As always, you are invited to stay for the Board Meeting immediately following every Parent Meeting.

2000-2001 Budget Proposal

We hope to present the proposed budget for next school year to our school board at the April 27th meeting. If you are interested in the having input into the budget process please plan on attending this board meeting.

As we grow, the need for full-time, on-site attention to the day to day business of running the school becomes more apparent. MJ's presence has certainly been a huge help in this regard. Now we are poised to take another step toward putting in place an administrative system that will make the operation of the school more effective. Josephine has already taken on some "leadership" tasks and will (probably sooner than later) officially step into the position of Chief Academic Officer. Kyle Peck will remain an important member of our school commmunity in a newly created role that will allow him to continue to support our long-term growth and development. We are working to make this transtion a smooth one; be assured that we are keeping the students' needs foremost in our discussions and decisions.

As I reported last month, Bob Zook, our most recent parent board member, was transferred to Pittsburgh. As a result, we need a new parent representative. We have been accepting nominations for several weeks and are ready to take a vote. The nominees are Liz Kisenwether, Lauri Perman, Harry Freeman, and Giles Driscoll.
You will find a ballot in the "mail" envelope that should be filled out and returned to school by next Wednesday, April 26. Each parent has a vote. Thanks to all the nominees for agreeing to run. We plan to announce the results at the parent meeting on Thursday night.

Oh, Timbalo! That's the cheer sounded by Brian Hassel, one of the keynote speakers at the Charter School Conference April 7 and 8. Most of the CLC faculty attended the 2 day conference, which aimed to bring together participants representing the many voices in the charter school movement. It became apparent that here at CLC we are doing amazing things. Every time a speaker recommended a course of action or celebrated a success observed at a charter school somewhere around the country, we were able to pat ourselves on the back. We do it already! We were reminded to celebrate --Oh, Timbalo! Congratulations to every member of the CLC community!

Our plan is to leave CLC at 5:00 a.m. on Monday, June 5 for our trip to Washington, D.C. We will be dropped off on the Mall and spend the day exploring the area and museums. We expect to return to CLC around 11:00 p.m. that evening. We're excited that so many of you have volunteered to chaparone the trip. Our 2 chartered buses will hold a total of 94 passengers and, at this point we are at our capacity. If you are still interested in joining us but have not signed up yet, don't despair! You're welcome to drive you own car and follow us. (Parking will be your responsibility.) Please call the office if you're still interested.

Once again, the kids from CLC were a rounding success at the Children's Literature Matters conference. Michelle R, Sarah F, Jared, Kim, Nazri, Ana, Adam, Dane, Fahmi, Kathryn, Kate and Katie, with special assistance from Jessi and Hannah spoke to a standing-room only crowd about new books for middle school students. Check out the special conference edition of the ClC Cool Kids On-Line Mag for written reviews. We are very proud of our skillful readers and conference presenters!

Unlike traditional schools, CLC does not schedule Parent Conferences at specific times during the year. Our goal is to have on-going communication with you about your child's progress throughout the year through project assessments, email, phone calls, informal meetings, etc. If you would like to set up a specific meeting with your child's teachers, please, please, please, call M.J. in the office and schedule an appointment with us. We are all very busy, but we are committed to this issue.

What's Happening and When...

April 20 - Informational Meeting

April 21 - No School (inservice)

April 24 - Project Rotation

April 27 - Parent & Board Meetings

April 28 - Application Deadline for new students & 1st Lottery

May 5 - Senator Corman will be visiting the school as part of the "Legislative Process" project

May 19 - May Newsletter

May 25 - Parent & Board Meetings

May 29 - No School (Memorial Holiday)

June 5 - School Trip to D.C.

June 7 - Last day of school

**I'll update this calendar in each newsletter and on the web site

Student Absences

Another reminder to please send in a written excuse for your child's absence from school. If you choose to email us an excuse, please send it to your child's home team teacher instead of to the office. Our daily attendance records are kept by the teachers.

We have received many brochures and flyers announcing various summer camp opportunities for CLC students. Below is a list of possibilities for you to explore.

Summer Art Camps 2000 - Creative Oasis
Summer Art Camps 2000 - Art Alliance
One World Environmental Center
Shaver's Creek Environmental Center
Nittany Science Camp for Girls - PSU
Girl Scout Engineering Day Camp - PSU
Shorts & Sports - SCASD Comm. Ed

If you are interested in any of these, please let me know and I can give you more information.

The rocket club is off to a flying start! There are over 15 members of the club who have been meeting for the past three weeks to work on their rockets. The last three meetings for the spring will be April 27, May 4 and 11. The Spring Launch Date is set for Saturday, May 13 from 10 a.m. until noon (site to be announced).

National "Turn-off the TV" Week

I'm not even kidding about this one! It really is April 24-30. Challenge your child (and yourself) to go all week without tuning the TV on. Set a goal, plan a reward, and celebrate their success!

May 25th - PreadolescentDevelopment: What to Expect and How to Cope

Guest speakers: Katherine Genovese and Mark McCann, Vice President of Program and Program Director of The Second Mile

Application deadline for new families is April 28. Remember that current CLC siblings have priority placement, but I need to have confirmation of enrollment for next year by the April 28 deadline, so we know how many openings we have to fill.The first (and perhaps the only) Lottery will be held April 28 at 5:00