NCS Family Newsletter
August, 2026
8/18/2026 - Governance Council mtg 5:30pm-7:30pm in the library
8/25/2026 - Family newsletter info due to Miss Amelia by 3pm
8/26/2026- Back to School Kickoff 5:00pm-6:30pm &
Popsicles on the Playground
9/1/2026 - First day of school
9/4/2026 - 4/5's Outdoor Learning
9/7/2026 - No School - Labor Day Holiday
School Supplies List
The most important items are across the top, and items for the classroom are below by grade level. Also note, donations of extra kleenex, paper towels, bleach wipes, baby wipes and hand sanitizer are always welcome... year round!
Save the date! September 19
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Gates: 5pm and Kickoff: 6pm
RSVP by September 12 for tickets
Fees and ticket in section 112: $20
Fees, a hat, tickets in section 112: $29
$5 per ticket goes directly to NCS
Support for Supplies
We want every VASD scholar to have a great start to the school year! If you would love help in making supplies happen, please email the names of each student needing support to Miss Amelia at mcconnea@verona.k12.wi.us to let her know what you might need.
Students/families will receive their supplies at the Back to School Kickoff and supply drop off night on Wednesday, August 26th or in their child's classroom on the first day of school.
Welcome from Mrs. Parks!
Dear New Century School Families,
I hope this newsletter finds you well. It’s hard to believe we are just a few short weeks away from the start of the 2026–27 school year! While summer offers our staff time to rest and recharge, it’s also a season of preparation and learning. Much of this work happens quietly—often on teachers’ own time—but it’s all done with the goal of creating the best possible experience for your children.
I want to take a moment to highlight and celebrate some of the work happening behind the scenes this summer:
Our custodial team— Ms. Mel, Mr. Fred, and Ms. Ming—has been hard at work deep-cleaning and maintaining our building to ensure a safe, welcoming environment for all.
Ms. Gustafson, our associate principal, and I attended the VASD Social Emotional Learning Symposium. We’re using this learning to plan how we will support students’ social-emotional growth in the year ahead.
Ms. Konop collaborated with instructional coaches from across VASD to support our ongoing professional learning in Standards Based Teaching and Learning.
In the front office, Ms. Amelia and Ms. Jenni have been hard at work with purchasing, school records, registration, and everything needed to wrap up last year and prepare for the new one.
During the week of August 3, Ms. Bastien, Ms. Krier, Ms. Olson, Ms. Gustafson, Ms. Konop, and I will participated in the weeklong VASD Leadership Institute, where we engaged in collaborative learning and planning focused on continuous improvement for the year ahead.
Beyond these specific projects, our dedicated team has also spent time this summer reflecting and preparing for the upcoming school year. We are truly fortunate to have such a deeply committed staff.
Personally, I’m looking forward to connecting with families and hearing about your summer adventures. My own family enjoyed many local summer favorites like farmers' markets, Concerts on the Square, and parks. It was a summer full of memorable small moments.
Ms. Amelia will be back in the school office on a regular schedule starting August 12. Please mark your calendars for our Back to School Night on Wednesday, August 26, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. You’ll have the chance to drop off school supplies, visit your child’s classroom, and hear from the teacher about the year ahead.
Enjoy the remaining days of summer, and we can’t wait to welcome you back soon!
Warmly,
Mrs. Parks
Principal, New Century School
Welcome, new staff!
We'd like to welcome the following new staff, thank you for joining our team!
Students will be able to connect soon with these new faces:
Jennifer Ruef, School Counselor
Kelly Borelli, School Nurse
Sadie Kuehn, Special Education Teacher
Bonnie DeLong, Reading Resource
'Tis the season to learn SPANISH!
Registration for the 2026–2027 school year is now open!
Celebrate Spanish in every season — join us for a brand-new theme!
Don’t miss this valuable opportunity for your student to build Spanish skills in a fun, interactive bilingual classroom.
Enroll today: https://futuraadventures.com/wisconsin-region/
Girls on the Run for 3rd, 4th & 5th Grade Girls
Hello NCS and VAIS Families!
We're excited to have another season of Girls on the Run at NCS/VAIS this fall!
Girls on the Run is for any 3rd, 4th or 5th grade girls. We meet on Mondays and Wednesdays at 2:30-4pm at the school. We work on developing self confidence, social/emotional strategies, creating friendships, and lots of fun ways to move.
The season concludes with a celebratory 5K on Saturday, November 7 in Waunakee.
We would love for you to join us!
Please email Coach Lindsey at loeffler.lindsey@gmail.com if you have any questions!
Sincerely,
Coaches Dresen, Lindsey and Faith
Online Registration is Open
All VASD families will need to go online to confirm registration information. You should have gotten an email from Online Student Registration or "reg" in July with a reminder to go in and submit your updates. You'll want to have things like allergy and medical information, updated phone and email contacts in front of you as you register for the fall.
Important note: If you will need bussing in September, please "opt in" and hit yes on the transportation page. That begins the process to add you to a route, and the exact address of your intended stop will be important.
Verona Area Kids Triathlon - August 30
Verona Area Kids Triathlon
To register for the Verona Kids Triathlon please visit runsignup.com.
Price: $39 plus fees. Price will increase to $44 plus fees after July 15th.
What’s Included in Your Race Registration:
- Goody Bag – Packed with fun surprises!
- T-Shirt – Commemorate your achievement with an event shirt.
- Finisher Medal – Celebrate your success with a custom medal.
- Finish Line Food & Snacks – Refuel after your race with a selection of tasty snacks.
Garden Sign Up
Our school garden needs a little care for the rest of the summer so it can continue to thrive and be ready for our students when they return in the fall. Our garden serves as a living laboratory for our students' STEM learning.
We are asking every family to sign up for at least one garden care slot this summer using the link below. Garden care simply includes watering the plants and pulling weeds as needed. No gardening experience is required—we provide an easy instruction sheet with everything you need to know. Here is a link to a folder with videos to show you as well! We've also attached the instruction sheet for your convenience.
Please take a moment to choose a time that works for your family:
Thank you for helping us maintain this valuable outdoor learning space for our students. Your support keeps our garden growing all summer long!
Popsicles on the Playground - August 26
Get ready for an amazing new school year at our upcoming Back to School Kickoff!
To make the night even sweeter, we are planning to hand out popsicles to students on the playground—but we can't do it without you! We are looking for a couple volunteers to hand out popsicles and spread some cheer. If you’re available to help cool down our eager learners and be a hero on the playground, please sign up at the link below.
Family Fun Run - October 10
Save the date for our first annual NCS Family Fun Run on October 10, 2026, and let's get moving together—even extended family are welcome to join the fun! All details, including times and logistics, are fully spelled out (click on “More details” under the school logo) on our Zeffy Registration Page, where we ask every family member who plans to participate in the race to register so we can accurately plan race logistics. After signing up, head over to 99pledges to set up your student’s fundraising page and start gathering support. Best of all, students who complete both registrations by September 10 will score a free race shirt!
Do you or someone you know own a business OR know of a business that would be interested in being a Fun Run sponsor? Please share this link with them. Sponsors help make this event possible!
Mabel's Labels
Stock up on some super durable labels for all your summer camp and back to school needs. Labels are dishwasher and laundry safe. Be sure to select New Century School at checkout and 20% of your sale will come right back to NCS.
Concessions
Looking ahead, we’re hoping to do a few more concessions next year 2026/2027 as well—football, hockey, and concerts are our targets. We won’t have specific dates until later in the year or early summer when the UW calendar is released, but I’ll share updates as soon as we have them.
We’d also love to grow our team a bit. If you know anyone who might be interested in volunteering with us, please let me know! I’m happy to send them the training info and get them added to our volunteer list. Please reach out to mary.bobulski@gmail.com if interested. Thank you!
Upgrade Alert: The Ultimate GC One-Stop Shop!
You asked for a better way to stay informed, and now we've delivered a serious tech upgrade! Welcome to our new GC website—your high-tech hub for everything you need. Beyond just GC agendas and minutes, you can now find upcoming events, fundraiser details, volunteer signups, and much more all in one sleek place.
Scan the QR code or click this link to check out the new look and stay in the loop!
NCS Governance Council Facebook Page
Have you joined the New Century School Parent Community Facebook Group? Current and incoming families are welcome to join “New Century School Parent Community” on Facebook. This is a great place to post 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.
NCS Volunteer Opportunities
Please save this single volunteer link and check it regularly to see how you can help; we suggest bookmarking it so you don’t have to search through past emails! We are now using Sign Up for all volunteer information—including descriptions for fundraising, social events, and providing meals for teacher appreciation and conferences—which you can access by clicking here or scanning the QR code below.
Two Schools - One Community Sunshine Committee
The Sunshine Committee is made up of amazing NCS and VAIS families whose mission is to spread kindness and support for families and school staff. They do this by providing assistance in the form of cards, meals, gift cards, and other resources to families and staff in need of a little pick-me-up. Interested in signing up to help or nominating a family or individual? Please contact Mrs. Merryfield at merryfih@verona.k12.wi.us
Library News
Dear Readers,
I can't wait to hear about your summer reading adventures! What books have you been enjoying? Have you been reading in a creative location? If you'd like to be featured on school social media, please send fun bookworm photos to your librarian, Ms. Roltgen, at roltgent@verona.k12.wi.us Here is a picture from my summer backstage at Annie the Musical. When I wasn't on stage performing, this chair was the perfect place to catch up on a good book!
It's time to start locating any NCS/VAIS Library books and making plans to return them at our Back to School Kickoff on Wednesday, August 26. If you are unable to attend, you can send them on the first day of school with your learner. Reminder notices will be sent closer to the start of school to help you organize your book returns.
Happy Reading!
Ms. Roltgen
After School Programs from Verona Recreation Department
Verona Rec is offering a new afterschool program beginning in 2026!
This program is for kids in grades K-5th and will be held at the new Verona Community Center. We'll encourage health and wellness through play and physical activity both outside and inside with a variety of activities each day.
Find out more about Verona Rec Afterschool here
Attendance
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, we appreciate it! The attendance line/email is the best way to communicate with school.
Background Check for Volunteers
To ensure student safety, all chaperones for off-site events and trips must have an approved VASD Volunteer Background Check. It's never too early to complete one of these forms for trips next year, even if you might only be able to help out once or twice!
If you are considering chaperoning field trips or any off-site events, please ensure your background check is approved in advance. This process is completed online using this link, and approval typically takes 7–10 days. However, there have been instances where processing takes longer, so we encourage you to complete it as soon as possible if needed. Please reach out to reach out to Miss Jenni at: gumienyj@verona.k12.wi.us with questions.
Follow us on Facebook / X
Our social media is a great resource to find information in real time. We post upcoming events, special spirit days, Sign Up Genius links and more. We especially love to share happy faces and creativity happening here at school. Please help us increase our engagement with following our page, liking a post or two, and even leaving a comment. Each of those steps helps our school to pop to the top of your feed and help you reach the information you need.
And bookmark our school website, which tells you more about school closures, menus and more.
Need assistance with lunch costs?
Check out our online NCS Google Public Calendar
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, 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!
Is your child well enough to be in school?
It is not always easy to decide if your child is sick enough to stay home or well enough to be in school. Children who come to school are expected to participate fully in school activities including recess and physical education. A doctor’s note is required for any activity restriction.