Compass News & Announcements: Week of February 12, 2024

Greetings! We hope everyone is having a pleasant winter quarter.

COMPASS NEWS

(1) Class Registration: Registration for 4th quarter Spring Classes remains open. A 10% early registration discount is offered through March 1. Classes begin on Monday, March 18.

(2) President’s Day: Compass classes DO meet on Monday, February 19 (Presidents’ Day). The annual Compass calendar can be reviewed in the Family Handbook or online.

(3) Make-Up Days: Classes cancelled due to instructor illness and inclement weather will be rescheduled for the week of March 11 at the same day, time, and room unless otherwise announced.

WORKSHOPS

(5) Science-Sense: There are two remaining afternoon workshops: Super Sounds (Acoustic Engineering) on Tuesday, February 20 and Human Body Brainteasters (Biology) on Tuesday, February 27. These one-time, hands-on workshops meet from 3:15 pm- 4:45 pm and are for students in 4th-6th grade. Read more details and sign up though the session links.

(6) The Artistry of Writing is a series of new, 2-hour workshops led by a NYT best selling author. Learn great writing techniques that make your stories come alive! Workshops are for students in 7th-12th grade. Compelling Characters (Tuesday, March 5, 1:00 pm- 3:00 pm); Daring Dialogue (Tuesday, March 19, 1:00 pm- 3:00 pm); Astounding Action Scenes (Tuesday, April 9, 1:00 pm- 3:00 pm); and Suspenseful & Scary Scenes (Tuesday, April 23, 1:00 pm- 3:00 pm). Read more details and sign up though the session links.

(7) First Aid & CPR for Teens: This is a 2-day workshop where teens will earn 4 certifications from the American Heart Association. These are essential skills for babysitters, camp counselors, life guards, many other teen jobs, and for those heading off to college. Workshop meets Monday, March 18 and Monday, March 25 from 1:00 pm- 4:00 pm. Read more details and sign up online.

SPECIAL EVENTS

(8) Instrument Test Drive: Students in 4th+ grades are invited to touch and try brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments to gauge their interest in the spring Band-Ready instrument clinics, Dulles Area Summer Band Camp at Compass, and/or the new fall Homeschool Band. Drop by Suite D (520 Herndon Parkway) on Wednesday, February 21 from 1:00 pm- 3:00 pm to test instruments and meet Compass’s new band director, Jess Eastridge. This is open to all area homeschoolers.

(9) Junior Spelling Bee: LAST CHANCE! will be held on Wednesday, February 21, from 4:00 pm- 5:00 pm for homeschooled kids under age 9. Our special guest bee pronouncer will be Compass student Charlotte Walsh, 2nd place speller in the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee! This is a fun, low pressure bee open to area homeschooled students. Register on the Activity Fees page.

(10) Senior Spelling Bee: COMING SOON! will be held on Wednesday, February 28, starting at 4:00 pm for homeschooled kids ages 9-15. Our special guest bee pronouncer will be Compass student Charlotte Walsh, 2nd place speller in the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee! The winner of the Compass bee will advance to the Fairfax County Bee. This is a fun, low pressure bee open to area homeschooled students. Register on the Activity Fees page.

(11) “Winter Waltz” Teen Party: will be held on Saturday, February 24 from 7:00 pm- 10:00 pm. Tickets are on sale for Compass teens and their guests, ages 14+. Appetizers, snacks, and drinks with a chocolate fountain dessert station will be provided along with games, a photo booth, craft, music & dancing. Dress is semi formal, and colors blue, white, silver, and/or gold are suggested. Purchase tickets on the Activity Fees page.

(12) Government & Criminology Field Trips for Teens: Compass’s Criminology instructor, Tayler Shreve is organizing several field trips for high schoolers: Reston Police Station on March 4 from 9:30 am – 11:30 am; Supreme Court tour on March 25 from 9:30 am- 11:30 am; US Capitol tour on April 15 from 8:50 am – 11:00 am with additional meeting with Congresswoman Norton (DC) from 11:00 am- 12:00 pm. Tours of a local courthouse and the White House are being scheduled. Ms Shreve is opening these field trips up to other Compass teens, ages 13+. Individual families will schedule transportation to the sites. There is a limited number of spaces on each tour. Some parents may be able to join the groups, but younger siblings cannot be accommodated. Email shreve.compass@gmail.com for more details and to be added to the lists.

(13) Annual Homeschool Quads Chess Tournament: Registration is now open for two tournament sessions: AM and PM on Wednesday, May 22. Register on the Activity Fees page.

CLUBS/EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

(This is a partial list of clubs. See past news for full list.)

(14) PenPoint Literary & Arts Magazine: The senior editorial board is seeking junior staff members and assistant editors ages 14+ in the areas of writing, art, layout or graphic arts. PenPoint is an annual anthology that publishes the writing and art of homeschooled teens from across the country. The PenPoint staff collaborates virtually on Tuesday mornings from 10:00 am – 11:30 am. Register for the staff to get started. The PenPoint staff is also seeking essays, short stories, poetry, photography, and art from students in 7th-12th grade to be included in the annual publication. See current submission guidelines.

(15) First LEGO League Robotics Team (grades 5-7 in fall 0f 2024) is seeking 3-4 additional members for its Spring Pre-Season to practice and prepare for the fall competition cycle. The team meets Mondays from 3:00 pm- 4:30 pm. Prospective members should have had at least a class in Robotics Fab Lab, LEGO Robotics Training Team, Build it Better or Experiments in Engineering, or have equivalent intro robot experience. There is no cost for Compass students and a $100 participation/facility/equipment fee for non-Compass students. Contact Compass for your information to be forwarded to the organizer.

(16) Kids’ Game Day (for ages 8-13) is held weekly on Tuesdays at 3:00 pm at Haley M. Smith Park for outdoor play (324 Van Buren Street, Herndon VA 20170) or at Compass for indoor board/card games. Contact Compass to be added to the list for meet-up information.

(17) Middle School Social Club (for ages 12-14) will meet next on Wednesday, February 21, from 3:00 pm- 5:00 pm at Compass. Contact Compass to be added to the list for meet-up information.

(18) TGIF Teen Game Night and Teen Jam Sessions are held weekly on Fridays from 4:00 pm- 6:00 pm in Suite D. These casual, drop-in social events are for current Compass teens age 13+.

MISCELLANEOUS

(19) Co-Working Offices: Parents may rent quiet Co-Working Offices in Suite H while their children are in class. Offices are available for $20.00 per hour with a 1-hour minimum. Parents who wish to rent an office must contact Compass to be added as a parent user and then set up user name, password, and reservation through the online system.

(20) Forms: Make sure that you have your Compass forms updated! Compass needs updated Parent Proxy Forms for any non-parent adult that is responsible for your child on campus and Teen Forms for any student age 13+ who is left on campus without supervision. These forms are electronic and found when you are logged into your Family Profile.

(21) Inclement Weather: In the event of a closure or delayed start due to snow or ice, Compass will make an announcement by 7:00 am on the Facebook page and through the subscriber list. Compass will make an independent determination about closures and does not necessarily follow the decisions of the large area public school systems.

PARTNER PROGRAMS

(22) Civil Air Patrol (for ages 12-18) meets at Compass every Thursday evening from 7:00 pm- 9:00 pm. Prospective cadets and their parents can visit in February. The next Great Start (i.e. beginners) cohort will begin March 7. For more information, contact Squadron Commander – 1st. Lt. Les Flores at lester.flores@vawg.cap.gov

(23) Highest Speak will be offering public speaking classes at Compass on Sunday afternoons from February 19 through April 2 for students in grades 2nd-4th (2:00 pm – 4:00 pm) and 5th-8th (4:00 pm- 6:00 pm). Find more information online.

(24) Spark Reading with Jennifer Nowicki, a Certified Academic Language Therapist, Certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist, Certified Reading Specialist (M.ED., CALT, C-SLDS) and a former homeschool mom is now co-located at Compass full time in private office H-10. Families seeking support or skills assessment in these areas can reach her through her website.

(25) Virginia School of Math, run by Fairfax Collegiate, is offering math classes and math circles for students in 3rd-12th grade at Compass on Sundays. Find more information online.

(26) Therapeutic Arts & Science Growth Mindset with Sheila Anwari is now co-located at Compass full time in private office H-12. TAGSM is hosting the Science Sense series of afternoon workshops this quarter.