NOVA NEWS - June 2025

Dear Nova Families and Community,

As the school year draws to a close, we’re reminded that Nova Classical Academy is more than a school. It’s a community. A place where students are challenged, encouraged, and called toward truth, beauty, and goodness. The lessons learned, the friendships built, and the virtue developed here don’t stay within these walls. They go with our students into what comes next. Whether your child just finished Kindergarten or crossed the graduation stage, know this: they belong here. And they always will.

This year has brought moments of growth, perseverance, and joyful discovery. Through it all, the support of our families, the dedication of our staff, and the resilience of our students have shaped a community we can all be proud to call home. Thank you for being part of this shared journey.

It's a Great Day to be a Knight!
Dr. Brett Wedlund

Are your students returning for the 2025-2026 school year? Please complete the Annual Update in the Infinite Campus Parent/Guardian Portal to confirm/update contact and transportation information.

If your students are not returning, please email enrollment@novaclassical.org to begin the withdrawal process. We sincerely appreciate notice if your family intends to withdraw, allowing us to create a smooth transition for the withdrawing student. This also helps us to provide offers to students on the waitlist who are hoping to come to Nova Classical in the coming year.

Click here to get ready for 2025-2026 with the new Supply Lists!

Check out our updated Uniform Policy for the 2025-2026 school year.

Our Annual Used Uniform Sale will be held on July 31, 2025, from 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM, in our Great Room, all pieces will be $3 each.

Donations of laundered, gently-used uniform pieces may be dropped off at the Main Office during the summer, Monday - Thursday, from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, through July 29. If your donations do not have tags, please indicate size(s) to help us correctly label and organize donations for the sale. All proceeds benefit Nova Classical's Uniform Assistance Program.

Volunteer to help. SoR students welcome!

Now is the time to check that you have all your winter gear, uniform items, and spring jackets. If you’re missing something, come and check the lost & found before the end of June. While you’re taking stock of your items, be sure they are clearly labeled with your child’s first & last name or their first initial & last name. Custom labels from Mabel’s Labels (mabels labels.com) or Name Bubbles (namebubbles.com) are super helpful in getting lost items back to your child.

Unclaimed lost & found items from March-May 2025 will be donated at the end of June 2025. Please note that Nova's summer hours are Monday-Thursday, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Please check in at the front office before heading to the lost and found, smaller items are in the main office.

Summer Camps are open for registration on the Extracurriculars page of the Nova Classical website. Don't miss out!

Offerings include strength and conditioning, volleyball, soccer, basketball and needlework.

Please visit our website to plan your cheering section and purchase tickets for home games and meets!

It is with much gratitude that we celebrate the retirements of Ms. Diane Ruday (Math, School of Grammar), and Ms. Ann Antus (Special Education).

We appreciate the significant contributions that they have made to Nova Classical's students, staff, and community throughout their time with us and we wish them the very best in their new adventures! We are thankful for the difference they have made in the lives of so many.

Today, we also celebrate our staff who have been with Nova Classical for more than 20 years! We are grateful for their contributions throughout our history and their continued commitment to our students, school, and community. These staff are (left to right) Mr. Rovn, Ms. Lund, Mr. Foat, Ms. Marchand, Mr. Long, Ms. Urbrock, and Ms. Anderson.

Our Boosterthon Spring Fundraiser exceeded our goal! With the help of our amazing community of supporters, we surpassed our goal and raised more than $61,000 for our General Fund. Thank you!!! If you already contributed to our goal, please consider asking your employer for a matching contribution. We are still accepting donations by check or through our website, novaclassical.org/support.

Special thanks to our Boosterthon T-Shirt Sponsors that helped us to provide fun spirit wear to ALL K-8 students with this year’s Fun Run and Color Run design: Blue Ribbon Cleaning, Dieci School Finance, Junebird Creative Branding and Marketing, CKC Good Food, and Donald’s Uniform Store.

Our Nova Rocketry crew—captain Michi Lang, Kenji Wang, and Thomas Huelskamp—took on the American Rocketry Challenge in Washington, D.C. and soared home with the coveted RTC “Most Innovative Approach to the Launch” Award! Proud doesn’t begin to cover it—these innovators aimed high and reached even higher. Way to represent Nova on the national stage!

Skyline Conference Champs! Way to go, Knights!

Nova Classical's Track & Field team won four events (two girls and two boys) in the Skyline Conference Championships held at St. Croix Prep Academy on May 13. Both the boys and girls teams finished in fifth place overall!

BOYS

• 4×100m Relay Skyline Champions – Cameron Rydberg, Thomas Huelskamp, Sean Borell & Tyg Butts

• 1600m Skyline Champion – Eli Andre

GIRLS

• 800m – Maria Odegard – NEW conference record!
• 3200m – Isabel Pass – NEW school & conference record!

Congratulations to rising junior, Evelyn Eller, who has been selected for the US State Department's prestigious Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad program. Through this program, she will spend the upcoming academic year in India, participating in a cultural exchange while continuing her high school studies. We are incredibly proud of Evelyn for embracing this exciting opportunity and representing our school and community abroad. We wish her a transformative year of learning, growth, and discovery!

Battle of the Books Champions!

Each year, sponsored by our authorizer Friends of Education, Nova Classical participates in Battle of the Books. Teams of students read a list of 12 books and participate in a "battle" in which they answer questions about the books. Our first round had 27 teams of students, and our top 10 teams advanced to Round 2, where they read a new set of 12 books. Our winners are a team of 4th graders, Isla, Vera, Josie, Amelia, Miko, and Jillian, who competed in the final Battle of the Books against 6 other teams. Nova has always been represented well at the final battle, but after 8 years of participation, a team from Nova Classical finally took home the trophy! Congratulations are in order for this team and all of their hard work and preparation!

Kudos to the fantastic cast and crew of for the Upper School Drama Production, James and the Giant Peach. This hilarious musical was not to be missed. Way to go to our amazing Upper School students and their director, Mr. Chase Adelsman (NCA Class of '13).

Thank You for Making the First Supernova Film & Music Festival a Stellar Success!

A heartfelt thank you to the families who helped bring the inaugural Supernova Film & Music Festival to life! Your time, creativity, and dedication made this unforgettable celebration of student talent possible. We’re also deeply grateful to all the students and families who shared their incredible talents with our community. Your passion and gifts lit up the night—thank you for inspiring us all!

Many thanks to our wonderful NPTO for helping our community celebrate and appreciate our amazing teachers and staff with a week of breakfast treats, lunches, and new this year, special drawings! Thanks to all who donated time and funds to put on this year's appreciation program. It was so appreciated! This year's awesome NPTO was led by this all-star board, to whom we are so thankful for all of the support and community building that you've provided all year long:

• Crystal Schuweiler,​ Chair
• ​Joshkin Sezer​, Vice-Chair
• ​Clint Hoberg​, Secretary​
• ​Andrea Wright​, Treasurer

Parents and Community Members:

Apply to become an active volunteer to help support our scholars and school community! Click here to view the always-current list of opportunities and links to sign up.

Our next event is the July 31, 2025, Used Uniform Sale. Volunteers who help organize and run the sale have first dibs on the items for purchase. Sign up to help here.

Please contact Ms. Gabor, Community Engagement Manager, for any questions about volunteering or background checks.

SoR Volunteering Network:

Our School of Rhetoric Students (Grades 9-12) are required to log 80 hours of community service to graduate. Please help us connect our students with opportunities in the community. Please contact Ms. Voelker, School Counselor, Grades 8-12, with questions or ideas.

Highlights from the May 19 Nova Classical Board Meeting:

1. Nova awarded the Nova Classical Spotlight Award to Nova’s Varsity Boys Basketball Head Coach John Carrier. Coach Carrier goes beyond coaching by working hard to instill Nova Classical’s core values in his players and modeling them himself. He connects with his players on and off the court and strives to include more players by leading developmental camps and practices for younger students. His players learn life lessons and achieve high standards thanks to his dedication, leadership, and mentorship.

2. There was discussion about Playworks, the contract recess program used in the Lower School. In reviewing the contract for next school year, Board members discussed what the program adds to Nova Classical including leadership opportunities for 4th and 5th graders, consistent training for recess paraprofessionals, and reinforcing problem-solving skills for students. Expressed concerns included making recess too structured, creating a hierarchy with the leadership opportunities, and spending funds in an area that Nova Classical staff could do themselves. The Board approved the contracted services agreement with Playworks for FY26.

3. The Board had a second review on the FY26 budget before approving it.

4. The Board also had a second review of the Student Handbook before approving it.

5. The Board approved the Licensed Instructional Staff Evaluation Handbook.

6. The Board appointed Colleen Hansen and Lisa Gomez to fill the Parent Seats that will be vacated at the end of the school year for terms to begin July 1, 2025, and end June 30, 2026.

The next regular Board meeting will be on Monday, June 23, 2025.

For meeting minutes and agendas for upcoming meetings, visit the Board section of Nova Classical's website.

A HUGE thank you to all of the people who donated time, goods, and money to the Teacher & Staff Appreciation! It was a huge success!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: We are looking for helpers. Single event, short term and long term roles available. Check out more here.

Upcoming Events:

• July 17: Historic Hill Party and Walking Tour purchase tickets. Adults Only.

• July 31: Spirit Wear for Sale at Used Uniform Sale from 4:00 - 7:00 PM

SAVE THE DATE:

• 2025 Great Gatherings Kickoff Party Saturday September 27, 2025
• 2025 Nova Family Carnival is Saturday November 8, 2025

Follow NPTO on Facebook, sign up to volunteer, or visit our website for more information and get in touch with Nova Classical families when you sign up for the Family Directory!

June:

4: Last Day of School

19: Building Closed (Observed Holiday)

July:

1-7: Building Closed (Observed Holiday)

31: Used Uniform Sale

August:

11: New to Nova Students Orientation (grades 1-12) 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM

20: Upper School Open House, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

21: Lower School Open House, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

25: 1st Day of School for grades 1-12

27: 1st Day of School for Kindergarten

September:

26: Homecoming Parade

27: Great Gathering Kick-off Event (Adult-only, Alumni Invited)

October:

15: Grandparent & Special Person Day

Summer Office Hours:

June 9-August 8: Monday-Thursday, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Offices will closed on Fridays

Did you know that you can follow Nova Classical Academy on social media? Stay in the loop by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube!

Did You Know You Can Contribute to Nova News & Social Media?

We invite our community members and students to share their stories, achievements, and upcoming events for a chance to be featured in Nova News and/or Social Media! Whether it's highlighting a student group, activity, or special event, we welcome your submissions.

To ensure a smooth process, we've developed some guidelines for coaches, advisors, teachers, staff, students, and parent volunteers. These guidelines are designed to help streamline submissions and ensure we capture the best of what Nova Classical has to offer.

Please see the attached guidelines for more details on how to submit your items. Remember, you can also have your events or activities considered for our social media channels by emailing them to socialmedia@novaclassical.org and contact@novaclassical.org.

We look forward to showcasing the amazing things happening in our community!