Class Registration

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. Young Beginners is for very young students with little to no swim experience and will cover YMCA Level 1 skills including water acclimation, floatation, water movement, putting face in the water, swimming 5 feet without a floatation device, and becoming comfortable on back in water. 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.

Kids take to the stage as they collaboratively write and perform their very own play with unique characters and an original storyline. What comical catastrophe happens on the Red Planet? Will our actors meet Martians or make it back to the mainland after an out-of-this-world acting adventure? Students will begin with improvisational games to get to know each other, then read through the two, prepared scripts together. Through group activities and guided discussion, they will create new characters, brainstorm variations, craft plot changes, add lines, and cast their parts. The instructor will then update and customize the class script 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 with everyone's parts, about half-way through the quarter, 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. Topics in this Series: The Craziest Dream Ever (Quarter 1), Mix Up on Mars (Quarter 2), Super DUper New Superheroes (Quarter 3), Twisted Treasure Tale (Quarter 4).

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. Second quarter, students will consider art inspired by the five, largely unexplored oceans that cover more than 70% of the planet. The class will use a variety of materials and techniques to represent scenes of the ocean, waves, beaches, islands, and the unique, colorful plant and animal life found only in those watery ocean worlds. Topics in this Series: Picasso in Perspective (Quarter 1); Original Works of the Worlds Oceans (Quarter 2); American Artist Spotlight (Quarter 3); Destination Art (Quarter 4). Supply Fee: There is a supply fee of $20.00, payable to the instructor on the first day of class which covers consumable class materials such a specialty papers, watercolor pencils, and paints.

Discover the world of robotics using kids' favorite, interlocking building bricks! Students will build and program a different whimsical, mechanized project each week using the WeDo 2.0 robotics system by LEGO Education. Second quarter, modern robotics will bring extinct Jurassic world to life with projects such a Brachiosaur, T-Rex, Megalodon Shark, Pterodactyl and their current cousins- the Komodo Dragon and Crocodile. 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. Dates: Please note that this is a 6-week class that begins on October 31 instead of October 24. Topics in this Series: Animated Animals (Quarter 1), Jurassic Giants (Quarter 2); Rush Hour! (Quarter 3), and Creepy Crawlies (Quarter 4).

Prerequisites: None

Students will enjoy the logic and challenge of the timeless strategy board game as they learn and play chess with classmates. In Intermediate Chess 2, students will learn skills that build upon each other such as: queen-pawn endings, bishop, knight, and pawn endings, score-sheet notation, decoys, obstructions, and king defense under attack.

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 Intermediate Chess, a working knowledge of most skills taught in the Compass Beginner and Advanced Beginner Chess levels, or instructor permission.

Prerequisites: None

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. Second quarter covers Chapter 2 in the Level 1 textbook and features Meat Pies and Sweet Pies including:

• Pork Tourtiere
• Salted Caramel Bourbon Pecan Pie (nuts)
• Curry Chicken Pie
• Blueberry Cheesecake Cream Pie
• Traditional Treacle Tart
• Southern Tomato Pie
• Lamb Hand Pies

• 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)

In Digital Workshop, students will become immersed in the digital universe of ROBLOX as they learn to manipulate and navigate the world-creation tool used by real-world developers! ROBLOX is a popular, multiplayer platform where users can play games that others have created or design their own in a brightly colored, 3D world. In this class, students will learn how to use the ROBLOX Studio tool to build 3D models and create personized adventures. Students will learn how to bring characters to life with unique animations that they code. Digital Workshop is a computer lab environment in which students work through the Black Rocket curriculum under the direction of computer science coaches. The lab environment allows students to enroll at any quarter, fosters brand new coders, and encourages those with prior coding experience. In the "Intro" level of a course (i.e., Part 1), students will work through the fundamentals of a new digital skill. In the "Continuing" level (i.e., Part 2), students who continue from "Intro" will develop new skills and will design and code an individual project. New students who enroll in "Intro" will begin with the introductory lessons. In order to differentiate instruction between new and continuing students, coaches work with small pull-out groups, pairs, or individuals to provide additional support as needed. The class tuition includes a student technology fee that covers the use of instructor-provided classroom laptops loaded with the required software, applications, and licenses. At the end of the class, students will receive access to Black Rocket's interactive learning platform to continue their coding journey at home. Topics in this Series: ROBLOX Makers (Quarters 1, 2); Minecraft Modders (Quarters 3, 4).

In this class, middle school students will learn to work as independent investigators using the scientific method. Students will observe the systems under investigation, choose a pattern or trend that interests them, and then develop a testable hypothesis. Students will learn how to: design a scientific experiment for either a laboratory or field setting, choose appropriate controls, minimize investigator bias, correctly perform measurements and to record and analyze data. During second quarter, students will design experiments relating to chemistry! Our focus will be on chemical reactions that we observe in everyday life and/or hear about in the news. Students will design experiments that test the chemistry of food, household products, or environmental agents. Possible areas of investigation include the effects of street runoff on water quality, how increasing levels of carbon dioxide change the acidity of freshwater and seawater, and the effects of acid rain on plant growth. Students will learn how to locate peer-reviewed scientific literature to research their subject. By the end of the quarter, students will have completed their independent investigations, summarized the results in a poster, and will present their data to the class. Each quarter will focus on a different aspect of science. Topics in this Series: Animal Behavior (Quarter 1), Chemistry (Quarter 2), Environmental (Quarter 3), and Design-Your-Own (Quarter 4). Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $15.00 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class.

Prerequisites: None

FUNctional Fitness is a dynamic kids' PE program that incorporates well-rounded exercises to get kids 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. 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! Students must be minimum age 7 to take this class.

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. Second quarter, junior engineers will tackle Awesome Automobiles, building pull-back motorcycles, belt-drive fire jeeps, gear-driven dragsters, and car carriers. 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. Students must be minimum age 5 and able to separate from their parents for this class. Topics in this Series: Super Structures (Quarter 1); Awesome Automobiles (Quarter 2); Monster Machines (Quarter 3); Colossal Construction (Quarter 4).

Prerequisites: None

Kinder Kitchen will get 5-year-olds excited about helping in the kitchen. Kinder cooks will enjoy simple recipes that that feature a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fresh ingredients. Menus are selected to be nutritious, fun, and simple to make. Recipes may expose students to healthy ingredients they may not regularly eat. The young chefs' culinary adventures will include:

• Curried Tuna Melt
• Pumpkin Grilled Cheese
• Strawberry- Almond Protein Bars (nuts)
• Pumpkin Pie Yogurt Bowl
• Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
• Banana Date Cookies
• Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

Does your child learn best by hands-on activities, crafts, games, and stories? Number Ninjas is based on the belief that children need to work with mathematics in a concrete, physical, and tangible way in order to learn fundamental concepts. Young students will love learning numerical concepts in this interactive, exploration-based class where work with numbers feels like a game. Second quarter, students will learn all about the denominations of US money, starting with coins then currency then both. Students will learn to recognize each US coin and bill, name the value, understand which is greater or less, and which combinations are equal and interchangeable (5 nickels = 1 quarter). They will practice combining coins and currency to make different numbers and will learn to read written symbols for money. They will make simple play transactions in the imaginary classroom store. The concept of "making change" will be discussed, but may be limited by students' subtraction skills. This class covers many of the 1st and 2nd grade Standards of Learning for math. Weekly update e-mails to parents will include suggestions for practice at home and extension activities. Dates: Please note that this is a 6-week class that begins on November 2 instead of October 26 Topics in the Series: Patterns & Properties (Quarter 1), Money Math (Quarter 2), Learning Logic (Quarter 3), and Math in Nature (Quarter 4).

Science Kids is a lab-based science sampler program where our youngest scientists will be exposed to the concepts, acquire scientific vocabulary, and learn hands-on skills to needed to be comfortable with more advanced science classes as they get older. Your first or second grader will come home with an understanding of concepts like phases of matter, melting point, buoyancy, and life cycles. Most importantly, young students will gain confidence discussing science concepts and working with science equipment. Labs will teach students how to use a thermometer, take linear measurements, weigh items on a scale, peer into a microscope, record elapsed time, and make scientific sketches, for example. Each quarter will reinforce principles and lab skills around a central, unifying theme. In Chemistry sampler students will learn about acids and bases, melting point, physical properties, solutions, polymers, and simple reactions that give off heat, gas, etc. This class has a $20.00 lab fee payable to the instructor on the first day. Topics in this Series: Living World (Quarter 1), Chemistry (Quarter 2), Physics (Quarter 3), and Earth/Space (Quarter 4).

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.

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.

Second quarter, beginning dancers will learn the story of The Nutcracker, composed by Tchaikovsky, and performed as a ballet since 1892. 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. Registration is for one morning class, however students who wish to further their skills are encouraged to sign up for both Monday and Wednesday morning lessons. Compass ballet students will have an opportunity to audition for the Alchemy Ballet Academy Winter Performance (including excerpts from The Nutcracker).

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. Alchemy Ballet offers an optional kit of one leotard with skirt, one pair of tights, and one pair of soft shoes for $25.00 or soft shoes only for $6.50.

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 Beginner Chess 2, students will learn skills and strategies that build upon each other such as: counting in chess, double attack tactics, controlling and using the center, king and pawn endgames, key positions in rook and pawn endgames, principles of minor piece endgames, and simple, pawn-less endgames.

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 Advanced Beginner Chess, or a working knowledge of most skills taught in the Compass Beginner Chess level.

Prerequisites: None

Students will enjoy making flavorful fall recipes and family favorites that feature a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fresh ingredients. Festive Fall 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:

• Corn Dip
• Chicken Vegetable Soup
• Cucumber and Feta Salad
• Southwestern Cheesy Chicken
• Garlic Ginger Carrots
• Sweet Potato Souffle
• Cranberry Curd Mini Tart

In Digital Lab, students will become immersed in the digital universe of ROBLOX that they will navigate and transform through coding! ROBLOX is a popular, multiplayer platform where users can play games that others have created or design their own in a brightly colored, 3D world. In this class, students will learn how to use the Lua language in the Roblox Studio code editor to construct a unique online universe to construct a unique online universe. They will learn basic game design, coding, and how to navigate ROBLOX's marketplace to publish their games. Digital Lab is a computer lab environment in which students work through the Black Rocket curriculum under the direction of computer science coaches. The lab environment allows students to enroll at any quarter, fosters brand new coders, and encourages those with prior coding experience. In the "Intro" level of a course (i.e., Part 1), students will work through the fundamentals of a new digital skill. In the "Continuing" level (i.e., Part 2), students who continue from "Intro" will develop new skills and will design and code an individual project. New students who enroll in "Intro" will begin with the introductory lessons. In order to differentiate instruction between new and continuing students, coaches work with small pull-out groups, pairs, or individuals to provide additional support as needed. The class tuition includes a student technology fee that covers the use of instructor-provided classroom laptops loaded with the required software, applications, and licenses. At the end of the class, students will receive access to Black Rocket's interactive learning platform to continue their coding journey at home. Topics in this Series: ROBLOX Coders (Quarters 1, 2); Minecraft Redstone Engineers (Quarters 3, 4).

Students will learn how to think like electrical engineers as they learn about conductors, batteries, and circuits to understand how electricity powers the things they use every day. Students will continue the exploration of electricity through fun circuits and creative conductive materials. Kids will build free-form circuits with conductive dough. They will learn about open, closed, and short circuits and experiment with polarity and resistance. Projects include making a lamp, crafting a snail with glowing eyeballs, building an ohm meter and more. Students will also have the option of experimenting with dough recipes to affect the level of conductivity. During the final class, students will complete a project of their own choosing that they can bring home and keep using a battery pack, wires, dough, LED, motor switch and/or buzzer. Topics in this Series: Battery Blast (Quarter 1); Cool Conductors (Quarter 2); Simple Circuits (Quarter 3); and Super Circuits (Quarter 4). Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $15.00 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class.

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.

Compass cooks will enjoy a culinary tour of the world with Global Gourmet classes! Menus feature 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:

• Guacamole and Salsa
• Tortilla Soup
• Mexican Corn Salad
• Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
• Enchiladas
• Cilantro Lime Rice
• Mexican Cinnamon Trifle

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 or artist, view sample works, and then will create a project in the style of the artist using a wide variety of materials and representative 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. Second quarter, students will learn about famous artists and their favorite animals or pets! Featured artists include Hockney, Pollock, Picasso, Kahlo, O'Keefe, Rockwell and Klee. Which artist painted a rooster? Who liked crazy, colored geometric cats, and who else favored standard American hounds? Whose self-portraits included monkeys, black cats, and parrots? Through weekly projects, Junior Artists will learn about and make their animal projects while learning about the artist, the technique, and the subject matter. Topics in this Series: Kings and Queens- Kids' Medieval Art (Quarter 1); Artists & their Animals (Quarter 2); Whimsical Winter Works (Quarter 3); Scenic Seascapes (Quarter 4). Supply Fee: There is a supply fee of $20.00, payable to the instructor on the first day of class which covers consumable class materials such a specialty papers, watercolor pencils, and paints.

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. Second quarter, students will have the chance to earn an Orange 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: Red Stripe (1st Quarter), Orange Stripe (2nd Quarter), Yellow Stripe (3rd Quarter) and Green 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 $10.00 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class for the t-shirt and white belt (new students) or $5.00 for the white belt (returning students). An 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, students will be asked to wear a class t-shirt provided by the instructor. Students should also wear shorts, leggings, or loose, comfortable athletic pants, and comfortable athletic shoes or sneakers with their class t-shirt.

Prerequisites: None

Lunch-N-Learn is a supervised lunch hour for kids ages 8-12 whose parents are unable to be on campus during their break. If a family is unable to find a suitable class during a specific hour, kids can enroll in Lunch-N-Learn where they will eat their own lunches or snacks with other kids under the supervision of a Compass staff member. Lunch is not provided. Parents can make arrangements for food delivery such as Grub Hub, Door Dash, or Uber Eats. Some snacks are available for sale at Compass. During each hour, Compass staff will show educational programming such as Planet Earth, National Geographic, or How It's Made. Students are encouraged to bring homework, games, or puzzles to work on after lunch is finished. Students may bring tablets or hand-held video games but must have headphones or ear buds. The content of any video game or video streamed at Compass must be rated "E" for everyone. Students must be enrolled in other classes at Compass to participate in Lunch-N-Learn. The lunchtime program cannot be a student's only class at Compass.

Prerequisites: None

Kids encounter fractions everyday but may not realize it! They intuitively understand half of a cookie, one quarter of cake, or a third of a pizza. Each week students will use real world examples to illustrate fraction concepts such as part of a whole, part of a set, number lines, comparing fractions, and more. For example, have you ever wondered where music notes get their names? Explore fractions as part of a whole by examining a measure and how different notes make up the whole. Students will create rhythms and be able to explain the math behind the music. Enjoy games? Learn a new version of the game War and dazzle your friends with tricks to quickly compare fractions in your head. Do you like to cook? Fractions are found in recipes that kids like to bake. Explore what it means to buy three quarters of a pound of cheese at the deli, be half way to grandma's house, and express that there were 72 red Legos in a package of 500. Fractions even pop up in telling time- half past ten or quarter 'til one. Fractions can be learned through hands-on experiments with everyday objects. Students will cut, chop, slice, and separate to see that 2/6 is the same as 1/3. They will experiment with combining fractions, such as doubling or tripling a recipe. These activities will provide a real-life understanding of different denominators and equivalent fractions. Students will practice problem solving skills, reasoning, and basic math in this class. Demystify fractions and enjoy math in your daily life! Dates: Please note that this is a 6-week class that begins on November 2 instead of October 26 Topics in this Series: Measurement Madness (Quarter 1); Fun with Fractions (Quarter 2); Geometry Games (Quarter 3); and Simple Statistics (Quarter 4)

Prerequisites: None

Find fascinating things in late fall! Hike through piles of fallen leaves. See farther through the bare branches. Look for evidence of animals getting ready for winter and birds migrating to warmer locales. Discover changes in plant life, observe stream ecology, and watch for changes in the weather! 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. The group exploration/activities in the woods are for enrolled students only, and tag-along parents and siblings cannot be accommodated. 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.

Buenos dias! Spanish Amigos (Friends) is a fun, play-based, Spanish immersion class for young students. Much like learning their native language, students will be exposed to the sounds, vocabulary, and phrases in Spanish through songs, games, stories, interactive and hands-on activities. Limited cues in English will be used to prompt students in the first few weeks. The teacher will bring toys and objects each week to give kids tangible, hands-on examples of the vocabulary being introduced. Each quarter introduces new themes and new vocabulary in Spanish, so children 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. Instruction will be predominantly verbal, but key vocabulary words may be written down for students to begin a sense of spelling. Students will be encouraged to write down new words each week, but reading, writing, spelling, and note-taking will not be expected. Fluency should not be expected at this level. Material/Supply Fee: The instructor will order a South-American written/published Spanish activity book for students in-class use after assessing their ages/skill levels. Parents will be asked to reimburse the instructor for the expense, typically $10-$15.

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.

Acting is an adventure! Young actors work together to create and perform their very own play with unique characters and an original storyline. Will they meet daring dragons, jolly giants, wacky witches, and other mythical monsters in their supernatural spectacle? 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. Topics in this Series: Fantastic Fables (Quarter 1), Magical Monsters (Quarter 2), Outrageous Outer Space (Quarter 3) and Under the Sea Secrets (Quarter 4).

Best Books for Boys is a facilitated book club just for preteen boys. Boys will read high-quality, age-appropriate literature and expand their understanding of what they read through book discussion and hands-on extension activities. Boys will be encouraged to interact with the story and each other through activities such as acting out or illustrating favorite scenes, discussing and writing alternate endings, prequels, origin or spinoff stories, or researching specific aspects of the story. Through guided class discussion, the group will be exposed to beginning literary analysis in a fun, interactive setting by discussing plot, theme, characters, setting, genre, writing style, and artistry using specific examples from the story. They will learn to analyze characters, their actions and motives, respond to hypothetical questions, make predictions, and answer prompts using examples from the book. Each quarter, the class will read one book that is teacher's choice and a second book that the students select as a group from a short list curated by the instructor and student nominations on the relevant them. Students must read assigned chapters from their books at home, either as individual silent reading, read-aloud with parents' support, or listening to an audiobook edition. Readers will be encouraged to take notes on key passages or questions. All books are selected from among Newbery Medalists and Honor Books, Caldecott Medal books, and proven classics of children's fiction. Topics in this Series and teacher's choice books include: Ingenuity- Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater (Quarter 1); Kindness- Restart by Gordon Korman (Quarter 2); Tolerance- The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare (Quarter 3); and Curiosity- Tales from Moominvalley by Tove Jansson (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 for students for the first book. (See Supply Fee below). Parents will be responsible for buying or checking-out a copy of the second book, once selected. Supply Fee: A class fee of $7.50 is due payable to Compass on the first day of class for Book 1. 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. Level: This class is for 5th-6th graders. 4th grade students may enroll, but they should be reading above grade level.

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 2, students will learn introductory skills such as: back rank mates, five types of draws, elementary checkmates (2Rs+K, K+Q vs. K, K+R vs. K); elementary opening principles, and pawn structure.

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 2 as his/her first class.

Prerequisites: None

Students will enjoy making flavorful fall recipes and family favorites that feature a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fresh ingredients. Festive Fall 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:

• Corn Dip
• Chicken Vegetable Soup
• Cucumber and Feta Salad
• Southwestern Cheesy Chicken
• Garlic Ginger Carrots
• Sweet Potato Souffle
• Cranberry Curd Mini Tart

Students will enjoy making flavorful fall recipes and family favorites that feature a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fresh ingredients. Festive Fall 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:

• Corn Dip
• Chicken Vegetable Soup
• Cucumber and Feta Salad
• Southwestern Cheesy Chicken
• Garlic Ginger Carrots
• Sweet Potato Souffle
• Cranberry Curd Mini Tart

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. Second quarter, our storytellers will discover the mysterious mutiny or misfortune that marooned mariners on an isolated island. Will the stranded sailors survive their secluded situation? 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 ____?" Emerging writers or readers are welcome and will receive support, if needed, to get their own words written down. 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 Well to further encourage communication and storytelling skills. The supply fee is included in the class tuition. Topics in this Series: A Secret Room (Quarter 1); A Shipwreck (Quarter 2); A Medieval Castle (Quarter 3); and A Winding Path (Quarter 4).

Students will draw in a relaxed, informal studio setting, where they will learn the fundamentals of drawing along with the elements of art and principles of design. Most drawing projects are "student's own" where each artist selects their own subject to incorporate demonstrated techniques such as representing light and dark, creating texture and patterns, and shading to show dimension. Second quarter, students will learn how to draw portraits first by learning how to do proportions and features in a more traditional representation then by exploring fantastic and ficitonal people, beasts, and pets through exaggerating and manipulating proportions while maintaining the basics. The instructor will demonstrate various techniques by developing a sample drawing. Students may elect to follow the class sample or may apply the drawing skills to an entirely unique drawing. This class is suitable for beginners who have never drawn before and for intermediate art students who have worked with other media and are interested in exploring drawing. Drawing can provide a relaxing, needed break from rigorous academic classes and over-scheduled lives in a fun, supportive environment. Topics in this Series: Everyday Objects (Quarter 1), Portraits and Creative Caricatures (Quarter 2), Creating Narrative (Quarter 3), and Imitating Illustration Styles (Quarter 4). Workload: Work outside of class is optional for those who wish to practice their drawing techniques. Assessments: Individual feedback is given in class. Formal assessments will not be given. Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $18.00 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class for a sketchbook, a pencil box with pencils of varying hardness, and an eraser. Returning drawing students do not need to pay a supply fee and are expected to replace their drawing supplies as needed, with similar or better quality. Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a component (partial) credit in Fine Arts for purposes of a high school transcript.

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. 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!

Learn world geography through hands-on, interactive play rather than by studying flat, dull maps! Many great games feature play on map-based game boards that can be used as teaching tools. Visual and kinesthetic learners will remember where Mongolia and Madagascar are when they have amassed miniature armies there! The instructor will use board games from his personal collection as teaching tools. In addition, he creates custom boards to use with established game rules and pieces. Second quarter, students will learn about Ancient Greece and The Roman Empire using the games Successors and Conquest of the Empire. The class will be able to identify and locate the extent of Ancient Greece which encircled the Aegean Sea, reached Asia minor, abutted the coastal regions of the Persian Empire, and stretched to Byzantium and Macedonia. The class will also learn about the extent of the Roman Empire which was one of the largest in history, with contiguous territories throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. The Roman Empire reached Hadrian's wall in northern England, Euphrates in Syria, the Nile River Valley in Egypt, and the plains of north Africa, completely encircling the Mediterranean Sea. Topics in this series include: Early Civilizations (Quarter 1); Ancient Greece & Rome (Quarter 2), Medieval Europe (Quarter 3), and The Modern World (Quarter 4). There is a $15.00 supply fee due to the instructor on the first day of class for custom-printed maps and shared class materials.

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 or artist, view sample works, and then will create a project in the style of the artist using a wide variety of materials and representative 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. Second quarter, students will learn about famous artists and their favorite animals or pets! Featured artists include Hockney, Pollock, Picasso, Kahlo, O'Keefe, Rockwell and Klee. Which artist painted a rooster? Who liked crazy, colored geometric cats, and who else favored standard American hounds? Whose self-portraits included monkeys, black cats, and parrots? Through weekly projects, Junior Artists will learn about and make their animal projects while learning about the artist, the technique, and the subject matter. Topics in this Series: Kings and Queens- Kids' Medieval Art (Quarter 1); Artists & their Animals (Quarter 2); Whimsical Winter Works (Quarter 3); Scenic Seascapes (Quarter 4). Supply Fee: There is a supply fee of $20.00, payable to the instructor on the first day of class which covers consumable class materials such a specialty papers, watercolor pencils, and paints.

Kids can understand basic chemistry when they can touch it and test it! In this hands-on class, kids will learn about the structure of matter and how that accounts for the predictable behavior of materials. Kids will design and conduct experiments to impose changes in states of matter. The class will learn about the unique properties of water and how it defines life as we know it on Earth. They will build 3D models of water and of ice and be able to explain how and why ice, a solid, is less dense than water, a liquid. Kids will explore density in hands-on labs that challenge their intuition and understanding of size, mass, and weight when comparing different materials. Students design and conduct experiments in osmosis, diffusion or semi-permeability. Finally, the nature of plasma will be introduced along with an observation of the movement of energy between objects. Topics in this Series: Kids' Chemistry Lab: Atoms & Molecules (Quarter 1); Kids' Chemistry Lab: Properties of Matter (Quarter 2); Kids' BioChemistry Lab: Manipulating Molecules (Quarter 3); and Kids' BioChemistry Lab: Discovering DNA (Quarter 4). Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $15.00 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class.

Prerequisites: None

Lunch-N-Learn is a supervised lunch hour for kids ages 8-12 whose parents are unable to be on campus during their break. If a family is unable to find a suitable class during a specific hour, kids can enroll in Lunch-N-Learn where they will eat their own lunches or snacks with other kids under the supervision of a Compass staff member. Lunch is not provided. Parents can make arrangements for food delivery such as Grub Hub, Door Dash, or Uber Eats. Some snacks are available for sale at Compass. During each hour, Compass staff will show educational programming such as Planet Earth, National Geographic, or How It's Made. Students are encouraged to bring homework, games, or puzzles to work on after lunch is finished. Students may bring tablets or hand-held video games but must have headphones or ear buds. The content of any video game or video streamed at Compass must be rated "E" for everyone. Students must be enrolled in other classes at Compass to participate in Lunch-N-Learn. The lunchtime program cannot be a student's only class at Compass.

Prerequisites: None

Lunch-N-Learn is a supervised lunch hour for kids ages 8-12 whose parents are unable to be on campus during their break. If a family is unable to find a suitable class during a specific hour, kids can enroll in Lunch-N-Learn where they will eat their own lunches or snacks with other kids under the supervision of a Compass staff member. Lunch is not provided. Parents can make arrangements for food delivery such as Grub Hub, Door Dash, or Uber Eats. Some snacks are available for sale at Compass. During each hour, Compass staff will show educational programming such as Planet Earth, National Geographic, or How It's Made. Students are encouraged to bring homework, games, or puzzles to work on after lunch is finished. Students may bring tablets or hand-held video games but must have headphones or ear buds. The content of any video game or video streamed at Compass must be rated "E" for everyone. Students must be enrolled in other classes at Compass to participate in Lunch-N-Learn. The lunchtime program cannot be a student's only class at Compass.

Prerequisites: None

Find fascinating things in late fall! Hike through piles of fallen leaves. See farther through the bare branches. Look for evidence of animals getting ready for winter and birds migrating to warmer locales. Discover changes in plant life, observe stream ecology, and watch for changes in the weather! 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. The group exploration/activities in the woods are for enrolled students only, and tag-along parents and siblings cannot be accommodated.

Reading Rally is a supplemental reading and writing class for 5- and 6- year-olds. The class is whole language inspired with phonics games, partner reading, simple journaling, and self-created spelling lists for home. The group will explore habits of good readers and writers through examples of well-loved children's authors. Students must already be able to recognize each letter and corresponding sound of the alphabet, be familiar with simple blends, know a few beginner sight words (such as I, am, and no), and must be able to write their own name. This is a new class section is for students new to Reading Ready. Returning/continuing students should not enroll in this section, because activities will be repeated from 1st quarter.

Find out what different scientists do! This class allows young scientists to explore different careers in the sciences and shows them that science is fun, approachable, and that anyone can do it! Students will use real scientific equipment and learn actual science terminology to investigate questions in different fields. Try out SCUBA gear as a marine biologist, learn the basics for studying DNA, perform experiments in chemistry, and try your hand at operating an ROV (remote operated vehicle). The focus will be on hands-on, dynamic learning, and students will engage in hands on demonstrations and experiments during each class. Second quarter, we will learn some basics of physics and astronomy. Students will begin by exploring our solar system. They will learn about local planets and make their own glow-in-the-dark Saturn to take home. The class will discuss the newest discoveries such as a possible hydrothermal vents on Jupiter' s moons, a possible Planet X, and water ice on Mars. Then, the class will look at the some of the physics and engineering that are making these discoveries possible. Discover the physics behind the telescopes and other instruments that help us learn about outer space, and the principles of space travel that help us explore. The physics of recent explorations such as the Perseverance Rover and Falcon Heavy Rocket will be discussed. Topics in this Series: Paleontologist, Geologist (Quarter 1); Physicist, Astronomer (Quarter 2) Chemist & Medical Scientist (Quarter 3); Biologist, Entomologist (Quarter 4). Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $15.00 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class.

Prerequisites: None

Buenos dias! Spanish Amigos (Friends) is a fun, play-based, Spanish immersion class for young students. Much like learning their native language, students will be exposed to the sounds, vocabulary, and phrases in Spanish through songs, games, stories, interactive and hands-on activities. Limited cues in English will be used to prompt students in the first few weeks. The teacher will bring toys and objects each week to give kids tangible, hands-on examples of the vocabulary being introduced. Each quarter introduces new themes and new vocabulary in Spanish, so children 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. Instruction will be predominantly verbal, but key vocabulary words may be written down for students to begin a sense of spelling. Students will be encouraged to write down new words each week, but reading, writing, spelling, and note-taking will not be expected. Fluency should not be expected at this level. Material/Supply Fee: The instructor will order a South-American written/published Spanish activity book for students in-class use after assessing their ages/skill levels. Parents will be asked to reimburse the instructor for the expense, typically $10-$15.

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:

• Red Velvet Crackle Cookies
• Whoopie Pies
• Mini Cherry Cheesecakes
• Cardamom Cakes
• Banana Split Bites
• Gummy Candy (vegan)
• Festive Cranberry Cake With Pecans (nuts)

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.

Kids take to the stage as they collaboratively write and perform their very own play with unique characters and an original storyline. Will they practice sneaky surveillance with sly spies and astute agents in their own undercover adventure? Students will begin with improvisational games to get to know each other, then read through the two, prepared scripts together. Through group activities and guided discussion, they will create new characters, brainstorm variations, craft plot changes, add lines, and cast their parts. The instructor will then update and customize the class script 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 with everyone's parts, about half-way through the quarter, 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. Topics in this Series: Back to the Future (Quarter 1), Secrets & Spies (Quarter 2),Times Travel Tale (Quarter 3), Freaky Friday (Quarter 4).

Every single week there are gripping headlines heralding new developments and discoveries in the fields of astronomy, astrophysics, and space exploration: NASA's Artemis II announced its crew. Space X Starship self-destructed. Europe's JUICE will go to Jupiter. James Webb Space Telescope finds oldest proto-galaxies. China, Russia, India, and South Korea are in a new space race to reach the moon. A total solar eclipse will be viewed in 2024. These are exciting fields to follow, and this is a thrilling time to learn about space science in Compass's "All About Astronomy" series. Second quarter, students will mimic NASA in planning a mission to the moon. The class will begin by looking at past moon explorations. They will evaluate the mid-century Apollo moon landings to understand how long the journey took, how long crews went for, what supplies and provisions were sent, and what the rockets, crew cabins, and space suits were capable of. Then, the class will divide up and work in teams to design a new mission to the moon. They will look at the technologies available to select their rocket (or design an all-new one), crew cabin, scientific equipment, lander, lunar vehicle, and spacesuits. Teams will be given constraints such as budget, payload, fuel, power consumption, and scientific value of their planned lunar activities. They will have to consider all of the challenges of returning to Earth. Will they be able to bring loads of moon rocks back? Dates: Please note that this is a 6-week class that begins on November 2 instead of October 26 Topics in this series include: Classical & Current Star-Gazing (Quarter 1); Mission to the Moon (Quarter 2); Modern & Space-Based Searches (Quarter 3); and Mission to Mars (Quarter 4)

Tweens will be introduced to tempera 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. Topics in this series include: Watercolor Painting (Quarter 1), Tempera Painting (Quarter 2), Acrylic Painting (Quarter 3), and MultiMedia Painting (Quarter 4). There is an $15.00 supply fee due payable to the instructor on the first day of class.

Prerequisites: None

Students will enjoy making flavorful fall recipes and family favorites that feature a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fresh ingredients. Festive Fall 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:

• Corn Dip
• Chicken Vegetable Soup
• Cucumber and Feta Salad
• Southwestern Cheesy Chicken
• Garlic Ginger Carrots
• Sweet Potato Souffle
• Cranberry Curd Mini Tart

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. Second quarter, students will create beautiful, textured mosaics and will learn to work with materials such as tiles, pebbles, beads, shells, recycled bits, and adhesives. Kids will explore the art of fitting small pieces together to compose a larger, mosaic work. Example past projects include a mosaic with geometric wooden shapes; a fall leaf mosaic incorporating beads; mosaic photo frame, mosaic stepping stone built on a paver, and a mosaic wall hanging with polymer clay components and tiles. All pieces will be grouted after class, off site by the instructor and will be available the next class. A supply fee of $40.00 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).

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. Arctic tundra biomes are located at the most extreme parts of the globe, north of boreal forests, and are defined by long, cold winters and cool summers. Tundra biomes have inhospitable conditions with very cold temperatures and low levels of precipitation. These areas have little biodiversity with species who have evolved to have special adaptations such as thick fur and the ability to hibernate. Vegetation is sparce and simple such as shrubs, grasses, mosses, and lichens due to the frozen permafrost layer under the soil surface. 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: Tropics (The Rainforest)- Quarter 1; Tundra (The Arctic)- Quarter 2; Arid (The Desert)- Quarter 3; and Grasslands (The Savanna)- Quarter 4.

In this introductory high school English workshop, students will be introduced to the concepts of literary genres and analytical writing. Each quarter, the class will examine one select work or genre. Students will learn to recognize figurative language, tone, subtext and diction, identify symbolism and imagery, and develop an awareness of narrative perspective and of the social-historical contexts in which these works were created. Second quarter will feature Poetry from an anthology. Composition: Students will also learn the fundamental components of academic writing, including how to construct a thesis statement that makes an argument, how to support their ideas effectively with textual evidence, how to organize an argument logically, and how to cite sources in MLA format. Some class periods will be dedicated Writing Lab session in which students write in-class in order to get on-the-spot support and feedback from the teacher. Students should bring laptops to these class sessions. Topics in this Series: The Novel (Quarter 1), Poetry (Quarter 2), The Play (Quarter 3), and The Epic (Quarter 4). Students who continue from one quarter to the next will receive priority registration. Prerequisites: Students should be able to read at grade level, and it is recommended that students have had a middle school writing class. Workload: Students should expect to spend 1-2 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 graded using a rubric and assigned points that the homeschool parent can use when assigning an overall class grade. 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 $54.00 is due payable to Compass on the first day of class for the select novel. 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 passages/pages. Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a partial credit in English for purposes of a high school transcript.

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.

Compass cooks will enjoy a culinary tour of the world with Global Gourmet classes! Menus feature 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:

• Guacamole and Salsa
• Tortilla Soup
• Mexican Corn Salad
• Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
• Enchiladas
• Cilantro Lime Rice
• Mexican Cinnamon Trifle

Lunch-N-Learn is a supervised lunch hour for kids ages 8-12 whose parents are unable to be on campus during their break. If a family is unable to find a suitable class during a specific hour, kids can enroll in Lunch-N-Learn where they will eat their own lunches or snacks with other kids under the supervision of a Compass staff member. Lunch is not provided. Parents can make arrangements for food delivery such as Grub Hub, Door Dash, or Uber Eats. Some snacks are available for sale at Compass. During each hour, Compass staff will show educational programming such as Planet Earth, National Geographic, or How It's Made. Students are encouraged to bring homework, games, or puzzles to work on after lunch is finished. Students may bring tablets or hand-held video games but must have headphones or ear buds. The content of any video game or video streamed at Compass must be rated "E" for everyone. Students must be enrolled in other classes at Compass to participate in Lunch-N-Learn. The lunchtime program cannot be a student's only class at Compass.

Prerequisites: None

Lunch-N-Learn is a supervised lunch hour for kids ages 8-12 whose parents are unable to be on campus during their break. If a family is unable to find a suitable class during a specific hour, kids can enroll in Lunch-N-Learn where they will eat their own lunches or snacks with other kids under the supervision of a Compass staff member. Lunch is not provided. Parents can make arrangements for food delivery such as Grub Hub, Door Dash, or Uber Eats. Some snacks are available for sale at Compass. During each hour, Compass staff will show educational programming such as Planet Earth, National Geographic, or How It's Made. Students are encouraged to bring homework, games, or puzzles to work on after lunch is finished. Students may bring tablets or hand-held video games but must have headphones or ear buds. The content of any video game or video streamed at Compass must be rated "E" for everyone. Students must be enrolled in other classes at Compass to participate in Lunch-N-Learn. The lunchtime program cannot be a student's only class at Compass.

Prerequisites: None

Who doesn't love a good "Whodunnit" mystery? In this workshop, teens actors will work together to bring a cast of characters to life through creative adaptations and interpretive improvisation. Using materials from a commercial murder mystery role playing game (RPG), students will assume the personas of outrageous and offbeat characters. As the drama unfolds in rounds guided by clue cards, eclectic evidence, and fictitious forensics, a victim, a motive, and eventually the murderer will be revealed. Student actors will be guided through the development of a strong, compelling character, complete with unique ways of speaking, gesturing, and moving, an original costume, a backstory, and of course, an alibi. At the annual Roman Toga Bash at the Pompey Palace Resort, guests try to outshine each other with the most lavish toga designs on the red carpet. Rumors abound of blackmailers and brewing scandals until one partygoer turns up dead. Who could have done it? In this workshop, students benefit from experimenting 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. Topics in this Series: Murder in the Escape Room (Quarter 1), Toga Terror (Quarter 2), The Last Will of Hunter Bentley (Quarter 3), Prison Pardon (Quarter 4), etc. Students continuing from the prior quarter will receive priority pre-registration for next quarter. Workload: Students should expect to spend 1-1.5 hours per week outside of class. Assignments: Will be posted in a Google classroom. Assessments: Informal qualitative feedback will be given in class throughout the semester. A quantitative score/grade will not be provided. Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $25.00 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class for a script and costs related to props and performance license fee. Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a component (partial) credit in fine arts or performing arts for purposes of a high school transcript.

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 edibles, 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.

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. Second quarter, Sew Simple students will sew funny, friendly, big-eyed felt "Little Monsters" in an array of bright colors and playful forms (one eye, three eyes, antennas, wings, horns, and goofy gap-teeth). 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. A material fee of $35.00 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class. Note: Project themes or materials are subject to change due to availability or sourcing at the time of the class. Topics in this series include: Sew a Story (Quarter 1), Monster Mash-Up (Quarter 2), Polar Pals (Quarter 3), and Fairytale Fun (Quarter 4).

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

A Parrott with parasites. A Budgie with a broken beak. A Cockatoo with a cough. Sometimes even our feathered 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 bird veterinarians will learn all about bird care (nutrition, habitat, exercise), bird anatomy, and bird behavior. Kids will learn to recognize signs that a bird is unfriendly, afraid, aggressive, or unwell. They will learn to perform steps of a well-pet check-up and identify some common medical care and preventatives recommended for birds. The class will also learn about bird behavior and natural instincts. Kids will discover fun and fascinating facts, similarities, and differences in pet bird species. Students will learn about the history of domesticated birds as pets and the dangers to the wild bird population when people demand certain species. Finally, students will take one class session to journey to other corners of the continents to meet some wild members of the tropical and exotic bird family to learn why they do not make good pets. 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, a toy bird for demonstrations, and a class workbook. They will "adopt" and name their bird, 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 $25.00 supply fee due payable to the instructor on the first day of class.

Writing is one of the most essential communication skills, and it gives kids a voice! In this class, upper elementary-aged students will learn the FUN-damentals of Writing Well! Kids will learn the foundations of good writing, step-by-step, in manageable, weekly pieces. Students will start the year with learning to formulate strong sentences and eventually move to organized, cohesive paragraphs in this class series. Classes will consist of lessons on writing basics, reading great examples (and weak ones) from literature and publications, and in-class writing practice. The emphasis will be on varying sentence structures, word choice, and correct structure- all with fun, creative topics that will keep kids interested in writing! Quarter two will begin with learning to formulate paragraphs from sentences! The class will learn about and practice writing topic sentences, supporting sentences, and the concluding paragraph sentence. Students will write paragraphs in response to a variety of prompts (informational, persuasive, cause and effect, etc). The class will learn to define what they want to convey in a paragraph and how to guide the reader through the points of their paragraph. By the end of quarter two, students will be able to write clear, cohesive and well-organized body paragraphs. The goal for this course is for students to increase their writing fluency, gain confidence, and strengthen their abilities to write clear, cohesive, and grammatically correct sentences and paragraphs. The group will learn the stages of writing--prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing--and various approaches to each stage. Throughout the quarter, mini-lessons on vocabulary and grammar will be presented on topics such as correct capitalization, agreement, tenses, parts of speech, synonyms, etc. Each week, students will have brief homework assignments based on what was covered in class using creative and non-fiction free response prompts to practice techniques at home. Regular writing practice improves fluency and comfort level. Students should expect 45-60 minutes of writing at home throughout the week (3-4 days at 15 minutes per sitting.) Topics in this series include Sentences that Speak (Quarter 1), Planning Paragraphs (Quarter 2), Fascinating Fiction Paragraphs (Quarter 3), and Fun Factual Paragraphs (Quarter 4).

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. Second quarter, junior engineers will tackle Awesome Automobiles, building pull-back motorcycles, belt-drive fire jeeps, gear-driven dragsters, and car carriers. 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. Students must be minimum age 5 and able to separate from their parents for this class. Dates: Please note that this is a 6-week class that begins on October 31 instead of October 24. Topics in this Series: Super Structures (Quarter 1); Awesome Automobiles (Quarter 2); Monster Machines (Quarter 3); Colossal Construction (Quarter 4).

Prerequisites: None

Students will engage in a hands-on 3D battle strategy game using the military dioramas that they make! The opening stage of the Pacific Theater of WWII was a painful lesson for the United States, especially the Navy. Starting with the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that crippled much of the fleet, Japan continued with devastating and coordinated strikes across the whole Pacific that pushed the US and its allies back across thousands of miles of ocean. That changed at Midway, when the outnumbered US fleet ambushed and wrecked the Japanese on their way to take yet another isolated island. This opened the way for the US to go on the offensive and regain the initiative, starting between Hawaii and Allied Australia, in the Solomons at Guadalcanal. Rather than focus solely on the ground campaign, this class will also include a naval component, using models of the ships that fought the many naval battles of Guadalcanal at the infamous Iron Bottom Sound. Using artistic model-making techniques, hand tools, and historical maps, students will each form a 10" X 14" shaped, foam diorama with landscape elements (hills, valleys, rivers, ridges, vegetation, airfields, etc) to represent a scene of a famous historical engagement. Students will each receive scale miniature naval ships 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 Axis and Allies 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 materials fee payable to the instructor on the first day of class. Topics in this year's series include: Pearl Harbor (Quarter 1), Guadalcanal (Quarter 2), D-Day (Quarter 3), and Battle of the Bulge (Quarter 4).

Teens will enjoy the logic and challenge of the timeless strategy board game as they learn and play chess with classmates. This is a multi-level class open to Beginners, Advanced Beginners, or Intermediate Players. Instruction will be differentiated based on the make-up of the class, and teens will be placed in pairs or groups depending on experience. Since teens move quickly through lessons and enjoy the interaction of the game, instruction will be approximately 20 minutes, with 35 minutes reserved for weekly in-class matches that are monitored and supported by the coach. Beginners may play as a group against the instructor which is a low-pressure way to learn the game. Teens who are engrossed in their games may continue their play into Friday Teen Game Night. 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). Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a component (partial) credit in logic/reasoning or and elective for purposes of a high school transcript.

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. Second quarter, students will create beautiful, textured mosaics and will learn to work with materials such as tiles, pebbles, beads, shells, recycled bits, and adhesives. Kids will explore the art of fitting small pieces together to compose a larger, mosaic work. Example past projects include a mosaic with geometric wooden shapes; a fall leaf mosaic incorporating beads; mosaic photo frame, mosaic stepping stone built on a paver, and a mosaic wall hanging with polymer clay components and tiles. All pieces will be grouted after class, off site by the instructor and will be available the next class. A supply fee of $40.00 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).

Prerequisites: None

Be part of a team! Join the Compass Collaborative newspaper staff. The Compass student newspaper is growing to include a faculty advisor to help coordinate and schedule the efforts of the student editors, writers, and contributors. The staff will be a mixed age team, with students from 6th-12th grade, where younger students will be informally paired with older students for peer review and feedback on their writing. Students will learn to write with a purpose and create effective factual articles, interviews, and reviews. While taking notes, gathering data, and collecting details may happen outside of class, part of each weekly staff meeting will be dedicated to writing. In weekly meetings, the advisor will discuss examples from a variety of printed media to demonstrate what constitutes 'good' writing and what is less effective. The group will also learn about the formatting, layout, and graphic design elements that go into the newspaper. All staff members will practice editing skills to improve grammar, punctation, and overall clarity and accuracy in their writing. Each quarter, the group will decide on writing assignments and divvy up responsibilities based on individual interests. Staff members will report on Compass news and events, interview teachers, review classes, cover clubs, and write about community happenings that would interest other homeschoolers. Students may opt to write reviews of books, movies, tv shows, games, restaurants, or field trips. They may compose editorials, short stories, or poetry. Some may wish to create an ongoing column about a particular interest such as pets, sports, or space. Staff members may submit their own artwork, comics, or photographs, but will also work with Compass art teachers to get scans of other students' works each quarter. Staff may also elect to include regular features such as a recipe, a puzzle, riddles, jokes, trivia questions, or student poll result in each issue. Staff members will each contribute at least 2-3 items to the Collaborative edition each quarter. Student staff will serve not only as writers and contributors, but also as editors of works that are submitted by other students. One or two high school members will have the opportunity to serve as editors of the student paper, roles that demonstrate leadership and are favorable in the college application process. In addition, one or two other students will serve the layout editors and will be expected to learn newspaper layout using Microsoft Publisher. All students register for the same class, and roles and responsibilities will be reviewed and delegated during the first class meeting. Students will be expected to bring a laptop, notebook, and pen/pencil to each class meeting.

Compass cooks will enjoy a culinary tour of the world with Global Gourmet classes! Menus feature 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:

• Guacamole and Salsa
• Tortilla Soup
• Mexican Corn Salad
• Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
• Enchiladas
• Cilantro Lime Rice
• Mexican Cinnamon Trifle

Great Books for Girls is a facilitated book club just for preteen girls. Girls will read high-quality, age-appropriate literature and expand their understanding of what they read through book discussion and hands-on extension activities. Girls will be encouraged to interact with the story and each other through activities such as acting out or illustrating favorite scenes, discussing and writing alternate endings, prequels, origin or spinoff stories, or researching specific aspects of the story. Through guided class discussion, the group will be exposed to beginning literary analysis in a fun, interactive setting by discussing plot, theme, characters, setting, genre, writing style, and artistry using specific examples from the story. They will learn to analyze characters, their actions and motives, respond to hypothetical questions, make predictions, and answer prompts using examples from the book. Each quarter, the class will read one book that is teacher's choice and a second book that the students select as a group from a short list curated by the instructor and student nominations on the relevant them. Students must read assigned chapters from their books at home, either as individual silent reading, read-aloud with parents' support, or listening to an audiobook edition. Readers will be encouraged to take notes on key passages or questions. All books are selected from among Newbery Medalists and Honor Books, Caldecott Medal books, and proven classics of children's fiction. Topics in this Series and teacher's choice books include: Perseverance- The Borrowers Aloft by Mary Norton (Quarter 1), Freedom- Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown by Maud Hart Lovelace (Quarter 2), Optimism- The Moffats by Eleanor Estes (Quarter 3), and Talent- Dancing Shoes by Noel Streatfeild (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 for students for the first book. (See Supply Fee below). Parents will be responsible for buying or checking-out a copy of the second book, once selected. Supply Fee: A class fee of $8.25 is due payable to Compass on the first day of class for Book 1. 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. Level: This class is for 5th-6th graders. 4th grade students may enroll, but they should be reading above grade level.

Prerequisites: None

When is it OK to call 911? I got a cut- does it need stitches? What should I do if I get really itchy after a bee sting? Kids have lots of questions about their own bodies and development. Little Doctor Academy helps answer these questions and more in the context of fun, age-appropriate medical lessons and in-class activities that introduce children to themes in science, medicine, anatomy, and biology. Second quarter, kids will learn about the job of a Paramedic and emergency medicine. The class will learn about simple first aid (in a non-scary way) and what to do to help someone who is bleeding, injured, having an allergic reaction, or unconscious. (For kids, the answers to some of these are find a grown-up and call 911). The class will practice applying bandages, splints, and slings. The class will also learn about preventing poisonings and ingestion of incorrect or too much medicine, household cleaners, products in the garage, and non-food items with learning materials from the National Poison Control Center, and the group will have a special visit from an ambulance. 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, and take-home manipulatives and props for the medical specialty studied. Topics in this Series: Sports Medicine (Quarter 1); Paramedic (Quarter 2); Virologist (Quarter 3); Neurologist/Ophthalmologist- Brain & Sight (Quarter 4)

Reading Rally is a supplemental reading and writing class for 5- and 6- year-olds. The class is whole language inspired with phonics games, partner reading, simple journaling, and self-created spelling lists for home. The group will explore habits of good readers and writers through examples of well-loved children's authors. Students must already be able to recognize each letter and corresponding sound of the alphabet, be familiar with simple blends, know a few beginner sight words (such as I, am, and no), and must be able to write their own name. This class section is for continuing, first quarter students. 

Tweens take over as they collectively brainstorm and collaboratively write own play. Find out what happens when tweens "act out" the unique characters and an original storyline they created. What happens when menacing machines and crafty computers conquer everything? Will robots reign, or can people prevail? 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 with everyone's parts, about half-way through the quarter, 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. Topics in this Series: Can't Believe it Came to Life (Quarter 1), Technology Takeover (Quarter 2), Whodunnit? (Quarter 3) and Vanished in a Video Game (Quarter 4).

A Parrott with parasites. A Budgie with a broken beak. A Cockatoo with a cough. Sometimes even our feathered 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 bird veterinarians will learn all about bird care (nutrition, habitat, exercise), bird anatomy, and bird behavior. Kids will learn to recognize signs that a bird is unfriendly, afraid, aggressive, or unwell. They will learn to perform steps of a well-pet check-up and identify some common medical care and preventatives recommended for birds. The class will also learn about bird behavior and natural instincts. Kids will discover fun and fascinating facts, similarities, and differences in pet bird species. Students will learn about the history of domesticated birds as pets and the dangers to the wild bird population when people demand certain species. Finally, students will take one class session to journey to other corners of the continents to meet some wild members of the tropical and exotic bird family to learn why they do not make good pets. 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, a toy bird for demonstrations, and a class workbook. They will "adopt" and name their bird, 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 $25.00 supply fee due payable to the instructor on the first day of class.

Writing is a fundamental skill for school and for life, and it gives kids a voice! In this class, third and fourth graders will explore writing in many different ways. They will learn the basics of good writing and the art of revision. Classes will consist of simple lessons on writing plus in-class writing practice. Students will always be encouraged to write about what interests them, but they will also always be given fun, creative writing prompts so no one feels the panic of figuring out "what to write." Second quarter, students will have a blast rewriting and retelling well-known tales, such as Cinderella or the legend of Paul Revere. This playful technique guides them through the elements of a complete story with a time-tested plot and characters. Watch what happens when names are changed, locations swapped, and time travel invoked. Re-writes of familiar stories will lay the groundwork for original fiction writing third quarter. The goal for this course is for young students to gain confidence, increase writing fluency, and learn how to incorporate writing into everyday work and play. Each week, the instructor will share brief lessons on grammar such as correct capitalization, agreement, tenses, parts of speech, use of adjectives/adverbs, etc. They will also learn the steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing, and strategies for each state. Student must be minimum age 8 to take this class and should be on grade level for reading and handwriting. Topics in this Series: My Memories (Quarter 1); Transforming Tales (Quarter 2), Fun with Fiction (Quarter 3), and Fact Finder (Quarter 4).

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 crafts instructor facilitates the projects 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
• An afterschool club makes a great social outlet.

• • Ocean Odyssey
  • Creating with Colors