Quarter 1 Newsletter
Open House
On 9/19, we hosted a virtual Open House for interested families. The turnout was good with over 15 different families looking at Compass. We shared photos and videos to give our virtual visitors an eye into the Compass experience. You can see the video “We Teach Differently” on our Compass website. Most of the participants were looking for 9th grade placement next year and it was wonderful to see so much interest in Compass so early in the school year.
Thanks and kudos to senior Cailey Winder who volunteered to speak about her experience as a Compass student and the support she feels from the teachers and the community as a whole. “Compass is the best thing that happened to me,” Cailey told the visitors, “and your kids will love it also!” Our next admission event is a Welcome Wednesday on October 14th from 9:00 – 10:00 A.M.
Virtual Cocktail Party
The Compass Board of Trustees has traditionally hosted a cocktail party to kick off the school year. This year due to COVID-19 we reinvented it as a virtual cocktail party. While we missed seeing each other in person, it was great to meet, share a glass of wine and have some fun together. Special thanks to Andrew Leonard and the Development Committee for planning and hosting this event.
Ms. Fraser gave out roly-poly bugs as part of her Biology class. Students picked them up and took care of them until they were released last week. 
Some of Faculty and Staff returned to campus for the first day of orientation. We met outside and social distanced, and it was great to see each other. 
Welcoming our families back with a bottle of wine from Compass Winery, (no affiliation) was a big hit.
Barbara Norman
Barbara came to us last year in the middle of the school year. She has a BA in Linguistics from the University of Hawaii and Masters in Education from Fox University in Oregon. She taught high school Spanish for four years while in Oregon and also created middle school Spanish programs here in California. She has also worked as an ESL teacher in multiple schools.
Help us support the Annual Fund
Some may not realize that our tuition does not cover the full cost of a Compass education. The costs of operating a small school in the Bay Area far exceed what tuition alone could cover. We conduct our Annual Fund to help cover the full cost of the program. 100% participation from families, regardless of donation amount, qualifies us for additional grants and gifts.
Please donate whatever is possible to support the Compass mission. You may send in a check or donate online
Metacognition
Metacognition is often defined as “thinking about thinking.” However, to truly understand why it is so important for individuals with learning differences to have metacognitive skills, we must flush out this definition a bit more.
So, metacognition is one’s ability to use prior knowledge to plan a strategy for approaching a learning task, take necessary steps to problem solve, reflect on, and modify one’s approach as needed.
Reminder!
You can find all the PowerPoint presentations from every class on the Family Classroom Page. Here we also post announcement and information for parents and families.
Landmark College
Compass High School has had an on ongoing relationship with Landmark College in Putney, Vermont. Like Compass, Landmark works exclusively with students that learn differently. This year we’re working closer with them in helping establish a presence on the west coast, and more specifically, here in the Bay Area.
Landmark has a well-established reputation as one of the best colleges for students with learning differences. Landmark continues to expand their online options for students. We are excited to be working to help Landmark establish a presence. Later in the school year, we expect to be offering office space to Landmark as our relationship strengthens. Stay tuned as this develops.
Intro to Psychology
This year we are offering an Introduction to Psychology elective. This course is offering the traditional course material but also helping students with metacognition and self-awareness.
Important Dates
First Parent Checkin since BTSN
- Oct. 7
- 4-5 pm
Come Join Doug and Meredith for a check in on how the year is going, on- line learning, and school updates!
Voices of Compassion
- Oct. 16
- 12 – 1:30pm
Children’s Health Council’s online event: Voices of Compassion
Vote!
- Nov. 3
Election Day is November 3rd.
Be sure you are registered and have a plan to vote.
Parent Teacher Conferences
We are scheduled to have parent teacher conferences the first week of November. These will be conducted virtually on November 3rd and 5th. We will be sending out more information for these meetings, but please mark your calendars.
Diversity & Equity Task Force
As announced at Back to School Night we are putting to gather a group of parents, teachers and board members who would like to help provide advice and direction to the school around these important issues.
Date pending, check back for details!