Compass News & Announcements: Week of Nov 27 – Dec 1

Winter Registration, Holiday Workshops, Clothing & Food Drive, and more…

(1) Early Registration for Winter Classes is ongoing for 2nd semester and 3rd quarter classes. A 10% discount is offered through December 15. Look at available classes online. Those that qualify for the VA Learning Acceleration Grant are marked with *.

(2) Paint-Your-Own-Pottery Party: There is still time! The annual pottery painting event was rescheduled and will take place this week on Tuesday, November 28 and Wednesday, November 29. Get a head-start on holiday gifts and special keepsakes. Paint personalized ceramic mugs, bowls, plates, figurines, or ornaments. Register for a start time of 10:00 am, 11:00 am, 12:00 pm, or 1:00 pm on either date and pre-pay for either 1 or 2 items. Completed pieces will be returned on Monday, December 4. Compass students and non-Compass homeschooled students can sign up on the Activity Fees webpage.

(3) Mosaic Ornament Workshops: Tweens and teens can learn about the art of mosaic and make a beautiful, personalized ornament in mini-ceramic or glass tiles in one of two workshops. Grab a friend or bring a parent to try your hand at mosaics on Friday evening, December 8, from 4:00 pm- 6:00 pm (an alternative to teen game night) and/or Saturday morning, December 9, from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. The workshops are for students in grades 6-12 + adults. Sign up on the Registration page.

(4) Cookie Academies: Chef Mimi’s annual Cookie Academies have a few openings left! Students will make, bake, and take home 4-5 dozen cookies. The Tweens/Teens’ academy is on Saturday, December 2 is FULL. The Kids’ academy has 2 spaces remaining and is scheduled from 1pm-4pm on Saturday, December 9. Kids will make White Chocolate Cherry Oat, Molassas, and Pumpkin Sugar cookies. Sign up on the Registration page.

(5) Food & Clothing Drive: The students of Alpha Rho chapter of the National Homeschool Honor Society are still collecting food and clothing for the ECHO organization (a 501C3) which supports low income families in Burke and Springfield. Alpha Rho is asking Compass families to bring donations the week of November 27-December 1 and place itmes in the box near the main entrance vestibule.

**Clothing: Collecting gently used men’s, women’s, boys’ and girls’ fall/winter clothing and outerwear in sizes 4T and up; footwear of all sizes; and new-in-package underwear and socks. Donations should be sturdy, easy-to-launder, current styles with no stains or tears. Dress-up and formal styles, summer items, and clothing for infants/toddlers are not needed by this organization.

• Long sleeve/knit shirts
• Sweaters, sweatshirts, hoodies
• Jeans, pants, sweatpants
• Coats, hats, gloves, scarves
• Sneakers, sturdy shoes, boots
• New underwear and socks

**Non-Perishable Food: Collecting non-expired, unopened, regular sized packages of food. Requested items include:

(6) Computer Science Camp*: A group of upperclassmen from Thomas Jefferson High School’s Caelus Rocketry club are offering a 5-day Computer Science & Rocketry Camp at Compass for students in grades 5-8 the week of December 18-22. The in-person coding camp will meet from 2pm- 7pm each day, and students will learn Python algorithmic development and rocket design. The cost of the camp is $350 when you register directly with the group or $400 if you wish to register through Compass and use your grant funds. See event link/sign up for more information.

(7) VA Learning Acceleration Grant Wrap-Up: For families with the $1500 grants: The window to use your grant funds and submit invoices for Compass classes or tutoring is coming to a close. Your funds must be used by December 30. Compass has a deadline of November 30 to register for grant-qualifying classes so there is time to prepare and submit the paperwork before our winter break. If you have questions about your grant funds or credits at Compass or you want to discuss options for your unused balance, please make an appointment this week with Jenny by emailing: director@compassclasses.com

(8) Alchemy Ballet’s Nutcracker: Compass’s ballet partner, Alchemy Ballet will present a “reimagined” performance of the Nutcracker with a Latin flare. Nine Compass students will be performing, and the Compass Tech Theater class produced some of the props and decorations. Compass families can receive a 15% discount off the ticket prices for performanaces on December 9 and 10 at the GMU Harris Theater. Purchase tickets online at Alchemyballet.org

(9) Geography Bee: The annual Greater Fairfax Homeschool Geography Bee has been rescheduled for Wednesday, January 31, to accommodate other events at Compass. The Bee is for homeschooled geography enthusiasts in grades 4-8. The Bee will begin at 4:00 pm and generally lasts 1.5 hours. Look at sample questions on our webpage. Compass students and non-Compass homeschooled students can sign up on the Activity Fees webpage.

(10) Math Kangaroo Competition: Compass will administer the annual Math Kangaroo competition. Math Kangaroo is an international contest that will be held on Thursday, March 21, 2024. Compass is hosting two test sessions at: 10:00 am and 1:00 pm. Students in grades 1-12 will take a 75-minute test with fun and interesting math challenge questions. Prizes and recognitions are provided for all participants and for top scorers. For more contest info, see the Compass Math Kangaroo webpage. Visit the Math Kangaroo website for example and practice problems. Participants must register through the Math Kangaroo USA website by December 15. Look for the option to “Register for an In-Person Center (Public)” to find Compass. 

(11) TGIF Teen Game Night/Teen Jam Session Reminder: Teen Game Night and the Teen Jam Session are held most Friday nights from 4:00 pm- 6:00 pm in Suite D for Compass students only. We are unable to accommodate non-Compass guests. The final meet-ups for this year will be on December 1 and December 8. There will be no teen events on December 15. The weekly event will resume on Friday, January 19. Students must be 13 and have a current Teen Form on file to attend.

(12) Inclement Weather: As a reminder, in the event of inclement weather, Compass does not strictly follow the decisions of the public school system. Compass makes an independent determination to open or close based on the Herndon area roads, condition of of the parking lot, forecast, and other factors. A decision to open or close during inclement weather will always be announced by 7:00 am through the Compass subscriber list and Compass FaceBook page.

(13) Lost & Found: The lost and found cabinet is overflowing! If you lost something, please ask at the front desk if it was found. All items that are not claimed by the end of the quarter will be discarded or donated.

(14) Teen Metro Riders: Several Compass students are now riding the new Metro silver line that has a stop a block from Compass. Some of these students have expressed an interest in meeting up with other Compass students to either sit together on the train or to walk to/from the station together. Contact Compass if your teen wants to connect to other teen Metro riders.