GRAMMAR GAZETTE

Thursday, February 13, 2025

Dear Wonderful Nova Lower School Families,

As we step into February, we are well into the third quarter of the school year—a time of growth, learning, and new challenges. The winter months encourage perseverance, and our students continue to show dedication and enthusiasm in their learning.

This season brings fresh opportunities for students to build on their progress, explore new ideas, and strengthen their confidence as learners. Their curiosity and perseverance continue to inspire us every day.

Your dedication and partnership remain essential as we navigate the second half of the school year together. Whether through volunteering, attending events, or encouraging your child at home, your involvement helps make Nova a place where students thrive.

Please note the following upcoming events. We are especially excited about our Family Game Night, coming up in about a month on Friday, March 14! We need your help to make one of our biggest annual community events a success! Detailed information about Family Game Night (RSVPs, taco bar signup, volunteer opportunities) and other events can be found below in the newsletter.

• Friday, February 14: No School - Staff Work Day
• Monday, February 17: No School - Presidents' Day
• Tuesday, March 4: Virtue Assembly @ 9:15 PM
• Tuesday, March 4: Spirit Wear Day
• Friday, March 7: No School - Conferences
• Friday, March 14: Family Game Night

Be sure to read this month's Gazette to learn more about upcoming events and school information, and, as always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Warm Regards,

Ms. Tousignant

Nova Classical Academy has long recognized the value of Playworks’ strategies, dedicating a recess lead to support all recess supervisors and the Junior Coach program. With students enjoying two recesses daily, play is an essential part of our school’s commitment to building social skills, fostering positive relationships, and creating a supportive environment. Thanks to the leadership of Mr. Ellerd and the dedication of our recess EAs, Nova Classical has been recognized as a Playworks Blue Shirt School, an honor awarded to schools that go above and beyond to prioritize high-quality play and recess. This recognition highlights our team’s commitment to ensuring recess is well-planned, inclusive, and impactful for all students. We are grateful for the hard work of our recess team in making play a meaningful and enriching part of every student’s day—congratulations on this well-deserved recognition!

Every morning, a team of 5th graders prepares and presents our daily announcements. This month is Black History Month and I’d like to recognize Ms. Emily Hierlmaier for her dedication to enriching these announcements by guiding students in researching, preparing, and presenting about influential Black figures. Her efforts not only deepen our students’ understanding of history, but also help them develop confidence, leadership, and public speaking skills. Thanks to her commitment, our morning announcements have been both educational and inspiring. We truly appreciate the time and energy she has put into making Black History Month meaningful for our school community!

Students should be sent to school with the warmest outerwear possible. Per our policy, students enjoy outdoor recess as long as the temperature is 0°F or higher or -5°F or higher with wind chill. It is imperative that your child(ren) come to school with the appropriate gear —coat, hat, gloves, boots, snow pants, neck/face warmer, etc.— so that they may stay safe and warm while at play. Thank you for your help ensuring your child is warm when playing outdoors during recess!

Student Proxeny is seeking your assistance with our upcoming donation drive, which will benefit the Children's MN - St. Paul Hospital campus. Our goal is to collect 250 items, with stretch goals of 500 and 750 items to unlock additional rewards. The drive will run until February 28, and all items must be new (preferably with tags) to ensure the safety and comfort of patients and their families, and to minimize allergens.

We are collecting the following items:

• Art Supplies: markers, crayons, watercolors, coloring books, model magic clay, window markers, fuzzy posters, bracelet-making kits, etc.
• Travel-sized Toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, lotion, toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs, etc.
• Individually Packaged Snacks: granola bars, KIND bars, energy bars, fruit cups, applesauce pouches, shelf-stable yogurt pouches, Sun Chips, veggie straws, Goldfish, popcorn, Cheez-Its, mini cookie packs.
• Games/Other Activities: UNO, Jenga, Guess Who, Sorry, Monopoly, Connect 4, Yahtzee, regular decks of cards, jigsaw puzzles (3-100 pieces), Play-Doh and tools, putty, slime.

Please note: We are not accepting monetary donations.

Attention 5th Grade Families! Join us for the SoL Information Night, Thursday, February 20, 5:00-7:00 PM.

Please join us to learn more about the School of Logic at Nova Classical! Parents/guardians and students will take an academic tour and learn more about School of Logic classes, student supports, and student culture. There will also be a pizza dinner and a Q & A session with our School of Logic Senators. RSVP here!

We are so excited to welcome Opera for the Young to Nova again this year. Please join us on Wednesday, February 26, at 9:15 AM to see the show! A big thank you to NPTO for sponsoring this wonderful event! This year's performance will be The Magic Flute, and features the 4th Graders as the children's chorus.

Our Lower School Parent Advisory Council would like to invite you to a "Family Game Night" on Friday, March 14, from 5:30 PM-8:00 PM! It will include a potluck taco bar dinner, board games, gym games, bingo, and plenty of fun! NPTO will also be selling spirit wear and giving families an opportunity to sign up for the family directory.

We need your help to make this event a success! Please see this newsletter for links to RSVP, sign up for a taco bar item, and to volunteer!

On Thursday, April 10, 2025, from 5:30-7:30 PM, Nova’s NHS and Equity Team will be hosting the third annual Family Multicultural Night. As we plan for this night of celebration, there are several ways to get involved early.

Sign up to:

• Host a cultural booth
• Share a performance
• Make a monetary donation

Information about RSVPing, volunteering, and contributing to the potluck will be coming soon! Questions or concerns? Please reach out to equitycoordinator@novaclassical.org.

Give your kids a fun-filled break during their days off! SOS Days are packed with engaging activities in a safe, friendly space where they can create, play, and enjoy quality time with friends. Don’t miss out on the excitement! Click HERE to register your child(ren) now.

S.O.S. March 7, 2025 (F)

S.O.S. March 10 2025, (M)

Spring Break (Click HERE for our schedule of events and how to register):

S.O.S. March 28, 2025 (F)

S.O.S. March 31, 2025 (M)

S.O.S. April 1, 2025 (T)

S.O.S. April 2 2025, (W)

S.O.S. April 3, 2025 (TH)

S.O.S. April 4, 2025 (F)

S.O.S. April 18, 2025 (F)

S.O.S. May 23, 2025 (F)

Openings remain for the following spring clubs. Registration closes at 4:00 PM, Friday, February 14, 2025. Register here.

Astronomy Club: Grades 3-5

Writing Club: Grades 4-6

Kidcreate: Science Magic: Grades 3-5

Kidcreate: Scent-sational Art, Grades K-2

Volleyball 101 & 102 is open to girls in grades 3-6! Sessions are on Sundays from March 9-23. Registration is open now.

Summer athletic camp information coming in the next Gazette! Check out our Extracurriculars page for more details!

Libraries open doors for reading, research, and resources! Nova Classical Student IDs double as Library Cards again this year! Through our LibraryGo partnership with the St. Paul Public Library (SPPL), all students have active library cards that can be used to check out up to five (5) books and materials, and to access their online databases. Help your student use their account online or at checkout at one of the 14 SPPL branches.

• Account number: Nova Classical’s school number (2209190300) + (the scholar's 4-digit lunch PIN number)
• Password: Your child’s birthday written MMDDYY, for example, January 26, 2012 would be 01262012

If you have questions about this program, contact Ms. Gabor at vgabor@novaclassical.org.

NovaPTO is revving up for Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week (May 5-9) by collecting monetary donations and readying a crew of volunteers. Participating with NPTO in Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week is optional.

• Click here to donate money using the NPTO online store by selecting "Teacher/Staff Appreciation"
• Click here to sign up to volunteer.

Upcoming Events:

• Feb 14: All School Family Ski Day at Welch Village Ski Area 10:00 AM-4:00 PM. Tickets must be purchased through welchvillage.com. This is not a chaperoned event. Contact Matt Griffin matthew.daniel.griffin@gmail.com
• Feb 14: Chuck E. Cheese Gaming & Pizza Party 4:00 PM. Purchase tickets. Nova Grades K-8 with guardian.
• Mar 4: NPTO Zoom Meeting 7:30 PM (Meeting ID: 842 4045 9837 Passcode: enrich)
• Mar 12: Oula Dance Fitness With Ms. Tousignant 5:30 PM. Purchase tickets, Adults Only.

• Mar 14: Lower School FAMILY Game Night & Taco Bar 5:30-8:00 PM. Click here for volunteer spots.
• Mar 14: Favorite Things Party 7:00-9:30 PM Purchase Tickets Adults Only.
• Mar 22: Self Defense Class With Ms. Stella 2:30 PM Purchase Tickets Ages 10+. Adults welcome.
• Mar 22: *A tradition since the beginning* Nova Ladies Party 7:00-10:00 PM. Purchase Tickets Adults Only.

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

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. We need help to run our March 14 Family Game Night and for all the upcoming community events! Please contact Ms. Gabor, Community Engagement Manager, for any questions about volunteering or background checks.

Personalized labels through namebubbles.com or www.mabelslabels.com work great! The cost for a set of labels is usually less than replacing one lost item. If not using personalized labels, please write your scholar’s first name (or initial) & complete last name clearly on all items. There is often a designated “This Item Belongs To:” spot inside items for this purpose. When items are clearly labeled, we can get them back to your scholar quickly. If not, your scholar will need to look through the many items that end up in the Lost & Found.

Unlabeled uniform items may be difficult to reunite with their owners, because many items look alike and are often the same brand & size as one’s classmates. Thank you for helping us keep unlabeled, unclaimed Lost & Found items out of landfills!

February:

14: No School (Staff Professional Development Day)

17: No School (Building Closed)

24: Board of Directors Meeting at 6:00 PM

March:

4: NPTO Meeting from 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM (Zoom)

7: No School (K-12 Conferences and Staff Work Day)

10: No School (Staff Work Day)

14: Family Game Night (5:30 PM - 8:00 PM)

24: Board of Directors Meeting at 6:00 PM

28: No School (Staff Work Day)

31: No School (Building Closed)

April:

1-4: No School (Building Closed)

8: NPTO Meeting from 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM (Zoom)

10: Multicultural Night (5:30 PM - 7:30 PM)

18: No School (Staff Work Day)

28: Board of Directors Meeting at 6:00 PM

See Full Calendar

Athletics Calendar

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