NCS Family Newsletter

3/1/2024 Butter Braid and Collectivo Fundraiser pick up 2-4pm

3/8/2024 NCS Community Gathering - Gym 7:35-8am

3/12/2024 NCS Governance Council Meeting - NCS Library 6-8pm

3/14/2024 Outdoor Learning - Epic visit and School Forest

3/15/2024 4/5th Terrace Town Field Trip - Monona Terrace

3/21/2024 Outdoor Learning

3/25 - 3/29/2024 - Spring Break - Classes will resume Monday, 4/1/2024

Monday, April 22nd is Earth Day! As an environmentally focused STEAM school, NCS will be celebrating in a school wide afternoon event. We are in need of some volunteers to help with the excitement, and if you can't volunteer perhaps you could donate some items. Check out this Sign Up Genius for more information. More news about the event details will come in the April newsletter - stay tuned, and let's celebrate this amazing Earth!

Digital Citizen for Grades 2-5 this month of March is around News and Media Literacy. Teachers use lessons from Common Sense Media to teach concepts around plagiarism and media sources. Click on this link to learn more from Common Sense around these topics and how you can reinforce the learning at home. Ms. Roltgen, our amazing librarian, will be a part of teaching these lessons this month. We are grateful for her expertise!

This message is for families of girls in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade:

The Lottery Registration for Girls on the Run is opening up soon on March 1st - March 6th. On March 8th the lottery will open up again if there is any remaining space on the NCS and VAIS team and that will be a first come, first serve basis until the team is full.

Here is the link to sign up:

https://www.girlsontherunscwi.org/3rd-5th-grade-program-details

More information on who is selected in the lottery, as well as team start date and details, will be out in a few weeks.

Save the date for the morning of June 1 at Verona Area High School to support our running friends (and Miss Amelia, who does the warm up on the scaffolding at the start of the 5k!).

Please spread the word and consider joining us for our annual VAHS Kids Carnival in the high school fieldhouse on Saturday, March 9 at 10am-12:15pm. We have over 20 clubs and teams that are creating activities to engage with kids aged (approximately) 3-10. Based on feedback from previous years, groups won't be handing out candy. Instead, kids will get a sticker at each booth to put on their bingo card. When they fill it, they will exchange it for a bag with small toys when they leave. Please consider helping us spread the word to others in the community as our high school students volunteer their time to give back.

Entrance for kids is $5 cash or card (small fee for card use). Any proceeds are donated, as usual, to one of three non-profits organizations selected by our VAHS Student Council.

Terrace Town brings architecture, design and city planning curriculum to Dane County elementary classrooms. Students work with volunteer architects, planners, and design professionals and learn how cities are planned, what makes a quality city, and how citizens can participate in the improvement of their community. Then they design and construct a scale model city and then install them in Monona Terrace’s Exhibition Hall for public viewing.

Join us Saturday, March 16, 10am-4pm at the public Open House to view the cities and participate in family-friendly activities!

Neurodiversity Resource Fair!

From Common Threads Family Resource Center: My name is Rebecca Ryan and I am the School Director here at Common Threads. We are hosting a Neurodiversity Resource Fair here at our center on Saturday April 6th from 9-11am and would love for you to join us!

This resource fair is open to all families, friends and children so please stop by!

Public Health Madison & Dane County is partnering with Madison Metropolitan School District and SSM Health this spring to offer two more school vaccine clinics to get students up to date on their school vaccines ahead of the 2024-25 school year. These clinics will take place on Saturday, February 10th and Saturday, May 11th 2024. Both clinics will be from 10am to 2pm at the Holtzman Learning Center in Madison. It is highly encouraged that appointments are scheduled through the website listed on the flier attached. Vaccine Clinic

Bucky Books are on sale currently: $35/each

Please reach out to Jen to purchase your book today. we are happy to send home in a your child's backpack or Jen can drop it off within the Verona area.

Bucky Books can also be purchased online and shipped directly to the you here. (There is a slightly lower return rate to the school for online sales.)

Our students experience having two different classroom teachers throughout the day. It can be confusing for families to know which teacher to communicate with at times. If you are reaching out to your child’s teacher, please include both teachers on any communication.

Here is the link to a Google Public Calendar with this year’s updated NCS events:

NCS Google Public Calendar

This calendar will be updated continually throughout the year with school events, such as swim and gym days, library days, Picture Day, Back to School Night, field trips, parent/teacher conferences, days off of school, Governance Council meetings, and so much more! We hope that this will make things easier for you!

Have you joined the New Century School Parent Community Facebook Groups?

Current and incoming families are welcome to join “New Century School Parent Community” on Facebook. This is a great place to post summer events and pop-up playdates. This is also a great resource for new parents/guardians to ask any questions they may have.

Additionally, please like and follow our New Century School Facebook page here.

If you need assistance with lunch costs please visit our Free and Reduced Lunch application for information on income levels and an application for assistance.

If your student is ill, has an early morning appointment, or will be late arriving to

school for another reason, in addition to notifying their classroom teacher please make sure that you one of the following PRIOR

TO THE START OF THE SCHOOL DAY:

1) EMAIL NCS Attendance: ncs-attendance@verona.k12.wi.us

2) CALL the office at (608) 845-4500

Please do not email the school secretaries directly if possible.

Our health room helpers have reminded us how an extra set of clothes are appreciated here at school. All students, not just our kinders, run into needing a change from time to time. Milk spills, wet slides at recess, unexpected puddles all lead to a need for new clothes.

If you can send a Ziploc bag with a pair of pants, socks and underwear it will come in handy over these next wet months.

And, always, we will happily take your donations of gently used sweatpants and bottoms that have stretchy waists. All colors, sizes, patterns are appreciated.

Thank you, Charter Families, for creating a positive atmosphere for scholars and staff. The acts of kindness and support that you provide us throughout the year brighten our days — from small notes, to snacks, to time spent helping (and everything in between). It truly means a lot!

-New Century & Verona Area International Staff

Please help us replenish dwindling supplies and fill the teachers' lounge with delicious snacks. Explore the Sign Up Slots and lend a hand if you can.

Please reach out to Shannon Ratchman, NCS/VAIS Sunshine Committee Chair, with any questions. Shannon.Ratchman@lls.org.

Interested in getting to know our kiddos and helping to build community within our schools? Do you have a couple of hours to spare occasionally or is your time flexible enough that you can come once a week? We would love to have you assist in our lunchroom. All volunteers will need to be background checked through the district here.

Please complete this short survey with your availability. **We are especially in need for help on Tuesdays at this time.**

Volunteers keep the library running smoothly and our 9,583 books organized.

They are so appreciated! Please consider signing up for a one-hour shift on our updated Sign Up Genius link.

The Sunshine Committee is made up of many amazing family members of students from our schools whose mission is to spread kindness and support for families and school staff. They do this by providing support in the form of cards, meals, gift cards, and other resources to families and staff in need of a little pick-me-up. They also have provided support to our school through stocking those awesome bathroom supply baskets in our staff bathrooms and by helping organize our winter clothes.

For more information and to assist in brining sunshine to our community please contact Shannon Ratchman.