Compass Connections

• Intramurals- Monday, October 23, 3:55-4:55 pm (Gym)
• Compass Cares (Community Service Club)- Tuesday, October 24, 3:55-4:55 pm (Rm. 142)
• PSAT/NMSQT MAKE-UP TESTING DAY AT COMPASS- Wednesday, October 25, 9:45 am
  
• Manufacturing Month Field Trip- Wednesday, October 25, 9:00 am-12:30 pm
• Coffee & Chocolate Seminar Field Trip- Wednesday, October 25, 9:30 am-12:30 pm
• Culinary Club- Thursday, October 26, 3:55-4:55 pm (Rm. 143)
• MANUFACTURING MONTH PANEL- Thursday, October 26, 6:00-7:30 pm (Rm. 140)
• Picture Retake Day- Monday, October 30, 10:00-11:30 am (Rm. 140)

THERE WILL BE AN ACTIVITY BUS TO PICK STUDENTS UP AT COMPASS ON TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS AT 4:55 PM IN ORDER TO PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION TO STUDENTS WHO MAY NEED IT AFTER CLUB MEETINGS. The bus will drop students at D303 elementary schools.

For the upcoming clubs & activities meeting schedule, follow this link.

We are proud of the work our students are doing and want to commend those who have been working to meet their goals and contribute to the school and larger community. Starting this year, each quarter, Compass Academy staff will nominate one student (per staff member) for recognition who has demonstrated outstanding effort in one or more of the areas addressed in our "Directions to Success": navigating challenges, embracing opportunities for growth, seeking knowledge, and welcoming others and ideas.

In order to accommodate students' varied schedules on Wednesdays, including those who have classes at East or North and those who participate in athletics or other extra-curriculars at the comprehensive high schools, this celebration will be held at the end of each quarter on a Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. Parents will be invited to attend a brief ceremony with light refreshments where students will be celebrated for their success.

The first "Navigation Celebration" will take place on Wednesday, November 8th, at 2:00 p.m. in the community room (Rm. 140). The first quarter awardees and their parents will be notified this Monday when invitations to the event are sent out.

Our Student Showcase & Open House, which was planned and coordinated in a joint effort between Compass Academy Student Leaders and the Compass Parent Advisory Committee (CPAC), was a huge success! The food truck and raffle prizes were popular among all attendees, and the event garnered a great deal of positive exposure to Compass for community members while offering a fun evening to Compass students and families and raising funds for Compass student activities. Thanks to everyone who helped put this event together and to those who attended!

Join the Compass Academy Parents' Facebook group! This group will keep you informed about upcoming Parent Advisory Committee (CPAC) meetings, and school and community events. This is a private group open only to Compass parents, staff members, and students.

Because we are a competency-based school, Compass Academy uses a transcript called the Mastery Learning Record, along with a student's transcript from East or North, to document students' learning. This transcript best captures the skills and abilities of our students' competency-based education.

Each year, the Mastery Transcript Consortium (MTC) hosts an online college fair where students can learn about different colleges across the U.S. This year, the MTC College Fair will be held Thursday, October 26th from 5:00-7:45 pm CT. This fair is free of charge. To participate, register HERE (note-- the times on the sign-up are Eastern time).

A lot of students wonder: why is it important to attend college fairs or to meet with college representatives?

• Just like our students at Compass are each unique and different in their individual interests and strengths, colleges and universities offer a wide variety of different settings, programs, and opportunities for students. When Compass students learn about the variety of campuses, schools, and programs available, they more easily identify the attributes they're looking for in the colleges to which they will ultimately apply.
• The college admissions representatives that visit Compass are often part of the group that assesses college applications and makes admissions decisions for applicants. They are great resources of knowledge about both the university AND the application process. To know them personally can save students a lot stress when application season comes around.

STUDENTS MAY COMPLETE THEIR LUNCH ORDER FOR THE WEEK BY CLICKING THE BOX ABOVE AND MAKING THEIR SELECTION BY 10:00 A.M. MONDAY MORNING.

Compass Academy students pre-order their lunch, so if your student plans to order lunch, please have them complete this form. Students are always welcome to bring food from home, if they prefer. If your student may qualify for free or reduced lunch, please complete this form or have them get a paper copy of the form from the Compass office.

Important information for students who are interested in taking an AP exam but are not enrolled in the corresponding AP course:

Students wishing to take any AP exams for classes in which they are not enrolled must register and pay for the exam no later than Friday, November 10. The fee is $98 per exam and is non-refundable after November 10.

Students who are interested in this option should meet with Ms. Ohlson before October 13th to discuss next steps.

• Career Pathways Night, 11/15, 6:00 pm, Compass Academy Community Room
  
• Future College Athlete Night, November 8, 6:30 pm, SCN Auditorium
• Early College Credit Information Night, November 29, 6:30 pm, SCN Auditorium

Are you interested in learning about the various career options available in St. Charles? Through the city's career pathway job shadow program, Compass students can shadow people in many career fields, including office administration, communications, accounting, firefighting, government, law enforcement, construction, forestry, water management, and vehicle maintenance. Students who participate in job shadowing on Wednesdays, and then write reflections about their experiences, have the opportunity to earn credit for career exploration.

Students may register for these opportunities by scanning the QR code on the bulletin board in the academic hallway or by getting a paper copy of the form from Ms. Ohlson. If students have questions, they should view the video shown in advisory, which outlines everything they need to know about this opportunity, or make an appointment with Ms. Ohlson, the Compass counselor.

Contact Ms. Ohlson this week if you are interested in attending this career exploration opportunity.

PowerForward DuPage will be hosting the 2023 DuPage County Trade Apprenticeship Expo on Wednesday, November 1st from 3:30pm – 6:30pm. The event features interactive, hands-on demonstrations by the county’s building trade organizations as well as opportunities to meet with instructors to learn more about each individual trade apprenticeship program.

“This is our annual opportunity to open the doors and invite students, parents, guidance counselors, and teachers in to learn what each trade is about and more importantly, outline the career potential that exists outside of the traditional collegiate path,” said PowerForward DuPage Executive Director Karyn Charvat. The expo started in 2018 when Charvat noticed a gap forming in the construction trade industries. It is held at the IBEW Local 701 Union Hall, home to PowerForward DuPage. The expo is free to attend but requires online registration. Register HERE!

Watch our Expo Video!

Location:

IBEW Local 701 Union Hall

28600 Bella Vista Parkway

Warrenville, IL 60555

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) provides more than 1,000 scholarships for U.S. high school students to study abroad for a few weeks, summer, or an academic year in more than 25 countries. These exchange programs prepare young Americans to succeed in the 21st century’s global economy by developing foreign language skills, increasing cross-cultural understanding, strengthening confidence and leadership capacity, and fostering new academic insights and ambitions.

Applications are now being received for the following scholarship programs.

Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX): Live with a host family and attend high school in Germany.

Application Deadline: November 1, 2023

Length: Academic Year

Future Leaders Exchange Abroad (FLEX Abroad): Live with a host family and attend high school in Georgia, Kazakhstan, or Poland

Application Deadline: December 6, 2023

Length: Academic Year

Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Abroad (YES Abroad): Live with a host family and attend high school in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, or Europe

Application Deadline: December 6, 2023

Length: Academic Year

National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y): Immerse yourself in Arabic, Indonesian, Mandarin, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian, or Turkish language learning

Application Deadline: November 2, 2023

Length: Six-seven weeks in summer or Academic Year

Youth Ambassadors: Learn about civic education and develop leadership skills in the Caribbean and South or Central America

Application Deadline: November 13, 2023

Length: Two-three weeks in summer

Programs cover international airfare, tuition, program costs, meals, and living accommodations (often with a host family), among other things. There are no language prerequisites, except for select Youth Ambassadors programs. Applicants must be between the ages of 15 and 18.5 when the program starts. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs strives to represent the diversity of the U.S. and societies abroad in its programs.

Another way to bring the world to your home or classroom is by hosting an international exchange student. Almost 2,000 high school students representing over 50 countries participate in highly competitive U.S. State Department programs to study in the United States each academic year on the CBYX, FLEX, and YES programs.

For more information please visit https://exchanges.state.gov/highschool and hosting.state.gov.

Sharon Stanley, Director

Email: sharon.stanley@d303.org
Website: https://compassacademy.d303.org/
Location: Compass Academy, South 9th Street, St. Charles, IL, USA
Phone: (331)228-3400
Twitter: @CompassD303