The Herald

Dear Nova Classical Academy Upper School Families,

The second half of the school year is now in full swing! By this time, you should have received your child's report card in the mail. If you have not yet received it, please contact Mrs. Ruppert in the Upper School Office for assistance. If you have any questions about your child's grades or progress, we encourage you to reach out to their teacher.

Please review this newsletter carefully for important information about upcoming events in the Upper School

Warmest regards,

Mrs. Paschall

Important Dates:

• SoR Snow Daze Week, February 18-21
• SoR Snow Daze Dance, February 22, 7:00-10:00 PM
• Friday, March 7: No School - Conferences
• Monday, March 10: No School - Staff Workday
• Friday, March 14 - Saturday, March 15: Senior Retreat
• Thursday, March 27: Upper School Spirit Wear Day
• Friday, March 28: No School - Staff Workday
• Monday, 31 - Friday, April 4: Building Closed - Spring Break

Please review this month's Herald for information on upcoming events and school updates. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.

We are honored to celebrate these students for their achievements:

January Students of the Month

December Students of the Month were selected by their teachers for demonstrating excellence in fortitude! Congratulations to Allie Greene (12), Lucie Gill (9) and Mulan Addy (8). We celebrate your displays of virtue!

National Merit Scholar Finalists

Congratulations to our students who have been named National Merit Scholar Finalists! This prestigious recognition is awarded to less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors, honoring their exceptional academic achievements and dedication to excellence.

• Sean Borell
• Rachel Jeong
• Sophia Lee
• Thomas O'Keefe

Mock Trial Advances to State

We are excited to share that our Mock Trial Program and the B Team for advancing to the State Tournament! The team competed against Centennial High School on Thursday evening at the Hennepin County Courthouse and secured a hard-fought victory. Additionally, Nina Aamodt and Nick Odegard were recognized with Outstanding Attorney and Outstanding Witness awards.

The following team members have advanced who we wish the best as they prepare for the State Tournament!

• Nina Aamodt

• Ares Drake

• Nicolas Odegard

• Lila McNelis

• James Garske

• Atticus Fleishacker

Science Olympiad

Kudos to the SoL Science Olympiad teams for doing an amazing job competing at Regionals in January. Both teams advance to States on March 1st at Bethel University. Congratulations to 7th graders June Smith and Sophie Gabor for taking the gold medal in the technical writing event, "Write it, Do it" and to 6th graders Nathan Sun and Vincent Hansen placing 3rd for building a power-generating wind turbine.

SoL Spelling Bee Finalists

6th grade: Seraphina Elverum Buxton and Neel Vijay

7th grade: Joaquin Rosales

8th grade: Josh Galope

Let's also celebrate Neel Vijay for winning the Nova Classical School Spelling Bee! Neel has qualified for the Regional Bee on March 6 at St. Paul College. Best wishes Neel!

SoL History Bee Finalists

Congratulations to the School of Logic students who have qualified to compete in Nova's History Bee on February 21. Best wishes to the following students:

6th Grade: Eleanor Cooper, Seraphina Elverum Buxton, Sloane Mumford and Cedar Shah

7th Grade: Emir Arzamendia, Sofian Bouzouina, Liam Conley, Ethan Egginton, Niko Farganis , Oliver McInroy, Andrey Osaulenko, Nikolai Osaulenko and Emerson Varghese

8th Grade: Josh Galope and Abdelatif Siyad

Bravo to the One Act Play

Hats off to the talented cast and crew of the One Act Play for their outstanding performance of The Tempest! Your hard work, creativity, and dedication shone brightly on stage. Well done!

Nordic Ski Team

Congratulations to Eli Andre for finishing 26th out of more than 110 competitors in the State Nordic Skiing Pursuit event! Well done, Eli!

Caleb Taylor-1,000 points in Basketball

Basketball captain and Junior guard Caleb Taylor reached an impressive milestone in January, scoring 1,000 career points! Congratulations, Caleb!

Nova Green Team

Exciting news from the Nova Green Team! We now have Ridwell recycling in the Upper School for plastic film for the rest of the school year.

Has your student accomplished something exceptional outside of the classroom? Have they earned a special award, been recognized with a medal, or made a significant impact in their community? We’d love to hear about their achievements!

Please share the details by filling out and submitting this form. Your child might be featured in our morning announcements, celebrated during a student assembly, highlighted in our staff newsletter, or noted in The Herald.

Attention 5th Grade Families! Please join us for the SoL Information Night, Thursday, February 20, 5:00-7:00 PM to learn more about the School of Logic at Nova Classical! Parents/guardians and students will take an academic tour and learn more about School of Logic classes, student supports, and student culture. There will also be a pizza dinner and a Q & A session with our School of Logic Senators. RSVP here!

SoL Spring Fling Dance

Save the date! The SoL Senate will be hosting the Spring Fling Dance for students in grades 6-8. The dance will take place at Nova Classical on April 11, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM.

Snow Daze

Our SoR students have been celebrating Snow Daze this week! The Snow Daze dance for students in grades 9-12 will take place on Saturday, February 22, from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Snow Daze is organized by the SoR Senate.

SoR Information Night, Thursday, February 27, 5:00-7:00 PM

Parents and students of this year’s 8th-grade class are invited to attend an informational event to learn more about Nova Classical’s School of Rhetoric. Teachers and current SoR students will share what our high school has to offer! A light dinner will be provided. Plan to attend this fun event! RSVP here!

Senior Retreat, Friday, March 14 - Saturday, March 15

Save the date!! The Class of 2025 will be going to Base Camp for their Senior Overnight Retreat. The retreat begins with students arriving at Base Camp at 7:00 PM and ends with breakfast and students departing at 7:00 AM. The cost is $60 per student which includes, the high ropes course, rock climbing, games, food and fun overnight events. Additional details will be shared with the senior families directly. Thank you to the NPTO for their support of this event!

Senior Retreat & Graduation Updates

• Please click here for the registration form.
• Prize Donations for the Senior Retreat. All contributions are wlecome, even those not on the list! Every senior will receive a gift, regardless of attendance.
• Graduation Ticket Order Form

Thank you for your support!

Linked below is important information regarding the 2025 District testing for the ACT. Juniors will be taking the ACT on Tuesday, March 25th from 8:40 AM until approximately 12:30 PM. All students MUST make their MyACT account prior to taking the exam.

Nova Classical District Testing ACT Information

If students are planning on taking the ACT more than once, it is recommended that they are aware of national testing dates and sites and schedule that before we take the ACT on March 25 at Nova Classical as summer national testing sites fill up quickly. There is information on how to sign up for ACT testing at other sites here.

Homework help is available for Upper School students on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 4:00 to 5:00 PM. Homework support is provided by an Upper School Teacher and Educational Assistant. Please note, daycare is not available for siblings in the School of Grammar.

Students may report to Room 326 at 4:00 PM. Students should be picked up from school at 5:00 PM.

• Thursday, March 27
• Thursday, May 29

To show their school pride, Upper School students are invited to wear Nova Classical Spirit Wear with uniform bottoms or jeans. Please note, ripped/torn clothing is not allowed.

On Thursday, April 10, 2025, from 5:30-7:30 PM, Nova’s NHS and Equity Team will be hosting the third annual Family Multicultural Night. As we plan for this night of celebration, there are several ways to get involved early.

Sign up to:

• Host a cultural booth
• Share a performance
• Make a monetary donation

Information about RSVPing, volunteering, and contributing to the potluck will be coming soon! Questions or concerns? Please reach out to equitycoordinator@novaclassical.org.

Spring sports registration is closing soon! Don't miss out! Check out the Extracurriculars page for sport specific dates.

Nova Knights! Keep your competitive edge over the summer. Nova Classical's strength and conditioning sessions are open to student athletes in grades 9-12. All ability levels are welcome.

• Session times and dates will be posted on March 1, 2025, here.
• Registration will open March 15, 2025, here.

A reminder as basketball season is here! Students in Grades K-8 must to be accompanied by a parent/guardian to attend all home athletic events. 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 contest hosted on campus for volleyball, basketball, or soccer. Family passes are also available to purchase. Events are found here.

Passes and individual game tickets 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 at the GoFan link in the toolbar of the extracurriculars calendar or by the Quick Links on the extracurricular page of Nova Classical's website.

NovaPTO is revving up for Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week (May 5-9) by collecting monetary donations and readying a crew of volunteers. Participating with NPTO in Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week is optional.

• Click here to donate money using the NPTO online store by selecting "Teacher/Staff Appreciation"
• Click here to sign up to volunteer.

Here are some upcoming Great Gatherings you don’t want to miss!

• Mar 12: Oula Dance Fitness With Ms. Tousignant 5:30 PM. Purchase tickets, Adults Only
• Mar 14: Favorite Things Party 7:00-9:30 PM Purchase Tickets Adults Only.
• Mar 22: Self Defense Class With Ms. Stella 2:30 PM Purchase Tickets Ages 10+. Adults welcome.
• Mar 22: *A tradition since the beginning* Nova Ladies Party 7:00-10:00 PM. Purchase Tickets Adults Only.

Next PTO Meeting:

The next Nova PTO Meeting is on Tuesday, March 4, from 7:30-8:30p via Zoom.

• Meeting ID: 842 4045 9837
• Passcode: enrich

Volunteer Opportunities:

There are several ways you can volunteer with NovaPTO here.

Save the Date:

• PTO Meeting: March 4, 7:30-8:30 PM via Zoom
• PTO Meeting: April 8, 7:30-8:30 PM via Zoom
• PTO Meeting: May 6, In person only with Pizza! Dinner 5:30-6:00 PM. Meeting 6:00-7:00 PM
• PTO Meeting: June 3, 7:30-8:30 PM via Zoom

Click here to see the many ways you can volunteer with NovaPTO.

Follow NPTO on Facebook, Instagram, or visit their website for more information and get in touch with Nova Classical families when you sign up for the Family Directory!

Parents and Community Members:

Apply to become an active volunteer to help support our staff and scholars! We still need help to run the Carnival this fall on November 9, 2025.

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. Voelker, School Counselor, Grades 8-12, with questions or ideas.

We invite our community members and students to share their stories, achievements, and upcoming events for a chance to be featured in Nova News! Whether it's highlighting a student group, activity, or special event, we welcome your submissions. To ensure a smooth process, we've developed some guidelines for coaches, advisors, teachers, staff, students, and parent volunteers. These guidelines are designed to help streamline submissions and ensure we capture the best of what Nova has to offer.

Please see the attached guidelines for more details on how to submit your items. Remember, you can also have your events or activities considered for our social media channels by emailing them to socialmedia@novaclassical.org. We look forward to showcasing the amazing things happening in our community!

February:

18-22: SoR Snow Daze Week

20: SoL Information Night at 5:00 PM

21: Nova Classical History Bee at 2:30 PM

21: SoR Choir Concert at 7:00 PM

22: SoR Snow Daze Dance 7:00PM - 10:00 PM

24: Board of Directors Meeting at 6:00 PM

27: SoR Information Night at 5:00 PM

March:

4: NPTO Meeting from 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM (Zoom)

7: No School (K-12 Conferences and Staff Work Day)

10: No School (Staff Work Day)

14-15: Senior Class Retreat at Base Camp 7:00PM - 7:00 AM

24: Board of Directors Meeting at 6:00 PM

25: ACT Testing for Juniors (during school day)

27: Upper School Awards Assembly during House

27: Upper School Spiritwear Day

28: No School (Staff Work Day)

31: No School (Building Closed)

April:

1-4: No School (Building Closed)

8: NPTO Meeting from 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM (Zoom)

10: Multicultural Night 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

11: SoL Spring Fling Dance 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

18: No School (Staff Work Day)

28: Board of Directors Meeting at 6:00 PM

See Full Calendar

Athletics Calendar

2025-2026 and 2026-2027 Academic Calendars are now on our website!

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