Wednesday

Jan. 23

12:15-12:45 p.m.

Pizza Day (12:05-12:45 for Middle School) – Parents Welcome

No pizza day for Seminar students.

Friday

Jan. 25

1:00 p.m.

C.S. Local Hero Award Ceremony (Rescheduled from Jan. 18)

Talmadge Recital Hall, Hollins University. Normal Dismissal.

Wednesday

Jan. 30

12:15-12:45 p.m.

Lunch-A-Month (12:05-12:45 for Middle School) – Parents Welcome

(pasta w/ marinara sauce, bread, cookie, lemonade)

Monday

Feb. 4

Conference Day

No Classes.

Tuesday

Feb. 5

7:00 p.m.

CHS Fat Tuesday Celebration

Jefferson Center, Fitzpatrick Hall

Wednesday

Feb. 6

12:15-12:45 p.m.

Lunch-A-Month (12:05-12:45 for Middle School) – Parents Welcome

(chicken nuggets, potato chips, Valentine cookie, lemonade)

Monday

Feb. 11

C.S. & CHS Students Leave on Bolivian Exchange Program

Monday

Feb. 11

6:15 p.m.

Board of Trustees Meeting

Wednesday

Feb. 13

12:15-12:45 p.m.

Pizza Day (12:05-12:45 for Middle School) – Parents Welcome

No pizza day for Seminar students.

Monday

Feb. 18

School Closed for Presidents’ Day

Wednesday

Feb. 20

12:15-12:45 p.m.

Lunch-A-Month (12:05-12:45 for Middle School) – Parents Welcome

(cheeseburger, BBQ chips, brownie, lemonade)

Wednesday

Feb. 27

12:15-12:45 p.m.

Pizza Day (12:05-12:45 for Middle School) – Parents Welcome

No pizza day for Seminar students.

Attention Parents: Special Education Advocacy Training in Roanoke

Date: January 23

Time: 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Location: Blue Ridge Independent Living Center, 1502-B Williamson Road NE

Contact: Dana Jackson (540-342-1231)

The VA Dept. of Education's Draft Special Education Regulations make major cuts to parents' abilities to partner with schools. Virginia has encouraged parental participation, and relied upon school-parent partnerships to improve the success of students with disabilities, for many years. Indeed, current Virginia regulations require "parental consent" before a student's special education or related services can be reduced or ended. The Draft Regulations cut some of these rights! 

Various organizations will host meetings around the state to help provide citizens with the information they need to advocate for their rights. These advocacy training sessions will help you understand the regulatory process, highlight the most critical changes in the proposed regulations, learn how to develop effective public comment, and determine which public officials need to hear your concerns.

The process of revising the special education regulations should serve to strengthen public protections for students and parents, not weaken them. Unless students and their families share their perspective on special education through public comments, the process will likely allow changes that take away current rights. You can RSVP to http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1838/t/5138/event/index.jsp?event_KEY=35329

CHS Fat Tuesday Celebration

Feb. 5 at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets: $10 each

New: Free childcare onsite.

Get ready to celebrate! Community High School is hosting its annual Fat Tuesday fundraiser on February 5 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the
Jefferson Center's Fitzpatrick Hall. Come and indulge in decadent desserts and savory appetizers, enjoy wine and beer from the cash bar, groove to the sounds of Blue Mule, shop at the silent auction and art sale, and maybe even have your fortune told. Free childcare is available onsite. Tickets are available in the C.S. office for $10 each. Don't miss it! This event is Community High School’s major fundraiser of the year. Come out and support our partner school.

Attention All Middle School Students: Middle School Auditions on Feb. 7
From 3:30-5:00 p.m.

This year for Arts Festival, under the joint leadership of Kim M and Lisa, we will present the musical “Tom Sawyer.” There are nineteen speaking parts, along with extras as school kids, townspeople and newsboys. Auditions for the speaking parts will be held Thursday, February 7, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. Please mark your calendar! See Kim or Lisa for more information. Students going to Bolivia will be able to participate, as we will begin rehearsals in April.

C.S. Student Art Work on Display

Please make a point to see both of these exceptional exhibits.

1)     Ten middle school students’ collages featuring Adinkra symbols from the Asanti People of Ghana will be on display during the month of February in the Roanoke City Main Library downtown.

2)     “The Many Faces of Winter” – Paper-mâché masks and poetry created by The Geezers (Emilie’s class) will be displayed in the window of Barnes & Noble (Valley View) from January 26 through February 9.

POP Puppy Love Food Drive

Service Learning

The middle school POP group (People of Peace) is conducting a Puppy Love Food Drive to benefit the Roanoke Valley SPCA. They are asking for donations of food or treats for the dogs and cats at the SPCA. Please send your donations to the school and place them in the box outside the office door by Friday, February 14.

C.S. Director Assessment and Evaluation

The Board of Trustees is required to do a thorough review of the school's Director each year. The primary goal of this evaluation is to help improve the quality of education at Community School by assessing the Director's performance and providing feedback. It is also a method of fostering communication among the Director, teachers, students, parents, and the school board. Over the next several weeks, questionnaires will be available to all community members, primarily via e-mail. If you do not receive a questionnaire but would like to participate, please e-mail me at ramstutz@ntelos.net or call me. Please take the time to help us in this evaluation process by completing this questionnaire and know that your responses will be completely confidential. Thank you for your support of Community School!  Richard D. Amstutz, CS Board of Trustees.

Financial Aid Applications for 2008-2009

Financial aid applications for 2008-09 will be available on January 31. We will mail a financial aid application to all families receiving tuition assistance this year. If you are not receiving tuition assistance this year, but would like to apply to receive assistance for 2008-09, you can pick up an application in the main office. For questions about tuition assistance, please see Michi.

Sibling Applications for Fall 2008

Call now if you are interested in a new sibling enrollment for next fall.

Does your C.S. child have a sibling who would like to attend our school next year? Siblings of current students have priority for available spaces, but we need to know how many siblings are interested in order to reserve those spaces. Please call Victoria to discuss sibling applications and to arrange a student visit. Re-enrollment information for current students will be sent home in mid March.

C.S. Returned Check Policy

Community School has enrolled in a new free service through our bank to help us recapture any returned checks. Any check that has been returned will no longer be processed by the business office, but will be handled by FARS. If you have any questions, contact Sue at

Caribbean Fest

DVD Available

Quest Music Academy, our Caribbean Fest Concert partner, has produced a DVD of the event. The DVDs are available for $18 (two or more for $15) and can be ordered through Quest Academy, 1519 Mabry Ave., SE, Roanoke, VA 24014. Checks should be made out to Quest Music Academy with “Show DVD” in the memo line.