Not Getting Emails? Here is one with quite a bit of information.

A few notes to keep you date about the goings on around school. First, NO SCHOOL NOVEMBER 10, 11, or the 22nd to the 26th.

Also:
NOVEMBER 5th and ASSESSMENT DAYS
NEXT SERVICE DAY, NOVEMBER 19th
PG / PG13 MOVIES
CAMPOUT
NEXT CAMPOUT
MIDTERM AND MIDTERM CONFERENCES
TRILLIUM CLEAN UP

November 5th, Assessment Days: (Hopefully your students gave you the "Friday Experience" calendar I sent home)
Middle School Assessment Fridays will be the first Friday of every month. We will be focusing on two grade levels at a time to help improve test readiness, reduce frustration for testing students, and provide the most peaceful constructive testing and work sample environment. Students will be tutored, tested, or participating in work sample opportunities.

Whichever grade level that is not being focused upon will have an "option" day. They will have the option of staying home or coming to school and being engaged in some out of the school experience. The High School is using both of the first Friday's for Testing and Work Samples. We will be using all of the first Friday and some if not all of the second Friday. This will happen in rotation.

November 5th will be optional for the 6th graders to attend. If they do come they should be ready for a hike.
December 3rd will be an optional day for 7th graders.
December 10th will be the day for middle schoolers will be doing speech work samples and then going on a field trip.
January 7th is an optional day for 8th graders.

We should have more data after midterm. We will use that information to go forward.

PG / PG13 Movies
Among the many things we did today (Friday) we did watch a movie. I had suggested a scavenger hunt at Penninsula Park, a photo contest, a scary halloween drawing contest, but the movie idea was the one they went with. The students suggested and voted to watch Karate Kid. The students told me it was PG. I got to Videorama and it turns out the movie is rated PG13. I have not spoken to you all about movie rating preferences for you and your student. Therefore I found a PG movie which the kids were appalled by. Regardless, they made it through. We also conducted RPGs, folded origami, wrote poems, worked on creating internet games, or whatever other activities we could fit in to our busy day.

I'll be hoping to have conversations with you all about it soon. Meanwhile I will hope to sell the students to he idea of a scavenger hunt next week.

CAMPOUT
Thanks for all the help. That was the best campout EVER! We had amazing chaperones. Much thanks for all the cooks, the chaperones, the drivers, and the weather. I enjoyed getting to know the students more. Watching them have fun, playing kickball, and

NEXT CAMPOUT
May 25, 26, and 27. Please save the date. We'll need drivers, chaperones, and s'more makers!

MIDTERM AND MIDTERM CONFERENCES
Midterm is November 10th. Soon to follow there will be progress reports mailed to you soon after. Conferences will be soon after that.

Service Friday on November the 19th
Our next Service Friday will be November 19th. The middle school will need several drivers. Our service Fridays include such services as Ivy pulls, Native plant restoration in Oaks Bottom, trips to shelters, services to help the needy.

Trillium Clean Up:
I apologize if you have already received this information. The Trillium Family would like to invite anyone and everyone to help make our outside space a little more clean and tidy before the torrential rains of winter are steadily upon us. We've picked Sunday, November 7 from 9-1 to be that day. We will have lunch and celebrate our days hard work at 12:30. Here's our list of items to accomplish:

* Remove all debris left over from the past Village Building Convergence.
* Move the extra dirt (in the humungo white bags) to the East side of the school, as they'll be used for planter boxes in the Spring.
* Remove the green strips from the green fence (the whole darn thing will be taken down eventually...this is just to tide us over.)
* Install the bike racks/parking on the Maryland side of the school.
* Finishing plastering The Wall.

Our advising has created a wonderful community for each other. I am truly honored to be witness to the group.

Thank you for all your support, Nina