The Herald

Dear Nova Classical Academy Upper School Families,

With the third quarter wrapping up and spring break just around the corner, it’s incredible to see how quickly the year is moving. This past weekend, we had the joy of celebrating our seniors at their retreat, a special time for connections, making lasting memories and looking ahead to their next steps. Meanwhile, their thesis defenses are in full swing, showcasing the depth of their learning and growth at Nova.

As we move into the final stretch of the semester, there are many exciting events ahead, and we hope to see you there! We are grateful for our families’ continued engagement and support, it truly makes a difference in our students’ experience and success. Thank you!

Important Dates:

• Thursday, March 27: Upper School Spirit Wear Day
• Students may wear Spirit Wear with jeans (no rips or tears)
• Students who choose not to participate are to be in uniform.
• Friday, March 28: No School - Staff Workday
• Monday, 31 -- Friday, April 4: Building Closed - Spring Break
• Thursday, April 10: Multicultural Night
• Friday, April 11: SoL Spring Fling
• Tuesday, April 15: SoL Choir Concert

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

Warmest regards,

Mrs. Paschall

In this section, junior Leyla Altunbilek reflects on the lasting impact of her Latin studies, from language skills to future career aspirations.

"Even though Latin is a dead language it has incredible uses even today. I’ve found that my Nova Latin education has enriched my vocabulary and understanding of the English language and has made Romance languages easy to understand at a basic level. Latin also influenced my personal life by helping me to realize that I want to study archaeology in college. Overall Latin has provided me with useful analytical skills in both school and life, and it is a joy to learn it." ~ Leyla Altunbilek, Nova Classical Academy Class of 2026

We are honored to celebrate these students for their achievements:

February Students of the Month

February Students of the Month were selected by their teachers for demonstrating excellence in justice! Congratulations to Mary Geer (8), Wynn Lee (9), Xochitl Stewart (9), Natalie Heideman , (10), Tomi Akinmusire (11), Emiliano Ramirez Regalado (11), Mason Engelking (12), and Rachel Jeong (12). We celebrate your displays of virtue!

Mock Trial at State

Congratulations to our Mock Trial Team their outstanding effort and season this year! After an impressive run at the State Tournament, the team finished with a 2-1 record and placed 6th overall!

Special recognition goes to Atticus Fleischhacker, Outstanding Witness and Nina Aamodt, Outstanding Attorney. We are incredibly proud of the dedication, hard work, and teamwork displayed throughout the season.

Robotics at the MN State FTC Competition

In February, the Nova Robotics program competed at the MN State FTC Championship. The Argonauts won a Gear Up award for their video and Tempest made it to the second qualifying round. Each robot had over 50 components that the students custom designed and manufactured! In addition, Thomas Huelskamp won a Stratasys Leadership Scholarship. Well done Tempest and Argonauts!

Science Olympiad

Our SoL Science Olympiad teams competed at the State Tournament at Bethel University, tackling 3 to 5 STEM events each. Nova Classical also earned the Spirit Award for the second year in a row for outstanding sportsmanship. Thank you for representing our school so well!

Congratulations to:

• Johann Winter & Nuree Wong – 2nd Place, Wind Power
• Graham Lohse & Michelle Liang – 3rd Place, Metric Mastery
• Sophie Gabor & Rhea Krishnan – 3rd Place, Crimebusters (Forensics)
• Sophie Gabor – 3rd Place, Optics

SoL Chess Team

Our SoL Chess team comprised of Tyler Roskowitz, Jacob Shishkin, Jasper Walker, and Alexander Zagrebelny had a strong showing at the MN State Scholastic Chess Tournament, earning the 3rd place trophy! We’re proud of their hard work, strategy, and teamwork. A big thank you to Coach Igor Rybakov and everyone who contributed to this success. Congratulations!

Artist Recognition

Congratulations to Senior Anne Tsai, who has been juried into the EYA Juried Gallery Art Show at the Landmark Center!

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.

SoL Spring Fling Dance

Save the date! The SoL Senate will be hosting the Spring Fling Dance for students in grades 6-8. The dance will take place at Nova Classical on April 11, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM.

SoL Choir Concert

Please join us for the School of Logic Spring Choir Concert on Tuesday, April 15, at 7:00 PM.
Our concert theme is "Journey / Home" and includes different genres such as blues, jazz, country, folk, and film music. Please see the concert information letter shared with your child for details about arrival times and concert attire. We look forward to performing for you!

Senior Retreat & Graduation Updates

We are grateful to our families and the NPTO for their support in making the Senior Retreat a meaningful and memorable experience. Your generosity and involvement help create these lasting experiences for our students. Thank you!

Just a friendly reminder to all families: our school day ends at 4:00 PM and students will be outside the building at that time for pickup. Unfortunately, we do not have staff available to support students who remain after this time. We kindly ask that all pickups be made by 4:00 PM to ensure the safety and well-being of our students. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

Linked below is important information regarding the 2025 District testing for the ACT. Juniors will be taking the ACT on Tuesday, March 25, from 8:40 AM until approximately 12:30 PM. All students MUST make their MyACT account prior to taking the exam.

Nova Classical District Testing ACT Information

If students are planning on taking the ACT more than once, it is recommended that they are aware of national testing dates and sites and schedule that before we take the ACT on March 25 at Nova Classical as summer national testing sites fill up quickly. There is information on how to sign up for ACT testing at other sites here.

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.

• 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.

All Nova Classical families are invited to attend the third annual Family Multicultural Night on Thursday, April 10, from 5:30-7:30 PM! This is a night of celebration that thrives because of the involvement of our amazing community.

Please visit our newsletter to RSVP, contribute to the potluck, volunteer, host a cultural booth, share a performance, or make a monetary donation. We hope to see you there!

Questions or concerns? Reach out to equitycoordinator@novaclassical.org.

The Nova Classical Board of Directors has five of its nine seats up for election this year:

• two parent seats, each for a three-year term;
• two teacher seats, also each for a three-year term; and,
• one community member seat, for a two-year term.

More information about the election is available at on our website.

• To nominate yourself, please fill out this Google Form.
• To nominate someone else, please send an email to governance@novaclassical.org.

The nomination period begins March 1 and runs until 4:00 PM on April 11, 2025.

Summer sports camp information has been posted on the Extracurriculars page. Registration opens April 1, 2025. Don't miss out!

Spring Rising Knights Volleyball Camp is open for registration now for grades 5-8. See the Extracurriculars page for details and dates.

Nova Knights! Keep your competitive edge over the summer. Nova Classical's strength and conditioning sessions are open to student athletes in grades 9-12. All ability levels are welcome.

• Session times and dates are posted here.
• Registration opened on March 15, 2025, here.

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.

Volunteer Opportunities:

There are several ways you can volunteer with NovaPTO here.

Upcoming Events:

• 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.

• PTO Meeting: April 8, 7:30-8:30 PM via Zoom Meeting
• Meeting ID: 842 4045 9837
  Passcode: enrich

Save the Date:

• PTO Meeting: May 6, In person only with Pizza! Dinner 5:30-6:00 PM. Meeting 6:00-7:00 PM
• PTO Meeting: June 3, 7:30-8:30 PM via Zoom

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 Carnival this fall on November 8, 2025.

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!

March:

24: Board of Directors Meeting at 6:00 PM

25: ACT Testing for Juniors (during school day)

27: Upper School Awards Assembly during House

27: Upper School Spiritwear Day

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

11: SoL Spring Fling Dance 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

15: SoL Choir Concert 7:00 PM

18: No School (Staff Work Day)

28: Board of Directors Meeting at 6:00 PM

May:

2: No School (Staff Professional Development Day/Building Closed)

5-9: Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week

6: NPTO Meeting from 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM (in-person with dinner and childcare)

16: Boosterthon Fun Run & SoL Color Run

19: Board of Directors Meeting at 6:00 PM

21: SoR Choir Concert 7:00 PM

23: No School (Staff Work Day)

26: No School (Building Closed)

30: Seniors Last Day

See Full Calendar

Athletics Calendar

2025-2026 and 2026-2027 Academic Calendars are now on our website!

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!