Dear Parents,

Mrs. Parker and I are so excited to announce that we will be directing the 5th-7th graders in Beauty and the Beast as our Spring musical this year! 

The performance date has not yet been set, but our audition date is  Monday, November 27 right after school. The auditions will take place in Room 20, and there will be a sign-up list in the next week or so. The students should sign-up for a time slot and be waiting in the middle school hallway at least ten minutes before their audition time. Supervision will be provided for the students while they wait.

The audition will consist of some vocal exercises (so that we can hear the students' vocal capabilities), some expressive reading from the script itself, and a song that they have prepared. The script reading will be impromptu and no preparation is necessary. 

The song can be anything from Mozart to "Happy Birthday." No need to overthink  it. I just want to see and hear how they prepare music. It does help if the piece is similar to something they will sing in the production (or something from the actual show). For instance, if they are auditioning for Mrs. Potts, it would be helpful if they sang "Tale as Old as Time." However, I want them to feel as comfortable with the audition as possible, so if it is a Taylor Swift song, so be it. 

Once the students are cast, we will provide scripts and rehearsal tracks for the lead roles, and they will be expected to learn their main musical pieces by the end of Winter break. The exact requirements will be stipulated after the auditions. Students will also be expected to begin learning their lines so that when we come back in January, we are shaping artistry, and they can be off book as much as possible. 

If your student cannot make this date, please email me and we will make other arrangements. Rehearsals will take place on Mondays and perhaps Thursdays after school. I would like the rehearsals to run from  3:45pm-5:15pm. These are tentative times because I need to nail down my own availability before I set things in stone. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns! I can't wait to hear their auditions!

Dear World Compass Family,

We have so much to celebrate this Fall! Tomorrow, we are breaking ground on our new middle school expansion. This building will almost double our current square footage, adding a dedicated cafeteria, art room (with attached kiln space), music room, instrument storage, science lab, additional office space, 18 classrooms, and a conference room. Please consider joining us for this historic event!

Our sixth grade participated in their annual outdoor education trip this past week. Students traveled to Larkspur where they spent three days and two nights at the Stone Canyon outdoor camp. Students were able to participate in basic survival training, team building activities, a high ropes course, an astrology night hike, and forest and freshwater ecology classes, all while building a strong sense of community with teachers and peers.  

Our Mandarin students began oral presentations this past Monday. I was able to attend to hear some of our students present and was impressed by the quality presentations. If you have students presenting this week, please join us!

Our boys' basketball season is underway, and they are working hard and growing as a team. Please come out and cheer them on! 

As construction begins, we appreciate your cooperation in helping us keep everyone safe. Students will continue to have outdoor recess during construction (weather permitting). Thank you to all the students, parents, and teachers who build our community everyday!

Sincerely,

Bethany Merkling

Middle School Director

if practical, represents the business community. "Community" is defined broadly to mean lives or owns a business in Douglas County, and is not a relative of or a legal guardian of a student attending the school they represent.

If you know of someone in our community who would be interested in this volunteer position, please have them check out what the SAC is all about on our website and write a letter to the SAC telling us why they think they are a good fit for the position. The letter should be sent to World Compass Academy ATTN: SAC,  2490 S. Perry St, Castle Rock, CO 80104, postmarked by November 10. The committee will go over any letters received at our next meeting on  November 13 at 2:45pm and will notify the selected person by November 15. For questions, please email the SAC.