GRAMMAR GAZETTE
Month of September 2026
Thursday, October 8, 2026
Dear Lower School Nova Classical Families,
As we settle into the cooler and milder fall season, October brings several opportunities for our school community to reflect, learn, and celebrate together. We are proud of our diverse student body, and this month we are highlighting a few key observances that enrich our classrooms and community:
- Indigenous Peoples’ Day (October 12): On this day, we honor the rich histories, cultures, and enduring resilience of Indigenous and Native American communities. In our classrooms, students will be engaging with age-appropriate stories, histories, and art that celebrate these traditions and their vital contributions to our world.
- National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15): This time frame honors the cultures and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans and aligns with the independence days of several Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Chile.
Friendly Reminders
Socks and the Uniform Guidelines—Please remember that student socks must be black, gray, or white only. Socks may not have logos or patterns other than Nova plaid.
Scholar Zone Families
REMINDER, MEA weekend is 10/15-10/19 with S.O.S days available. Tomorrow, October 9, is the last day to register for the MEA weekend. Please see sign up below.
Report Cards for the 2026-2027 School Year
Starting this 2026–2027 school year, report cards will no longer be mailed home. Grading and classroom comments can be found in the Infinite Campus Parent portal. You can log in at any time to stay up-to-date on your student’s academic progress. For assistance with logging in or resetting your password, please contact Michelle Ingram at mingram@novaclassical.org.
Please read ahead for the latest news and views.
Warm Regards,
Mrs. Farrell
Student Photo Retake Day, October 23
Kemmetmueller Photography will host student photo retakes on October 23. Click here for information on picture retake day preparation and ordering school photos!
If you have any questions about your student's picture day, need help with ordering photos, or have any other concerns, please contact Kemmetmueller Photography at info@k-photography.com or (952) 473-2142.
Please complete this form to request retakes on Friday, October 23, 2026.
Borrow Bin and Lost & Found Process for Cold Weather
As it has been getting colder, please remember to check the lost and found for missing sweaters or light coats.
If your child is in need of winter gear, please reach out with their name, teacher, and preferred size. We will see if there is any donated gear that can be provided to your child to use.
The Borrow Bin has been restocked with clean coats, mittens, hats, snow pants, and boots. If cold weather gear is needed, please have your scholar check the bin and return the items back to the 'used' bin so the item(s) can be cleaned for the next use.
Thank you for keeping things labeled!
Jessica C, Nova Parent Volunteer
Minnesota State Fair Winners
Nova's Fiber Arts Club was well represented at the State Fair! We are so proud of our many student entries and 7 ribbon winners! If you have a chance, please check out some of our fabulous State Fair entries in the display case in the Great Room.
Club Coordinator, Ms. Irish
REMINDER, MEA weekend is 10/15-10/19 with S.O.S days available. Tomorrow, October 9, is the last day to register for the MEA weekend.
Click below to select and register for S.O.S. Days. Each day is hyperlinked to RevTrack, for easy signup. You can also view the activities planned for each day. Questions? Email scholarzone@novaclassical.org.
Click the links below to navigate directly to registration for each specific day or click here for the main registration page. For a list of all dates and activities, click here.
2026 S.O.S. Dates:
MEA Weekend
2027 S.O.S. Dates:
Spring Break
September Hallway Challenge Winners
First Place: Ms. Van's First Grade Class
Second Place: Ms. Miller's Fourth Grade Class
Third Place: Ms. Sotelo's First Grade Class
Fourth Place: Ms. Tolish's First Grade Class
NPTO Book Fair Saturday, October 10
The Nova's Parent Teacher Organization (NPTO) invites you to join us for the BookFair held at Barnes and Noble in the Har Mar Mall. Please see our teachers and staff that will be sharing a book this day in the flyer attached.
We are also in need of volunteers to support this event. Click here to sign up!
Unity Day: Wednesday, October 21
Students may wear orange on top and Nova uniform on the bottom. This is a day we can come together to send a visible message of building through justice, temperance, and prudence. The call to action is simple: wear and share the color orange.
Parent Teacher Conferences
- Thursday, November 5: K-12 Parent Teacher Conferences, In Person, 4:30-8:00 PM
- Friday, November 6: K-12 Parent Teacher Conferences, Virtual Only, 8:00 AM-4:00 PM
Conference Sign Up Links will be shared soon.
Give to the Max, November 19
Give to the Max Day—Minnesota’s biggest day of giving—is November 19. Early giving starts November 1. Click here to Give to the Max!
This year, we’re raising $150,000 to finish and furnish our new expansion, planned to open this winter. The building is just about ready, now we need your help to fill it with opportunity!
Your support will help us open these spaces fully equipped and ready to serve our students from Day One, helping strengthen the Nova experience for years to come.
As always, Nova Classical’s Give to the Max Day will feature hourly challenges, fun incentives, and plenty of community spirit! Follow along, share our campaign, and help us spread the word. Together, we can finish and furnish the expansion, creating even more opportunities for our scholars.
Ms. Urbrock's Music Program Highlights
Ms. Juedes' Little Art Room Website
Visit the LS Art website for updates on our creative learning each month, plus information on grading in art, curriculum, and wishlist!
LibraryGo
Look at your new student ID! It has something special on it—a St. Paul Public Library card!
That means you can go to the library with your parent or another grown-up and check out books, audiobooks, and other fun things for FREE. You can visit any of the St. Paul Public Library branches and find books to read together, books about things you're curious about, or just a really good story.
Take your ID home and ask your grown-up to take you to the library! Your library card is already on your ID, so you're ready to go.
Grades 3–5: Find Your Next Book
Your student ID is also your St. Paul Public Library card, which means you have access to thousands of books and audiobooks for FREE! If you're participating in Battle of the Books, use your library card to find copies of the books you need to read—or see if you can find an audiobook version. You can also use it to discover your next favorite book. Take your ID home, show your family, and start using your library account. The more you use it, the more we can keep this great resource for Nova students!
Grandparent and Special Person Day, Wednesday, October 14
Nova Classical Academy is pleased to invite the special people in our students' lives so that they can experience the unique nature of our learning community on October 14. At this point, registration for this event closed on October 2nd and we are at capacity. If you missed the registration this year, we look forward to hosting the event next October. In the meantime, visit a Virtue Assembly or classroom volunteer opportunity.
We still need volunteers to help run this event, sign up here to help host.
School Uniform Guidelines
Check out our updated Uniform Policy for the 2026-2027 school year.
Personalized labels from namebubbles.com or mabelslabels.com are a great way to keep track of your scholar's belongings. A set of labels typically costs less than replacing one lost item. If you do not use personalized labels, clearly write your scholar's first name (or first initial) and full last name on all items. Many items include a "This Item Belongs To:" label for this purpose.
Clearly labeled items can usually be returned quickly. Unlabeled items are placed in the Lost & Found, where scholars must search for them. Uniform items are especially difficult to identify because they often look the same and may be the same brand and size as other scholars' items.
Free Breakfast and Lunch
Nova Classical continues to participate in Minnesota's Free School Meals program. This means that all students can receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day. There is no application or income requirements. There is no preordering of food necessary. We work with CKC Good Food to cook and deliver our meals.
Please see daily menus linked here, on our Food Service Website.
Educational Benefits Application
Please complete the 2026-2027 Educational Benefits application which is now available in Infinite Campus. If you prefer, you may also download the application on Nova Classical's website. While you're there, please pay any outstanding balances in your student's food service account.
Did you know? Breakfast and lunch are free for all students, K-12. Milk is included with meals served at school. Milk is .45¢ with meals sent from home.
Why is completing an application still important?
Educational Benefits provide a variety of benefits to your student(s) and to our school, including important funds that provide programs and services to all of the students in our school community. Our school benefits only when applications are completed by the families of enrolled students, regardless of benefit status. Complete your application today!
Fall After School Activities Reminders
Passes can be purchased online in advance, with a credit card at the door, or with Apple Pay on your mobile device. The ticketing site is located under "Tickets" in the bottom toolbar of the extracurriculars page.
After School Club registration opens October 26 on the Extracurriculars page of the Nova website.
REMINDER: Students in Grades K-8 MUST be accompanied by a parent/guardian to attend all home athletic events. This includes middle school games. Students in Grades 9-12 may attend events without a parent/guardian present, but must purchase an annual student pass for $10. The student pass will get an individual student into any regular season contest hosted on campus. Family passes are also available to purchase.
Want to know what's happening after the school day ends? Check out the Extracurriculars page of the Nova website to find out about clubs and sports. Contact activities@novaclassical.org or athletics@novaclassical.org.
Families who qualify for Educational Benefits will be required to enter a code when registering in Bound to receive the discount on the registration fees. The code will be included in your benefits confirmation notice. It will be needed each time you register in our new system, so hang on to it!
Volunteers - We Need You!
Parents and Community Members:
Apply to become an active volunteer to help support our staff and scholars! Once you're active in our volunteer system, sign up for opportunities including:
- 10/10: NPTO B&N Bookfair
- 10/14: Grandparent & Special Person Day Reception Hosts and Guides
- 11/6: Teacher Conference Dinner
- 11/7: NPTO Great Gathering Kickoff Party
Click here to view the always-current list of opportunities and links to sign up.
Nova PTO’s sole purpose is to provide resources to Nova Classical’s staff, students and their families in ways that the school cannot. Each family is encouraged to volunteer 20 hours per school year-what a fun way to help support our Nova Community!
Help needed!
NPTO is looking for a few awesome people to help:
- Spirit Wear Coordinator, to order, design, and manage spirit wear throughout the year
- Great Gatherings Event Planner (plan the event on 11/7)
- Vice-Chair, leadership role
Upcoming Events:
- Tuesday, 10/6: In-person NPTO meeting 7:00 PM in the Great Room
Saturday, 10/10: Book Fair at Barnes & Noble at HarMar Mall Roseville
Saturday, 11/7: Great Gatherings Fundraiser Event
Saturday, 5/8: Nova Family Carnival at Nova Classical 10:00 AM-4:00 PM
Share your time and talents with Nova PTO, we are always looking for helpers. Single event, short term and long term roles, click here for a current list of volunteer opportunities.
Meetings:
The next PTO meeting is Tuesday, October 6 at 7:00 PM in the Great Room. Everyone is invited!
Visit novapto.org for more about what Nova PTO does and SAVE THE DATE(s) for the fun we have planned!
October:
2: No School (PD, Office Closed)
6: Parent Education Night: Singapore Math, Grades K-5 (Virtual) at 5:30 PM
6: NPTO Meeting In Person Great Room
10: K-12 Barnes & Noble Book Fair
14: Grandparents/Special Persons Day
15: No School (Staff Work Day)
16: No School (Office Closed)
19: No School (Office Closed)
21: Unity Day
22: Parent Education Night: Reading, Grades 3-5 (Virtual) at 5:30 PM
23: Picture Retakes
26: Board of Directors Meeting at 6:00 PM
November:
5: End of Quarter 1 (LS) and Semester 1 midterm (US)
5: K-12 Conferences (4:30 PM - 8:00 PM)
6: No School (K-12 Conferences)
10: NPTO Meeting Virtual 7:30pm
17: Parent Education Night: Latin and Study Skills, Grades 5-12 (Virtual)
19: Give to the Max
23-27: No School (Office Closed)
30: Board of Directors Meeting at 6:00 PM
December:
1: NPTO Meeting at 7:30 PM
10: Parent Education Night: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Habits of Learning, Grades 5-12 (Virtual)
17: Festive Sweater, K-12 (uniform bottoms required)
18: No School (Staff Work Day)
21-31: No School (Office Closed)
*Please note: there is no Board Meeting in December
January 2027:
1: No School (Office Closed)
4: School resumes