The Herald

Dear Nova Classical Academy Upper School Families,

As winter break approaches, we want to take a moment to celebrate the hard work and dedication of our students, staff, and families throughout the first part of the school year. The effort, growth, and energy our students bring to each day inspire us, and the commitment from our families and staff has been nothing short of remarkable.

A special thank you to our NPTO for adding a festive touch to the season with today’s delightful winter treats. As we prepare to enjoy Winter Break, wishing you all a relaxing winter break! May this time be filled with moments of rest, laughter and joy!

Warmest regards,

Mrs. Paschall

Important Dates:

• Monday, December 23-Friday, January 3: No School, Winter Break
• School resumes, Monday, January 6, 2025
• Thursday, January 16, End of Quarter 2/Semester 1
• Friday, January 17, No School/Staff Work Day
• Monday, January 20, No School

Please review this month's Herald for information on upcoming events and school updates. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.

In this section, senior Alannah Brooks reflects on the valuable real-world experiences gained through volunteering and the connections built through opportunities both within the school and in the broader community.

"At Nova, many volunteer opportunities allow students to connect with the Lower School and the outside community. Volunteering at the Enrollment Information Night, the Nova Carnival and Graduation has furthered my communication skills, allowing me real-world experience using the many rhetorical techniques I’ve learned at Nova. I also worked to find volunteer opportunities outside of school. For example, this summer, I volunteered at my dance studio, assisting in 3 classes a week. This experience helped me grow in wisdom as I gained a deeper understanding of how to work with children in this setting. It also allowed me to see myself doing this work in the future. Through Nova’s volunteer requirement, students can find work that supports their community and volunteer in a field that interests them." ~Alannah Brooks, Nova Classical Academy, Class of 2025

We are honored to celebrate these students for their achievements:

November Students of the Month

• James Hayton (7), Samantha Knorr (9), Riley Rodriguez (9), James Garske, (11), Ruben Mendez (11), Preston Yang (11), and Silas Cole (12)
• Congratulations to Aarti Prochnow for being selected by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation to compete for a special scholarship sponsored by 3M.

Extracurriculars

Kudos to Mason Engelking, scoring 1,000 high school career points basketball. Mason is just the fourth player in our basketball program's history to reach this incredible milestone!

Hats off to Nova Classical Robotics! Both of our robotics teams are heading to the MN State First Tech Challenge (FTC) Competition.

• Team Tempest #6699 played in the final match and earned the 3rd place Inspire Award, one of the highest honors in robotics tournaments.
• Team Argonauts #13076 was recognized with the Connect and Promote Awards for their outstanding communication and the creation of both team videos.

Congratulations to both teams on their success, and good luck at the MN State FTC Competition!

We are excited to share that the Mock Trial Team took 1st place at the Golden Gavel tournament at the University of Minnesota on December 14. Congratulations!!

Has your student accomplished something exceptional outside of the classroom? Have they earned a special award, been recognized with a medal, or made a significant impact in their community? We’d love to hear about their achievements!

Please share the details by filling out and submitting this form. Your child might be featured in our morning announcements, celebrated during a student assembly, highlighted in our staff newsletter, or noted in The Herald.

For current 9th and 10th grade students interested in learning more about the Spring 2027 Capstone Trip to Greece and Italy, you are invited to attend information session on Thursday, January 16, at 6:00 PM. Representatives from Grand Tours, Inc. will be onsite to answer questions.

SoL Black and White Dance

SOL Students, save the date!

Doors open at 6:50 pm, and the dance goes until 9:00 pm.
Tickets are $5 at the door, and concessions will be available for purchase.

Dress Code: 6th and 7th graders wear black and/or white. 8th graders where any color of your choosing!
If you are planning to bring a 6th-8th grade guest who is not a Nova student, send your guest this link.

Forms must be submitted no later than 3 calendar days prior to the day of the dance.
We look forward to seeing everyone!

SoL Information Night, Thursday, February 20, 5:00-7:00 PM

Attention 5th Grade Nova Classical Families!

Please join us to learn more about School of Logic at Nova! 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.

Snow Daze

SoR students will be celebrating Snow Daze from Tuesday, February, 18 - Friday, February 21. The Snow Daze dance for students in grades 9-12 will take place on Saturday, February 22, from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Snow Daze is organized by the SoR Senate.

SoR Information Night, Thursday, February 27, 5:00-7:00 PM

Parents and students of this year’s 8th-grade class are invited to attend an informational event to learn more about Nova Classical’s School of Rhetoric. Teachers and current SoR students will share what our high school has to offer! A light dinner will be provided. Plan to attend this fun event!

Senior Retreat, Friday, March 14 - Saturday, March 15

Save the date!! The Class of 2025 will be going to Base Camp for their Senior Overnight Retreat. The retreat begins with students arriving at Base Camp at 7:00 PM and ends with breakfast and students departing at 7:00 AM. The estimated cost is $60 per student which includes, the high ropes course, rock climbing, games, food and fun overnight events. Details will be shared with the senior families directly. Thank you to the NPTO for their support of this event!

Homework help is available for Upper School students on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 4:00 to 5:00 PM. Homework support is provided by an Upper School Teacher and Educational Assistant. Please note, daycare is not available for siblings in the School of Grammar.

Students may report to Room 326 at 4:00 PM. Students should be picked up from school at 5:00 PM.

• Photos can be uploaded using a Gmail account to the US Yearbook Photo Drop 2024-25
• Senior Photos Deadline is January 15 to the Senior Photo Drop 2025
• To purchase a "baby ad" or student recognition ad at the Josten's Custom School Yearbook Ads for Students & Businesses
• Click here to purchase a yearbook today!

Have other questions? Don't have access to a Gmail account? Contact Ms. Tetmeyer at yearbook@novaclassical.org

Enrollment application for the 2025-2026 school year is open. Please visit our website for information. All applications submitted by January 31, 2025, at 4:00 PM, will be entered into the enrollment lottery in February 2024. Current students do not need to reapply.

• Thursday, January 16
• Thursday, March 27
• Thursday, May 29

To show their school pride, Upper School students are invited to wear Nova Classical Spirit Wear with uniform bottoms or jeans. Please note, ripped/torn clothing is not allowed.

Save the date! This year's Nova Classical's Family Multicultural Night is scheduled for Thursday, April 10, from 5:30-7:30 PM.

Family Multicultural Night is an event hosted by Nova Classical's National Honor Society students and Equity Team and is centered on celebrating the wide and rich cultures of each and every member of our community. We will again be inviting community members to host booths spotlighting your culture! We are also asking every family that attends the event to contribute to the community potluck, so consider what dish, snack, or treat is special to your family that you might want to share. We are looking forward to gathering with the community in April!

If you are interested in sharing a performance (e.g., dance, music, skit, recitation, etc.) related to your culture, please email equitycoordinator@novaclassical.org to express your interest! Also, keep an eye out in the future for an opportunity to contribute funds to this years FMN!

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.

8th Grade Students at the Guthrie Theater

Thank you to our faculty for sharing their winter joy with festive songs and sweaters!!

Spring sports open for registration January 13, 2025! Register on the Extracurriculars page of the Nova website.

Registration is now open for the new middle school, girls-only basketball team! Open to girls in grades 5-8. The season begins January 6 and ends mid-March. This program focuses on developing skills, learning strategies of the game, getting connected to Nova Knights basketball, and having fun! Students will be broken out into two teams based on skill level.

A reminder as basketball season is here! Students in Grades K-8 must to be accompanied by a parent/guardian to attend all home athletic events. Students in Grades 9-12 may attend events without a parent/guardian present, but must purchase an annual student pass for $10. The student pass will get an individual student into any contest hosted on campus for volleyball, basketball, or soccer. Family passes are also available to purchase. Events are found here.

Passes and individual game tickets can be purchased online in advance, with a credit card at the door, or with Apple Pay on your mobile device. The ticketing site is located at the GoFan link in the toolbar of the extracurriculars calendar or by the Quick Links on the extracurricular page of Nova Classical's website.

The Nova Classical Board of Directors is seeking a Community Member candidate to serve through the remainder of this school year (through June 30, 2025). Community members cannot be a Nova employee or a parent/guardian of a student enrolled at Nova Classical, but could be the grandparent of a student. Community member candidates must reside in the state of Minnesota and be at least 21 years old.

Please contact Becky Lund, chair of the Governance Committee (governance@novaclassical.org), with questions or if you know of someone who might be interested in supporting Nova Classical at the board level.

The next NovaPTO Meeting is Tuesday, January 7, 2025, from 7:30-8:30 PM via Zoom only.

Meeting ID: 842 4045 9837

Passcode: enrich

Save the Date:

12/20/2024: Upper School Party at Dave & Buster's (purchase tickets here)

Click here to see the many ways you can volunteer with NovaPTO.

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 staff and scholars! We still need help to run the 11/9 Carnival.

Click here to view the always-current list of opportunities and links to sign up.

SoR Volunteering Network:

Nova Classical Families, do you know of a non-profit that needs help in our community? Do you need help in your research lab or hospital this summer? Do you have a connection with an animal shelter, museum, or park cleanup group? SoR Students 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.

We invite our community members and students to share their stories, achievements, and upcoming events for a chance to be featured in Nova News! 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 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. We look forward to showcasing the amazing things happening in our community!

December:

19: Festive Sweater Day for K-12 students

20: No School (Staff Work Day)

23-Jan 3: No School (Building Closed)

January:

1-3: No School (Building Closed)

6: School Resumes

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

16: Upper School Awards Assembly (during House)

16: Capstone Trip 2027 Meeting at 6:00 PM

16: End of Quarter 2/Semester 1

17: No School (Staff Work Day)

20: No School (Building Closed)

25: SoL Black and White Dance 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

27: Board of Directors Meeting at 6:00 PM

30: PSEO Information Night at 6:00 PM

February:

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

6-7: One Act Play Festival

14: No School (Staff Professional Development Day)

17: No School (Building Closed)

20: SoL Information Night at 5:00 PM

18-22: SoR Snow Daze Week

22: SoR Snow Daze Dance 7:00PM - 10:00 PM

24: Board of Directors Meeting at 6:00 PM

27: SoR Information Night at 5:00 PM

See Full Calendar

Athletics Calendar