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NOVA NEWS - April 7th, 2022
March 3rd, 2022
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April 7th, 2022
UPDATE FROM DR. WEDLUND
Dear Nova Community,
We feel that Nova Classical is in our most secure position of the past 25 months. Our COVID-19 mitigation measures have been reduced to optional masking without contact tracing. This aligns with guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite the reduction in mitigations our positive case counts remain low. As a school community, it's clear that now is the time to focus on reconnecting.
There are many opportunities for you to engage with Nova Classical before school is out. Many exciting events are planned this spring. Parents can attend a Lower School Virtue Assembly. Volunteers are needed for events like the Boosterthon Fun Run. The Great Gatherings Kickoff in May is a chance to talk with other Nova families. These will all be great places to connect with other Nova Classical families.
No matter how you choose to participate in these activities, we invite you to revive Nova Classical's strong, supportive community -- a defining trait of our school prior to the pandemic.
I look forward to seeing you soon. It’s a Great Day to Be a Knight!
MCA Update
As April begins, we approach our yearly statewide testing, the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs). The MCAs are state tests in mathematics, reading, and science. These tests are given yearly to measure student performance aligned with the MN Academic Standards which specify what students in a particular grade (3-11) should know and be able to do.
To read more about MCAs at Nova Classical Academy, please continue reading here.
NEWS FROM YOUR NOVA BOARD
This year three of the Board’s nine seats are up for election; two parent seats and one teacher seat. People interested in running for election must fill out and submit an online Nomination Form by 4:00 pm on Friday, April 8. The form is available, Questions can be sent to governance@novaclassical.org.
The election will begin on April 26 and run until 4:00 pm on Friday, May 6.
Nova Board of Directors Nominations
Nomination Period Ends at 4:00 pm on April 8
This year three of the Board’s nine seats are up for election; two parent seats and one teacher seat. People interested in running for election must fill out and submit an online Nomination Form by 4:00 pm on Friday, April 8.
The Board is looking for candidates with:
A passion for Nova’s mission and classical model
Desire to strengthen our school community
The ability to contribute to a collaborative board
Willingness to listen openly to others’ perspectives
Skills in areas such as finance, marketing, communication, legal, project management, fundraising/development, and education
Further election information is available on the Nova Board Election page. Questions about the election or eligibility should be sent to governance@novaclassical.org.
Get Ready to Vote
The voting period will run from Monday, April 25 to 4:00 pm on Friday, May 6. Voting will be done via an electronic ballot that will be emailed to all eligible voters. To ensure that you receive your ballot promptly, please check to make sure that your email address is correct on Infinite Campus.
Candidate Forum for the Nova Board Election
The Governance Committee is hosting a Candidate Forum on Zoom on Thursday, April 26, beginning at 6:30 pm.
Please join us at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89562736183?pwd=cVVSVGc1c292WjhueUcxNTAvenFadz09
Meeting ID: 895 6273 6183 Passcode: novaboard
Suggestions for questions for the candidates may be emailed to governance@novaclassical.org.
The Candidate Forum will be recorded and shared via the Nova Board Elections page as well.
The election will run from Monday, April 26 – Friday, May 6 at 4:00 pm. Electronic ballots will be emailed to voters on the 26th.
Community Reminders
Boosterthon!
We are excited to kick off our Nova Classical Academy Boosterthon on April 28th. Our goal is to raise $35,000 for the playworks program and chromebook carts and to strengthen our school community.
YouTube video from Ms. Tousignant
Thank you!
Building's hours 8:15-4:15
Please remember that our building is open between 8:15 and 4:15 each day. If your students are not in an activity, they need to be picked up by 4:15. We do not have the building staffed to monitor siblings after school if their older siblings are in an activity/sport. We are also not able to have students wait at school before their evening event/practice begins. Please plan to find a way home for them after school and bring them back to school for their evening events. Thank you!
Parent drop off/pick up procedure reminders
The logistics of student drop off and pick up are challenging for every school and Nova Classical is no exception. We are asking for the community's help in getting these times to run as smoothly as possible. If you participate in pickup and/or drop off, please take a moment our processes, expectation and traffic flow map. In the past couple of weeks, we have had issues with cars that were double parked in our parking lot, stopped in bus lanes, and parked illegally in our handicapped parking spots. Please make it a goal to unload and load your students in under a minute from your vehicles. Thank you!
KUDOS & COMMENDATIONS
The Yearbook Staff would like to thank all the parents and students for submitting (or submitting to) photos for the 21-22 Nova yearbook. It is now in the Jostens printing queue! We hope you will enjoy it.
This year there is an optional Jostens Plus phone app (details will be in the yearbook) on which digital photos of spring events - The Wizard of Oz, Track, and Capstone can be accessed. We are excited to be able to include events that would otherwise not be included or would only be included in the following year's book.
Response to book sales has been the best ever this year - THANK YOU! If you still plan to purchase an Upper School Yearbook, please do so ASAP. The availability of extra books at the end of the year will be minimal and comes with no guarantee. To check if you have already ordered a book for your student, email KTetmeyer@novaclassical.org.
Yearbooks can be ordered (while supplies last) at: Nova Classical Upper School | Jostens
Staffing Updates
Welcome to Nova: Angie Van Den Hemel!
She will be starting at the front desk as our District Office Coordinator ! Ms. Van Den Hemel comes to Nova having worked most recently as a Long Term Substitute Teacher. She also was a Technology Specialist and a Building Substitute at Twin Cities International Schools in Minneapolis. She also currently is a Lifelong Learning Instructor at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Prior to working in schools and teaching as well as being a Debate Coach, she served as a Legal Assistant. She has an M.A. in Education from Augsburg and completed her undergraduate studies at University of Washington in Seattle, majoring in Humanities and Social Science. She holds a teaching license in 5-12 Social Studies. We are so excited to welcome her to the Nova community!
Ms. Angie Van Den Hemel
NPTO UPDATES
Great Gatherings
Tickets are now available for The Great Gathering Party on Saturday, May 14! Follow this link to purchase tickets and learn more:
We need Auction Items!
The Nova PTO will have its annual fundraising silent auction the night of the Great Gathering Party and we need your help in gathering items. With this year being a pandemic year and community members a bit reluctant on donating gatherings we need Silent Auction items more than ever! Do you have a family cabin that you could rent out to a lucky bidder? Are you a small business willing to donate a good or service? Please consider donating them to help your Nova Community.
Please follow this link to learn more.
CALENDAR & UPCOMING EVENTS
DATES TO REMEMBER
April
5: NPTO Mtg, 5pm
7: Lower School Art Show, 5-7pm
8: NO SCHOOL
12: SoL Choir Concert @ 7pm
13: LS Virtue Assembly - Parents may attend @ 9am
14: NO SCHOOL (Spring Conferences, by invite only, contact your teachers with ?s)
15: NO SCHOOL
18: US Parent Advisory Mtg, 4pm via zoom
20: Finance and Budget Mtg, 5pm
21: Kindergarten Round Up
22: SoL Black & White Dance @6-8pm
25: Board of Directors Meeting, 6pm
26: Candidate Forum for Board, 6:30pm
29: NO SCHOOL
29: LS Drama performance @ 6:30pm
May
3: NPTO Mtg @ 5pm
4: Battle of the Books, Final Round @2:30pm
6: Boosterthon! (K-8 fundraiser)
12-13: Musical: The Wizard of OZ @ 6:30 pm
14: Musical: The Wizard of OZ @ 12 pm
12: LS Concert @6pm (K-2) and @7:15pm (3-5)
13: NO SCHOOL
14: Great Gatherings
16: US Parent Advisory @ 4pm
18: Budget and Finance Mtg @5pm
20: LS Virtue Assembly
20: Ascot
21: Prom @ 8-11:30pm
23: Board of Directors @6pm
24: SoR Concert @ 7pm
30: NO SCHOOL
June
2: Senior Parade
3: Last Day of school, half day
5: Graduation
7: NPTO Mtg @5pm
July
1-7: Building is closed
August
4: Used Uniform Sale@4-7pm
29: First Day of School!
Summer Soccer Camps/Clinics
Summer Youth Soccer Camp registration is open on the Extracurriculars page of the Nova website. The camp is open to students entering grades 3-6. Don't miss it! Questions? Email athletics@novaclassical.org.
Save the Date! Spring Musical: The Wizard of OZ
Save the date! Don't miss The Wizard of Oz! Ticket sales open April 25, 2022.
Check out posters around school for the QR code or visit novaclassical.seatyourself.biz. Posters will be up April 25, 2022.
Performances held at the Wellstone Theater: 179 Robie St E, St Paul, MN 55107.
Questions? Email activities@novaclassical.org
"Whenever you say 'yes' to something unimportant, you're saying 'no' to something important."
— Joshua Fields Milburn