GRAMMAR GAZETTE
Back-to-School Edition!
Thursday, April 13, 2023
Dear Fabulous Nova Classical Families,
We have officially entered the last quarter of the school year. Report cards will be finalized this week and mailed out next week, so be on the lookout for those. Also, stay tuned for information about upcoming activities as we head toward the end of the school year.
We hope to see you at our next Virtue Assembly on Wednesday, May 3, at 3 PM. Our kindergarteners (Ms. Helin and Ms. Gleason's classes) will be presenting on the virtue of Justice. This will also be a spirit wear day. Scholars are always invited to wear spirit wear tops or school colors with pants/bottoms of their choice on our assembly/spirit wear days. Please note that uniform bottoms are no longer required. If students choose to not wear spirit wear shirts or school colors, they should be in their school uniforms.
As always, please let us know if you have any questions.
Warm Regards,
Ms. Tousignant
Battle of the Books Results!
Congratulations to our Battle of the Books winners, 3rd graders Eva S., Harriet B., Lauren L., Harriet N., and Fiona B.!
After competing against 10 other teams during our second round battle, this team proved victorious. Good luck to them as they move on to the final competition against other Friends of Education schools on May 10, at Eagle Ridge Academy.
Is Your Child Arriving Late? Leaving Early? Absent?
If your child will be arriving late, leaving early, or is absent for the day, you must let the school know.
It's quick and easy!
Fill out the form online (Nova website > Important Information > Attendance) or email attendance@novaclassical.org.
Be sure to include your child's first and last name, grade, and reason for the absence.
If you are picking up your child early, please let us know in advance. This helps us prepare to call them out of class when you arrive. We kindly ask that you do not pick up students after 3:15 and instead wait until our dismissal time of 3:40. Thank you for helping us make our end of day dismissal as smooth as possible!
Boosterthon Fun Run is Coming!
We will be doing Boosterthon again this year! Boosterthon is the one of Nova's main fundraisers, where students will get pledges for running 30-35 laps on the day of the Fun Run.
Registration will open on 4/20 and the excitement will start to build in classrooms with our in-school kickoff on 5/4. Families will then begin gathering pledges for every lap your student runs (30-35 laps) through Friday, May 12th, at which time we’ll celebrate at the Fun Run!
We need volunteers to make this event a success! You can read more about the event and sign up here!
MCA Testing
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) annually administers statewide assessments. They are designed to provide the state, districts, and schools with a snapshot of student progress towards meeting the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards. At Nova Classical Academy, we will have MCA testing in the Lower School (grades 3-5) during the week of April 17-21 and in the Upper School the week of April 24-28. If you have any questions about the MCAs, please contact our Academic Director, Dr. Johnson. Please make sure that your student has plenty of sleep and eats a nutritious breakfast each morning. We are so excited to see how our students continue to grow in their academics!
If you would like to do any work at home, you have two options:
Student tutorials are available that show students how to navigate the online test, use online test tools and answer different types of test questions.
We have IXL accounts for students in grades 3-7 to practice Math and Literacy questions. Your family should have received login information in an email from Dr. Johnson titled “K-7 NCA Resources” sent in October 2022.
April is National Library Month!
April is National Library Month. Check out one of St. Paul's 14 library branches or their online collection with LibraryGo! Nova Student ID cards have your student's St. Paul Public Library access barcode printed on the back!
You don't need the barcode though, just use this formula at checkout:
Go to sppl.org
Nova's number (2209190300) + (your child's 4-digit lunch PIN number)
Password: Your child's birthday written MMDDYYYY, for example, January 26, 2012 would be 01262012More information:
Spring Conferences - April 28
We have spring conferences coming up on Friday, April 28 and will be virtual. This spring, they are set up to be optional and based on teacher invitation. Teachers have sent invitations to families they would like to connect with on our conference day. If you'd like to meet with a specific teacher, please email them directly to arrange a time to meet.
Family Multicultural Night!
The National Honors Society and the Nova Classical Equity Team invite you to join us for a night of family, food, culture, and fun!
When: Thursday, May 11, from 5:30-7:30 PM
Where: Nova Classical Academy
What: An evening of celebrating Nova Classical families and our exciting diversity of cultures through delicious food and good conversation
Who: All are welcome! If you are interested in coming, please sign-up here. This form will also give you the option to sign up to bring something that is important to your family and/or culture. Please note that even if you are unable to bring a food item to share, we still want your company! RSVP deadline is Sunday, May 7.
Interested in hosting a Cultural Booth?
As part of the event, there will be a handful of families that will host a "Cultural Booth." These booths will more formally highlight the food and traditions of a particular culture, and will require more food and information preparation. If you are interested in this more intensive participation opportunity, please fill out this form. Student members of the National Honors Society will follow-up with you. Deadline for filling out the Cultural Booth interest form is Wednesday, April 12.
Questions?
We welcome any questions about the Family Multicultural Night via email at equity@novaclassical.org! Hope to see you there!
Upcoming Music and Art Events!
Please save the dates for these special music and art events!
LS Art Show
Who: All students, their families, and community members are welcome, but not required :)
When: Thursday, April 20, 5:30-7:30 PM
Where: Nova Gymnasium
*Free games and art activities, as well as a $1 raffle and art auction to benefit Nova Classical's art programming.
We need volunteers! Sign up here.
LS Vocal Concert
Grades K-2: 6:00 - 6:45 PM
Grades 3-5: 7:15 - 8:15 PM
When: Thursday, May 18, 2023
Where: Nova Gymnasium
Attire: Nova uniform
*All students are required to attend their portion of the concert*
Traffic Reminders
Traffic & Carpool Lanes
Please be sure to plan a bit of extra time in the morning to ensure that your scholar is able to enter the building, stop by their locker, and still report to class on time. The building opens at 8:15 AM.
During drop off in the carpool lane, please be sure to drop scholars off quickly. Pull up as far forward in the line as possible. Do not double park or stop in the parking lot to drop off students, as this impedes traffic movement. Use care when re-entering traffic from a stopped position along sidewalks. Parents should remain in their vehicles and depart as soon as their scholar is safely on the sidewalk.
Cars should not be parked and/or left unattended in the carpool lane. If you would like to walk your child to the door, please park in a designated parking area to do so.
Seeking Volunteers!
We are still looking for volunteers for Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week (May 1-5), and our Boosterthon Fun Run (May 12) and Boosterthon prize distributions (the week leading up to the Fun Run). There are also many end-of-year celebrations taking place in the coming weeks that make great opportunities to help support our scholars and staff!
Apply to volunteer with Nova Classical.
Browse and sign up for opportunities here.
COVID Reporting Form 22-23
Families should report positive cases, not symptoms or household cases. Please use the link below (not the 21-22 version). Thank you!
Upcoming Lower School Events!
April:
10: Start of Quarter 4
13: Grandparent's & Special Person's Day
20: Lower School Art Show
21: NO SCHOOL (Professional Development Day)
24: Board of Directors Meeting @ 6:00 PM
28: NO SCHOOL (K-12 Conferences)
May:
2: NPTO Meeting @ 4:15 PM
3: Lower School Virtue Assembly @ 3:00 PM
4: Boosterthon Kick Off!
12: Boosterthon Color & Fun Run
18: Lower School Choir Concert @ 6:00 PM
22: Board of Directors Meeting @ 6:00 PM
29: NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)
31: Lower School Virtue Assembly @ 3:00 PM
June:
4: Graduation @ 2:00 PM
6: NPTO Meeting @ 4:15 PM
7: Last Day of School
26: Board of Directors Meeting @ 6:00 PM
Remember, today and every day: Learn something new, try your best, and be kind to one another. Let's make today the best day yet! It's a great day to be a knight!