The Herald

Dear Nova Classical Academy Upper School Families,

As we approach the final weeks of the academic year, I want to express my sincere gratitude for your steadfast support and collaboration throughout the 2023-2024 school year. The Upper School staff and students are eagerly anticipating the multitude of engaging activities and culminating events that will mark the conclusion of our school year.

Last week, we celebrated Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week. I extend my heartfelt thanks to the exceptional teachers and staff who tirelessly support our students. Their dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment are truly commendable.

Please take note of some of our upcoming events:

• Friday, May 17: SoL Out of Uniform Day-Principals in Uniform Boosterthon Reward. Please review the out of uniform guidelines below.
• Wednesday, May 22: Senior Decision Day and Junior Book Awards
• Thursday, May 23: SoR Ascot
• Friday, May 24: No School - Staff Work Day
  
• Monday, May 27: No School - Memorial Day
• Sunday, June 2: SoR Graduation
• Wednesday, June 5: 8th Grade Promotion
• Thursday, June 6: Last Day of School

I look forward to seeing many of you as we host a variety of end-of-year events. Thank you for your continued partnership as we navigate the final weeks of the academic year together. For additional news and updates from the Upper School, please continue reading below.

Warmest regards,

Mrs. Paschall

Congratulations to our Upper School April Students of the Month. These students have demonstrated excellence in justice: Lucy Bowden, Mona Camara, Quentin Egginton, Amelia Filo, Nora Holliday, Abriella Lewis, Gabe Niola, Maria Odegard, Sawyer Owens, Henry Page, Leo Roberto, Greta Sample, Nora Thul, and Jimmy Winters

Drama Club: This past weekend, the Drama Club captivated audiences with their stellar performance of Macbeth. Congratulations are in order for our talented student performers and the skilled tech crew, under the guidance of Mr. Adelsman, who brought their creative talents to the stage. Thank you!

SoR Choirs

Thank you to our 9-12 grade choirs for for sharing their beautiful voices at the SoR concert this past week. The Cantio, Melodia, and Una Voce choirs wowed us with their talented performances.

National Merit Scholarship Award Winners: Kudos to our National Merit Scholarship Award Winners, Aiden Gallagher, Gordon Olshanski, and Maya Tadmor. These students have been awarded scholarships at their respective colleges/universities for the recognition as National Merit Scholar Finalists.

Track & Field: Congratulations to Alexa Kleingarn for breaking the Nova Classical school record in the 1600m with a time of 5:36. Way to go Alexa!

Mock Trial: Sonja Schweser continues to shine! She has earned 2nd place in the National Mock Trial Court Room Artist Competition in Willington, Delaware. Sonja was the Minnesota State Champion back in March! We are so proud of you!

First Tech Challenge: In March, Nova Classical's Team Tempest participated in the Worlds Championship in Houston. After four days of competition, Tempest ranked 25th in their division. Congratulations on your success!

Has your student achieved something remarkable beyond the classroom? Have they been honored with a special medal or award? Have they made a positive impact in their community or achieved something else extraordinary?

Kindly provide us with the details by completing and submitting this form. Your student could be recognized in our morning announcements, student assembly, staff newsletter, or in The Herald.

A HUGE thank you to Ms. Gabor for her tireless efforts to make our Boosterthon/SoL Color Run a huge success and our SoL Procurators for their engagement and promoting the Color Run!

• To date, over $57,000 has been contributed to our fundraiser so far. Thank you!
• SoL students have participated a Goofy Sock Day, Silly Hair Day and a Favorite Team Jersey Day.
• SoL students have also earned a non-uniform day. This will take place on Friday, May 17.
• Please note, out of uniform guidelines apply: No ripped or torn clothing including cut-off shorts), shoulders and midriffs must be covered (no tank tops, off the shoulder or crop tops), no sandals, slippers, or open-toed shoes are allowed and shorts/skirts must be no higher than 2” above fingertips when hands are at side.

If you would still like to donate, we've added one more week to get to our goal of $60,000. We’re almost there! How you can help:

1. Register your student at mybooster.com (if you haven’t already)

2. Share your fundraising page

3. Enter donations to get Nova Classical Academy Playworks recess programming and supporting field trip fees while still earning prizes!

It's time to start cleaning out the closet! NHS will be hosting a clothing drive from May 17 - May 23. Please consider donating gently used, clean clothing. Thank you for your support of the community service efforts of NHS.

After school Homework Club will remain open until Thursday, May 30. Many thanks to our staff, Ms. Tetmeyer, Ms. Ross, Mr. Aho, and Ms. Overson for their work with our students this year!

Nova Classical Academy will celebrate our 8th grade students as they move from the School of Logic onto the School of Rhetoric. Their Promotion ceremony will take place on Wednesday, June 5, at 6:00 PM. Students should arrive no later than 5:30 PM.

• The ceremony begins at 6:00 PM and will last about 45 minutes.
• Students may have family and guests attend.
• A brief reception will take place in the Great Room immediately after, which will include refreshments and opportunities for photos with family and friends.
• Students are encouraged to dress formally, but may wear their school uniform.
• Please complete the RSVP form by Friday, May 31.

May 17: Class of 2024 Yard Sign orders due.

• Yard signs are available for purchase for the Class of 2024. Each sign costs $13 and payments may be made via Infinite Campus or check made payable to Nova Classical.
  

May 22: Decision Day

• Seniors are welcome to wear a T-shirt, sweatshirt, or other top representing where you will be attending after high school (students are expected to wear uniform bottoms).
• If students are not attending college in the fall, they are welcome to wear a top that represents your plans (wear a shirt with a military branch logo, trade logo, or a GAP shirt if they are taking a gap year, etc.).
• Students not wearing "Decision Day" gear will be expected to be in school uniform.

May 23: SoR Disputatio and Ascot Day

May 31: Senior Breakfast and Graduation Rehearsal

• We have organized a lineup of events for the Class of 2024, including the celebratory "Senior Parade" through the hallways before graduation rehearsal in the afternoon.

June 2: Graduation 2:00 PM. Order tickets here. Orders are due May 17.

• Seniors must arrive at Nova Classical at 1:00 PM.
  

June 3: Senior Picnic 4:00 PM - 7:30 PM at the Highland Park Pavilion

RSVP for the Senior Picnic! All seniors or senior families are asked to complete this form, even if they are not attending.

• Nova 2024 Senior Picnic RSVP

• SIGNUP GENIUS FOR SENIOR PICNIC Donations and volunteers

• SIGNUP GENIUS FOR SENIOR BASKETS

• MONETARY DONATION LINK

SoR Disputatio and Ascot

The SoR Dipsutatio (a medieval-esque trivia contest in each grade level), will take place the morning of Friday, May 23. Our annual Ascot for grades 9-12 will take place from 4th hour through the afternoon. A cherished tradition for our School of Rhetoric students, this event offers students a festive experience centered on the literature and history they've explored throughout their high school journey. Featuring games, food trucks, and a chance to unwind and celebrate in their accomplishments after completing theses, major papers, seminars, exams and standardized tests, students are encouraged to don elegant attire as they celebrate the occasion.

Final Exams

The last days of the school year often are filled with end of year projects, papers, and exams. Not every class assigns a traditional final exam, however to help ensure students do not have too many major tests on a given day, we stagger tests by subject area as follows:

• Thurs. 5/30: SoL Specialists-A Day
• Fri. 5/31: English, Science and SoL Specialists-B Day and SoR Specialists-A Day
• Mon. 6/3: Math and SoL Specialists-C Day and SoR Specialists-B Day
• Tues. 6/4: History and Languages
• Wed. 6/5: Make up exams and exam completions if needed

SoL Last Day Events

On Wednesday, June 5, students in grades 6-8 will have a final day schedule including Disputatio. locker clean out and yearbook signing in the morning, and the return of the "Highland Games" during the afternoon.

SoR (Grades 9-11) Last Day Events

SoR students in grades 9 through 11 have the opportunity to participate events inlcuding yearbook sigining, locker clean out and an end of the year field trip to Whirlyball.

Whirlyball Information

Bus departs at 9:00 AM and returns at approximately 2:30 PM. Cost is $42.

Permission slips are being distributed in House and are due to Mrs. Ruppert in Room 201 by Wednesday, May 29. If you would like your student to have a school provided lunch, you must email Mrs. Ruppert by May 23. Students who choose not to attend will be able to complete late or missing work or may earn volunteer hours assisting with School of Logic events during the day.

Returning Items

Please help your student locate and return any school-issued books and materials, and encourage them to clean and organize their locker and backpack. All school-issued books are to be turned no later than Thursday, June 6.

The end of the school year is fast approaching! Did you purchase your 2024 Nova Upper School Yearbook yet? Secure your yearbook now to ensure you have it in hand before they sell out in June! Yearbooks can be purchased HERE. Please contact yearbook@novaclassical.org with any questions

A huge thank you to all of the families who attended this year's Family Multicultural Night! The night was a success in large part because of the many families who shared foods that are important to them.

The Nova Classical Equity Team is hoping to continue this sharing of cultural dishes through the creation of the first ever Nova Classical Digital Cookbook! All members of the Nova Classical community are invited to share a recipe that is important to your family. Eventually, the cookbook will be shared school-wide!

If you would like to submit a recipe, please fill out this form, and direct any questions that you might have to equitycoordinator@novaclassical.org.

Our Annual Used Uniform Sale will be held on August 1, 2024. Details and volunteer sign-up will be available soon. We will accept laundered, gently used uniform pieces -- no holes or stains -- to sell at our Used Uniform Sale.

Donations may be dropped off at the Main Office during the last week of school, June 3-6, and 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.

Check out the Extracurriculars page of Nova Classical's website. Click on the Camps/Clinics tab.

The Nova AAPI Student Group has put together a Digital Bulletin Board for AAPI Awareness Month. Check out the clickable links and learn something new today!

• Tuesday, May 14: Last PTO Meeting of the Year, 5:30 - 7:00 PM. Dinner and Babysitters provided
  
• Thursday, June 6: NPTO Sponsored Last Day of School Treats. Look for volunteer link soon.
  
• Sign up for the Nova Classical Family Directory at novapto.membershiptoolkit.com. This is a great resource for families to connect with each other!
• There are still lots of Great Gathering spots available! Connect with community by joining us at these fun events. You can view and purchase remaining gatherings here.

Teacher Appreciation Week

A heartfelt thank you goes out to our NPTO and committed parent volunteers and donors for their recognition of our exceptional teachers. Your generosity in providing delicious meals and treats made this past week possible and truly remarkable. Thank you for your support!

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

Volunteer to help support spring school and NPTO events including Graduation and 8th Grade Promotion! Please click here to browse and sign up for opportunities. All adult volunteers must have an up-to-date background check on file. Apply to volunteer with us, today.

SoR Students who are working towards their 80-volunteer hours Graduation Requirement must complete this form and return it to Ms. Voelker. For tips on scouting out volunteering options, check out some resources linked here.

School Day

Please remember to bring your State or Federal Photo ID when checking your students in and out. We ask that you wait in the Main Office for your student, rather than in the Great Room.

Traffic

Please remember to follow all road and parking signs around the school including no parking areas, as well as any instructions from Nova Classical staff.

• Please also be sure to follow the one-way traffic areas during drop off and pick up each day.
• Please do not U-turn in front of out building's entrance. This is a safety hazard for pedestrians and other drivers.

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.

May:

20: Board of Directors Meeting at 6:00 PM

22: Decision Day -- Senior Class

23: SoR Ascot

24: No School (Staff Work Day)

27: No School (Building Closed)

31: Senior Breakfast and Graduation Rehearsal

June:

2: SoR Graduation

5: 8th Grade Promotion

6: Last Day of School

• SoL: Highland Games
• SoR: Whirlyball Field Trip

7: No School (Staff Work Day)

19: Building Closed (Holiday)

24: Board of Directors Meeting at 6:00 PM

July:

1-5: Building Closed

See Full Calendar