Community Newsletter December 2000

December Parent/Board Meetings
There is no parent meeting this month due to the holidays. Our monthly Board Meeting, however, will take place on Thursday, December 21, at 7:00 p.m. in Mark's classroom. All community members are invited and encouraged to attend this meeting.

"Newer" Parent Meeting - December 14 at 7:00 p.m.
The meeting will include a presentation of our programs followed by an opportunity for discussion and questions/answers. This is a chance for 1st year CLC parents to come together to meet each other, get more information and address concerns. If any "veteran" CLC parents would like to participate in this evening as a voice of experience, please contact M.J. or Theresa as soon as possible.

Knowledge Masters
The first nationwide Knowledge Masters Open of the year was held on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Congratulations to our CLC team on their success. The team, consisting of John L. (Team 2), Eric D. (Team 2), Stephen C. (Team 2), Michael P. (Team 4), Adam L. (Team 2), and Nicholas R. (a homeschooled member of our team) did a phenomenal job. They participated in a grueling 2 hour, 200 question competition, testing their knowledge, comprehension, and analysis skills in academic areas including history, civics, science, math, the arts, English, health and more. Their total score was 1383 points out of a possible 2000. This placed them 18th out of 76 middle school teams in the state of Pennsylvania and 125th out of 957 in the country. (This does not take into account school sizes.) Not only did the kids do a great job academically, they were incredible in working together as a team; talking through the questions and answers, listening to each others ideas, encouraging and congratulating each other, and not placing blame for incorrect answers. Their team work was just as, if not more, impressive than their score and ranking, especially for a new team. They are looking forward to continuing to work with Diane over the next several months as they prepare for the April competition, strengthening their knowledge base and continuing to build their teamwork skills. We would again like to thank Adelphia Business Solutions for their decision to sponsor our team.

Humanity and the Environment Project.
Thank you to parents who responded and sent in magazines for Team 1's project. As part of this project, the students have built a water filtration system for their classroom with the help of three PSU students from the EcoAction Club. You are all invited to come in and see the Living Machine in Josephine's classroom.
Team 1 is now looking for some parents who like to walk in the cold: they are planning several walking field trips. The first one is Tue. 12/12 to the PSU greenhouse to see their Living Machines in operation. Please contact Josephine or Sara B. or M.J. if you are interested in volunteering.

Online Magazine
The Fall 2000 edition of the CLC Online Magazine is online and ready for your reading enjoyment! The link can be found on the CLC web site. Included in this issue are book reviews, stories, poetry, artwork, and nonfiction.

Scholastic Book Orders
The orders are due on Wednesday, 12/13. Families should note on the order form if the purchases are for holiday gifts for their children.

Lasagna Dinner
Congratulations to Ana and Kathryn from Team 1 for organizing a very successful lasagna dinner to benefit the Heifer Project. The students prepared and served a lasagna dinner, complete with bread, salad, and dessert, on Wednesday, Dec. 6, to 70 guests in the UBBC Community Room. The students raised $220.00 for the Heifer Project! Thanks to the many students, parents and teachers who volunteered to help Ana and Kathryn in this effort: Jared and Ellis from team 1; Desirae, Katie B., Adam L. (plus Hannah, Jessi and dad), and David from Team 2; Ebinose, Luke (and dad), and Neal from Team 4; Kathryn's mom, dad, and sister; Ana's sister; Denise, Mark, Jalynn and M.J. Also, thank you to the folks you participated by attending the dinner as guests. It was a huge success!

Winter Break
There is no school from Monday, December 25, through Monday, January 1. Students do have a full day of school on Friday, December 22.

Snow Days
Just a reminder that we follow the State College School District's decision on school closings due to weather conditions. If State College is closed, we're closed. The closings are usually broadcast on the local radio stations and on Channel 4 on T.V. For Bellefonte, Bald Eagle and Penns Valley students, your transportation is dictated by the individual district's decision to close or start late/dismiss early. If Bald Eagle has a 2 hour delay, but State College is on time, your Bald Eagle bus will run on the Bald Eagle schedule, two hours late. If Penns Valley is open, but State College is closed, CLC will be closed. Does all of this make sense?

Cold Weather Clothing
A reminder to make sure your children are appropriately dressed for the cold weather when they leave the house in the morning. We do take students outside for recess and after school throughout the winter. Also, please remember to write their name on the tag of their jackets, gloves, hats, etc. so that when these items are left behind in the big room (and, inevitably, they will be at some point this winter) they can be returned to your child.