Quick Notes

School Calendar

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.
Wednesday	March 5	12:15-12:45 p.m.	Lunch-A-Month (12:05-12:45 for Middle School) – Parents Welcome (hot dog, potato chips, popsicle, lemonade)
Thursday	March 6	7:00 p.m.	Preschool & Kindergarten Information Session For current and prospective families. Watch for more information.
Wednesday	March 12	12:15-12:45 p.m.	Pizza Day (12:05-12:45 for Middle School) – Parents Welcome No pizza day for Seminar students.

 

Notes from the Development Coordinator (Carissa)

A New Look for the C.S. Website
Community School is proud to invite all of our families and friends to visit our newly redesigned website.  We have been working hard on the site since school started in the fall, and it went live Thursday night. I’m sure many of you have already discovered the new look as you went in search of school closing information for last Friday. I hope you liked what you found! The overall plan for the redesign involves two phases, so right now there are several areas that still link back to the old website. Those links will stay in place until the new site can be expanded to accommodate the additional information. We will be continuing on with part two of the process in the near future. We also have plans to give the Strawberry Festival its own web page. Our most immediate goal was to get the new design in place and post the most general information about Community School. Please visit the new site, located at the same address: www.communityschool.net. We always welcome your comments, and please contact us with any questions, as well.

 

CHS Fat Tuesday Celebration Tonight!

Get ready to celebrate! Community High School is hosting its annual FatTuesday fundraiser tonight 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. Since this production is for Arts Festival, most rehearsals will take place during middle school drama and music classes and the extended period on Thursday.

 

Group Flute and Trumpet Lessons Available at C.S.

We are very excited to be offering group flute and trumpet lessons for upper elementary and middle school students at Community School! This eight-week session begins February 15th and runs from 3:45 to 4:30 pm. The cost is $80.00 for the eight classes, and students are responsible for securing a flute or trumpet, either by borrowing or renting. The lesson brochure and enrollment form went home with the Music FYI on Conference Day. If you have questions, contact Kim Mucha at kimmuch@communityschool.net. These classes will be filled on a first come, first served basis, so sign up soon.

 

Financial Aid Applications for 2008-2009

2008-09 financial aid applications were mailed last week to all families currently receiving tuition assistance. 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 school office. For questions about tuition assistance, please see Michi.

 

New Student Welcome

Please add the following information to your family address list:

1)     Welcome to Emma (Kim’s class) and her parents Richard and Teresa

2)     Welcome to Ethan (homeschool enrichment Spanish with Katie’s class) and his parents Brad and Heather.

Call or stop by the office for their contact information.

 

Tuition Payment Due February 20

If you are paying on the monthly installment plan, your eighth tuition payment is due by Feb. 20. Contact Sue (sue@communityschool.net) with questions about your account.

 

Tom Farrell Trust Fund Established

Tom Farrell’s law partners have established a trust fund to support a $5000 reward for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the person responsible for his death and to support scholarships for Tom and Connie’s two daughters. Contributions can be made payable to the “Tom Farrell Trust Fund” and mailed to P.O. Box 20135, Roanoke, VA 24018, or taken to any Valley Bank branch.

A Special Thank You from the Staff

Thank you to the Early Learners’ parents who provided a wonderful lunch for our teachers on Conference Day, especially Jennifer Cleveland, William and Amanda Stowell, and Michelle Richardson.

CS Student Art Work on Display

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.

 

Information on the Virginia Prepaid Education Program

Information on the Virginia Prepaid Education Program (529 College Savings Plans) is available in the C.S. office on the shelf just inside the main door.

 

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.

 

POP Puppy Love Food Drive

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. 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 sue@communityschool.net.