructions.
Nature Quest: Winter- Pathfinders (Tue)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 12:05 pm Duration: 50 min
Instructor: Sevim Kalyoncu
Grade Range: 3rd-4th
Prerequisites: None
Witness the wonders of winter! Bundle up and look for signs of how animals live in the cold. Discover tracks in the snow, uncover nests and borrows, and find out who munched on twigs or bark. Observe transformations in plant life, moss, and fungus, and watch the changes to the watershed.
Step outdoors to each week to explore nature with a senior naturalist/outdoor educator. Take a break from sit-down classes, indoor activities, and screen time to explore the natural world, get fresh air, and exercise. The group will explore the southern section of Sugarland Stream Valley Park in Herndon while they discover all the secrets that woods hold when you stop, look, listen, smell, touch, turn-over, and peek under!
A portion of each session will be seeking and discussing what is found each season. Students will get to know native animals and key types of plants and trees in our area. Emphasis will be on becoming comfortable with things they encounter outdoors, observing and appreciating discoveries in nature, safe exploration of the woods, and how to be a good steward of nature. The class will also discuss outdoor skills such as shelter and outdoor safety. Students will play games in the woods to practice outdoor skills.
Visit the Compass Nature Quest class webpage for more information on the program, location, and Frequently Asked Questions. Students should come prepared for class with outdoor/play clothes, closed-toe shoes, sunscreen and/or insect repellent, a hat, and jacket or layered outerwear depending on the weather/temperature.
Outdoor Survivor: Winter (Tue)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 1:05 pm Duration: 110 min
Instructor: Sevim Kalyoncu
Grade Range: 5th-6th
Prerequisites: None
Venture outdoors each week to explore the woods with a senior naturalist and mentor while learning valuable survival skills. Students will learn how to construct a temporary debris shelter, make cordage, identify edible plants, track animals, purify water, perform basic first aid, and use maps and compass (orienteering). Students will get to know native animals and key types of plants and trees in our area. Emphasis will be on becoming comfortable with things you encounter outdoors, safe exploration of the woods, how to be a good steward of nature, and what to do if you ever became lost or injured in the woods. Skills will be reintroduced and adapted each each quarter because the available plants, animals, materials, and water sources change with each season. Students will have a blast, develop greater self-confidence, and build a strong connection to nature and to the real world! Explorations in the woodsis for enrolled students only, and tag-along parents and siblings cannot be accommodated. For information on where the class meets, what to wear, and inclement weather, see the webpage for Compass's Nature Quest program.
Reading Ready (Q3)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Danielle Mercadal
Grade Range: K
Prerequisites: None
Reading Ready is a supplemental reading class for 5- and 6- year-old kindergartners. The class is whole language inspired with phonics games, partner reading, and self-created spelling lists for home. The group will explore habits of good readers through in-class read-alouds and extension activities inspired by the best examples of well-loved children's literature from authors such as Leo Lionni, Robert McCloskey, Eric Carle, AA Milne, Michael Bond, Janell Cannon, Mem Fox, Hans Christian Andersen, Aesop, the Brothers Grimm, and others. Other books may also be selected based on the interests and level of the enrolled children. Children may repeat this class each quarter as new books will be introduced each session, and stories will not be repeated.
Note:: This class is designed for students to enjoy a fun, new dimension of reading with peers and a teacher, but this will not take the place of a comprehensive language arts curriculum and daily reading practice.
Reading/Skills Readiness; Enrolling students must be able to (1) write and recognize his/her first name; (2) recognize each letter and corresponding sound of the alphabet; (3) familiar with simple blends; (4) know a few beginner sight words (such as I, am, and no); and (5) hold and use crayons and scissors correctly.
Social Readiness; Students must be age five (5) by the start of the class. To be successful in this program, kindergartners must be able to do the following preschool-level skills: (1) be able to separate from parents with little discomfort; (2) be able to sit and listen to a story or stay on a task for 10 minutes; (3) be able to follow simple, age-appropriate directions from the teacher or another adult; (4) be completely self-sufficient in a public restroom (wiping, flushing, washing hands, etc.)
Rhythm Rocks: Drum Jam (Q3)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Daniel Greenberg
Grade Range: 3rd-6th
Prerequisites: None
Students of all ages will love the energy and exhilaration of drumming! Students will learn rhythms and drumming patterns from West Africa and other cultures. In this "hands-on" class, students will learn hand-drumming on djembe drums and accompanying percussion accessories such as tambourines, triangles, rhythm sticks, maracas, and bongos.
Students will learn the difference between steady beat, rhythms, and polyrhythms, which involve patterning, call and response, and different tonal levels. Drummers will be "in the groove" as they learn single stroke rolls, single and double paradiddle, frills, and patterns. They will be encouraged to experiment with different percussion instruments and to improvise.
New drummers are welcome to enroll any quarter, and returning drummers are encouraged to return and continue to learn more complex drumming techniques. Drummers may be divided by age and/or drumming experience in class with each group taught the same rhythm with varying degrees of difficulty. All instruments are provided by the instructor.
Robot Fab Lab: Mars Rover- (TUE)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Becca Sticha
Grade Range: 5th-6th
Prerequisites: None
All-New Technology! Student engineers will be challenged to design, build, and program a robot to explore a simulated Martian challenge. Each rover will have to fit in a mock Mars lander and be able to drive out the lander door, down a ramp, and onto the Mars surface. Once in the Compass Mars environment, each lander must be able to maintain a course while driving over a bumpy terrain and pick up and collect red rocks while ignoring Martian rocks of other colors.
Student engineers will be challenged to design, build, and program a robot to complete several unique mazes in the fastest possible time. Students will learn to program their robots to make "decisions" when exploring an unfamiliar maze such as "go straight until you encounter a wall" and "turn to the right if you run into an obstacle."
Students will use all new LEGO Education Spike Prime robotics sets. They will build with motors, wheels/axles, gears, levers, and special components. Students will have to install touch, sound, color, gyro, ultrasonic, and/or infrared sensors while also learning to program sequences and commands that use input/output devices for controlled movements and precise turns. Using the drag-and-drop programming menu, students will learn to program their robots while experimenting with key concepts such as fixed values, variables, loops, and logic constructs.
This course integrates science, engineering and computational thinking while introducing physical constraints, units of measurement, and coordinate systems. But, don't worry, this is a beginning robotics class. Prior experience is not expected, but returning students are welcome. Each student will build his/her own robotic project, so students can progress and customize at their own pace. In general, in this class, students will spend two weeks assembling, three weeks programming, and two weeks testing and re-designing. Topics in this Series: Maze Runner (Quarter 1), Sumo Bots (Quarter 2), Mars Rover (Quarter 3), and Explore Atlantis (Quarter 4).
Spanish Para Pequenos (Spanish for Little Ones)- TUE
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Ruth Jeantet
Grade Range: K-2nd
Prerequisites: None
Hola! Spanish Para Pequenos (Spanish for Little Ones) is a fun, play-based, Spanish immersion class for young children. Following the native language-learning process, children will be exposed to the sounds, letters, and high-frequency words in Spanish through songs, games, stories, puppets, and other interactive activities. The teacher will provide all necessary toys and objects to give young children tangible, and hands-on ways to apply new concepts in practical real-life situations. The instructor uses some Montessori-style activities that create a high-energy, playful environment, engaging tactile and kinesthetic learners alike while appealing to children's natural curiosities. The vocabulary and language structures presented in each session follow a new letter of the alphabet each week that will include greetings, simple phrases, foods, colors, numbers, animals, common action verbs, calendar phrases, articles of clothing and seasonal topics. Vocabulary will be repeated and reviewed often to aid in the retention of the language, and will primarily develop listening and speaking skills. The goal of this introductory course is to lay foundations in phonics and essential vocabulary words while having fun and building confidence in a foreign language. Who knows, your child might just come home singing their new favorite Spanish nursery rhyme!
Successful Social Skills for Kids (Q3-TUE)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Kathryn Beirne
Grade Range: 3rd-5th
Prerequisites: None
Successful social skills can help kids navigate almost every aspect of their lives. Building confidence in social settings can help improve self esteem and comfort in group settings, sports, new endeavors, with family, in public, or just hanging out with friends. Every child can benefit from improved social skills, but some need a little more practice. In this class, kids will work with a certified, licensed therapist to develop strategies for navigating different social challenges- from conversation skills and identifying feelings and emotions, to seeing perspective, handling stress, talking to parents, making friends, tolerating siblings, and more. The small group class will be highly interactive with games, role playing, videos, modelling behavior, and projects using a evidence-based, social-emotional curriculum
Kids will benefit most from taking Social Skills for several quarters. Some activities will be new each quarter, and some will be repeated for reinforcement. As new students join the group, the dynamic will shift, better imitating real life scenarios. Kids' confidence and comfort level will grow when they have multiple quarters to practice their social skills.
Successful Social Skills for Tweens (Q3- TUE)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Kathryn Beirne
Grade Range: 6th-8th
Prerequisites: None
Successful social skills can help tweens/teens navigate almost every aspect of their lives. Building confidence in social settings can help improve self esteem and comfort in group settings, sports, new endeavors, with family, in public, or just hanging out with friends. Every tween and teeen can benefit from improved social skills, but some need a little more practice. In this class, students will work with a certified, licensed therapist to develop strategies for navigating different social challenges- from conversation skills and identifying feelings and emotions, to seeing perspective, handling stress, talking to parents, making friends, tolerating siblings, and more. The small group class will be highly interactive with games, role playing, videos, modelling behavior, and projects using a evidence-based, social-emotional curriculum
Tweens and teens will benefit most from taking Social Skills for several quarters. Some activities will be new each quarter, and some will be repeated for reinforcement. As new students join the group, the dynamic will shift, better imitating real life scenarios. Their confidence and comfort level will grow when they have multiple quarters to practice their social skills.
Swimming: Beginners/ Adv. Beginners (Tue Q3)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 10:05 am Duration: 45 min
Instructor: YMCA Swimming Staff
Grade Range: 1st-3rd
Prerequisites: None
Homeschool Swim Lessons are taught at the Reston YMCA located 0.9 miles/ 3 minute drive from Compass's classroom facility. For more information on swimming lessons, see the program webpage.
During the first lesson, students will be observed and determined to be Beginner or Advanced Beginner level, and the class will be divided accordingly among two instructors. Beginners level is for students with little to no swim experience and will cover YMCA Level 1 skills such as water acclimation, floatation, water movement, putting face in the water, swimming 5 feet without a floatation device, and becoming comfortable on back in water. Advanced Beginners level will review all skills in beginner-level class and add YMCA Level 2 skills such as stamina, swimming one length of the pool (25 yards), performing elementary backstroke, rotary breathing, becoming comfortable in deep water, and stroke introduction to include: front crawl, backstroke, and elementary breaststroke.
Please note that these skills will be introduced and progress at different rates depending on the comfortable level and experience of enrolled students and may take more than one quarter to complete. At times, students might be moved to a different swimming group (same day, same time, different instructor) to better match the experience level of enrolled children.
Lessons are 40 minutes long, running from 0:05 until 0:45 after the hour, leaving enough time to towel dry, change clothes, and return to Compass for your next class. Students should bring a swimsuit, towel, and change of clothes. Googles and swim caps are optional.
A parent (or parent proxy) is required to remain on site. Parents may wait on poolside benches or lobby seating. YMCA waivers must be signed and returned for each swimmer. All registration is completed through Compass. All YMCA swimming classes are taught by certified, experienced, background-checked adult instructors with experience teaching children.
Consider enrolling your child in both Tuesday and Thursday classes to improve their rate of learning.
Swimming: Beginners/ Adv. Beginners (Tue Q3)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 11:05 am Duration: 45 min
Instructor: YMCA Swimming Staff
Grade Range: 4th-6th
Prerequisites: None
Homeschool Swim Lessons are taught at the Reston YMCA located 0.9 miles/ 3 minute drive from Compass's classroom facility. For more information on swimming lessons, see the program webpage.
During the first lesson, students will be observed and determined to be Beginner or Advanced Beginner level, and the class will be divided accordingly among two instructors. Beginners level is for students with little to no swim experience and will cover YMCA Level 1 skills such as water acclimation, floatation, water movement, putting face in the water, swimming 5 feet without a floatation device, and becoming comfortable on back in water. Advanced Beginners level will review all skills in beginner-level class and add YMCA Level 2 skills such as stamina, swimming one length of the pool (25 yards), performing elementary backstroke, rotary breathing, becoming comfortable in deep water, and stroke introduction to include: front crawl, backstroke, and elementary breaststroke.
Please note that these skills will be introduced and progress at different rates depending on the comfortable level and experience of enrolled students and may take more than one quarter to complete. At times, students might be moved to a different swimming group (same day, same time, different instructor) to better match the experience level of enrolled children.
Lessons are 40 minutes long, running from 0:05 until 0:45 after the hour, leaving enough time to towel dry, change clothes, and return to Compass for your next class. Students should bring a swimsuit, towel, and change of clothes. Googles and swim caps are optional.
A parent (or parent proxy) is required to remain on site. Parents may wait on poolside benches or lobby seating. YMCA waivers must be signed and returned for each swimmer. All registration is completed through Compass. All YMCA swimming classes are taught by certified, experienced, background-checked adult instructors with experience teaching children.
Consider enrolling your child in both Tuesday and Thursday classes to improve their rate of learning.
Swimming: Intermediate (Tue Q3)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 12:05 pm Duration: 45 min
Instructor: YMCA Swimming Staff
Grade Range: 2nd-6th
Prerequisites: None
Homeschool Swim Lessons are taught at the Reston YMCA located 0.9 miles/ 3 minute drive from Compass's classroom facility. For more information on swimming lessons, see the program webpage.
Intermediate level is for students who are proficient in Advanced Beginner level skills such as swimming one length of the pool (25 yards), performing elementary backstroke, and becoming comfortable in deep water. Intermediate swimmers will cover Levels 3 of the YMCA program including elementary breaststroke, backstroke, front crawl with rotary breathing all at 25 yards, with work towards Level 4 skills including stamina and increasing all swimming to 50 yards or more, plus breast stroke, elementary butterfly stroke and kick, elementary dives, and turns.
Please note that these skills will be introduced and progress at different rates depending on the comfortable level and experience of enrolled students and may take more than one quarter to complete. At times, students might be moved to a different swimming group (same day, same time, different instructor) to better match the experience level of enrolled children.
Lessons are 40 minutes long, running from 0:05 until 0:45 after the hour, leaving enough time to towel dry, change clothes, and return to Compass for your next class. Students should bring a swimsuit, towel, and change of clothes. Googles and swim caps are optional.
A parent (or parent proxy) is required to remain on site. Parents may wait on poolside benches or lobby seating. YMCA waivers must be signed and returned for each swimmer. All registration is completed through Compass. All YMCA swimming classes are taught by certified, experienced, background-checked adult instructors with experience teaching children.
Consider enrolling your child in both Tuesday and Thursday classes to improve their rate of learning.
Tweens Acting Out: No Exit Escape Room
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Judith Harmon
Grade Range: 6th-8th
Prerequisites: None
Tweens take over as they collectively brainstorm and collaboratively write their own play. Find out what happens when tweens "act out" the unique characters and an original storyline they created. What happens when colorful characters have to escape? Will it be a cakewalk for our sherlocks to crack the code, unblock locks, and walk before the clock stops?
Students will begin with improvisational games to get to know each other and to begin to brainstorm about their original play. Through group activities and guided discussion, the actors will decide on characters, conflict, and conclusion, and the story they want to tell. The script will be developed and customized for this class with the students' input.
The class will learn the practical aspects of acting, as they work on script read-through, blocking, costume/prop design, and planning the show. Students will develop their own "actor's toolkit" of voice, body, and imagination in this creative process! Actors will grow in confidence and communication skills in preparation for a final sharing with parents on the final day of the quarter.
Once the script is fully developed, it will be emailed to parents. Parents will be expected make sure their tweens memorize their script/lines/cues and assemble a simple make-at-home costume, ideally from clothing items and accessories they already own and a little creativity.
Topics in this Series: Haunted House of Horrors (Quarter 1), Chaos in the Courtroom (Quarter 2), No Exit Escape Room (Quarter 3) and Rock Start Rivalry (Quarter 4).
Wee Writers (Q3)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Danielle Mercadal
Grade Range: K
Prerequisites: None
Wee Writers is a simple journaling class for emergent kindergarten writers ages 5 and 6. Beginning writers will use basic sight words and phonetics while writing about feelings and experiences. Students will learn basic sentence structure with noun-verb construction, initial capital letter, and ending punctuation. Beginning sentences such as, "I lik cak." or "I drnk wtr." would be typical of emergent writers. Students will illustrate their journal entries and have opportunities to share and discuss their writing with peers. Children may repeat this class each quarter as new writing activities will be introduced each session.
Note:: This class is designed for students to enjoy a fun, new dimension of writing with peers and a teacher, but this will not take the place of a comprehensive language arts curriculum and regular writing practice.
Writing Readiness; Enrolling students must be able to (1) recognize and write his/her first name; (2) recognize and write each letter of the alphabet and know the corresponding sounds; and (3) hold and use crayons and scissors correctly.
Social Readiness; Students must be age five (5) by the start of the class. To be successful in this program, kindergartners must be able to do the following preschool-level skills: (1) be able to separate from parents with little discomfort; (2) be able to sit and stay on a task for 10 minutes; (3) be able to follow simple, age-appropriate directions from the teacher or another adult; (4) be completely self-sufficient in a public restroom (wiping, flushing, washing hands, etc.)
Word Masters: Verbal Analogies and Vocab Challenges (Q3)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Christina Somerville
Grade Range: 4th-6th
Prerequisites: None
Word Masters is a language challenge for students who enjoy word games, building their vocabulary, and verbal adventures. Why study lists of words if you can make a game of it? The best way to learn new words is to use them! This class is inspired by the annual Word Masters Challenge (www.wordmasterschallenge.com). Each week students will tackle new vocabulary words and practice them through analogies and critical thinking challenges. Students will examine word meanings, relationships, synonyms and antonyms with in-class activities and games such as Pictionary, Scategories, Charades, and Apples-to-Apples. Word Masters will improve a student's reading comprehension, verbal reasoning, logic skills, and the ability to think analytically and metaphorically. Students can repeat Word Masters as new word lists will be introduced each quarter.
Writing Well (Q3 TUE)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Shannon McClain
Grade Range: 5th-6th
Prerequisites: None
Writing is not only a critical skill for school and life, it gives kids a voice! In this class, fifth and sixth graders will gain confidence, increase writing fluency, and learn how to incorporate writing into everyday work and play. The objective of this class is for each student to progress and improve his/her own writing. This class does not have a fixed curriculum trying to achieve the same outcome and same skillset for each child, because each comes to class with different writing experience and varying needs. Instead, through personalized feedback from the instructor and peer feedback exercises, student writers will improve their writing skills from where they started.
Students will learn the steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. Key skills practiced at this level include organizing one’s thoughts, defining a purpose and audience for the paper, formulating a topic sentence or main idea, developing supporting details, using correct sentence structure (for example, initial capitalization and end punctuation). Students will always be encouraged to write about what interests them. They will write for a few minutes in class each week and will be expected to write short assignments at home and submit their work to the instructor for feedback. Each week, the instructor will share brief lessons on grammar (such as correct capitalization, agreement, tenses, parts of speech, use of adjectives/adverbs), and/or style (for example, using metaphors, adding details, building tension). Examples and exercises will be presented from a variety of styles and genres with the instructor using models from fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.
Students should be on or near grade level for reading. Writing Wonders is offered each quarter under the same class name, but students may take it each quarter to continue to improve their writing skills.
Writing Wonders (Q3 TUE)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 14, 2025
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Shannon McClain
Grade Range: 3rd-4th
Prerequisites: None
Writing is not only a critical skill for school and life, it gives kids a voice! In this class, third and fourth graders will gain confidence, increase writing fluency, and learn how to incorporate writing into everyday work and play. The objective of this class is for each student to progress and improve his/her own writing. This class does not have a fixed curriculum trying to achieve the same outcome and same skillset for each child, because each comes to class with different writing experience and varying needs. Instead, through personalized feedback from the instructor and peer feedback exercises, student writers will improve their writing skills from where they started.
Students will learn the steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. Key skills practiced at this level include organizing one’s thoughts, defining a purpose and audience for the paper, formulating a topic sentence or main idea, developing supporting details, using correct sentence structure (for example, initial capitalization and end punctuation). Students will always be encouraged to write about what interests them. They will write for a few minutes in class each week and will be expected to write short assignments at home and submit their work to the instructor for feedback. Each week, the instructor will share brief lessons on grammar (such as correct capitalization, agreement, tenses, parts of speech, use of adjectives/adverbs), and/or style (for example, using metaphors, adding details, building tension). Examples and exercises will be presented from a variety of styles and genres with the instructor using models from fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.
Students must be a minimum age 8 to take this class and should be on or near grade level for reading. Writing Wonders is offered each quarter under the same class name, but students may take it each quarter to continue to improve their writing skills.
Art in Action: Murals, Monuments, and Museums (WED)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Kerry Diederich
Grade Range: 3rd-4th
Prerequisites: None
Elementary artists can get in on the action as they learn about a different artist or artistic style each week and create a representative piece using a wide range of artistic supplies such as tempura and water color paints, pastels, pencils, cray pas, oil pastel crayons, specialty papers, sculpting media, and embellishments.
Third quarter, students will look to Washington, DC at famous murals, monuments, and museums. Class projects will be multi-media creations influenced and inspired by the art and sculpture we view in the Capitol-area such as the Washington Monument, Natural Gallery of Art, National Cathedral, US Capitol and National Mall.
Topics in this Series: Media of the Masters (Quarter 1); Animal Artists (Quarter 2); Murals, Monuments, and Museums (Quarter 3); Stellar Celestial Subjects (Quarter 4). Supply Fee: There is a supply fee of $25.00, payable to the instructor on the first day of class which covers consumable class materials such a specialty papers, watercolor pencils, and paints.
Ballet Foundations: Swan Lake
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 50 min
Instructor: Alchemy Ballet
Grade Range: 4th-8th
Prerequisites: None
Dancers will practice skills in musicality, balance, flexibility, and coordination as they learn to dance as a group. Each quarter, a different musical fairytale ballet will provide the inspiration and the music for the class. Dancers will become familiar with the story of the ballet and the orchestral music as they go through their own routine.
Third quarter beginning dancers will learn the story of Swan Lake, a timeless ballet about the princess Odette based on German and Russian folk tales and composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1876. In class, they work to identify, apply, demonstrate, and integrate the following techniques from the Vaganova ballet method such as: 1st-6th positions, marching and skipping, demi plie, grand plie, saute, bourree, grand jete, and tendu, along with pas de chat, pas de bourree, arabesque, arabesque saute, and soutenu. Students will develop their physical conditioning by core leg and arm strength. A demonstration of skills learned will be showcased for parents on the last class each quarter.
Ballet students are expected to wear appropriate attire. Young ladies must wear a leotard with skirt (attached or detached), pink tights, and soft pink ballet shoes in canvas or leather. Young men must wear a slim-fitting white t-shirt, black shorts, white socks, and soft black ballet shoes in canvas or leather.
Topics in this series: The Little Humpbacked Horse (Quarter 1); The Nutcracker (Quarter 2); Swan Lake (Quarter 3); and Don Quixote (Quarter 4).
Ballet Fun: Swan Lake
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 50 min
Instructor: Alchemy Ballet
Grade Range: K-3rd
Prerequisites: None
Young dancers will practice skills in musicality, balance, flexibility, and coordination as they learn to dance as a group. Each quarter, a different musical fairytale ballet will provide the inspiration and the music for the class. Dancers will become familiar with the story of the ballet and the orchestral music as they go through their own routine. The music, story, and characters will serve as an inspiration for creative movement.
Third quarter young dancers will learn the story of Swan Lake, a timeless ballet about the princess Odette based on German and Russian folk tales and composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1876. In class, dancers will learn to recognize, understand, and apply techniques from the Vaganova ballet method such as: 1st - 6th positions, marching and skipping, demi plie, grand plie, saute, bourree, grand jete, and tendu. Students will also develop their physical conditioning and learn teamwork. A demonstration of skills learned will be showcased for parents on the last class each quarter.
Ballet students are expected to wear appropriate attire. Young ladies must wear a leotard with skirt (attached or detached), pink tights, and soft pink ballet shoes in canvas or leather. Young men must wear a slim-fitting white t-shirt, black shorts, white socks, and soft black ballet shoes in canvas or leather.
Topics in this series: The Little Humpbacked Horse (Quarter 1); The Nutcracker (Quarter 2); Swan Lake (Quarter 3); and Don Quixote (Quarter 4).
Battle Strategies & Dioramas: WWI- America's Arrival
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Taliesin Knol
Grade Range: 6th-8th
Prerequisites: None
Students will engage in a hands-on 3D battle strategy game using the military dioramas that they make! In the aftermath of Germany's failed summer offensive, all that remained was for the newly bolstered Allies to launch their own attack and end the war. This was easier said than done, because, aside from a handful of units, the entire American army was dreadfully inexperienced. American generals were unwilling to allow Americans troops to fight and under Allied command, and had deliberately held back until ready to fight en-masse as one army. This was great for newsreels, but deadly for thousands of Americans who were suddenly fighting experienced, war-hardened Germans from the Western front. Could the US army relearn four years of modern warfare in four months?
Using artistic model-making techniques, hand tools, and historical maps, students will each form a 10 X 16 shaped, foam diorama with landscape elements (hills, trenches, rivers, ridges, vegetation, barbed wire, etc.) to represent a scene of a famous historical engagement. Students will each receive 1:72 scale miniature soldiers to populate their scene. Once individual projects are constructed, students will combine their dioramas alongside those of their classmates to approximate the larger battlefield terrain. Students will spend the remainder of the quarter learning about the tactics and outcomes of the military engagement while playing a table-top strategy game. Student strategists will use a simplified version of the Fire and Fury historical war gaming rule system for moving troops and equipment. Along with their classmates, students will see how this battle progressed and test different outcome scenarios that might have occurred with different battlefield choices.
The instructor will use maps and visual presentations to explain the historical background and circumstances leading up to the specific battle. Course documents, such as period maps, game rules and all other instructional media will be available via a Google Drive link which will be emailed to parents.
There is a $25.00 supply fee due payable to the instructor on/before the first day of class. Topics in this series include: Naval Conflict- Jutland (Quarter 1), Germany's Last Offensive (Quarter 2), America's Arrival (Quarter 3), and The 100 Day's Offensive (Quarter 4).
Beginner Bots: Perfect Pets (WED)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Becca Sticha
Grade Range: 2nd-4th
Prerequisites: None
Discover the world of robotics using kids' favorite, interlocking building bricks! Students will build and program 3-4 different whimsical, mechanized projects each quarter using the WeDo 2.0 robotics system by LEGO Education.
Third quarter, students will build, program, and model perfect pets such as a Tom & Jerry (cat and mouse), a baby bird, a bunny, and a dog.
Their robots will be built using special-shaped LEGO components from the WeDo Educational set, motors, motion sensors, tilt sensors and a programmable, Bluetooth control unit ("brain"). Student will use classroom tablets to program the control units using an intuitive drag-and-drop coding modules.
Prior experience with LEGO or coding is not required. All equipment is furnished.
Topics in this Series: Under the Sea (Quarter 1), Wings and Things (Quarter 2); Perfect Pets (Quarter 3), and Reptiles Robots (Quarter 4).
Chess: Advanced 3
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Karl Peterson
Grade Range: 4th-8th
Prerequisites: None
Students will enjoy the logic and challenge of the timeless strategy board game as they learn and play chess with classmates. In Advanced Chess 3, students will learn skills that build upon each other such as: making and escaping forks, pins, x-rays and skewers; overload, removing the guard, deflection, and decoys.
Learning and playing chess supports problem solving, decision making, critical and creative thinking, general cognitive ability, scholastic skills, and mathematical achievement (Univ. of Minnesota). Experts suggest that the game of chess teaches analytical and disciplined thinking skills, while raising self esteem, teaching motivation and determination, and sportsmanship (Kasparov Foundation). Each class will be spent half on technique and half in practice matches with classmates while the instructor coaches. Students should have 30+ hours of chess instruction prior to enrolling in Advanced Chess, a working knowledge of most skills taught in the Compass Beginner and Advanced Beginner Chess levels, or instructor permission.
Chess: Beginners 3 (WED)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Karl Peterson
Grade Range: 2nd-5th
Prerequisites: None
Students will enjoy the logic and challenge of the timeless strategy board game as they learn and play chess with classmates. In Beginning Chess 3, students will learn fundamental skills such as: discovered checks and attacks, pins and double checks, counting, checkmate drills, keeping the king safe in the opening, tactics (forks, skewers, x-rays), opening principles.
Learning and playing chess supports problem solving, decision making, critical and creative thinking, general cognitive ability, scholastic skills, and mathematical achievement (Univ. of Minnesota). Experts suggest that the game of chess teaches analytical and disciplined thinking skills, while raising self esteem, teaching motivation and determination, and sportsmanship (Kasparov Foundation). Each class will be spent half on technique and half in practice matches with classmates while the instructor coaches. A student can enroll in Beginning Chess 3 as his/her first class.
Chess: Intermediate 3 (WED)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Karl Peterson
Grade Range: 3rd-6th
Prerequisites: None
Students will enjoy the logic and challenge of the timeless strategy board game as they learn and play chess with classmates. In Chess: Intermediate 3, students will learn skills and strategies that build upon each other such as: later pins, using more or better attackers, using more or better defenders, identifying forcing moves, attacking teams (queen-bishop, queen-knight, and queen-rook).
Learning and playing chess supports problem solving, decision making, critical and creative thinking, general cognitive ability, scholastic skills, and mathematical achievement (Univ. of Minnesota). Experts suggest that the game of chess teaches analytical and disciplined thinking skills, while raising self esteem, teaching motivation and determination, and sportsmanship (Kasparov Foundation). Each class will be spent half on technique and half in practice matches with classmates while the instructor coaches. Students should have 15-20 hours of chess instruction prior to enrolling in Intermediate 3 , or a working knowledge of most skills taught in the Compass Beginner Chess level.
Cover-to-Cover: Adventure (Middle School Book Group)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Anne Taranto
Grade Range: 7th-8th
Prerequisites: None
In Cover-to-Cover, middle school-aged students will read renowned classics and award-winning young adult literature. This book discussion group will examine a different theme each quarter to introduce students to literary analysis. Students will read, examine, and compare two full-length novels that share similar themes through facilitated discussions and extension activities which encourage students to make personal connections to what is read. The group will evaluate themes, characters, setting, and writing style.
Second quarter, students will examine the genre of fantasy novel with The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy and The Call of the Wild by Jack London.
Assigned chapters are expected to be read at home, either as read-aloud, individual silent reading, or listening to the unabridged audiobook. Students should come to class prepared to discuss the reading. Classroom discussions will emphasize the use of textual evidence when explaining thoughts and opinions. Students will be assigned creative, short assignments to enhance and demonstrate their understanding of each novel such as quote explications, thematic questions, or imagining a conversation between characters from different books.
Topics in this Series: Fantasy (Quarter 1); Dystopian (Quarter 2); Adventure (Quarter 3); and Mystery & Detective (Quarter 4).
Textbook/Materials: Because students will need clean, inexpensive copies of each novel to mark in, and because they must be able to refer to the passages on the same page numbers, copies of mass market paperbacks will be pre-purchased and bundled for students. (See Supply Fee below).
Supply Fee: A class fee of $11.50 is due payable to Compass on the first day of class.
What to Bring: Students should bring the current novel, paper, pen or pencil and highlighter to class each week. Some students may wish to bring paper clips, adhesive flags or post-it notes for marking pages.
Crafty Kids Club (Q3)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 3:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Judith Harmon
Grade Range: 2nd-5th
Prerequisites: None
Crafty Kids Club is a weekly after-school meet-up for kids in grades 2-5. Kids gather and socialize while completing a craft around a monthly theme. An experienced Compass art instructor facilitates the crafting each week. Projects are selected to showcase a variety of materials and crafting techniques and to promote creativity and imagination. Each quarter, students will complete projects organized around two themes from among eight craft categories: wooden, wearables, simple sewing, painting, sculpting, paper, beading, and mixed media.
Kids will enjoy the camaraderie of working alongside a group of friends in Crafty Kids Club, and parents will appreciate the break! Parent Notes:
- All the supplies are provided: No need to search high and low for the needed materials.
- Reduce waste and clutter: No need to buy large quantities of specialty supplies for a one-time project.
- Reduce clean-up: Leave the glue, paint, and glitter mess at Compass.
- Kids get to experiment with a variety of materials and techniques, even if YOU are not crafty.
- Crafting improves dexterity and fine motor skills, and an afterschool club makes a great social outlet.
The third quarter project themes are:
- Spy Tools (sample projects: decoder wheel and invisible ink)
- Great Games (sample projects: shark & fish cup game and ball drop game)
Creative Journaling for Tweens (Q3)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Sheila Anwari
Grade Range: 6th-8th
Prerequisites: None
Don't write poetry? Think you can't draw? Maybe not, but you may still want a creative way to record your thoughts, feelings, dreams, and ideas! Journaling is an ongoing process of discovery and exploration that allows one to be conscious of and connect with his/her own thoughts, emotions and ideas. It is a form of expression that supports both academic and personal growth.
Creative journaling is not writing daily "Dear Diary" style entries on dated pages. Instead, students will explore various journaling methods, blending self-expression and self-discovery to guide them in learning new ways to problem-solve, achieve goals, and process emotions. Students will work with several writing techniques and a range of art media to develop a personal journal throughout the quarter and will have the opportunity to expand on it in subsequent quarters. Techniques such as freeform writing, black-out poetry, stream-of-consciousness writing, and creative list making will be explored, in addition to experimenting with a wide variety of layered techniques and mixed media with collage, photography, cardstock, book pages, art markers, stencils, tempera sticks, acrylic, paints, washi tape, and stickers. Weekly prompts will cover a range of topics such as gratitude, compassion, ambitions, choices, fear, self-care, and self-esteem as they relate to the students' personal lives and current events. Conversation around the prompts will complement the students' work in their individual journals.
Topics in this Series: Journal work is done in an open studio environment that allows students to join in any quarter throughout the year.
Lab/Supply Fee: A supply fee of $35.00 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class. Fee covers art journal for student to use in class and shared class supplies (paints, inks, brushes, markers, collage materials, glue, washi tape, etc.)
What to Wear: Students may wish to have an apron or old shirt to wear when working with paints.
Detective Drama: Pocketing the Prized Jewels
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Judith Harmon
Grade Range: 4th-6th
Prerequisites: None
Calling crooked criminals who commit creepy crimes! Convening colorful characters who corroborate clues and constables who collaborate to crack the case! Connect with a kooky cast in Detective Drama. Using materials from a commercial mystery role playing game (RPG), students will be guided through the facts of a fictitious case. Student sleuths will be follow clue cards, eclectic evidence, and phony forensics to uncover a crime. Emphasis will be on critical thinking, problem solving skills, and improvisation through the portrayal of unique characters involved in the crime. Students will be encouraged to develop a strong, compelling character, an original costume, a backstory, and of course, an alibi.
Third quarter, students shall delve into the century-old conundrum circling the theft of the crown jewels of Ireland. Crafty criminals clandestinely cribbed the treasure from beneath the watchful eyes of a gaggle of guards. Daring detectives must crack the codes, sidestep the snares, and solve the saga.
In this workshop, students will experiment with acting and improvisation and working as a team. This class is best suited for students who are active listeners, are flexible and easily adapt, have a sense of humor, and enjoy working in a collaborative group. Students need to be able to stay in sync with the flow of the class. This is not an "anything goes" or free-for-all class. Because of the age of the students in this class, only capers such as burglaries or kidnappings will be portrayed instead of murders.
Topics in this Series: Missing from the Museum (Quarter 1), The Computer Caper (Quarter 2), Pocketing the Prized Jewels (Quarter 3), and Brazen Bank Robbery (Quarter 4). There is a class supply fee of $20.00 due payable to the instructor on the first day for the class RPG materials, printing, props, and investigation folders.
Drawing for Fun: Fantastical Figures (11AM)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Pete Van Riper
Grade Range: 3rd-4th
Prerequisites: None
Anyone can learn to draw! A professional artist will teach kids how to draw a variety of characters through classical drawing techniques. Students will learn how to break complex forms and figures into simple shapes and bring them to life with shading, shadow, textures, and more. Drawings will feature fantasy and fictional subjects which are a great choice to keep beginning artists from becoming frustrated when their work does not look "the real thing."
Third quarter, students will develop their drawing skills on projects featuring fantasy figures. Kids will enjoy projects with dragons, ogres, ghouls, aliens or elves where they can practice drawing techniques without the pressure of trying to replicate real life. The class will learn to draw simple costumes and props around their character to convey setting without drawing elaborate landscapes, and they will learn how to express thoughts and conversation through dialogue bubbles.
This is not a “follow-the-leader” or copy/mimic art class, but rather a supportive environment where students are encouraged to create their own fantasy characters and scenarios. They will receive individual coaching and feedback to develop the characters that they dream up rather than trying to replicate well-known existing characters like DC, Marvel, Disney, or Looney Tunes. Young artists having fun playing off each other’s ideas to draw outrageous imaginary characters and worlds. The instructor will often use prompts to get the ideas flowing and to encourage collaboration. The instructor has a class rule that illustrations must be rated “G” with no violence (guns, knives, blood/gore) and will often suggest alternatives such as battle with unexpected objects like baguettes or bananas!
Students' practice illustrations and draft renderings will be drawn with regular #2 pencil in sketchbooks, but they are welcome to add color to their work with colored pencils or markers, if desired. There is a $15.00 material fee payable to the instructor on the first day for a sketchbook and shared classroom art supplies. Topics in this Series include: Comic Art and Characters (Quarter 1); Comics with a Cast of Characters (Quarter 2), Fantastical Figures (Quarter 3), and Playful Portraits (Quarter 4).
Drawing for Fun: Fantastical Figures (12PM)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Pete Van Riper
Grade Range: 5th-6th
Prerequisites: None
Anyone can learn to draw! A professional artist will teach kids how to draw a variety of characters through classical drawing techniques. Students will learn how to break complex forms and figures into simple shapes and bring them to life with shading, shadow, textures, and more. Drawings will feature fantasy and fictional subjects which are a great choice to keep beginning artists from becoming frustrated when their work does not look "the real thing."
Third quarter, students will develop their drawing skills on projects featuring fantasy figures. Kids will enjoy projects with dragons, ogres, ghouls, aliens or elves where they can practice drawing techniques without the pressure of trying to replicate real life. The class will learn to draw simple costumes and props around their character to convey setting without drawing elaborate landscapes, and they will learn how to express thoughts and conversation through dialogue bubbles.
This is not a “follow-the-leader” or copy/mimic art class, but rather a supportive environment where students are encouraged to create their own fantasy characters and scenarios. They will receive individual coaching and feedback to develop the characters that they dream up rather than trying to replicate well-known existing characters like DC, Marvel, Disney, or Looney Tunes. Young artists having fun playing off each other’s ideas to draw outrageous imaginary characters and worlds. The instructor will often use prompts to get the ideas flowing and to encourage collaboration. The instructor has a class rule that illustrations must be rated “G” with no violence (guns, knives, blood/gore) and will often suggest alternatives such as battle with unexpected objects like baguettes or bananas!
Students' practice illustrations and draft renderings will be drawn with regular #2 pencil in sketchbooks, but they are welcome to add color to their work with colored pencils or markers, if desired. There is a $15.00 material fee payable to the instructor on the first day for a sketchbook and shared classroom art supplies. Topics in this Series include: Comic Art and Characters (Quarter 1); Comics with a Cast of Characters (Quarter 2), Fantastical Figures (Quarter 3), and Playful Portraits (Quarter 4).
Dynamic Dioramas: Biome Builders- Coral Reefs (WED)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Taliesin Knol
Grade Range: 3rd-5th
Prerequisites: None
The best way to understand a biome is to build (a model) one! A biome is a large zone on Earth characterized by its climate, soil, vegetation, and organisms with special adaptations for the unique environment. In modeling biomes, students will learn how they are different than similar ecological concepts like habitats and ecosystems. Students will discover how human activities, such as deforestation and habitat destruction, are transforming biomes.
In this science-themed diorama class, students will be exposed to concepts such as trophic levels, the water cycle, biological competition, geographic isolation, convergent evolution, species diversification, natural vs unnatural climate change, food webs, habitat loss, and ecological niches, while they are working on their models.
Coral reefs are vibrant marine ecosystems found off coasts in warm, clear, shallow water. These underwater formations are formed by the accumulation of calcium carbonate skeletons produced by corals. Coral reefs provide habitats for an array of marine life, including colorful fish, sea stars, anemones, and larger predators like sharks and rays. The intricate reef structure offers shelter, breeding grounds, and feeding for countless ocean species.
Each student will create an individual diorama. Students will craft and hand-shape their scene on a 10 x 14 inch foam board using artistic, model-making techniques. They will customize their dioramas with landforms, waterways, plant life, and paint. Once individual projects are constructed, students will populate them with miniature figures and combine their dioramas alongside those of their classmates to create a larger terrain. Students will then compete in a zoology-based survival strategy game. Each student will create one board and receive a set of miniatures to take home with them. Course documents such as maps, game rules and all other instructional media will be available via a Google Drive link which will be emailed to parents. There is a $25.00 materials fee payable to the instructor on the first day of class.
Topics in this series include: Mangrove Swamps (Quarter 1), Marshlands (Quarter 2), Coral Reefs (Quarter 3) and Deep Sea Trenches (Quarter 4).
Dynamic Dioramas: History & Culture- The 100 Years War, France v. England
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Taliesin Knol
Grade Range: 3rd-5th
Prerequisites: None
The histories of modern England and France were closely intertwined before the Duke of Normandy conquered England, but it was frequently a violent history, notably with nearly 100 years of almost continuous medieval warfare. This class will learn about the beginning of the Hundred Years War when the King of England took to the battlefield to defend his claim to the crown of France.
Using artistic model-making techniques, hand tools, and historical maps, students will create a 10 X 14 diorama board of a famous 100 Years War battle. They will customize their dioramas with landscape elements, waterways, structures of the time, and paint and populate it with 1:72 scale invading armies and adversaries for historical re-enactments.. Once individual projects are constructed, students will combine their dioramas alongside those of their classmates to approximate a larger battlefield terrain. Students will spend the remainder of the quarter learning about the tactics and outcomes of the conquest while playing a table-top strategy game. Student strategists will use a custom historical wargaming rule system for moving troops and siege equipment. Along with their classmates, students will see how battles progressed and test different scenarios that might have occurred with different battlefield choices.
Course documents such as maps, game rules and all other instructional media will be available via a Google Drive link which will be emailed to parents. Topics in this series include: The Saxon Invasions (Quarter 1), Persia v. Byzantium (Quarter 2), The 100 Years War, France v. England (Quarter 3), The Wars of Scottish Independence(Quarter 4). There is a $25.00 materials fee payable to the instructor on the first day of class.
Extra, Extra! Non Fiction News-Writing (Q3)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Shea Megale
Grade Range: 6th-12th
Prerequisites: None
Be part of a team! Join the Compass Collaborative newspaper staff. The staff is a mixed-age team with students from 6th to 12th grade.
Students will learn about journalism and develop writing skills. They will craft effective articles, conduct interviews, and write reviews. Each quarter, writing assignments and responsibilities will be divided based on individual interests. Students will each contribute at least 2-3 items to the Collaborative edition each quarter.
While research and data collection will occur outside of class, a portion of staff meetings will be dedicated to writing and editing. The newspaper advisor will use these sessions to demonstrate what constitutes 'good' writing. All staff members will practice editing skills to improve grammar, punctuation, and overall clarity and accuracy in their writing. Students will be informally paired for peer review and feedback on their writing.
The newspaper staff will also learn about the formatting, layout, and graphic design elements that go into the newspaper. Interested students will serve as layout apprentices and learn to use Microsoft Publisher.
All students register for the same class, and roles and responsibilities will be reviewed and delegated during the first meetings. Students should expect to work on assignments outside of class and will be expected to bring a laptop, notebook, and pen/pencil to each class meeting.
Fencing for Beginners & Advanced Beginners (Q3)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Fencing Sports Academy
Grade Range: 5th-8th
Prerequisites: None
Fencing is the clashing of steel and competitive spirit combined with the battle of the wits. Apply the rules of Olympic fencing, and you have a physically and mentally challenging game of strategy, often called, "physical chess." In Beginning Fencing, students will learn the rules of the sport as well as footwork, attacks, parries, responses, and how to judge matches. Beginning students will use the epee, a thin, lightweight sword with broad hand guard and will wear a wireless electronic scoring sensor over layers of protective gear. Returning students will work with both the epee and foil. The physical benefits of fencing are an increase in agility, balance and coordination. Fencing also provides mental benefits such as improved focus, strategy and confidence. Fencing is safety-oriented with blunt tip weapons, chest protectors, chest/sleeve pads, fencing jacket, gloves, and face mask. Students may enroll any quarter. All equipment is provided by the instructor. Students are asked to wear full length, comfortable athletic pants such as running pants or sweatpants (no jeans, no shorts, no dresses or skirts), and low-heeled athletic shoes.
Fencing for Young Beginners (Q3)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Fencing Sports Academy
Grade Range: 2nd-4th
Prerequisites: None
Fencing is the clashing of steel and competitive spirit combined with the battle of the wits. Apply the rules of Olympic fencing, and you have a physically and mentally challenging game of strategy, often called, "physical chess." In Beginning Fencing, students will learn the rules of the sport as well as footwork, attacks, parries, responses, and how to judge matches. Beginning students will use the epee, a thin, lightweight sword with broad hand guard and will wear a wireless electronic scoring sensor over layers of protective gear. Returning students will work with both the epee and foil. The physical benefits of fencing are an increase in agility, balance and coordination. Fencing also provides mental benefits such as improved focus, strategy and confidence. Fencing is safety-oriented with blunt tip weapons, chest protectors, chest/sleeve pads, fencing jacket, gloves, and face mask. Students may enroll any quarter. All equipment is provided by the instructor. Students are asked to wear full length, comfortable athletic pants such as running pants or sweatpants (no jeans, no shorts, no dresses or skirts), and low-heeled athletic shoes.
French for Fun (Q3)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Edwige Pinover
Grade Range: 1st-2nd
Prerequisites: None
Bonjour! French for Fun is a play-based, language immersion class for young students. Much like learning their native language, children will be exposed to French sounds, vocabulary, and phrases through songs, games, stories, interactive and hands-on activities. Limited cues in English will be used to prompt students in the first few weeks. French language instruction will be presented in a natural learning sequence beginning with themes such as colors, numbers, clothing, foods, animals, family members, days/dates, parts of the house, common objects, body parts, etc. Greetings and simple phrases will be woven into each class. Students will learn numbers, the alphabet, and specific sounds of French pronunciation. Writing, spelling, and grammar will not be emphasized in this class. The goal of this introductory course is to lay foundations in sounds, vocabulary, and simple phrases while having fun and building confidence in a foreign language. Fluency should not be expected at this level. Students may join French for Fun during any quarter.
French Foundations (Q3)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Edwige Pinover
Grade Range: 5th-6th
Prerequisites: None
Bonjour! French Foundations is an introductory class for middle school-aged students. The class will be taught in a predominantly immersion environment. Limited cues in English will be used to prompt students or explain difficult concepts. French language instruction will be presented in a natural learning sequence beginning with nouns (such as colors, numbers, clothing, foods, animals, days/dates, etc), adjectives, greetings, and simple phrases. Students will learn beginning grammatical constructions such as noun-verb agreement, noun-adjective agreement, adjective placement, and the rules of regular verb conjugation. Students will be encouraged to speak aloud and converse with classmates, but also to learn to sound out, spell, and read beginning, written French. Aspects of Francophone culture such as holidays, foods, and traditions will be incorporated in the classes.
Each quarter introduces new themes and new vocabulary in French, so continuing students can continue to build their language basics. However, themes and units are non-sequential, so students may enroll in this level in any quarter. The goal of this introductory course is to lay foundations in sounds, vocabulary, grammar, and usage while having fun and building confidence in a foreign language. Students should be at grade level in their reading. Fluency should not be expected at this level.
French with Friends (Q3)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Edwige Pinover
Grade Range: 3rd-4th
Prerequisites: None
Salut! French with Friends is an introductory French class for elementary-aged students. The class will be taught in a predominantly immersion environment. Limited cues in English will be used to prompt students or explain difficult concepts. French language instruction will be presented in a natural learning sequence beginning with nouns (such as colors, numbers, clothing, foods, animals, family members, days/dates, etc), adjectives, beginning verbs, greetings, and simple phrases. Songs, games, stories, and hands-on activities will be used in class to review vocabulary and phrases. Emphasis will be on conversation, but students will be encouraged to learn to spell and sound out written French. Aspects of Francophone culture such as holidays, foods, and traditions will be incorporated in the classes.
Each quarter introduces new themes and new vocabulary in French, so continuing students can continue to build their language basics. However, themes and units are non-sequential, so students may enroll in this level in any quarter. The goal of this introductory course is to lay foundations in sounds, vocabulary, and simple phrases while having fun and building confidence in a foreign language. Fluency should not be expected at this level.
Global Gourmet for Kids: Tasty Thai (11AM)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Mylene Nyman
Grade Range: 3rd-5th
Prerequisites: None
Compass cooks will enjoy a culinary tour of the world with Global Gourmet classes! Menus feature a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fresh ingredients seasoned and prepared to represent regional flavors and traditional dishes from the featured country. Recipes are selected to be nutritious, fun, and simple to make. The Compass chefs' gastronomy adventures will include:
- Po Pia Sod (Cold Spring Rolls)
- Tom Kha Gai (Soup with Chicken and Coconut)
- Crunchy Thai Salad with Peanuts and Quinoa
- Khao Man (Coconut Rice)
- Thai Red Curry with Vegetables
- Extra-Nuea Sawan ("Heavenly Beef")
- Entree-Pad Krapow Gai (Thai Basil Chicken)
- Thai Mango Coconut Pudding
Students will be eating what they make each week and bringing home the recipes and leftovers. These engaging cooking classes will get students excited about helping in the kitchen, experimenting, and trying new foods. Students will be exposed to healthy ingredients they may not regularly eat. They will learn important kitchen skills such as safety, sanitation, measuring, knife skills, and other tricks of the trade. Culinary vocabulary and terms are introduced each week, with no-pressure verbal review of those words the following week.
Notes: Students with allergies to food ingredients or dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated in this class. Recipes may contain nuts, dairy, wheat, gluten, and eggs. All food supplies will be conventional, mass market ingredients. Specialty food preparations/certifications such as halal, kosher, and organic will not be used due to cost and sourcing logistics.
Topics in this Series: Best of the British Isles (Quarter 1), Savory Scandinavian (Quarter 2), Tasty Thai (Quarter 3), Great Greek (Quarter 4).
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $45.00 is due payable to the instructor on or before the first day of class.
What to Bring: None- Disposable aprons and take-home containers provided.
What to Wear: Students should wear clean clothes and have long hair tied back, braided, or secured under a bandana (male and female).
Cooking Class Requirements: For more information and FAQs, see the Compass Cooking Classes webpage.
Global Gourmet for Kids: Tasty Thai (12PM)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Mylene Nyman
Grade Range: 3rd-5th
Prerequisites: None
Compass cooks will enjoy a culinary tour of the world with Global Gourmet classes! Menus feature a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fresh ingredients seasoned and prepared to represent regional flavors and traditional dishes from the featured country. Recipes are selected to be nutritious, fun, and simple to make. The Compass chefs' gastronomy adventures will include:
- Po Pia Sod (Cold Spring Rolls)
- Tom Kha Gai (Soup with Chicken and Coconut)
- Crunchy Thai Salad with Peanuts and Quinoa
- Khao Man (Coconut Rice)
- Thai Red Curry with Vegetables
- Extra-Nuea Sawan ("Heavenly Beef")
- Entree-Pad Krapow Gai (Thai Basil Chicken)
- Thai Mango Coconut Pudding
Students will be eating what they make each week and bringing home the recipes and leftovers. These engaging cooking classes will get students excited about helping in the kitchen, experimenting, and trying new foods. Students will be exposed to healthy ingredients they may not regularly eat. They will learn important kitchen skills such as safety, sanitation, measuring, knife skills, and other tricks of the trade. Culinary vocabulary and terms are introduced each week, with no-pressure verbal review of those words the following week.
Notes: Students with allergies to food ingredients or dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated in this class. Recipes may contain nuts, dairy, wheat, gluten, and eggs. All food supplies will be conventional, mass market ingredients. Specialty food preparations/certifications such as halal, kosher, and organic will not be used due to cost and sourcing logistics.
Topics in this Series: Best of the British Isles (Quarter 1), Savory Scandinavian (Quarter 2), Tasty Thai (Quarter 3), Great Greek (Quarter 4).
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $45.00 is due payable to the instructor on or before the first day of class.
What to Bring: None- Disposable aprons and take-home containers provided.
What to Wear: Students should wear clean clothes and have long hair tied back, braided, or secured under a bandana (male and female).
Cooking Class Requirements: For more information and FAQs, see the Compass Cooking Classes webpage.
Global Gourmet for Little Kids: Tasty Thai
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Mylene Nyman
Grade Range: 1st-3rd
Prerequisites: None
Compass cooks will enjoy a culinary tour of the world with Global Gourmet classes! Menus feature a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fresh ingredients seasoned and prepared to represent regional flavors and traditional dishes from the featured country. Recipes are selected to be nutritious, fun, and simple to make. The Compass chefs' gastronomy adventures will include:
- Po Pia Sod (Cold Spring Rolls)
- Tom Kha Gai (Soup with Chicken and Coconut)
- Crunchy Thai Salad with Peanuts and Quinoa
- Khao Man (Coconut Rice)
- Thai Red Curry with Vegetables
- Extra-Nuea Sawan ("Heavenly Beef")
- Entree-Pad Krapow Gai (Thai Basil Chicken)
- Thai Mango Coconut Pudding
Students will be eating what they make each week and bringing home the recipes and leftovers. These engaging cooking classes will get students excited about helping in the kitchen, experimenting, and trying new foods. Students will be exposed to healthy ingredients they may not regularly eat. They will learn important kitchen skills such as safety, sanitation, measuring, knife skills, and other tricks of the trade. Culinary vocabulary and terms are introduced each week, with no-pressure verbal review of those words the following week.
Notes: Students with allergies to food ingredients or dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated in this class. Recipes may contain nuts, dairy, wheat, gluten, and eggs. All food supplies will be conventional, mass market ingredients. Specialty food preparations/certifications such as halal, kosher, and organic will not be used due to cost and sourcing logistics. This class is best suited for students who can follow instructions, complete sequential tasks, and work in a group. For the Little Kids level, students must be minimum age six (6) by the start of class and must be developmentally on-level for fine motor skills and ability to follow directions.
Topics in this Series: Best of the British Isles (Quarter 1), Savory Scandinavian (Quarter 2), Tasty Thai (Quarter 3), Great Greek (Quarter 4).
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $45.00 is due payable to the instructor on or before the first day of class.
What to Bring: None- Disposable aprons and take-home containers provided.
What to Wear: Students should wear clean clothes and have long hair tied back, braided, or secured under a bandana (male and female).
Cooking Class Requirements: For more information and FAQs, see the Compass Cooking Classes webpage.
Global Gourmet for Tweens: Tasty Thai (1PM)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Mylene Nyman
Grade Range: 6th-8th
Prerequisites: None
Compass cooks will enjoy a culinary tour of the world with Global Gourmet classes! Menus feature a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fresh ingredients seasoned and prepared to represent regional flavors and traditional dishes from the featured country. Recipes are selected to be nutritious, fun, and simple to make. The Compass chefs' gastronomy adventures will include:
- Po Pia Sod (Cold Spring Rolls)
- Tom Kha Gai (Soup with Chicken and Coconut)
- Crunchy Thai Salad with Peanuts and Quinoa
- Khao Man (Coconut Rice)
- Thai Red Curry with Vegetables
- Extra-Nuea Sawan ("Heavenly Beef")
- Entree-Pad Krapow Gai (Thai Basil Chicken)
- Thai Mango Coconut Pudding
Students will be eating what they make each week and bringing home the recipes and leftovers. These engaging cooking classes will get students excited about helping in the kitchen, experimenting, and trying new foods. Students will be exposed to healthy ingredients they may not regularly eat. They will learn important kitchen skills such as safety, sanitation, measuring, knife skills, and other tricks of the trade. Culinary vocabulary and terms are introduced each week, with no-pressure verbal review of those words the following week.
Notes: Students with allergies to food ingredients or dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated in this class. Recipes may contain nuts, dairy, wheat, gluten, and eggs. All food supplies will be conventional, mass market ingredients. Specialty food preparations/certifications such as halal, kosher, and organic will not be used due to cost and sourcing logistics.
Topics in this Series: Best of the British Isles (Quarter 1), Savory Scandinavian (Quarter 2), Tasty Thai (Quarter 3), Great Greek (Quarter 4).
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $45.00 is due payable to the instructor on or before the first day of class.
What to Bring: None- Disposable aprons and take-home containers provided.
What to Wear: Students should wear clean clothes and have long hair tied back, braided, or secured under a bandana (male and female).
Cooking Class Requirements: For more information and FAQs, see the Compass Cooking Classes webpage.
Global Gourmet for Tweens: Tasty Thai (2PM)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Mylene Nyman
Grade Range: 6th-8th
Prerequisites: None
Compass cooks will enjoy a culinary tour of the world with Global Gourmet classes! Menus feature a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fresh ingredients seasoned and prepared to represent regional flavors and traditional dishes from the featured country. Recipes are selected to be nutritious, fun, and simple to make. The Compass chefs' gastronomy adventures will include:
- Po Pia Sod (Cold Spring Rolls)
- Tom Kha Gai (Soup with Chicken and Coconut)
- Crunchy Thai Salad with Peanuts and Quinoa
- Khao Man (Coconut Rice)
- Thai Red Curry with Vegetables
- Extra-Nuea Sawan ("Heavenly Beef")
- Entree-Pad Krapow Gai (Thai Basil Chicken)
- Thai Mango Coconut Pudding
Students will be eating what they make each week and bringing home the recipes and leftovers. These engaging cooking classes will get students excited about helping in the kitchen, experimenting, and trying new foods. Students will be exposed to healthy ingredients they may not regularly eat. They will learn important kitchen skills such as safety, sanitation, measuring, knife skills, and other tricks of the trade. Culinary vocabulary and terms are introduced each week, with no-pressure verbal review of those words the following week.
Notes: Students with allergies to food ingredients or dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated in this class. Recipes may contain nuts, dairy, wheat, gluten, and eggs. All food supplies will be conventional, mass market ingredients. Specialty food preparations/certifications such as halal, kosher, and organic will not be used due to cost and sourcing logistics.
Topics in this Series: Best of the British Isles (Quarter 1), Savory Scandinavian (Quarter 2), Tasty Thai (Quarter 3), Great Greek (Quarter 4).
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $45.00 is due payable to the instructor on or before the first day of class.
What to Bring: None- Disposable aprons and take-home containers provided.
What to Wear: Students should wear clean clothes and have long hair tied back, braided, or secured under a bandana (male and female).
Cooking Class Requirements: For more information and FAQs, see the Compass Cooking Classes webpage.
Globetrotters Kids' Geography: Argentina & Nigeria
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Danielle Mercadal
Grade Range: 2nd-3rd
Prerequisites: None
Discover geography and diverse cultures in this interactive, imaginary tour of the world. Each quarter, students will take a classroom journey to two distinct nations. They will locate the highlighted countries on the world map and complete a map project before buckling in for a fictional flight to the featured locales. Once they have "arrived" in the country, they will begin with an introduction to home and school life by meeting a child through a story or video. Students will learn to recognize similarities and appreciate differences when they compare that child's home, clothing, food, town, daily activities, and school to their own. In subsequent weeks, our Globe Trotters will learn about the culture and traditions of the country through songs, games, projects, and activities that highlight elements like folktales, customs, celebrations, distinct features, language, points of interest, or native species.
Third quarter, students will journey to Argentina and Nigeria! Discover Gualeguaychu's Carnival and explore the impressive Iguaza National Park in Argentina. Students will learn about Argentina through weekly projects such as leather crafts and paper weaving and taste testing regional fare like dulce de leche. Mid quarter, the class will travel to Nigeria where they will learn about the Calabar Carnival and imagine relaxing in the Ikogosi Warm Spring. Nigeria will be brought to life by creating clay trade beads, paper masks and sampling plantain chips.
Students will be excited by geography and culture when approached through this engaging, multi-disciplinary exploration of diverse countries of the globe! Topics in this Series include Vietnam and Madagascar (Quarter 1); Australia and Poland (Quarter 2); Argentina and Nigeria (Quarter 3); Netherlands and Jamaica (Quarter 4). A supply fee of $25.00 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class.
Junior Art Studio: Multi-Media Masters (WED 11AM)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Kerry Diederich
Grade Range: K-2nd
Prerequisites: None
This class is a multi-media art sampler for our youngest artists! Each week, students will learn a few fun facts about a type of art, artist, or culture and view sample works. Then, they will create a project in the style of the featured artist or culture using a wide variety of materials, colors, patterns, textures, and embellishments. Young artists will have the opportunity to work with a different media each week such as tempera paint, various papers, color pencils, markers, tissue paper, translucent tracing paper, cray pas, oil pastels, charcoals, and watercolors.
Third quarter, Junior Artists will learn about the unique multi-media "craft art" of the masters! Projects will feature art with craft themes such as Van Gogh's Sunflowers, torn paper rainbows, Faith Ringold's story quilts, and sand painting. Art projects will feature a variety of materials and techniques to create craft art while learning about the artist, their technique, and their materials.
Topics in this Series: Imitate the Impressionists (Quarter 1); Destination Art (Quarter 2); Multi-Media Masters (Quarter 3); Native American Art (Quarter 4). Supply Fee: There is a supply fee of $25.00, payable to the instructor on the first day of class which covers consumable class materials such a specialty papers, watercolor pencils, and paints.
Junior Art Studio: Multi-Media Masters (WED 12PM)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Kerry Diederich
Grade Range: K-2nd
Prerequisites: None
This class is a multi-media art sampler for our youngest artists! Each week, students will learn a few fun facts about a type of art, artist, or culture and view sample works. Then, they will create a project in the style of the featured artist or culture using a wide variety of materials, colors, patterns, textures, and embellishments. Young artists will have the opportunity to work with a different media each week such as tempera paint, various papers, color pencils, markers, tissue paper, translucent tracing paper, cray pas, oil pastels, charcoals, and watercolors.
Third quarter, Junior Artists will learn about the unique multi-media "craft art" of the masters! Projects will feature art with craft themes such as Van Gogh's Sunflowers, torn paper rainbows, Faith Ringold's story quilts, and sand painting. Art projects will feature a variety of materials and techniques to create craft art while learning about the artist, their technique, and their materials.
Topics in this Series: Imitate the Impressionists (Quarter 1); Destination Art (Quarter 2); Multi-Media Masters (Quarter 3); Native American Art (Quarter 4). Supply Fee: There is a supply fee of $25.00, payable to the instructor on the first day of class which covers consumable class materials such a specialty papers, watercolor pencils, and paints.
Junior Engineering with LEGO: Winter Wonders (WED)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 85 min
Instructor: Becca Sticha
Grade Range: K-2nd
Prerequisites: None
Students will use LEGO to design and build simple engineering projects out of everyone's favorite building toy! In this 90 minute class, students will explore concepts and vocabulary in physics, mechanical engineering, structural engineering, aerospace engineering, and architecture while playing with their creations.
Third quarter, students will build for an icy winter environment and explore constructions like a bobsled course, snow plows, snow mobiles, a Polar Express train, and gondola ski lifts!
Each class begins with 10-minutes of free build from tubs of LEGO components followed by a short discussion and demonstration of the day's project and concepts. Students build individually or in groups. Instructors will provide individual assistance, facilitate challenges, performance testing, competitions, and modifications to projects. Some projects may have been introduced in prior year's sessions, but each new build is unique, and student's building skills and understanding will have grown.
Notes:(1)Students must be minimum age 5 and able to separate from their parents for this class. (2) Projects are built from shared, Compass-owned components, so students will not bring completed projects home. Parents, however, can step into class 15 minutes before the end of each session to photograph their child's construction.
Topics in this Series: Fantastic Fliers & Space Racers (Quarter 1); Articulated Aniamls (Quarter 2); Winter Wonders (Quarter 3); Construct a Carnival (Quarter 4)
Kids' Doctor Academy: Be a Wilderness Medic
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Karen Shumway
Grade Range: 5th-6th
Prerequisites: None
What is poison ivy? What if I get stung by a bee? Can I eat that wild berry? Kids have lots of questions about their own bodies and development. Kids' Doctor Academy answers these questions and more in the context of fun, age-appropriate medical lessons and in-class activities which will introduce children to themes in science, medicine, anatomy, and biology.
Third quarter, students will learn about scenarios they might encounter outdoors while playing, camping, hiking, or adventuring. Just in time for winter, and looking ahead to summer, class will learn about altitude illness, frostbite, hypothermia, sun burn, heat stroke, and sun poisoning. In a fun way (to not be scary), kids will learn what to do in the event of storms or tornados along with ice and water safety. Adventurers will learn what to do for animal bite wounds, safety around snakes, and insect stings, outdoors allergies /poison plants. Topics will be covered with hands-on activities, short videos, and role playing games, and one of more activities might be conducted outdoors if weather permits.
There is a supply fee of $20.00 due payable to the instructor on the first day of class for a take-home kit consisting of a medical coat, doctor name tag, class notebook, outdoor safety supplies.
Topics in this Series: Physician (Quarter 1); Nutritionist (Quarter 2), Wilderness Medic (Quarter 3), ENT/Dentist- Hearing, Taste, Smell (Quarter 4).
Krav Maga Self Defense for Kids- Brown Stripe (Wed)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: David Cubias
Grade Range: 5th-8th
Prerequisites: None
Krav Maga is the Israeli martial art which teaches self defense and fitness. Students of Krav Maga are taught a series of strategies to assess and respond to common situations, such as facing a bully. Kids are always taught first and foremost to get away, to get help, and to try to deescalate the situation. When that fails, students practice a technique that includes a warning strike followed by escape, and finally, they learn how to stand up for themselves and how to counterattack if a situation escalates and becomes threatening. Kids are empowered and gain confidence when they rehearse how to handle real-life situations. Exercises and in-class practice incorporate balance, coordination, energy, and other key elements of fitness along with life skills such as confidence, teamwork, respect, discipline, and respect.
Students may enroll in Krav Maga at any time, and everyone will begin as a white belt. Each quarter, students will practice the full range of skills, but there will be two "featured" moves that a student can earn a belt stripe for being able to demonstrate. Featured moves will include a combative strike and a defensive escape technique. No one stripe is a prerequisite for any other color, and color stripes can be earned in any order.
Third quarter, students will have the chance to earn a Brown Stripe. Featured moves include: cover defense and wrist locks (red stripe); straight punch defense and bear hugs (orange stripe); head movement defense and front 2-handed choke (yellow stripe); round kick defense and back 2-handed choke (green stripe); front kick defense and guillotine choke (blue stripe); clinch defense and rear choke (purple stripe); ground striking defense and head lock defense (brown stripe); and 360 defense and full Nelson (black stripe).
Students will be able to test for belt promotions to move through the ranks of white belt, yellow belt, orange belt, etc. On average, it is estimated that a student will be ready for a belt test after four quarters/four color stripes. Belt testing will be by coach approval.
Topics in this Series: Blue Stripe (1st Quarter), Purple Stripe (2nd Quarter), Brown Stripe (3rd Quarter) and Black Stripe (4th Quarter). Assessments: Belt testing for promotion will be by coach recommendation, but on average will take 4 quarters. Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $6.00 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class- for new students only- for a white belt to collect the colored stripes! A belt test fee of $25.00 is due payable to the instructor when a student is ready to test for promotion. What to Bring: Refillable water bottle. What to Wear: In lieu of a full martial arts uniform, participants should wear their class t-shirt and belt along with shorts, leggings, or loose, comfortable athletic pants, and comfortable athletic shoes or sneakers.
Machine Makers: Apparatus
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Becca Sticha
Grade Range: 3rd-4th
Prerequisites: None
LEGO Mindstorms components and motors are not just for building robots! These interconnecting pieces can be constructed into an infinite number of unique, mechanized machines- much like an erector set!
Each quarter, students will build three or four unique inventions like a paper plane launcher, crossbow, a racing robot, and turntable. Students will incorporate simple machines, complex machines, and small motors into their projects. They will work with wheels, axles, beams, pulleys, tracks, gears, and specialty components used only in these classes.
Topics in this Series: Inventions (Quarter 1); Creations (Quarter 2): Innovations (Quarter 3); and Apparatus (Quarter 4).
Nature Quest: Winter- Adventurers (Wed)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 11:05 am Duration: 50 min
Instructor: Sevim Kalyoncu
Grade Range: K-2nd
Prerequisites: None
Witness the wonders of winter! Bundle up and look for signs of how animals live in the cold. Discover tracks in the snow, uncover nests and borrows, and find out who munched on twigs or bark. Observe transformations in plant life, moss, and fungus, and watch the changes to the watershed.
Step outdoors to each week to explore nature with a senior naturalist/outdoor educator. Take a break from sit-down classes, indoor activities, and screen time to explore the natural world, get fresh air, and exercise. The group will explore the southern section of Sugarland Stream Valley Park in Herndon while they discover all the secrets that woods hold when you stop, look, listen, smell, touch, turn-over, and peek under!
A portion of each session will be seeking and discussing what is found each season. Students will get to know native animals and key types of plants and trees in our area. Emphasis will be on becoming comfortable with things they encounter outdoors, observing and appreciating discoveries in nature, safe exploration of the woods, and how to be a good steward of nature. The class will also discuss outdoor skills such as shelter and outdoor safety. Students will play games in the woods to practice outdoor skills.
Visit the Compass Nature Quest class webpage for more information on the program, location, and Frequently Asked Questions. Students should come prepared for class with outdoor/play clothes, closed-toe shoes, sunscreen and/or insect repellent, a hat, and jacket or layered outerwear depending on the weather/temperature.
Students must be minimum age 5 by the start of class, be comfortable separating from their parents for the duration of class and must be able to stay in a group and follow instructions.
Nature Quest: Winter- Pathfinders (Wed)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 12:05 pm Duration: 50 min
Instructor: Sevim Kalyoncu
Grade Range: 3rd-4th
Prerequisites: None
Witness the wonders of winter! Bundle up and look for signs of how animals live in the cold. Discover tracks in the snow, uncover nests and borrows, and find out who munched on twigs or bark. Observe transformations in plant life, moss, and fungus, and watch the changes to the watershed.
Step outdoors to each week to explore nature with a senior naturalist/outdoor educator. Take a break from sit-down classes, indoor activities, and screen time to explore the natural world, get fresh air, and exercise. The group will explore the southern section of Sugarland Stream Valley Park in Herndon while they discover all the secrets that woods hold when you stop, look, listen, smell, touch, turn-over, and peek under!
A portion of each session will be seeking and discussing what is found each season. Students will get to know native animals and key types of plants and trees in our area. Emphasis will be on becoming comfortable with things they encounter outdoors, observing and appreciating discoveries in nature, safe exploration of the woods, and how to be a good steward of nature. The class will also discuss outdoor skills such as shelter and outdoor safety. Students will play games in the woods to practice outdoor skills.
Visit the Compass Nature Quest class webpage for more information on the program, location, and Frequently Asked Questions. Students should come prepared for class with outdoor/play clothes, closed-toe shoes, sunscreen and/or insect repellent, a hat, and jacket or layered outerwear depending on the weather/temperature.
New Twist on Old Tales: Friend Stories
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Judith Harmon
Grade Range: 2nd-3rd
Prerequisites: None
Young readers and writers will explore classic tales in a variety of creative, multi-media interpretations. Pulling from classic children's literature including fairy tales, fables, and favorites, such as Newberry Award medalists, the group will explore 3-4 well-known stories each quarter (generally spending 2 weeks per tale).
Third quarter will feature Friend Stories with the tales Conderella, Alladdin and his Magic Lamp, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
For each story, the instructor will share a lively read-aloud of the featured story. Next, the class will watch a short clip of an animated, televised, or stage version of the same story. Finally, the group will hear a re-telling of the same story from a different angle, such as one adapted to a theme, a different era, or a different culture. Students will discuss what was the same and what was different among the different adaptations. Was a character added or omitted? Was the performed version true to the original? Finally, students will write and illustrate their own, original re-telling of the story by changing characters, setting, or even crafting a surprise, new ending. New Twists on Old Tales introduces some basic literary elements and rudimentary literary analysis skills to encourage children to think more deeply about what they read.
Topics in this Series: Amazing Adventures (Quarter 1), Favorite Fairy Tales (Quarter 2), Friend Stories (Quarter 3), and Morals from Fables (Quarter 4).
Outdoor Survivor: Winter (Wed)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 1:05 pm Duration: 110 min
Instructor: Sevim Kalyoncu
Grade Range: 5th-6th
Prerequisites: None
Venture outdoors each week to explore the woods with a senior naturalist and mentor while learning valuable survival skills. Students will learn how to construct a temporary debris shelter, make cordage, identify edible plants, track animals, purify water, perform basic first aid, and use maps and compass (orienteering). Students will get to know native animals and key types of plants and trees in our area. Emphasis will be on becoming comfortable with things you encounter outdoors, safe exploration of the woods, how to be a good steward of nature, and what to do if you ever became lost or injured in the woods. Skills will be reintroduced and adapted each each quarter because the available plants, animals, materials, and water sources change with each season. Students will have a blast, develop greater self-confidence, and build a strong connection to nature and to the real world! Explorations in the woodsis for enrolled students only, and tag-along parents and siblings cannot be accommodated. For information on where the class meets, what to wear, and inclement weather, see the webpage for Compass's Nature Quest program.
Robot Fab Lab: Mars Rover (WED)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Becca Sticha
Grade Range: 5th-6th
Prerequisites: None
All-New Technology! Student engineers will be challenged to design, build, and program a robot to explore a simulated Martian challenge. Each rover will have to fit in a mock Mars lander and be able to drive out the lander door, down a ramp, and onto the Mars surface. Once in the Compass Mars environment, each lander must be able to maintain a course while driving over a bumpy terrain and pick up and collect red rocks while ignoring Martian rocks of other colors.
Student engineers will be challenged to design, build, and program a robot to complete several unique mazes in the fastest possible time. Students will learn to program their robots to make "decisions" when exploring an unfamiliar maze such as "go straight until you encounter a wall" and "turn to the right if you run into an obstacle."
Students will use all new LEGO Education Spike Prime robotics sets. They will build with motors, wheels/axles, gears, levers, and special components. Students will have to install touch, sound, color, gyro, ultrasonic, and/or infrared sensors while also learning to program sequences and commands that use input/output devices for controlled movements and precise turns. Using the drag-and-drop programming menu, students will learn to program their robots while experimenting with key concepts such as fixed values, variables, loops, and logic constructs.
This course integrates science, engineering and computational thinking while introducing physical constraints, units of measurement, and coordinate systems. But, don't worry, this is a beginning robotics class. Prior experience is not expected, but returning students are welcome. Each student will build his/her own robotic project, so students can progress and customize at their own pace. In general, in this class, students will spend two weeks assembling, three weeks programming, and two weeks testing and re-designing. Topics in this Series: Maze Runner (Quarter 1), Sumo Bots (Quarter 2), Mars Rover (Quarter 3), and Explore Atlantis (Quarter 4).
Sew Fun: Adorable Accessories
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Judith Harmon
Grade Range: 3rd-5th
Prerequisites: None
Kids will learn the basics of hand sewing and discover it is "sew fun" to create items that can play with and use every day. Third quarter, kids will sew a small purse or bag, a hat, and a pair of slippers.
Kids will learn practical sewing skills such as pinning and placement, a running stitch, attaching a button, scissor skills, stuffing, and working with simple patterns. The group will be working with pre-cut felt components from kits that will be enhanced with buttons and embellishments. Since students may work at different rates, some projects may not be completed in class and will be sent home to finish sewing with the newly learned skills. Students should be at age/grade level for fine motor skills for this class. A material fee of $40.00 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class. Topics in this series include: Dazzling DIY Decor (Quarter 1), Crafted Keepsakes (Quarter 2), Adorable Accessories (Quarter 3), and Cool Characters (Quarter 4).
Sew Simple: Dynamic Dino Family
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Judith Harmon
Grade Range: 1st-2nd
Prerequisites: None
Little kids will learn the basics of hand sewing and discover it is "sew simple" to create fun things they can play with and use every day. Third quarter, kids will sew an adorable dino family and their Jurassic accessories: a t-rex, stegosaurus, triceratops, baby dino in an egg, a palm tree, and a volcano.
Kids will learn practical sewing skills such as pinning and placement, a running stitch, attaching a button, scissor skills, and stuffing. The group will be working with pre-cut felt components from kits that will be enhanced with buttons and accessories. Since students may work at different rates, some projects may not be completed in class and will be sent home to finish sewing with the newly learned skills. Students should be at age/grade level for fine motor skills for this class and should be a minimum of age 6. There is a supply fee of $35.00 due payable to the instructor on/before the first day of class. Topics in this series include: Sew a Storybook (Quarter 1), Silly Sea Stuffies (Quarter 2), Dynamic Dino Family (Quarter 3), and Keeper's Critters (Quarter 4).
Speak Out! Telling Your Story (Narrative)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Highest Speak
Grade Range: 6th-8th
Prerequisites:
Public speaking skills are essential to academia, success in future careers, and to simply making friends or standing up for yourself! Students will develop their public speaking skills and their own "voice" through the art of storytelling in a fun, supportive environment taught by a public speaking coach.
In this class, students will examine the elements of effective storytelling by playing hilarious storytelling games and practicing storytelling assignments. The group will identify the elements of a story and how to structure and write a story that will be told aloud. They will learn about different types of stories, from fiction and fantasy stories to personal narratives, motivational, and persuasive stories. Students will learn how to best perform a story of any kind, conquer any level of nervousness, and become more confident storytellers. They will discover how to use storytelling to enhance anything they do.
Each class includes an icebreaker activity, a daily lesson, practice through a game or assignment, individualized feedback, and wrap-up. Students will practice posture, eye contact, enunciation, gestures, pauses, and timing while receiving tips and techniques from the coach and peers. The class will culminate in an end of the quarter presentation for parents.
Topics in future quarters include: Finding Your Voice (Expository)- 3rd quarter, and Making Your Point (Persuasive)- 4th quarter
Speak Up! Telling Your Story (Narrative)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Highest Speak
Grade Range: 3rd-5th
Prerequisites:
Public speaking skills are essential to academia, success in future careers, and to simply making friends or standing up for yourself! Students will develop their public speaking skills and their own "voice" through the art of storytelling in a fun, supportive environment taught by a public speaking coach.
In this class, students will examine the elements of effective storytelling by playing hilarious storytelling games and practicing storytelling assignments. The group will identify the elements of a story and how to structure and write a story that will be told aloud. They will learn about different types of stories, from fiction and fantasy stories to personal narratives, motivational, and persuasive stories. Students will learn how to best perform a story of any kind, conquer any level of nervousness, and become more confident storytellers. They will discover how to use storytelling to enhance anything they do.
Each class includes an icebreaker activity, a daily lesson, practice through a game or assignment, individualized feedback, and wrap-up. Students will practice posture, eye contact, enunciation, gestures, pauses, and timing while receiving tips and techniques from the coach and peers. The class will culminate in an end of the quarter presentation for parents.
Topics in future quarters include: Finding Your Voice (Expository)- 3rd quarter, and Making Your Point (Persuasive)- 4th quarter
Ultimate Magic Academy: Yellow Wand Illusions (NEW)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Mike Hummer
Grade Range: 3rd-6th
Prerequisites: None
Curious coins, baffling balls, confounding cards, and puzzling papers! Students will learn tricks of the trade from a professional magician using a custom, magical Compass curriculum!
Each week, kids will learn how to perform a unique magic trick! Students will practice and perfect the illusion in class so they can come home and mystify their friends and family. Students will unlock the secrets to clever magic tricks like:
- The Cups and Balls - the oldest trick in magic still amazes
- Spiked Coin - plastic "spikes" penetrate a real half dollar
- Haunted Hankie - a cool handkerchief that defies gravity
- ESP Dice - magician proves that they can read minds
- Black Hole Coin Vanish - a coin disappears faster than the speed of light
- Card Trick Miracle Deck - card tricks that will fool your friends
For each trick, students will receive a professional quality magic prop to take home to build their magician's toolbox. Along with the actual magic, students will discuss a life skill each week that is essential to a good magician (and student) such as public speaking, presentation skills, practicing, being prepared, and reading their audience. Magicians who complete the class will receive a certificate and a yellow magic wand. Collect all 8 wand colors!
There is a $50.00 supply fee due payable to the instructor on/before the first day of class. Topics in this series: Radical Red Wands (Quarter 1); Orange Wand Wonders (Quarter 2); Yellow Wand Illusions (Quarter 3); and Glittering Gold Wand (Quarter 4).
Vet 'Ventures: Reptile Roundup (1PM)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Karen Shumway
Grade Range: 3rd-4th
Prerequisites: None
A corn snake with cataracts, a lizard with a limp, or an iguana with an itch. Sometimes even our reptile friends need medical care! Lots of kids love animals, and some even think about becoming veterinarians and animal specialists. There is a lot of science in the care and keeping of animals.
In this class, future veterinarians will learn all about the reptile species people keep as pets such as snakes, turtles, tortoises, skinks, and lizards like geckos, bearded dragons, chameleons, and uromastyxs. Each of these different species has different needs in terms of diets, habitats, and handling. The class will discuss some general signs of illness or injury that someone might see in a pet reptile. Kids will discover some of fun and fascinating facts, similarities, and differences in species of reptiles. The class will make a broad survey of reptiles in the wild and discuss why those found outdoors should not be brought in as pets and why pet reptiles should not be released into the wild.
Each class meeting will include hands-on and interactive demonstrations, simulations, role-playing, activities, games, stories, or short video clips to convey the information. During the first week, students will receive a lab coat and clinic name tag, and two model reptiles for demonstrations, and a class workbook. They will "adopt" and name their reptiles, and during the final week, they will receive a diploma. (Pets, lab coats, name tags, and workbooks will remain at Compass between classes so they are not forgotten at home). There is a $28.00 supply fee due payable to the instructor on the first day of class.
Topics in this series include: Discover Dogs (Quarter 1), Pocket Pets (Quarter 2), Reptile Roundup (Quarter 3) and Wildlife Rescue (Quarter 4).
Vet 'Ventures: Reptile Roundup (2PM)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Karen Shumway
Grade Range: 1st-2nd
Prerequisites: None
A corn snake with cataracts, a lizard with a limp, or an iguana with an itch. Sometimes even our reptile friends need medical care! Lots of kids love animals, and some even think about becoming veterinarians and animal specialists. There is a lot of science in the care and keeping of animals.
In this class, future veterinarians will learn all about the reptile species people keep as pets such as snakes, turtles, tortoises, skinks, and lizards like geckos, bearded dragons, chameleons, and uromastyxs. Each of these different species has different needs in terms of diets, habitats, and handling. The class will discuss some general signs of illness or injury that someone might see in a pet reptile. Kids will discover some of fun and fascinating facts, similarities, and differences in species of reptiles. The class will make a broad survey of reptiles in the wild and discuss why those found outdoors should not be brought in as pets and why pet reptiles should not be released into the wild.
Each class meeting will include hands-on and interactive demonstrations, simulations, role-playing, activities, games, stories, or short video clips to convey the information. During the first week, students will receive a lab coat and clinic name tag, and two model reptiles for demonstrations, and a class workbook. They will "adopt" and name their reptiles, and during the final week, they will receive a diploma. (Pets, lab coats, name tags, and workbooks will remain at Compass between classes so they are not forgotten at home). There is a $28.00 supply fee due payable to the instructor on the first day of class.
Topics in this series include: Discover Dogs (Quarter 1), Pocket Pets (Quarter 2), Reptile Roundup (Quarter 3) and Wildlife Rescue (Quarter 4).
Writers' Workshop: Learn to Research- Life in a Castle
Quarter 3: Starts on January 15, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Karen Hickman
Grade Range: 6th-7th
Prerequisites: None
In Writers' Workshop, middle school students will expand essential communication skills- reading, retaining, discussing, composing, revising, and even listening and speaking- by reviewing short selections of renowned literature and putting pen to paper! Each quarter, students will write about a popular theme using the elements they observe in the example classics.
A massive stone castle. A dark swampy moat. A victorious knight in his gleaming armor! Students are curious about life in a castle. The class will time time-travel to the Middle Ages through classical texts and poetry. Research is an essential skill for writers (and students). Students will uncover information about life in the Middle Ages as they learn the skills of notetaking and documenting resources. They will learn how to organize and present information from another era with discovery drafts, gathering grids, and finally, refining their report based on primary sources. Students will learn how to compile a bibliography and will wrap-up their research report with a short presentation at the last class. Join the fun as we learn about life in a castle!
Imagination and creativity come easily to most young writers, but acquiring technical skills is also important. Each quarter, students will focus on specific skills. The skills are a part of the Writer's Tool Kit that includes: understanding parts and kinds of sentences, plurals, possessives, and punctuation. Across the four quarters of this class, students will also learn how to use a dictionary and a thesaurus, as well as higher-level, middle school level skills such as summarizing, outlining, note taking, writing a book report, or citing sources. In class, students will share drafts and in-progress works to receive peer feedback and promote revising and editing skills.
Homework: Students are expected to write in a journal for a minimum of four minutes per day and respond to prompts that are sent home on an assignment bookmark. They will also be asked to read short assignments such as a chapter or excerpt in preparation for class discussions.
Topics in this Series: Creating Colorful Characters (Quarter 1), Fantasy Fun (Quarter 2), Learn to Research- Life in a Castle (Quarter 3) and Prose, Poetry, & Paintings- A Passport Adventure (Quarter 4).
Acting- Kids' Theater: Fractured Fairy Tales
Quarter 3: Starts on January 16, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Judith Harmon
Grade Range: 3rd-5th
Prerequisites: None
Kids take to the stage as they collaboratively write and perform their very own play with unique characters and an original storyline. What happens when favorite fairy tales are flipped and fumbled? In the newly fabricated tale, does the fearless frog save the fair princess, or do Red Riding Hood and the wretched wolf reunite?
Students will begin with improvisational games to get to know each other and start to brainstorm about their original play. Through group activities and guided discussion, the student actors will decide on characters, conflict, and conclusion, and the story they want to tell. The script will be developed and customized for this class with input from the students.
The class will learn the practical aspects of acting, as they work on script read-through, blocking, costume/prop design, and planning the show. Student actors will explore skills such as stage movement, character development, emotional expression, and observation/concentration while learning to portray their original character. Students will develop their own "actor's toolkit" of voice, body, and imagination in this creative process! Actors will grow in confidence and communication skills in preparation for a final sharing with parents on the last day of the
Once the script is fully developed with everyone's parts, it will be emailed to parents. Parents will be expected to help their children memorize their script/lines/cues and assemble a simple make-at-home costume, ideally from clothing items and accessories you already own and a little creativity. Note: Students who are emerging readers (not able to read at a 3rd/4th grade level) would be better suited to the Young Actor's Playhouse class, rather than this level.
Acting- Young Actor's Playhouse: Safari Surprise
Quarter 3: Starts on January 16, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Judith Harmon
Grade Range: 1st-2nd
Prerequisites: None
Acting is an adventure! Young actors work together to create and perform their very own play with unique characters and an original storyline. What happens when an energetic elephant, zany zebra, and hysterical hyena meet on a sunny savannah safari?
Students will begin with improvisational games to get to know each other and to begin to brainstorm about their original play. Through group activities and guided discussion, the young actors will decide on characters, conflict, and conclusion, and the story they want to tell. The script will be developed and customized for this class with input from the students.
Young actors will explore skills such as sensory awareness, listening, stage movement, character development, emotional expression, and observation/concentration while learning to portray their original character. Young actors will learn aspects of acting by script read-through, blocking, costume/prop discussion, and planning the show. Through individual and group activities, young actors build confidence in preparation for a final sharing for parents.
Students will work from a simple, written script, but emerging readers can be accommodated. Parents will be emailed the script after the 3rd or 4th class and will be expected to help their children memorize their lines and assemble a simple make-at-home costume, ideally from clothing items and accessories you already own and a little creativity. All actors must be at least age 6 to sign up for this class.
All About Astronomy: Stars, Galaxies, and the Cosmos
Quarter 3: Starts on January 16, 2025
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Becca Sticha
Grade Range: 5th-6th
Prerequisites: None
Did you know that our Sun is a yellow dwarf star residing in a spiral galaxy, the Milky Way? Our nearest neighbor, Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf star, is a mere 25 trillion miles away...but in our same galaxy! Kids who love astronomy and other sciences are invited to learn about stars, galaxies, and the cosmos in this beginning astronomy class.
Join us as we examine the lifecycle of stars and discuss what stars are made of. The class will learn how we observe the universe (telescopes, particle detectors, etc) and make these "astronomical" measurements of time and distance. And finally, the class will examine the phenomenon of black holes. This class will use some NASA projects for educators in their investigation. Future themes in this series include: Inner Solar System (Quarter 1); Outer Solar System (Quarter 2); Stars, Galaxies, and the Cosmos (Quarter 3); and Exoplanets and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life (Quarter 4).
Chemist Kids: Chemistry at Home
Quarter 3: Starts on January 16, 2025
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Michele Forsythe
Grade Range: 5th-6th
Prerequisites: None
Kids are naturally curious about chemistry! Chemistry explains the properties, behaviors, and interactions of materials around us: things we eat, drink, clean with, wear, drive, and even play with. Kids can use chemistry to understand how things taste, smell, mix, melt, combust, feel, and whether they are recyclable or rubbish, helpful or harmful, nutritious or not. Chemistry is key to understanding the world around us, including other areas of science. In this class, kids begin to use scientific words to describe their observations and will become familiar with some science apparatuses.
Third quarter, kids will discover chemistry at home in products they use every day from glue sticks to glow sticks and soaps to shampoos. Find out what is in toothpaste and how it cleans your teeth. Test detergents to see what stains are removed and uncover the chemistry of how they work. Play with the properties of plastics, adhesives, and lubricants and try making your own. Students will examine the properties of paints, dyes and inks through chromatography.
A lab fee of $20.00 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class. Topics in this series include: Chemistry in the Kitchen (Quarter 1), Chemistry in Action (Quarter 2), Chemistry at Home (Quarter 3), and Chemistry of Toys (Quarter 4).
Chess: Beginners 3 (THU)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 16, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Karl Peterson
Grade Range: 2nd-5th
Prerequisites: None
Students will enjoy the logic and challenge of the timeless strategy board game as they learn and play chess with classmates. In Beginning Chess 3, students will learn fundamental skills such as: discovered checks and attacks, pins and double checks, counting, checkmate drills, keeping the king safe in the opening, tactics (forks, skewers, x-rays), opening principles.
Learning and playing chess supports problem solving, decision making, critical and creative thinking, general cognitive ability, scholastic skills, and mathematical achievement (Univ. of Minnesota). Experts suggest that the game of chess teaches analytical and disciplined thinking skills, while raising self esteem, teaching motivation and determination, and sportsmanship (Kasparov Foundation). Each class will be spent half on technique and half in practice matches with classmates while the instructor coaches. A student can enroll in Beginning Chess 3 as his/her first class.
Chess: Intermediate 3 (THU)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 16, 2025
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Karl Peterson
Grade Range: 3rd-6th
Prerequisites: None
Students will enjoy the logic and challenge of the timeless strategy board game as they learn and play chess with classmates. In Chess: Intermediate 3, students will learn skills and strategies that build upon each other such as: later pins, using more or better attackers, using more or better defenders, identifying forcing moves, attacking teams (queen-bishop, queen-knight, and queen-rook).
Learning and playing chess supports problem solving, decision making, critical and creative thinking, general cognitive ability, scholastic skills, and mathematical achievement (Univ. of Minnesota). Experts suggest that the game of chess teaches analytical and disciplined thinking skills, while raising self esteem, teaching motivation and determination, and sportsmanship (Kasparov Foundation). Each class will be spent half on technique and half in practice matches with classmates while the instructor coaches. Students should have 15-20 hours of chess instruction prior to enrolling in Intermediate 3, or a working knowledge of most skills taught in the Compass Beginner Chess level.
Colorful Canvas for Kids: Acrylic Painting
Quarter 3: Starts on January 16, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Diane Wright Cobb
Grade Range: 4th-5th
Prerequisites: None
Kids will be introduced to acrylic painting in a small group class under the guidance of a professional painter and art teacher. The class will learn the theory of color mixing and the techniques of blending, building up color, creating gradients, and applying light washes. The class will learn how to select the right brush and how to use water to create different effects. Our new painters will practice using paint and brush strokes to create effects like light and shadow, dimension, and texture, and how to develop backgrounds, foregrounds, and detail work. Students will try techniques such as applying and removing paint, layering, stippling, and dabbing, along with wet and dry brush techniques. Students will complete several paintings on canvas boards. A variety of subjects, such as still life, animals, florals, landscapes, seascapes, fantasy, abstracts, or "mimic the masters" will be introduced to illustrate different painting techniques through in-class projects. There is an $20.00 supply fee due payable to the instructor on the first day of class. Topics in this series include: Watercolor Painting (Quarter 1), Tempera Painting (Quarter 2), Acrylic Painting (Quarter 3), and MultiMedia Painting (Quarter 4).
Colorful Canvas for Little Kids: Acrylic Painting
Quarter 3: Starts on January 16, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Diane Wright Cobb
Grade Range: 2nd-3rd
Prerequisites: None
Little kids will be introduced to acrylic painting in a small group class under the guidance of a professional painter and art teacher. The class will learn the theory of color mixing and the techniques of blending, building up color, creating gradients, and applying light washes. The class will learn how to select the right brush and how to use water to create different effects. Our new painters will practice using paint and brush strokes to create effects like light and shadow, dimension, and texture, and how to develop backgrounds, foregrounds, and detail work. Students will try techniques such as applying and removing paint, layering, stippling, and dabbing, along with wet and dry brush techniques. Students will complete several paintings on canvas boards. A variety of subjects, such as still life, animals, florals, landscapes, seascapes, fantasy, abstracts, or "mimic the masters" will be introduced to illustrate different painting techniques through in-class projects. There is an $20.00 supply fee due payable to the instructor on the first day of class. Topics in this series include: Watercolor Painting (Quarter 1), Tempera Painting (Quarter 2), Acrylic Painting (Quarter 3), and MultiMedia Painting (Quarter 4).
Colorful Canvas for Tweens: Acrylic Painting
Quarter 3: Starts on January 16, 2025
Class Time: 2:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Diane Wright Cobb
Grade Range: 6th-8th
Prerequisites: None
Tweens will be introduced to acrylic painting in a small group class under the guidance of a professional painter and art teacher. The class will learn the theory of color mixing and the techniques of blending, building up color, creating gradients, and applying light washes. The class will learn how to select the right brush and how to use water to create different effects. Our new painters will practice using paint and brush strokes to create effects like light and shadow, dimension, and texture, and how to develop backgrounds, foregrounds, and detail work. Students will try techniques such as applying and removing paint, layering, stippling, and dabbing, along with wet and dry brush techniques. Students will complete several paintings on canvas boards. A variety of subjects, such as still life, animals, florals, landscapes, seascapes, fantasy, abstracts, or "mimic the masters" will be introduced to illustrate different painting techniques through in-class projects. There is an $20.00 supply fee due payable to the instructor on the first day of class. Topics in this series include: Watercolor Painting (Quarter 1), Tempera Painting (Quarter 2), Acrylic Painting (Quarter 3), and MultiMedia Painting (Quarter 4).
Compass Kids' Chorus: Classic Disney
Quarter 3: Starts on January 16, 2025
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Alina Kirshon-Goldman
Grade Range: 3rd-5th
Prerequisites:
Everyone can learn to sing! If you want to learn to sing like Belle, Ariel, Elsa, Aladdin, or even the Beast, this class is for you! Selections from this semester come from Hal Leonard's "Disney Collected Kids' Solos" with select hits from Beauty & the Beast, Cinderella, Lion King, Alice in Wonderland, Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, and more.
The quarter's repertoire will include at least one group choral number. Students will work on other music as solos, duets, or small group numbers. This introduction to vocal development and performance includes posture, breathing, intonation, and the principles of blending vocal harmonies. Basic musical notation will be introduced as well as melodic and harmonic intervals. No previous musical experience is required- just the joy of singing! Singers will be expected to memorize pieces and participate in a showcase for parents at the end of the quarter.
There is a $25.00 fee for sheet music due payable to Compass on the first day of class.
Cooking for Kids: Winter Warm-Ups (THU 12PM)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 16, 2025
Class Time: 12:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Mylene Nyman
Grade Range: 3rd-5th
Prerequisites: None
Students will enjoy making delicious recipes and family favorites that feature a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fresh ingredients. Recipes are selected to be nutritious, fun, and simple to make. Each class will focus on a portion of a meal including appetizer, salad, soup, side dish, main dish, and dessert. The Compass chefs' culinary adventures will include:
- Tomato Manchego Tartlets
- Corn and Fennel Cream Soup
- Broccoli Salad
- Chive Smashed Potatoes
- Apricot Glazed Chicken and Vegetables
- Coconut Almond French toast Casserole (contains nuts)
- Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Mug Cake
Students will be eating what they make each week and bringing home the recipes and leftovers. These engaging cooking classes will get students excited about helping in the kitchen, experimenting, and trying new foods. Students will be exposed to healthy ingredients they may not regularly eat. They will learn important kitchen skills such as safety, sanitation, measuring, knife skills, and other tricks of the trade. Culinary vocabulary and terms are introduced each week, with no-pressure verbal review of those words the following week.
Notes: Students with allergies to food ingredients or dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated in this class. Recipes may contain nuts, dairy, wheat, gluten, and eggs. All food supplies will be conventional, mass market ingredients. Specialty food preparations/certifications such as halal, kosher, and organic will not be used due to cost and sourcing logistics.
Topics in this Series: Fall Fare with Flair (Quarter 1), Festive Fall Flavors (Quarter 2), Winter Warm-Ups (Quarter 3), Savory Spring Specialties (Quarter 4).
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $45.00 is due payable to the instructor on or before the first day of class.
What to Bring: None- Disposable aprons and take-home containers provided.
What to Wear: Students should wear clean clothes and have long hair tied back, braided, or secured under a bandana (male and female).
Cooking Class Requirements: For more information and FAQs, see the Compass Cooking Classes webpage.
Cooking for Kids: Winter Warm-Ups (THU, 11AM)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 16, 2025
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Mylene Nyman
Grade Range: 3rd-5th
Prerequisites: None
Students will enjoy making delicious recipes and family favorites that feature a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fresh ingredients. Recipes are selected to be nutritious, fun, and simple to make. Each class will focus on a portion of a meal including appetizer, salad, soup, side dish, main dish, and dessert. The Compass chefs' culinary adventures will include:
- Tomato Manchego Tartlets
- Corn and Fennel Cream Soup
- Broccoli Salad
- Chive Smashed Potatoes
- Apricot Glazed Chicken and Vegetables
- Coconut Almond French toast Casserole (contains nuts)
- Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Mug Cake
Students will be eating what they make each week and bringing home the recipes and leftovers. These engaging cooking classes will get students excited about helping in the kitchen, experimenting, and trying new foods. Students will be exposed to healthy ingredients they may not regularly eat. They will learn important kitchen skills such as safety, sanitation, measuring, knife skills, and other tricks of the trade. Culinary vocabulary and terms are introduced each week, with no-pressure verbal review of those words the following week.
Notes: Students with allergies to food ingredients or dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated in this class. Recipes may contain nuts, dairy, wheat, gluten, and eggs. All food supplies will be conventional, mass market ingredients. Specialty food preparations/certifications such as halal, kosher, and organic will not be used due to cost and sourcing logistics.
Topics in this Series: Fall Fare with Flair (Quarter 1), Festive Fall Flavors (Quarter 2), Winter Warm-Ups (Quarter 3), Savory Spring Specialties (Quarter 4).
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $45.00 is due payable to the instructor on or before the first day of class.
What to Bring: None- Disposable aprons and take-home containers provided.
What to Wear: Students should wear clean clothes and have long hair tied back, braided, or secured under a bandana (male and female).
Cooking Class Requirements: For more information and FAQs, see the Compass Cooking Classes webpage.
Cooking for Little Kids: Winter Warm-Ups (THU, 10AM)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 16, 2025
Class Time: 10:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Mylene Nyman
Grade Range: 1st-3rd
Prerequisites: None
Students will enjoy making delicious recipes and family favorites that feature a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fresh ingredients. Recipes are selected to be nutritious, fun, and simple to make. Each class will focus on a portion of a meal including appetizer, salad, soup, side dish, main dish, and dessert. The Compass chefs' culinary adventures will include:
- Tomato Manchego Tartlets
- Corn and Fennel Cream Soup
- Broccoli Salad
- Chive Smashed Potatoes
- Apricot Glazed Chicken and Vegetables
- Coconut Almond French toast Casserole (contains nuts)
- Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Mug Cake
Students will be eating what they make each week and bringing home the recipes and leftovers. These engaging cooking classes will get students excited about helping in the kitchen, experimenting, and trying new foods. Students will be exposed to healthy ingredients they may not regularly eat. They will learn important kitchen skills such as safety, sanitation, measuring, knife skills, and other tricks of the trade. Culinary vocabulary and terms are introduced each week, with no-pressure verbal review of those words the following week.
Notes: Students with allergies to food ingredients or dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated in this class. Recipes may contain nuts, dairy, wheat, gluten, and eggs. All food supplies will be conventional, mass market ingredients. Specialty food preparations/certifications such as halal, kosher, and organic will not be used due to cost and sourcing logistics. This class is best suited for students who can follow instructions, complete sequential tasks, and work in a group. For the Little Kids level, students must be minimum age six (6) by the start of class and must be developmentally on-level for fine motor skills and ability to follow directions.
Topics in this Series: Fall Fare with Flair (Quarter 1), Festive Fall Flavors (Quarter 2), Winter Warm-Ups (Quarter 3), Savory Spring Specialties (Quarter 4).
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $45.00 is due payable to the instructor on or before the first day of class.
What to Bring: None- Disposable aprons and take-home containers provided.
What to Wear: Students should wear clean clothes and have long hair tied back, braided, or secured under a bandana (male and female).
Cooking Class Requirements: For more information and FAQs, see the Compass Cooking Classes webpage.
Cooking for Tweens: Winter Warm-Ups (THU)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 16, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Mylene Nyman
Grade Range: 6th-8th
Prerequisites: None
Students will enjoy making delicious recipes and family favorites that feature a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fresh ingredients. Recipes are selected to be nutritious, fun, and simple to make. Each class will focus on a portion of a meal including appetizer, salad, soup, side dish, main dish, and dessert. The Compass chefs' culinary adventures will include:
- Tomato Manchego Tartlets
- Corn and Fennel Cream Soup
- Broccoli Salad
- Chive Smashed Potatoes
- Apricot Glazed Chicken and Vegetables
- Coconut Almond French toast Casserole (contains nuts)
- Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Mug Cake
Students will be eating what they make each week and bringing home the recipes and leftovers. These engaging cooking classes will get students excited about helping in the kitchen, experimenting, and trying new foods. Students will be exposed to healthy ingredients they may not regularly eat. They will learn important kitchen skills such as safety, sanitation, measuring, knife skills, and other tricks of the trade. Culinary vocabulary and terms are introduced each week, with no-pressure verbal review of those words the following week.
Notes: Students with allergies to food ingredients or dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated in this class. Recipes may contain nuts, dairy, wheat, gluten, and eggs. All food supplies will be conventional, mass market ingredients. Specialty food preparations/certifications such as halal, kosher, and organic will not be used due to cost and sourcing logistics.
Topics in this Series: Fall Fare with Flair (Quarter 1), Festive Fall Flavors (Quarter 2), Winter Warm-Ups (Quarter 3), Savory Spring Specialties (Quarter 4).
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $45.00 is due payable to the instructor on or before the first day of class.
What to Bring: None- Disposable aprons and take-home containers provided.
What to Wear: Students should wear clean clothes and have long hair tied back, braided, or secured under a bandana (male and female).
Cooking Class Requirements: For more information and FAQs, see the Compass Cooking Classes webpage.
Cracking Codes, Cryptology for Kids: Sleuths
Quarter 3: Starts on January 16, 2025
Class Time: 1:00 pm Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Becca Sticha
Grade Range: 3rd-4th
Prerequisites: None
Students will learn the language of undercover agents in this children's cryptology class. Cryptology is the science of secret writing which uses math and logical reasoning to decode and create mystery alphabets. Each week, students will learn one or more ciphers and will practice using them to decode messages and write secret messages to each other!
Student sleuths will continue their undercover operations with all-new codes such as the Atbash Cipher, Running Key Cipher, and Four-Square Cipher. Students will also learn about fingerprinting, a key clue to real sleuths solving crimes and will mix and test an invisible ink that can only be read under a black light. The quarter will culminate in a collaboration to crack a variety of codes to flee a classroom Escape Room which may include challenges such as coded letters, picture clues, mirror image writings, puzzling word searches, and cryptograms.
Topics in the Series: Spies (Quarter 1), Secret Agents (Quarter 2), Sleuths (Quarter 3), and Superheroes (Quarter 4).
Creative Storytelling: Once Upon a...Time Machine (Thu)
Quarter 3: Starts on January 16, 2025
Class Time: 11:00 am Duration: 55 min
Instructor: Judith Harmon
Grade Range: 2nd-3rd
Prerequisites: None
Children are full of stories and bubbling over with big ideas! In this class, students will learn how to capture their creative vision into a simple story that they will write and illustrate. This quarter, our storytellers will imagine time machine travel. Will they spring forward to a far-flung, fantasy future or backward to behold bewildering bygones?
Students will learn how to build a Story Arc through guided, weekly activities. They will discover the key elements to composing a story such as crafting characters, posing a problem, advancing the action, constructing the climax, and writing the resolution- through brainstorming questions like, "Who is in your story?", "Where does this take place?", "What does that look like?" and "What happened after ____?"
Students should be able to read, write, and spell at the second grade level or higher for this class. Psst- don't tell your child, but this class helps lay the foundation in language arts for more advanced creative writing and composition. Pair this class with Acting: Kids Theater or Writing Wonders to further encourage communication and storytelling skills. The supply fee is included in the class tuition.
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