newsletters.htm
Community Newsletter
March 2001
March Parent/Board Meetings
This month's parent meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 22, in the Community Room in the University Baptist and Brethren Church building on W. Nittany. The focus of the meeting will be a discussion of the acquisition of a new facility for the CLC. We will also incorporate some informal social time at the end of the meeting. If you are willing to bring cookies or brownies to share, please let M.J. know before Wed., 3/21. Our monthly board meeting will immediately follow at 8:30 in Glenn's classroom.
(For more information on the new facility, please read the orange insert in this Friday's mail folder.)

2001-2002 School Year - Spring Open Houses & the "Lottery"
Our lottery for new applicants for the 2001-2002 school year will be held on Monday, April 30. We anticipate accepting a new class of 25 students in grades 5 & 6, as well as filling in openings in our upper grades*. We will hold 2 open houses this spring for families interested in Fall 2001 enrollment.
Tuesday, April 17, at 7 p.m. - Focus: Girls and Technology
Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. - General Information Session
*In today's Friday folder is a yellow form you, as current CLC parents, will need to fill out and return by March 26. This information will help us to plan for our lottery as we work toward having full enrollment for the 2001-2002 school year.

Children's Literature Matters Conference
The Children's Literature Matters Conference is an annual conference for teachers, librarians, parents, aspiring authors, and others who help children discover the joys of reading. For the past two years, CLC students have participated in the conference by presenting a session on "What Middle School Students are Reading."
Penn State Department of Education professor Daniel Hade generously allows our students to borrow over 80 newly published young adult texts. Students read, discuss, and review these books in preparation for the conference.
CLC students' performances and book reviews are extremely valuable to the adults who attend the conference. The students enjoy having their opinions heard, along with the opportunity to meet and speak with authors and illustrators of their favorite books. This year's featured authors include two-time Newbery Award winner Lois Lowry, Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Jules Feiffer, and Jean Craighead George, also a Newbery winner.
Our students are scheduled to present on Friday, April 6 at 2:30 PM. Parents are invited to observe the participating CLC students at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel!
For more information about the conference, visit their WWW site at: www.outreach.psu.edu/C&I/childrensliterature/

Standardized Test Schedule
Students will begin taking a series of standardized tests later this month. Students in grades 5 and 8 will start with the PSSA's during the week of March 26. 5th and 6th graders will take the SCASD Math Thinking Test April 10-24. CAT V tests for all grade levels will begin April 23. We will post a comprehensive test schedule on our web site later this month.

Staff Appreciation Lunch Thank You
We want to extend our thanks to all of our chefs for March: Kim Hinojosa(veggie lasagna), Spiro Stefano(spinach salad), Sally Driscoll(bread), Robin Haynes(brownies). Also, thank you to Katy Cleary, Ingrid Colt and Vonda Yoder who covered the classrooms during lunch so that all the teachers could sit down together and enjoy this wonderful treat.

Art Block Update
Our next section of art classes began on Thursday, March 15. This 6-week block includes Photography, Cooking, Drama, Sculpting, and Paper making. An exhibit day will be held April 19 so parents can see all of the cool things happening in our new and improved art program.

Boxtops For Education
Ingrid Colt (Justin - team 1 & Laura - team 3) has volunteered to organize and submit our General Mills boxtops, a ongoing fundraising effort. If you have any Gen. Mills products at home and would like to donate the boxtop to CLC, please send them into school with your child before March 23.

Wish List
-MICROWAVES! (lunch gets crazy when most of the 100 students and staff want to microwave their lunches between 12 and 12:30!)
-Blender for paper making class
-35 mm cameras
- magazines

Calendar

March 15

New Arts Block classes begin

March 22

Parent Meeting - 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room - UBBC
Board Meeting - 8:30 p.m. in Glenn's classroom

March 23-24

PA. Charter School Conference at the Mt. Nittany Middle School

April 6

Children's Literature Matters Conference at The Penn Stater
(CLC student presentation at 2:30)

April 13

NO SCHOOL for students / Staff Development Day

April 17

Open House for new students - 7:00 p.m. Focus: Girls and Technology

April 19

Open House for new students - 7:00 p.m. - General Information Session

April 19

Art Block Exhibitions - 2:00 p.m.

April 20

NO SCHOOL for students / Staff Development Day