GRAMMAR GAZETTE

Thursday, October 13, 2022

Dear Fabulous Nova Families,

It is hard to believe, but we are already more than halfway through the first quarter! Time is flying by and we are learning and growing each and every day!

This newsletter contains important information about picture retakes next Tuesday, Unity Day next Wednesday, Great Gatherings, and more!

Lastly, our monthly virtue assemblies will be the first Wednesday of every month. The next one will be Wednesday, November 2 at 9am with 4th grade presenting on the virtue of Justice. Virtue assembly days will also be spirit wear days for Lower School students. Students are encouraged to wear Nova spirit wear with uniform bottoms on those days. Nova spirit wear includes any Nova t-shirts or school colors. If you are in need of spirit wear, Nova Classical works with the following vendors: Game One (password: novaknights) and BSN.

As always, please let us know if you have any questions.

Warm Regards,

Ms. Tousignant

Picture retake day is next Tuesday, October 18. If your child did not get their photo taken on our first picture day or needs to have retakes done, they can do so on Tuesday. You will have a choice of both sets of images when ordering. Parent volunteers will be visiting classrooms to escort them to have their photo taken. If your child needs to have a retake done, please be sure your child and your child's teacher are aware to ensure that your child has their picture taken that day.

Parents should have received a link last week with their students' photos to order online, if you didn't, please contact Kemmetmueller at 952-473-2142 or info@k-photography.com. The deadline to select your student's yearbook photo is December 2. The deadline to purchase photos is December 31, 2022.

We are still looking for volunteers to help with picture retake day. Click here to sign up.

October is Anti-Bullying Month. Lower School students have been learning about how to stand up to acts of bullying and unkindness when they see them. As part of anti-bullying month, we will be celebrating Unity Day!

UNITY DAY is the signature event for National Bullying Prevention Month. This is the day when people around the world can wear and share ORANGE, uniting for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion to prevent bullying! Students are invited to wear ORANGE shirts with uniform bottoms on Wednesday. Note: This is for all K-12 students and staff.

Singapore Math Parent Education Night - Thursday, November 3 @ 6:30 (VIRTUAL)

The evening will focus on the rationale for using Singapore math, how the math concepts are built upon from year to year, the reasoning behind timed tests, how model drawing is used to help solve word problems, how model drawing prepares students for algebra, and how parents can best help students at home.

Literacy Parent Education Night - Thursday, December 8 @ 6:30 (VIRTUAL)

Uncertain about how to keep your child reading? Wondering how to find books that fit your child's interests and reading level? Looking for fresh ideas to read together as a family? Interested in making the most of reading aloud with your child? Come join us as we arm you with tips and resources to help your child foster a love of reading!

We are so excited to kick off the 6th Annual Battle of the Books! We have almost 150 students in Grades 3-5 participating in this year's competition. The students will find out their teams this week and will be working hard reading their books in preparation for the battle during book week in December. We have a small lending library in the main office if students would like to check out a book. For your convenience, the Round 1 Booklist can be found here.

Stay tuned for more details as the date is finalized in the coming weeks. Happy reading!

Fall conferences this year will be offered in both in-person and online formats. Our goal is to provide flexible opportunities for families to connect with their teachers that best meet their needs. In-person conferences will take place on Thursday, November 17th from 4:30-8pm, and online conferences will take place on Monday, November 21st from 8am-4pm via Google Meet. More information about reserving conference times will be shared at a later date. Please note that for convenience and consistency for our faculty, online conferences will not be offered on the in-person day and in-person conferences will not be offered on the online day. Thank you for your understanding.

We love volunteers! We need help in classrooms or prepping materials behind the scenes, chaperones for field trips, as well as help with Nova and NPTO-sponsored community events. Some opportunities are just a few hours and some are year-long.

Apply to volunteer with Nova Classical.

Browse and sign up for opportunities here.

2 events at Dabbler Depot (on W. 7th St. near Nova Classical):

Week of Oct 31-Nov 4: Purchase the "6 for $60" deal and donate it to Grapes of Math (Great Gatherings)

November 2 from 5pm-7pm: Wine tasting event

Discounted, advance tickets for our Great Gatherings Kick-Off Party on November 5, 2022; 7-10 pm are on sale now! We also need volunteers to host future gatherings, donate auction items, and donate to the Grapes of Math wine pull. Watch for updates on the NPTO website to learn more about this event.

Purchase tickets, donate to Grapes of Math, and purchase attendance to a few open fall gatherings here.

Sign up to host a gathering here.

Sign up to donate an auction item here.

Questions welcome at novagreatgatherings@gmail.com

NEW THIS YEAR: Families only need to report positive cases, not symptoms or household cases. Please use the link below (not the 21-22 version). Thank you!

2022-2023 COVID-19 Student Reporting Form

Before school, all students will enter the building through the main doors (Victoria Way) or the Knight Side doors (Mercer). Students will not be allowed into the building before 8:15am, and may not be dropped off prior to 8:15am.

Students must be picked up by 4pm, unless they are registered to attend Scholar Zone, our child care program, or after-school programs.

Please note: there will be no adults allowed into the building at drop-off or pick-up unless you have a previously scheduled appointment.

Parking and traffic around Nova Classical can be tricky, particularly at morning drop off and afternoon pick up. For the safety of our students and everyone in the Nova Classical community, please follow the rules of all posted street signs and directions from staff if you are asked to move.

Additionally, set a goal of no more than 1-2 minutes to unload your children in the morning or to load them into the car in the afternoon. This helps keep our carpool lines moving along in an orderly fashion. Thanks for your help with this!

Nova Classical Transportation

Just a couple reminders about uniforms:

• We will not be requiring school shoes with uniforms - students can wear tennis shoes all day, every day, regardless of whether or not they have PE. We ask that tennis shoes be plain, dark, non-distracting, and comfortable. Please refrain from light-up shoes.

• We offer uniform vouchers to Donald's Uniforms if you qualify for educational benefits. If you already qualify, you can reach out to Nova's Business Office to request a uniform voucher for Donald's Uniform. If you would like to apply for educational benefits, you can do so by clicking the button below.

The K-5 uniform guidelines can also be found below.

In order to ensure your child’s items make it back to them when lost, please label all the items that they wear or bring to school. Here are some suggestions:

• Many items have a designated place for labeling - this is the usually the best spot to put your child’s name and contact information
• Label items using a black permanent or Sharpie marker or personalized, purchased labels (www.namebubbles.com or to support the Nova PTO fundraiser through Mabel’s Labels, go to www.mabelslabels.com, and enter NOVA CLASSICAL ACADEMY PTO (ST. PAUL)
• Make sure to include your child’s full last name and first initial or if there’s room, their full or abbreviated first name. Parent’s cell # for texting is also helpful - especially if you are purchasing labels for your whole family with just your last name
• If there is a pair (for example, shoes and mittens), please label both

Thank you in advance for your help with this!

October:

18: Student Picture Retakes

19: Unity Day

20-21: NO SCHOOL (Staff work days)

27: Strategic Plan Committee Mtg

November:

1: October's Board of Directors Mtg @ 6pm

1: Enrollment for 2023-24 Opens

2: Virtue Assembly @ 9am

2: NPTO Mtg @ 4:15pm (in person)

3: End of Q1 for Lower School

3: Singapore Math Parent Education Night @ 6:30pm (virtual)

4: NO SCHOOL (Staff work day)

5: NPTO's Great Gatherings from 7-10pm

7: Start of Q2 for Lower School

10: Strategic Plan Committee Meeting

11: Lower School Drama Performance

17: K-12 Conferences, 4:30pm - 8pm (in person)

21: K-12 Conferences, 8am - 4pm (virtual)

21-25: NO SCHOOL

28: Strategic Plan Committee Meeting

December:

6: NPTO Mtg @ 4:15pm (in person)

8: Literacy Parent Education Night @ 6:30 (virtual)

12-16: Lower School Book Week

15: School Board Strategic Plan Review

19-30: NO SCHOOL

See Full Calendar