NCS Family Newsletter

1/25/2024 Outdoor Learning

2/1/2024 Outdoor Learning

2/7/2024 Fundraiser: Pasqual's Night

2/13/2024 Battle of the Books - District Level Competition - VAHS

2/13/2024 Governance Council Meeting - NCS Library

2/15/2024 Outdoor Learning

2/16/2024 NO SCHOOL *May switch to a school day, if we hold an inclement weather day by 2/16*

2/22/2024 Family Conference Night 3-6:30pm

2/29/2024 Outdoor Learning

Our February Restaurant Night is scheduled for Wednesday February 7th at Pasqual's Cantina in Verona.

Pasqual's will donate 10% of sales from that day back to New Century School.

Butter Braids and Colectivo coffee, tea, and cocoa are back! Treat your family or friends to a delicious pastry this year, or some hand-roasted coffee! Help support NCS by selling Butter Braids or Colectivo products through our fundraiser! Order forms will be sent home with kids and emailed out by the end of this week.

Orders and payments are due by Friday, February 9th. Order forms and payments can be dropped off in the office. All checks should be made out to NCS Community, Inc. You can submit one check for all of your orders, or individual checks from each person who buys from you.

All items can be picked up on Friday, March 1st from 2-4 pm. If this doesn’t work for your family, please email Carly to make other arrangements: carlypowers@icloud.com. Small orders can be sent home in students’ backpacks, but Butter Braids will need to stay frozen so they don’t start to rise.

Thanks for supporting NCS!

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.

The Bridging Brighter Smiles program is a safe, affordable, accessible way to meet a dental hygienist... right here in Verona Area School District!

Learn more at https://bridgingbrightersmiles.org/

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.

It is time for our annual physical education swim unit. Swimming lessons will begin Monday, January 8th and go through Friday, February 23rd. In order to reduce transportation delays and increase instructional time in the pool, we will be hosting these lessons at the Natatorium.

Children who are unable to swim will be able to sit in the stands and complete classwork, read and/or observe instruction. Students in all grades are allowed to wear their own swimming suits; the Natatorium will provide towels. If a swimming suit is forgotten, there will be suits available.

1. One piece swimsuits are preferred, but not required.

2. We ask that parents/guardians provide some type of plastic bag to store their child’s suit in.

3. Children without a suit on their swimming day can wear a suit provided by the Natatorium.

Swimming caps or a ponytail with an elastic band are required for students with hair that is shoulder length or longer. Students may bring a cap from home or purchase one at the Natatorium. Students may also bring optional swimming items such as swimming goggles, nose, and earplugs. The Natatorium provides towels.

If you have questions about the swimming program, please don’t hesitate to call us at 608-845-4505.

One of our best outreach efforts is our current families. We encourage you to share with other VASD families about NCS. We want families to know their options.

The charter school lottery for the ‘24-’25 school year will be open from January 11 - February 14. In addition to our incoming K class, we usually have some openings in grades 1-5. If you know any VASD families with incoming K students, or students in grades 1-5 who are interested in attending NCS, please have them enter the VASD Charter School lottery. In order to be eligible for openings in grades 1-5, families still need to join the Charter School Lottery now.

Families can find more information about enrollment and the lottery from our registrar’s office.

We will treat the NCS and VAIS staff to a yummy soup dinner during conferences on Thursday, February 22. Please sign up by clicking the link to bring your favorite soup, salad, fruit, dessert, snacks, or disposable dishes.

Any questions, please contact Lindsey Loeffler at loeffler.lindsey@gmail.com

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805094DAAAA29A4FD0-47415001-ncsvais

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. Ensure your contribution reaches the school office by 2/13/24, so we can create a vibrant atmosphere for Friendship Day on 2/14. Your support is truly appreciated—thank you!

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.

Sign up here to support the snack pile in the teacher workroom, especially for upcoming Friendship Day February 14th.

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