NOVA NEWS - December 2025
Dear Nova Classical Community,
While our students had last Monday off, our staff spent the day in training focused on the core tenets of classical education. During the discussion, one of our Upper School teachers made a comment that stayed with me. She said, “Wisdom is the application of knowledge.” It was a simple yet profound statement about our virtue of wisdom and a great reminder of what makes Nova Classical special.
At Nova Classical Academy, we are not striving to create students who merely possess impressive stores of information, though many of them will be great at trivia by the time they leave us. Our goal is to help students better know themselves and better know the world. The ultimate purpose of their learning is not measured in the classroom but in how they use what they have learned throughout their lives. It is the very heart of our motto: Non scholae sed vitae discimus, “We learn not for school but for life.”
As December brings moments of pause and togetherness, many of you will have extra time with your children. I encourage you to notice when they demonstrate wisdom in applying what they have learned, whether in how they treat others, solve a problem, or make a thoughtful choice. Those moments reflect the best of classical education and the purpose that guides our work each day.
It’s a Great Day to be a Knight!
Dr. Brett Wedlund
Annie, Jr. packed the
Park Square Theater
FTC Tempest Team wins Inspire Award
& Qualifies for State Tournament
LS Drama Club put on a fantastic show!
Now Open: 2026-2027 Enrollment Applications
The enrollment application for the 2026-2027 school year is open. Please visit our website for more information. Any applications submitted by January 31, 2026, at 4:00 PM will be included in the February 2026 lottery. After the lottery, we will email parents and guardians with any offers or waitlist updates. Current students do not need to reapply. Click here to Apply Online for 2026-2027 enrollment.
Spring After School Cubs
Registration opens January 26, 2026.
Home Basketball Games
Basketball game season is almost here! Come out and support your classmates at any of the upcoming events. Events are found here.
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.
Passes and 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.
Thank you to our many donors who helped make Give to the Max Day a success for our school. Together, we have raised more than $24,000 towards our goal and are still accepting donations to help us fulfill our mission.
Our CIS English students had an inspiring day at Coffman Union! They joined nearly 900 other CIS high school seniors to hear award-winning author Hanif Abdurraqib read from his work and answer questions from the audience.
It was an incredible opportunity for our students to engage with a celebrated writer, deepen their learning, and experience literature beyond the classroom. What a memorable day!
Thank you to everyone who helped make the NPTO Family Carnival such a success! Special appreciation goes to Carnival Chair, Siiri Davidson, and her organizing team for their incredible work. Huge thanks as well to our SoR volunteers for painting faces, running the fishing lines, and keeping the fun going all day. Thank you to the Llamas who delighted our families. We’re also deeply grateful to the NPTO sponsors, whose support allowed us to offer the carnival largely free for our community. Thank you for helping create such a joyful day!
Congratulations to the Upper School Drama Club on three fantastic performances of Annie Jr. at Park Square Theater! Each show played to an almost sold-out audience, and our talented cast and crew shone on stage with their hard work, energy, and professionalism. Thank you to the students, directors, tech team, and parent volunteers who made this production such a success. Your dedication brought the story to life and gave our community a truly memorable theater experience.
Our two Nova FTC Robotics teams — Tempest and Argonauts — recently competed in their first qualifier of the season, and both delivered outstanding performances!
- Tempest received the Inspire Award, the highest honor in FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), recognizing teams that are a model of inspiration and gracious professionalism, and has qualified for the State Championship in February!
- Argonauts earned two awards: the Think Award for their impressive portfolio and the Stratasys Award for excellence in 3D printing.
We’re incredibly proud of the hard work, creativity, and innovation demonstrated by both teams. Keep shining, Nova Robotics!
Parents and Community Members:
Apply to become an active volunteer to help support our staff and scholars! Click here to view the always-current list of opportunities and links to sign up.
SoR Volunteering Network:
Nova Classical Families, do you know of a non-profit that needs help in our community? Do you need help in your research lab or hospital this summer? Do you have a connection with an animal shelter, museum, or park cleanup group? SoR Students are required to log 80 hours of community service to graduate. Please help us connect our students with opportunities in the community. Please contact Ms. Landrum (Voelker), School Counselor, Grades 8-12, with questions or ideas.
Highlights from the November 24 Nova Classical Board Meeting:
- Exciting news Nova Community: After a special board meeting last week, the Board has approved that we proceed to secure bonding for our building expansion! We also have selected a contractor and are in progress with those next steps in taking our building expansion one step closer to breaking ground. You can monitor the progress of the expansion project on this website.
- We would also like to sending gratitude to Dr. Wedlund and Mr. Prins for their deep engagement in the facilities expansion process and supporting us getting to this point. We also thank the Leadership Team, Friends of Nova Board, and all the committees that have been supporting the progress of this project.
- At the regular Board meeting the board continued its development through a training by Nova Classical’s Pedagogical Leads, Brandon Foat, Becky Lund, and Sara Seal, who presented on “Is It Classical?” The training focused on the 11 questions Nova Classical staff are using to determine if something fits with classical education or not and how the Board could utilize these questions in making decisions as well.
- The 2024 fiscal year audit was reviewed and accepted. The Employee handbook was updated to include the changes related to the MN State paid leave program.
- Dr. Johnson provided the annual report, as required for our authorizer and other governing bodies. The newest addition to this report is demographics including students reporting two or more races.
- NPTO reports that the carnival was a success and they have several events up coming.
Upcoming Meetings:
- The annual Board Retreat will be held on Monday, December 15, 2025 at 6:00 PM, where the board will spend time reviewing progress on the strategic plan.
- The next regular Board meeting will be on Monday, January 26, 2026, at 6:00 PM.
For meeting minutes and agendas for upcoming meetings, visit the Board section of Nova Classical's website.
Board meetings are open to the public. All are welcome to attend meetings. We are also open to having Nova family members join our work groups. If you are interested in attending or joining a board committee those can be found here.
Trying to connect with Nova PTO? Which email address do you have? Our best email is novapto@gmail.com. It was accidentally listed as npto@gmail.com on one of our contact pages. We apologize for any confusion.
Upcoming Events:
- Friday 12/5: Pure Barre Night Out. Click here for tickets
- Thursday 12/18: Winter Treats for Scholars and Staff! Volunteers sign ups are here.
- Tuesday 1/6: Nova PTO Zoom Meeting at 7:30 PM
- Sunday 1/11: Nova Skating Party RSVP here for this free event.
- Saturday 1/24: Murdering the Classics for Women: Who Killed Henry the VIII? Click here for tickets.
- Saturday 1/24: Poker Night: Learn & Play. Click here for tickets.
At the Nova Family Carnival, approximately 1,100 of us came together as a community. View and share photos here. Proceeds from the carnival, celebrate and nurture our community in ways that the school cannot. Thank you for coming.
We'd like to hear from you on a quick four-question Carnival Survey!
Special thanks to Siiri Davidson for bringing the carnival back to Nova. She is stepping down as carnival chair. Who will step up and help shape the next chapter? Planning for next year begins in January. Tune in to the next Nova PTO Zoom Meeting, on Tuesday, January 6, at 7:30 PM.
Find Gatherings Tickets, connect to the Family Directory, and get involved at notapto.org.
DATES TO REMEMBER
December:
2: NPTO Meeting at 7:30 PM on Zoom
18: NPTO treats and Festive Sweater Day (K-12 students may wear a festive sweater with uniform bottoms)
19-31: No School (Building Closed)
January:
1-2: No School (Building Closed)
5: Classes resume
6: NPTO Meeting at 7:30 PM on Zoom
16: No School (Staff Work Day)
19: No School (Building Closed)
26: Board of Directors Meeting at 6:00 PM
February:
13: No School (Building Closed, Staff Professional Development Day)
16: No School (Building Closed)
23: Board of Directors Meeting at 6:00 PM
