GRAMMAR GAZETTE

Thursday, December 14, 2023

Dear Fabulous Nova Classical Families,

We are in the midst of Book Week, which has been a fun tradition leading up to winter break for a number of years. There have been many special events this week to celebrate our love of books and reading! Classroom doors were decorated as book covers, we had "Book Drills" where students dropped everything and read a bit, our annual Battle of the Books was yesterday (look for a separate email newsletter with results soon), and tomorrow we will have our book character assemblies! Students are invited to dress as book characters tomorrow (Friday, December 15), and we will have assemblies at the following times. Please join us in the gym if you are able!

Book Character Assemblies

• Grades K, 3 & 5: 8:50 AM - 9:20 AM

• Grades 1, 2 & 4: 9:35 AM - 10:05 AM

Looking at next week, our short week before winter break, we will have a non-uniform day on Tuesday, December 19. Students are encouraged to wear festive/winter sweaters to kick off our winter break.

Wishing all of you an enjoyable, restful, and rejuvenating winter break! We will see you back at school on Thursday, January 4, 2024!

Warm Regards,

Ms. Tousignant

Nova Classical is excited to announce upcoming non-uniform days:

Friday, December 15: Book Character Assemblies - Scholars may dress as a book character

Tuesday, December 19: Festive/Winter Sweater Day

Tuesday, February 6: Virtue Assembly - Spirit Wear Day

Nova Classical Lower School students can wear bottoms of their choice (they do not need to be uniform bottoms) on these days. If students are not wearing spirit wear or school colors, they are required to be in their uniform.

Need spirit wear? Nova Classical works with the following vendors:

• Game One (password: novaknights)
• BSN

Nova Classical's Equity Team is hosting an equity focused family education night on Thursday, February 8 from 6:00 - 7:30 PM. All families are welcome! Food and childcare will be provided. There will be a social hour followed by thoughtful study and conversation. Stay tuned for more information on the exact topic for the event. As always, feel free to email equitycoordinator@novaclassical.org with any questions that you have.

Our Lower School Parent Advisory Council would like to invite you to a "Family Game Night" on Friday, February 23! It will include a potluck taco bar dinner, board games, gym games, bingo, and plenty of fun! Stay tuned for more details including an RSVP, call for volunteers, and a sign-up to contribute to the taco bar!

Enrollment application for the 2024-2025 school year is open. Please visit our website for information. All applications submitted through January 31, 2024, at 4:00 PM, will be entered into the enrollment lottery in February 2024.

Current students do not need to reapply.

Registration for Spring Clubs opens Monday, January 29, 2024, and closes February 16, 2024.

Spring Clubs run Tuesday, February 20, 2024 - Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Check out the Extracurriculars page of our website for more information!

Thank you for sending your scholars to school with the necessary items (sweaters/jackets, cold weather gear, and water bottles/food containers) to stay warm, fed, and hydrated! Unfortunately, some of these things don't make it back home to you. We’re here to help!

Lost an item?

1. Encourage your scholars to look in the Lost & Found area by the recess door. There is a purple bin with recently lost items as well as organized, categorized shelves with older lost items. Upper School scholars may also find lost items on a table outside of the district office on the second floor. Valuable and/or little items (such as AirPods, jewelry, and glasses) are kept in the front office. Please have your scholars see Ms. Anna for these items.
2. Please contact Ms. Ann Anderson at aanderson@novaclassical.org if your scholar is having difficulty finding an item.
3. Please help us by labeling all of your students items. If it is a pair (e.g. shoes or gloves), label both. Please label items with a permanent marker and use both a first name (or initial) & full last name. Personalized clothing 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.

We 💛 your labeled items! When items are labeled, we will try our very best to get them back to your scholar at school. Unlabeled uniform items, because they look and are often the same brand & size as a classmates, are difficult for scholars to find. Thank you!

Spelling Bee: Grades 3-8 Students

Week of December 11: Study words for each grade level (3rd - 8th)

Week of January 8: Classroom Bees

Thursday, January 25: School-wide Bee

Week of February 5: School-wide champion takes online test

Thursday, March 7: Regional Bee at Fridley High School Auditorium

National History Bee: Grades 4-8 Students

Students took preliminary exams to qualify for the online test, we will be in touch after winter break if your student moves on to the next step of the process!

Wednesday, January 10: Online Regional Qualification test for Top 25 qualifying students

Thursday, February 15: School-Wide Bee for Top 25 qualifying students

Science Olympiad: Grade 5 Students

Stay tuned for more information coming for this spring club!

Registration opens January 29!

Thank you to our many donors who helped make Give to the Max Day a success for our school. Together, we have raised nearly $45,000 towards our goal and are still accepting donations. Congratulations to our classroom challenge winners:

• Extra Recess: Mrs. Gleason's Kindergarten
• VIP Virtue Assembly Seating: Ms. Marchand's 4th Grade
• Popcorn Party: Ms. Stohr's 3rd Grade
• US Kickball Challenge: Butts vs. Benacquista

We want to celebrate your scholar!

Has your scholar done something outside of school that is worthy of celebration? Have they received a special medal or award? Made a difference in their community? Something else extraordinary? Submit the details on this form to be considered for morning announcements and upcoming newsletters!

December 19: Winter Treats ~ Last Day Before Winter Break (volunteers needed)

January 5: Dine to Donate at Chuck E. Cheese in Woodbury (20% give back)

January 9: PTO Meeting at 4:15 PM in the Ex Hall (3rd Floor)

January 22: Ski Outing at Buck Hill ~ Contact Matt for additional details

Sign up for the Nova Classical Family Directory at novapto.membershiptoolkit.com

Check out all of NPTO's dates and information here!

Follow NPTO on Facebook, Instagram, or visit their website for more information.

Parents/guardians and community members are invited to volunteer to help in the classroom, as a room parent, or at school and NPTO events such as winter treats, February's Lower School Family Game Night, or the NPTO Chuck E. Cheese Night! Please click here to browse and sign up for opportunities.

All volunteers must have an up-to-date background check on file. Apply to volunteer with us, today!

There is No School December 20 through January 3. Scholar Zone SOS (School Out of Session) Days will only be offered on Wednesday, December 20, Thursday, December 21 and Wednesday, January 3. They are all currently full. If you'd like to be placed on the waitlist for any of these SOS Day, please send an email to Nadia Hussain (nhussain@novaclassical.org).

The remaining SOS Days for the 23-24 school year are open for registration and there are still spots open.

Have a wonderful, relaxing break! We'll see you in the New Year.

Have you ever wondered if it is an A, B, or C Day? Can't remember when picture day is? Subscribe to our calendar to always be in the know!

Click the link here for instructions to add our calendar to your personal calendar.

December:

15: Book Character Assemblies

20-29: No School (Building Closed)

January:

1-2: No School (Building Closed)

3: No School (Staff Work Day)

4: Students Return to School

9: NPTO Meeting @ 4:15 PM

15: No School (Building Closed)

22: No School (Staff Work Day)

25: SoL Information Night (for current 5th graders)

29: Board of Directors Meeting @ 6:00 PM

February:

6: Virtue Assembly @ 3:00 PM

6: NPTO Meeting @ 4:15 PM

8: Equity Team: Family Education Night

9-10: US One Act Play Festival

16: No School (Staff Professional Development Day)

19: No School (Building Closed)

23: Family Game Night

26: Board of Directors Meeting @ 6:00 PM

See Full Calendar